Access point with controller for billing and generating income for access point owner

摘要

A modified end user network access point includes a switching module and a controller to track usage of the end user network access point by wirelessly connected end user devices. The tracked usage information is transmitted from the end user network access point to a remotely coupled data center. The data center collects usage information from a plurality of different end user network access points. The collected usage information is in turn transmitted from the data center to a network carrier. The network carrier uses the received usage information to bill users for accessing the end user network access points and using any services provided by the end user network access points. An owner of each end user network access point is compensated by the network carrier each instance that an end user device utilizes the end user network access point to access the network carrier's communications network.

主权项

1. A system to generate income for an owner of an end user network access point, the system comprising:
a. one or more end user devices; b. one or more network nodes including an end user network access point in communication with the one or more end user devices, wherein the one or more network nodes provide the one or more end user devices access to a communications network with the end user network access point being the initial point of access to the communications network, further wherein the end user network access point includes a switching module that collects usage information including first end user identification information associated with each end user device that accesses the communications network via the end user network access access point; c. a data center in communication with the end user network access point, wherein the end user network access point transmits the usage information to the data center to be stored as a billing record; and d. a network carrier of the communications network to receive the billing record, to charge one or more of the end user devices based on the billing record and to provide an income to an owner of the end user network access point, associated with the billing record, wherein the owner of the end user access point is an entity other than the network carrier, wherein the data center matches the first end user identification information of the usage information to second end user identification information received from the network carrier corresponding to the communications network to form the billing record.