Patent ID: 8331902

Claim:
A method for authenticating and charging a user of a wireless local area network (WLAN) gateway system including a service management platform, an access gateway, a rating element maintaining profile information associated with a mobile computing device, a charging element maintaining charging details associated with the mobile computing device, and an interface for connecting the mobile computing device to the access gateway, the method comprising: receiving, at the access gateway, authentication information for the user associated with the mobile computing device; sending a first message from the access gateway to the mobile computing device; if no reply to the first message is received from the user, then denying the mobile computing device access to said WLAN; if a reply to the first message is received, then permitting the mobile computing device to access said WLAN; and during the access to said WLAN: sending an instruction from the access gateway to the rating element to determine a rate for packets carried between the mobile computing device and the WLAN to establish a rate of charge for the packets; and sending an instruction from the access gateway to the charging element representing charging details associated with the access of said WLAN by the mobile computing device, the charging details based at least in part on the rate of charge.