Pre-paid data card authentication in a public wireless LAN access system

A method for providing access to a Local Area Network (LAN), comprising the steps of:

• receiving in the LAN a request from a user for access, the request including identification of a Billing Agent that maintains an account debited in accordance with access charges incurred by the user;
• querying the Billing Agent to obtain its authenticating certificate and forwarding the certificate to the user;
• alerting the user of a billing rate for LAN access;
• receiving an acceptance from the user of the LAN billing rate.
• receiving from the user a Personal Identifier (PIN) encrypted in accordance with the Billing agent's authenticating certificate;
• forwarding the PIN to the Billing Agent for authentication, and upon successful authentication;
• granting the user access to the LAN while accumulating a charge for such user access.

A method for billing for Local Area Network access charges, comprising the steps of:

• maintaining at a Billing agent an account associated with a user for LAN access charges incurred by the user receiving at the Billing Agent a request for authenticating certificate in after receipt by the LAN of a request from a user for access;
• receiving at the Billing Agent a Personal Identifier (PIN) for the user encrypted in accordance with the Billing agent's authenticating certificate;
• authenticating the PIN at the Billing Agent, and upon successful authentication;
• notifying the LAN to grant access to the user;
• and
• debiting the account in accordance with an accumulated access charge incurred by the user for access to the LAN.

Apparatus for providing a user access to data network on a fee basis, comprising:

• a Billing Agent that maintains an account debited in accordance with access charges incurred by the user;
• and
• Local Area Network (LAN) means for (1) receiving a request from a user for access, the request including identification of the Billing Agent, (2) querying the Billing Agent to obtain its authenticating certificate and forwarding the certificate to the user;
• (3) receiving from the user a Personal Identifier (PIN) encrypted in accordance with the Billing agent's authenticating certificate;
• (4) forwarding the PIN to the Billing Agent for authentication, and upon successful authentication;
• and (5) granting the user access to the LAN while accumulating a charge for such user access.