Administration of access lists for femtocell service

• US 9,503,457 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2014
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• 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, Mansfield, William Gordon, Lott, Robert Wayne, Flynn, Judson John, Brisebois, Arthur, Seymour, Jefferey Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Chirag R
• Application Number:
  US14/219,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20140213220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0083 Determination of parameters used for hand-off, e.g. generation or modification of neighbour cell lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/32 by location or mobility data, e.g. speed data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A subscriber account associated with a femtocell can be managed and access can be provided thereto. The account service management can be accessed through a broadband network and comprises two operational layers deployed within respective demarcation zones. A first layer includes a web tier that provides landing webpage and a legacy account manager that enables account management for mobility subscribers. A second layer includes an application layer associated with femtocell service, an application layer for legacy accounts, and a middleware component that provides functional connectivity application layers and backend service component. Account management service allows secure login to femtocell account and redirection amongst femtocell and legacy service components, and enables manipulation of access list(s) that regulate access to femto service. A femtocell database retains account profile(s) that include access list(s). Access list(s) and updates thereof can be supplied to macrocell network.

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;

receiving, from a first user equipment, instruction data comprising an instruction to perform an action associated with provisioning access by a second user equipment to a femtocell device that is associated with the first user equipment, wherein the instruction data is indicative of a time period during which the second user equipment is allowed to access the femtocell device, and wherein the femtocell device is associated with the first user equipment based on a first determination that the first user equipment is permitted to authorize the action; and

in response to a second determination that the action has been performed, directing, to the second user equipment via a text message, display data representing the femtocell device, wherein the display data is to be presented via the second user equipment in response to a third determination that the second user equipment has coupled to the femtocell device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instruction data comprises activation data indicative of a request to activate the femtocell device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the instruction data comprises request data indicative of a request to update an access control data structure associated with the femtocell device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the display data comprises

identifier data indicative of an identifier of the femtocell device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the display data comprises

tag data representing an alphanumeric network display indicator associated with the femtocell device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the instruction data via a graphical interface of the first user equipment and the first determination that the first user equipment is permitted to authorize the action is based on information received from a provisioning network device associated with the provisioning.

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

based on identifier data indicative of the first user equipment, facilitating configuration of equipment profile data associated with the femtocell device.

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

in response to verifying, based on equipment profile data associated with the femtocell device, that confirmation data indicative of the second determination is to be transmitted to the first user equipment, directing, to the first user equipment, the confirmation data via another text message.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the time period is determined based on billing scheme data.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, configuration data associated with configuration of a femtocell account related to a first user equipment, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the configuration data from the first user equipment, wherein the femtocell account is related to the first user equipment based on a first determination that the first user equipment is permitted to authorize the configuration, wherein the configuration data is indicative of a time period during which a second user equipment is allowed to access a femto access point device associated with the femtocell account, and wherein the first user equipment is not the second user equipment; and

in response to a second determination that the femtocell account has been configured, directing, by the system, display data associated with the femto access point device to the second user equipment via a text message, wherein the display data is to be rendered by the second user equipment in response to determining that the second user equipment is being served by the femto access point device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving comprises receiving activation data indicative of a request to activate the femtocell account.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving comprises receiving access data that is to be employed to populate an access control data structure associated with the femtocell account.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the display data comprises

identifier data representing the femto access point device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the display data comprises

tag data that represents an alphanumeric network display indicator associated with the femto access point device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving comprises receiving access data that specifies applications associated with the femto access point device that the second user equipment is authorized to access.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

based on configuration data received from a user equipment, facilitating a configuration of a femtocell account related to the user equipment, wherein the configuration data is indicative of a time period during which a disparate user equipment is permitted to access a femto access point device associated with the femtocell account, and wherein the femtocell account is related to the user equipment based on a determination that the user equipment is permitted to authorize the configuration; and

in response to the facilitating and in response to determining that the disparate user equipment has coupled to the femto access point device, directing, to the disparate user equipment via a text message, display data indicative of the femto access point device for potential display by the disparate user equipment.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the configuration data is indicative of an application associated with the femto access point device that the disparate user equipment is authorized to access.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the configuration data comprises activation data indicative of a request to activate the femtocell account.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the facilitating the configuration comprises updating an access control data structure of the femto access point device with identifier data indicative of the device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the configuration data comprises priority data indicative of respective priorities of identifiers of devices stored within an access control data structure of the femto access point device.