Satellite distributed high speed internet access

• US 7,324,469 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; CongVan
• Application Number:
  US10/950,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20050105484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,219 Days
• Field of Search: 370/316, 370/474, 370/475, 370/352, 370/321, 370/390, 370/432, 370/351, 370/355, 370/356, 455/13.3, 455/12.1, 455/428, 455/445, 714/752, 714/791, 714/794, 714/800
• 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;

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

providing a subscriber access unit operatively coupled between the satellite dish and the router;

installing the satellite dish, router and subscriber access unit in a rural location, the rural location experiencing a relatively high volume of transient traffic;

connecting a web-ready device to the router;

creating by a user a subscription account, the subscription account being created on a remote server and enabling the user to access the Internet;

navigating a browser operating on the web-ready device to a subscriber access website, the subscriber access website being capable of verifying that the subscription account is valid;

verifying that the subscription account is valid via the subscriber access website to allow access to the Internet; and

allowing a user to access the Internet at the rural location.

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 wired connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating a subscription account includes creating the subscription account using a prepaid coupon via the remote server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating a subscription account includes purchasing by the user a quantity of subscription-based access time using a credit card via the remote server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the subscription-based access time may be purchased in a definite quantity.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the subscription-based access time may be purchased on a “

continued until canceled”

basis.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the credit card billing is performed by an existing merchant service.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the existing merchant service is reciprocal with other Internet subscription providers nationwide.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying step is performed by a subscriber merchant service.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the connecting step includes connecting the web-ready device to the router via a wireless connection.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a plurality of users can simultaneously connect web-ready devices to the router.

12. The method of claim 10, 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.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising an amplifier and antenna operatively coupled to the router.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless connection is one of an 802.11a wireless area network, an 802.11b wireless area network, an 802.11g wireless area network, and an 802.11n in wireless area network.

15. 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.

16. The method of claim 15, 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.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the user may create an account using a prepaid coupon.

18. The method of claim 15, 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.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the user may purchase access time in a definite quantity when creating an account.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the user may purchase access time on a “

continue until canceled”

basis when creating an account.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the charging of the user'"'"'s credit card is performed by an existing merchant service.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the existing merchant service is reciprocal with other Internet subscription providers nationwide.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of installing the router and the satellite dish in a rural location experiencing a relatively high volume of transient traffic.

24. An Internet Hotspot comprising:

a satellite dish communicating with the Internet via one or more data links with a satellite;

at least one router operatively coupled to the satellite dish;

a subscriber access unit operatively coupled between the satellite dish and the at least one router, the subscriber access unit being capable of authenticating a subscription account associated with a user prior to allowing the user access to the Internet; and

a web-ready device operatively coupled to the at least one router, the web-read device having a browser application operating thereon for accessing the Internet;

wherein the satellite dish, at least one router and the subscriber access unit are located in a remote location a experiencing a relatively high volume of transient traffic;

wherein the user may authenticate the subscription account and access the Internet at the remote location by establishing a data connection between the web-ready device and the router.

25. The Internet Hotspot of claim 24, wherein the data connection is one of a wired data connection and a wireless data connection.

26. The Internet Hotspot of claim 24, 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.

27. The Internet Hotspot of claim 26, wherein the data connections include wired data connections.

28. The Internet Hotspot of claim 26, wherein the data connections include wireless data connections.

29. The Internet Hotspot of claim 28, further comprising an amplifier and antenna operatively coupled to the router.

30. The Internet Hotspot of claim 29, wherein the router is a Vivato outdoor switch.

31. The Internet Hotspot of claim 24, further comprising at least one wireless extender transceiver operatively coupled between the subscriber access unit and the router.

32. The Internet Hotspot of claim 25, wherein the wireless connection is one of an 802.11a wireless area network, an 802.11b wireless area network, an 802.11g wireless area network, and an 802.11n wireless area network.