Method, apparatus, computer program product and network node for providing remote client deactivation

• US 7,680,942 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2007
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Griffin, Richard A. Jr., Li, Peter Cheng-Lung, Tu, Fangqiu
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky; Moustafa M
• Application Number:
  US11/733,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20080256244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709217-228, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6081 Service authorization mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/38 Graded-service arrangements, i.e. some subscribers prevented from establishing certain connections queuing arrangements H04Q3/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

An apparatus for providing remote client deactivation includes a processing element. The processing element may be configured to receive a message associated with a service related to a communication session with a client, determine whether the client is associated with an indication to deactivate the client and communicate a signaling message to deactivate the client in response to a determination that the client is associated with the indication to deactivate the client.

Claims

1. A method for providing remote client deactivation comprising:

receiving a message from a client, the message associated with a service related to a communication session with the client;

determining if the client is a subscriber or a non-subscriber;

determining whether the client is associated with an indication to deactivate the client, comprising determining, for a non-subscriber, if an identifier associated with the client is in a deactivation list that comprises a list of non-subscriber devices to be deactivated and determining, for a subscriber, if a deactivation entry associated with the subscriber indicates deactivation of the client; and

communicating a signaling message to deactivate the client in response to a determination that the client is associated with the indication to deactivate the client and upon receipt of the message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising resetting the deactivation entry associated with the subscriber to indicate no action with respect to deactivation of the client in response to deactivation of the client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the message comprises receiving a registration message for registering the client to a push-to-talk service.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deactivating the client via the signaling message in response to the identifier being in the deactivation list; and

removing the identifier from the deactivation list in response to deactivating the client.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating a status message to the client denying registration to the client in response to the identifier not being in the deactivation list.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the client is associated with the indication to deactivate the client comprises querying a subscriber database for the indication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the client is associated with the indication to deactivate the client comprises determining the status of a deactivation entry comprising the indication, wherein the indication is updatable via input from a provisioning system or a command line interface.

8. A computer program product for providing remote client deactivation, the computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion for receiving a message from a client, the message associated with a service related to a communication session with the client;

a second executable portion for determining if the client is a subscriber or a non-subscriber;

a third executable portion for determining whether the client is associated with an indication to deactivate the client, comprising determining, for a non-subscriber, if an identifier associated with the client is in a deactivation list that comprises a list of non-subscriber devices to be deactivated and determining, for a subscriber if a deactivation entry associated with the subscriber indicates deactivation of the client; and

a fourth executable portion for communicating a signaling message to deactivate the client in response to a determination that the client is associated with the indication to deactivate the client and upon receipt of the message.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising a fifth executable portion for resetting the deactivation entry associated with the subscriber to indicate no action with respect to deactivation of the client in response to deactivation of the client.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the first executable portion includes instructions for receiving a registration message for registering the client to a push-to-talk service.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

a fifth executable portion for deactivating the client via the signaling message in response to the identifier being in the deactivation list; and

a sixth executable portion for removing the identifier from the deactivation list in response to deactivating the client.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising a fifth executable portion for communicating a status message to the client denying registration to the client in response to the identifier not being in the deactivation list.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the second executable portion includes instructions for querying a subscriber database for the indication.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the second executable portion includes instructions for determining the status of a deactivation entry comprising the indication, wherein the indication is updatable via input from a provisioning system or a command line interface.

15. An apparatus for providing remote client deactivation comprising a processing element configured to:

receive a message from a client, the message associated with a service related to a communication session with a client;

determine if the client is a subscriber or a non-subscriber;

determine whether the client is associated with an indication to deactivate the client, comprising determining, for a non-subscriber, if an identifier associated with the client is in a deactivation list that comprises a list of non-subscriber devices to be deactivated and determining, for a subscriber, if a deactivation entry associated with the subscriber indicates deactivation of the client; and

communicate a signaling message to deactivate the client in response to a determination that the client is associated with the indication to deactivate the client and upon receipt of the message.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing element is further configured to reset the deactivation entry associated with the subscriber to indicate no action with respect to deactivation of the client in response to deactivation of the client.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing element is further configured to receive a registration message for registering the network node to a push-to-talk service.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing element is further configured to:

deactivate the client via the signaling message in response to the identifier being in the deactivation list; and

remove the identifier from the deactivation list in response to deactivating the client.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing element is further configured to communicate a status message to the client denying registration to the client in response to the identifier not being in the deactivation list.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing element is further configured to query a subscriber database for the indication.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing element is further configured to determine the status of a deactivation entry comprising the indication, and

wherein the indication is updatable via input from a provisioning system or a command line interface.

22. A network node comprising a processor configured to execute a client application associated with a service related to a communication session with a server,

wherein the client application is configured to receive a deactivation message from the server in response to a determination that the client application is associated with an indication to deactivate the client, the determination comprising determining, for a non-subscriber, if an identifier associated with the client is in a deactivation list that comprises a list of non-subscriber devices to be deactivated and determining, for a subscriber, if a deactivation entry associated with the subscriber indicates deactivation of the client, and

the deactivation message comprising a signaling message sent upon receipt of a client message related to the communication session.

23. The network node of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured to enable reactivation of the client application via manual selection of a menu item for reactivating the client application, which may be selectable via a user interface of the network node.