Abstract: A hybrid mobile ad-hoc network and a method of operating the same, including a mobile network node and a plurality of static network nodes randomly distributed over a coverage area with a predetermined density. The static network nodes form a static infrastructure backbone of the hybrid mobile ad-hoc network. Position information of the static network nodes, either through position awareness or triangulation with reference to other static nodes enhances the network function. The method tracks mobile node position with a minimum of overhead because of the fixed infrastructure of static nodes. The infrastructure can self-heal by placing excess static nodes in a hibernating state, and activating those in response to the failure of a nearby static node.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention is a method for routing content information to a mobile user or client application. The method preferably comprises re-directing a user request to one or more gateway servers provided via an overlay network. In another aspect, the present invention is an apparatus that includes a proxy service that intercepts content information requests to the Internet and re-directs the content requests to an overlay. Another aspect of the present invention comprises a location-based Uniform Resource Locator that includes a protocol semantic portion and a location-based resolver address portion that identifies one or more resources on a network based on the geographical location of the resources.

Abstract: A method and system for providing location-aware and location-based content services. The system preferably comprises an overlay service network that includes a plurality of information gateway servers. A mobile client uses the servers in the overlay service network to request and receive information. The particular server used by the mobile client is selected based on the geo-location of the mobile client. The method comprises partitioning a geographic area into a plurality of sub-areas and associating resources to the sub-areas based on the location of mobile units within a sub-area.

Abstract: Wireless internet in the in-vehicle environment is an evolving reality that reflects the gradual convergence of wireless and internet technologies. The present invention provides an application layer system that makes wireless internet access adaptive to dynamically changing heterogeneous network environments, by stressing carrier-independence and access transparency. To achieve these objectives, the present invention provides the following features: HTTP session continuity and automatic HTTP failure recovery; network environment awareness and application-level preemptive handoff based on bandwidth capacity.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved proactive location based routing protocol for ad-hoc wireless networks. When a source node has a data packet to send to a destination node, the source node calculates an estimated future location of the destination node prior to forwarding a data packet to the destination node. The estimated future location may be based on the last known location, velocity and bearing of the destination node, as well as upon the estimated propagation delay (i.e., the estimated time it will take the data packet to reach the destination node after being transmitted by the source node). The source node routes the data packet by identifying which one of a plurality of its neighbor nodes is closest to the estimated future location of the destination node, and routes the data packet the identified neighbor node as an intermediate node along the route from the source node to the destination node. Further, the frequency of flooding broadcasts is based on the velocity of the network nodes.

Abstract: A plurality of servers for processing client requests forward the requests among themselves to achieve a balanced load. When a server initially receives a client request, it randomly selects another of the plurality of servers, referred to as a first-chance server, and forwards the request to this server. Upon receiving the request, the first-chance server determines if it is overloaded and if not, processes the request. However, if overloaded, the first-chance server compares its load to the load of one or more predetermined next-neighbor servers. If the next-neighbor server(s) are more loaded than the first-chance server, the first-chance server processes the request. Otherwise, the first-chance server forwards the request to the least loaded next-neighbor server. The next-neighbor receiving the request either processes it directly, or alternatively, based on its current load and that of its next-neighbor server(s), forwards the request to another next-neighbor server for processing.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for automatically configuring a mobile host in a Wireless Local Access Network (WLAN) environment. In particular, the present invention employs GPS technology and an Information Gateway to provide preconfigured information about different access points of the WLAN within the vicinity of the current location of the mobile host.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for automatically configuring a mobile host in a Wireless Local Access Network (WLAN) environment. In particular, the present invention employs GPS technology and an Information Gateway to provide preconfigured information about different access points of the WLAN within the vicinity of the current location of the mobile host.

Abstract: The present invention presents an architecture to dynamically measure and estimate the throughput perceived by a user during a connection in real-time in a wireless network system. The architecture system design of the present invention allows for information gathering independent of the mathematical models used and takes into account security settings in the network hosts. The present invention also sets forth a number of throughput estimators (TEs) that can be used within the architecture to gather the information needed to carry out the throughput estimation calculations. The throughput estimations can then be used for download rate control, QoS, load balancing, etc. The present invention also provides algorithms to calculate the real-time throughput experienced by a user flow.

Abstract: Wireless internet in the in-vehicle environment is an evolving reality that reflects the gradual convergence of wireless and internet technologies. The present invention provides an application layer system that makes wireless internet access adaptive to dynamically changing heterogeneous network environments, by stressing carrier-independence and access transparency. To achieve these objectives, the present invention provides the following features: HTTP session continuity and automatic HTTP failure recovery; network environment awareness and application-level preemptive handoff based on bandwidth capacity.