SYSTEM FOR ON-DEMAND ACCESS TO LOCAL AREA NETWORKS

• US 20130308622A1
• Filed: 07/25/2013
• Published: 11/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xylon LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Durham Logistics LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: UHLIK, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,264,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1446 inter-operator billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00

Abstract

A roaming company makes payments to an aggregator of independent WLAN operators in exchange for providing Internet access services to subscribers of the roaming company. Independent WLAN operator accounts are maintained at the aggregation company.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing, by a processing device, service metrics associated with network services provided by a plurality of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) operators, wherein the plurality of WLAN operators are associated with one or more access points that are available to provide a user terminal with access to a network;

transmitting, by the processing device, the service metrics to the user terminal;

receiving, by the processing device, a selection of a WLAN operator responsive to transmitting the service metrics; and

authorizing, by the processing device, the user terminal to access the network via an access point associated with the selected WLAN operator.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the processing device, a service request from the user terminal to access a service from the selected WLAN operator, wherein the service request comprises subscriber data associated with a roaming service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the service metrics are associated with one or more access points that are currently out-of-range of the user terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing device is operatively coupled to the selected WLAN operator by an Internet Service Provider backhaul line.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the service metrics comprise a data transfer rate provided to the selected WLAN operator by one or more Internet Service Providers operatively coupled to the Internet Service Provider backhaul line.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the service metrics comprise at least one of:

WLAN access point location information, WLAN quality of service statistics, WLAN characteristics of service testimonials, or marketing information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the access point accessed by the user terminal is selected from a plurality of access points that are controlled by different WLAN operators, wherein the service metrics are associated with the plurality of access points, and wherein the access point is selected based, at least in part, on receiving the selection of the WLAN operator.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

means for storing service metrics associated with network services provided by a plurality of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) operators, wherein the plurality of WLAN operators are associated with one or more access points that are available to provide a user terminal with access to a network;

means for transmitting the service metrics to the user terminal; and

means for receiving a selection of a WLAN operator responsive to transmitting the service metrics, wherein the user terminal is authorized to access the network via an access point associated with the selected WLAN operator.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for receiving comprises means for receiving a service request from the user terminal to access a service from the selected WLAN operator.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising means for authorizing payment associated with the service request, wherein the payment authorization is conveyed to a roaming services provider.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the roaming services provider operates as a broker for providing the user terminal with network access through a plurality of different Internet Service Providers, and wherein at least a portion of the payment is provided to one or more of the different Internet Service Providers based, at least in part, on an identity of the selected WLAN operator.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the service metrics comprise a data transfer rate provided to the selected WLAN operator by one or more Internet Service Providers operatively coupled to an Internet Service Provider backhaul line.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is operatively coupled to the Internet Service Provider backhaul line.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the service metrics comprise at least one of:

WLAN access point location information, WLAN quality of service statistics, WLAN characteristics of service testimonials, or marketing information.

15. A memory device having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

storing service metrics associated with network services provided by a plurality of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) operators, wherein the plurality of WLAN operators are associated with one or more access points that are available to provide a user terminal with access to a network;

transmitting the service metrics to the user terminal;

receiving a selection of a WLAN operator responsive to transmitting the service metrics; and

facilitating access by the user terminal to the network via an access point associated with the selected WLAN operator.

16. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the service metrics are transmitted to the user terminal as advertising information associated with the plurality of WLAN operators.

17. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the service metrics are provided for a plurality of access points, including a first access point that is in-range of the user terminal and a second access point that is out-of-range of the user terminal.

18. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the service metrics comprise at least one of:

WLAN access point location information, WLAN quality of service statistics, WLAN characteristics of service testimonials, or marketing information.

19. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the memory device is associated with a service metrics aggregator operatively coupled to the one or more Internet Service Providers by one or more Internet Service Provider backhaul lines.

20. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the WLAN operator is selected from the plurality of WLAN operators, and wherein the service metrics associated with the plurality of WLAN operators are stored in a centralized database.