METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR WIRELESSLY ACCESSING A NETWORK

• US 20090048915A1
• Filed: 08/13/2007
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: CHAN, Alwin
• Granted Patent: US 10,134,043 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.640
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

Systems and methods for wirelessly accessing a network are set forth in this disclosure. Specifically, this disclosure sets forth systems and methods for using advertising to regulate wireless access to a network.

Claims

1. A method for wirelessly accessing a network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a wireless access point, a network access request from a computing device wirelessly connected to the wireless access point, the wireless access point connected to the network via a service provider;

determining whether the computing device includes an advertising interface;

transmitting the advertising interface to the computing device only if it is determined that the computing device does not include the advertising interface;

retrieving advertising information from an advertising source, the advertising information renderable by the advertising interface;

transmitting the advertising information to the computing device; and

connecting the computing device to the network.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

notifying the computing device that network access requires the advertising interface; and

querying the computing device to include the advertising interface.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving the advertising interface from a remote computing device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

regulating, by the wireless access point, the connection between the computing device and the network.

5. The method of claims 4 wherein the step of regulating is based upon an amount of the advertising information transmitted to the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

regulating, by the service provider, the connection between the computing device and the network.

7. The method of claims 6 wherein the step of regulating is based upon an amount of the advertising information transmitted to the computing device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the service provider, compensation for the step of transmitting the advertising information, the compensation received from one or more vendors that supply the advertising information to the service provider.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the service provider, compensation for the step of transmitting the advertising interface, the compensation received from one or more vendors that supply the advertising interface to the service provider.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by a provider of the wireless access point, compensation for the step of transmitting the advertising information, the compensation received from the service provider.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by a provider of the wireless access point, compensation for the step of transmitting the advertising information, the compensation received from one or more vendors that supply the advertising information.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by a provider of the wireless access point, compensation for the step of transmitting the advertising interface, the compensation received from the service provider.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by a provider of the wireless access point, compensation for the step of transmitting the advertising interface, the compensation received from one or more vendors that supply the advertising information.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting the advertising interface comprises:

transmitting one or more executable files to the computing device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the one or more executable files renders a toolbar on the computing device.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the toolbar renders the advertising information.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting the advertising interface comprises:

retrieving one or more files from a network address corresponding to the advertising interface, the one or more files renderable by at least a portion of a display connected to the computing device; and

transmitting the one or more files to the computing device.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the one or more files are renderable by a browser.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the network access request identifies a location of the computing device and the method further comprises:

transmitting advertising information corresponding to the location of the computing device.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing device is disconnected from the network if a user of the computing device does not accept transmission of the advertising information.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the computing device is disconnected from the network if a user of the computing device does not accept transmission of the advertising interface.

22. A method for wirelessly accessing a network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a wireless access point, a network access request from a computing device wirelessly connected to the wireless access point, the wireless access point connected to the network via a service provider;

determining whether the computing device includes an advertising interface;

upon determining the computing device includes the advertising interface, retrieving advertising information from an advertising source, the advertising information renderable by the advertising interface;

transmitting the advertising information to the computing device; and

connecting the computing device to the network.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

regulating, by the wireless access point, the connection between the computing device and the network.

24. The method of claims 23 wherein the step of regulating is based upon an amount of the advertising information transmitted to the computing device.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

regulating, by the service provider, the connection between the computing device and the network.

26. The method of claims 25 wherein the step of regulating is based upon an amount of the advertising information transmitted to the computing device.

27. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

receiving, by the service provider, compensation for the step of transmitting the advertising information, the compensation received from one or more vendors that supply the advertising information to the service provider.

28. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

receiving, by a provider of the wireless access point, compensation for the step of transmitting the advertising information, the compensation received from the service provider.

29. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

receiving, by a provider of the wireless access point, compensation for the step of transmitting the advertising information, the compensation received from one or more vendors that supply the advertising information.

30. The method of claim 22 wherein the advertising interface comprises a toolbar.

31. The method of claim 22 wherein the advertising interface comprises at least one web page frame.

32. The method of claim 22 wherein the network access request identifies a location of the computing device and the method further comprises:

transmitting advertising information corresponding to the location of the computing device.

33. The method of claim 22 wherein the advertising interface is associated with the service provider or the wireless access point.

34. The method of claim 22 wherein the computing device is disconnected from the network if a user of the computing device does not accept transmission of the advertising information.

35. The method of claim 22 wherein the computing device is disconnected from the network if a user of the computing device does not accept transmission of the advertising interface.

36. A method for wirelessly accessing a network comprising:

receiving a request to access the network from a wireless device;

querying whether the wireless device includes an advertising interface;

receiving confirmation that the wireless device includes the advertising interface; and

upon receiving the confirmation, providing network access to the wireless device.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising:

transmitting advertising information to the wireless device.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the advertising information corresponds to a vendor and the method further comprises:

receiving compensation from the vendor for transmitting the advertising information to the wireless device.

39. The method of claim 37 wherein the advertising information corresponds to a user of the wireless device.

40. The method of claim 36 further comprising:

prompting a user of the wireless device to accept transmission of advertising information to the wireless device for rendering within the advertising interface.

41. The method of claim 40 further comprising:

receiving confirmation that the user of the wireless device accepts transmission of the advertising information; and

transmitting the advertising information to the wireless device.

42. The method of claim 40 further comprising:

receiving confirmation that the user of the wireless device does not accept transmission of the advertising information; and

preventing network access to the wireless device.

43. The method of claim 40 wherein the prompting requires the user to interact with a web page.

44. The method of claim 36 wherein receiving the confirmation further comprises:

receiving an identification of the wireless device.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein the identification of the wireless device is a globally unique identifier.

46. The method of claim 36 wherein receiving the confirmation further comprises:

receiving an identification of a user account associated with the wireless device.

47. A system for wirelessly accessing a wide area network comprising:

a wireless device including at least one advertising interface and having access to a local area network, wherein the wireless device is communicatively coupled to the local area network over which the wireless device can request access to the wide area network; and

a gateway that receives, via the local area network, a request to access the wide area network from the wireless device and that provides wide area network access to the wireless device, wherein the provision of wide area network access to the wireless device is contingent upon the wireless device rendering advertising information via the advertising interface.

48. The system of claim 47 wherein the gateway comprises a router.

49. The system of claim 47 wherein the gateway retrieves the advertising information from the wide area network and transmits the advertising information to the wireless device.

50. The system of claim 47 wherein the gateway further comprises:

at least one memory component for storing the advertising information; and

at least one processor that transmits the advertising information from the at least one memory component to the wireless device.

51. The system of claim 47 wherein the wide area network comprises the Internet.

52. A system for wirelessly accessing a wide area network comprising:

a gateway that receives, via a local area network, a request to access the wide area network from a wireless device and that provides wide area network access to the wireless device, wherein the provision of the wide area network access to the wireless device is contingent upon the wireless device rendering advertising information transmitted via the local area network.

53. The system of claim 52 wherein the gateway comprises a router.

54. The system of claim 52 wherein the gateway retrieves the advertising information from the wide area network and transmits the advertising information to the wireless device.

55. The system of claim 52 wherein the gateway further comprises:

at least one memory component for storing the advertising information; and

at least one processor that transmits the advertising information from the at least one memory component to the wireless device.

56. The system of claim 52 wherein the wide area network comprises the Internet.

57. A system for wirelessly accessing a second network comprising:

a gateway that receives, via a first network, a request to access the second network from a wireless device and that provides second network access to the wireless device, wherein the provision of the second network access to the wireless device is contingent upon the wireless device rendering advertising information transmitted via the first network.

58. The system of claim 57 wherein the first network is a local area network.

59. The system of claim 57 wherein the second network is a wide area network.

60. The system of claim 57 wherein the wide area network is the Internet.

61. The system of claim 57 wherein the gateway comprises a router.

62. The system of claim 57 wherein the gateway retrieves the advertising information from the second network and transmits the advertising information to the wireless device.

63. The system of claim 57 wherein the gateway further comprises:

at least one memory component for storing the advertising information; and

at least one processor that transmits the advertising information from the at least one memory component to the wireless device.

64. A method for wirelessly accessing a network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a wireless access point, a network access request from a computing device wirelessly connected to the wireless access point, the wireless access point connected to the network via a service provider;

determining whether the computing device includes an advertising interface;

transmitting the advertising interface to the computing device only if it is determined that the computing device does not include the advertising interface;

retrieving advertising information from an advertising source, the advertising information renderable by the advertising interface;

transmitting the advertising information to the computing device; and

not connecting the computing device to the network if a user of the computing device does not accept transmission of the advertising information.

65. A method for wirelessly accessing a network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a wireless access point, a network access request from a computing device wirelessly connected to the wireless access point, the wireless access point connected to the network via a service provider;

determining whether the computing device includes an advertising interface;

transmitting the advertising interface to the computing device only if it is determined that the computing device does not include the advertising interface;

retrieving advertising information from an advertising source, the advertising information renderable by the advertising interface;

transmitting the advertising information to the computing device; and

not connecting the computing device to the network if a user of the computing device does not accept transmission of the advertising interface.