Wireless network infrastructure

• US 7,706,775 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2006
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crystal Mountain Communications, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Durham Logistics LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Youseffmir, Michael, Uhlik, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US11/506,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20070042753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 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:

generating billing information for a wireless user terminal accessing a network via a wireless access point;

transferring the billing information for the wireless user terminal to a billing entity for the network;

posting an accounting to a subscriber account associated with the wireless user terminal in accordance with the billing information;

receiving, at a service provider, a payment from the subscriber account associated with the user terminal in response to said posting the accounting to the subscriber account; and

providing, from the service provider, a portion of the payment to an account associated with an operator of the wireless access point.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating billing information for a wireless user terminal comprises counting a number of bytes exchanged between the wireless access point and the wireless user terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating billing information for a wireless user terminal comprises counting a number of bytes of data transmitted to the wireless access terminal using a Media Access Control address of the wireless user terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating billing information for a wireless user terminal comprises calculating a duration of an association between the wireless user terminal and the wireless access point of the network based on a time at a start of the association and one of a duration of the association and a time at the end of the association.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing from the service provider a portion of the payment to an account associated with an operator of the wireless access point comprises:

providing from the service provider a portion of the payment to the billing entity; and

providing a portion of the payment to the billing entity to an account associated with the operator of the wireless access point.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the service provider comprises a content service provider.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the service provider comprises an internetwork service provider.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a payment at a provider of services to a network from a subscriber account associated with a wireless user terminal, said payment being provided for access to the services; and

providing a portion of the payment from said provider to an account associated with an operator of a wireless access point via which the wireless user terminal access the services over the network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said providing a portion of the payment comprises:

providing from the service provider a portion of the payment thereto to a billing entity; and

providing a portion of the payment to the billing entity to an account associated with said operator.

10. A method comprising:

generating hilling information for a wireless access point of a network;

transferring the billing information to a billing entity;

receiving at a provider of services to the network a payment for access to the services via the wireless access point;

providing, from the service provider, a portion of the payment to the billing entity; and

providing a portion of the payment to the billing entity to an account associated with an operator of the wireless access point.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing a portion of the payment to the billing entity to an account associated with a network service provider that provides a means by which the wireless access point accesses the network.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said provider of services comprises a content service provider.

13. An apparatus comprising:

means for generating billing information for a wireless user terminal accessing a network via at a wireless access point;

means for transferring the billing information for the wireless user terminal to a billing entity for the network;

means for posting an accounting to a subscriber account associated with the wireless user terminal in accordance with the billing information;

means for receiving at a service provider a payment from the subscriber account associated with the user terminal in response to said posting the accounting to the subscriber account; and

means for providing from the service provider a portion of the payment to an account associated with an operator of the wireless access point.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said means for generating billing information for a wireless user terminal comprises means for counting a number of bytes exchanged between the wireless access point and the user terminal.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said means for generating billing information for a wireless user terminal comprises means for counting a number of bytes of data transmitted to the wireless access terminal using a Media Access Control address of the wireless user terminal.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said means for generating billing information comprises means for calculating a duration of an association between the wireless user terminal and the wireless access point of the network based, at least in part, on a time at the start of the association and one of a duration of the association and a time at the end of the association.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said means for providing from the service provider a portion of the payment to an account associated with an operator of the wireless access point comprises:

means for providing from the service provider a portion of the payment to the billing entity; and

means for providing a portion of the payment to the billing entity to an account associated with the operator of the wireless access point.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the service provider comprises a content service provider.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the service provider comprises an internetwork service provider.

20. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a payment at a provider of services to a network from a subscriber account associated with a wireless user terminal, said payment being provided for access to the services; and

means for providing a portion of the payment to an account associated with an operator of a wireless access point via which the wireless user terminal accesses the services over the network.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said means for providing a portion of the payment comprises:

means for providing from the service provider a portion of the payment thereto to a billing entity; and

means for providing a portion of the payment to the billing entity to an account associated with said operator.

22. An apparatus comprising:

means for generating billing information at a wireless access point of a network;

means for transferring the billing information from the wireless access point to a billing entity;

means for receiving at a provider of services to the network a payment for access to the services via the wireless access point;

means for providing from the service provider a portion of the payment to the billing entity; and

means for providing a portion of the payment to the billing entity to an account associated with an operator of the wireless access point.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, and further comprising:

means for providing a portion of the payment to the billing entity to an account associated with a network service provider that provides a means by which the wireless access point accesses the network.

24. An apparatus comprising:

an authenticator to enable access to a network through one or more wireless access points (WAPs), said authenticator being configured to;

receive billing information for a wireless user terminal from a wireless access point of the network through which the wireless user terminal accesses the network;

post an accounting to a subscriber account associated with the wireless user terminal in accordance with said received billing information;

receive from a service provider a notice of payment associated with the subscriber account associated with the user terminal in response to posting the accounting to the subscriber account; and

affect an account associated with an operator of the wireless access point by a portion of said payment.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said billing information is based, at least in part, on a count of a number of bytes exchanged between the wireless access point and the user terminal.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein said billing information is based, at least in part, on a count of a number of bytes of data transmitted to the wireless access terminal using a Media Access Control address of the wireless user terminal.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the service provider comprises a content service provider.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the service provider comprises an internetwork service provider.

29. A apparatus comprising:

a server associated with a provider of services on a network, said server being configured to;

receive notice of a payment from a subscriber account associated with a wireless user terminal for access to services provided; and

affect an account of an operator of a wireless access point by a portion of said payment, wherein said wireless user terminal obtains access to said network through said wireless access point.

30. A apparatus comprising:

an authenticator to enable access to a network through one or more wireless access points (WAPs), said authenticator being configured to;

receive a notice of payment from a content service provider comprising a portion of a payment to said service provider based, at least in part, on billing information collected on at least one of said WAPs; and

affect an account of an operator of the one or more WAPs by a portion of said payment from said content service provider.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said authenticator is further configured to affect an account associated with a network service provider that provides said wireless access point access to the network by a portion of said payment from said content service provider.