Facilitating a geo-distributed dynamic network system for ubiquitous access to multiple private networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12114381-B2
Application number	US-202117546380-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2021
Priority date	Jun 12, 2019
Publication date	Oct 8, 2024
Grant date	Oct 8, 2024

Abstract

Facilitating geo-distributed dynamic network system for ubiquitous access to multiple private networks in advanced networks (e.g., 4G, 5G, and beyond) is provided herein. Operations of a method can comprise establishing, by a system comprising a processor, a first communication link between a first network device and group of devices connected via a private network connection. The method also can comprise establishing, by the system, a second communication link between the first network device and a second network device. The second network device can be included in a group of network devices associated with a communication network provider. Further, the second network device can facilitate communication with a communication device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
based on a first determination that a user equipment is located within a defined geographic area, allowing, by network equipment comprising a processor, the user equipment to access information from a device of a group of devices located within the defined geographic area, wherein the allowing is based on an identity, associated with a request for the access, being determined to be an authorized identity for the group of devices; and
based on a second determination that the user equipment is located outside of the defined geographic area, facilitating, by the network equipment, a connection of the user equipment to a gateway device, located within the defined geographic area, via a private network established using a cellular network comprising the network equipment, wherein the private network comprises a first network connection between the user equipment and edge network equipment that is part of the cellular network, and a second network connection between the edge network equipment and the gateway device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
facilitating, by the network equipment, establishing the private network, wherein facilitating the establishing comprises selecting the edge network equipment to use for the private network based on respective characteristics associated with different candidates for the edge network equipment comprised in the cellular network.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the respective characteristics comprise respective latencies associated with using the edge network equipment.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining, by the network equipment, the information from the device via the gateway device, wherein the private network bypasses communications, via a non-private network, with a cloud server or Internet server enabled with network services on behalf of the device and associated with a provider identity of a provider of the device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the group of devices has been previously registered with the gateway device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the private network is a first private network, wherein the connection is a first connection, and wherein the gateway device facilitates a second connection of the user equipment to the group of devices within the defined geographic area via a second private network using a local area network connection while the user equipment is within the defined geographic area.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the private network facilities capability of the user equipment to obtain, in response to the request, the information from the gateway device, and wherein the gateway device previously obtained the information from the device of the group of devices.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gateway device is associated with a cellular network provider identity associated with the cellular network, and the cellular network provider identity is different than a device provider identity associated with a provider of the device.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device is classified as an Internet-of-Things device.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network connection and the second network connection are network connections configured to operate according to a sixth generation wireless network communication protocol.

11. Network equipment, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
determining that a request, received from a user equipment, for access to information from a device of a group of devices located within a defined geographic area, is authorized based on an identity associated with the request being determined to be an authorized identity for the group of devices and based on the user equipment being determined to be located within the defined geographic area; and
based on the user equipment, from which the request is received, being determined to be outside of the defined geographic area, enabling the user equipment to connect to a gateway device, located within the defined geographic area, via a private network established using a cellular network comprising the network equipment, wherein the private network comprises a first network connection between the user equipment and edge network equipment that is part of the cellular network, and a second network connection between the edge network equipment and the gateway device.

12. The network equipment of claim 11 , wherein the group of devices has been previously registered with the gateway device.

13. The network equipment of claim 11 , wherein the private network is a first private network, and wherein the gateway device facilitates the user equipment being connected to the group of devices within the defined geographic area via a second private network using a local area network connection while the user equipment is within the defined geographic area.

14. The network equipment of claim 11 , wherein the second network connection enables the user equipment to obtain, in response to the request, the information from the gateway device, and wherein the gateway device previously obtained the information from the device of the group of devices.

15. The network equipment of claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise:
establishing the private network comprising selecting the edge network equipment to use for the private network based on respective characteristics associated with different candidates for the edge network equipment comprised in the cellular network.

16. The network equipment of claim 15 , wherein the respective characteristics comprise respective latencies associated with using the edge network equipment.

17. The network equipment of claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise:
obtaining the information from the device via the gateway device, wherein the private network bypasses communications, via a non-private network, with a cloud server or Internet server enabled with network services on behalf of the device and associated with a provider identity of a provider of the device.

18. The network equipment of claim 11 , wherein the gateway device is associated with a cellular network provider identity associated with the cellular network, and the cellular network provider identity is different than a device provider identity associated with a provider of the device.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of network equipment, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
determining that a request, received from a user equipment, for access to information from a device of a group of devices located within a defined geographic area, is authorized based on an identity associated with the request being determined to be an authorized identity for the group of devices, wherein the group of devices has been previously registered with a gateway device located within the defined geographic area, and wherein the gateway device is able to connect the user equipment to the group of devices within the defined geographic area via a first private network using a local area network connection while the user equipment is within the defined geographic area; and
in response to a determination that the user equipment, from which the request is received, is outside of the defined geographic area, enabling the user equipment to connect to the gateway device via a second private network e

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Hwang Michael
• Gupta Varun
• Shi Shu
• Rath Christopher
• Jana Rittwik

Classifications

• H04W12/02

  Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII] · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W84/042

  Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems · CPC title

• H04W76/30

  Connection release · CPC title

• H04W76/15 Primary

  Setup of multiple wireless link connections · CPC title