Access point for mobile devices in a packet based network and a method and system for billing in such a network

• US 20040005878A1
• Filed: 07/10/2003
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Landala Nat
• Original Assignee: Landala Nat
• Inventors: Althoff, Fredrik, Hendelberg, Roger, Carlsson, Niclas, Olin, Hakan
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1428 Invoice generation, e.g. customization, lay-out, database processing, algorithms for calculating the bill or formatting invoices as WWW pages invoicing in general G06Q30/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1446 inter-operator billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

An access point for mobile devices with wireless communication capability for usage in a packet based network, said network comprising at least one gateway having access to a remote service, the access point comprises communication means for establishing communication with at least one or more access point in order to form a network between at least said access points. Also, there are means for adding the identity of the mobile device; and registering means for registering the identity of data packets transferred through said access point. The invention also concerns a method and system for billing in such a network.

Claims

1. An access point for usage in a packet based network, comprising:

means for communicating with at least one gateway having access to a remote service;

first communication means for wireless communication with mobile devices;

second communication means for establishing communication with at least one more access point in order to form a network between at least said access points;

registering means for registering the identity of a mobile device originally sending a data packet for all data packets transferred through said access point either directly from a mobile device or indirectly through another access point from a mobile device.

2. An access point according to claim 1, further comprising:

labeling means for adding a label to a data packet transferred from a mobile device directly to said access point, said label comprising the identity of said mobile device.

3. An access point according to claim 2, wherein said label comprises information about the content of the labeled data packet.

4. An access point according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the label comprises information about when the data packet was sent.

5. An access point according any of the preceding claims, wherein said second communication means is a wireless communication means.

6. An access point according any of the preceding claims, further comprising:

authentication means for authenticating the identity of a mobile device connected to said access point.

7. An access point according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising:

means for establishing a communication route from said access point to said gateway.

8. An access point according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the network comprises at least two gateways, further comprising:

means for establishing a plurality of communication routes to a remote service;

means for evaluating said communication routes according to predetermined criteria; and

means for selecting an optimal route according to said predetermined criteria.

9. An access point according to claim 8, wherein said optimal route depends on the identity of said mobile device.

10. An access point according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising:

hand-over means for evaluating the signal strength of the communication with said connected device for hand-over to or from another access point.

11. An access point according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the communication between said mobile device and said access point is a wireless LAN.

12. An access point for usage in a packet based network, comprising:

means for communicating with at least one gateway having access to a remote service;

communication means for wireless communication with mobile devices, and for establishing wireless communication with at least one more access point in order to form a network between at least said access points;

registering means for registering the identity of a mobile device originally sending a data packet for all data packets transferred through said access point either directly from a mobile device or indirectly through another access point from a mobile device.

13. An access point for usage in a packet based network, comprising:

means for communicating with at least one gateway having access to a remote service;

first communication means for wireless communication with mobile devices; and

second communication means for establishing wireless communication with at least one more access point in order to form a network between at least said access points;

wherein said network of said second communication is separated from the network between said first communication means and said mobile devices.

14. A method for billing in a multi-operator network comprising a plurality of access points forming a private network, and at least one gateway having access to a remote service, comprising the steps of:

tracing the route of a data packet based on information contained in said data packet registered along the route of said packet, said information comprising the identity of a mobile device originally sending said data packet; and

creating a billing record separated on nodes involved in said traced route.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein said information is stored in the header of said data packet and said identity is the network address of said mobile device.

16. A method according to any of the claims 14-15, comprising the further step of:

authenticating the identity of a mobile device connecting to an access point.

17. A method according to any of the claims 14-16, wherein said step of creating a billing record is executed in a central node in said network.

18. A method according to any of the claims 14-17, comprising the further step of:

adding a label to a data packet transferred from a mobile device directly to an access point, said label comprising the identity of said mobile device.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein said label is additional data which is added to the data packet in said access point.

20. A method according to claim 18, wherein said label is additional data which is added to the data packet in said mobile device.

21. A method according to any of the claims 18-20, wherein said step of tracing comprises the steps of:

registering labels of all data packets transferred through said access point either directly or indirectly through another access point from a mobile device; and

sending from each access point information to a central node about said labels.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein said step of sending is initiated by said central node.

23. A method according to any of the claims 16-22, wherein said information comprises information about source and destination

24. A method according to any of the claims 16-23, wherein said label comprises information about the content of the labeled data packet and said billing record is based on the type of content.

25. A system for billing in a multi-operator network comprising a plurality of access points forming a private network, and at least one gateway having access to a remote service, comprising:

means for tracing the route of a data packet based on information contained in said data packet registered along the route of said packet, said information comprising the identity of a mobile device originally sending said data packet; and

means for creating a billing record separated on nodes involved in said traced route.

26. A system for billing in a multi-operator network comprising a plurality of access points forming a private network, and at least one gateway having access to a remote service, comprising:

means for adding a label to a data packet transferred directly from a mobile device, said label comprising an identity of said mobile device;

means for tracing the route of said data packet based on labels registered along the route of said packet; and

means for creating a billing record separated on nodes involved in said traced route.