Bar code symbol ticketing for authorizing access in a wireless local area communications network
Authorized access by a user to an application server in a wireless local area network is obtained by printing machine-readable indicia on a portable, physical ticket, and by presenting the ticket to an electro-optical reader for reading the indicia.
1. A method of enabling authorized access to an application server to conduct a communications session on a wireless network, comprising the steps of:
requesting authentication over the wireless network, and requesting access to the application server to conduct the communications session for a predetermined time period by supplying a password;
printing a two-dimensional symbol encoded with the password and the predetermined time period to conduct the communications session on a portable, physical ticket in response to the requesting step;
manually presenting the physical ticket at a terminal for prompting the user to supply the password; and
electro-optically reading the two-dimensional symbol to gain access to the application server on the wireless network to conduct the communications session only for said predetermined time period after the password supplied to the terminal matches the password encoded on the ticket.
2. An arrangement for enabling authorized access to a wireless network, comprising:
an authentication center for authorizing access to an application server to conduct a communications session by receiving an authorization request for a predetermined time period from a user, and by receiving a password selected by the user, and by responding with an electronic ticket signal;
a printer responsive to the electronic ticket signal for printing a two-dimensional symbol encoded with the password, an application server to be accessed to conduct the communications session, and the predetermined time period for accessing the application server on a portable, physical ticket; and
a reader for electro-optically reading the symbol on the ticket presented to the reader, and a terminal for prompting the user to supply the password to authorize the identified user to access the identified application server to conduct the communications session only for said predetermined time period after the password supplied to the terminal matches the password encoded on the ticket.
3. The arrangement of claim 2 , wherein the network is located in a public venue.