Usage authorization control for group communications in a communication network

1. An apparatus comprising:

a network element configured to identify a group communication for an end user of User Equipment (UE), and to process the group communication to retrieve a group ID from the group communication;

the network element configured to retrieve a user profile of the end user from a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), and to determine from the user profile and the group ID whether the end user is a member of a group associated with the group ID; and

the network element is configured to provide, on a condition that the end user is a member of the group, the group ID to the HSS and receive group usage rules for the group from the HSS, and to allow the group communication on the condition that the group communication is permitted by one or more of the group usage rules.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the network element is configured to determine that the end user is a member of the group on the condition that the group ID is included in the user profile.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the network element is configured to reject the group communication for the end user on the condition that the group ID of the end user is missing from the user profile.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the network element is configured to use the group ID to identify members of the group from the user profile, and to forward the group communication to UEs of the identified members.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the group communication comprises a Mobile Terminated (MT) group communication; and

wherein the end user is a receiving end user, the network element is configured to identify an originating end user for the MT group communication, and the network element is configured to exclude the receiving end user from the MT group communication on the condition that the user profile of the receiving end user and the group ID indicate that the originating end user is not a member of the group.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the group usage rules define at least one of:

a time at which the group communication is allowed to be sent by the end user;

a time at which the group communication is allowed to be received by the end user;

a type of service authorized for the group communication; and

an allowable content for the group communication.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the group communication comprises one of:

a Mobile Terminating Short Message Service message (MT-SMS);

a Mobile Originating SMS message (MO-SMS);

a Mobile Terminating Call (MT-Call);

a Mobile Originating Call (MO-Call);

a Mobile Terminating MultiMedia Message (MT-MMS); and

a Mobile Originating MultiMedia Message (MO-MMS).

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the group usage rules define at least one of:

whether the end user is permitted generate a Mobile Originated (MO) group communication; and

whether the end user is permitted receive a Mobile Terminated (MT) group communication.

9. A method for usage authorization control for group communications, the method comprising:

identifying, by a network element, a group communication for an end user of User Equipment (UE);

processing, by the network element, the group communication to retrieve a group ID for from the group communication;

querying, by the network element, a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) for a user profile for the end user;

processing, by the network element, the user profile using the group ID to determine whether the end user is a member of a group associated with the group ID;

performing, on a condition that the end user is a member of the group, the steps of:

querying, by the network element, the HSS with the group ID for group usage rules for the group; and

determining, by the network element, whether to allow the group communication based on the group usage rules.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising determining that the end user is a member of the group by identifying, by the network element, that the group ID is included in the user profile.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

rejecting, by the network element, the group communication for the end user on the condition that the group ID is missing from the user profile.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

processing, by the network element, the user profile using the group ID to identify members of the group; and

forwarding, by the network element, the group communication to UEs of the members.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein:

the group communication comprises a Mobile Terminated (MT) group communication and the end user is a receiving end user; and

the method further comprises:

identifying, by the network element, an originating end user for the MT group communication;

determining, by the network element, whether the originating end user is a member of the group using the user profile of the receiving end user and the group ID; and

rejecting, by the network element, the MT group communication for the receiving end user on the condition that the originating end user is not a member of the group.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the group usage rules define at least one of:

a time at which the group communication is allowed to be sent by the end user;

a time at which the group communication is allowed to be received by the end user;

a type of service authorized for the group communication; and

an allowable content for the group communication.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the group communication comprises one of:

a Mobile Terminating Short Message Service message (MT-SMS);

a Mobile Originating SMS message (MO-SMS);

a Mobile Terminating Call (MT-Call);

a Mobile Originating Call (MO-Call);

a Mobile Terminating MultiMedia Message (MT-MMS); and

a Mobile Originating MultiMedia Message (MO-MMS).

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the group usage rules define at least one of:

whether the end user is permitted to generate a Mobile Originated (MO) group communication; and

whether the end user is permitted to receive a Mobile Terminated (MT) group communication.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a terminating network element configured to identify an originating end user of a Mobile Terminated (MT) group communication directed to a receiving end user, and to process the group communication to retrieve a group ID from the group communication;

the terminating network element configured to allow the MT group communication only on a condition that group usage rules provided by a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) indicate that the receiving end user and the originating end user are members of a group identified by the group ID.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the group communication comprises one of:

a MT Short Message Service message (MT-SMS);

a MT Call (MT-Call); and

a MT MultiMedia Message (MT-MMS).

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein:

the terminating network element is configured to determine that the receiving end user and the originating end user are members of the group by obtaining a user profile from a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) and determining that the receiving end user and the originating end user are both associated with the group ID; and

the terminating network element is further configured to send, on the condition that the originating end user and the receiving end user are members of the group, the group ID toward the HSS and receive the group usage rules for the group.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the group usage rules define at least one of:

a type of service authorized for the group communication;

an allowable content for the group communication;

a time at which the group communication is allowed to be sent by the end user;

a time at which the group communication is allowed to be received by the end user;

whether the end user is permitted to generate a Mobile Originated (MO) group communication; and

whether the end user is permitted to receive a Mobile Terminated (MT) group communication.