Apparatus and methods for selective data network access

• US 9,986,578 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2015
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gunasekara, Don
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUNKULH, BOB A
• Application Number:
  US14/959,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20170164378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/3835 Designing moulds, e.g. using CAD-CAM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/105 Manufacture of mono- or stereophonic headphone components
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/025 In the ear hearing aids [ITE] hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/77 Design aspects, e.g. CAD, of hearing aid tips, moulds or housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/15 Determination of the acoustic seal of ear moulds or ear tips of hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/56 based on priority criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Wireless data network access architecture and methods enabling location-specific and/or user-specific provision of services or resources. In one embodiment, an end-user device makes a request for service within a wireless LAN (WLAN). A wireless access point (WAP) controller/policy server determines whether the user device meets criteria for a first user status or a second user status, and assigns the appropriate status to an identifier of the end-user device. When the user device is assigned the first user status, the user device is provided network access according to e.g., a first permissible bandwidth allocation. Otherwise, the user device is provided network access according to a second, different bandwidth allocation. The first and second user status may be assigned based on a location of the user device within e.g., a venue, a class of end-user device, end user application, an access pass associated with the user device, or yet other criteria.

Claims

1. A controller apparatus comprising:

a processor apparatus configured to execute at least one computer program;

a storage apparatus configured to store data, the data comprising user status data that is at least one of (i) a first user status associated with a first permissible bandwidth consumption, and/or (ii) a second user status associated with a second permissible bandwidth consumption, said second permissible consumption being less than said first permissible consumption;

a first data interface in data communication with the processor apparatus and configured for signal communication with a local area wireless network;

a second interface data communication with the processor apparatus and configured for signal communication with a network entity of a managed content delivery network (CDN); and

a computer-readable storage apparatus having at least one computer program comprising a plurality of non-transitory computer readable instructions which are configured to, when executed by said processor apparatus, cause said controller apparatus to;

receive data indicative of a first connection request from a first user device via said first interface;

determine that said first user device is associated with said first user status;

based at least in part on said first user device association with said first user status, assign said first permissible bandwidth to said first user device;

enable access to said CDN via said second interface for said first user device consistent with said first permissible bandwidth consumption;

receive data indicative of a second connection request from a second user device via said first interface;

determine that said second user device is associated with said second user status;

based at least in part on said second user device association with said second user status, assign said second permissible bandwidth consumption to said second user device; and

enable access to said CDN via said second interface for said second user device consistent with said second permissible bandwidth consumption.

2. The controller apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first user status and said second user status are each associated, respectively, based on a respective location within a venue of each of said first user device and said second user device, said respective location being one of a higher priority area and a lower priority area within said venue.

3. The controller apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

said first and second user requests respectively comprise first and second media access control (MAC) values associated with the first and second user devices, and the first and second user statuses are each respectively associated based at least on the first and second MAC values; and

said plurality of non-transitory computer readable instructions are further configured to, when executed by said processor apparatus, cause said controller apparatus to determine the respective location within said venue of each of the first and second user devices based at least on MAC data relating to a respective wireless access point (WAP) associated with each of the first and second user devices.

4. The controller apparatus of claim 2, wherein said first user device is in signal communication with a first wireless access point located in said higher priority area, and said second user device is in signal communication with a second wireless access point located in said lower priority area;

and

said first user status is associated with said first wireless access point and said second user status is associated with said second wireless access point.

5. The controller apparatus of claim 4, wherein said first wireless access point has a first media access control (MAC) address detectable by said controller apparatus and said second wireless access point has a second MAC address detectable by said controller apparatus;

and

said first user status is associated with said first MAC address and said second user status is associated with said second MAC address.

6. The controller apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first user status and said second user status are each associated, respectively, based on a class of end-user application of each of said first user device and said second user device, said class of end user application being one of a higher bandwidth consumption application class and a lower bandwidth consumption application class.

7. The controller apparatus of claim 6, wherein said first user device comprises a first application of said high bandwidth consumption application class, said first application comprising a multi-media application having at least audio and video content, and said second user device comprises a second application of said lower bandwidth consumption application class, said second application comprising an audio-only application.

8. The controller apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first user status and said second user status are each assigned, respectively, based on a temporally-limited access pass associated with a respective user of each of said first user device and said second user device, the temporally-limited access pass providing the associated first or second user status for only a limited period of time and within a given venue.

9. The controller apparatus of claim 8, wherein the temporally-limited access pass comprises a permissible bandwidth consumption having an elevated bandwidth consumption in an uplink direction only.

10. The controller apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said first permissible bandwidth consumption comprises one or more of low latency and high throughput; and

said second permissible bandwidth consumption comprises one or more of higher latency and lower throughput than said first permissible bandwidth.

11. The controller apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first permissible bandwidth consumption comprises an isochronous data transmission, and

said second permissible bandwidth consumption comprises asynchronous data transmission.

12. A method of providing wireless local area network (WLAN)-based services to a plurality of user devices within a prescribed location, the WLAN comprising a plurality of wireless access points (WAPs), the method comprising:

receiving, at the WLAN, a first request from a first user device of the plurality of user devices, the first request comprising data explicitly identifying the first user device and requesting access to a content distribution and delivery network via the WLAN;

determining a first WAP of the plurality of WAPs with which the first user device is associated;

identifying data indicative of a first location of the first WAP;

transmitting, to a network entity, (i) the data explicitly identifying the first user device and (ii) the data indicative of the first location of the first WAP;

obtaining, from the network entity, data indicative of a first privilege of the first user device within the WLAN based at least in part on the data indicative of the first location of the first WAP;

utilizing the data indicative of the first privilege to selectively implement at least one first WLAN access policy with respect to the first user device only while the first user device is associated with the first WAP at the first location; and

applying at least one second WLAN access policy to one or more others of the plurality of user devices.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving the first request comprises receiving the first request at the first WAP, and the method further comprises forwarding at least a portion of the first message to the network entity via a managed content delivery network (CDN) infrastructure.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the network entity comprises an entity in data communication with a database of user-specific data configured for both (i) associating the first user device with a first user, and (ii) identifying the first privilege.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data explicitly identifying the first user device comprises a media access control (MAC) address, and the obtaining data indicative of a first privilege from the network entity at least in part comprises accessing the database.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the utilizing the data indicative of the first privilege to selectively implement the at least one first WLAN access policy with respect to the first user device comprises:

providing the data indicative of the first privilege to a computerized controller entity in data communication with the first WAP; and

utilizing the provided data within at least one of the first WAP and the computerized controller entity to correlate data indicative of the first privilege with the at least one first WLAN access policy.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the data explicitly identifying the user first device comprises a media access control (MAC) address, and the utilizing the data indicative of the first privilege to selectively implement the at least one first WLAN access policy comprises:

subsequently identifying a plurality of data associated with the first user device based at least on the MAC address; and

handling said identified plurality of data according to the at least one first WLAN access policy.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the handling said identified plurality of data according to the at least one first WLAN access policy comprises providing the plurality of data head-of-the-line privilege to an available data communications bandwidth of the WLAN.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the handling said identified plurality of data according to the at least one first WLAN access policy comprises reserving a prescribed portion of an available data communications bandwidth of the WLAN for use by the first user device.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the applying of the second WLAN access policy to the one or more others of the plurality of user devices comprises at least:

receiving, at the WLAN, a second request from a second user device of the one or more others of the plurality of user devices, the second request comprising data explicitly identifying the second user device and requesting access to the content distribution and delivery network via the WLAN;

determining a second WAP of the plurality of WAPs with which the second user device is associated;

identifying data indicative of a second location of the second WAP;

transmitting, to the network entity, (i) the data explicitly identifying the second user device and (ii) the data indicative of the second location of the second WAP;

obtaining, from the network entity, data indicative of a second privilege of the second user device within the WLAN based at least in part on the data indicative of the second location of the second WAP; and

utilizing the data indicative of the second privilege to selectively implement the at least one second WLAN access policy with respect to the second user device only while the second user device is associated with the second WAP at the second location;

wherein the second WLAN access policy comprises a first permissible bandwidth lower than a second permissible bandwidth associated with the first WLAN access policy.

21. A method of providing enhanced wireless local area network (WLAN)-based services to a plurality of user devices within a prescribed location, the WLAN comprising a plurality of wireless access points, the method comprising:

receiving, at the WLAN, data indicative of a first request from a first user device of the plurality of user devices, the first request comprising data explicitly identifying the first user device and requesting access to a content distribution and delivery network via the WLAN;

accessing a network entity and utilizing the data identifying the first user device to determine a privilege of the first user device within the WLAN;

obtaining data indicative of the privilege from the network entity;

obtaining data relating to one of the plurality of wireless access points with which the first user device is associated, wherein only a first portion of the plurality of wireless access points are enabled for provision of the enhanced WLAN-based services, the enhanced WLAN-based services comprising at least a first permissible bandwidth that is greater than a second permissible bandwidth of WLAN-based services provided by a second portion of the plurality of wireless access points;

determining that the one of the plurality of wireless access points with which the first user device is associated is enabled for provision of the enhanced WLAN-based services; and

utilizing (i) the data indicative of the privilege and (ii) the determination that the one wireless access point is enabled for provision of the enhanced WLAN-based services to selectively implement at least one WLAN access policy with respect to the first user device so as to provide the enhanced WLAN-based services.

22. A controller apparatus comprising:

a processor apparatus configured to execute at least one computer program;

a storage device in data communication with the processor apparatus;

a first data interface in data communication with the processor apparatus and configured for signal communication with a plurality of wireless local area network (WLAN) access points;

a second data interface in data communication with the processor apparatus and configured for signal communication with a network entity of a managed content delivery network (CDN); and

a computer-readable storage apparatus in data communication with said processor apparatus and having at least one computer program stored thereon, the at least one computer program comprising a plurality of non-transitory computer readable instructions which are configured to, when executed by said processor apparatus, cause said controller apparatus to;

receive data indicative of a first service request from a first user device via said first interface, the first service request comprising a device-specific identifier of the first user device;

utilize at least a portion of data indicative of the first service request to authenticate, within the CDN, the first user device as having a privilege associated with a first one of the plurality of WLAN access points disposed at a first location, the privilege comprising data indicative of a greater permissible bandwidth than a permissible bandwidth privilege associated with one or more others of the plurality of WLAN access points each disposed at one or more other locations;

receive data indicative of the privilege from the CDN and store the data in the storage device; and

subsequently utilize the stored data indicative of the privilege to cause the first one of the plurality of WLAN access points to recognize data indicative of one or more subsequent service requests from the first user device, and implement one or more policies for data access according to the privilege.

23. The controller apparatus of claim 22, wherein the device-specific identifier comprises a MAC address.

24. The controller apparatus of claim 22, wherein the device-specific identifier comprises a MAC address, use of said MAC address configured to obviate each of the WLAN and the CDN from having to evaluate data contained within a payload of the one or more subsequent service requests for authentication of policy for the first user device.