Session and service control for wireless devices using common subscriber information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9980130-B2
Application number	US-201414546290-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2014
Priority date	Feb 2, 2014
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method and apparatus to initiate a session with a packet gateway for a connecting device configured to authenticate with a subscribing wireless device's authentication information. In some embodiments, an access node is configured to receive identification information uniquely identifying the connecting device, and based on the identification information received, provide a service to the connecting device and/or send a session request message to the packet gateway to establish a session for the connecting device, the session request message including information distinguishing the connecting device from another wireless device configured to authenticate with the authentication information associated with the subscribing wireless device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access node configured to initiate a session with a packet gateway for a connecting device, the connecting device being one of a subscribing wireless device configured with authentication information and a non-subscribing wireless device, the non-subscribing wireless device configured to authenticate with the subscribing wireless device's authentication information, the WLAN access node comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory containing instructions, the instructions when executed by the one or more processors being configured to:
receive identification information uniquely identifying the connecting device;
based on the identification information received and after the connecting device has been authenticated, send a session request message to the packet gateway to establish a session for the connecting device, the session request message including information distinguishing the connecting device from a different wireless device configured to authenticate with the authentication information associated with the subscribing wireless device;
determine whether traffic steering to disassociate the WLAN and associate with a network providing improved data bandwidth as compared with the WLAN is available to the connecting device based on the distinguishing information; and

disable traffic steering when the distinguishing information indicates that the connecting device is a non-subscribing wireless device.

2. The WLAN access node of claim 1 wherein the connecting device is a non-subscribing wireless device and the different wireless device is a subscribing wireless device.

3. The WLAN access node of claim 1 wherein the subscribing wireless device is configured for operation with a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) containing the authentication information and the non-subscribing wireless device is configured for operation without a SIM.

4. The WLAN access node of claim 3 wherein the instructions are further configured to receive an authentication confirmation containing at least one of a subscriber identity associated with the subscribing wireless device SIM and an Access Point Name (APN) and to send the session request message in response to the authentication confirmation received.

5. The WLAN access node of claim 4 wherein the instructions are further configured to receive the authentication confirmation from one of an Authentication authorization and Accounting (AAA) server, a home Subscriber server (HSS) and a Home location Register HLR Server.

6. The WLAN access node of claim 1 wherein the subscribing wireless device is a User Equipment (UE) and the non-subscribing wireless device is a Tethered Equipment (TE).

7. The WLAN access node of claim 1 wherein the session for the connecting device and an existing session for the different wireless device are S2a sessions.

8. The WLAN access node of claim 1 wherein the distinguishing information comprises at least one of a bearer identity, an Access Point Name (APN) and the identification information.

9. The WLAN access node of claim 8 wherein the at least one of a bearer identity, APN and the identification information is different from at least one of a bearer identity, an APN and identification information associated with an existing session for the different wireless device.

10. The WLAN access node of claim 1 wherein the distinguishing information enables a determination of whether to provide a service to the connecting device based on the identification information.

11. The WLAN access node of claim 10 wherein the service is a subscription service comprising one of a billing service, a policy service and an internet service, a Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) service.

12. The WLAN access node of claim 1 wherein the instructions are further configured to receive the identification information in response to a request sent by the WLAN access node to the connecting device.

13. The WLAN access node of claim 1 wherein the identification information comprises one of a hardware identifier and a Medium Access Control (MAC) address of the connecting device.

14. The WLAN access node of claim 13 wherein the identification information further comprises a Boolean parameter identifying the connecting device as one of a subscribing device and a non-subscribing device.

15. A method for a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access node for initiating a session with a packet gateway for a connecting device, the connecting device being one of a subscribing wireless device configured with authentication information and a non-subscribing wireless device, the non-subscribing wireless device configured to authenticate with the subscribing wireless device's authentication information, the method comprising:
receiving identification information uniquely identifying the connecting device;
based on the identification information received and after the connecting device has been authenticated, sending a session request message to the packet gateway to establish a session for the connecting device, the session request message including information distinguishing the connecting device from a different wireless device configured to authenticate with the authentication information associated with the subscribing wireless device;
determining whether traffic steering to disassociate the WLAN and associate with a network providing improved data bandwidth as compared with the WLAN is available to the connecting device based on the distinguishing information; and
disabling traffic steering when the distinguishing information indicates that the connecting device is a non-subscribing wireless device.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the connecting device is a non-subscribing wireless device and the different wireless device is a subscribing wireless device.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the subscribing wireless device is configured for operation with a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) containing the authentication information and the non-subscribing wireless device is configured for operation without a SIM.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising receiving an authentication confirmation containing at least one of a subscriber identity associated with the subscribing wireless device SIM and an Access Point Name (APN) and sending the session request message in response to the authentication confirmation received.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the receiving comprising receiving the authentication confirmation from one of an Authentication Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server, a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) and a Home Location Register HLR Server.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the subscribing wireless device is a User Equipment (UE) and the non-subscribing wireless device is a Tethered Equipment (TE).

21. The method of claim 15 wherein the session for the connecting device and an existing session for the different wireless device are S2a sessions.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein the distinguishing information comprises at least one of a bearer identity, an Access Point Name (APN) and the identification information.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the at least one of a bearer identity, APN and the identification information is different from at least one of a bearer identity, an APN and identification information associated with an existing session for the different wireless device.

24. The method of claim 15

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Rayment Stephen
• Chen Xuan

Classifications

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• H04W76/12

  Setup of transport tunnels · CPC title

• H04W76/10

  Connection setup · CPC title

• H04W76/11

  Allocation or use of connection identifiers · CPC title

• H04W12/06 Primary

  Authentication · CPC title