# US 10,313,142 B2 · Process for providing network access for a user via a network provider to a service provider

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- Number: US 10,313,142 B2
- Document ID: US10313142B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/061,165
- Filed: 2009-07-22
- Published: 2011-09-01
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2008-08-29
- Assignees: NEC Corporation
- Applicants: Hugo Santos; Joao Girao
- Inventors: Hugo Santos; Joao Girao
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10313142B2

## CPC

- H04L 12/1403: {Architecture for metering, charging or billing}
- G06Q 30/04: Billing or invoicing
- H04L 12/14: Charging, metering or billing arrangements specially adapted for data communications, e.g. authentication, authorisation and accounting [AAA] framework
- H04L 12/1471: {splitting of costs}
- H04L 63/0815: {providing single-sign-on or federations}
- H04L 63/10: {for controlling access to devices or network resources}
- H04W 12/08: Access security
- H04W 84/12: WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

For providing a simple network access process which can be used for accessing network with focus on a single service a process for providing network access for a user via a Network Provider (NP) to a Service Provider (SP) is claimed, the process including: establishing a connection between the user and the Network Provider (NP) by user's request to access the Service Provider (SP); authenticating of the user by a user's Identity Provider (IdP) on request of the Network Provider (NP); transmitting data from the Identity Provider (IdP) to the Network Provider (NP), so that the Network Provider (NP) has the information that the Service Provider (SP) or a third party is payee of the access fees; and providing the access for the user via the Network Provider (NP) to the Service Provider (SP) by the Network Provider (NP).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for providing network access, comprising:
entering, by a user, an area of coverage of a wi-fi hot spot;
the user utilizing the hot spot by opening a browser of a portable electronic device of the user to a service to be accessed;
prior to the user being authenticated and based on a user's request to access a Service Provider, establishing a HTTP connection between the user's portable electronic device and a gateway of a network of the Network Provider;
authenticating the user by a proxy of the gateway redirecting the user to a location of a user's Identity Provider;
after the proxy receives, upon the authenticating being successful to authenticate the user, an authentication context that identifies the user, the proxy constructing and sending a policy decision request to the Identity Provider to obtain Policy Decision Point data from the Identity Provider;
transmitting the Policy Decision Point data from the Identity Provider to the proxy, the Policy Decision Point data providing the Network Provider, via the proxy, information that the Service Provider or a third party is payor of access fees for the authenticated user;
after receipt of the Policy Decision Point data at the proxy, the proxy negotiating with the Service Provider how much the Service Provider is willing to pay as the access fees for the authenticated user, and network service access obligations the Network Provider will meet in providing the authenticated user access over a HTTP connection to the Service Provider, the network service access obligations including service level parameters;
as a result of the negotiating, the Service Provider providing the proxy with a policy specifying how much the Service Provider is willing to pay and the network service access obligations the Network Provider will meet;
the proxy producing, from the policy provided by the Service Provider after the negotiating step, an obligation containing billing information sufficient for the Network Provider to subsequently bill the access fees to the payor;
the Network Provider providing the access for the authenticated user to the Service Provider; and
presenting a unified view, on the browser of the portable electronic device, of the service being accessed.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, further comprising:
the Network Provider using the obligation produced in the producing step from the policy provided by the Service Provider to charge the access fees to the payor.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, wherein the obligation is in eXtensible Access Control Markup Language.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, wherein the Identity Provider is the Service Provider.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, wherein, in said authenticating step, the proxy redirects the user to a page where the user can specify the user's Identity Provider.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, wherein the data being transmitted from the Identity Provider to the Network Provider are based on at least one of context built by the Network Provider, the user's policies or the identity of the Service Provider being accessed.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, further comprising:
negotiating, by the Network Provider and the Identity Provider, to select the payor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The process according to claim 7, further comprising:
selecting the payor based on context and/or user policies.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, further comprising:
redirecting the user, by the Identity Provider, to the Network Provider after authentication.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, further comprising:
negotiating and/or verifying, by the Network provider, billing obligations or information provided by the Identity Provider with the payor.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, further comprising:
as part of establishing the network service access obligations, providing boundaries of the Network Provider and the payor or Service Provider for service provisioning in terms of Platform for Privacy Preferences Project policies.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The process according to claim 11, further comprising:
utilizing the Platform for Privacy Preferences Project policies to determine service level parameters and/or to negotiate access conditions.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, further comprising:
selecting, by the payor or Service Provider, filters and billing information; and
selecting payment by the Network Provider.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, further comprising:
offering other personal or individual information about the user to at least one of the Network Provider or Service Provider to enhance personalization or for providing information required by the Service Provider or Network Provider.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The process according to claim 1, further comprising:
providing, by the Network Provider, a WLAN for network access.