System and method for controlling access to legacy push protocols based upon a policy

• US 8,626,934 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2006
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Jakobsson, Bengt-Inge, Jansson, Andreas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): GEORGANDELLIS, ANDREW C
• Application Number:
  US11/434,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20070106800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,794 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/22 Traffic shaping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2425 for supporting services specification, e.g. SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/50 Queue scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/522 Dynamic queue service slot or variable bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6215 Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/745 Reaction in network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/781 Centralised allocation of resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/821 Prioritising resource allocation or reservation requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 : Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 : Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1313 : Metering, billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 : Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13196 : Connection circuit/link/trunk/junction, bridge, router, gateway
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13336 : Store & forward, messaging systems email H04Q2213/13375
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13348 : Channel/line reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for controlling access to telecommunications resources implementing a legacy protocol based upon a policy. These mechanisms and methods for controlling access to legacy protocols based upon a policy can enable embodiments to control access by third party created and other applications to network resources implementing legacy telecommunications protocols. The ability of embodiments to control access by third party created and other applications to network resources can enable network providers to provide greater access to network resources without compromising security of other users. Embodiments may further provide the ability to interface with legacy push protocols, multimedia message protocols and short message peer-to-peer protocols.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system, comprising:

an application, provided as part of an application tier, that initiates a push message to a mobile device, wherein the application tier includes one or more additional applications, and a plurality of protocol adapters, wherein each of said protocol adapters accepts, from one of the plurality of applications, messages implementing a different protocol and converts each of said messages to SIP protocol;

a resource interface, including a plug-in manager and a plurality of instances of a push message plug-in, wherein the plug-in manager selects at least one of the plurality of instances of the push message plug-in to connect with a telecommunications network resource implementing a push message protocol that will transmit the push message to said mobile device;

a messaging pipe that receives the push message from a said push messaging protocol adapter and routes the push message to the telecommunications network resource;

a gatekeeper between the application tier and the telecommunications network resource, wherein the gatekeeper implements the SIP protocol and includes a policy engine that creates, customizes and executes one or more policies based on one or more service level agreements, wherein said policies indicate whether the application is permitted to use the telecommunications network resource;

wherein the gatekeeper intercepts the push message from the messaging pipe, and provides the push message to the policy engine which applies at least one said policy to the push message; and

wherein in response to the policy engine applying said at least one policy to the push message, the gatekeeper provides the push message to the resource interface connecting the gatekeeper with the telecommunications network resource.

2. The telecommunications system of claim 1, further comprising:

a push proxy gateway to send the push message from the telecommunications network resource to Wireless Application Protocol enabled mobile devices without a user having to actively request it.

3. The telecommunications system of claim 2, wherein the push message is at least one of an alert to which the user has subscribed, a small ad, and an email notification.

4. The telecommunications system of claim 2, further comprising:

a location-based service combined with the push proxy gateway to provide the user with real-time information.

5. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of protocol adapters include a Short Message Peer-to-Peer protocol (SMPP) protocol adapter, a Push Application Protocol (PAP) protocol adapter, a Multimedia Messaging Services (MM7) protocol adapter and an Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) protocol adapter.

6. The telecommunications system of claim 1, wherein routing the push message from the application to the telecommunications network resource includes

requesting by the application a notification from the gatekeeper, wherein the notification indicates whether the push message was sent, delivered, expired or canceled.

7. A method for controlling access to a push protocol based upon a policy in a telecommunications system, the method comprising:

providing a gatekeeper that implements SIP protocol and includes a policy engine, wherein the policy engine creates, customizes and executes one or more policies based on one or more service level agreements, wherein said policies indicate whether an application is permitted to use a telecommunications network resource;

receiving, by a push messaging protocol adapter, a push message from the application provided as part of an application tier, wherein the application tier includes a plurality of additional applications and a plurality of additional protocol adapters, wherein each of said protocol adapters accepts, from one of the plurality of applications, messages implementing a different protocol and converts each of said messages to the SIP protocol;

providing a messaging pipe that receives the push message from the push messaging protocol adapter and routes the push message to the telecommunications network resource implementing a push message protocol that will transmit the push message to a mobile device;

intercepting, via the gatekeeper, the push message and applying with the policy engine at least one said policy to the push message; and

in response to applying with the policy engine said at least one policy to the push message, providing the push message to the resource interface that contains a plug-in manager and a plurality of instances of a push message plug-in, wherein the plug-in manager selects at least one of the plurality of instances of the push message plug-in to connect with the telecommunications network resource.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing a push proxy gateway to send the push message from the telecommunications network resource to Wireless Application Protocol enabled mobile devices without a user having to actively request it.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the push messages is at least one of an alert to which the user has subscribed, a small ad, and an email notification.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing the user with real-time information by coupling a location-based service with the push proxy gateway.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of protocol adapters include a Short Message Peer-to-Peer protocol (SMPP) protocol adapter, a Push Application Protocol (PAP) protocol adapter, a Multimedia Messaging Services (MM7) protocol adapter and an Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) protocol adapter.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein routing the push message from the application to the telecommunications network resource includes requesting by the application a notification from the gatekeeper, wherein the notification indicates whether the push message was sent, delivered, expired or canceled.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps comprising:

providing a gatekeeper that implements SIP protocol and includes a policy engine, wherein the policy engine creates, customizes and executes one or more policies based on one or more service level agreements, wherein said policies indicate whether an application is permitted to use a telecommunications network resource;

receiving, by a push messaging protocol adapter, a push message from the application provided as part of an application tier, wherein the application tier includes a plurality of additional applications and a plurality of additional protocol adapters, wherein each of said protocol adapters accepts, from one of the plurality of applications, messages implementing a different protocol and converts each of said messages to the SIP protocol;

providing a messaging pipe that receives the push message from the push messaging protocol adapter and routes the push message to the telecommunications network resource implementing a push message protocol that will transmit the push message to a mobile device;

intercepting, via the gatekeeper, the push message and applying with the policy engine at least one said policy to the push message; and

in response to applying with the policy engine said at least one policy to the push message, providing the push message to the resource interface that contains a plug-in manager and a plurality of instances of a push message plug-in, wherein the plug-in manager selects at least one of the plurality of instances of the push message plug-in to connect with the telecommunications network resource.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the plurality of protocol adapters include a Short Message Peer-to-Peer protocol (SMPP) protocol adapter, a Push Application Protocol (PAP) protocol adapter, a Multimedia Messaging Services (MM7) protocol adapter and an Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) protocol adapter.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein routing the push message from the application to the telecommunications network resource includes requesting by the application a notification from the gatekeeper, wherein the notification indicates whether the push message was sent, delivered, expired or canceled.