SYSTEM AND METHOD OF ACCESSING A NETWORK BY WAY OF DIFFERENT SERVICE PROVIDERS

• US 20130291069A1
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MyMail, Ltd. (MyMail Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: MyMail, Ltd. (MyMail Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Selgas, Thomas Drennan, Massing, Michael Brian, Gmuender, John Everett
• Granted Patent: US 9,137,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/30 for supporting lawful interception, monitoring or retaining of communications or communication related information circuit switched telephony call monitoring H04M3/2281
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention comprises a method and apparatus for simplifying the process of access to a network for a roaming computer user, divides the responsibility of servicing a given user wanting to access the network between multiple parties wanting to access the network between multiple parties and minimizes the possibility of improper dissemination of email header data as well as improper use of network resources (including server systems) by non-clients.

Claims

1. A method of providing a user access to the Internet by way of a plurality of different Internet service providers, each Internet service provider (ISP) having respectively different ISP-specific access information to enable user Internet access, said method comprising:

enabling bidirectional communication between an access service provider and at least one of said Internet service providers, through the Internet, the access service provider also in bidirectional communication, through the Internet, with the user;

using said one Internet service provider to convey to the access service provider the ISP-specific access information associated with said one Internet service provider in order to enable the ISP-specific access information to be conveyed to the user by the access service provider; and

using said one Internet service provider to authenticate the user'"'"'s right to access the Internet by way of said one service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a need to switch providers for accessing the Internet based on a computing device moving to a new geographic location.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a need to switch providers for accessing the Internet based on reliability of network service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ISP-specific access information comprises one or more passwords.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the ISP-specific access information comprises one or more authentication protocol identifiers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a point-to-point connection with said one Internet service provider before the ISP-specific access information is conveyed to the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the ISP-specific access information comprises at least one member of a group comprising a PAP ID and a PAP password.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing a point-to-point connection between said one Internet service provider and a device of the user in order to convey the ISP-specific access information to the device of the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the device of the user uses said one Internet service provider to authenticate the user'"'"'s right to access the Internet by way of said one service provider.

10. An apparatus for providing a user access to the Internet by way of any one of a plurality of different Internet service providers, each Internet service provider (ISP) having respectively different ISP specific access information to enable user Internet access, the apparatus comprising:

an access service provider in bidirectional communication through the Internet with a device of said user, and also in bidirectional communication through the Internet with each of said plurality of different Internet service providers;

said access service provider effective to procure, through the Internet, the respective ISP-specific access information associated with each of the plurality of Internet service providers, directly from the respective Internet service provider, and to convey to the user, through the Internet, the so procured information; and

said access service provider also effective to enable user access to the Internet by authenticating the user.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said bidirectional communication between the device of the user and the access service provider is carried out over a TCP/IP path.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the ISP-specific access information comprises one or more keys for encoding messages.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the ISP-specific access information comprises one or more authentication protocol identifiers.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the ISP-specific access information comprises a telephone number.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising selecting the second ISP based on at least one member of a group comprising cost and availability associated with network service provided by the second ISP.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the ISP-specific access information comprises a PAP ID.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the ISP-specific access information comprises one or more passwords.

18. One or more storage media embodied with computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a computing device with communication equipment to perform a method for establishing a network connection through one of a plurality of Internet service providers, the method comprising:

directing the communication equipment to establish a network connection by way of a first Internet service provider (ISP) using a communications link protocol;

incident to the computing device moving to a new geographic area, procuring ISP-specific access information for a second ISP providing Internet access in the new geographic area;

maintaining connection by way of the first ISP while using the ISP-specific access information to establish access to the Internet by way of the second ISP; and

disconnecting the network connection by way of the first ISP.

19. The one or more storage media of claim 18, wherein procurement of the ISP-specific access information is based on reliability of service associated with each of the plurality of Internet service providers in the new geographic area.

20. The one or more storage media of claim 18, wherein the communications link protocol comprises a TCP/IP path and one or more messages encoded with a key specific associated with the second ISP.