Level 1 gateway for video dial tone networks

A system comprising:

• a communication network selectively providing broadband communication links;
• a plurality of information service provider systems connected to the network, each provider system being capable of transmitting broadband digital information via a communication link through the network;
• a plurality of terminals for transmitting control signals upstream through the network in response to user inputs and for providing displays in response to broadband digital information received through the network from provider systems;
• a gateway controlling the network to establish broadband communication links through the network between the information service provider systems and the terminals, and accumulating usage data regarding each established broadband communication link for billing for links established to the service provider systems;
• and
• a billing system, receiving the usage data from the gateway system, for calculating a network service charge for at least one broadband communication link established between one terminal and a selected service provider's system based on the usage data, and generating a bill to the selected service provider for the network service charge.

In a system comprising:

• a communication network selectively providing broadband communication links;
• a plurality of information service provider systems connected to the network, each provider system being capable of transmitting broadband digital information via a communication link through the network;
• and
• a plurality of terminals for transmitting control signals upstream through the network in response to user inputs and for providing displays in response to broadband digital information received through the network from provider systems;
• a gateway for:
• (1) controlling the network to establish broadband communication links through the network between the information service provider systems and the terminals,
• (2) accumulating usage data regarding each established broadband communication link for billing,
• (3) calculating a network service charge for at least one of the established broadband communication links based on the corresponding usage data, and
• (4) generating a bill to the corresponding information service provider system for the network service charge.

A gateway for use in a broadband communication network comprising:

• a service data module maintaining service data files relating to information service providers offering services through the broadband communication network and information users subscribing to service through the broadband communication network;
• a service control module for interacting with users through users terminals coupled to the broadband communication system, said service control module generating requests for broadband communication sessions between selected providers and selecting users terminals in response to selection information from the selecting users terminals and data files maintained by the service data module;
• a session management module, responsive to the requests for broadband communication sessions, for identifying end to end communication connectivity needed for each requested broadband communication session, generating requests for the identified end to end communication connectivity and collecting usage information relating to established broadband communication sessions;
• and
• a connection management module, responsive to the instructions from the session management module, for identifying entry and exit points through one or more subsections of the broadband communication network for the end to end communication connectivity needed for each requested broadband communication session, and interacting with a control element of each of the one or more subsections of the broadband communication network to obtain communications connectivity through each of the one or more subsections of the broadband communication network to establish the end to end communication connectivity needed for each requested broadband communication session, and for confirming establishment of each requested broadband communication session to the session management module.