Server-paid internet access service

• US 10,116,628 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2015
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Henry, Paul, Luo, Hui
• Primary Examiner(s): Ebersman, Bruce I
• Application Number:
  US14/952,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20160080331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 713168
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

An embodiment of a system for providing Internet access free of charge to a user utilizes an Internet service provider for connecting a user to the Internet, a zone creation means, and a zone organizer. Free zones of servers are created, wherein the free zones are groups of at least one server to which at least one user can connect. The zone organizer can be in communication with the ISP. The zone organizer can be a traffic monitor, a traffic controller, an authentication protocol, a bookkeeping protocol, a fee collection and dispersal module, and/or an indexing and listing function.

Claims

1. A method of operating an access point, the method comprising:

receiving a first request from a device associated with a user to access a first web server operated by a first entity that has agreed with a second entity operating the access point to incur costs associated with a connection to a network provided by the access point;

sending a response to the device associated with the user, the response including an address of an authentication program accessible via a secure port of a second web server different from the first web server, the response to cause the device associated with the user to securely communicate with the secure port for a period of time sufficient for the device associated with the user to attempt to be authenticated via the authentication program, the second web server to provide a one-time encryption key to the device associated with the user via the secure port such that the second entity associated with the access point is unable to access the one-time encryption key;

receiving an acknowledgment indicative of a result of the attempt to be authenticated via the authentication program; and

when the received acknowledgement indicates that the device associated with the user is authentic, operating, by executing an instruction with at least one processor, an access controller of the access point to route traffic to and from the device associated with the user based on an access control profile associated with the first web server, wherein the access control profile restricts the device associated with the user to an access range of addresses.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the operating of the access controller of the access point to route traffic to and from the device causes the first entity to be charged for an associated network access cost.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, further including:

storing a session identifier associated with a time period during which the device associated with the user is in communication with the first web server; and

logging statistics in association with the session identifier to enable an audit of the costs charged to the first entity associated with the first web server.

4. The method as defined in claim 3, wherein the statistics include a result of the authenticating of the device associated with the user.

5. The method as defined in claim 3, further including billing the first entity according to the usage statistic.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the access control profile includes at least one of an Internet protocol address range, an allowed packet type, an allowed access time, an allowed bandwidth range, and a maximum number of sessions.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

respond to a first request from a device associated with a user to access a first web server operated by a first entity that has agreed with a second entity operating an access point to incur costs associated with a connection to a network provided by the access point by sending a response to the device associated with the user, the response including an address of an authentication program accessible via a secure port of a second web server, the response to cause the device associated with the user to securely communicate with the secure port to attempt to be authenticated via the authentication program, the second web server to provide a one-time encryption key to the device associated with the user via the secure port such that the second entity associated with the access point is unable to access the one-time encryption key; and

access an acknowledgment indicative that the device associated with the user is authentic, operate an access controller of the access point to route traffic to and from the device associated with the user based on an access control profile associated with the first web server, the access control profile to restrict the device associated with the user to and access range of addresses.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 7, wherein the instruction causes the first entity to be charged for an associated network access cost when the instructions operate the access controller of the access point to route traffic to and from the device.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the machine to at least:

store a session identifier associated with a time period during which the device associated with the user is in communication with the first web server; and

log statistics in association with the session identifier to enable an audit of the costs charged to the first entity associated with the first web server.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the statistics include a result of the authenticating of the device associated with the user.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the machine to bill the first entity according to the usage statistic.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium as defined in claim 7, wherein the access control profile includes at least one of an Internet protocol address range, an allowed packet type, an allowed access time, an allowed bandwidth range, and a maximum number of sessions.

13. An access point, comprising:

a communication interface to receive a first request from a device associated with a user, the first request requesting access to a first web server operated by a first entity that has agreed with a second entity operating the access point to incur costs associated with a connection to a network provided by the access point, the communication interface to send a response to the device associated with the user, the response including an address of an authentication program accessible via a secure port of a second web server, the response to cause the device associated with the user to securely communicate with the secure port to attempt to be authenticated via the authentication program, the second web server to provide a one-time encryption key to the device associated with the user via the secure port such that the second entity associated with the access point is unable to access the one-time encryption key, the communication interface to receive an acknowledgment indicative of a result of the attempt to be authenticated via the authentication program; and

an access controller to, when the received acknowledgement indicates that the device associated with the user is authentic, route traffic to and from the device associated with the user based on an access control profile associated with the first web server, the access control profile to restrict the device associated with the user to an access range of addresses, the access controller implemented by a processor.

14. The access point as defined in claim 13, wherein access controller is to router traffic to and from the device with an address of the access range of addresses causes the first entity to be charged for an associated network access cost.

15. The access point as defined in claim 14, wherein the access controller is further to:

store a session identifier associated with a time period during which the device associated with the user is in communication with the first web server; and

log statistics in association with the session identifier to enable an audit of the costs charged to the first entity associated with the first web server.

16. The access point as defined in claim 15, wherein the statistics include a result of the authenticating of the device associated with the user.

17. The access point as defined in claim 15, wherein the access controller is to facilitate billing the first entity according to the usage statistic.

18. The access point as defined in claim 13, wherein the access control profile includes at least one of an Internet protocol address range, an allowed packet type, an allowed access time, an allowed bandwidth range, and a maximum number of sessions.