Patent ID: 8683544

Claim:
A session controller device for provisioning communications network access for a subscriber, comprising: a rules engine having an input port adapted to receive a plurality of session rules associated with a session of a subscriber, and to receive one or more of session information, subscriber account information, network status information and temporal information, and wherein said rules engine is configured to trigger a network provisioning action based on the one or more session rules and the one or more of session information, subscriber account information, network status information and temporal information; wherein the plurality of session rules include actions to be performed during each of a plurality of transitions in rights of the subscriber within the session, such that the one or more session rules include actions to be performed during an acquisition of session rights, an update of session rights, a taking of the session online, a taking of the session offline, and an expiration of the session; wherein the network provisioning action is a policy decision concerning access by a network element of the subscriber to a network application, and includes a denial of a state transition, a modification of attributes of the state transition, a notification to a subscriber of the state transition, a termination of the session at an access gateway, and a redirection of HTTP traffic to a location at an access gateway; wherein the policy decision is sent to a policy enforcement point for controlling access by the subscriber to the network application in accordance with the policy decision.