Obtaining targeted services using a unique identification header (UIDH)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9264430-B2
Application number	US-201414480124-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2014
Priority date	May 22, 2012
Publication date	Feb 16, 2016
Grant date	Feb 16, 2016

Abstract

A system is configured to receive, from a user device, a request for content; obtain, based on receiving the request, an identifier for a subscriber associated with the system and a key; encode the identifier and the key to create a unique identifier; store the unique identifier in the request to create a modified request; provide the modified request to a content provider identified by the request; receive, from the content provider, the content and targeted content, the targeted content being associated with the unique identifier and conforming to an attribute of the subscriber; and provide, to the user device, the content and the targeted content.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
obtaining, by a content distribution system, session information associated with a session via which a request for content is received from a user device,
the session information identifying a first identifier associated with the user device;

generating, by the content distribution system, a second identifier based on the first identifier and a key;
inserting, by the content distribution system, the second identifier into the request; 0
providing, by the content distribution system, the request, including the second identifier, to a content provider to obtain targeted content from the content provider,
the targeted content being associated with the second identifier and conforming to an attribute associated with the user device; and

providing, by the content distribution system, the targeted content to the user device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that a subscriber, associated with the user device, authorizes a use of a subscriber profile to obtain the targeted content; and
where generating the second identifier includes:
generating the second identifier based on the subscriber authorizing the user of the subscriber profile to obtain the targeted content.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating the key based on a random number.

4. The method of claim 1 , where obtaining the session information includes:
monitoring flows of traffic received from a gateway device, and
obtaining the session information based on monitoring the flows of traffic.

5. The method of claim 1 , where obtaining the session information includes:
receiving the session information from a gateway device.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, based on the request for content, at least one of:
a type of user device associated with the user device, or
an application used to generate the request for content; and

determining that the second identifier is supported by the at least one of the type of user device or the application.

7. The method of claim 1 , where generating the second identifier includes:
using a cryptographic hash function to generate the second identifier based on the first identifier and the key.

8. A device comprising:
one or more processors to:
obtain session information associated with a session via which a request for content is received from a user device,
the session information identifying a first identifier associated with the user device;

generate a second identifier based on the first identifier and a key;
modify the request by inserting the second identifier into the request;
provide the modified request to a content provider to obtain targeted content from the content provider,
the targeted content being associated with the second identifier and conforming to an attribute associated with the user device; and

provide the targeted content to the user device.

9. The device of claim 8 , where, when generating the second identifier, the one or more processors are to:
obtain a random value, and
generate the key based on the random value.

10. The device of claim 8 , where, when generating the second identifier, the one or more processors are to:
utilize a one-way cryptographic hash function to generate the second identifier.

11. The device of claim 10 , where the one-way cryptographic hash function includes a hash-based message authentication code secure hash algorithm.

12. The device of claim 8 , where the request for content includes a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request, and
where, when modifying the request, the one or more processors are to:
modify the HTTP request by inserting the second identifier into a field within the HTTP request.

13. The device of claim 8 , where the session information comprises first session information and the request for content comprises a first request for content, and
where the one or more processors are further to:
obtain second session information associated with a second request for content received from the user device,
the second session information including the first identifier;

determine that the first identifier is associated with the second identifier;
modify the second request for content by inserting the second identifier into the second request for content;
provide the modified second request for content to the content provider to obtain additional targeted content; and
provide the additional targeted content to the user device.

14. The device of claim 8 , where the first identifier includes information associated with a subscriber associated with the user device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:
one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the processor to:
obtain session information associated with a session via which a request for content is received from a user device,
the session information identifying a first identifier associated with the user device;

generate a second identifier based on the first identifier;
insert the second identifier into the request;
provide the request, including the second identifier, to a content provider to obtain targeted content from the content provider,
the targeted content being associated with the second identifier and conforming to an attribute associated with the user device; and

provide the targeted content to the user device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , where the one or more instructions to generate the second identifier include:
one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
generate the second identifier based on the first identifier and a key,
the key being generated based on a random value.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , where the one or more instructions to generate the second identifier include:
one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
determine that a subscriber, associated with the user device, authorizes a use of a profile, associated with the subscriber, to obtain the targeted content; and

where the one or more instructions to generate the second identifier include:
one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
generate the second identifier based on the subscriber authorizing the user of the subscriber profile to obtain the targeted content.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , where the one or more instructions to generate the second identifier include:
one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
generate the second identifier based on a cryptographic hash function.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , where the attribute associated with the user device comprises a first attribute, the instructions further comprising:
one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
receive, from the content provider, a request to authenticate a subscriber,
the request to authenticate the subscriber including the second identifier and a second attribute,
the second attribute being received, from the user device, by the content provider;

determine that the second identifier is associated with the first identifier;
obtain a subscriber profile associated with the first identifier,
the subscriber profile

Assignees

• Cellco Partnership Dba Verizon

Inventors

• Libonate Brian
• Prehn Paul H

Classifications

• H04L63/068 Primary

  using time-dependent keys, e.g. periodically changing keys (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for controlling usage of secret information H04L9/088) · CPC title

• H04L43/16

  Threshold monitoring · CPC title

• H04L63/0892

  by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols · CPC title

• H04L63/0876 Primary

  based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint · CPC title