# US 9,439,075 B2 · Capability exchange during an authentication process for an access terminal

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- Number: US 9,439,075 B2
- Document ID: US9439075B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/722,925
- Filed: 2015-05-27
- Published: 2015-09-17
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2006-03-06
- Assignees: Cisco Technology, Inc.
- Applicants: Cisco Technology, Inc.
- Inventors: Parviz Yegani; Jayaraman Iyer; Venkateshwara Sastry
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9439075B2

## CPC

- G06Q 20/102: {Bill distribution or payments}
- H04L 12/14: Charging, metering or billing arrangements specially adapted for data communications, e.g. authentication, authorisation and accounting [AAA] framework
- H04L 12/1403: {Architecture for metering, charging or billing}
- H04L 41/0894: Policy-based network configuration management
- H04L 45/50: using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
- H04L 47/10: Flow control; Congestion control
- H04L 47/15: {in relation to multipoint traffic (arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18)}
- H04L 47/70: Admission control; Resource allocation
- H04L 47/724: at intermediate nodes, e.g. resource reservation protocol [RSVP]
- H04L 47/805: {QOS or priority aware}
- H04L 47/824: {Applicable to portable or mobile terminals}
- H04L 61/5014: using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
- H04L 63/08: {for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32)}
- H04L 63/0892: {by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols}
- H04L 63/102: {Entity profiles}
- H04L 63/162: {at the data link layer}
- H04L 65/1016: IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
- H04L 65/1104: Session initiation protocol [SIP]
- H04L 67/141: Setup of application sessions (admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70)
- H04L 69/14: Multichannel or multilink protocols
- H04L 69/24: Negotiation of communication capabilities
- H04W 8/04: Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
- H04W 12/06: Authentication
- H04W 12/08: Access security
- H04W 36/0033: {with transfer of context information}
- H04W 36/12: Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
- H04L 41/5029: {Service quality level-based billing, e.g. dependent on measured service level customer is charged more or less}
- H04L 41/5061: characterised by the interaction between service providers and their network customers, e.g. customer relationship management
- H04W 8/26: Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
- H04W 28/18: Negotiating wireless communication parameters
- H04W 36/144: {over a different radio air interface technology}
- H04W 48/14: using user query {or user detection}
- H04W 60/00: Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
- H04W 80/04: Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
- H04W 80/10: adapted for {application} session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] {(connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14)}
- H04W 92/02: Inter-networking arrangements
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

In one embodiment, during an authentication process between a network device and an access terminal, an authentication message for access to the network is received. The network device is configured to allow access to an IP network. The network device determines one or more capabilities of the access terminal from the authentication message. An action is then performed based on the one or more capabilities of the access terminal. The action may include using the capabilities to set up a session with the access terminal. Also, the network device may send its own capabilities to the access terminal in an authentication response. Accordingly, a capability negotiation between the access terminal and network device may be provided during an authentication process. This may facilitate a faster session setup as capabilities are exchanged during authentication can be used in the configuration of the session.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
receiving at a network element located between an access terminal and a network an authentication request from the access terminal, the authentication request comprising a request to authenticate the access terminal to the network and including an indication of capabilities of the access terminal, wherein the access terminal capabilities comprise robust header compression (ROHC) capabilities;
sending an authentication response to the access terminal in response to the authentication request, the authentication response including an indication of network capabilities of the network element; and
configuring a session between the network element and with the access terminal using the indication of access terminal ROHC capabilities and the network capabilities exchanged during authentication of the access terminal to the network.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the authentication request and the authentication response further comprises an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) message.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating the access terminal before sending the authentication response.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the access terminal capabilities and the network capabilities further comprise capabilities for layer 3 access.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the network element is an Internet Protocol Gateway (“IPG”) device and the network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the access terminal capabilities further comprise a resource revocation capability.

### Claim 7

A method comprising:
sending an authentication request to a network device located between an access terminal and an Internet Protocol (“IP”) network, the authentication request comprising a request to authenticate the access terminal to a network and including an indication of access terminal capabilities, wherein the access terminal capabilities comprise robust header compression (ROHC) capabilities;
receiving in response to the authentication request an authentication response that includes an indication of network capabilities supported by the network device;
configuring a session between the network element and with the access terminal using the indication of access terminal ROHC capabilities and the network capabilities exchanged during authentication of the access terminal to the network.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the authentication request and the authentication response further comprises an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) message.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the authentication request and the authentication response are exchanged prior to the configuration of the session.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the access terminal capabilities and the network capabilities further comprise capabilities for layer 3 access.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the access terminal capabilities further comprise a resource revocation capability.

### Claim 12

An apparatus comprising:
one or more computer processors; and
logic encoded in one or more non-transitory tangible storage media for execution by the one or more computer processors, and when executed operable to:
receive at a network element located between an access terminal and a network an authentication request from the access terminal, the authentication request comprising a request to authenticate the access terminal to the network and including an indication of capabilities of the access terminal, wherein the access terminal capabilities comprise robust header compression (ROHC) capabilities;
send an authentication response to the access terminal in response to the authentication request, the authentication response including an indication of network capabilities of the network element; and
configure a session between the network element and with the access terminal using the indication of access terminal ROHC capabilities and the network capabilities exchanged during authentication of the access terminal to the network.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the authentication request and the authentication response are exchanged prior to the configuration of the session.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one of the access terminal capabilities and the network capabilities further comprise capabilities for layer 3 access.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the access terminal capabilities further comprise a resource revocation capability.

### Claim 16

An apparatus comprising:
one or more computer processors; and
logic encoded in one or more non-transitory tangible storage media for execution by the one or more computer processors, and when executed operable to:
send an authentication request to a network device located between an access terminal and an Internet Protocol (“IP”) network, the authentication request comprising a request to authenticate the access terminal to a network and including an indication of access terminal capabilities, wherein the access terminal capabilities comprise robust header compression (ROHC) capabilities;
receive in response to the authentication request an authentication response that includes an indication of network capabilities supported by the network device; and
configure a session between the network element and with the access terminal using the indication of access terminal ROHC capabilities and the network capabilities exchanged during authentication of the access terminal to the network.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The apparatus claim 16, wherein the access terminal capabilities further comprise a resource revocation capability.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the authentication request and the authentication response are exchanged prior to the configuration of the session.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The apparatus of claim 16, wherein at least one of the access terminal capabilities and the network capabilities further comprise capabilities for layer 3 access.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The apparatus of claim 16, wherein at least one of the authentication request and the authentication response further comprises an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) message.