System for on-demand access to local area networks

• US 8,521,859 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2010
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xylon LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Durham Logistics LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Uhlik, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Application Number:
  US12/939,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20110044310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709217-227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1446 inter-operator billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00

Abstract

A roaming company makes payments to an aggregator of independent WLAN operators in exchange for providing Internet access services to subscribers of the roaming company. Independent WLAN operator accounts are maintained at the aggregation company.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a user terminal, service metrics associated with network services provided by one or more of a plurality of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) operators, wherein the WLAN operators are associated with one or more access points that are available to provide the user terminal with access to a network, and wherein an aggregator maintains the service metrics associated with the network services;

indicating, by the user terminal, a selection of a WLAN operator responsive to receiving the service metrics, wherein the aggregator is operatively coupled to the selected WLAN operator by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) backhaul line; and

accessing, by the user terminal, the network via an access point associated with the selected WLAN operator.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the user terminal, a service request to the aggregator to access service from the selected WLAN operator, wherein the service request comprises subscriber data identifying a subscriber corresponding to a valid account with a roaming services provider.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the service metrics at the user terminal, wherein the service metrics are displayed for the WLAN operators having an associated access point that is currently out-of-range of the user terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service metrics comprise a data transfer rate provided to the selected WLAN operator by one or more Internet Service Providers operatively coupled to the ISP backhaul line.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the service metrics comprise at least one of:

WLAN access point location information, WLAN quality of service statistics, WLAN characteristics of service testimonials, or marketing information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying, by the user terminal, a location map of a plurality of access points that are controlled by different WLAN operators.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying, by the user terminal, service metrics associated with the plurality of access points; and

receiving user input associated with the plurality of access points, wherein the selection of the WLAN operator is further indicated responsive to receiving the user input.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein indicating the WLAN operator comprises automatically selecting the WLAN operator based on a comparison of the service metrics.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the WLAN operator is selected from a plurality of independent WLAN operators, and wherein the aggregator maintains the service metrics associated with the plurality of WLAN operators in a centralized database.

10. A user terminal, comprising:

a wireless receiver configured to receive service metrics associated with network services provided by one or more Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to a plurality of independent Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) operators, wherein the plurality of independent WLAN operators are associated with one or more access points that are available to provide the user terminal with access to a network, and wherein an aggregator maintains the service metrics associated with the network services; and

a computing device configured to select a WLAN operator from the plurality of independent WLAN operators responsive to receiving the service metrics.

11. The user terminal of claim 10, further comprising:

a display device configured to display the one or more access points; and

a user interface configured to receive user input related to the one or more access points, wherein the WLAN operator is further selected responsive to receiving the user input.

12. The user terminal of claim 10, wherein the computing device is further configured to compare the service metrics, and wherein the WLAN operator is selected from the plurality of independent WLAN operators, responsive to comparing the service metrics.

13. The user terminal of claim 12, wherein the computing device is further configured to automatically select the WLAN operator.

14. The user terminal of claim 10, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

initiate a service request with the selected WLAN operator; and

authorize payment associated with the service request, wherein they payment authorization is conveyed to both the aggregator and to a roaming services provider that maintains subscriber account information associated with the user terminal.

15. The user terminal of claim 14, wherein the roaming services provider operates as a broker for providing the user terminal with network access through a plurality of different ISPs, and wherein at least a portion of the payment is provided to one or more of the different ISPs based, at least in part, on an identity of the selected WLAN operator.

16. The user terminal of claim 10, wherein the aggregator is operatively coupled to the one or more ISPs by one or more Internet Service Provider backhaul lines.

17. A memory device having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving service metrics associated with network services provided to a user terminal by a plurality of independent Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) operators, wherein the plurality of independent WLAN operators are associated with access points that are available to provide the user terminal with access to a network through one or more Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and wherein an aggregator maintains the service metrics associated with the network services in a centralized database;

comparing the service metrics; and

selecting a WLAN operator from the plurality of independent WLAN operators responsive to comparing the service metrics.

18. The memory device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying the access points; and

receiving user input related to the access points, wherein selecting the WLAN operator includes selecting the WLAN operator responsive to receiving the user input.

19. The memory device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving advertising information associated with the plurality of independent WLAN operators, wherein the advertising information is validated against the service metrics; and

displaying the advertising information at the user terminal.

20. The memory device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise displaying a location map of the access points, and wherein the location map identifies both an access point that is in-range of the user terminal and an access point that is out-of-range of the user terminal.