Clearinghouse system and method for gaining access to use properties for carrier-based services

• US 8,572,117 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2010
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Theodore S. Rappaport
• Original Assignee: Theodore S. Rappaport
• Inventors: Rappaport, Theodore S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLEN, NICHOLAS E
• Application Number:
  US12/814,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20100299274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• Field of Search: 707/999.107, 707/769, 707/776, 707/999.005, 705/53
• US Class Current: 707/776
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/177 Initialisation or configuration control processor initialisation G06F9/4405
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

A computerized system, method and process allows telecommunications carriers to find, evaluate and select locations for equipment through direct access to end users, while providing citizens the opportunity to offer the use of their dwelling or other assets to carriers. The system and method further provides a computerized mechanism for (a) creating an inventory and marketplace for available properties for use in telecommunications networks, (b) providing quality and/or performance monitoring and control for wireless communication systems based on data in the clearinghouse, and (c) providing localized content over wireless networks using the clearinghouse.

Claims

1. A method of gaining access to use property by one or more carriers of carrier-based services, comprising:

creating or providing one or more databases which function as part of a clearinghouse system having one or more electronic interfaces, said clearinghouse system having at least one computer configured to control, manage, update, or search said one or more databases, wherein said one or more databases are populated with records of properties having availability for use by one or more carriers, said properties being owned or controlled by one or more end users with expressed interest to support or accommodate carrier equipment for some benefit or consideration, and said use comprising installation or placement of carrier equipment on one or more of said properties;

permitting, using said one or more electronic interfaces, controlling, managing, updating, searching, or identifying records in said one or more databases associated with a particular geographical location; and

handling communications between said one or more carriers and said one or more end users using said clearinghouse system pertaining to one or more business transactions which will provide said some benefit or consideration which will make available at least one property of said properties for installation or placement of said carrier equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said handling step comprises providing a web-based forum for electronically negotiating property use transactions based on the records of one or more properties stored in said one or more databases.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said handling step comprises hosting an electronic business exchange for facilitating the closing of property use transactions based on the records of one or more of said properties stored in said one or more databases.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of

receiving record forms or data submitted by said one or more end users using said one or more electronic interfaces;

and

populating said one or more databases with information from said record forms or data.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said one or more databases are further configured to store property need or property specification information submitted by one or more carriers using said one or more electronic interfaces.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the at least one computer is further configured to match one or more property needs or property specifications of one or more carriers to one or more property records stored in said one or more databases.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said handling step comprises handling communications via one or more of a web portal, web application, email application, on-screen notification, messaging feature, voice mail, voice over IP (VoIP), fax, regular mail, cell phone alert, video or multimedia services, forums, exchanges, chat facilities, instant messaging, web posting, and peer-to-peer or peer-to-group hosting applications, any one or multiple of which is associated with one or more of a web server, email server, automatic speech recognition device, digital recorder, phone bank, telephone operator or call center, cell phone, PDA, tablet computer, or said one or more electronic interfaces.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said handling communications involves one or more third party intermediaries which are not end users or carriers.

9. A clearinghouse system, comprising:

one or more databases populated with records of properties having availability for use by one or more carriers, said properties being owned or controlled by one or more end users with expressed interest to support or accommodate carrier equipment for some benefit or consideration, and said use comprising installation or placement of carrier equipment on one or more of said properties; and

at least one computer configured to control, manage, update, search or identify records in said one or more databases associated with a particular geographical location and handle communications between said one or more carriers and said one or more end users using said clearinghouse system pertaining to one or more business transactions which will provide said some benefit or consideration which will make available at least one property of said properties for installation or placement of said carrier equipment.

10. The clearinghouse system of claim 9, wherein said at least one computer is further configured to provide a web-based forum for electronically negotiating property use transactions between said one or more carriers and said one or more end users that own or control one or more of said properties recorded in said one or more databases.

11. The clearinghouse system of claim 9, wherein said at least one computer is further configured to host an electronic business exchange for facilitating the closing of property use transactions between said one or more carriers and said one or more end users that own or control one or more of said properties recorded in said one or more databases.

12. The clearinghouse system of claim 9, wherein said at least one computer is further configured to receive record forms or data submitted by said one or more end users using one or more electronic interfaces and said one or more databases are populated with information from said record forms or data.

13. The clearinghouse system of claim 9, wherein said one or more databases are further configured to store property need or property specification information submitted by one or more carriers.

14. The clearinghouse system of claim 13, wherein said at least one computer is further configured to match one or more property needs or property specifications of one or more carriers to one or more property records stored in said one or more databases.

15. The clearinghouse system of claim 9, wherein said at least one computer is configured to handle communications between said one or more carriers and said one or more end users using one or more of a web portal, web application, email application, on-screen notification, messaging feature, voice mail, voice over IP (VoIP), fax, regular mail, cell phone alert, video or multimedia services, forums, exchanges, chat facilities, instant messaging, web posting, and peer-to-peer or peer-to-group hosting applications, any one or multiple of which is associated with one or more of a web server, email server, automatic speech recognition device, digital recorder, phone bank, telephone operator or call center, cell phone, PDA, tablet computer, or said one or more electronic interfaces.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said handling communications involves one or more third party intermediaries which are not end users or carriers.

17. A clearinghouse system for gaining access to use property by one or more carriers of carrier-based services, comprising:

means for storing records of properties having availability for use by one or more carriers, said properties being owned or controlled by one or more end users with expressed interest to support or accommodate carrier equipment for some benefit or consideration, and said use comprising installation or placement of carrier equipment on one or more of said properties;

means for controlling, managing, updating, or searching said means for storing;

means for controlling, managing, updating, searching, or identifying one or more records stored by said means for storing of one or more properties located at or within a particular geographical location; and

means for handling communications between said one or more carriers and said one or more end users using said clearinghouse system pertaining to one or more business transactions which will provide said some benefit or consideration which will make available at least one property of said properties for installation or placement of said carrier equipment.

18. The clearinghouse system of claim 17, wherein said means for handling communications comprises means for electronically negotiating property use transactions between said one or more carriers and said one or more end users who own or control one or more of said properties.

19. The clearinghouse system of claim 17, wherein said means for handling communications comprises means for hosting an electronic business exchange for facilitating the closing of property use transactions between said one or more carriers and said one or more end users who own or control one or more of said properties.

20. The clearinghouse system of claim 17, further comprising means for receiving record forms or data submitted by said one or more end users for populating said means for storing with information from said record forms or data.

21. The clearinghouse system of claim 17, wherein said means for storing comprises means for storing property need or property specification information of one or more carriers.

22. The clearinghouse system of claim 21, further comprising means for matching one or more a-property needs or property specifications of one or more carriers to one or more property records stored by said means for storing.

23. The clearinghouse system of claim 17, wherein said means for handling communications between said one or more carriers and said one or more end users comprises handling communications via one or more of a web portal, web application, email application, on-screen notification, messaging feature, voice mail, voice over IP (VoIP), fax, regular mail, cell phone alert, video or multimedia services, forums, exchanges, chat facilities, instant messaging, web posting, and peer-to-peer or peer-to-group hosting applications, any one or multiple of which is associated with one or more of a web server, email server, automatic speech recognition device, digital recorder, phone bank, telephone operator or call center, cell phone, PDA, tablet computer, or said one or more electronic interfaces.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said handling communications involves one or more third party intermediaries which are not end users or carriers.