System and method for policy control functions management mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10251054-B2
Application number	US-201715698950-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2017
Priority date	Nov 21, 2013
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

Systems and methods for validating and applying modifications to a policy control function (PCF) of a station. The methods include generating a PCF package including a modification to a PCF, and determining whether the PCF package is to be transmitted to the station by a first or second entity. The methods further include when the PCF package is to be transmitted by the first entity, including a first signature of the first entity in a deliverer field of the PCF package, and when the PCF package is to be transmitted by the second entity, including the first signature in an owner field and a second signature of the second entity in the deliverer field. The methods further include receiving the PCF package from the first or second entity, determining whether the PCF package is valid, and applying the modification to the PCF when it is determined the PCF package is valid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A station, comprising:
a transceiver configured to receive a policy control function (PCF) package from one of a first entity and a second entity, the PCF package including a modification to a PCF associated with the station; and
a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to:
determine whether the PCF package is valid based on one of a first signature of the first entity in the PCF package or a second signature of the second entity in the PCF package;
apply the modification to the PCF when it is determined the PCF package is valid; and
discard the PCF package when it is determined the PCF package is invalid.

2. The station of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the PCF package is valid by determining whether the first signature in a deliverer signature field of the PCF package is a valid owner signature.

3. The station of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the first signature is a valid owner signature by comparing the first signature to a database of valid owner signatures for the PCF to be modified.

4. The station of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to, prior to determining whether the PCF package is valid, decrypt at least one of the first signature and the second signature.

5. The station of claim 1 , wherein the processor determines whether the PCF package is valid by at least determining whether the first signature and the second signature are the same.

6. The station of claim 1 , wherein the processor determines whether the PCF package is valid by at least determining whether one of the first signature or the second signature is missing.

7. The station of claim 1 , wherein the modification comprises at least one of a change to the PCF, a change to a further PCF, or a change, addition or deletion to the PCF or the further PCF.

8. A network component associated with a first entity, comprising:
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium including a set of instructions executable by the processor, wherein executing the set of instructions causes the processor to perform operations, comprising:
generating a policy control function (PCF) package including a modification to a PCF associated with a platform level of a station;
determining whether the PCF package is to be transmitted to the station by one of the first entity and a second entity;
when the PCF package is determined to be transmitted by the first entity, include a first signature indicative of the first entity in a deliverer field of the PCF package; and
when the PCF package is determined to be transmitted by the second entity, include the first signature in an owner field of the PCF package.

9. The network component of claim 8 , wherein, when the PCF package is determined to be transmitted by the first entity, the operations further comprise:
transmitting the PCF package to the station.

10. The network component of claim 8 , wherein, when the PCF package is determined to be transmitted by the second entity, the operations further comprise:
transmitting the PCF package to the second entity.

11. The network component of claim 8 , wherein the first signature is one of at least one valid first signature and a second signature is one of at least one valid second signature for the modification to the PCF to be applied on the station.

12. The network component of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the first signature or a second signature are in a header of the PCF package.

13. The network component of claim 8 , wherein the modification is in a body of the PCF package.

14. A integrated circuit, comprising:
circuitry to determine whether a policy control function (PCF) package received from one of a first entity and a second entity is valid based on one of a first signature of the first entity in the PCF package or a second signature of the second entity in the PCF package, wherein the PCF package includes a modification to a PCF associated with a station;
circuitry to apply the modification to the PCF when it is determined the PCF package is valid; and
circuitry to discard the PCF package when it is determined the PCF package is invalid.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 14 , further comprising:
circuitry to determine whether the PCF package is valid by determining whether the first signature in a deliverer signature field of the PCF package is a valid owner signature.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 14 , further comprising:
circuitry to determine whether the first signature is a valid owner signature by comparing the first signature to a database of valid owner signatures for the PCF to be modified.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 14 , further comprising:
circuitry to decrypt at least one of the first signature and the second signature prior to determining whether the PCF package is valid.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 14 , wherein determining whether the PCF package is valid comprises determining whether the first signature and the second signature are the same.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 14 , wherein determining whether the PCF package is valid comprises determining whether one of the first signature or the second signature is missing.

20. The integrated circuit of claim 14 , wherein the modification comprises at least one of a change to the PCF, a change to a further PCF, or a change, addition or deletion to the PCF or the further PCF.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Ziat Mehdi
• Sharp Christopher
• Mclaughlin Kevin P
• Li Li
• Hauck Jerrold V
• Vaid Yousuf H

Classifications

• H04W8/22 Primary

  Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities · CPC title

• G06F9/44505 Primary

  Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files · CPC title

• G06F9/5011

  the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals · CPC title

• G06F15/177

  Initialisation or configuration control {(processor initialisation G06F9/4405)} · CPC title