Systems and methods for providing content and services on a network system

• US 8,788,690 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2013
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nomadix, Inc. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nomadix, Inc. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Short, Joel E., Pagan, Florence C. I., Goldstein, Joshua J.
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US14/094,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20140089182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 232 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/227, 709/230, 709/217, 709/220, 709/203, 709/218, 709/219, 709/228, 709/229, 709/250, 709/221, 709/222, 709/244, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/163 Real estate management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/22 Arrangements for preventing the taking of data from a data transmission channel without authorisation means for verifying the identity or the authority of a user of a secure or secret communication system H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/29 using a combination of thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/25 of the same type
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4547 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 : for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 : Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 : Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 : Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 : Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 : using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 : Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 : Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 : Gateway arrangements

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing and providing content and services on a network system. Aspects of the invention include location-based determination of network content and services that may be provided to client computers. Other aspects of the invention include authorization and authentication components that determine access rights of client computers. Additional aspects include systems and methods for redirecting client computers to different network content. The disclosed systems and methods may be used in numerous network system applications.

Claims

1. A method of managing network access, the method comprising:

receiving at a network communications port a request from a computer for access to a destination address external to a computer network;

redirecting the computer to a portal page;

receiving authentication-related information from the computer;

formatting the authentication-related information into a predetermined data format corresponding to a property management system (PMS) protocol; and

transmitting the formatted authentication-related information to a PMS device;

wherein the PMS device is configured to automatically associate a billing entry to a customer'"'"'s account for network access by utilizing the formatted authentication-related information; and

wherein no specialized software configured for the computer network is required to be installed on the computer for the computer to communicate with the computer network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, using a processing unit, if the computer is entitled to access a site associated with the destination address.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein redirecting the computer to the portal page comprises sending transmission control protocol handshake completion data to the computer in response to a request for connection from the computer, the transmission control protocol handshake completion data configured to appear to be from the destination address, wherein the processing unit need not communicate with the destination address if the computer is not entitled to access to the site associated with the destination address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication-related information comprises time of request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication-related information comprises information related to a physical location associated with the computer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the physical location comprises a room number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the portal page includes a link configured to direct the computer to an authentication system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication-related information includes a unique code.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication-related information is related to an agreement needed to access a site associated with the destination address.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication-related information includes information relating to a credit card.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer utilizes software comprising a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) service.

12. A system for managing network access, the system comprising:

a network communications port; and

a hardware processing system communicating with the network communications port and configured to process a request from a computer for access to a destination address external to a computer network received through the network communications port, the processing system including programming which, when accessed by the hardware processing system, causes the hardware processing system to;

process authentication-related information from the computer;

format the authentication-related information into a predetermined data format corresponding to a property management system (PMS) protocol; and

transmit the formatted authentication-related information to a PMS device;

wherein the PMS device is configured to utilize the formatted authentication-related information to associate a billing entry for network access to a customer'"'"'s account; and

wherein the network communications port and the hardware processing system are components of a computer network and no software configured specially for the computer network is required to be installed on the computer for the computer to communicate with the computer network.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the programming, when accessed by the processing system further causes the processing system to determine if the computer is entitled to access a site associated with the destination address.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the programming, when accessed by the processing system further causes the processing system to send transmission control protocol handshake completion data to the computer in response to a request for connection from the computer, the transmission control protocol handshake completion data configured to appear to be from the destination address, wherein the hardware processing system need not communicate with the destination address if the computer is not entitled to access to the site associated with the destination address.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the authentication-related information comprises time of request.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the authentication-related information comprises information related to a physical location associated with the computer.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the authentication-related information relates to a room number.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the authentication-related information includes a unique code.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer utilizes software comprising a DHCP service.

20. A system for managing network access, the system comprising:

means for receiving a request from a computer for access to a destination address external to a computer network;

means for redirecting the computer to a portal page;

means for receiving authentication-related information from the computer;

means for formatting the authentication-related information into a predetermined data format corresponding to a property management system (PMS) protocol; and

means for transmitting the formatted authentication-related information to a PMS device;

wherein the PMS device is configured to utilize the formatted authentication-related information to automatically associate the request for access to a computer network with a customer account; and

wherein no specialized software configured for the computer network is required to be installed on the computer for the computer to communicate with the computer network.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein means for redirecting the computer to the portal page comprises means for sending transmission control protocol handshake completion data to the computer in response to a request for connection from the computer, the transmission control protocol handshake completion data configured to appear to be from the destination address, wherein the system need not communicate with the destination address if the computer is not entitled to access to the site associated with the destination address.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the authentication-related information comprises time of request.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the computer utilizes software comprising a DHCP service.