Portable bandwidth server
AssigneeKarma Mobility Inc.
InventorsSteven Andrew van Wel, Stefan Borsje, Robert Gaal, Robert Schouwenburg, Jan Leendert Hecker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed for a user to share bandwidth among multiple devices, and for a sharing device to share available bandwidth among different users. The bandwidth sharing platform can leverage social network techniques to facilitate user access, and sharing is incentivized by rewarding various types of sharing activity.
Claims21
A system including a server having an interface to a data network, the server configured to perform the steps of:
- maintaining a data usage allocation account for a user, the data usage allocation account including an available balance of data for use by the user on the data network;
- receiving an indication of data usage by the user from a device that provides connectivity for the data usage to the user, the indication of data usage identifying the user and an amount of the data usage;
- subtracting the amount of the data usage from the data usage allocation account for the user;
- when the data usage allocation account is at or below zero, sending a notification to the device;
- and
- when the user accesses the device with a client for connectivity to the data network, crediting an account of an operator of the device with a supplemental data usage allocation.
A computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computing devices, performs the steps of:
- maintaining a data usage allocation account for a user, the data usage allocation account including an available balance of data for use by the user on the data network;
- receiving an indication of data usage by the user from a device that provides connectivity for the data usage to the user, the indication of data usage identifying the user and an amount of the data usage;
- subtracting the amount of the data usage from the data usage allocation account for the user;
- when the data usage allocation account is at or below zero, sending a notification to the device;
- and
- when the user accesses the device with a client for connectivity to the data network, crediting an account of an operator of the device with a supplemental data usage allocation.
A method comprising:
- maintaining a data usage allocation account for a user, the data usage allocation account including an available balance of data for use by the user on the data network;
- receiving an indication of data usage by the user from a device that provides connectivity for the data usage to the user, the indication of data usage identifying the user and an amount of the data usage;
- subtracting the amount of the data usage from the data usage allocation account for the user;
- when the data usage allocation account is at or below zero, sending a notification to the device;
- and
- when the user accesses the device with a client for connectivity to the data network, crediting an account of an operator of the device with a supplemental data usage allocation.
21-60. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.