FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an automated system for peer to peer internet sharing over smart devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to an automated system for peer to peer internet sharing with complete control over duration, bandwidth and data limit over smart devices including smart phones or tablets or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Telecommunications technology has advanced dramatically in recent history. The era of cost effective mobile data connectivity, “anytime, anywhere” is rapidly approaching. With the growing popularity of the Internet and increasing mobility demands from end users, there has recently been increased interest in Internet sharing over Wi-Fi.

Of late, a new wireless data technology based on the IEEE 802.11 standard has been gaining momentum. Of particular interest is the deployment of 802.11-based access points-so called “Hotspots” in public spaces, e.g. coffee shops, colleges, schools, hotels, conference centers, airports etc. “Hotspot” allows the use of a wireless device as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot, enabling a mobile device, such as a smart phone or a tablet, as a modem for another Wi-Fi-capable device (e.g., a laptop computer, a mobile device, etc.). Tethering enables sharing of the Internet connection of the mobile device with Wi-Fi-capable devices and can be performed using a wireless LAN (or "Wi-Fi") connection, a Bluetooth connection, or a physical connection, such as USB. Once an association is established with Hotspot, the user is able to surf the Internet as if they were on a LAN.

However, configuring a smartphone as a Wi-Fi hotspot is functionally equivalent to configuring a structural wireless access point. Specifically, the mobile device must be configured with a Service Set Identification ("SSID") to broadcast and a password for authentication of devices desiring to connect to the hotspot. Devices desiring to connect to a hotspot must treat the hotspot like a conventional Wi-Fi network and select the correct SSID and enter the correct password. This degree of configuration may well be beyond the capacity of many users to complete securely.

A disadvantage to pre-shared key or password for authentication based systems is that once the shared secret or password becomes known to unauthorized personnel, the security of the entire network is compromised.

Another problem usually faced is that many hotspots only offer open and unsecured communications. Some users, however, may wish to engage in communications or transactions that involve personal, sensitive, or proprietary information that is not necessarily suited for an open and unsecured communications network. As such, users may wish for such transactions be conducted in a secure manner, such that such information may not be exposed or stolen.

Implementing security features is complicated, difficult to maintain, and requires a high level of technical knowledge. An additional complication is that users at a hotspot may be continually changing. As a result, many commercial organizations who can benefit from hotspots have been unable to deploy security measures around their hotspots, because of their lack of expertise and/or full-time professional technical support.

Further, the current systems fail to regulate or control key data policies of a hotspot such as amount of data shared, duration for which data is shared, bandwidth applicable once a hotspot connection is established.

Thus, there is a need in the art for improved systems and methods for providing secure network access at Wi-Fi hotspots. There is also a need to provide an automated system for peer to peer internet sharing over smart devices which not only automate the entire process of connection and disconnection to a hotspot with no need to share passwords but also provides complete control on key data policies of a hotspot such as amount of data shared, duration for which data is shared, bandwidth applicable once a hotspot connection is established.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure is directed to various aspects providing an automated system for peer to peer internet sharing over smart devices which not only automate the entire process of connection and disconnection to a hotspot with no need to share passwords but also provides complete control on key data policies of a hotspot such as amount of data shared, duration for which data is shared, bandwidth applicable once a hotspot connection is established, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, and as set forth more completely in the appended claims or the further claims to follow in the complete specification.

The aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied as a system, method, or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.), or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may generally be referred to herein as a "module" or "system."

It is to be understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated herein.

Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more non-transitory computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code encoded thereon.

Any combination of one or more non-transitory computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device.

One aspect of the invention relates to a system for providing peer to peer internet sharing over mobile smart devices, the system comprising: an access point associated with a hotspot created by a mobile device (A), an intermediary web service, wherein a request initiated by a user device (B) located within a range of the hotspot is redirected to an intermediary web server (C) to use the hotspot; a hotspot controller provided in devices (A) and (B) comprising: an interface for receiving one or more requests from the devices (A) and (B), wherein the intermediary web server (C) is configured to receive and act as per key user policies provided by mobile device (A) for using the hotspot; a processor for executing instructions relating to key user policies stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor generates a new pre-defined key for the user device (B), wherein the new pre-defined key is unique to the user device (B), wherein the interface transmits the unique pre-defined key over a communication network to the user device (B) and automatically connects to the hotspot allowing access and use thereof based on the key user policies.

The access point provides both: open access over an open communication network, and secured network access over a secured communication network based on a pre-defined key.

The key user policies includes information regarding amount, session duration and bandwidth of data shared once a hotspot connection is established between devices (A) and (B).

The information regarding the user device (B) include at least one parameter and wherein the secured network access granted to the user device (B) is governed by the at least one parameter.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

An object and advantage of the invention is to provide improved systems and methods for providing secure network access at Wi-FI hotspots.

Another object and advantage of the invention is to provide an automated system for peer to peer internet sharing over smart devices.

Another object and advantage of the invention is to provide an automated system for peer to peer internet sharing over smart devices which automate the entire process of connection and disconnection to a hotspot with no need to share passwords.

Yet another object and advantage of the invention is to provide an automated system which provides complete control on key data policies of a hotspot such as amount of data shared, duration for which data is shared, bandwidth applicable once a hotspot connection is established.

A further object and advantage of the present invention is to provide a hotspot controller for peer to peer internet sharing over smart devices.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

To provide a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and features and advantages thereof, reference is made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for peer to peer internet sharing over smart devices providing access to a mobile hotspot utilizing a hotspot controller, according to one implementation;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description contains specific information pertaining to implementations in the present disclosure. One skilled in the art will recognize that the present disclosure may be implemented in a manner different from that specifically discussed herein. The drawings in the present application and their accompanying detailed description are directed to merely exemplary implementations. Unless noted otherwise, like or corresponding elements among the figures may be indicated by like or corresponding reference numerals.

The present invention relates to a set of protocols which help two or more smartphones to share internet with each other in an automated manner with full control on data usage, duration of use and bandwidth.

Referring to FIG. 1, it will be assumed for the sake of example that device A has been configured to function as a mobile hotspot and that a Wi-Fi-capable device B is able to access the internet via the hotspot provided by device A. Device A and B may be any type of mobile device, such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, personal computer, or personal digital assistant (PDA) or the like. Mobile device A and B may further include a hotspot controller, which provides policy-driven, control over subordinate tethered connections to mobile device B.

Mobile device A may communicate with tethered device B via a tethered connection, which may be any IP-based connection, without limitation, such as a USB connection, a Bluetooth connection, a WiFi AP connection, a WiFi direct connection or an Ethernet connection. Utilizing mobile device A’s mobile hotspot, tethered device B may communicate with an intermediary web server which may include a cloud server C over wireless wide area network (WWAN) connection. As will be discussed in greater detail below, the hotspot controller within or otherwise provided to the mobile device A may provide policy-driven control over any tethered connections to mobile device A.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 1, as indicated by (1), mobile device A updates cloud server C with key user policies of a hotspot such as how much amount of data can be shared, duration for which data can be shared, bandwidth applicable once a hotspot connection is established. As indicated by (2), mobile device A automatically switches to hotspot sharing with a pre-defined SSID and password and is ready to share Wi-Fi with devices nearby having a hotspot controller . As indicated by (3), Mobile device B having a hotspot controller wants to access Wi-Fi is automatically connected to device A based on pre-defined SSID and password already configured within hotspot controller .

In one embodiment, as indicated by (4), the mobile device B is allowed to check with the cloud server C on the data limit/ time limit (as indicated by 4a). Cloud server C sends the appropriate response back to mobile device B (as indicated by 4b). If the mobile device B is blacklisted or marked with time or data over, the session termination request is sent to mobile device B which then send the request to mobile device A to disconnect mobile device B. If there is a valid time/data limit available for mobile device B, the internet session starts.

Alternatively, if the mobile device B is blacklisted or marked with time or data over, the session termination or not available request is sent by mobile device A to mobile B.

As indicated by (5), the mobile device B starts accounting the time and data that is being consumed and passes the information to both cloud server C and mobile device A in the form of regular pings. As indicated by (6), once the time or data limit is reached, mobile device B sends a request both to cloud server C and mobile device A. Based on the request, mobile device A changes the SSID and password thereby disconnecting mobile device B stopping the internet session. Alternatively, once the time or data limit is reached, mobile device A notifying mobile device terminates the internet session of mobile device B.

The working of the present invention is further discussed as follows with continued reference of FIG. 1:

Assuming for the sake of example that there are a group of smartphone devices (A, B) - A wants to share internet and B want to consume internet (Number of devices can vary).

So, (A) is provider and (B) is consumer.

Connection Process:

Also, assuming that the hotspot controller of the present invention is there in all devices. (A) tries to start internet sharing over Wi-Fi using the hotspot controller n. The hotspot controller turns on its internet sharing over Wi-Fi with a SSID of format:

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Dated this 23rd day of December 2016.