Negotiated wireless peripheral systems

• US 20060069722A1
• Filed: 10/31/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Eric M. Dowling
• Inventors: Dowling, Eric Morgan
• Granted Patent: US 7,222,154 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/326 Payment applications installed on the mobile devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3672 initialising or reloading thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 : Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 : including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 : Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 : Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 : Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 : Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 : Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and business techniques are disclosed for use in mobile network communication systems. A mobile unit such as a smart phone is preferably equipped with a wireless local area network connection and a wireless wide area network connection. The local area network connection is used to establish a position-dependent ecommerce network connection with a wireless product or service access device supplied by a vendor. A negotiation sequence is carried out to electronically contract the services of the negotiated wireless peripheral from the vendor using a prepaid ecommerce protocol. The negotiated wireless peripheral is a general product or service vending device and the mobile unit acts as a digital authentication and payment device with digital pre-paid payment capabilities. The techniques are useful in many applications to include ticketing and admission systems to events and other types of services that involve ticketing.

Claims

1-44. -44. (canceled)

45. A method of selling admissions via pre-payment, comprising:

at a merchant web site;

(i) offering for sale via the merchant web site a ticket for admission to a physical area;

(ii) receiving via a communications network an order for the ticket from a customer; and

(iii) initiating a cryptographic algorithm that results in an encryption-protected ticket and transmitting the encryption-protected ticket to the customer via the communications network; and

at a customer-physical-access admission station;

(iv) receiving via a short range wireless air interface protocol the encryption-protected ticket;

(v) if the encryption-protected ticket is found to be valid in a testing, generating an admission-grant signal indicating to allow the customer to pass a physical customer admission point.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the cryptographic algorithm encodes a digital signature associated with the customer, and the digital signature is generated using a public/private key cryptography algorithm.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the cryptographic algorithm also encodes into the encryption-protected ticket a digital signature component that is associated with a key from a certificate authority.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the short range wireless air interface protocol involves at an upper layer a position-dependent ecommerce session which involves an agreed upon billing arrangement that is agreed upon in advance during the offering for sale and the receiving the order.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising:

the customer-physical-access admission station interacting via the computer network with a remote vending management server which provides support in establishing the position-dependent ecommerce session and in performing the testing.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein the customer-physical-access admission station performs at least a portion of the testing.

51. The method of claim 45, wherein the testing involves executing a second cryptographic authentication algorithm that verifies a user identity and decodes and reads a coded data segment.

52. The method of claim 45, wherein the communication network comprises a member of the group consisting of:

a wWAN network that offers wireless access to user wireless devices;

a wLAN network that offers wireless access to user wireless devices;

a path through a portion of a cellular communications network that offers Internet access to user wireless devices; and

a path through a portion of the Internet.

53. The method of claim 45, wherein the customer-physical-access admission station comprises a physical access gate that is automatically opened in response to the admission-grant signal.

54. The method of claim 45, wherein the customer-physical-access admission station comprises a physical access gate that is controlled by a physical access control employee, and the method further comprises:

generating, in response to the admission-grant signal a user interface indication that signals to the employee to admit the customer into the physical area.

55. The method of claim 45, wherein the customer-physical-access admission station comprises a physical access gate that is controlled by a physical access control employee, and the method further comprises:

generating, in response to the admission-grant signal a user interface indication that signals to the employee an indication of a number of how many valid admissions were received.

56. The method of claim 45, wherein the physical area is an area where an event will occur to which the customer seeks access.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the physical area includes a set of seats of which the customer is assigned a particular seat.

58. The method of claim 57, the method further comprising:

transmitting via the short range wireless air interface protocol to a user wireless device associated with the customer an indication of a set of directions to help the customer physically navigate to the particular seat.

59. The method of claim 57, the method further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting to the user wireless device associated with the customer an indication of a set of directions to help the customer physically navigate to the particular seat.

60. The method of claim 59, the method further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting to the user wireless device associated with the customer an update to the set of directions to help the customer physically navigate as the customer advances toward the particular seat.

61. The method of claim 45, physical area is an area where an event will occur, and the event is a member of the group consisting of a sporting event, a concert, and a movie.

62. The method of claim 45, wherein the physical area is an area where a service to be provided to the customer is initiated.

63. A method of selling products via pre-payment, comprising:

at a merchant web site;

(i) offering for sale via the merchant web site a product token for use in purchasing one or more corresponding products from one or more vending machines which each employ a short range wireless air interface protocol for establishing position dependent ecommerce sessions;

(ii) receiving via a communications network an order for the product token from a customer; and

(iii) initiating a cryptographic algorithm that results in an encryption-protected product token and transmitting the encryption-protected product token to the customer via the communications network; and

at a particular vending machine;

(iv) receiving via the short range wireless air interface protocol the encryption-protected product token;

(v) if the encryption-protected product token is found to be valid in a testing, generating a product-grant signal indicating to provide the product to the customer.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein the cryptographic algorithm encodes a digital signature associated with the customer, and the digital signature is generated using a public/private key cryptography algorithm.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein the cryptographic algorithm also encodes into the encryption-protected product token a digital signature component that is associated with a key from a certificate authority.

66. The method of claim 63, wherein the short range wireless air interface protocol involves at an upper layer a position-dependent ecommerce session which involves an agreed upon billing arrangement that is agreed upon in advance during the offering for sale and the receiving the order.

67. The method of claim 66, further comprising:

the particular vending machine interacting via the computer network with a remote vending management server which provides support in establishing the position-dependent ecommerce session and in performing the testing.

68. The method of claim 63, wherein the vending machine performs at least a portion of the testing.

69. The method of claim 63, wherein the testing involves executing a second cryptographic algorithm that verifies a user identity and decodes and reads a coded data segment.

70. The method of claim 63, wherein the communication network includes a member of the group consisting of:

a wWAN network that offers wireless access to user wireless devices;

a wLAN network that offers wireless access to user wireless devices;

a path through a portion of a cellular communications network that offers Internet access to user wireless devices; and

a path through a portion of the Internet.

71. The method of claim 63, wherein the particular vending machine comprises a user interface for use by an employee and the method further comprises:

generating, in response to the product-grant signal a user interface indication that signals to the employee an indication to provide the product to the customer.

72. The method of claim 63, wherein the product is a member of the group consisting of a digital music content, a digital video content, a software program and a data file.

73. The method of claim 63, wherein the product is a member of the group consisting of a candy bar, a snack, and a soft drink.

74. The method of claim 63, wherein the encryption-protected product token is operative to allow the customer to obtain a plurality of the corresponding product.

75. A method of selling services via pre-payment, comprising:

at a merchant web site;

(i) offering for sale via the merchant web site a service token for use in purchasing one or more corresponding services;

(ii) receiving via a communications network an order for the service token from a customer; and

(iii) initiating a cryptographic algorithm that results in an encryption-protected service token and transmitting the encryption-protected service token to the customer via the communications network; and

at a particular service access point;

(iv) receiving via a short range wireless air interface protocol the encryption-protected service token;

(v) if the encryption-protected service token is found to be valid in a testing, generating a service-grant signal indicating to provide the service to the customer.

76. The method of claim 75, wherein the cryptographic algorithm encodes a digital signature associated with the customer, and the digital signature is generated using a public/private key cryptography algorithm.

77. The method of claim 76, wherein the cryptographic algorithm also encodes into the encryption-protected service token a digital signature component that is associated with a key from a certificate authority.

78. The method of claim 75, wherein the short range wireless air interface protocol involves at an upper layer a position-dependent ecommerce session which involves an agreed upon billing arrangement that is agreed upon in advance during the offering for sale and the receiving the order.

79. The method of claim 78, further comprising:

the particular service access point interacting via the computer network with a remote vending management server which provides support in establishing the position-dependent ecommerce session and in the performing the testing

80. The method of claim 75, wherein the particular service access point performs at least a portion of the testing.

81. The method of claim 75, wherein the testing involves executing a second cryptographic authentication algorithm that verifies a user identity and decodes and reads a coded data segment.

82. The method of claim 75, wherein the communication network comprises a member of the group consisting of:

a wWAN network that offers wireless access to user wireless devices;

a wLAN network that offers wireless access to user wireless devices;

a path through a portion of a cellular communications network that offers Internet access to user wireless devices; and

a path through a portion of the Internet.

83. The method of claim 75, wherein the particular service access point comprises a physical access gate that is automatically opened in response to the service-grant signal.

84. The method of claim 75, wherein the particular service access point comprises a physical access gate that is controlled by a physical access control employee, and the method further comprises:

generating, in response to the service-grant signal a user interface indication that signals to the employee an indication the customer has been cleared to receive the service.

85. The method of claim 75, wherein the service comprises a visit with a doctor.

86. The method of claim 75, wherein the service comprises a server-based digital service, and the particular service access point is a wireless access point that is coupled via the computer network to a remote computer server that provides at least a portion of the server-based digital service remotely.