Google gets patent for wireless network auction

Google has received a patent from the USPTO for a real-time auction that would allow users to bid on access to a wireless network. Those participating would bid against each other for wireless air time. A central auctioneer would receive the bids for the service and would be in charge of determining who gets the bandwidth. During times when there is low traffic, the bandwidth would be awarded at a very low or no cost. During peak times, bidding could get intense with the highest bidder getting the rights to use the network, followed by the next highest bidders.

Those involved in the auctions will need to decide between paying a high price to access the network or waiting for off-peak times with lower prices later in the day. The mobile devices would start with a bid and raise it in incremental amounts until a pre-set maximum bid is reached or the user is awarded transmit rights. Google had made a bid for spectrum in the 700MHz range during an FCC auction back in 2007, but did not win any of the available bandwidth.

The patent application was filed in January 2009 with Carroll Philip Gossett, Hal R. Varian and Michial Allen Gunter credited as the inventors. ThePatent number is 8,170,048.

source: USPTO via Electronista