FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention provides methods that allow a website owner to provide access to its website by users that do not otherwise have Internet access. Methods are described that allow an internet service provider (ISP) to charge a website owner or operator when a non-subscribed user accesses the website through the ISP network.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The rise of the Internet has resulted in an unprecedented increase in on-line commerce. In today's world, businesses often need an on-line presence to remain competitive. A U.S. Department of Commerce report recently indicated that second-quarter 2002 retail e-commerce sales were an estimated $10.243 billion, an increase of about 24 percent from the second quarter of 2001. The report, put out by the Census Bureau, stated that total retail sales for the period were an estimated $825.5 billion, an increase of about 2.5 percent from the prior year.
[0004] While the e-commerce explosion has been impressive, a limiting factor in e-commerce growth has been the number of businesses and persons that are not yet connected to the Internet. A Census Bureau report released in 2001 indicated that over 60 million U.S. households do not have a computer in the home with a connection to the Internet. Some of the individuals in these households may access the Internet from a computer at work, school or elsewhere, but the census data makes clear that the lack of Internet access prevents a significant portion of the population from participating in e-commerce. An unsatisfied need therefore exists for improved systems and methods that provide these customers and businesses with access to e-commerce resources.
[0005] A substantial hurdle in providing user access to an e-commerce resource such as a website of an electronic retailer is the subscription fee of an internet service provider (ISP). An ISP is an organization that provides access to the Internet. Small ISPs provide service via modem and ISDN while the larger ones also offer private line hookups (T1, fractional T1, etc.). ISPs use several methods to bill users for Internet access. A popular fee arrangement is to bill users a subscription fee that provides them with unlimited Internet access at a fixed monthly rate. Another billing method used by ISPs is to charge the user an hourly rate for the amount of time spent on-line. Alternatively, ISPs employ a hybrid billing system that gives users a limited number of hours of Internet access for a relatively small fixed fee, with excess charges applied if users exceed the limit.
[0006] In each of these billing processes, the ISP charges the user for the right to connect to the Internet. Common sense would seem to indicate that website owners and operators benefit from having a greater number of users Internet-enabled, and hence equipped to reach their websites, but the ISP billing systems that are known in the art provide no mechanism by which a website owner can facilitate a user's access to the Internet. An unsatisfied need therefore exists for improved systems and methods that allow a third party, such as an owner or operator of a website, to facilitate a user's access to the Internet.
[0007] In addition, an entity may seek to facilitate access to websites they are associated with, but they do not want to facilitate access to their competitors' sites. There are techniques known in the art for restricting general access to the Internet; however, no mechanisms are provided for a website owner to control general Internet access of a user. The known systems are generally directed at restricting access by children to violent or pornographic websites, or at restricting employee's access to non-business related websites. Techniques used to accomplish these tasks include rating systems, key word searches, domain name filters, etc. The typical system monitors the content of either the request made by the user or the response by the website for key terms that are stored in a database. If a key word is found, such as “sex,” the connection with the website is blocked. Filtering or blocking software can be provided on the user's computer, or an ISP can supply a filtering service. Generally, the databases containing the key terms are modified or amended by a parent or supervisor desiring to restrict a user's Internet access.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,696,898 to Baker et al. describes a system for granting access to approved websites based on a relational database. When a user attempts to access a website, the URL is checked against the database for approved sites, and if the site is not present, access is denied. A resident authority at the user's location controls the approved website list, and the database is stored on a proxy server on the user's local network.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,033 to Duvall et al. describes a filtering system that monitors the content of incoming and outgoing messages against a filtering database. If a match is found, the information is blocked. The items filtered include incoming messages, IP addresses, domain names, and phrases within the domain name. The filtering mechanism is located either on the user's computer or the user's network server. The filtering database may be modified as necessary by an authorized user.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,958 to Willens describes an Internet access control system, which restricts a user's Internet access to approved sites. A filter compares a requested website domain name to a database of approved sites and allows access to only the sites on the list. The filters can be customized to the user or computer. When a user signs onto the system, an associated filter is applied. The filters are stored on a central server at client's location or at the ISP. An additional aspect of patent describes using the filtering mechanism to grant access to non-public portions of a website with a password. The website owner has no control over the access of the user to other websites.
[0011] In each of the references cited above, the user's Internet access is controlled by someone associated with the user. These systems can be valuable for blocking a child from accessing a site with adult content, or an organization blocking an employee from accessing a non-business site; however, there is no mechanism by which an entity associated with a website can control the general Internet access of a user. Moreover, none of the foregoing patents teach or suggest a process through which a website owner can provide Internet access to a customer that does not have Internet access.
[0012] An unsatisfied need exists in the industry for improved system and methods to allow an entity associated with a website to facilitate access to the Internet by a customer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention provides methods that allow a website owner to provide access to its website by users that do not otherwise have Internet access. An additional aspect of the invention provides methods that allow an internet service provider (ISP) to charge a website owner or operator when a non-subscribed user accesses the website through the ISP network. A further aspect provides methods for a carrier to provide shipping labels to a shipper via the Internet, wherein the shippers do not otherwise have Internet access.
[0014] In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method of allowing a carrier to provide shipping services to a user via one or more Internet websites associated with the carrier is described, wherein the user does not have access to the Internet. The method includes the steps of: providing the user with a network terminal that is configured to access the Internet via a link between the network terminal and an internet service provider; establishing a billing relationship with the internet service provider such that the internet service provider monitors the Internet access by the network terminal and charges the carrier for the access; and restricting the access of the network terminal to the one or more Internet websites associated with the carrier. In an alternative embodiment, the communication link is by wireless transmission. In further embodiments, the step of restricting access of the network terminal is performed by the internet service provider or the network terminal. In alternative embodiments of the present invention, the monitoring of Internet access by the internet service provider includes monitoring the quantity of hits from the network terminal on the one or more Internet websites, monitoring the duration of access of the network terminal to the one or more Internet websites, or monitoring the quantity of data transferred between the network terminal and the one or more Internet websites.
[0015] In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method of billing for providing access to a one or more IP addresses associated with an entity is described. This embodiment includes the steps of: establishing a communication link between a network terminal and the Internet; restricting access of the network terminal to one or more IP addresses on the Internet, where one or more addresses is predetermined by an entity, and wherein the entity is associated with the one or more IP addresses; monitoring the access by the terminal to the one or more IP addresses; and billing the entity a fee based upon the access. The step of monitoring access by the network terminal may include monitoring the quantity of hits from the network terminal on the one or more IP addresses, monitoring the duration of access of the network terminal to the one or more IP addresses, or monitoring the quantity of data transferred by between the network terminal and the one or more IP addresses. In an alternative embodiment, the communication link is by wireless transmission.
[0016] In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method of allowing a carrier to provide a shipping label to a shipper via an Internet website associated with the carrier is described, wherein the shipper does not have access to the Internet. The method includes the steps of: providing the shipper with a network terminal that is configured to access the Internet via a link between the network terminal and an internet service provider, and the network terminal is further configured to generate the shipping label based on communication with the Internet website; establishing a billing relationship with the internet service provider such that the internet service provider monitors the Internet access by the network terminal and charges the carrier for the access; and restricting the access of the network terminal to the one or more Internet websites associated with the carrier. An alternative embodiment includes providing a printing device configured to communicate with the network terminal and print the shipping label. A further embodiment provides a communication link by wireless transmission. In alternative embodiments of the invention, the monitoring of Internet access is by monitoring the quantity of hits from the network terminal on the one or more Internet websites, monitoring the duration of access of the network terminal to the one or more Internet websites, or monitoring the quantity of data transferred between the network terminal and the one or more Internet websites. In a further embodiment, the internet service provider or the network terminal restricts the Internet access.
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