Method and system for providing registration, authentication and access via broadband access gateway

Abstract

A system and method supporting user registration, authentication and access to multimedia services via a broadband access gateway is disclosed. A representative embodiment of the present invention may comprise a wireless interface and may be capable of exchanging multimedia communication between the wireless interface and a broadband network. The gateway may determine access to available media-related services based upon information that is provisioned in a broadband access gateway prior to the first access by a user of an access device. The gateway may automatically allow access to access devices that are pre-registered, and may support opportunistic registration for those users of access devices that have not been pre-registered. Restricted access to services and networks available through the gateway may be provided even when registration is not successful, or when the access device is not pre-registered. Interactive registration for gateway access may be supported, and one-button access using either soft or hard buttons may be provided.

1 . A system supporting user controlled access to multimedia information, the system comprising: 
 a gateway communicatively coupled to a broadband network and at least one wireless interface, the gateway capable of selectively exchanging multimedia information among the at least one wireless interface and the broadband network, and of communicating with a plurality of access devices via the at least one wireless interface;    the gateway capable of providing to the plurality of access devices via the at least one wireless interface, access to at least one media-related service;    the gateway capable of controlling access to multimedia information by each of the plurality of access devices based upon registration information; and    software supporting user management of the registration information, via at least one of the gateway and the broadband network.    
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein the multimedia information comprises at least one of streaming video, broadcast video, voice, digital data, text, digitized audio, digitized still images, digitized video, and digitized music.  
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein the at least one media-related service comprises at least one of accessing, recording, playing, exchanging, transmitting, receiving, converting, and translating of multimedia information.  
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein registration information comprises at least one of a user identifier, an identifier of an access device, information identifying allowable accesses, a password, and a digital certificate.  
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein the at least one wireless interface is compliant with the Bluetooth V1.2 or compatible personal area network (PAN) specification.  
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein the at least one wireless interface is compliant with at least one of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n standards.  
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein the at least one wireless interface communicates using an unlicensed frequency band.  
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein the at least one wireless interface communicates at a frequency of approximately 2.4 gigahertz.  
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein the broadband network comprises at least one of a digital subscriber line (DSL) network, a cable network, a satellite network, a wireless wide area network, and the Internet.  
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 9  wherein the wireless wide area network comprises a cellular network.  
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 10  wherein the cellular network comprises at least one of a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, and a universal mobile telecommunications system(UMTS) network.  
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein the gateway collects access-related information for at least one of the plurality of access devices and the broadband network.  
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 12  wherein the gateway manages access to the collected information.  
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein the plurality of access devices comprises at least one of a mobile multimedia handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer (PC), a digital scanner, a digital camera, a printer, headphones, and a pointing device.  
     
     
         15 . A method of operating a gateway supporting user controlled access to multimedia information, the method comprising: 
 initializing communication via a broadband network;    detecting, via one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network, the presence of an access device;    receiving an access device identifier via the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network; and    determining allowable access to multimedia information by the identified access device based upon registration information.    
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising: 
 collecting, via the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network, information comprising accessibility of at least one access device.    
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 15  wherein the personal area network is compliant with the Bluetooth V1.2 or compatible personal area network (PAN) specification.  
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 15  wherein the wireless local area network is compliant with at least one of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n standards.  
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 15  wherein the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network communicates using an unlicensed frequency band.  
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 15  wherein the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network communicates at a frequency of approximately 2.4 gigahertz.  
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 15  wherein the broadband network comprises at least one of a digital subscriber line (DSL) network, a cable network, a satellite network, a wireless wide-area network, and the Internet.  
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 21  wherein the wireless wide-area network comprises a cellular network.  
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 22  wherein the cellular network comprises at least one of a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, and a universal mobile telecommunications system(UMTS) network.  
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 15  wherein the multimedia information comprises at least one of streaming video, broadcast video, voice, digital data, text, digitized audio, digitized still images, digitized video, and digitized music.  
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 15  wherein the at least one access device comprises at least one of a mobile multimedia handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer (PC), a digital scanner, a digital camera, a printer, headphones, and a pointing device.  
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 15  wherein registration information comprises at least one of a user identifier, an identifier of an access device, information identifying allowable accesses, a password, and a digital certificate.  
     
     
         27 . A machine-readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program having a plurality of code sections for operating a gateway supporting user controlled access to multimedia information, the code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the operations comprising: 
 initializing communication via a broadband network;    detecting, via one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network, the presence of an access device;    receiving an access device identifier via the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network; and    determining allowable access to multimedia information by the identified access device based upon registration information.    
     
     
         28 . The machine-readable storage of  claim 27  wherein the code sections executable by a machine further causing the machine to perform the operations comprising: 
 collecting, via the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network, information comprising accessibility of at least one access device.    
     
     
         29 . The machine-readable storage according to  claim 27  wherein the personal area network is compliant with the Bluetooth V1.2 or compatible personal area network (PAN) specification.  
     
     
         30 . The machine-readable storage according to  claim 27  wherein the wireless local area network is compliant with at least one of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n standards.  
     
     
         31 . The machine-readable storage according to  claim 27  wherein the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network communicates using an unlicensed frequency band.  
     
     
         32 . The machine-readable storage according to  claim 27  wherein the one of a personal area network and a wireless local area network communicates at a frequency of approximately 2.4 gigahertz.  
     
     
         33 . The machine-readable storage according to  claim 27  wherein the broadband network comprises at least one of a digital subscriber line (DSL) network, a cable network, a satellite network, a wireless wide-area network, and the Internet.  
     
     
         34 . The machine-readable storage according to  claim 33  wherein the wireless wide-area network comprises a cellular network.  
     
     
         35 . The machine-readable storage according to  claim 34  wherein the cellular network comprises at least one of a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, and a universal mobile telecommunications system(UMTS) network.  
     
     
         36 . The machine-readable storage according to  claim 27  wherein the multimedia information comprises at least one of streaming video, broadcast video, voice, digital data, text, digitized audio, digitized still images, digitized video, and digitized music.  
     
     
         37 . The machine-readable storage according to  claim 27  wherein the at least one access device comprises at least one of a mobile multimedia handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer (PC), a digital scanner, a digital camera, a printer, headphones, and a pointing device.  
     
     
         38 . The machine-readable storage according to  claim 27  wherein registration information comprises at least one of a user identifier, an identifier of an access device, information identifying allowable accesses, a password, and a digital certificate.