Methods and apparatus for providing high speed connectivity to a hotel environment

• US 6,996,073 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Guest-tek Interactive Entertainment Ltd.
• Original Assignee: iBAHN General Holdings Corporation (Guest-tek Interactive Entertainment Ltd.)
• Inventors: West, William B., Smith, Wallace Eric, McDaniel, Steven R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US10/746,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20050041602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/259, 370/260, 370/261, 370/392, 370/390, 370/401, 370/432, 370/475, 379/201.01, 379/202.01, 455/414, 455/415, 455/416
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2859 Point-to-point connection between the data network and the subscribers encapsulation H04L12/4633; virtual LANs H04L12/4641; routing of packets H04L45/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4645 Details on frame tagging routing of packets H04L45/00; support for virtual LAN H04L49/354
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/668 Internet protocol [IP] address subnets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/54 Organization of routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/72 Routing based on the source address
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5061 Pools of addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are described for providing access to a network via a first one of a plurality of network access nodes in the network. The network access nodes each have a network address associated therewith which is unique on the network, the first network access node having a first network address associated therewith. The first network address is associated with a first computer while the first computer is connected to the first network access node thereby providing access to the network.

Claims

1. A method for providing conference services over a network having a plurality of users associated therewith, selected ones of the plurality of users being associated with network access nodes on the network, each network access node having a network address associated therewith which is unique on the network, the method comprising:

associating a group identification tag with the network addresses thereby identifying the selected users as attendees of the conference;

providing the conference services on the network; and

restricting access to the conference services to the selected users using the group identification tag.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein restricting access to the conference services comprises verifying that a particular network address from which a request has been received has the group identification tag associated therewith before providing access to the conference services.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the conference services on the network comprises providing access to conference data content to the selected users via the network.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the conference data content comprises PowerPoint®

presentation data.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the conference data content comprises electronic copies of written materials.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the conference services on the network comprises providing discounted access to entertainment content.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the conference services on the network comprises providing discounted access to information services.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the conference services on the network comprises providing substantially real time voice communication.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the conference services on the network comprises providing video teleconferencing services.

10. A method for providing conference services over a network having a plurality of network access nodes each having a network address associated therewith which is unique on the network, comprising:

associating the network addresses with computers associated with a plurality of users while the computers are connected to the network access nodes thereby providing access to the network for each of the plurality of users;

associating a group identification tag with the network address associated with selected ones of the plurality of users thereby identifying the selected users as attendees of a conference;

providing the conference services on the network; and

restricting access to the conference services to the selected users using the group identification tag.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein selected ones of the computers have internal IP addresses and associating the network addresses with the selected computers comprises translating the internal IP addresses to the network addresses.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein selected ones of the computers do not have internal IP addresses and associating the network addresses with the selected computers comprises assigning the network addresses to the computers.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the network comprises a local area network and associating the network addresses is done by a headend associated with the local area network.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the network comprises a wide area network and associating the network addresses is done by a remote server which controls the wide area network.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein associating the network addresses is done by the network access nodes.