Wireless network infrastructure

• US 7,542,755 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2006
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Crystal Mountain Communications, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Durham Logistics LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Uhlik, Christopher, Youseffmir, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US11/506,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20070121849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 705/32, 705/35, 705/39, 705/40, 709/203, 709/225, 713/182, 713/183
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/04 Large scale networks; Deep hierarchical networks

Abstract

An access point of a network maintains information about data received at the access point from a server accessible via the network and provides to the server the information maintained at the access point. The access point then receives from the server a payment for an account associated with an operator of the access point.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing Internet access to a wireless terminal connected to an IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN);

tracking an amount of Internet access through the WLAN by the wireless terminal;

sending information regarding the amount of Internet access by the wireless terminal to a central billing entity; and

receiving from the central billing entity a financial incentive for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing Internet access to the wireless terminal connected to the IEEE 802.11 WLAN comprises the WLAN providing a connection to the Internet for the wireless terminal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing Internet access to the wireless terminal connected to the IEEE 802.11 WLAN comprises an ISP providing a connection between the Internet and the WLAN for the wireless terminal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein tracking an amount of Internet access through the WLAN by the wireless terminal comprises keeping a count of a number of bytes of data received by the wireless terminal through the WLAN.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein tracking an amount of Internet access through the WLAN by the wireless terminal comprises keeping a count of an amount of time the wireless terminal is connected through the WLAN.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a financial incentive for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal comprises receiving a percentage of an amount billed to a user associated with the wireless terminal for a period of access to the Internet through the WLAN.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving the percentage of the amount billed comprises receiving one hundred percent of revenue from said amount of Internet access through said WLAN, minus a fixed fee.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving the percentage of the amount billed comprises receiving a fixed fee based, at least in part, on a monthly base charge to the user as specified in a subscription agreement associated with the user.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving the percentage of the amount billed comprises receiving a percentage of a total amount billed to the user based, at least in part, on a fee per time unit of access as specified in a subscription associated with the user.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein receiving the percentage of the amount billed comprises receiving a percentage of a total amount billed to the user based, at least in part, on a number of bytes of data transmitted to the user through the WLAN.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the financial incentive for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal comprises receiving a financial incentive based, at least in part, on a number of new subscription agreements generated.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the financial incentive for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal comprises receiving a financial incentive based, at least in part, on a number of times the wireless terminal accesses the Internet.

13. A method comprising:

receiving information from an Internet service provider (ISP) detailing Internet access by a wireless terminal through an IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN);

determining an amount to bill a user associated with the wireless terminal based, at least in part, on a subscription agreement associated with the wireless terminal; and

providing a financial incentive to the ISP for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein receiving information from the ISP comprises receiving information from a wired ISP with a high-speed trunk to the Internet.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein receiving information from the ISP comprises receiving information from the WLAN.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein receiving information from the ISP detailing Internet access by the wireless terminal comprises receiving data regarding an amount of time the wireless terminal accessed the Internet through the WLAN.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein determining an amount to bill a user associated with the wireless terminal comprises:

billing the user a base subscription fee specified in the subscription agreement; and

increasing the amount to bill by an amount determined by the wireless terminal accessing the Internet for an amount of time greater than an amount of time indicated in the subscription agreement.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein increasing the amount to bill by an amount determined by the amount of time greater than the amount of time indicated in the subscription agreement comprises increasing the amount to bill by a per-hour fee times a number of hours greater than a number of hours specified for the wireless terminal in the subscription agreement.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein receiving information from the ISP detailing Internet access the wireless terminal comprises receiving data regarding a number of bytes received by the wireless terminal through the WLAN.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein determining an amount to bill a user associated with the wireless terminal comprises:

billing the user a base subscription fee specified in the subscription agreement; and

increasing the amount to bill by an amount determined by a number of bytes received by the wireless terminal through the WLAN over a number of bytes indicated in the subscription agreement.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein increasing the amount to bill by an amount determine by the number of bytes received by the wireless terminal through the WLAN over the number of bytes indicated in the subscription agreement comprises increasing the amount to bill by a per-megabyte fee times a number of megabytes over the number of bytes specified for the wireless terminal in the subscription agreement.

22. The method of claim 13 wherein providing a financial incentive to the ISP for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal comprises providing to the ISP a percentage of the amount billed to the user for a period of time.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein providing to the ISP a percentage of the amount billed to the user for the period of time comprises providing to the ISP one hundred percent of the amount billed to the user for the period of time, minus a fixed fee.

24. The method of claim 13 further comprising providing a financial incentive to the ISP for generating new subscription agreements.

25. The method of claim 13 wherein providing a financial incentive to the ISP for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal comprises providing to the ISP a financial incentive based, at least in part, on a number of times the wireless terminal accesses the Internet.

26. An apparatus comprising:

means for providing Internet access to a wireless terminal connected to an IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN);

means for tracking an amount of Internet access through the WLAN by the wireless terminal;

means for sending information regarding the amount of Internet access by the wireless terminal to a central billing entity; and

means for receiving from the central billing entity a financial incentive for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said means for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal connected to the IEEE 802.11 WLAN comprises a WLAN adapted to provide a connection to the Internet for the wireless terminal.

28. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said means for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal connected to the IEEE 802.11 WLAN comprises an ISP to provide a connection between the Internet and the WLAN.

29. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said means for tracking an amount of Internet access through the WLAN by the wireless terminal comprises means for keeping a count of a number of bytes of data received by the wireless terminal through the WLAN.

30. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said means for tracking an amount of Internet access through the WLAN by the wireless terminal comprises means for keeping a count of an amount of time the wireless terminal is connected through the WLAN.

31. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said financial incentive comprises a percentage of an amount billed to a user associated with the wireless terminal for a period of access to the Internet through the WLAN.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein said percentage comprises one hundred percent of revenue derived from said Internet access through said WLAN, minus a fixed fee.

33. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein said percentage comprise a fixed fee based, at least in part, on a monthly base charge to the user as specified in a subscription agreement associated with the user.

34. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the percentage comprises a percentage of a total amount billed to the user based, at least in part, on a fee per time unit of access as specified in a subscription associated with the user.

35. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein said percentage comprises a percentage of a total amount billed to the user based, at least in part, on a number of bytes of data transmitted to the user through the WLAN.

36. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said the financial incentive is based, at least in part, on a number of new subscription agreements generated.

37. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein said financial incentive is based, at least in part, on a number of times the wireless terminal accesses the Internet.

38. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving information from an Internet service provider (ISP) detailing Internet access by a wireless terminal through an IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN);

means for determining an amount to bill a user associated with the wireless terminal based, at least in part, on a subscription agreement associated with the wireless terminal; and

means for providing a financial incentive to the ISP for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal.

39. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein said means for receiving information from the ISP comprises means for receiving information from a conventional wired ISP with a high-speed trunk to the Internet.

40. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein said means for receiving information from the ISP comprises means for receiving information from the WLAN.

41. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein said means for receiving information from the ISP detailing Internet access by the wireless terminal comprises means for receiving data regarding an amount of time the wireless terminal accessed the Internet through the WLAN.

42. The apparatus of claim 41 wherein said means for determining an amount to bill a user associated with the wireless terminal comprises:

means for billing the user a base subscription fee specified in the subscription agreement; and

means for increasing the amount to bill said user by an amount determined by the wireless terminal accessing the Internet for an amount of time greater than an amount of time indicated in the subscription agreement.

43. The apparatus of claim 42 wherein said means for increasing the amount to bill by an amount determined by the amount of time greater than the amount of time indicated in the subscription agreement comprises means for increasing the amount to bill by a per-hour fee times a number of hours greater than a number of hours specified for the wireless terminal in the subscription agreement.

44. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein said means for receiving information from the ISP detailing Internet access the wireless terminal comprises means for receiving data regarding a number of bytes received by the wireless terminal through the WLAN.

45. The apparatus of claim 44 wherein said means for determining an amount to bill a user associated with the wireless terminal comprises:

means for billing the user a base subscription fee specified in the subscription agreement; and

means for increasing the amount to bill by an amount determined by a number of bytes received by the wireless terminal through the WLAN over a number of bytes indicated in the subscription agreement.

46. The apparatus of claim 45 wherein said means for increasing the amount to bill by an amount determine by the number of bytes received by the wireless terminal through the WLAN over the number of bytes indicated in the subscription agreement comprises means for increasing the amount to bill by a per-megabyte fee times a number of megabytes over the number of bytes specified for the wireless terminal in the subscription agreement.

47. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein said financial incentive comprises a percentage of the amount billed to the user for a period of time.

48. The apparatus of claim 47 wherein said percentage comprises one hundred percent of the amount billed to the user for the period of time, minus a fixed fee.

49. The apparatus of claim 38 further comprising means for providing a financial incentive to the ISP for generating new subscription agreements.

50. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein said means for providing a financial incentive to the ISP for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal comprises means for providing to the ISP a financial incentive based, at least in part, on a number of times the wireless terminal accesses the Internet.

51. A apparatus comprising:

a wireless local area network (WLAN), said WLAN being adapted to;

provide Internet access to a wireless terminal;

track an amount of Internet access through said WLAN by the wireless terminal; and

send information regarding the amount of Internet access by the wireless terminal to a central billing entity;

wherein an operator of said WLAN receives from the central billing entity a financial incentive for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein said WLAN is further adapted to provide said Internet access to the wireless terminal through a connection to an ISP.

53. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein said WLAN is further adapted to track an amount of Internet access through a WLAN by keeping a count of a number of bytes of data received by the wireless terminal through the WLAN.

54. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein said WLAN is further adapted to track an amount of Internet access through the WLAN by the wireless terminal by keeping a count of an amount of time the wireless terminal is connected to the WLAN.

55. The apparatus of claim 51 wherein receiving a financial incentive for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal comprises receiving a percentage of an amount billed to a user associated with the wireless terminal for a period of access to the Internet through the WLAN.

56. The apparatus of claim 51 wherein said financial incentive is based, at least in part, on a number of new subscription agreements generated.

57. The apparatus of claim 51 wherein said financial incentive is based, at least in part, on a number of times the wireless terminal accesses the Internet.

58. A apparatus comprising:

an authenticator to enable access to a network through a wireless local area network (WLAN), said authenticator being adapted to;

receive information from an Internet service provider (ISP) detailing Internet access by a wireless terminal through said WLAN;

determine an amount to bill a user associated with the wireless terminal based, at least in part, on a subscription agreement associated with the wireless terminal; and

provide a financial incentive to the ISP for providing Internet access to the wireless terminal.

59. The apparatus of claim 58 wherein said WLAN is connected to said ISP by a high-speed trunk.

60. The apparatus of claim 58 wherein said information comprises data regarding an amount of time the wireless terminal accessed the Internet through the WLAN.

61. The apparatus of claim 60, wherein said authenticator is adapted to determine said amount to bill said user by:

billing the user a base subscription fee specified in the subscription agreement; and

increasing the amount to bill by an amount determined by the wireless terminal accessing the Internet for an amount of time greater than an amount of time indicated in the subscription agreement.

62. The apparatus of claim 61 wherein said increasing the amount to bill by an amount determined by the amount of time greater than the amount of time indicated in the subscription agreement comprises increasing the amount to bill by a per-hour fee times a number of hours greater than a number of hours specified for the wireless terminal in the subscription agreement.

63. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein said WLAN is adapted to receive said information from the ISP detailing Internet access the wireless terminal by receiving data regarding a number of bytes received by the wireless terminal through the WLAN.

64. The apparatus of claim 58 wherein said WLAN is adapted to determine said amount to bill a user associated with the wireless terminal by:

billing the user a base subscription fee specified in the subscription agreement; and

increasing the amount to bill by an amount determined by a number of bytes received by the wireless terminal through the WLAN over a number of bytes indicated in the subscription agreement.

65. The apparatus of claim 64 wherein increasing the amount to bill by an amount determine by the number of bytes received by the wireless terminal through the WLAN over the number of bytes indicated in the subscription agreement comprises increasing the amount to bill by a per-megabyte fee times a number of megabytes over the number of bytes specified for the wireless terminal in the subscription agreement.

66. The apparatus of claim 58 wherein said financial incentive comprises a percentage of the amount billed to the user for a period of time.

67. The apparatus of claim 66 wherein said percentage of the amount billed to the user for the period of time comprises hundred percent of the amount billed to the user for the period of time, minus a fixed fee.

68. The apparatus of claim 58 wherein said financial incentive is based, at least in part, on a number of times the wireless terminal accesses the Internet.