System and method for enabling wireless social networking

• US 9,531,835 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2007
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Channel IP BV
• Original Assignee: Devicescape Software, Inc. (Pareteum Corp.)
• Inventors: Wynn, Simon, Fraser, David G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R
• Application Number:
  US11/823,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20080195741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,471 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/229, 709/225, 709220-222, 715751-759
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Exemplary systems and methods for sharing a personal network of a first user are provided. The exemplary method comprises receiving credentials for the personal network which are used to generate a network profile. When an indication to share the personal network is received, one or more user devices of a second user are queued to receive the network profile. The network profile is then provided to the one or more user devices to provision the one or more user devices for accessing the personal network.

Claims

1. A method, executing on a hardware server, for sharing a WiFi network, the method comprising:

receiving first credentials from a first user at the hardware server, the first credentials including a password to access a WiFi network of the first user, the first credentials to be associated with a user account of the first user;

receiving an indication from the first user, at the hardware server, to share access to the WiFi network with a second user, the indication including second credentials to access the user account of the first user;

authenticating the second credentials from the indication;

generating a network profile, by a processor of the hardware server, the network profile comprising the received first credentials including the password to access the WiFi network of the first user;

if the second credentials are successfully authenticated, queuing, by the processor of the hardware server and based on the indication, one or more user devices of the second user to receive the network profile; and

providing the network profile from the hardware server to the one or more user devices to provision the one or more user devices with the received first credentials including the password to enable the one or more user devices of the second user to provide the received first credentials to a network device for accessing the WiFi network.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing an invitation message from the first user to the second user to share the WiFi network.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a request message from the second user to the first user to share the WiFi network.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising authenticating the and second user to provide the users access to respective accounts of the users.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising setting up an account for the second user.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating accounts, by the processor of the hardware server, of the first and second users to indicate the sharing of the WiFi network.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the network profile comprises providing the network profile during a next poll by the one or more user devices.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the next poll occurs periodically.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the next poll occurs when the one or more user devices connects to a network.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising suspending sharing of the WiFi network.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising queuing the one or more user devices for removal of the network profile and removing the network profile.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a search mechanism to the first user to search for other users to share the WiFi network.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing software to the one or more user devices, the software configuring the one or more user devices to operate with a network management server managing the sharing of the WiFi network.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising allowing the second user to share WiFi networks of the second user with the first user.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the received first credentials further comprise an encryption key.

16. A hardware system for sharing a WiFi network, comprising:

a processor;

a messaging engine configured to control the processor to send and receive messages regarding sharing of the WiFi network;

a personal network engine configured to control the processor to receive first credentials including a password from a first user to access the WiFi network, the first credentials to be associated with a user account of the first user, and to generate a network profile comprising the credentials including the password to access the WiFi network of the first user; and

a polling module configured to control the processor to, after successful authentication of second credentials of an indication from the first user to share access to the WiFi network with a second user, provide the network profile to one or more user devices of the second user with the received first credentials including the password to enable the one or more user devices of the second user to provide the received first credentials to a network device for accessing the WiFi network.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising an account module configured to control the processor to manage user accounts including sharing of the WiFi network.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising a software download module configured to control the processor to provide software to the one or more user devices, the software configuring the one or more user devices to operate with a network management server managing the sharing of the WiFi network.

19. A non-transitory machine readable medium having embodied thereon a program, the program comprising instructions operable by a machine for performing a method, the method comprising:

receiving first credentials from a first user at the hardware server, the first credentials including a password to access a WiFi network of the first user, the first credentials to be associated with a user account of the first user;

receiving an indication from the first user, at a hardware server, to share access to the WiFi network with a second user, the indication including second credentials to access the user account of the first user;

authenticating the second credentials from the indication;

generating a network profile, by a processor of the hardware server, the network profile comprising the received first credentials including the password to access the WiFi network of the first user;

if the second credentials are successfully authenticated, queuing, by the processor of the hardware server and based on the indication, one or more user devices of the second user to receive the network profile; and

providing the network profile from the hardware server to the one or more user devices to provision the one or more user devices with the received first credentials including the password to enable the one or more user devices of the second user to provide the received first credentials to a network device for accessing the WiFi network.