US 6,192,132 B1Granted

Short term internet access

AssigneeAvaya Technology Corp.

InventorsDavid L. Chavez, Jr., John C. Moran

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Abstract

Allowing a service vendor to establish a set of Internet access accounts with an Internet service provider and to have the capability of activating or deactivating an Internet access account by directly interacting with the Internet service provider system via a digital link. In addition, the service vendor can determine the amount of access time that has been spent on each of the Internet access accounts owned by the service vendor. The service vendor can also rent to a user an Internet terminal that can only be utilized to access the Internet access account rented to that user. In the Internet terminal, the Internet access account number is encrypted and cannot be modified by the user. In addition, the service provider has the capability of disabling the rented Internet terminal by transmission of a message via the Internet service provider system.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A method of providing access by a service vendor to a network data exchange facility controlled by a service provider for a plurality of data terminals, comprising the step of:

providing a plurality of access accounts owned by the service vendor;
receiving a first message via a data link from the service vendor requesting the activation of one of the plurality of access accounts;
requesting personal identification information from the service vendor to verify the identify of the service vendor;
activating the one of the plurality of access accounts in response to the first message and the personal identification information;
receiving a second message via a data link from the service vendor requesting the deactivation of the one of the plurality of access accounts;
requesting again the personal identification information from the service vendor to verify the identify of the service vendor;
deactivating the one of the plurality of access accounts in response to the second message and the personal identification information;
receiving a third message requesting disabling of an access account number that allows access to the one of the plurality of access accounts;
requesting an encryption key from the service vendor in response to the third message;
receiving the encryption key from the service vendor;
accessing one of a set of network data exchange facility access terminals using the one of the plurality of access accounts with the encryption key in response to the third message and the encryption key;
and
disabling the access account number within the one of the set of network data exchange facility access terminals in response to the third message and the encryption key.

10 more elements

A method of providing access by a service vendor to a network data exchange facility controlled by a service provider for a plurality of data terminals, comprising the step of:

providing a plurality of access accounts owned by the service vendor;
receiving a first message via a data link from the service vendor requesting the activation of one of the plurality of access accounts;
requesting personal identification information from the service vendor to verify the identify of the service vendor;
activating the one of the plurality of access accounts in response to the first message and the personal identification information;
receiving a second message via a data link from the service vendor requesting the deactivation of the one of the plurality of access accounts;
requesting again the personal identification information from the service vendor to verify the identify of the service vendor;
deactivating the one of the plurality of access accounts in response to the second message and the personal identification information;
receiving a third message requesting disabling of an access account number that allows access to the one of the plurality of access accounts by a user computer executing network data exchange facility access software supplied by the service vendor;
requesting an encryption key from the service vendor in response to the third message;
receiving the encryption key from the service vendor;
accessing the user computer executing network data exchange facility access software supplied by the service vendor using the one of the plurality of access accounts with the encryption key in response to the third message and the encryption key;
and
disabling the access account number within the user computer executing network data exchange facility access software supplied by the service vendor in response to the third message and the encryption key.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.