Exchange of access control lists to manage femto cell coverage

• US 9,319,964 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2015
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huber, Kurt Donald, Flynn, Judson John, Mansfield, William Gordon
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): HYUN, SOON D
• Application Number:
  US14/660,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20150189585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2614 HVAC, heating, ventillation, climate control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/405 Establishing or using transaction specific rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 : based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 : Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 : Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 : when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 : Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 : using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 : using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 : using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 : Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 : based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 : Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 : Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 : Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 : with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 : Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 : Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 : Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 : using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices

Abstract

Access management to femto cell service is provided through access control list(s), e.g., white list(s), or black list(s). White list(s) include a set of subscriber station(s) identifier numbers, codes, or tokens, and also can include additional fields for femto cell access management based on desired complexity. White list(s) can have associated white list profile(s) therewith to establish logic of femto coverage access based on the white list(s). Access lists exchange among subscribers that posses provisioned femto access points and elect to share access lists also is provided. Transference of access list(s) among subscribers is secured and based at least in part on subscriber privacy policy. Subscribers can be prompted to opt in access list sharing, or to update privacy policies to allow reciprocate sharing and update privacy settings. Based at least in part on association criteria, a component identifies femto access points with which a subscriber accesses lists.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

selecting femto access point devices based on relevancy scores assigned to locations of user equipment and an association criterion; and

facilitating a transmission of notification data to the user equipment, wherein the notification data is indicative of identifications of the femto access point devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the selecting comprises:

determining a relationship between the femto access point devices; and

determining that the relationship satisfies the association criterion.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification data is transmitted to the user equipment via a voice call.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification data is transmitted to the user equipment via a text message.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the association criterion is determined based on location data associated with the femto access point devices.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining pattern data indicative of a pattern associated with the locations of the user equipment, wherein the selecting comprises selecting the femto access point devices based on the pattern data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that respective locations of the femto access point devices satisfy a location criterion associated with the pattern data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the relevancy scores are greater than a first value based on corresponding locations of the user equipment being associated with a defined geographical areas.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the association criterion is determined based on subscriber segment data associated with the user equipment.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the association criterion is determined based on market data associated with the user equipment.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to the facilitating the transmission, facilitating population of access control data associated with a femto access point device of the femto access point devices.

12. A method, comprising:

determining, by a system comprising a processor, an association criterion related to a user equipment; and

facilitating, by the system, a transmission of notification data to the user equipment, wherein the notification data is indicative of identifications of femto access point devices that are selected based on relevancy scores assigned to locations of the user equipment and the association criterion.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

in response to the facilitating the transmission, facilitating, by the system, management of access control data associated with a femto access point device of the femto access point devices.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

in response to the facilitating the transmission, receiving, by the system, input data from the user equipment, wherein the facilitating the management of the access control data is based on the input data.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the facilitating the transmission comprises facilitating a transmission of a text message.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the facilitating the transmission comprises facilitating a transmission of a voice call.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

selecting, by the system, the femto access point devices based on an analysis of data accessed from network data stores.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the selecting comprises selecting the femto access point devices based on privacy policy data.

19. A computer readable storage device comprising executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

based on relevancy scores assigned to locations of user equipment, determining that femto access point devices satisfy an association criterion related to the user equipment; and

facilitating a transmission of notification data to the user equipment, wherein the notification data is indicative of identifications of the femto access point devices.

20. The computer readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

facilitating management of an access control data structure associated with a femto access point device of the femto access point devices based on the transmission.