Abstract: A method and apparatus are described including scanning a channel, generating a report for the scanned channel, transmitting the channel report to an associated access point and receiving a channel assignment responsive to said channel report. Also described are a method and apparatus including scanning a channel, generating a first channel report, receiving a second channel report from an associated client, transmitting the first channel report and the second channel report to a server, receiving a channel assignment message from the server responsive to the first and second channel reports and transmitting the channel assignment message to the associated client. Further described are a method and apparatus including receiving a channel report from an associated access point, building an interference graph responsive to the channel report, determining channel assignments based on the interference graph and transmitting a channel assignment message to the associated access point.

Abstract: A wireless LAN provides access to a mobile terminal (MT) utilizing beacon frames to broadcast access point (AP) service specific information. The MT listens to the beacon frames and compares the broadcast service(s) and service parameters to a predetermined service profile stored in the MT. When the services offered by an AP matches the services designated in the stored service profile, the MT associates with that particular AP.

Abstract: A key synchronization mechanism for wireless LANs is provided where the access point (AP) does not start using a new encryption key until the first data frame correctly encrypted with the new key is received from the station (STA). The new key is used from this point on, until the expiration of a key refresh interval.

Abstract: Proper representation of the meaning of texts is crucial to enhancing many data mining and information retrieval tasks, including clustering, computing semantic relatedness between texts, and searching. Representing of texts in the concept-space derived from Wikipedia has received growing attention recently, due to its comprehensiveness and expertise. This concept-based representation is capable of extracting semantic relatedness between texts that cannot be deduced with the bag of words model. A key obstacle, however, for using Wikipedia as a semantic interpreter is that the sheer size of the concepts derived from Wikipedia makes it hard to efficiently map texts into concept-space. An efficient algorithm is proved which is able to represent the meaning of a text by using the concepts that best match it. In particular, this approach first computes the approximate top- concepts that are most relevant to the given text. These concepts are then leverage to represent the meaning of the given text.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described including determining if a communications medium is idle; determining a time interval for a reservation of said communications medium; multicasting a message for reserving said communications medium; receiving responses to said message for reserving said communications medium; and determining if a number of said received responses compared to an expected number of responses exceeds a value; performing one of initiating pending frame exchanges and multicasting data or management frames during said time interval for said reservation of said communications medium if said comparison exceeds said value; repeating said first determining act if said comparison does not exceed said value.

Abstract: The invention herein provides an apparatus and a method for automatically configuring an IEEE 802.1x client terminal to provide limited access in a WLAN environment, specifically utilizing the access point to filter traffic associated with the limited access so as to redirect the client terminal's HTTP request to a designated local web server. The web server responds to the client terminal by requesting information required to establish an authorized communication. Thereafter the client terminal provides information required to establish an authorized communication. In the course of the communication the web server sends information such as transmission rates, new user account creation information, authentication method selection, and access user terms and conditions of acceptance, all typically required to establish an authorized access. The client responds with information, required to establish an authorized communication.

Abstract: An exemplar dictionary is built from example image blocks for determining predictor blocks for encoding and decoding images. The exemplar dictionary comprises a hierarchical organization of example image blocks. The hierarchical organization of image blocks is obtained by clustering a set of example image blocks, for example, based on k-means clustering. Performance of clustering is improved by transforming feature vectors representing the image blocks to fewer dimensions. Principal component analysis is used for determining feature vectors with fewer dimensions. The clustering performed at higher levels of the hierarchy uses fewer dimensions of feature vectors compared to lower levels of hierarchy. Performance of clustering is improved by processing only a sample of the image blocks of a cluster. The clustering performed at higher levels of the hierarchy uses lower sampling rates as compared to lower levels of hierarchy.

Abstract: A signal and apparatus for receiving the signal are described wherein the signal includes a duration field, a multicast receiver address field, a transmitter address field, a block acknowledgment request control field, a block acknowledgment request information field and an information field. Also described are a signal and apparatus for transmitting the signal wherein the signal includes a duration field, a multicast receiver address field, a transmitter address field, a block acknowledgment control field and a block acknowledgment information field.

Abstract: Compression of an image is performed based on prediction of target blocks of an image from candidate source blocks of the image. Heuristics are used for identifying the candidate source blocks, for example, source blocks are selected from within a cluster of similar blocks obtained by K-means clustering. For each target block, a region adjacent to the target block is identified and a set of candidate source blocks along with candidate source regions adjacent to the candidate source blocks are identified. The candidate source regions are ranked based on the differences between the candidate source regions and the target source region. Each candidate source block is described using its rank and residual information describing differences between the candidate source block and the target block. The candidate source block that can be described using a minimum amount of information is selected for predicting the target block.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described including multicasting a plurality of data units and multicasting a request for acknowledging receipt of the plurality of data units, receiving signals responsive to the request. Also described are a method and apparatus including receiving a multicast request to acknowledge receipt of data, determining if a response to the request is required, determining status of the data, preparing the response based on the determining acts and transmitting the response.

Abstract: A method for selecting a route by a node between a source node and a destination node in a wireless mesh network by establishing the route between the source node and the destination node using media access control addresses is described. A method for a node to selecting a route to join a multicast group in a wireless mesh network using media access control addresses, is also described.

Abstract: Message formats and apparatus are described that reserve access to a communication medium in a multicast system. A first message, a multicast request-to-send message, includes a duration field having information representing the reserved time for a communication medium, multicast receiver and transmitter address fields, and bits that specifies a destination that is expected to reply to the multicast digital message. The bits that specify a destination can be extended to a plurality of fields that each contain different destination identifiers. Example destination identifiers include association identifiers or media access control addresses. Alternately, the bits that specify a destination can have a first field containing an offset and a second field indicating destinations with respect to the offset. A second message includes a duration field and multicast receiver and transmitter address fields. The second message is used to cancel a data transmission resulting from a multicast request-to-send message.

Abstract: A home network system that personalizes the selection of information content in accordance with an interest of a user of the network is disclosed. More specifically, a method and apparatus are described for automatically presenting an information content of interest to the user, being provided by an Internet site external to the network. The contents of interest may be determined in accordance with an access pattern of the user or a frequency of the use of particular topic in the content.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described including selecting a first route between a source node and a destination node using a bandwidth-aware routing protocol, determining if the selected first route satisfies a bandwidth requirement of an application of the source node, initiating a switch to a new channel selected from a back-up channel list if the bandwidth requirement of the application is not satisfied by the selected route, selecting a second route over the new channel using the bandwidth-aware routing protocol, determining if the selected second route over the new channel satisfies the bandwidth requirement of the application of the source node and streaming data from the source node to the destination node if the selected first route satisfies the bandwidth requirement of the application or if the selected second route over the new channel satisfies the bandwidth requirement of the application.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described including receiving a data Packet having a data packet header, storing the received data packet as shared payload, determining if the received data packet is a first data packet, initializing a sequence starting number responsive to the determination, generating a new data packet header, calculating a sequence number for the received data packet using the sequence starting number, inserting the new sequence number into the new data packet header, unicasting the new data packet header and the shared payload to a plurality of client devices.

Abstract: A remote control unit generates a first beam which a user points at one of a plurality of information appliances to select that appliance. After selecting the desired appliance, the user then actuates a button on a control keypad on the remote control unit to cause the unit to generate a second, modulated beam. The remote control unit modulates the second beam in accordance with a desired functionality of the information appliance to control the appliance accordingly.

Abstract: Described herein are a method and apparatus including calculating an aggregate peak total traffic demand for all overlapping access points in an interference range, comparing the aggregate peak total traffic demand to a threshold, rejecting a requested new quality of service traffic stream responsive to results of the comparison, calculating a peak total traffic demand for each overlapping access point in the interference range if the requested new quality of service traffic stream is admissible responsive to results of the comparison, comparing the peak total traffic demand for each overlapping access point in the interference range, if the requested new quality of service traffic stream is admissible, to the threshold and one of accepting the requested new quality of service traffic stream and rejecting the requested new quality of service traffic stream responsive to results of the second comparison.

Abstract: Analyzing auxiliary information associated with a video asset is performed. A topic is then determined from the extracted keywords where the topic is used as a basis of a query to return results such as news articles and other related information that is relevant to the topic of a video asset current being viewed or accessed.

Abstract: A method and system enables sharing content between a plurality of users over a communications network. A link to content that has been shared by a user is selected, the link includes at least one access characteristic defining a set of users able to access the content. A request signal including the at least one access characteristic associated with the content and at least one user characteristic associated with a requesting user over the communications network is transmitted for receipt by an authorization processor. A level of access available is determined for the content by comparing the at least one access characteristic and the at least one user characteristic in the request signal with a source of content specific authentication information including data representing content-specific access levels. Access to the requested content is provided via an internet interface to an output device in accordance with the determined level of access.

Abstract: A method and system for providing secure, anonymous access to a wireless local area network, including configuring an access point to drop packets except packets exhibiting an URL access protocol like HTTP and HTTPS, intercepting a URL access request by an access point from a mobile device via a web browser, re-directing the URL access request to a web server by the access point generating a security key by one of the access points and the web server, communicating the generated security key to the said web server securely by the access point or vice versa and setting the security key by the access point is described. A mobile device including means for forwarding a request for secure access to a wireless local area network via a URL access request, means for receiving a mobile code or a signal for displaying a security key and means for setting the security key is also described.