TOKEN-BASED CREDITING OF NETWORK USAGE

• US 20090019155A1
• Filed: 07/11/2007
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Services Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Services Organization Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilkes, Charles T., Silvestri, Ralph, Best, Gregory D., Krzanowski, Roman M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,009,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00

Abstract

A method may include providing content or a service accessible via a network to a user, and issuing a usage token having a usage credit that corresponds to a usage restriction associated with the user'"'"'s network access subscription.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a content or a service accessible via a network to a user; and

issuing a usage token having a usage credit that corresponds to a usage restriction associated with the user'"'"'s network access subscription.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing is by a content provider or a network access provider.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the user is a subscriber of a network access provider that imposes the usage restriction associated with the user'"'"'s network access subscription.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the issuing comprises:

determining an amount of the usage credit based on one of the user'"'"'s access of the content or the service, or based on information from the user'"'"'s network access provider.

5. The method of claim 1, the issuing comprises:

monitoring the user'"'"'s access in correspondence to the usage restriction associated with the user'"'"'s network access subscription; and

determining an amount of the usage credit based on the monitoring.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the usage token includes at least one of an identifier of a content provider, an identifier of the user, the usage credit, a date, or an expiration of the usage credit.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the issuing comprises:

determining the identifier of the user based on log-in information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the issuing comprises:

issuing the usage token to at least one of the user or the user'"'"'s network access provider.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the issuing comprises:

employing at least one of authentication, data-integrity, or non-repudiation procedures with respect to the issuing of the usage token.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving a usage token from at least one of a user or a content provider, the usage token being issued in relation to the user accessing the content provider; and

applying a usage credit towards a network access usage restriction associated with the user in response to receiving the usage token.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying the user and the content provider based on information contained in the usage token.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

confirming that the usage token information received is correct.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

discarding the usage token when the usage token information is not correct.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a content provider, a first usage token having a first usage credit that corresponds to a usage restriction associated with a user'"'"'s network access subscription;

receiving, from the user, a second usage token having a second usage credit that corresponds to the usage restriction associated with the user'"'"'s network access subscription; and

applying, by a network access provider of the user, the usage credit towards the usage restriction when the information contained in the first usage token and the second usage token match.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

rejecting, by the network access provider, the first usage token and the second usage token when the information contained in the first usage token and the second usage token do not match.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the information contained in the first usage token and the second usage token includes an expiration of the usage credit;

the receiving comprises;

determining whether the first usage token and the second usage token include a usage credit that has expired; and

discarding the first usage token or the second usage token when the first usage token or the second usage include the usage credit that has expired.

17. A network device, comprising:

logic to receive a usage token, the usage token including an identifier of a content provider, an identifier of a user, an amount of a usage credit, a date, and an expiration of the usage credit; and

logic to apply the amount of usage credit identified in the usage token toward a network access usage restriction associated with the user identified in the usage token.

18. The network device of claim 17, further comprising:

logic to confirm that the information contained in the usage token is correct.

19. The network device of claim 17, further comprising:

logic to sort a usage token received based on the identifier of the user and date information.

20. The network device of claim 17, further comprising:

logic to generate a usage token; and

logic to transmit the usage token to the user.