Method and system for providing secure user access to public or private telephone and internet systems
US7024478B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 14, 2000 |
| Grant date | Apr 4, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 1, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04M2250/02
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A public telephone and Internet access system that comprises Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) that are connected to an ethernet or other Local Area Network by a network cradle, and a number of ethernet telephones connected to the same Local Area Network. The PDAs store encrypted information about their owners, including the owner's name, their phone forwarding preferences, access permissions to the network, and charging/billing information. When a PDA is attached to a network cradle, this information is automatically transferred to the gatekeeper, which is a server that performs management tasks for the ethernet phone network. These tasks include deciding whether or not a user is allowed to sign up and use a public ethernet phone, maintaining billing and charging information, and forwarding incoming calls for a given user to the ethernet phone at the user's current location. This invention provides a secure method for the PDA and the gatekeeper to exchange authentication information.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.