364 results about "Network providers" patented technology

A system and method are disclosed for providing ubiquitous public network access to wireless, mobile terminals using private networks having private network access points and connections with the public network. The wireless, mobile terminals are permitted to use wireless, radio frequency communication devices comprising private network access points. A network access server (NAS) is associated with each wireless, radio frequency communication device and provides an interface between the wireless, mobile terminals and the private network. The NAS controls registration of wireless, mobile terminals as subscribers, and provides public network access to the mobile terminals through the private network's access point and public network connection. The NAS also restricts access by the mobile terminals to the private network, meters network useage by the mobile terminals, and controls use of bandwidth by the mobile terminals. The NAS also interfaces with integration operator distributed services over the public network. The integration operator services include databases and servers for storing and providing subscriber and network provider information for subscriber registration, network access and useage control, and accounting purposes. The NAS may be provided as a standalone element embodied in a computer, or may be integrated with the wireless radio frequency device and/or a network adaptor device for the private network.

A system and method for providing network access are disclosed. After connecting to a network at an access point, a user of a computing device registers for network access with a network provider. In response to the registration, the network provider sends a completion page to the computing device. The completion page includes a link to an embedded file such as a small, transparent GIF image. When the computing device retrieves the embedded file, the embedded file is associated with a header than includes an instruction to generate a network system identifier (e.g., a cookie). The network system identifier may be stored by the computing device and later used to identify the computing device as a registrant for network access with the network provider. The embedded file may also be sent at other times, such as after authentication of the user for network access.

Provided herein are exemplary techniques for determining and delivering, appropriate multimedia content comprising a combination of text, images, sounds, rich-text, animation, video, etc. to personal data communication devices (107), such as wireless cell-phones or wireless PDA's, based upon device specific information such as the network protocol used by the device, the network provider, the device capabilities (110), the current state of the device, user specified settings, etc. An application server (109) contains an interpreter capable of executing a set of instructions to manage the delivery and receipt of appropriate multimedia and simple text content to and from personal communication devices (107). Appropriate content (104) is sent to the personal data communication device (107) based on the network protocol used by the device, the network provider, the device capabilities, the current state of the device and user specified settings under the control of the interpreter. A plurality of device capability input handlers (108) controlled by the interpreter is used to capture the device capability of the personal data communication device (107).

A system and method for providing roaming access on a network are disclosed. The network includes a plurality of wireless and/or wired access points. A user may access the network by using client software on a client computer (e.g., a portable computing device) to initiate an access procedure. In response, a network management device operated by a network provider may return an activation response message to the client. The client may send the user's username and password to the network provider. The network provider may rely on a roaming partner, another network provider with whom the user subscribes for internet access, for authentication of the user. Industry-standard methods such as RADIUS, CHAP, or EAP may be used for authentication. The providers may exchange pricing and service information and account information for the authentication session. A customer may select a pricing and service option from a list of available options.

A resource negotiation service is provided to enable business logic decisions to be made when obtaining switched underlay network resources, to interface business logic with network conditions and schedules. The resource negotiation service may be implemented as a web service or other network service to enable business logic to be used in the selection of available network resources. This may allow policy to be used on both the subscriber side and the network provider side to optimize network resource allocations for a proposed transfer. The policy may include subscriber policy, network policy, and other factors such as current and expected network conditions. The resource negotiation service may include an interface to enable existing subscribers and new customers to obtain switched underlay resources.

A method is presented that enables the creation of an alternative data plan by third party enterprises for mobile network end users. The method includes purchasing data transport bundles from one or more network service providers through an exchange, and either alone or with other enterprises, developing the alternative data plan for offer to end-users to consume data transport from the data transport bundle or bundles. The alternative data plan may be offered to the end user for free or the end user may be charged for use of the ADP based on the number of transactions, file type. The ADP may be billed to the user by the network provider or the ADP may be pre-purchased from the creator of the ADP.

A system that provides users of both fixed and wireless Internet devices, a method of entering numbers instead of the text characters of Internet Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and other Internet identifiers to access Internet resources and functions, such as Web sites, e-mail services, individual documents or files, location services, etc. When the user enters a WebNum, the digits of the WebNum are sent to a database on a system that is accessible over the Internet. The database maps the WebNum back to a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), which contains a hostname in the Internet domain name structure. This would subsequently be resolved through the Internet Domain Name System (DNS) to an IP address to identify the IP address of the Web site. The cell phone provider or WID network provider would then retrieve the home page of the Web site over the Internet, to return content to the cell phone or WID display.

A video processing engine terminates frequency-modulated video signals transported over the so-called third mile (the network segment from the head-end to the access network) for delivery to an end user. In various network architectures, these signals are received at a central office (CO), for the telephone companies; at a fiber node (FN), for MSOs; or at a satellite dish, for satellite networks. By terminating these signals appropriately, high-quality video service can be delivered efficiently to customers over the last mile. Systems and methods for processing these video streams as well as various network architectures that allow the network providers to offer cost effective video services to the mass market are described.

A system and method for providing ad hoc controlled user access to wireless and wireline IP communication networks while maintaining privacy for users and traceability for network providers. The method includes an authentication interface accepting user credentials, and a validation entity for credential verification and access authorization. The credentials include a unique identifier and a system generated password. The unique identifier is associated with a personal entity of the user such as a cellular telephone. The password is transmitted to the user through a SMS message to his cellular telephone. The user's Internet session is monitored by the system and all records are indexed by his cellular telephone number. The system and method therefore permit fast and traceable access for guest users at networks where they are were not previously known. Alternatively, users do not provide their unique identifiers such as cellular telephone numbers which are instead already stored in the system. A user provides a username and a one time password is generated by the system and sent to the user by SMS. This enables the system to validate the user's identity as well as the user to validate the Internet resources' identity.

This invention generally relates to one or more computer networks having computers like personal computers or network servers with microprocessors linked by broadband transmission means and having hardware, software, firmware, and other means such that at least one parallel processing operation occurs that involve at least two computers in the network. More particularly, this invention relates to one or more large networks composed of smaller networks and large numbers of computers connected, like the Internet, wherein more than one separate parallel processing operation involving more than one different set of computers occurs simultaneously and wherein ongoing processing linkages can be established between virtually any microprocessors of separate computers connected to the network. Still more particularly, this invention relates to business arrangements enabling the shared used of network microprocessors for parallel and other processing, wherein personal computer owners provide microprocessor processing power to a network, preferably for parallel processing, in exchange for network linkage to other personal and other computers supplied by network providers, including linkage to other microprocessors for parallel or other processing; the basis of the exchange between owners and providers being whatever terms to which the parties agree, subject to governing laws, regulations, or rules, including payment from either party to the other based on periodic measurement of net use or provision of processing power.

The present invention solves the problem of cross-provider access proprietary information between unaffiliated and competing network providers, but not allow that information to be disclosed to competing providers. The invention provides a system that allows increased utilization and revenue by allowing information from one provider to be accessed and used to complete a transaction or make a connection with subscribers in another carrier or network system without that information being disclosed. The description of the invention for use in wireless or cellular directory assistance is for convenience and illustration of the features of the invention. It is to be understood that the invention has many embodiments and can be applied to any system where confidential and secure access to an entity or services are needed.

A system and method for providing access and/or roaming features on a network system. The network system includes a plurality of wireless and/or wired access points coupled to a network. Access points (APs) for the network may be widely distributed in various facilities, such as airports, mass-transit stations, and various businesses. The network may couple to a wide area network, such as the Internet. In one embodiment, a portable computing device (PCD) of a user may store identification information which uniquely indicates a network provider of a plurality of possible network providers. The identification information may also or instead indicate an access or privilege level of the user. Each of the access points are operable to "listen for" or detect identification information associated with numerous different providers. When the access point receives the identification information from a PCD of a user, the access point may determine the appropriate network provider for the portable computing device using the identification information. Network access may then be provided to the portable computing device through the determined network provider. Thus the network system is useable by subscribers of each of the plurality of possible network providers, thereby enabling subscribers to "roam" on various wireless networks, including networks maintained by other providers. The access information may also include an access level which indicates the user's access or privilege level. Thus, the local network may provide various local resources which are available to users having a first access level, and users with a second access level may not be entitled to view or utilize these network resources on the network, but may be simply provided external Internet access.

In one or more embodiments, a network provider can receive a request to access a public network via a wireless network implemented via one or more wireless access points. The network provider can receive, via an unsecured wireless communication from a mobile device utilizing the wireless network and via a hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS), an encryption key usable to secure wireless communications from the mobile device utilizing the wireless network. The encryption key can be encrypted via a public encryption key, received from the network provider or previously stored by the mobile device, associated with the network provider. The network provider can decrypt the encryption key and can provide the encryption key to a wireless access point implementing the wireless network and communicating with the mobile device. The wireless access point and the mobile device can communicate in a secure fashion based on the encryption key.

The rapid proliferation of streamed audio-visual services to users via the Internet, especially fee-based services, has increased the importance for content providers in establishing, maintaining, improving and validating the quality of service and experience they provide to the subscribers or users of their services. Accordingly, there is provided a method of determining quality metric data at the user's display in response to a provided digital multimedia stream. The quality metric data being stored for subsequent transmission to a remote server for aggregation and correlation with other quality metric data and defect related data of provided digital multimedia streams to provide service and network providers with quantified data relating to the quality of experience of users of Internet based audio-visual services. As such the quality metric data may be applied to discrete or continuous audio-visual content facilitating quality determinations for streamed content.

A method for distribution, recognition and accountability for Intellectual and Copy written Properties in digital media's by associating a Transaction Code Identifier or Designator and further bundled information which distinguishes digital files as Intellectual or Copy written Property, and therefore unique and bound to restrictions with regard to transfer, ownership, proliferation and electronic commerce. The employment of said transaction code identifier further promotes novel distribution scenarios for electronic commerce. Further delineated is the role of network providers and servers in promoting the interests of owners of Intellectual and Copy written Property in accordance with the present invention.

In a cellular wireless system, a handset identifies and displays the home network provider for an incoming call. If that home network provider is different from the home network provider for the called handset, the user of that handset is notified and may decide not to accept an incoming call that may incur an airtime charge.

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for sending a communications header with voice recording to send metadata for use in speech recognition and formatting when converting voice to text on a mobile communication facility comprising capturing speech presented by a user using a resident capture facility on the mobile communication facility; transmitting a communications header to a speech recognition facility from the mobile communication facility via a wireless communications facility, wherein the communications header includes at least one of device name, network provider, network type, audio source, a display parameter for the wireless communications facility, geographic location, and phone number information; transmitting at least a portion of the captured speech as data through a wireless communication facility to a speech recognition facility; generating speech-to-text results for the captured speech utilizing the speech recognition facility based at least in part on the communications header; transmitting the text results from the speech recognition facility to the mobile communications facility; and entering the text results into a text field on the mobile communication facility.