Methods and systems for providing subsidized access to network content

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9489666-B2
Application number	US-201213458362-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2012
Priority date	Apr 29, 2011
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

An exemplary method includes a content delivery system 1) detecting a request provided by an access device associated with a user to access network content by way of a network provided by a network service provider, the network content associated with a content provider and maintained by a content provider subsystem, 2) determining that a data usage charge for access by the user to the network content by way of the network is subsidized by the content provider in accordance with a subsidized access arrangement between the content provider and the network service provider, and 3) providing the user with subsidized access to the network content in accordance with a rule set associated with the subsidized access arrangement. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining, by a content delivery system, that a data usage charge for access by a user to network content by way of a network provided by a network service provider is subsidized by a content provider in accordance with a subsidized access arrangement between the content provider and the network service provider, the network content associated with the content provider and maintained by a content provider subsystem;
directing, by the content delivery system in response to the determining that the data usage charge is subsidized by the content provider, an access device associated with the user to present a notification indicating that access by the user to the network content is subsidized by the content provider by:
receiving source code associated with the network content and that comprises a first inactive code snippet representative of the notification and a second inactive code snippet including an authentication credential, the first and second inactive code snippets including contents commented out from the source code,
authenticating the content provider subsystem based on the authentication credential within the second inactive code snippet,
activating, based on the authenticating of the content provider subsystem, the first inactive code snippet representative of the notification by uncommenting the commented out contents of the first inactive code snippet, and
transmitting the source code comprising the activated first code snippet representative of the notification to the access device, the notification identifying the network content indicated as being subsidized by the content provider;

detecting, by the content delivery system in response to the transmitting of the source code comprising the activated first code snippet representative of the notification, a request provided by the access device associated with the user to access the network content by way of the network; and
providing, by the content delivery system in response to the request, the user with subsidized access to the network content in accordance with a rule set associated with the subsidized access arrangement.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the data usage charge is subsidized by the content provider comprises:
recognizing one or more attributes of the network content; and
determining that the data usage charge is subsidized by the content provider based on the recognized one or more attributes.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing the user with the subsidized access to the network content comprises:
tracking an amount of data transmitted between the access device and the content provider subsystem while the user accesses the network content; and
directing the network service provider to adjust the data usage charge in accordance with the tracked amount of data and the rule set associated with the subsidized access arrangement.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the source code associated with the network content includes, within at least one of the first inactive code snippet and the second inactive code snippet, data representative of the rule set; and
the providing the user with the subsidized access to the network content comprises
identifying the rule set by analyzing the at least one of the first inactive code snippet and the second inactive code snippet that includes the data representative of the rule set; and
directing the network service provider to adjust the data usage charge in accordance with the rule set.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing the user with the subsidized access to the network content is further performed in accordance with a user profile associated with the user.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing the user with the subsidized access to the network content comprises utilizing code residing on the access device to:
track an amount of data transmitted between the access device and the content provider subsystem while the user accesses the network content; and
direct the network service provider to determine the data usage charge in accordance with the tracked amount of data and the rule set associated with the subsidized access arrangement.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing the user with the subsidized access to the network content in accordance with the rule set associated with the subsidized access arrangement is performed by utilizing code residing on the access device to route data transmitted between the access device and the content provider subsystem through a reverse billing management subsystem while the user accesses the network content.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the providing the user with the subsidized access to the network content in accordance with the rule set associated with the subsidized access arrangement is further performed by utilizing the reverse billing management subsystem to:
track an amount of the data transmitted between the access device and the content provider subsystem while the user accesses the network content; and
direct the network service provider to adjust the data usage charge in accordance with the tracked amount of data and the rule set associated with the subsidized access arrangement.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing the user with the subsidized access to the network content in accordance with the rule set associated with the subsidized access arrangement is performed by utilizing a domain name system (“DNS”) server to route data transmitted between the access device and the content provider subsystem through a reverse billing management subsystem while the user accesses the network content.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the providing the user with the subsidized access to the network content further comprises utilizing the reverse billing management subsystem to:
track an amount of the data transmitted between the access device and the content provider subsystem while the user accesses the network content; and
direct the network service provider to adjust the data usage charge in accordance with the tracked amount of data and the rule set associated with the subsidized access arrangement.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing the user with the subsidized access to the network content comprises:
routing the request to access the network content to the content provider subsystem through a reverse billing management subsystem;
directing the reverse billing management subsystem to insert data representative of a challenge into the request before the request is delivered to the content provider subsystem;
detecting that the content provider has provided a response message to the reverse billing management subsystem in response to the request, the response message including data representative of an answer to the challenge and data representative of the rule set associated with the subsidized access arrangement;
directing the reverse billing management subsystem to authenticate the content provider subsystem based on the answer; and
facilitating, in response to the authentication, the subsidized access by the user to the network content.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the facilitating of the subsidized access by the user to the network content comprises:
routing, in response to the authentication, data transmitted between the access device and the content provider subsystem through the reverse billing management subsystem while the user accesses the network content;
directing the reverse billing management subsystem to track an amount of the data transmitted between the access device and the content provider subsystem while t

Assignees

• Vishwanathan Kumar K
• Pai Gurudutt U
• Sundar Rangamani
• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Vishwanathan Kumar K
• Pai Gurudutt U
• Sundar Rangamani

Classifications

• G06Q20/14 Primary

  specially adapted for billing systems · CPC title

• H04M2215/0192

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• H04M15/68

  Payment of value-added services · CPC title

• G06Q20/123

  Shopping for digital content · CPC title

• H04M15/08

  Metering calls to called party {, i.e. B-party charged for the communication} · CPC title