Enabling and controlling access to wireless hot spots

• US 20040203602A1
• Filed: 12/24/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Seshadri, Nambi, Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Application Number:
  US10/327,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20040203602A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A process of enabling and controlling access to a wireless hotspot by a wireless portable device is disclosed. An access request is sent, seeking access to a wireless hotspot, to an authenticating entity and response to the access request is awaited. Additional verification information is provided when requested by the wireless hotspot and wireless network data is exchanging between the wireless portable device and the wireless hotspot. Additionally, the access request includes an identifier used by the authenticating entity to authenticate the wireless portable device.

Claims

1. A process of enabling and controlling access to a wireless hotspot by a wireless portable device, said process comprising:

sending an access request, seeking access to a wireless hotspot, to an authenticating entity;

awaiting response to the access request;

responding with verification information when requested by the wireless hotspot; and

exchanging wireless network data between the wireless portable device and the wireless hotspot;

wherein the access request includes an identifier used by the authenticating entity to authenticate the wireless portable device.

2. A process as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving information about the wireless hotspot through an advertisement sent from one of the wireless hotspot and the authenticating party.

3. A process as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a periodic contact from the authenticating entity to verify continued access to the wireless hotspot; and

responding to the periodic contact based on whether the wireless portable device is still accessing the wireless hotspot.

4. A process as recited in claim 1, wherein said step of sending an access request to an authenticating entity comprises sending an access request to a wireless telephone service provider.

5. A process as recited in claim 1, wherein said step of sending an access request to an authenticating entity comprises sending an access request to a landline telephone service provider.

6. A process as recited in claim 1, wherein said step of sending an access request to an authenticating entity comprises sending an access request to the wireless hotspot.

7. A process as recited in claim 1, further comprising requesting data from the wireless hotspot indicative of at least one of a number of users of the wireless hotspot and an expected bandwidth for an additional user of the wireless hotspot.

8. A process of enabling and controlling access to a wireless hotspot by a wireless portable device, said process comprising:

receiving an access request, seeking access to a wireless hotspot, from an access seeking entity, where the access request includes an identifier used to authenticate the wireless portable device;

checking the identifier against a database of authorized identifiers; and

sending authorization data to the access seeking entity when the identifier is found in the database.

9. A process as recited in claim 8, further comprising transmitting information about the wireless hotspot through an advertisement to wireless portable devices.

10. A process as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting a periodic contact to the access seeking entity to verify continued access to the wireless hotspot;

awaiting a response to the periodic contact based on whether the wireless portable device is still accessing the wireless hotspot

updating usage data for the wireless hotspot by the wireless portable device.

11. A process as recited in claim 8, wherein said step of receiving an access request from an access seeking entity comprises receiving an access request from the wireless portable device.

12. A process as recited in claim 8, wherein said step of receiving an access request from an access seeking entity comprises receiving an access request from the wireless telephone section of the wireless portable device.

13. A process as recited in claim 8, wherein said step of receiving an access request from an access seeking entity comprises receiving an access request from the wireless telephone handset separate from the wireless portable device.

14. A process as recited in claim 8, further comprising generating billing data for the wireless portable device when the identifier is found in the database.

15. A system for enabling and controlling access to a wireless hotspot by a wireless portable device, comprising:

sending means for sending an access request, seeking access to a wireless hotspot, to an authenticating entity;

timing means for awaiting response to the access request;

responding means for responding with additional verification information when requested by the wireless hotspot; and

exchanging means for exchanging wireless network data between the wireless portable device and the wireless hotspot;

wherein the access request includes an identifier used by the authenticating entity to authenticate the wireless portable device.

16. A system as recited in claim 15, further comprising receiving means for receiving information about the wireless hotspot through an advertisement sent from one of the wireless hotspot and the authenticating party.

17. A system as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

receiving means for receiving a periodic contact from the authenticating entity to verify continued access to the wireless hotspot; and

responding means for responding to the periodic contact based on whether the wireless portable device is still accessing the wireless hotspot.

18. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein said sending means comprises means for sending an access request to a wireless telephone service provider.

19. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein said sending means comprises means for sending an access request to a landline telephone service provider.

20. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein said sending means comprises means for sending an access request to the wireless hotspot.

21. A system as recited in claim 15, further comprising requesting means for requesting data from the wireless hotspot indicative of at least one of a number of users of the wireless hotspot and an expected bandwidth for an additional user of the wireless hotspot.

22. A system for enabling and controlling access to a wireless hotspot by a wireless portable device, said process comprising:

receiving means for receiving an access request, seeking access to a wireless hotspot, from an access seeking entity, where the access request includes an identifier used to authenticate the wireless portable device;

checking means for checking the identifier against a database of authorized identifiers; and

sending means for sending authorization data to the access seeking entity when the identifier is found in the database.

23. A system as recited in claim 22, further comprising transmitting means for transmitting information about the wireless hotspot through an advertisement to wireless portable devices.

24. A system as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

transmitting means for transmitting a periodic contact to the access seeking entity to verify continued access to the wireless hotspot;

timing means for awaiting a response to the periodic contact based on whether the wireless portable device is still accessing the wireless hotspot

updating means for updating usage data for the wireless hotspot by the wireless portable device.

25. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein said receiving means comprises means for receiving an access request from the wireless portable device.

26. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein said receiving means comprises means for receiving an access request from the wireless telephone section of the wireless portable device.

27. A system as recited in claim 22, wherein said receiving means comprises means for receiving an access request from the wireless telephone handset separate from the wireless portable device.

28. A system as recited in claim 22, further comprising generating means for generating billing data for the wireless portable device when the identifier is found in the database.

29. A system for enabling and controlling access to a wireless hotspot by a wireless portable device, comprising:

a sender, for sending an access request, seeking access to a wireless hotspot, to an authenticating entity;

a timer, for awaiting response to the access request;

a responder, for responding with additional verification information when requested by the wireless hotspot; and

an exchanger, for exchanging wireless network data between the wireless portable device and the wireless hotspot;

wherein the access request includes an identifier used by the authenticating entity to authenticate the wireless portable device.

30. A system as recited in claim 29, further comprising a receiver for receiving information about the wireless hotspot through an advertisement sent from one of the wireless hotspot and the authenticating party.

31. A system as recited in claim 29, further comprising:

a receiver, for receiving a periodic contact from the authenticating entity to verify continued access to the wireless hotspot; and

a responder, for responding to the periodic contact based on whether the wireless portable device is still accessing the wireless hotspot.

32. A system as recited in claim 29, wherein said sender comprises an access request sender, for sending an access request to a wireless telephone service provider.

33. A system as recited in claim 29, wherein said sender comprises an access request sender, for sending an access request to a landline telephone service provider.

34. A system as recited in claim 29, wherein said sender comprises an access request sender, for sending an access request to the wireless hotspot.

35. A system as recited in claim 29, further comprising a requester for requesting data from the wireless hotspot indicative of at least one of a number of users of the wireless hotspot and an expected bandwidth for an additional user of the wireless hotspot.

36. A system for enabling and controlling access to a wireless hotspot by a wireless portable device, said process comprising:

a receiver, for receiving an access request, seeking access to a wireless hotspot, from an access seeking entity, where the access request includes an identifier used to authenticate the wireless portable device;

a checker, for checking the identifier against a database of authorized identifiers; and

a sender, for sending authorization data to the access seeking entity when the identifier is found in the database.

37. A system as recited in claim 36, further comprising a transmitter for transmitting information about the wireless hotspot through an advertisement to wireless portable devices.

38. A system as recited in claim 36, further comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting a periodic contact to the access seeking entity to verify continued access to the wireless hotspot;

a timer for awaiting a response to the periodic contact based on whether the wireless portable device is still accessing the wireless hotspot

an updater for updating usage data for the wireless hotspot by the wireless portable device.

39. A system as recited in claim 36, wherein said receiver comprises an access request receiver, for receiving an access request from the wireless portable device.

40. A system as recited in claim 36, wherein said receiver comprises n access request receiver, for receiving an access request from the wireless telephone section of the wireless portable device.

41. A system as recited in claim 36, wherein said receiver comprises n access request receiver, for receiving an access request from the wireless telephone handset separate from the wireless portable device.

42. A system as recited in claim 36, further comprising a generator for generating billing data for the wireless portable device when the identifier is found in the database.