Method and system for providing external and internal services through an application intermediation gateway

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product for implementing application level policies in an operator network, while managing the exchange of data packets between users and service providers during the provisioning of premium data services. The system and method intermediates between a user and a service provider (who may be an enterprise, content provider, an application provider or a partner portal). The system and method enforces access control, prompting, redirection and inline context injection dynamically while the service is being delivered, and generates metering records for billing purposes. The system and method allows the service providers to provide various external services. Such external services include transcoding service, age verification service, streaming service, recommendation service, advertisement service, fulfillment aware charging, dynamic pricing, real time events, and messaging services.

1 . A system for intermediating between one or more users and one or more service providers in a mobile network, the system comprising: 
 a. an application intermediation gateway, the application intermediation gateway comprising: 
 i. a context engine, the context engine collecting context details of the one or more users; and  
 ii. an enforcement engine, the enforcement engine enforcing one or more external services and internal services based on the context details and the requirements of the one or more external and internal services.  
   
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the application intermediation gateway enables simultaneous access of the one or more external services and internal services to the user.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the application intermediation gateway facilitates real time events to the one or more service providers during the enforcement of the one or more external services and internal services.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the application intermediation gateway interfaces with the one or more external services and the internal services, the interfacing establishing participation of the one or more external services and the internal services in the overall service delivery in a contextual manner.  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the application intermediation gateway coordinates the one or more external services and internal services.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more of external services and internal services are present in at least one of: a network operator, an enterprise, and the one or more service providers.  
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a charging enabler, the charging enabler comprising a charging model to provide a common interface to the application intermediation gateway and a policy decision point, the policy decision being present in the mobile network.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the charging model is selected from a group consisting of: direct operator backend integration, a redirection based charging, PSMS charging based on MO, and PSMS charging based on MT.  
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the charging model is one of non-operator based payment mechanisms.  
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more external services comprises at least one of: transcoding service, age verification service, streaming service, recommendation service, advertisement service, fulfillment aware charging, dynamic pricing and messaging services.  
   
   
       11 . A method for facilitating access to one or more external services and one or more internal services to a user in a mobile network through an application intermediation gateway, the mobile network comprising a plurality of users, the application intermediation gateway, a context server, a policy decision point, a plurality of service providers, and one or more external and internal services, the user requesting an application using a device, the request being in the form of a data packet, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a. providing the requirements for the one or more external services and internal services to the application intermediation gateway;    b. collecting context details of the user from the data packet and the context server, the context details being collected by the application intermediation gateway, the context details comprising information regarding the device characteristics, the network capabilities, and the user profile;    c. interfacing with one or more external and internal services by the application intermediation gateway; and    d. enforcing the one or more external services and internal services based on the collected context details and the requirements of the one or more external and internal services.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising facilitating real time events to the plurality of service providers during the enforcement of the one or more external services and internal services, the real time events being facilitated by the application intermediation gateway.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more external services are at least one of: transcoding service, age verification service, streaming service, recommendation service, advertisement service, fulfillment aware charging, dynamic pricing, and messaging services.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising the steps of: 
 a. establishing participation of the one or more external services and the internal services in the overall service delivery in a contextual manner; and    b. coordinating the one or more external services and internal services.    
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the method is carried out by one or more computer programs.