Location based sharing of a network access credential

• US 9,667,660 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Austin, Mark, Tofighbakhsh, Mostafa, Tipton, Rick, Kosseifi, Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Brandon
• Application Number:
  US14/957,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20160099973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/43 using shared identity modules, e.g. SIM sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A network access credential can be shared among devices based on location information for a device. Location information can include timed fingerprint location information. In an aspect, location information can be associated with a location of user equipment. This location information can be correlated with network access credentials. Location information can be used to access a relevant network access credential. The relevant network access credential can be shared with other devices. In an embodiment, sharing a network access credential can be between mobile devices. In another embodiment, sharing a network access credential can be between a remote computing device and a mobile device. Sharing a credential can allow for access to a network without having to generate or input new credentials.

Claims

1. A first user equipment, comprising:

a processor; and

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

obtaining a differential time measurement for a second user equipment associated with a first NodeB site pair of devices comprising a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device;

obtaining, based on the differential time measurement, a historical geographic location value associated with a historical differential timing measurement for the first NodeB site pair of devices;

estimating a geographic location of the first user equipment based on the differential time measurement, the historic geographic location value for the first NodeB site pair of devices, and another historic geographic location value for another NodeB site pair of devices; and

receiving a network access credential of the second user equipment in response to the geographic location of the first user equipment being determined to satisfy a rule related to a spatial condition between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

2. The first user equipment of claim 1, wherein the receiving the network access credential is based on satisfying another rule related to acquiring a new network access credential.

3. The first user equipment of claim 2, wherein satisfying the other rule reduces a likelihood that the first user equipment will acquire the new network access credential.

4. The first user equipment of claim 1, wherein the receiving the network access credential is further based on an aspect of a request to access the network access credential.

5. The first user equipment of claim 4, wherein the aspect of the request comprises identity information related to a user profile associated with the first user equipment.

6. The first user equipment of claim 4, wherein the aspect of the request comprises identity information related to a user profile associated with the second user equipment.

7. The first user equipment of claim 4, wherein the aspect of the request comprises a device identifier of the first user equipment.

8. The first user equipment of claim 7, wherein the device identifier comprises a phone number.

9. The first user equipment of claim 4, wherein the aspect of the request comprises a device identifier of the second user equipment.

10. The first user equipment of claim 9, wherein the device identifier comprises a phone number.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first user equipment comprising a processor, a differential time measurement for a second user equipment, wherein the differential time measurement is associated with a first NodeB site pair of devices comprising a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device;

receiving, by the first user equipment, a historical geographic location value based on satisfying a rule comparing the differential time value with a historical differential timing measurement for the first NodeB site pair of devices;

determining, by the first user equipment, location information related to a geographic location of the first user equipment based on the differential time measurement, the historic geographic location value for the first NodeB site pair of devices, and another historic geographic location value for another NodeB site pair of devices; and

receiving, by the first user equipment, a network access credential of the second user equipment based on the location information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving the network access credential is determined to satisfy another rule related to acquiring a new network access credential.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein satisfaction of the other rule reduces a likelihood that the first user equipment acquires the new network access credential.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving the network access credential is further based on identity information related to a user profile associated with the first user equipment.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving the network access credential is further based on identity information related to a user profile associated with the second user equipment.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving the network access credential is further based on a device identifier of the first user equipment.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving the network access credential is further based on a device identifier of the second user equipment.

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

receiving a differential time measurement for a user equipment associated with a first NodeB site pair of devices comprising a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device;

obtaining, based on the differential time measurement, a historical geographic location value associated with a historical differential timing measurement for the first NodeB site pair of devices; and

sharing a network access credential of the user equipment with another user equipment based on a geographic location of the user equipment in response to determining the geographic location based on the differential time measurement, the historic geographic location value for the first NodeB site pair of devices, and another historic geographic location value for another NodeB site pair of devices.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein a likelihood of the user equipment acquiring a new network access credential is reduced in response to the sharing the network access credential being determined to satisfy a rule related to the acquiring of the new network access credential.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the sharing the network access credential is further based on an identity characteristic of a request to access the network access credential.