US-12621646-B2 - Priority internet access via WIFI networks during emergency situations

Abstract

In certain embodiments, a clearinghouse AAA server receives, from a WiFi network AAA server of a WiFi network, a request for a priority UE to access an external data network via the WiFi network, accesses a Declared Emergency Location Registry (DELR) database to determine whether a current emergency situation has been declared for the WiFi network, determines whether the priority UE is authenticated and authorized to access the external data network via the WiFi network, and determines whether the priority UE should receive priority or non-priority access to the external data network via the WiFi network. Depending on the situation, the WiFi network may be the UE's home WiFi network or a visited WiFi network having a roaming agreement with the home WiFi network. In this way, priority UEs can receive priority access to external data networks via Wifi networks during declared emergency situations.

Inventors

• Shane Newberg
• Donald SHERKER
• Peter Andrew ERICKSEN

Assignees

• CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS OPERATING, LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20231011

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A server comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, upon being executed by the at least one processor, cause the server at least to: receive, from a WiFi network server of a WiFi network, a request for a priority user equipment (UE) to access an external data network via the WiFi network; determine whether a current emergency situation has been declared for the WiFi network; determine whether the priority UE is authenticated and authorized to access the external data network via the WiFi network; and upon determining that (i) the priority UE is authenticated and authorized and (ii) a current emergency situation has been declared for the WiFi network, approve the priority UE to receive priority access to the external data network via the WiFi network, wherein: the WiFi network is a visited WiFi network having a roaming agreement with a home WiFi network of the priority UE; and the server is configured to: receive the request for the priority UE to access the external data network via the visited WiFi network from a visited WiFi network server of the visited WiFi network; communicate with a home WiFi network server of the home WiFi network to determine whether the priority UE is authenticated and authorized to access the external data network via the visited WiFi network; and transmit, to the visited WiFi network server, approval for the priority UE to receive access to the external data network via the visited WiFi network.
2. 2 . The server of claim 1 , wherein the server is configured to: receive a clearinghouse serial number for the current emergency situation; receive a home serial number for the current emergency situation from the home WiFi network server; and compare the home serial number to the clearinghouse serial number to confirm whether the priority UE should receive priority access to the external data network via the visited WiFi network.
3. 3 . The server of claim 1 , wherein the server is configured to: receive location information associated with the priority UE and/or the WiFi network; and access a database to determine whether a current emergency situation has been declared for the WiFi network based on the location information.
4. 4 . The server of claim 1 , wherein the server is further configured to: receive, from the WiFi network server of the WiFi network, a request for a non-priority UE to access the external data network via the WiFi network; determine whether the non-priority UE is authenticated and authorized to access the external data network via the WiFi network without accessing a database; and upon determining that the non-priority UE is authenticated and authorized, approve the non-priority UE to receive non-priority access to the external data network via the WiFi network.
5. 5 . The server of claim 1 , wherein, upon determining that (i) the priority UE is authenticated and authorized and (ii) a current emergency situation has not been declared for the WiFi network, the server is configured to approve the priority UE to receive non-priority access to the external data network via the WiFi network.
6. 6 . The server of claim 1 , wherein, upon determining that (i) the priority UE is authenticated and authorized and (ii) a current emergency situation has not been declared for the WiFi network, the server is configured to deny access by the priority UE to the external data network via the WiFi network.
7. 7 . A method comprising a server: receiving, from a WiFi network server of a WiFi network, a request for a priority user equipment (UE) to access an external data network via the WiFi network; determining whether a current emergency situation has been declared for the WiFi network; determining whether the priority UE is authenticated and authorized to access the external data network via the WiFi network; and upon determining that (i) the priority UE is authenticated and authorized and (ii) a current emergency situation has been declared for the WiFi network, approving the priority UE to receive priority access to the external data network via the WiFi network, wherein: the WiFi network is a visited WiFi network having a roaming agreement with a home WiFi network of the priority UE; and the server: receives the request for the priority UE to access the external data network via the visited WiFi network from a visited WiFi network server of the visited WiFi network; communicates with a home WiFi network server of the home WiFi network to determine whether the priority UE is authenticated and authorized to access the external data network via the visited WiFi network; and transmits, to the visited WiFi network server, approval for the priority UE to receive access to the external data network via the visited WiFi network.
8. 8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the server: receives a clearinghouse serial number for the current emergency situation; receives a home serial number for the current emergency situation from the home WiFi network server; and compares the home serial number to the clearinghouse serial number to confirm whether the priority UE should receive priority access to the external data network via the visited WiFi network.
9. 9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the server: receives location information associated with the priority UE and/or the WiFi network; and accesses a database to determine whether a current emergency situation has been declared for the WiFi network based on the location information.
10. 10 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the server: receives, from the WiFi network server of the WiFi network, a request for a non-priority UE to access the external data network via the WiFi network; determines whether the non-priority UE is authenticated and authorized to access the external data network via the WiFi network without accessing a database; and upon determining that the non-priority UE is authenticated and authorized, approves the non-priority UE to receive non-priority access to the external data network via the WiFi network.
11. 11 . The method of claim 7 , wherein, upon determining that (i) the priority UE is authenticated and authorized and (ii) a current emergency situation has not been declared for the WiFi network, the server approves the priority UE to receive non-priority access to the external data network via the WiFi network.
12. 12 . The method of claim 7 , wherein, upon determining that (i) the priority UE is authenticated and authorized and (ii) a current emergency situation has not been declared for the WiFi network, the server denies access by the priority UE to the external data network via the WiFi network.
13. 13 . A server comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, upon being executed by the at least one processor, cause the server at least to: receive, from a WiFi network server of a WiFi network, a request for a priority user equipment (UE) to access an external data network via the WiFi network; determine whether a current emergency situation has been declared for the WiFi network; determine whether the priority UE is authenticated and authorized to access the external data network via the WiFi network; and upon determining that (i) the priority UE is authenticated and authorized and (ii) a current emergency situation has been declared for the WiFi network, approve the priority UE to receive priority access to the external data network via the WiFi network, wherein: the WiFi network is a home WiFi network of the priority UE; and the server is configured to: receive the request for the priority UE to access the external data network via the home WiFi network from a home WiFi network server of the home WiFi network; communicate with the home WiFi network server to determine whether the priority UE is authenticated and authorized to access the external data network via the home WiFi network; transmit, to the home WiFi network server, approval for the priority UE to receive access to the external data network via the home WiFi network; receive a clearinghouse serial number for the current emergency situation; receive a home serial number for the current emergency situation from the home WiFi network server; and compare the home serial number to the clearinghouse serial number to confirm whether the priority UE should receive priority access to the external data network via the home WiFi network.
14. 14 . The server of claim 13 , wherein the server is configured to: receive location information associated with the priority UE and/or the WiFi network; and access a database to determine whether a current emergency situation has been declared for the WiFi network based on the location information.
15. 15 . The server of claim 13 , wherein, upon determining that (i) the priority UE is authenticated and authorized and (ii) a current emergency situation has not been declared for the WiFi network, the server is configured to approve the priority UE to receive non-priority access to the external data network via the WiFi network.
16. 16 . The server of claim 13 , wherein, upon determining that (i) the priority UE is authenticated and authorized and (ii) a current emergency situation has not been declared for the WiFi network, the server is configured to deny access by the priority UE to the external data network via the WiFi network.
17. 17 . A method comprising a server: receiving, from a WiFi network server of a WiFi network, a request for a priority user equipment (UE) to access an external data network via the WiFi network; determining whether a current emergency situation has been declared for the WiFi network; determining whether the priority UE is authenticated and authorized to access the external data network via the WiFi network; and upon determining that (i) the priority UE is authenticated and authorized and (ii) a current emergency situation has been declared for the WiFi network, approving the priority UE to receive priority access to the external data network via the WiFi network, wherein: the WiFi network is a home WiFi network of the priority UE; and the server: receives the request for the priority UE to access the external data network via the home WiFi network from a home WiFi network server of the home WiFi network; communicates with the home WiFi network server to determine whether the priority UE is authenticated and authorized to access the external data network via the home WiFi network; transmits, to the home WiFi network server, approval for the priority UE to receive access to the external data network via the home WiFi network; receives a clearinghouse serial number for the current emergency situation; receives a home serial number for the current emergency situation from the home WiFi network server; and compares the home serial number to the clearinghouse serial number to confirm whether the priority UE should receive priority access to the external data network via the home WiFi network.
18. 18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the server: receives location information associated with the priority UE and/or the WiFi network; and accesses a database to determine whether a current emergency situation has been declared for the WiFi network based on the location information.
19. 19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein, upon determining that (i) the priority UE is authenticated and authorized and (ii) a current emergency situation has not been declared for the WiFi network, the server approves the priority UE to receive non-priority access to the external data network via the WiFi network.
20. 20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein, upon determining that (i) the priority UE is authenticated and authorized and (ii) a current emergency situation has not been declared for the WiFi network, the server denies access by the priority UE to the external data network via the WiFi network.

Description

BACKGROUND Field of the Disclosure The present disclosure relates to a wireless device, such as a cell phone, accessing an external network, such as the Internet, via a WiFi network. Description of the Related Art This section introduces aspects that may help facilitate a better understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, the statements of this section are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is prior art or what is not prior art. It is known for a wireless device, such as a cell phone, to be able to access an external data network, such as the Internet, via a wireless WiFi local area network (LAN). It is also known for different WiFi networks to have roaming agreements that enable a user who subscribes to (aka is registered with) one WiFi network to have access to an external data network via another WiFi network to which the user is not subscribed. FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram representing a prior-art situation in which the wireless device (i.e., user equipment or UE, for short) 110 of a user who subscribes to a so-called “home” WiFi network is currently located outside of the coverage area of the home WiFi network, but within the coverage area of a so-called “visited” WiFi network to which the user is not a subscriber but which has a roaming agreement with the home WiFi network. According to the prior art, when the user wants to use the UE 110 of FIG. 1 to access an external data network (not shown), such as the Internet, via the visited WiFi network, the UE 110 will communicate with the visited WiFi network's authentication, authorizing, and accounting (AAA) server 120, which will then communicate directly with the home WiFi network's AAA server 130 to authenticate the UE 110 and confirm that the UE 110 is authorized to receive the user's requested external data network access via the visited WiFi network. If the home AAA server 130 authenticates and authorizes the UE 110, then the visited AAA server 120 will provide the UE 110 with the requested external data network access via the visited WiFi network. As represented in FIG. 1, in Step 1, the UE 110 transmits to the visited AAA server 120 a wireless message containing the user's request for external data network access. Depending on the particular implementation, this message identifies one or more of the user, the UE 110, and the home WiFi network. After determining that (i) the user and/or the UE 110 subscribes to the home WiFi network and (ii) the visited WiFi network has a roaming agreement with the home WiFi network, in Step 2, the visited AAA server 120 transmits to the home AAA server 130 a (wireless, wireline, or optical, depending on the particular implementation) message containing the user's request. Depending on the particular implementation, this message identifies one or more of the user, the UE 110, and the visited WiFi network. After (i) authenticating the user and/or the UE 110 and (ii) authorizing the UE 110 to access the external data network via the visited WiFi network, in Step 3, the home AAA server 130 transmits to the visited AAA server 120 a message containing a positive response to the user's request, and, in Step 4, the visited AAA server 120 forwards that positive response to the UE 110. Although not represented in FIG. 1, the visited AAA server 120 then provides the UE 110 with access to the external data network via the visited WiFi network. Note that, if the home AAA server 130 fails to authenticate and authorize the UE 110, then, in Step 3, the home AAA server 130 transmits to the visited AAA server 120 a message containing a negative response to the user's request, and, in Step 4, the visited AAA server 120 forwards that negative response to the UE 110. In that case, the visited AAA server 120 will not provide the UE 110 with access to the external data network via the visited WiFi network. Note that simplified FIG. 1 does not explicitly show the access point (AP) of the visited WiFi network with which the UE 110 directly communicates or the backbone of the visited WiFi network by which that AP communicates with the visited AAA server 120. Nor does simplified FIG. 1 show infrastructure by which the visited and home AAA servers 120 and 130 communicate with each other. These same simplifications apply to other figures in this application. During an emergency situation, either natural, such as (without limitation) an earthquake or hurricane, or man-made, such as (without limitation) a war or terrorist attack, it is often critical for a first responder to access an external data network via a (home or visited) WiFi network. Unfortunately, during such emergency situations, WiFi networks are often overloaded with traffic of users who are not first responders, thereby preventing adequate access by first responders to external data networks via those WiFi networks. SUMMARY Problems in the prior art are addressed in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure by t