Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for an access point providing client to point-of-sale communication over a network, comprising: receiving credentials from the point-of-sale; sending at least one beacon message; receiving a probe request from a client; sending a probe response to the client; authenticating a connection with the client: exchanging capabilities with the client; performing a security handshake with the client; assigning at least one dynamic IP address to the client; and establishing an https session between the client and the point-of-sale over the network.

Abstract: Flows are grouped into flow classes, each of which is assigned flow class treatment rules, which might combine application of both firewall and QoS treatments. When a flow is identified as a member of a flow class, traffic for that flow can be treated according to treatment rules collectively with other flows assigned to that flow class. New flows not already members of an already-defined flow class are examined according to a set of flow class assignment rules, which have the effect of either identifying the proper flow class for that flow, or creating a new flow class for that new flow. For each flow, a first packet determines flow assignment, after which succeeding packets are treated according that flow. For each flow class, a first flow determines flow class assignment, after which succeeding flows are collectively treated according to that flow class.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for a server performing a wireless payment transaction, comprising: providing a server web page or native application including options for a user selecting a role as payer or payee; requesting information from the payee including a transaction ID provided by the server; requesting information from the payer including the transaction ID; initiating an authorization of the transaction on a credit or debit account of the payer; initiating a transaction to credit the payee's account; and completing the transaction with the payer by initiating the offline clearing of the transaction.

Abstract: A set of techniques includes devices, methods, and user interfaces, capable of conducting proactive automated tests of a wireless system, and capable of operating while the wireless system is conducting its normal operations. A diagnostic device not controlled by the wireless system controls drivers and clients in that wireless system's access points, with the effect that the diagnostic device can inject message traffic into the wireless system while simulating clients of that system. The wireless system responds to that traffic and those simulated clients as if real clients were generating substantially real traffic for the system to handle. The diagnostic device can initiate messages from within that wireless system, can force those messages to traverse selected trajectories in that system, and can measure aspects of that system in response to those messages. Trajectories might include specific wireless devices, specific wireless parameters, and specific physical paths.

Abstract: An omni-directional antenna supporting simultaneous transmission/reception, from the same AP, on multiple frequencies, allowing each AP to communicate using each possible frequency. Each AP multiplexes its outgoing signals onto its transmitting antenna, and de-multiplexes its incoming signals from its receiving antenna. The transmitting and receiving antennae are each substantially located in each other's NULL zone (or one is in the NULL zone of the other). The AP can transmit/receive on many distinct frequencies without needing more antennae.

Abstract: A method of analyzing a wireless network, including the steps of coupling a diagnostic station to a wireless network, injecting encapsulated wireless frames into that wireless network, forwarding encapsulated wireless frames within that wireless network, and in response to recognizing encapsulated wireless frames within that wireless network, de-encapsulating those wireless frames and forwarding them to that diagnostic station. Also, a system and a diagnostic station that can implement the method.

Abstract: An omni-directional antenna supporting simultaneous transmission/reception, from the same AP, on multiple frequencies, allowing each AP to communicate using each possible frequency. Each AP multiplexes its outgoing signals onto its transmitting antenna, and de-multiplexes its incoming signals from its receiving antenna. The transmitting and receiving antennae are each substantially located in each other's NULL zone (or one is in the NULL zone of the other). The AP can transmit/receive on many distinct frequencies without needing more antennae.

Abstract: Wireless security is enforced at L1, in addition to or in lieu of other layers. AP's can switch dynamically from serving to scanning. Scanners listen for authorized frame headers. Scanners either receive, or allow authorized frames to be received, at their destination. Scanners kill unauthorized frames while they are still transmitting; scanners continue listening for and killing unauthorized frame headers until frame ending time demands their return to serving, multiplying their effectiveness. AP's include dual-mode multi-frequency omni-directional antennae, used to prevent third parties from snooping messages received at those AP's.

Abstract: AP's associated with a communication network and any wireless devices desiring contact, operated according to a protocol in which each wireless device selects AP's with which to communicate. A system coordinator causes the AP's to operate so as to guide each wireless device to an AP selected by the system coordinator. This has the effect that, notwithstanding that the protocol involves having the wireless device make the selection of AP, functionally, the AP's make the selection for it. In a 1st technique, multiple AP's share an identifier, with the system coordinator directing one particular AP to respond to the wireless device, thus appearing to wireless devices as a “personal cell”. In a 2nd technique, AP's each maintain identifiers substantially unique to each wireless device, with the system coordinator directing only one particular AP to maintain any particular wireless device's identifier, thus appearing to wireless devices as a “personal AP”.

Abstract: A communication system detects particular application protocols in response to their message traffic patterns, which might be responsive to packet size, average packet rate, burstiness of packet transmissions, or other message pattern features. Selected message pattern features include average packet rate, maximum packet burst, maximum future accumulation, minimum packet size, and maximum packet size. The system maintains a counter of packet tokens, each arriving at a constant rate, and maintains a queue of real packets. Each real packet is released from the queue when there is a corresponding packet token also available for release. Packet tokens overfilling the counter, and real packets overfilling the queue, are discarded. Users might add or alter application protocol descriptions to account for profiles thereof.

Abstract: AP's associated with a communication network and any wireless devices desiring contact, operated according to a protocol in which each wireless device selects AP's with which to communicate. A system coordinator causes the AP's to operate so as to guide each wireless device to an AP selected by the system coordinator. This has the effect that, notwithstanding that the protocol involves having the wireless device make the selection of AP, functionally, the AP's make the selection for it. In a 1st technique, multiple AP's share an identifier, with the system coordinator directing one particular AP to respond to the wireless device, thus appearing to wireless devices as a “personal cell”. In a 2nd technique, AP's each maintain identifiers substantially unique to each wireless device, with the system coordinator directing only one particular AP to maintain any particular wireless device's identifier, thus appearing to wireless devices as a “personal AP”.

Abstract: A method of adapting wireless transmission rates that includes the steps of determining at least a short-term loss ratio for wireless communication during a window of time, and adapting a transmission rate responsive to at least the short-term loss ratio, a maximum tolerable loss threshold for the communication during the window, and an opportunistic rate increase threshold for the communication during the window. A size of the window, the maximum tolerable loss threshold, and the opportunistic rate increase threshold are responsive to the transmission rate used for the communication. Preferably, the window is re-started if the transmission rate changes. Also, systems, devices, and memories that embody the foregoing.

Abstract: Systems and methods for implementing a differential signal to noise ratio (DSNR) based rate adaptation for wireless networks are disclosed. The described methods probabilistically adapt the rate of data transmission based on an assessment of the causes of data loss. The described methods include determining a DSNR for data transmission during a predetermined window of time and adapting the transmission rate in a probabilistic manner responsive to the differential SNR and a differential SNR threshold for the data transmission.

Abstract: Improved data transport and management within a network communication system may be achieved by utilizing a transmit timer incorporated within the sender device and exploiting host-level statistics for a plurality of connections between a sender and receiver. The period of the transmit timer may be periodically adjusted based on a ratio of the smoothed round-trip time and the smoothed congestion window, thereby reducing or eliminating bursty data transmission commonly associated with conventional TCP architectures. For applications having a plurality of connections between a sender and a receiver that share a common channel, such as web applications, the congestion window and smoothed round trip time estimates for all active connections may be used to initialize new connections and allocate bandwidth among existing connections.

Abstract: A wireless shared channel network packet communication method emulates fluid flow fair scheduling. Errors inherent in wireless communication and unaccounted for in fair scheduling for wired networks are accounted for according to the method. Lagging communication flows, typically caused by burst errors in wireless communication systems, make up for their lag by causing leading flows to give up their lead. The method is independent of the pattern of channel error. In a preferred embodiment, lag compensation is accounted for by a service tag which identifies a precedence for contention based upon the previous denial of access for channel error. This precedence allows compensation when channels become error free. A modified preferred embodiment first attempts intraframe compensation by swapping slots when a host predicts an error for its assigned slot and another host assigned a later slot is able to transmit in the slot.

Abstract: Improved data transport and management within a network communication system may be achieved by utilizing a transmit timer incorporated within the sender device and exploiting host-level statistics for a plurality of connections between a sender and receiver. The period of the transmit timer may be periodically adjusted based on a ratio of the smoothed round-trip time and the smoothed congestion window, thereby reducing or eliminating bursty data transmission commonly associated with conventional TCP architectures. For applications having a plurality of connections between a sender and a receiver that share a common channel, such as web applications, the congestion window and smoothed round trip time estimates for all active connections may be used to initialize new connections and allocate bandwidth among existing connections.