Authorizing secured wireless access at hotspot by loading user-specific access credential for user according to identity of the user

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016019475-A1
Application number	US-201514868114-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 28, 2015
Priority date	Jun 22, 2012
Publication date	Jan 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A hotspot provides an open wireless network and a secure wireless network. The open wireless network has no network-level encryption and allows open association therewith. The secure wireless network employs network-level encryption and requires authentication of a received access credential from a client device before allowing association therewith. A system for authorizing the client device for secured access at the hotspot includes an access controller configured to establish an encrypted connection between the client device and a login portal of the hotspot over the open wireless network, and to store a user-specific access credential transmitted via the encrypted connection as a valid access credential in a credential database. The credential database is accessed by wireless access points of the hotspot to authenticate the received access credential from the client device in response to a request from the client device to associate with the secure wireless network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of authorizing secured wireless access at a hotspot, the method comprising:
providing an open wireless network having no network-level encryption and allowing open association therewith by a client device; establishing an encrypted connection between the client device and a login portal of the hotspot over the open wireless network; requiring a user of the client device to perform a predetermined sign-up process at the login portal in order to determine an identify of the user; accessing a reservation database in order to load a user-specific access credential for the user according to the identity of the user; adding the user-specific access credential as a valid access credential in the credential database, wherein the credential database stores a plurality of valid access credentials acceptable for gaining secure wireless access at the hotspot; transmitting the user-specific access credential from the login portal to the client device via the encrypted connection; providing a secure wireless network employing network-level encryption and requiring successful completion of an authentication process before allowing association therewith by the client device; receiving a request from the client device to associate with the secure wireless network after the user-specific access credential has been added to the credential database; receiving the user-specific access credential from the client device as a part of the authentication process performed before the client device is allowed to associate with the secure wireless network; accessing the credential database to check whether the user-specific access credential received from the client device during the authentication process corresponds to one of the valid access credentials stored in the credential database; allowing the client device to associate with the secure wireless network only when the user-specific access credential received from the client device during the authentication process corresponds to one of the valid access credentials stored in the credential database; and allowing the client device to access the Internet over the secure wireless network after the client device has successfully associated with the secure wireless network until an Internet access expiry time is reached.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending the user-specific access credential to the user as a part of a reservation confirmation.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying the user-specific access credential on an in-room television in a registered room of a hotel, the registered room associated with the user.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising causing a web browser running on the client device to establish a hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) connection with the login portal over the open wireless network after the client device has associated with the open wireless network.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting instructions from the login portal to the client device instructing a user of the client device to switch the client device to a service set identifier (SSID) of the secure wireless network at the hotspot and to authenticate with the secure wireless network utilizing the user-specific access credential.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the user-specific access credential comprises a username and a password.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising preventing the client device from accessing the Internet over the open wireless network.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to the Internet access expiry time being reached, preventing the client device from accessing the Internet over the secure wireless network and starting a re-login time duration; and automatically removing the user-specific access credential from the credential database in response to the re-login time duration expiring; wherein, during the re-login time duration, the user of the client device may sign up for additional Internet access time at the login portal without needing to disconnect from the secure wireless network

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising disconnecting the client device from the secure wireless network in response to the re-login time period expiring.

10 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the method of claim 1 .

11 . A system for authorizing secured wireless access at a hotspot, the system comprising:
one or more access points providing an open wireless network having no network-level encryption and allowing open association therewith by a client device; a computer server having one or more processors executing software in order to provide a login portal; a storage device coupled to the computer server and storing a credential database, the credential database storing a plurality of valid access credentials acceptable for gaining secure wireless access at the hotspot; one or more access points providing a secure wireless network employing network-level encryption and requiring successful completion of an authentication process before allowing association therewith by the client device; and a firewall coupled to the one or more access points providing the secure wireless network and the computer server providing the login portal; wherein the login portal is operable to establish an encrypted connection with the client device over the open wireless network and require a user of the client device to perform a predetermined sign-up process in order to determine an identity of the user; the login portal is further operable to access a reservation database in order to load from the reservation database a user-specific access credential for the user according to the identity of the user, add the user-specific access credential as a valid access credential in the credential database, and transmit the user-specific access credential to the client device via the encrypted connection; the one or more access points providing the secure wireless network are operable to:
receive a request from the client device to associate with the secure wireless network after the user-specific access credential has been added to the credential database;
receive the user-specific access credential from the client device as a part of the authentication process performed before the client device is allowed to associate with the secure wireless network;
access the credential database to check whether the user-specific access credential received from the client device during the authentication process corresponds to one of the valid access credentials stored in the credential database; and
allow the client device to associate with the secure wireless network only when the user-specific access credential received from the client device during the authentication process corresponds to one of the valid access credentials stored in the credential database; and
the firewall is operable to allow the client device to access the Internet over the secure wireless network after the client device has successfully associated with the secure wireless network until an Internet access expiry time is reached.

12 . The system of claim 11 , further comprising one or more processors operable to send the user-specific access credential to the user as a part of a reservation confirmation.

13 . The system of claim 11 , further comprising one or more processors operable to display the user-specific access credential on an in-room television in a registered room of a

Assignees

• Guest Tek Interactive Entertainment Ltd

Inventors

• Bryksa Ellison W
• Macmillan Andrew T

Classifications

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• G06Q2220/00

  Business processing using cryptography · CPC title

• H04L63/105

  Multiple levels of security · CPC title

• H04L63/108

  when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time · CPC title

• H04L63/168

  above the transport layer · CPC title