Abstract: In one embodiment, when conditions are observed a wireless device keeps its radio circuitry powered down during a designated transmission window orchestrated by an associated Access Point (AP) for forwarding buffered broadcast and multicast data to reduce power consumption by the wireless device. The wireless device then temporarily powers up its radio circuitry to receive a beacon outside the designated transmission window. When the received beacon indicates buffered data, the wireless device transmits a request for a unicast transmission of the buffered data from the AP.

Abstract: In one embodiments, a method includes determining a current connection status of a first wireless device with respect to one or more second wireless devices configured to communicate wirelessly by a particular wireless communication protocol. The current connection status of the first wireless device potentially being that the first wireless device has scanned for and found one or more available ones of the second wireless devices to connect wirelessly to but has not yet having established a wireless connection to any one of them or potentially being that the first wireless device is currently attempting to establish a wireless connection to one of the available ones of the second wireless devices.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for virtual application of features to electronic messages is disclosed. When a device applies a set of features to an electronic message, one or more of the features may be virtually applied instead of actually applied. For example, instead of encrypting a payload portion of a packet and adding an encryption header, the packet may not be encrypted. However, an appropriate encryption header may still be included in the packet such that the packet appears to have been encrypted when other features are applied. Prior to sending the packet, the payload portion is actually encrypted, such as by using a hardware accelerator. Some implementations may use a dual processor router, in which the input/output processor controls the hardware accelerator, the routing processor performs the virtual application of a feature, and prior to sending the packet the input/output processor actually applies the virtually applied feature.

Abstract: A zone filtering method and apparatus, finding particular utility in an AppleTalk (trademark of Apple Computing, Inc.) internetwork, is disclosed. A network manager is able to hide zones and respective Network Visible Entities (NVE's) from nodes (routers and workstations) on branches of the AppleTalk internetwork through the use of zone filters. These nodes are thus unable to initiate communication with NVE's within the hidden zones. A zone filter is a list of zone names and an indication of whether access to the listed zones is permitted or denied. The port to which a zone filter is attached identifies which branch of the AppleTalk internetwork the zone filter applies to. A router according to the invention is capable of recognizing specific datagrams to which the zone filter is applied.

Abstract: This invention provides a method and apparatus for displaying on a computer display device both a portion of a sorted list of unknown length having a plurality of items and an indicator which is a corresponding approximation of a location of the portion within the list. For a sorted list, keys pertaining to a characteristic used to sort the list are assigned key order values which are indicator values corresponding to a current position within the list. The first key and last key in the list are used to determine a range of values for the indicator. Keys may be arranged in groupings. In that case the keys within a particular grouping are mapped to the same key order value. Preferably, groupings are defined according to a statistical probability of occurrence of the members of the grouping such that each grouping has substantially the same statistical probability of occurring.