Wi-Fi service delivery platform for retail service providers
First Claim
1. A method for managing usage of a plurality of local area networks by a plurality of subscribers associated with a service provider, said subscribers having terminals for accessing said local area networks, said terminals each having a client program for communicating with a service provider network, for each subscriber desiring to access a local area network, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving at a gateway at the service provider network a request for authenticating a subscriber desiring access to said local area network, said request containing subscriber credentials for the subscriber desiring access to said local area network;
(b) authenticating the subscriber based on said subscriber credentials and information relating to said subscriber previously stored in a subscriber database;
(c) authorizing said local area network to grant access to said subscriber when said subscriber is authenticated;
(d) establishing a link between said gateway and a client program on a terminal operated by said subscriber;
(e) collecting session information through said link;
(f) receiving information on local area network usage by said subscriber; and
(g) transmitting said information on local area network usage to a billing system for billing of usage by said subscriber.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method is provided for managing usage of a plurality of local area networks by a plurality of subscribers associated with a service provider. The subscribers have terminals for accessing the local area networks. The terminals each have a client program for communicating with a service provider network. For each subscriber desiring to access a local area network, the method includes: (a) receiving at a gateway at the service provider network a request for authenticating a subscriber desiring access to the local area network, the request containing subscriber credentials for the subscriber desiring access to the local area network; (b) authenticating the subscriber based on the subscriber credentials and information relating to the subscriber previously stored in a subscriber database; (c) authorizing the local area network to grant access to the subscriber when the subscriber is authenticated; (d) establishing a link between the gateway and a client program on a terminal operated by the subscriber; (e) collecting session information through the link; (f) receiving information on local area network usage by the subscriber; and (g) transmitting the information on local area network usage to a billing system for billing of usage by the subscriber.
296 Citations
117 Claims
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1. A method for managing usage of a plurality of local area networks by a plurality of subscribers associated with a service provider, said subscribers having terminals for accessing said local area networks, said terminals each having a client program for communicating with a service provider network, for each subscriber desiring to access a local area network, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving at a gateway at the service provider network a request for authenticating a subscriber desiring access to said local area network, said request containing subscriber credentials for the subscriber desiring access to said local area network;
(b) authenticating the subscriber based on said subscriber credentials and information relating to said subscriber previously stored in a subscriber database;
(c) authorizing said local area network to grant access to said subscriber when said subscriber is authenticated;
(d) establishing a link between said gateway and a client program on a terminal operated by said subscriber;
(e) collecting session information through said link;
(f) receiving information on local area network usage by said subscriber; and
(g) transmitting said information on local area network usage to a billing system for billing of usage by said subscriber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 111, 112)
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38. A gateway for managing usage of a plurality of local area networks by a plurality of subscribers associated with a service provider, said subscribers having terminals for accessing said local area networks, said terminals each having a client program for communicating with said gateway, the gateway comprising:
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a first interface module for communicating with said local area networks;
a second interface module for communicating with client programs on terminals operated by subscribers accessing said local area networks;
a third interface module for communicating with infrastructure of said service provider; and
a session manager for receiving through said first interface module requests for authenticating subscribers desiring access to said local area networks, said requests containing subscriber credentials for said subscribers, said session manager authenticating subscribers based on their subscriber credentials and information relating to said subscribers previously stored in a subscriber database through said third interface module, and said session manager authorizing local area networks through said first interface module to grant access to authenticated subscribers, said session manager also receiving from said local area networks through said first interface module information on local area network usage by said subscribers, said session manager transmitting said information on local area network usage to a billing system through said third interface module for billing of usage by said subscribers, said session manager also collecting session information through said second interface module from said client programs on said terminals accessing said local area networks. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 113, 114)
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77. A method of accessing one of a plurality of local area networks by a subscriber operating a terminal, said subscriber associated with a service provider, the method for accessing a local area network comprising the steps of:
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(a) transmitting to the local area network a request for accessing the local area network, said request including subscriber credentials for said subscriber, said local area network transmitting to a gateway at the service provider network a request containing the subscriber credentials for authenticating the subscriber, said gateway authenticating the subscriber based on said subscriber credentials and information relating to said subscriber previously stored in a subscriber database, said gateway authorizing said local area network to grant access to said subscriber when said subscriber is authenticated;
(b) accessing said local area network when said subscriber is authorized to access said local area network;
(c) establishing a link between a client program on said terminal operated by said subscriber and said gateway; and
(d) transmitting session information through said link to said gateway. - View Dependent Claims (78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 115, 116)
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117. A method for managing usage of a plurality of local area networks by a plurality of subscribers associated with a service provider, said subscribers having terminals for accessing said local area networks, said subscribers also having cell phones having MSISDN information, for each subscriber desiring to access a local area network, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving at a gateway at the service provider network a request for authenticating a subscriber desiring access to said local area network, said request containing MSISDN information for the subscriber desiring access to said local area network;
(b) validating the subscriber based on said MSISDN information and information relating to said subscriber previously stored in a subscriber database;
(c) transmitting a one time password to a cell phone operated by said subscriber;
(d) receiving from a terminal operated by said subscriber said one time password;
(e) authenticating said subscriber based on said one time password;
(f) authorizing said local area network to grant access to said subscriber when said subscriber is authenticated;
(g) receiving information on local area network usage by said subscriber; and
(h) transmitting said information on local area network usage to a billing system for billing of usage by said subscriber.
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Specification