Method and system to provide wireless access at a reduced rate

• US 20060059043A1
• Filed: 09/14/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Harik, Georges, Shen, Shioupyn, Chan, Wesley T.
• Application Number:
  US10/941,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20060059043A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.460
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0247 Calculate past, present or future revenues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W

Abstract

Methods and system for providing wireless access at a reduced rate. In one embodiment, access to a WAP is provided to an end-user at a rate subsidized by a first entity. The first entity includes advertisements in an end-user view.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing an end-user with access to a wireless access point (WAP) at a rate subsidized by a first entity; and

the first entity including advertisements in an end-user view.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first entity is separate from a provider of the WAP.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing includes providing the end-user with wireless access to an Internet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the end-user with access to the WAP at the rate subsidized by the first entity includes providing the access to the end-user free of charge.

5. The method of claim 1, further including the first entity providing at least a portion of advertisement revenue to a provider of the WAP.

6. The method of claim 1, further including the first entity providing at least a portion of advertisement revenue to a WAP provider in response to the providing the access to the end-user at a reduced rate.

7. The method of claim 1, further including the first entity providing a portion of advertisement revenue to a WAP provider in response to providing the access to the end-user at a reduced rate, and in further response to the end-user selecting an advertisement included by the first entity.

8. The method of claim 1, further including the first entity providing a WAP provider with one of a fixed fee, and a fixed fee and a portion of advertisement revenue, in exchange for providing the access to the end-user at the reduced rate.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the providing at least the portion of the advertisement revenue to the WAP provider includes the first entity identifying an Internet protocol (IP) address of a WAP accessed by the end-user that has selected an advertisement provided by the first entity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the WAP is a WiFi access point.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the access further includes providing the access in response to the end-user installing a client application corresponding to the first entity.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first entity including advertisements in the end-user view includes providing advertisements in a tool bar of the end-user view.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing an end-user with access to the WAP at a rate subsidized by a first entity, includes providing multiple end-users with access to multiple WAPs at a rate subsidized by the first entity.

14. A method comprising of:

including an advertisement in a view of an end-user accessing a wireless access point; and

providing at least a portion of revenue from the advertisement to a provider of the wireless access point.

15. A method comprising of:

providing an end-user with Internet access to a wireless access point (WAP) at a rate subsidized by a first entity, the first entity separate from a provider of the WAP;

providing the access in response to the end-user installing a client application corresponding to the first entity, the first entity including advertisements in an end-user view;

the first entity providing at least a portion of advertisement revenue to the provider of the WAP in response to the WAP provider providing the access to the end-user at a reduced rate;

the first entity providing the portion of advertisement revenue to the provider in response to the end-user selecting an advertisement included by the first entity; and

the first entity identifying an Internet protocol (IP) address of the WAP accessed by the end-user that has selected the advertisement provided by the first entity.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a means for providing an end-user with access to a wireless access point (WAP) at a rate subsidized by a first entity; and

a means for the first entity including advertisements in an end-user view.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a means for including an advertisement in a view of an end-user accessing a wireless access point; and

a means for crediting at least a portion of revenue from the advertisement to a provider of the wireless access point.

18. A machine readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions, which when executed, perform a method comprising of:

providing an end-user with access to a wireless access point (WAP) at a rate subsidized by a first entity; and

the first entity including advertisements in an end-user view.

19. A machine readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions, which when executed, perform a method comprising of:

including an advertisement in a view of an end-user accessing a wireless access point; and

crediting at least a portion of revenue from the advertisement to a provider of the wireless access point.