Advertising and controlling the advertisement of wireless hot spots
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A process of determining locations of and services offered by wireless hotspots, said process comprising:
- requesting information regarding locations of and services offered by wireless hotspots, for wireless portable devices to wirelessly connect to an Internet, from a third party that acts as a go-between for a wireless telephone service provider that supports a wireless cellular telephone network and a nearby hotspot, the third party supplying hotspot services and advertising the hotspot services, the third party maintaining user account information in a first database, the wireless telephone service provider maintaining user account information in a second database;
awaiting a response from the third party via the wireless cellular telephone network;
receiving the information regarding locations of and services offered by wireless hotspots from the third party;
providing data on a wireless portable device;
supplying user account data for an account with an entity other than the wireless telephone service provider;
authenticating, by the third party, the user that supplies the user account data for the account with the entity other than the wireless telephone service provider; and
accessing the hotspot services supplied by the third party.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A process of determining locations of and services offered by wireless hotspots is disclosed. Locations of and services offered by wireless hotspots, for wireless portable devices to wirelessly connect to a larger network, are requested from a selected one of a wireless telephone service provider and a nearby hotspot and a response is awaited from the selected one. Information regarding locations of and services offered by wireless hotspots is received from the selected one and data is provided to a user related to the received information.
48 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A process of determining locations of and services offered by wireless hotspots, said process comprising:
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requesting information regarding locations of and services offered by wireless hotspots, for wireless portable devices to wirelessly connect to an Internet, from a third party that acts as a go-between for a wireless telephone service provider that supports a wireless cellular telephone network and a nearby hotspot, the third party supplying hotspot services and advertising the hotspot services, the third party maintaining user account information in a first database, the wireless telephone service provider maintaining user account information in a second database; awaiting a response from the third party via the wireless cellular telephone network; receiving the information regarding locations of and services offered by wireless hotspots from the third party; providing data on a wireless portable device; supplying user account data for an account with an entity other than the wireless telephone service provider; authenticating, by the third party, the user that supplies the user account data for the account with the entity other than the wireless telephone service provider; and accessing the hotspot services supplied by the third party. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A process of advertising locations of and services offered by a wireless hotspot to potential users, said process comprising:
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requesting, by a wireless portable device, information about a wireless hotspot with particular attributes, the particular attributes being manually selected at the wireless portable device; sending out an advertising message, detailing a location of and services offered by the wireless hotspot, from a third party that acts as a go-between for a wireless telephone service provider and the wireless hotspot, the third party supplying hotspot services and advertising the hotspot services, the wireless hotspot being selected based on wireless hotspot attributes of the wireless hotspot in view of the selected attributes and the location of the wireless hotspot with respect to a location of the wireless portable device as determined by a global positioning system; awaiting a response to the advertising message from the wireless portable device; receiving the response; providing detailed information related to access of the wireless hotspot to the wireless portable device before the wireless portable device accesses any services of the wireless hotspot; supplying user account data for an account with an entity other than the wireless telephone service provider; and authenticating, by the third party, the user that supplies the user account data for the account with the entity other than the wireless telephone service provider; and accessing the hotspot services supplied by the third party. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 15)
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12. A process of advertising locations of and services offered by a wireless hotspot to potential users, said process comprising:
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sending out, by a particular wireless hotspot without soliciting by a wireless portable device, an advertising message through one or more channels monitored by the wireless portable device, wherein the advertising message includes locations of and services offered by a plurality of wireless hotspots including the particular wireless hotspot and special attributes of the particular wireless hotspot that distinguish the particular wireless hotspot from the other wireless hotspots of the plurality of wireless hotspots; awaiting, by the particular wireless hotspot, a response to the advertising message from the wireless portable device; receiving, by the particular wireless hotspot, the response from the wireless portable device; providing, by the particular wireless hotspot, detailed information related to access of the plurality of wireless hotspots to the wireless portable device before the wireless portable device accesses any services from the wireless hotspot and before authentication; authenticating, via a third party service provider with which the user has an account and that acts as an agent between the wireless telephone service provider and the particular wireless hotspot, wherein the third party service provider provides an interface such that the wireless telephone service provider and the particular wireless hotspot do not directly interact; monitoring the use of the particular wireless hotspot by the wireless portable device; and sending out informational advertising messages detailing further services to the wireless portable device based on the monitored use of the particular wireless hotspot by the wireless portable device. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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16. A process of determining services offered by a wireless hotspot, the process comprising:
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receiving, by a wireless portable device, a map and directions to a location of a wireless hotspot based on a location of the wireless portable device that is determined by a global positioning system; querying an access point of the wireless hotspot by the wireless portable device about goods offered at the wireless hotspot location without having to log on to the wireless hotspot; awaiting a reply to the query from the access point of the wireless hotspot; providing a listing of the goods offered at the wireless hotspot location, wherein the listing comprises providing a listing of the goods offered by a vendor at the wireless hotspot location, prices of the goods and descriptions of the goods; and logging on to the wireless hotspot via a third party service provider with which the user has an account, wherein the third party service provider acts as an agent between a wireless telephone service provider and the wireless hotspot, wherein the third party provider provides an interface such that the wireless telephone service provider and the wireless hotspot do not directly interact. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. An advertising system for advertising locations of and services offered by wireless hotspots, comprising:
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a mobile cellular phone that requests, via a wireless cellular phone network, locations of and services offered by wireless hotspots connected to an Internet, from a third party that acts as a go-between for a wireless telephone service provider of the mobile cellular phone and the wireless hotspots, the third party supplying hotspot services and advertising the hotspot services, the third party providing authentication of users and processing and forwarding of billing information to wireless telephone service provider, wherein the mobile cellular phone provides data to a user related to the received information about the wireless hotspots if the wireless hotspots meet criteria set by the user in the mobile cellular phone, wherein the user supplies user account data for an account with an entity other than the wireless telephone service provider, wherein the third party authenticates the user that supplies the user account data for the account with the entity other than the wireless telephone service provider, and wherein the mobile cellular phone accesses the hotspot services supplied by the third party. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. An advertising system for advertising locations of and services offered by a wireless hotspot to potential users, comprising:
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a first wireless cellular network that is supported by a wireless telephone service provider, the first cellular network being used to transmit an advertising message detailing a location of and services offered by a wireless hotspot in a second wireless network, the wireless hotspot providing access to an Internet, from a third party that acts as a go-between for the wireless telephone service provider and the wireless hotspot, the third party supplying hotspot services, wherein the first wireless cellular network receives a response to the advertising message from a wireless portable device, wherein the first wireless cellular network provides detailed information related to access of the wireless hotspot to the wireless portable device before the wireless portable device accesses any services of the wireless hotspot, wherein the user supplies user account data for an account with an entity other than the wireless telephone service provider, wherein the user that supplies the user account data for the account with the entity other than the wireless telephone service provider is authenticated, and wherein the wireless portable device wireless connects to the Internet via an access point and a router of the wireless hotspot. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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28. A services determining system for determining services offered by a wireless hotspot, comprising:
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querying means of a wireless portable device configured to query an access point of a wireless hotspot that is connected to an Internet about goods offered at a wireless hotspot location of the wireless hotspot; timing means configured to time a reply to the query from the access point of the wireless hotspot; and display means of the wireless portable device for providing a listing of the goods offered at the wireless hotspot location, wherein the listing comprises a listing of at least one of the goods offered by the vendor, prices of the goods and descriptions of the goods, wherein a third party service provider acts as an agent between a wireless telephone service provider and the wireless hotspot, wherein the third party supplies hotspot services and advertises the hotspot services, wherein the third party provider provides an interface such that the wireless telephone service provider and the wireless hotspot do not directly interact, wherein a user supplies user account data for an account with an entity other than the wireless telephone service provider that provides wireless service to the wireless portable device, wherein the third party authenticates the user that supplies the user account data for the account with the entity other than the wireless telephone service provider, and wherein the wireless portable device accesses the hotspot services supplied by the third party. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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30. An advertising system for advertising locations of and services offered by wireless hotspots, comprising:
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a requester that requests locations of and services offered by wireless hotspots, for wireless portable devices to wirelessly connect to a larger network, from a third party that acts as a go-between a wireless telephone service provider and a nearby hotspot, the third party supplying hotspot services and advertisings hotspot services, the third party providing authentication of users and processing and forwarding of billing information to wireless telephone service provider; a timer for use in awaiting a response from the third party; a receiver that receives information regarding locations of and services offered by wireless hotspots from the third party; and a provider that provides data to a user related to the received information, wherein the requestor supplies user account data for an account with an entity other than the wireless telephone service provider that provides wireless service to the requestor, wherein the third party authenticates the requestor that supplies the user account data for the account with the entity other than the wireless telephone service provider, and wherein the requestor accesses the hotspot services supplied by the third party. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. An advertising system for advertising locations of and services offered by a wireless hotspot to potential users, comprising:
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a transmitter that sends out an advertising message, detailing a location of and services offered by a wireless hotspot, from a third party that acts as a go-between a wireless telephone service provider and the wireless hotspot, the third party supplying hotspot services and advertisings hotspot services, the third party maintaining user account information in a first database, the wireless telephone service provider maintaining user account information in a second database, the third party providing authentication of users and processing and forwarding of billing information to wireless telephone service provider; a timer for use in awaiting a response from the advertising message from a wireless portable device; a receiver that receives the response; and a provider that provides detailed information related to access of the wireless hotspot to the wireless portable device, wherein a user supplies user account data for an account with an entity other than the wireless telephone service provider that provides wireless service for the wireless portable device, wherein the third party authenticates the user that supplies the user account data for the account with the entity other than the wireless telephone service provider, and wherein the wireless portable device accesses the hotspot services supplied by the third party. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38)
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39. A services determining system for determining services offered by a wireless hotspot, comprising:
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a requester that queries an access point of a wireless hotspot by a wireless portable device about at least one of goods and services offered by the wireless hotspot, wherein a third party service provider supplies hotspot services and advertises hotspot services, wherein the requestor is wirelessly coupled to a wireless cellular network provider; a timer for use in awaiting a reply to the query from the access point of the wireless hotspot; and the third party providing a listing of goods offered at a wireless hotspot location of the wireless hotspot, wherein the listing comprises a listing of at least one of the following;
goods offered by the vendor, prices of the goods and descriptions of the goods,wherein advertisements are transmitted by the wireless hotspot and received and displayed by the wireless portable device as a condition for allowing the wireless portable device to access wireless services of the wireless hotspot, wherein the requester accesses the hotspot services supplied by the third party service provider, wherein authentication on the wireless hotspot is provided by the third party service provider with which the user requester has an account, wherein the third party service provider acts as an agent between a wireless telephone service provider and the wireless hotspot, wherein the third party provider provides an interface such that the wireless telephone service provider and the wireless hotspot do not directly interact, wherein the third party provider provides processing and forwarding of billing information to a billing party, and wherein the vendor, the third party service provider and the wireless telephone service provider are different entities. - View Dependent Claims (40)
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Specification