Patent ID: 7962617

Claim:
A system for determining a time period of sharing network access capacities between a Master Service Provider, comprising at least one Point Of Presence including at least one port, and a Client Service Provider, the time period of sharing network access capacities being determined according to at least one threshold representing a predetermined shared network access capacity amount and defining at least two ranges, a range time period being associated with each of the ranges, comprising: at least one computer or machine adapted to determine a time period of sharing network access capacities by performing actions comprising: initializing the range time period associated with each of the ranges; comparing, when a port of the at least one Point Of Access of the Master Service Provider is used to establish a connection requested by a subscriber of the Client Service Provider, a number of ports of the at least one Points Of Presence of the Master Service Provider used by subscribers of the Client Service Provider with the at least one threshold to determine the associated range and storing a time at which the connection is established in relation with the associated range; determining, when one port of the at least one Points Of Presence of the Master Service Provider used by a subscriber of the Client Service Provider is released, a higher range to which a stored time is associated; selecting a stored time in relation with the determined range; subtracting the selected time from the time at which the port of the at least one Point Of Presence of the Master Service Provider is released; adding the result of the subtraction to the time period associated with the determined range; deleting the selected time; storing a number of simultaneous connections established for subscribers of the Client Service Provider in a table and updating the table each time a connection is established or released; and billing the Client Service Provider based on the number of simultaneous connections established for subscribers of the Client Service Provider stored in the table.