I suppose your laptop is running some kind of Linux. I will briefly describe what I do to establish an USB network connection:
On my Kobo:
1. load the g_ether module
Code:
/bin/busybox insmod /drivers/freescale/usb/gadget/g_ether.ko
2. configure interface with ip address
Code:
ifconfig usb0 192.168.2.2
After plugging the Kobo in to USB port, there should appear an
usb0 interface on the computer as well:
1. configure interface with ip address
Code:
ifconfig usb0 192.168.2.1
I have put the two commands on my Kobo in a script called at boot time. Unfortunately, USB network and USB file storage don't work in parallel. But I can access the data on the Kobo via FTP.
I hope this helps!