Distributed network communication system to provide wireless access to a computing device at a reduced rate

• US 20060190586A1
• Filed: 04/12/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brett B. Stewart, James Thompson, Kathleen E. Mcclelland
• Original Assignee: Brett B. Stewart, James Thompson, Kathleen E. Mcclelland
• Inventors: Thompson, James, Stewart, Brett B., McClelland, Kathleen E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,588,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1439 time-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1464 using a card, such as credit card, prepay card or SIM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1471 splitting of costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1496 involving discounts
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2874 Processing of data for distribution to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/004 in the uplink, i.e. towards network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A system and method for providing access and/or roaming features on a network system. The network system includes a plurality of wireless and/or wired access points coupled to a network. Access points (APs) for the network may be widely distributed in various facilities, such as airports, mass-transit stations, and various businesses. The network may couple to a wide area network, such as the Internet. In one embodiment, a portable computing device (PCD) of a user may store identification information which uniquely indicates a network provider of a plurality of possible network providers. The identification information may also or instead indicate an access or privilege level of the user. Each of the access points are operable to “listen for” or detect identification information associated with numerous different providers. When the access point receives the identification information from a PCD of a user, the access point may determine the appropriate network provider for the portable computing device using the identification information. Network access may then be provided to the portable computing device through the determined network provider. Thus the network system is useable by subscribers of each of the plurality of possible network providers, thereby enabling subscribers to “roam” on various wireless networks, including networks maintained by other providers. The access information may also include an access level which indicates the user'"'"'s access or privilege level. Thus, the local network may provide various local resources which are available to users having a first access level, and users with a second access level may not be entitled to view or utilize these network resources on the network, but may be simply provided external Internet access.

Claims

1-65. -65. (canceled)

66. 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.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein the first entity is separate from a provider of the WAP.

68. The method of claim 66, wherein the providing includes providing the end-user with wireless access to an Internet.

69. The method of claim 66, 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.

70. The method of claim 66, further including the first entity providing at least a portion of advertisement revenue to a provider of the WAP.

71. The method of claim 66, 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.

72. The method of claim 66, 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.

73. The method of claim 66, 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.

74. The method of claim 70, 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.

75. The method of claim 66, wherein the WAP is operable to support IEEE 802.11.

76. The method of claim 66, 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.

77. The method of claim 66, wherein the first entity including advertisements in the end-user view includes providing advertisements in a tool bar of the end-user view.

78. The method of claim 66, 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.

79. 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.

80. 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.

81. 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.

82. 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.