Wireless Access Point Subscriber Verification System

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Solution Overview

Problem

The proliferation of unsecured wireless routers allows non-subscribers to access network services without paying, violating service agreements and leading to unauthorized use and bandwidth theft, while existing bandwidth expansion products also violate carrier terms by providing access to non-subscribers.

Innovation Solution

A wireless access point system that includes a processor and memory to verify subscriber agreements, allowing authorized users to access and aggregate bandwidth from multiple wireless access points, while ensuring priority for the owner and preventing unauthorized access.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If wireless routers are made pervasive and easily accessible, then ease of operation and adaptability improve, but unauthorized access and bandwidth theft increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewireless access availabilityVSAvoidunauthorized access

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a service provider as an intermediary between wireless router owners and users. The service provider issues tickets that act as mediators for access control, allowing legitimate users to access wireless networks while preventing unauthorized access. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of operation for authorized users while blocking harmful unauthorized access through the ticket verification mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback through ticket verification at each wireless access point. When a user attempts to access a wireless network, the access point queries the service provider to verify the user's ticket, and the service provider responds with authorization status. This feedback loop ensures that only authorized users can access networks, preventing bandwidth theft while maintaining open access for legitimate users.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If subscribers allow non-subscribers to access their wireless routers, then ease of operation improves for users, but service agreement violations and loss of revenue occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork access convenienceVSAvoidbandwidth theft

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The service provider ticket system acts as an intermediary that allows subscribers to share wireless access with non-subscribers without violating service agreements. Instead of subscribers directly sharing their network credentials (which would constitute bandwidth theft), they purchase tickets from the service provider that enable controlled sharing. This maintains operational convenience while preventing revenue loss by routing access through the official service provider channel.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the access authorization function from the subscriber's wireless router and relocates it to the service provider's ticketing system. Subscribers no longer need to manually manage passwords or access controls on their routers. Instead, they purchase tickets from the service provider, which then issues authorization codes that can be used to access any service provider-managed wireless network. This separates the convenience of easy sharing from the harm of unauthorized access.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Productivity

If bandwidth aggregation from multiple wireless routers is implemented, then productivity and bandwidth speed improve, but device complexity and service agreement violations increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebandwidth aggregation capabilityVSAvoidsystem configuration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The service provider ticket system serves as an intermediary that simplifies bandwidth aggregation. Instead of requiring users to manually configure multiple wireless router connections and manage complex networking settings, users simply purchase aggregation tickets from the service provider. The service provider's system then automatically manages the connection to multiple wireless access points, handling the complexity of bandwidth aggregation in the background while providing simple ticket-based control to users.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS8755366B2System, method, and wireless access point for remote shared access to a communications network

Publication Date: 2014.06.17 CENTURYLINK INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LLC

AI summary

A wireless access point. The wireless access point includes an interface for communicating with a communications network. The wireless access point includes a wireless interface configured to communicate with a number of wireless devices. The wireless access point includes a processor for executing a set of instructions and a memory for storing the set of instructions. The set of instructions are executed to receive a request from a wireless device through the wireless interface to communicate through the wireless access point, query a communications service provider to determine whether the wireless device is associated with the communications service provider and has an agreement to access other wireless access points including the wireless access point, and enable the wireless device to communicate through the wireless access point in response to determining the wireless device is associated with the communications service provider and has an agreement to access the other wireless access points.