Distributed network communication system which enables multiple network providers to use a common distributed network infrastructure

• US 7,742,445 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2004
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Thompson, James, Stewart, Brett B., McClelland, Kathleen E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao; Kwang B
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUDA, ADAM K
• Application Number:
  US10/792,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20040170153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,302 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/338, 370/329, 370/254, 455/450, 455/451, 455/452.1, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1439 time-based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1464 using a card, such as credit card, prepay card or SIM
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1471 splitting of costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1496 involving discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2874 Processing of data for distribution to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/004 in the uplink, i.e. towards network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

In one embodiment, a wireless access point wirelessly receives identification information from a portable computing device, determines a particular communication medium access provider identified in the identification information, wirelessly receives data from the portable computing device, and transmits the data to a destination of the particular communication medium access provider. In one embodiment, the wireless access point communicates with the portable computing device using wireless Ethernet, listens for all types of identification information and answers all queries from the portable computing device even if the wireless access point does not recognize the identification information, and provides the portable computing devices access to a plurality of communication medium access providers. In one embodiment, each of the communication medium access providers wirelessly connects the portable computing device to a network, and the identification information identifies a particular one of the communication medium access providers.

Claims

1. A method for enabling wireless connections to a network, comprising:

receiving wirelessly at a wireless access point identification information from a portable computing device, wherein;

the wireless access point and the portable computing device communicate using wireless Ethernet,

the wireless access point listens for all types of identification information and answers all queries from the portable computing device even if the wireless access point does not recognize the identification information,

the wireless access point provides portable computing devices access to a plurality of communication medium access providers,

each of the communication medium access providers wirelessly connects portable computing devices to the network, and

the identification information identifies a particular one of the

communication medium access providers;

determining at the wireless access point the particular one of the communication medium access providers identified in the identification information;

receiving wirelessly at the wireless access point data from the portable computing device; and

transmitting by the wireless access point the data to a destination of the particular one of the communication medium access providers.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing at a memory medium communicatively coupled to the network a data structure comprising network service provider information regarding the network service providers;

wherein determining at the wireless access point the particular one of the network service providers identified in the identification information comprises accessing by the wireless access point the network service provider information stored at the memory medium.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data structure comprises a Management Information Base.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the data structure stores a destination address of the destination of the particular one of the network service providers.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing at a memory medium communicatively coupled to the network a data structure comprising the network service providers, network service provider information regarding the network service providers, and associated methods for providing data to the respective network service providers;

wherein;

determining at the wireless access point the particular one of the network service providers identified in the identification information comprises accessing by the wireless access point the data structure stored at the memory medium, and

the data are transmitted to the destination of the particular one of the network service providers by the wireless access point using the a particular one of the associated methods for providing data to the particular one of the network service providers.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing at a management information base (MIB) communicatively coupled to the network a data structure comprising network service provider information regarding the network service providers;

wherein determining at the wireless access point the particular one of the network service providers identified in the identification information comprises accessing by the wireless access point the network service provider information stored at the MIB.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the data structure stores a destination address of the destination of the particular one of the network service providers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification information comprises a digital certificate.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification information comprises an IEEE 802.11 system identification.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification information comprises a media access control (MAC) identification.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification information comprises a known geographic location of the portable computing device.

12. A network system, comprising:

a network; and

one or more wireless access points coupled to the network,

wherein each of the one or more wireless access points communicates using wireless Ethernet with one or more computing devices;

wherein each of the one or more wireless access points listens for all types of identification information and answers all queries from the one or more computing devices even if the wireless access point does not recognize the identification information;

wherein each of the one or more wireless access points receives identification information from a computing device of the one or more computing devices indicating a communication medium access provider of a plurality of possible communication medium access providers;

wherein each of the one or more wireless access points provides access to the plurality of possible communication medium access providers;

wherein each of the plurality of possible communication medium access providers wirelessly connections particular ones of the one or more computing devices to the network;

wherein each of the one or more wireless access points includes a memory medium which stores a data structure, wherein the data structure comprises a list of identification information entries and corresponding communication medium access providers, wherein each entry indicates a respective communication medium access provider of the plurality of possible communication medium access providers;

wherein each of the one or more wireless access points determines the communication medium access provider indicated by the identification information from the plurality of possible communication medium access providers;

wherein, in determining the communication medium access provider for the portable computing device, each of the one or more wireless access points accesses the memory medium and uses the data structure the received identification information to determine the communication medium access provider; and

wherein network access is provided to the computing device through the indicated communication medium access provider.

13. The network system of claim 12, wherein the data structure further stores a respective network service provider for each identification information entry;

wherein, in determining the network service provider for the computing device, each of the one or more wireless access points indexes into the data structure using the identification information to determine the network service provider stored in the data structure corresponding to the identification information.

14. The network system of claim 12, wherein said identification information comprises an IEEE 802.11 system identification.

15. The network system of claim 12, wherein said identification information comprises a media access control (MAC) identification.

16. The network system of claim 12, wherein said identification information comprises a known geographic location of the portable computing device.

17. The network system of claim 12, wherein said identification information comprises a digital certificate.

18. The network system of claim 12, wherein a subset of the one or more portable computing devices are portable computing devices.

19. The network system of claim 12, wherein at least a subset of the one or more wireless access points concurrently use a plurality of radio frequency (RF) channels.

20. The network system of claim 19, wherein a first wireless access point of the subset assigns one or more RF channels for communication with a computing device.

21. The network system of claim 20, wherein the first wireless access point assigns the RF channel based on the identification information received from the computing device.

22. The network system of claim 20, wherein the first wireless access point assigns the RF channel based on the determined network service provider.

23. The network system of claim 20, further comprising:

wherein the first wireless access point determines an access level for the computing device after receiving the identification information; and

wherein the first wireless access point assigns a RF channel for communication with the computing device based on the determined access level.

24. The network system of claim 20, wherein the first wireless access point concurrently:

communicates with a first computing device of the one or more computing devices using a first RF channel of the plurality of RF channels;

communicates with a second computing device of the one or more computing devices using a second RF channel of the plurality of RF channels.

25. The network system of claim 24, wherein the first RF channel and the second RF channel are different RF channels.

26. The network system of claim 25, wherein the first RF channel and the second RF channel are non-overlapping RF channels.

27. The network system of claim 19, wherein at least a subset of the identification information entries each indicate at least one RF channel.

28. The network system of claim 27, wherein the indicated RF channel is used in providing network access.

29. The network system of claim 19, wherein the data structure further stores a respective RF channel for each identification information entry;

wherein, in determining the network service provider for the computing device, each of the subset of the one or more wireless access points indexes into the data structure using the identification information to determine the RF channel stored in the data structure corresponding to the identification information;

wherein each of the subset of the one or more wireless access points assigns a RF channel indicated by the data structure for each identification information entry.

30. A wireless access point for providing network access to one or more computing devices,

wherein the wireless access point is coupled to a network;

wherein the wireless access point communicates with a computing device of the one or more computing devices;

wherein the wireless access point listens for all types of identification information and answers all queries from the computing device even if the wireless access point does not recognize the identification information;

wherein the wireless access point receives identification information from the computing device indicating a communication medium access provider of a plurality of possible communication medium access providers;

wherein the wireless access point provides access to the plurality of possible communication medium access providers;

wherein the wireless access point includes a memory medium that stores a data structure;

wherein the data structure comprises a list of identification information entries and corresponding communication medium access providers;

wherein each entry indicates a respective communication medium access provider of the plurality of possible communication medium access providers;

wherein the wireless access point access the data structure to determine the communication medium access provider indicated by the identification information from the plurality of possible communication medium access providers;

wherein each of the plurality of possible communication medium access providers wirelessly connects particular ones of the one or more computing devices to the network;

wherein, in determining the communication medium access provider for the computing device, the wireless access point accesses the memory medium and uses the received identification information to determine the communication medium access provider;

wherein the wireless access point provides data received from the computing device to a destination based on the determined communication medium access provider; and

wherein network access is provided to the computing device through the destination.

31. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein the wireless access point is useable by subscribers of each of the plurality of possible network service providers.

32. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein the determined network service provider charges for access by the computing device to the network.

33. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein the data structure further comprises associated methods for providing data to the respective plurality of possible network service providers;

wherein, in determining the network service provider for the computing device, the wireless access point accesses the memory medium, use the received network service provider identification information to determine the network service provider, and use an associated method for providing the data to the determined network service provider.

34. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein the identification information comprises a System ID of the computing device, wherein the System ID uniquely identifies a network service provider of the plurality of possible network service providers.

35. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein the wireless access point provides the data to the destination in a secure manner.

36. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein the wireless access point is at a known location in a geographic region, wherein the wireless access point provides geographic location information indicating a known geographic location of the computing device;

wherein network access is selectively provided to the computing device based on the known geographic location of the computing device.

37. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein at least a subset of the identification information entries each indicate at least one VLAN.

38. The wireless access point of claim 37, wherein each VLAN specifies a network service provider.

39. The wireless access point of claim 38, wherein the indicated VLAN is used in providing network access.

40. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein said identification information comprises a digital certificate.

41. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein said identification information comprises an IEEE 802.11 system identification.

42. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein said identification information comprises a media access control (MAC) identification.

43. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein said identification information comprises a known geographic location of the computing device.

44. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein the wireless access point provides the data to the destination utilizing Layer 2 forwarding.

45. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein at least a subset of the identification information entries each indicate at least one tunneling protocol, wherein the wireless access point provides the data to the destination utilizing a tunneling protocol.

46. The wireless access point of claim 45, wherein the tunneling protocol is PPTP.

47. The wireless access point of claim 45, wherein the tunneling protocol is IPSEC.

48. The wireless access point of claim 45, wherein the tunneling protocol is GRE.

49. The wireless access point of claim 45, wherein the tunneling protocol is IP-in-IP.

50. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein the wireless access point provides the data to the destination utilizing a tagged VLAN.

51. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein the computing device is a portable computing device.

52. The wireless access point of claim 30, wherein the wireless access point is further configured to receive a plurality of different sets of identification information corresponding to the plurality of possible network service providers,

wherein selected sets of the plurality of different sets of identification information are recognized by the wireless access point, and wherein selected sets of the plurality of different sets of identification information are not recognized by the wireless access point.

53. The wireless access point of claim 52, wherein the wireless access point is further configured to select a default network service provider for each received set of identification information that is not recognized by the wireless access point.