Network access and control for mobile devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9467453-B2
Application number	US-201414531283-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2014
Priority date	Feb 19, 2014
Publication date	Oct 11, 2016
Grant date	Oct 11, 2016

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments enable content controls to be implemented by a modem of a mobile device to ensure the controls are implemented regardless of whether an application processor of the mobile device has been rooted. In an embodiment, content controls may be implemented by a modem or list component separate from the application processor when in a subsidized content delivery mode. In an embodiment, content controls may include a whitelist and/or a blacklist of IP addresses that addresses of content requests may be compared against to filter authorized content from unauthorized content. Content requests for authorized content may be sent to the content location, while content requests for unauthorized content may be dropped. In the various embodiments, a whitelist and/or blacklist may be updated on demand and/or automatically by a whitelist/blacklist management portal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling access to content by a mobile device, comprising:
receiving, in a modem of the mobile device, the modem configured to control content independent of an application processor of the mobile device, a content request from the application processor of the mobile device;
determining, in the modem, whether a subsidized content delivery mode is activated; and
in response to determining that the subsidized content delivery mode is activated, filtering, by the modem, the content request such that the content request is dropped when not authorized.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the subsidized content delivery mode is not activated, sending, by the modem, the content request without filtering.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein filtering, by the modem, the content request such that the content request is dropped when not authorized comprises:
comparing, in the modem, an address of the content request to a list of addresses stored in memory of the modem in response to determining that the subsidized content delivery mode is activated;
determining, in the modem, whether the content request is authorized based on the comparison of the address of the content request to the list of addresses stored in the memory of the modem;
sending, by the modem, the content request to the address of the content request in response to determining that the content request is authorized; and
dropping the content request by the modem in response to determining that the content request is not authorized.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the address of the content request is one or more of an IP address, a domain name, and a TCP/UDP port.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein filtering, by the modem, the content request such that the content request is dropped when not authorized comprises:
sending, from the modem, an indication of an address of the content request to a list component of the mobile device in response to determining that the subsidized content delivery mode is activated;
comparing, in the list component, the address of the content request to a list of addresses stored in memory of the list component or modem;
determining, in the list component, whether the content request is authorized based on the comparison of the address of the content request to the list of addresses stored in the memory of the list component or modem;
sending, from the list component to the modem, an indication to allow the content request in response to determining that the content request is authorized;
sending, from the list component to the modem, an indication to drop the content request in response to determining that the content request is not authorized;
sending, by the modem, the content request to the address of the content request in response to receiving from the list component the indication to allow the content request; and
dropping the content request by the modem in response to receiving the indication to drop the content request from the list component.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the modem and the list component are different cores of a multi-core processor or the modem and the list component are separate processors on a single system on chip.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein filtering, by the modem, the content request such that the content request is dropped when not authorized comprises:
sending the content request from the modem to a list management portal in response to determining that the subsidized content delivery mode is activated;
comparing, in the list management portal, an address of the content request to a list of addresses stored in the list management portal;
determining, in the list management portal, whether the content request is authorized based on the comparison of the address of the content request to the list of addresses stored in the list management portal;
dropping, in the list management portal, the content request in response to determining that the content request is not authorized;
sending the content request from the list management portal to the address of the content request in response to determining that the content request is authorized;
receiving, in the list management portal, content in response to the sent content request; and
sending the content from the list management portal to the modem.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein filtering, by the modem, the content request such that the content request is dropped when not authorized comprises:
sending an indication of an address of the content request from the modem to a list management portal in response to determining that the subsidized content delivery mode is activated;
comparing, in the list management portal, the address of the content request to a list of addresses stored in the list management portal;
determining, in the list management portal, whether the content request is authorized based on the comparison of the address of the content request to the list of addresses stored in the list management portal;
sending an indication to allow the content request from the list management portal to the modem in response to determining that the content request is authorized;
sending an indication to drop the content request from the list management portal to the modem in response to determining that the content request is not authorized;
sending the content request from the modem to the address of the content request in response to receiving the indication to allow the content request from the list management portal; and
dropping the content request by the modem in response to receiving the indication to drop the content request from the list management portal.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining, in the modem, whether a subsidized content delivery mode is activated comprises determining whether a subsidized content delivery mode start indication is received from an application processor.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising indicating that the content request is dropped when not authorized via a specialized status code.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the specialized status code is a HTTP response code.

12. A mobile device, comprising:
a memory; and
a modem processor connected to the memory, wherein the modem processor controls content independent of the application processor and is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations comprising:
receiving a content request from the application processor of the mobile device;
determining whether a subsidized content delivery mode is activated; and
in response to determining that the subsidized content delivery mode is activated, filtering the content request such that the content request is dropped when not authorized.

13. The mobile device of claim 12 , wherein the modem processor is configured with processor executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:
in response to determining that the subsidized content delivery mode is not activated, sending the content request without filtering.

14. The mobile device of claim 13 , wherein means for filtering the content request such that the content request is dropped when not authorized comprises:
means for comparing an address of the content request to a list of addresses stored in a memory in response to determining that the subsidized content delivery mode is activated;
means for determining whether the content request is authorized based on the comparison of the address of the content request to the list of addresses stored in the memory;
means for sending the co

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Canoy Michael-David Nakayoshi
• Devico Michael Orlando
• Rattner Zachary David
• Sprigg Stephen Alton

Classifications

• H04L63/0236

  Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL · CPC title

• H04L63/101 Primary

  Access control lists [ACL] · CPC title

• H04L63/10

  for controlling access to devices or network resources · CPC title

• H04W4/20

  Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel · CPC title

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title