Integrating in-vehicle access-point with cellular offloading system
View Patent ↗A method and system for selectively providing cellular offload services to mobile user data devices via vehicle-based access points. Subscribers and affiliates of vehicle-related online services register their user data devices for authorized connections. Vehicle metrics are used to determine the state of a vehicle (being driven or parked), and the metrics of the user device can be compared with the vehicle metrics to determine if the user device is inside the vehicle. Limiting access to authorized user devices reduces load on the vehicular access points and allows preventing the vehicular access points from being erroneously included on access point maps and thereby infecting the maps.
1. A method for managing a connection between a vehicular access point located on a vehicle and a mobile user data device, the method comprising:
receiving, by the vehicular access point, a request from the mobile user data device to establish a connection with the mobile user data device;
identifying, by a processing device, the mobile user data device;
determining, by the processing device, whether the mobile user data device is registered in a predetermined subscriber database;
if the mobile user data device is registered in the subscriber database, then allowing the mobile user data device to establish the connection;
if the mobile user data device is not registered in the subscriber database, then obtaining vehicle metrics of the vehicle;
responsively to obtaining the vehicle metrics of the vehicle, determining whether the vehicle is being driven or is parked;
if the vehicle is parked, then allowing the mobile user data device to establish the connection provided that the mobile user data device is registered in the predetermined subscriber database;
if the vehicle is being driven, then obtaining metrics of the vehicle;
determining whether the mobile user data device is moving with the vehicle;
if the mobile user data device is moving with the vehicle, then allowing the mobile user data device to establish the connection; and
if the mobile user data device is not moving with the vehicle, then denying the connection request; and
preventing the mobile user data device from updating a remote server with data on the vehicular access point.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing device is an offload server.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing device is a vehicular access point management server.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the vehicular access point communicates with an offload server via the vehicular access point management server.
5. A system for managing a connection between a vehicular access point located on a vehicle and a mobile user data device making a request for a connection thereto, the system comprising at least one server connected to the Internet, wherein the at least one server has access to a subscriber database and a vehicular access point database, and wherein the at least one server is operative to:
identify the mobile user data device;
responsively to identifying the mobile user data device, determine whether the mobile user data device is registered in the subscriber database;
obtain mobile user data device metrics from the mobile user data device;
responsively to obtaining mobile user data device metrics from the mobile user data device, compare mobile user data device metrics from the mobile user data device with the vehicle metrics to determine if the vehicle is being driven and the mobile user data device is moving with the vehicle;
if the vehicle is parked and the mobile user data device is registered in the subscriber database, then authorize the vehicular access point to establish a connection with the vehicular access point;
if the vehicle is being driven and the mobile user data device is moving with the vehicle, then authorize the vehicular access point to establish a connection with the mobile user data device; and
otherwise deny the request for a connection; and
prevent the mobile user data device from updating a remote server with data on the vehicular access point.