Abstract: Femto-satellites are very small satellites that can be deployed in constellations from a larger mothership satellite for distributed measurement. They are too small to accommodate the GNSS receivers that many satellites use for navigation, but they can be located with an electromagnetic beam from the mothership satellite. The mothership satellite scans this beam across a constellation of femto-satellites. When the beam scans across a particular femto-satellite, the femto-satellite transmits an acknowledgement to the mothership satellite, e.g., by retroreflecting the beam or via a separate radio link. The beam can be modulated with commands for the femto-satellite, such as to make a measurement or transmit previously acquired data, as well with commands for determining the femto-satellite's location, such as a time stamp or beam pointing information.

Abstract: A monostatic, beaconless fiber transceiver for free-space optical links infers fine tracking information using receiver optoelectronics and an injected pointing dither (nutation). A MEMS steering mirror fine-points the beams and injects the nutation. While this may disturb fiber coupling and transmit beam pointing, link loss becomes negligible for sufficient SNR. The SNR for links without point-ahead correction is about 35 dB to keep dither loss below 0.1 dB and RMS spatial tracking noise below a tenth of the beam divergence. Since the pointing and tracking bandwidth is much smaller than the receiver communication bandwidth, this SNR is achievable with appropriate filtering. For point-ahead correction, a single-mode fiber transceiver can reach up to about 1 beamwidth of correction, while a few-mode fiber transceiver can reach up to about 1.75 beamwidths due to improved coupling sensitivity at higher point-ahead offsets.

Abstract: A monostatic, beaconless fiber transceiver for free-space optical links infers fine tracking information using receiver optoelectronics and an injected pointing dither (nutation). A MEMS steering mirror fine-points the beams and injects the nutation. While this may disturb fiber coupling and transmit beam pointing, link loss becomes negligible for sufficient SNR. The SNR for links without point-ahead correction is about 35 dB to keep dither loss below 0.1 dB and RMS spatial tracking noise below a tenth of the beam divergence. Since the pointing and tracking bandwidth is much smaller than the receiver communication bandwidth, this SNR is achievable with appropriate filtering. For point-ahead correction, a single-mode fiber transceiver can reach up to about 1 beamwidth of correction, while a few-mode fiber transceiver can reach up to about 1.75 beamwidths due to improved coupling sensitivity at higher point-ahead offsets.

Abstract: A system for delivering messages to a receiver mobile device and a method and memory storing instructions therefor are described. The system comprises a key server arranged to: transmit a first signal responsive to receipt of a message from a sender mobile device; transmit a delivery confirmation notice responsive to receipt of a second signal from the receiver mobile device; transmit a key to the receiver mobile device responsive to receipt of the second signal from the receiver mobile device; and a message server communicatively coupled with the key server and arranged to: transmit a third signal to the receiver mobile device responsive to receipt of the first signal from the key server; transmit a fourth signal to the sender mobile device responsive to receipt of the delivery confirmation notice from the key server.

Abstract: A method of facilitating an eCommerce transaction between a consumer and an eCommerce merchant via a third party entity is provided. The eCommerce merchant receives a selection of goods for purchase and a first code from the consumer. The eCommerce merchant transmits at least a second code to the third party entity to request confirmation of the eCommerce transaction. The second code is at least partially derived from the first code. The eCommerce merchant receives the confirmation from the third party entity. The eCommerce merchant ships the goods only if the confirmation indicates that the consumer has approved, via the third party entity, the eCommerce transaction. The merchant is unaware of financial information belonging to the consumer and at least one of identity of the consumer and a shipping data that is specific to the consumer. The eCommerce merchant receives payment for the eCommerce transaction from the third party entity.

Abstract: In a communications network, data that establishes a network agent's entitlement to network services is stored within the network agent and not within the network. Network services are provided to the network agent by storing network service authorization information and network service usage allowance information within a network agent, which the network agent transmits to the network when network service is requested. The network does not store an account balance for the network agent but instead stores authorization information and actual network service usage information for the network agent.

Abstract: A system for delivering messages to a receiver mobile device and a method and memory storing instructions therefor are described. The system comprises a key server arranged to: transmit a first signal responsive to receipt of a message from a sender mobile device; transmit a delivery confirmation notice responsive to receipt of a second signal from the receiver mobile device; transmit a key to the receiver mobile device responsive to receipt of the second signal from the receiver mobile device; and a message server communicatively coupled with the key server and arranged to: transmit a third signal to the receiver mobile device responsive to receipt of the first signal from the key server; transmit a fourth signal to the sender mobile device responsive to receipt of the delivery confirmation notice from the key server.

Abstract: A method of facilitating an eCommerce transaction between a consumer and an eCommerce merchant via a third party entity is provided. The eCommerce merchant receives a selection of goods for purchase and a first code from the consumer. The eCommerce merchant transmits at least a second code to the third party entity to request confirmation of the eCommerce transaction. The second code is at least partially derived from the first code. The eCommerce merchant receives the confirmation from the third party entity. The eCommerce merchant ships the goods only if the confirmation indicates that the consumer has approved, via the third party entity, the eCommerce transaction. The merchant is unaware of financial information belonging to the consumer and at least one of identity of the consumer and a shipping data that is specific to the consumer. The eCommerce merchant receives payment for the eCommerce transaction from the third party entity.

Abstract: In a communications network, data that establishes a network agent's entitlement to network services is stored within the network agent and not within the network. Network services are provided to the network agent by storing network service authorization information and network service usage allowance information within a network agent, which the network agent transmits to the network when network service is requested. The network does not store an account balance for the network agent but instead stores authorization information and actual network service usage information for the network agent.