Patent ID: 7171460
Filing Date: 2007-01-30
Classification: G06Q,H04L,H04M,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method, operative in a gateway, for managing usage of a local area network (LAN) by a subscriber of a wide area network (WAN), the wide area network being operated by an entity providing a telecommunication service that is normally accessible to the subscriber by having an existing WAN authentication mechanism authenticate the subscriber when the subscriber uses the WAN to obtain the telecommunication service, the WAN having an existing WAN billing mechanism, comprising: (a) detecting an attempt by a terminal operated by the subscriber to access the LAN; (b) authenticating the subscriber based on authentication information received from the subscriber and corresponding information of record at the existing WAN authentication system, wherein the information of record is associated with the subscriber's WAN identity and the information received from the subscriber is one of: (i) IMSI information obtained from a SIM card associated with the terminal, (ii) a user login and password obtained during a service provisioning, (iii) IMSI information provided in software executable in the terminal, (iv) IMSI information provided in a network server, (v) a token or one time password exchanged by the terminal through SMS, (vi) a token or one time password exchanged by the terminal through USSD, and (vii) a token or one time password generated using an application associated with a SIM card; (c) after the subscriber is authenticated, receiving information on subscriber usage of the LAN; and (d) transmitting the information on subscriber usage of the LAN to the existing WAN billing mechanism for integrated billing by the entity of LAN and WAN usage, wherein the information on subscriber usage of the LAN is transmitted using a data structure that the existing WAN billing mechanism expects to receive; wherein the gateway interacts with the existing WAN authentication mechanism and the existing WAN billing mechanism, without modifications to those mechanisms, to enable the subscriber to access, to use, and to be billed for the subscriber usage of the LAN using the subscriber's WAN identity.