Satellite distributed high speed internet access

• US 20050105484A1
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Systems Services, Inc.
• Inventors: Wilson, W. David
• Granted Patent: US 7,324,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/316
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18582 Arrangements for data linking, i.e. for data framing, for error recovery, for multiple access

Abstract

A satellite distributed high-speed Internet “Hotspot” enables wireless and hardwired, satellite distributed Internet access for anyone with a PC or other web-ready device (wireless ready or cabled) and a valid credit card or prepaid coupon. The Hotspots can be located anywhere there is 120 volt electricity available or access to the sun for a solar panel and enough space to house the transceiver and mount a satellite dish. Upon connecting to the Hotspot, the user is directed to a remote server for log-on and validation of the user'"'"'s account. During validation, the remote server verifies that prepaid access time remains in the user'"'"'s account. Upon validation, the user may browse the web until the prepaid access time runs out. Alternatively, an account may be set up on a “continue until canceled” basis, wherein the user'"'"'s credit card will be charged for the amount of time used during each session.

Claims

1. A method for establishing and operating an Internet Hotspot comprising the steps of:

providing a satellite dish communicating with the Internet via data link with a satellite; and

providing at least one router operatively coupled to the satellite dish;

installing the satellite dish and router in a rural location, which experiences a relatively high volume of transient traffic;

allowing a user to access the Internet at the rural location by connecting a user'"'"'s web-ready device to the Internet via the router and satellite dish.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the router includes at least one jack to which a web-ready device may be connected via a cable.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising a step of providing a subscriber access unit operatively coupled between the satellite dish and the router, wherein a user opens a subscription account via a remote server before the user is enabled to access other websites.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the user opens a subscription account using a prepaid coupon via the remote server before the user is enabled to access other websites.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the user purchases a quantity of subscription-based access time using a credit card via the remote server before the user is enabled to access other websites.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the subscription-based access time may be purchased in a definite quantity.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the subscription-based access time may be purchased on a “

continued until canceled”

basis.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the credit card billing is performed by an existing merchant service.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the existing merchant service is reciprocal with other Internet subscription providers nationwide.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the user'"'"'s account status is first authenticated by the remote server each time the user establishes a connection with the Hotspot before the user is enabled to access other websites.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the authentication of the user'"'"'s account is performed by a subscriber merchant service.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting step includes a step of communicating the user'"'"'s web-ready device to the router via a wireless connection.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a plurality of users can simultaneously access the Internet by communicating wireless web-ready devices with the router.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising a step of operatively coupling a subscriber access between the satellite dish and the router, wherein a user opens a subscription account via a remote server before the user is enabled to access other websites.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the user opens a subscription account using a prepaid coupon via the remote server before the user is enabled to access other websites.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the user purchases a quantity of subscription-based access time using a credit card via the remote server before the user is enabled to access other websites.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the subscription-based access time may be purchased in a definite quantity.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the subscription-based access time may be purchased on a “

continued until canceled”

basis.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the credit card billing is performed by an existing merchant service.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the existing merchant service is reciprocal with other Internet subscription providers nationwide.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein a user'"'"'s account status is first authenticated by the remote server each time the user establishes a connection with the Hotspot before the user is enabled to access other websites.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the authentication of the user'"'"'s account is performed by a subscriber merchant service.

23. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of operatively coupling at least one wireless transceiver extender unit between the satellite dish and the router to extend the range of Internet access at the rural location.

24. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of operatively coupling at least one wireless transceiver extender unit between the satellite dish and the router to extend the range of Internet access at the rural location.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of operatively coupling at least one wireless transceiver extender unit between the satellite dish and the router to extend the range of Internet access at the rural location.

26. A method for providing satellite-distributed high-speed Internet access, comprising the steps of:

providing a router to which a web-ready device may be connected via at least one of a cable or a wireless data link;

assigning a dynamic IP address to the web-ready device that has been connected to the router;

forwarding by the router of the user'"'"'s connection to a subscriber access unit;

retrieving from memory by the subscriber access unit of the static IP address of a remote server;

forwarding the user'"'"'s connection to a satellite dish;

establishing communication by the satellite dish with a satellite, which is enabled to send and receive data over the Internet;

establishing a connection over the Internet with the remote server, whose interface is viewed by the user as a webpage on the web-ready device;

prompting by the remote server of the user for a username and password;

accessing a database by the remote server to verify the username and password;

prompting the user to create a new account, if the username and password are invalid or the user'"'"'s account has zero time remaining;

allowing the user to access other websites, until the user'"'"'s account has zero time remaining or the user logs off the network; and

updating the user'"'"'s account in the database by the remote server to subtract the amount of time used during the just-completed session, when the user logs off the network.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the interface of the remote server is viewed by the user as a webpage on the web-ready device using Secure Socket Layer encryption.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the user may create an account using a prepaid coupon.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising, after the step of prompting the user to create a new account, if the username and password are invalid or the user'"'"'s account has zero time remaining, the step of:

charging the user'"'"'s credit card, if a new account is created.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the user may purchase access time in a definite quantity when creating an account.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the user may purchase access time on a “

continue until canceled”

basis when creating an account.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the charging of the user'"'"'s credit card is performed by an existing merchant service.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the existing merchant service is reciprocal with other Internet subscription providers nationwide.

34. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of installing the router and the satellite dish in a rural location experiencing a relatively high volume of transient traffic.

35. An Internet Hotspot comprising:

a satellite dish installed in a remote location experiencing a relatively high volume of transient traffic, and the satellite dish communicating with the Internet via data link with a satellite;

at least one router operatively coupled to the satellite dish and installed in the remote location;

wherein a user may access the Internet at the remote location by establishing a data connection with the router via a user'"'"'s web-ready device.

36. The Internet Hotspot of claim 35, wherein the data connection is a wireless data connection.

37. The Internet Hotspot of claim 35, wherein a plurality of users may access the Internet simultaneously at the remote location by respectively establishing data connections with the router via their web-ready devices.

38. The Internet Hotspot of claim 37, wherein the data connections include wired data connections.

39. The Internet Hotspot of claim 38, wherein the data connections include wireless data connections.

40. The Internet Hotspot of claim 39, further comprising an amplifier and antenna operatively coupled to the router.

41. The Internet Hotspot of claim 39, wherein the router is a Vivato outdoor switch.

42. The Internet Hotspot of claim 37, wherein the data connections include wired data connections.

43. The Internet Hotspot of claim 37, further comprising a subscriber access unit operatively coupled between the satellite dish and the router.

44. The Internet Hotspot of claim 43, further comprising an amplifier and antenna

45. The Internet Hotspot of claim 43, further comprising at least one wireless extender transceiver wirelessly, operatively coupled between the subscriber access unit and the router.

46. The Internet Hotspot of claim 37, further comprising at least one wireless extender transceiver wirelessly, operatively coupled between the router and the satellite dish.