Communication system, communication method, network side communication device and communication terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9813901-B2
Application number	US-200913125229-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2009
Priority date	Oct 22, 2008
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed is a technique for performing flexible service-level access control in real-time while suppressing occurrence of signaling. According to the technique, a network entity (AAA server 10 ) configured to perform access control sets correspondences between addresses of a communication terminal (UE) 40 and respective service contents of services that the communication terminal 40 receives, and notifies the communication terminal of the correspondences. Thus, the communication terminal is able to know the service contents corresponding to the addresses that the communication terminal uses. In a case where a service content of a service that the communication terminal receives is changed, the address used by the communication terminal is changed to an address corresponding to the changed service content. As a result, from the changed address, the communication terminal is able to know that the service content has been changed and to know the changed service content.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A communication system comprising:
a communication terminal configured to connect to a network; and
a network side communication device configured to perform access control of the communication terminal, wherein:
the network side communication device includes
an information holding unit configured to hold pieces of correspondence information between respective service contents of a plurality of different services and pieces of identification information of the communication terminal, the pieces of identification information being a plurality of addresses allocated to the communication terminal connecting via a single communication link with the network, the plurality of addresses including a default address and an additional address which is associated with the default address, and the default address and the additional address corresponding to the service contents respectively, both a communication to the default address and a communication to the additional address being sent via the single communication link,
an identification information processor configured to determine a service content of a service to be used by the communication terminal, and to set a piece of identification information to be used by the communication terminal from among the pieces of identification information corresponding to the determined service content by referring to the pieces of correspondence information; and

the communication terminal includes an information holding unit configured to hold the piece of correspondence information notified by the network side communication device,
the service content of the service to be used by the communication terminal is changed when the network side communication device selects the address among the default address and the additional address,
the default address is a main address for normal use and the additional address is an alternative address, and
the service content corresponding to the additional address is accompanied with the service content corresponding to the default address.

2. The communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the identification information processor determines the service content of the service to be used by the communication terminal according to a change in a communication state measured by the network side communication device.

3. The communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the identification information processor determines the service content of the service to be used by the communication terminal according to a change in a communication state measured by any entity in the network or the communication terminal.

4. The communication system according to claim 1 , being configured so that the service contents of the plurality of different services are classified by service types.

5. The communication system according to claim 1 , being configured so that the service contents of the plurality of different services are classified by service qualities.

6. The communication system according to claim 1 , wherein
the network side communication device further includes a notification unit configured to notify the communication terminal of a service content of a service corresponding to the piece of identification information as well as the piece of identification information, and
the communication terminal is configured to be capable of acquiring the piece of correspondence information, by further including an acquisition unit configured to receive the service content and the piece of identification information.

7. The communication system according to claim 6 , wherein the communication terminal is configured to be capable of acquiring the piece of correspondence information, by further including an information request unit configured to make an inquiry to the network side communication device on a service content of a service corresponding to the piece of identification information held in the information holding unit included in the communication terminal.

8. The communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the communication terminal acquires the additional address simultaneously with acquisition of the default address after completing authentication for network access.

9. A communication method comprising the steps of:
setting pieces of identification information of a communication terminal to correspond to respective service contents of a plurality of different services, the pieces of identification information being a plurality of addresses allocated to the communication terminal connecting via a single communication link with the network, the plurality of addresses including a default address and an additional address which is associated with the default address, and the default address and the additional address corresponding to the service contents respectively, both a communication to the default address and a communication to the additional address being sent via the single communication link;
knowing, by the communication terminal, a service content corresponding to a piece of identification information used by the communication terminal; and
selectively setting a piece of identification information to be used by the communication terminal from among the pieces of identification information corresponding to the service contents of the plurality of different services, according to a service content of a service to be used by the communication terminal,
wherein:
the service content of the service to be used by the communication terminal is changed when a network side communication device installed in the network selects the address among the default address and the additional address, the network side communication device being configured to perform access control of the communication terminal,
the default address is a main address for normal use and the additional address is an alternative address, and
the service content corresponding to the additional address is accompanied with the service content corresponding to the default address.

10. The communication method according to claim 9 , further comprising the steps of:
determining the service content of the service to be used by the communication terminal according to a change in a communication state measurable on a network side, and
setting a piece of identification information corresponding to the determined service content as the piece of identification information to be used by the communication terminal.

11. The communication method according to claim 9 , further comprising the steps of:
determining the service content of the service to be used by the communication terminal according to a change in a communication state measurable by the communication terminal, and
setting a piece of identification information corresponding to the determined service content as the piece of identification information to he used by the communication terminal.

12. The communication method according to claim 9 wherein the service contents of the plurality of different services are classified by service types.

13. The communication method according to claim 9 , wherein the service contents of the plurality of different services are classified by service qualities.

14. The communication method according to claim 9 , further comprising a step of notifying, by the network side, the communication terminal of a service content of a service corresponding to the piece of identification information in allocation of the piece of identification information to the communication terminal by the network side, so that the communication terminal knows the service content corresponding to

Assignees

• Hirano Jun
• Aramaki Takashi
• Panasonic Ip Corp America

Inventors

• Hirano Jun
• Aramaki Takashi

Classifications

• H04W48/08

  Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery (signalling during connection H04W76/00) · CPC title

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title

• H04W80/04

  Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol] · CPC title

• H04W8/26 Primary

  Network addressing or numbering for mobility support · CPC title

• H04L63/0892

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