Patent ID: 7711097

Claim:
A pay-per-connection system coupled to a network service provider and to a client computer provided by a user as a user provided client computer and comprising: a local payment terminal physically local to the pay-per-connection system and maintaining anonymity of the user by receiving payment and a passcode not identifying user information as a no user identifying passcode from the user at the local payment terminal, and transmitting a payment message and the no user identifying passcode, a local service unit in communication with the user provided client computer and transmitting and receiving information, an internet service unit in communication with the network service provider and transmitting and receiving information, a control unit including a database, coupled to the payment terminal, to the local service unit and to the internet service interface unit, said control unit receiving the payment message and the no user identifying passcode from the payment terminal, determining an allocation of usage of a network connection between the user provided client computer and the network service provider using the internet service unit based on the payment message, binding the no user identifying passcode with network connection usage allocation, storing a record including the no user identifying passcode and the network connection usage allocation in its database, enabling access for the user provided client computer to the network service provider through the internet service unit and the local service unit for the allocated amount of usage, upon the user provided client computer communicating the no user identifying passcode and identifying information of the user provided client computer to the control unit, and preventing unauthorized client computers from accessing the network service provider through the pay-per-connection system, according to a filtering of bound no user identifying passcodes and identifying information of client computers.