Quality of Service to Over the Top Applications Used with VPN

Abstract

Conventional quality of service (QoS) treatment is extended to over-the-top (OTT) applications transmitting data over a commercial wireless network via a virtual private network (VPN) tunnel. An over-the-top (OTT) application server and a VPN client/server routing data to/from that OTT application server via a VPN tunnel, are integrated with a quality of service (QoS) server to enable the OTT application server and/or VPN client/server to request and get desired QoS treatment for application data routed by the OTT application server over the VPN tunnel. The QoS server forwards QoS rules received in a QoS request message to a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) on the OTT application/VPN client devices' home mobile network operator (MNO). If the client device is roaming, the PCRF on the home MNO forwards QoS rules to a PCRF on a serving MNO. QoS treatment is then carried out by the PCRF in a conventional manner.

1 - 49 . (canceled) 
     
     
         50 . A method for extending quality of service (QoS) treatment to an over-the-top (OTT) application transmitting data over a network, comprising:
 receiving a quality of service (QoS) registration message and a quality of service (QoS) request message;   performing validation on said quality of service (QoS) registration message and on said quality of service (QoS) request message;   querying a local mobile network operator (MNO) information database for a home mobile network operator (MNO) assigned to a requesting client device;   determining that an over-the-top (OTT) application routing data is permitted to influence quality of service (QoS) settings on said home mobile network operator (MNO);   sending a message with appropriate quality of service (QoS) information to a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) on said home mobile network operator (MNO); and   returning a quality of service (QoS) response message to said requesting client device with an appropriate status identifier.   
     
     
         51 . A quality of service (QoS) server for extending quality of service (QoS) treatment to an over-the-top (OTT) application transmitting data over a network, comprising:
 an over-the-top (OTT) application interface for interfacing with an over-the-top (OTT) application server;   a mobile network operator (MNO) policy and charging rules function (PCRF) interface for interfacing with a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) on a home mobile network operator (MNO) assigned to an over-the-top (OTT) application client device;   a number portability database (NPDB) interface for interfacing with an external number portability database (NPDB);   a network server interface for interfacing with a network server at either end of a virtual private network (VPN) tunnel routing data from said over-the-top (OTT) application server;   a local virtual private network (VPN) tunneling information database to store information for said virtual private networks (VPN); and   a local application information database to store a profile for a supported over-the-top (OTT) application on said over-the-top (OTT) application server.   
     
     
         52 . A method for extending quality of service (QoS) treatment to an over-the-top (OTT) application server, comprising:
 receiving a quality of service (QoS) registration message from an over-the-top (OTT) application server;   receiving a quality of service (QoS) request message from said over-the-top (OTT) application server;   performing validation on both said quality of service (QoS) registration message and said quality of service (QoS) request message;   determining that said over-the-top (OTT) application is permitted to influence quality of service (QoS) settings on a home mobile network operator (MNO);   sending a message with appropriate quality of service (QoS) information to a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) on said home mobile network operator (MNO), said policy and charging rules function (PCRF) providing quality of service (QoS) treatment to said over-the-top (OTT) application; and   returning an application quality of service (QoS) response message to said over-the-top (OTT) application server.   
     
     
         53 . The method for extending quality of service (QoS) treatment to an over-the-top (OTT) application server according to  claim 52 , wherein:
 said application quality of service (QoS) response message is returned to said over-the-top (OTT) application server with an appropriate status identifier.   
     
     
         54 . The method for extending quality of service (QoS) treatment to an over-the-top (OTT) application server according to  claim 52 , further comprising:
 querying a local mobile network operator (MNO) information database for an identity of said home mobile network operator (MNO) assigned to an over-the-top (OTT) application client device;   
     
     
         55 . The method for extending quality of service (QoS) treatment to an over-the-top (OTT) application according to  claim 52 , wherein:
 first quality of service (Qos) rules embedded in said quality of service (QoS) request message override second quality of service (QoS) rules embedded in said quality of service (QoS) registration message when said first quality of service (Qos) rules differ from said second quality of service (QoS) rules.   
     
     
         56 . The method for extending quality of service (QoS) treatment to an over-the-top (OTT) application according to  claim 52 , wherein:
 said message sent to said policy and charging rules (PCRF) function assigns quality of service (QoS) rules defined in said application quality of service (QoS) request message to application data routed for said requesting over-the-top (OTT) application when said over-the-top (OTT) application is routing data over a multi-tenant virtual private network (VPN) tunnel.   
     
     
         57 . The method for extending quality of service (QoS) treatment to an over-the-top (OTT) application according to  claim 52 , wherein:
 said quality of service information is sent to said policy and charging rules function (PCRF) via a diameter protocol interface.   
     
     
         58 . The method for extending quality of service (QoS) treatment to an over-the-top (OTT) application according to  claim 54 , wherein:
 said policy and charging rules function (PCRF) on said home mobile network operator (MNO) forwards received quality of service (QoS) rules to a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) serving said over-the-top (OTT) application client device when said (OTT) application client device is roaming.   
     
     
         59 . The method for extending quality of service (QoS) treatment to an over-the-top (OTT) application according to  claim 52 , wherein:
 said quality of service (QoS) request message indicates a particular quality of service (QoS) profile to invoke.   
     
     
         60 . The method for extending quality of service (QoS) treatment to an over-the-top (OTT) application according to  claim 52 , wherein:
 said over-the-top (OTT) application server sends an application quality of service (QoS) termination message to said quality of service (QoS) server when said over-the-top (OTT) application server detects a termination of service on said over-the-top (OTT) application client.   
     
     
         61 . The method for extending quality of service (QoS) treatment to an over-the-top (OTT) application according to  claim 52 , wherein:
 said over-the-top (OTT) application server sends an application quality of service (QoS) termination message to said quality of service (QoS) server when said over-the-top (OTT) application server detects signaling on said over-the-top (OTT) application client.   
     
     
         62 . The method for extending quality of service (QoS) treatment to an over-the-top (OTT) application according to  claim 61 , wherein:
 said application quality of service (QoS) termination message indicates to said quality of service (QoS) server that reserved quality of service (QoS) values may be terminated on said home mobile network operator (MNO) assigned to said over-the-top (OTT) application client device.