Telephony Server User Authentication for Multi-User Home Networks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current UPnP standards do not allow telephony services to be effectively tied to individual users within a home network, leading to difficulties in directing calls and presence information to the appropriate device and user, especially in multi-user scenarios where multiple users are interacting with shared devices.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced where telephony control points register users with a telephony server, providing authentication identifiers bound to both the control point and user, allowing for precise user identification and authorization, enabling calls and presence information to be directed to the correct user based on their authentication and policy settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple users access shared telephony control points in a home network, then device versatility and usability are improved, but call routing accuracy and user identification precision deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the telephony control point into multiple user-specific sessions, each with its own authentication identifier and policy settings. This allows the system to maintain multiple users simultaneously while directing calls to the correct user based on their unique authentication credentials, thus resolving the contradiction between multi-user access and accurate user identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an authentication identifier as an intermediary between the telephony control point and the user. This intermediary mechanism enables precise user identification and authorization by verifying authentication credentials before routing calls, allowing multiple users to access shared devices while maintaining accurate user-specific call routing.
2Measurement precision
If authentication identifiers are bound to both control point and user, then call routing accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication identifier serves multiple functions: it identifies the user, authorizes access, and enables accurate call routing. By making this single element multi-functional, the patent achieves high call routing accuracy without proportionally increasing system complexity, as the same authentication mechanism handles multiple tasks simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary authentication before call routing occurs. By establishing the authentication identifier bound to both the control point and user in advance, the system prepares the necessary authorization information ahead of time, enabling accurate call routing without adding complexity to the actual call handling process.
3Reliability
If user-specific policies are implemented for shared devices, then user privacy and control are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by assigning unique policy settings to each user session within the shared telephony control point. Each user receives customized policies tailored to their needs, enabling enhanced privacy and control for individual users while maintaining the shared nature of the device. The authentication identifier serves as the key to accessing user-specific policies.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for operating a telephony server in a home network is provided, comprising: receiving a first registration action from a first telephony control point in the home network, the first registration action including an identification of a first user within a first telephony control point; supplying a first authentication identifier to the first telephony control point, wherein the first authentication identifier is bound to both the first telephony control point and the first user; receiving an invoked action granting a telephony action from the first telephony control point, wherein the invoked action includes an authentication identifier; determining if the authentication identifier received in the invoked action matches the authentication identifier bound to the user which the telephony action involves; and executing the telephony action if the authentication information received in the invoked action matches the authentication identifier bound to the user which the telephony action involves.