Multifactorial optimization system and method

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 10567975
  • Patent Number
    10,567,975
  • Date Filed
    Friday, March 31, 2017
    7 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, February 18, 2020
    4 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Original Assignees
    • HOFFBERG FAMILY TRUST 2 (West Harrison, NY, US)
  • Examiners
    • Chein; Allen C
    • Ortiz Roman; Denisse Y
    Agents
    • Tully Rinckey PLLC
    • Hoffberg; Steven M.
Abstract
A method for providing unequal allocation of rights among agents while operating according to fair principles, comprising assigning a hierarchal rank to each agent; providing a synthetic economic value to a first set of agents at the a high level of the hierarchy; allocating portions of the synthetic economic value by the first set of agents to a second set of agents at respectively different hierarchal rank than the first set of agents; and conducting an auction amongst agents using the synthetic economic value as the currency. A method for allocation among agents, comprising assigning a wealth generation function for generating future wealth to each of a plurality of agents, communicating subjective market information between agents, and transferring wealth generated by the secure wealth generation function between agents in consideration of a market transaction. The method may further comprise the step of transferring at least a portion of the wealth generation function between agents.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of multifactorial economic optimization, and more generally to optimization of communities of elements having conflicting requirements and overlapping resources.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In modern retail transactions, predetermined price transactions are common, with market transactions, i.e., commerce conducted in a setting which allows the transaction price to float based on the respective valuation allocated by the buyer(s) and seller(s), often left to specialized fields. While interpersonal negotiation is often used to set a transfer price, this price is often different from a transfer price that might result from a best-efforts attempt at establishing a market price. Assuming that the market price is optimal, it is therefore assumed that alternatives are sub-optimal. Therefore, the establishment of a market price is desirable over simple negotiations.


One particular problem with market-based commerce is that both seller optimization and market efficiency depend on the fact that representative participants of a preselected class are invited to participate, and are able to promptly communicate, on a relevant timescale, in order to accurately value the goods or services and make an offer. Thus, in traditional market-based system, all participants are in the same room, or connected by a high quality (low latency, low error) telecommunications link. Alternately, the market valuation process is prolonged over an extended period, allowing non-real time communications of market information and bids. Thus, attempts at ascertaining a market price for non-commodity goods can be subject to substantial inefficiencies, which reduce any potential gains by market pricing. Further, while market pricing might be considered “fair”, it also imposes an element of risk, reducing the ability of parties to predict future pricing and revenues. Addressing this risk may also improve efficiency of a market-based system, that is, increase the overall surplus in the market.


When a single party seeks to sell goods to the highest valued purchaser(s), to establish a market price, the rules of conduct typically define an auction. Typically, known auctions provide an ascending price or descending price over time, with bidders making offers or ceasing to make offers, in the descending price or ascending price models, respectively, to define the market price. After determining the winner of the auction, typically a bidder who establishes a largest economic surplus, the pricing rules define the payment, which may be in accordance with a uniform price auction, wherein all successful bidders pay the lowest successful bid, a second price auction wherein the winning bidder pays the amount bid by the next highest bidder, and pay-what-you-bid (first price) auctions. The pay-what-you-bid auction is also known as a discriminative auction while the uniform price auction is known as a non-discriminative auction. In a second-price auction, also known as a Vickrey auction, the policy seeks to create a disincentive for speculation and to encourage bidders to submit bids reflecting their true value for the good, rather than “shaving” the bid to achieve a lower cost. In the uniform price and second price schemes, the bidder is encourages to disclose the actual private value to the bidder of the good or service, since at any price below this amount, there is an excess gain to the buyer, whereas by withholding this amount the bid may be unsuccessful, resulting in a loss of the presumably desirable opportunity. In the pay-what-you-bid auction, on the other hand, the buyer need not disclose the maximum private valuation, and those bidders with lower risk tolerance will bid higher prices. See, www.isoc.org/inet98/proceedings/3b/3b_3.html; www.ibm.com/iac/reports-technical/reports-bus-neg-internet.html.


Two common types of auction are the English auction, which sells a single good to the highest bidder in an ascending price auction, and the Dutch auction, in which multiple units are available for sale, and in which a starting price is selected by the auctioneer, which is successively reduced, until the supply is exhausted by bidders (or the minimum price/final time is reached), with the buyer(s) paying the lowest successful bid. The term Dutch auction is also applied to a type of sealed bid auction. In a multi-unit live Dutch auction, each participant is provided with the current price, the quantity on hand and the time remaining in the auction. This type of auction, typically takes place over a very short period of time and there is a flurry of activity in the last portion of the auction process. The actual auction terminates when there is no more product to be sold or the time period expires.


In selecting the optimal type of auction, a number of factors are considered. In order to sell large quantities of a perishable commodity in a short period of time, the descending price auctions are often preferred. For example, the produce and flower markets in Holland routinely use the Dutch auction (hence the derivation of the name), while the U.S. Government uses this form to sell its financial instruments. The format of a traditional Dutch auction encourages early bidders to bid up to their “private value”, hoping to pay some price below the “private value”. In making a bid, the “private value” becomes known, helping to establish a published market value and demand curve for the goods, thus allowing both buyers and sellers to define strategies for future auctions.


In an auction, typically a seller retains an auctioneer to conduct an auction with multiple buyers. (In a reverse auction, a buyer solicits the lowest price from multiple competing vendors for a desired purchase). Since the seller retains the auctioneer, the seller essentially defines the rules of the auction. These rules are typically defined to maximize the revenues or profit to the seller, while providing an inviting forum to encourage a maximum number of high valued buyers. If the rules discourage high valuations of the goods or services, or discourage participation by an important set of potential bidders, then the rules are not optimum. Rules may also be imposed to discourage bidders who are unlikely to submit winning bids from consuming resources. A rule may also be imposed to account for the valuation of the good or service applied by the seller, in the form of a reserve price. It is noted that these rules typically seek to allocate to the seller a portion of the economic benefit that would normally inure to the buyer (in a perfectly efficient auction), creating an economic inefficiency. However, since the auction is to benefit the seller, not society as a whole, this potential inefficiency is tolerated. An optimum auction thus seeks to produce a maximum profit (or net revenues) for the seller. An efficient auction, on the other hand, maximizes the sum of he utilities for the buyer and seller. It remains a subject of academic debate as to which auction rules are most optimum in given circumstances; however, in practice, simplicity of implementation may be a paramount concern, and simple auctions may result in highest revenues; complex auctions, while theoretically more optimal, may discourage bidders from participating or from applying their true and full private valuation in the auction process.


Typically, the rules of the auction are predefined and invariant. Further, for a number of reasons, auctions typically apply the same rules to all bidders, even though, with a priori knowledge of the private values assigned by each bidder to the goods, or a prediction of the private value, an optimization rule may be applied to extract the full value assigned by each bidder, while selling above the seller's reserve.


In a known ascending price auction, each participant must be made aware of the status of the auction, e.g., open, closed, and the contemporaneous price. A bid is indicated by the identification of the bidder at the contemporaneous price, or occasionally at any price above the minimum bid increment plus the previous price. The bids are asynchronous, and therefore each bidder must be immediately informed of the particulars of each bid by other bidders.


In a known descending price auction, the process traditionally entails a common clock, which corresponds to a decrementing price at each decrement interval, with an ending time (and price). Therefore, once each participant is made aware of the auction parameters, e.g., starting price, price decrement, ending price/time, before the start of the auction, the only information that must be transmitted is auction status (e.g., inventory remaining).


As stated above, an auction is traditionally considered an efficient manner of liquidating goods at a market price. The theory of an auction is that either the buyer will not resell, and thus has an internal or private valuation of the goods regardless of other's perceived values, or that the winner will resell, either to gain economic efficiency or as a part of the buyer's regular business. In the later case, it is a general presumption that the resale buyers are not in attendance at the auction or are otherwise precluded from bidding, and therefore that, after the auction, there will remain demand for the goods at a price in excess of the price paid during the auction. Extinction of this residual demand results in the so-called “winner's curse”, in which the buyer can make no profit from the transaction during the auction. Since this detracts from the value of the auction as a means of conducting profitable commerce, it is of concern to both buyer and seller.


Research into auction theory (game theory) shows that in an auction, the goal of the seller is to optimize the auction by allocating the goods inefficiently, if possible, and thus to appropriate to himself an excess gain. This inefficiency manifests itself by either withholding goods from the market or placing the goods in the wrong hands. In order to assure for the seller a maximum gain from a misallocation of the goods, restrictions on resale are imposed; otherwise, post auction trading will tend to undue the misallocation, and the anticipation of this trading will tend to control the auction pricing. The misallocations of goods imposed by the seller through restrictions allow the seller to achieve greater revenues than if free resale were permitted. It is believed that in an auction followed by perfect resale, that any mis-assignment of the goods lowers the seller's revenues below the optimum and likewise, in an auction market followed by perfect resale, it is optimal for the seller to allocate the goods to those with the highest value. Therefore, if post-auction trading is permitted, the seller will not benefit from these later gains, and the seller will obtain sub optimal revenues.


These studies, however, typically do not consider transaction costs and internal inefficiencies of the resellers, as well as the possibility of multiple classes of purchasers, or even multiple channels of distribution, which may be subject to varying controls or restrictions, and thus in a real market, such theoretical optimal allocation is unlikely. In fact, in real markets the transaction costs involved in transfer of ownership are often critical in determining a method of sale and distribution of goods. For example, it is the efficiency of sale that motivates the auction in the first place. Yet, the auction process itself may consume a substantial margin, for example 1-15% of the transaction value. To presume, even without externally imposed restrictions on resale, that all of the efficiencies of the market may be extracted by free reallocation, ignores that the motivation of the buyer is a profitable transaction, and the buyer may have fixed and variable costs on the order of magnitude of the margin. Thus, there are substantial opportunities for the seller to gain enhanced revenues by defining rules of the auction, strategically allocating inventory amount and setting reserve pricing.


Therefore, perfect resale is but a fiction created in auction (game) theory. Given this deviation from the ideal presumptions, auction theory may be interpreted to provide the seller with a motivation to misallocate or withhold based on the deviation of practice from theory, likely based on the respective transaction costs, seller's utility of the goods, and other factors not considered by the simple analyses.


In many instances, psychology plays an important role in the conduct of the auction. In a live auction, bidders can see each other, and judge the tempo of the auction. In addition, multiple auctions are often conducted sequentially, so that each bidder can begin to understand the other bidder's patterns, including hesitation, bluffing, facial gestures or mannerisms. Thus, bidders often prefer live auctions to remote or automated auctions if the bidding is to be conducted strategically.


Internet auctions are quite different from live auctions with respect to psychological factors. Live auctions are often monitored closely by bidders, who strategically make bids, based not only on the “value” of the goods, but also on an assessment of the competition, timing, psychology, and progress of the auction. It is for this reason that so-called proxy bidding, wherein the bidder creates a preprogrammed “strategy”, usually limited to a maximum price, are disfavored as a means to minimize purchase price, and offered as a service by auctioneers who stand to make a profit based on the transaction price. A maximum price proxy bidding system is somewhat inefficient, in that other bidders may test the proxy, seeking to increase the bid price, without actually intending to purchase, or contrarily, after testing the proxy, a bidder might give up, even below a price he might have been willing to pay. Thus, the proxy imposes inefficiency in the system that effectively increases the transaction cost.


In order to address a flurry of activity that often occurs at the end of an auction, an auction may be held open until no further bids are cleared for a period of time, even if advertised to end at a certain time. This is common to both live and automated auctions. However, this lack of determinism may upset coordinated schedules, thus impairing efficient business use of the auction system.


Game Theory


Use of Game Theory to control arbitration of ad hoc networks is well known. F. P. Kelly, A. Maulloo, and D. Tan. Rate control in communication networks: shadow prices, proportional fairness and stability. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 49, 1998. citeseer.ist.psu.edu/kelly98rate.html; J. MacKie-Mason and H. Varian. Pricing congestible network resources. IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, 13(7):1141-1149, 1995. Some prior studies have focused on the incremental cost to each node for participation in the network, without addressing the opportunity cost of a node foregoing control over the communication medium. Courcoubetis, C., Siris, V. A. and Stamoulis, G. D. Integration of pricing and flow control for available bit rate services in ATM networks. In Proceedings IEEE Globecom '96, pp. 644-648. London, UK. citeseer.ist.psu.edu/courcoubetis96integration.html.


A game theoretic approach addresses the situation where the operation of an agent which has freedom of choice, allowing optimization on a high level, considering the possibility of alternatives to a well designed system. According to game theory, the best way to ensure that a system retains compliant agents is to provide the greatest anticipated benefit, at the least anticipated cost, compared to the alternates.


Game Theory provides a basis for understanding the actions of Ad hoc network nodes. A multihop ad hoc network requires a communication to be passed through a disinterested node. The disinterested node incurs some cost, thus leading to a disincentive to cooperate. Meanwhile, bystander nodes must defer their own communications in order to avoid interference, especially in highly loaded networks. By understanding the decision analysis of the various nodes in a network, it is possible to optimize a system which, in accordance with game theory, provides benefits or incentives, to promote network reliability and stability. The incentive, in economic form, may be charged to those benefiting from the communication, and is preferably related to the value of the benefit received. The proposed network optimization scheme employs a modified combinatorial (VCG) auction, which optimally compensates those involved in the communication, with the benefiting party paying the second highest bid price (second price). The surplus between the second price and VCG price is distributed among those who defer to the winning bidder according to respective bid value. Equilibrium usage and headroom may be influenced by deviating from a zero-sum condition. The mechanism seeks to define fairness in terms of market value, providing probable participation benefit for all nodes, leading to network stability.


An ad hoc network is a wireless network which does not require fixed infrastructure or centralized control. The terminals in the network cooperate and communicate with each other, in a self organizing network. In a multihop network, communications can extend beyond the scope of a single node, employing neighboring nodes to forward messages to their destination. In a mobile ad hoc network, constraints are not placed on the mobility of nodes, that is, they can relocate within a time scale which is short with respect to the communications, thus requiring consideration of dynamic changes in network architecture.


Ad hoc networks pose control issues with respect to contention, routing and information conveyance. There are typically tradeoffs involving equipment size, cost and complexity, protocol complexity, throughput efficiency, energy consumption, and “fairness” of access arbitration. Other factors may also come into play. L. Buttyan and J.-P. Hubaux. Rational exchange—a formal model based on game theory. In Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on Electronic Commerce (WELCOM), November 2001. citeseer.ist.psu.edu/an01rational.html; P. Michiardi and R. Molva. Game theoretic analysis of security in mobile ad hoc networks. Technical Report RR-02-070, Institut Eurécom, 2002; P. Michiardi and R. Molva. A game theoretical approach to evaluate cooperation enforcement mechanisms in mobile ad hoc networks. In Proceedings of WiOpt'03, March 2003; Michiardi, P., Molva, R.: Making greed work in mobile ad hoc networks. Technical report, Institut Eurecom (2002) citeseer.ist.psu.edu/michiardi02making.html; S. Shenker. Making greed work in networks: A game-theoretic analysis of switch service disciplines. IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, 3(6):819-831, December 1995; A. B. MacKenzie and S. B. Wicker. Selfish users in aloha: A game-theoretic approach. In Vehicular Technology Conference, 2001. VTC 2001 Fall. IEEE VTS 54th, volume 3, October 2001; J. Crowcroft, R. Gibbens, F. Kelly, and S. Östring. Modelling incentives for collaboration in mobile ad hoc networks. In Proceedings of WiOpt'03, 2003.


Game theory studies the interactions of multiple independent decision makers, each seeking to fulfill their own objectives. Game theory encompasses, for example, auction theory and strategic decision-making. By providing appropriate incentives, a group of independent actors may be persuaded, according to self-interest, to act toward the benefit of the group. That is, the selfish individual interests are aligned with the community interests. In this way, the community will be both efficient and the network of actors stable and predictable. Of course, any systems wherein the “incentives” impose too high a cost, themselves encourage circumvention. In this case, game theory also addresses this issue.


In computer networks, issues arise as the demand for communications bandwidth approaches the theoretical limit. Under such circumstances, the behavior of nodes will affect how close to the theoretical limit the system comes, and also which communications are permitted. The well known collision sense, multiple access (CSMA) protocol allows each node to request access to the network, essentially without cost or penalty, and regardless of the importance of the communication. While the protocol incurs relatively low overhead and may provide fully decentralized control, under congested network conditions, the system may exhibit instability, that is, a decline in throughput as demand increases, resulting in ever increasing demand on the system resources and decreasing throughput. Durga P. Satapathy and Jon M. Peha, Performance of Unlicensed Devices With a Spectrum Etiquette,” Proceedings of IEEE Globecom, November 1997, pp. 414-418. citeseer.ist.psu.edu/satapathy97performance.html. According to game theory, the deficit of the CSMA protocol is that it is a dominant strategy to be selfish and hog resources, regardless of the cost to society, resulting in “the tragedy of the commons.” Garrett Hardin. The Tragedy of the Commons. Science, 162:1243-1248, 1968. Alternate Location: dieoff.com/page95.htm.


In an ad hoc network used for conveying real-time information, as might be the case in a telematics system, there are potentially unlimited data communication requirements (e.g., video data), and network congestion is almost guaranteed. Therefore, using a CSMA protocol as the paradigm for basic information conveyance is destined for failure, unless there is a disincentive to network use. (In power constrained circumstances, this cost may itself provide such a disincentive). On the other hand, a system which provides more graceful degradation under high load, sensitivity to the importance of information to be communicated, and efficient utilization of the communications medium would appear more optimal.


One way to impose a cost which varies in dependence on the societal value of the good or service is to conduct an auction, which is a mechanism to determine the market value of the good or service, at least between the auction participants. Walsh, W. and M. Wellman (1998). A market protocol for decentralized task allocation, in “Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Multi-Agent Systems,” pp. 325-332, IEEE Computer Society Press, Los Alamitos. In an auction, the bidder seeks to bid the lowest value, up to a value less than or equal to his own private value (the actual value which the bidder appraises the good or service, and above which there is no surplus), that will win the auction. Since competitive bidders can minimize the gains of another bidder by exploiting knowledge of the private value attached to the good or service by the bidder, it is generally a dominant strategy for the bidder to attempt to keep its private value a secret, at least until the auction is concluded, thus yielding strategies that result in the largest potential gain. On the other hand, in certain situations, release or publication of the private value is a dominant strategy, and can result in substantial efficiency, that is, honesty in reporting the private value results in the maximum likelihood of prospective gain.


SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a networking system comprising a network model, said model comprising a network parameter estimate; a packet router, routing packets in dependence on the model; and an arbitrage agent, to arbitrage a risk that said network parameter estimate is incorrect. The arbitrage agent typically operates with superior information or resources, such that its own estimate of the network at a relevant time is different than that produced by the network model, resulting in an arbitrage opportunity. In this case, arbitrage is not necessarily meant to indicate a risk-free gain, but rather a reduced risk potential gain.


The present invention also provides a method for routing a communication, comprising defining a set of available intermediary nodes, a plurality of members of the set being associated with a risk factor and an inclusion cost; defining an acceptable communications risk tolerance and an acceptable aggregate communications cost; defining a set of network topologies, each network topology employing a subset of members of the set of intermediary nodes, having a communications risk within the acceptable communications risk tolerance and a communications cost within the acceptable aggregate communications cost; and routing a communication using one of the set of network topologies. In according with this embodiment of the invention, alternate network topologies are available through the plurality of nodes, and the selection of a network topology is based not only on a potential efficiency of a topology, but also a risk with respect to that topology. Therefore, a less efficient topology with lower risk may be rationally selected based on a risk tolerance. In accordance with this embodiment, the method may further comprise the step of arbitraging a risk to increase a cost-benefit.


A further embodiment of the invention provides a method of routing a communication, comprising: defining a source node, a destination node, and at least two intermediate nodes; estimating a network state of at least one of the intermediate nodes; arbitraging a risk with respect to an accuracy of the estimate of network state with an arbitrage agent; communicating between said source and said destination; and compensating said at least two intermediate nodes and said agent.


A still further object of the invention is top provide method of optimizing relationships between a set of agents with respect to a set of allocable resources, comprising for a plurality of agents, determining at least one of a subjective resource value function, and a subjective risk tolerance value function; providing at least one resource allocation mechanism, wherein a resource may be allocated on behalf of an agent in exchange for value; providing at least one risk transference mechanism, wherein a risk may be transferred from one agent to another agent in exchange for value; selecting an optimal allocation of resources and assumption of risk by maximizing, within an error limit, an aggregate economic surplus of the putative organization of agents; accounting for the allocation of resources and allocation of risk in accordance with the subjective resource value function and a subjective risk tolerance value function for the selected optimal allocation; and allocating resources and risk in accordance with the selected optimal organization. The resource may comprise, for example, a communication opportunity. The agent may have a subjective resource value for failing to gain an allocation of a resource. Likewise, the agent may have an option or ability to defect from the organization. The agent may have a multipart resource requirement, wherein an optimal resource allocation requires allocation of a plurality of resource components. A risk transference agent may be provided to insure a risk. A risk transference agent may be provided to arbitrage a risk. A risk transference agent may be provided which speculatively acquires resources. The optimal resource allocation may comprise an explicit allocation of a first portion of component resources and an implicit allocation of a second portion of component resources, a risk transference agent undertaking to fulfill the second portion.


In accordance with a still further aspect of the invention, a method of optimizing an allocation of resources and deference from contesting the allocation of resources to other agents is provided, comprising: determining a subjective resource value function, and a subjective deference value function for an agent with respect to a resource allocation within a community; selecting an optimal allocation of resources and deference by maximizing, within an error limit, an aggregate economic surplus of the community; allocating resources in accordance with the selected optimal organization; and accounting in accordance with the subjective resource value function, and subjective deference value function. This deference value function thus quantifies in an economic function the deference of one agent to another.


The present invention further provides a method of optimizing an allocation of resources within members of a community, comprising: determining subjective resource value functions for a plurality of resources for members of the community; selecting an optimal allocation of resources, within an error limit, to maximize an aggregate economic surplus of the community; charging members of the community in accordance with the respective subjective resource value functions and member benefits; allocating at least a portion of the economic surplus resulting from the allocation to members who defer gaining a resource allocation benefit of the community. The invention further provides a method of encouraging recruitment of entities into an auction, comprising: defining a set of prevailing parties and a transaction price; defining an economic surplus from the transaction; and distributing a portion of the economic surplus to auction participants not within the set of prevailing parties, in relation to a magnitude of an offer. A further aspect of the invention provides a method for optimizing a market, comprising: recruiting at least four parties comprising at least one buyer, at least one seller, and at least one deferring party; matching bidders with offerors to maximize a surplus; and allocating the surplus at least in part to the deferring party, to motivate deference. In accordance with these embodiments, cooperation with a resource allocation which might otherwise be rejected, or incentivized the members not to defect from the community. Further, this mechanism incentivizes active participation, which may lead to a more liquid market and more optimal allocations. The auction may be a combinatorial auction. A plurality of suppliers may transact with a plurality of buyers in a single transaction. In accordance with one embodiment, only bidders having a significant risk of being within the set of prevailing parties are distributed the portion of the economic surplus. A portion of the economic surplus may be allocated dependent on a risk of being within the set of prevailing parties. Bidders may be required to pay a bid fee, for example a non-refundable deposit. This bid fee may itself be set, scale with the bid, or set by the bidder, wherein the payback may be a function of the winning bid amount, bidder bid, amount paid, and parameters of other bidders. The economic surplus may be allocated in such manner to increase the liquidity of a market.


The present invention further provides an ad hoc communication node, comprising: an input for receiving communications and an output for generating communications; and a processor, for seeking an optimization of an ad hoc communication network, said processor determining a network state for a portion of the network and estimating a network state for a different portion of the network, said processor engaging in a transaction with another node for transferring a risk of an erroneous state estimation.





BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings show:



FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention;



FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention;



FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a first method in accordance with the present invention;



FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a second method in accordance with the present invention;



FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of a third method in accordance with the present invention;



FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of a fourth method in accordance with the present invention;



FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of a fifth method in accordance with the present invention;



FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a third embodiment of the present invention;





DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure incorporates herein by reference the entirety of WO/2006/029297.


The present invention seeks, among other aspects, to apply aspects of optimization theory to the control and arbitration of communities of resources, that is, elements or agents which operate independently and therefore cannot be directly controlled without compromise. Rather, the system is controlled by providing incentives and disincentives for various behaviors and actions seeking to promote an efficient outcome for the system as a whole, given the external constraints. Each agent then maximizes its own state based on its own value function, in light of the incentives and disincentives, resulting in an optimal network.


This optimization employs elements of game theory, and the present invention therefore invokes all those elements encompassed within its scope as applied to the problems and systems presented. The ad hoc network of elements typically reside within “communities”, that is, the present invention does not particularly seek to apply principles to trivial networks which can be optimized without compromise or arbitration, although its principles may be applicable. The present invention therefore applies to the enhancement or optimization of communities. These communities may themselves have various rules, reputation hierarchies, arrangements or cultures, which can be respected or programmed as a part of the system operation, or merely operate as constraints on optimization. Thus, in accordance with a game theoretic analysis, various rules and perceived benefits may be applied to appropriately model the real system, or may be imposed to control behavior.


These communities may be formed or employed for various purposes, and typically interoperate in a “commons” or economy, in which all relevant actions of each member of the community have an effect on others, and this effect can be quantified or normalized into “economic” terms. For example, a typical application of this technology would be to arbitrate access to a common or mutually interfering medium, such as a communications network. By optimizing communications, the greatest aggregate value of communications will generally be achieved, which may or may not correspond to a greatest aggregate communications bandwidth. For example, both quantity and quality of service may be independent (or semi-independent) parameters. Thus, the system tends to promote a high quality of service (or at least as high a quality as is required) over a bulk volume of service. This, in turn, permits new applications which depend on reliable communications.


A general type of economic optimization is a market economy, in which independent agents each act to maximize their respective interests. A subset of a market is an auction, in which a resource is allocated to a highest valued user or consumer, or a user or consumer acquires a resource at a lowest cost, in a single process. In a market economy, agents may act as peers, and each agent may act as a source of supply or assert a demand. That is, at some market price, a consumer may relinquish assets to others and become a supplier. Generally, a consumer has a higher private value for a resource than a supplier. The suppler, for example, may have a lower cost to obtain the resource, or a lower value for consumption of the resource, or both. Peers that both buy and sell a resource may seek to arbitrage, that is, seek to establish a committed source of supply at a lower cost than a committed purchaser, thus assuring a profit. In order to be effective, arbitrage requires that the intermediary have an advantage, or else the ultimate buyer would transact directly with the ultimate seller. The advantage(s) may be, for example, information, proprietary elements or methods, location, lower transactional costs, available capital, risk tolerance, storage facility, or the like.


So long as the advantage does not derive from an economically inefficiency monopoly or other structure that artificially and/or “illegally” limits the efficiency of other agents, the arbitrage agent increases net efficiency of the network. That is, the presence and action of the arbitrage agent increases the economic surplus of the transaction and the market in general.


An object of the present invention therefore seeks to overcome the inefficiency of seeking to solve a complex NP-complete optimization problem by providing arbitrage opportunities that allow a market solution to the optimization which balances optimization cost with intermediary profits. Accordingly, while the net result may deviate from an abstract optimum condition, when one considers the cost of achieving this abstract optimum, the arbitrage-mediated result is superior in terms of market surplus. The availability of arbitrage and intermediaries therefore allows a particular agent to balance its own optimization costs against overall gains.


The subject of complexity theory, including combinatorial optimization, and solution of approximation of NP-complete problems, has been extensively studied. See, e.g., the references set forth in the combinatorial optimization and auction appendix, which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.


Assuming a set of rational agents, each agent will seek to locally optimize its state to achieve the greatest gains and incur the lowest net costs. Thus, in a system which seeks to optimize a network of such agents, by permitting each agent to optimize its local environment state, the network may then be approximated by a network of local, environments, each typically comprising a plurality of agents. Thus, in the same way as the complexity of an NP-complete problem grows in polynomial space, the simplification of an NP complete problem will also be polynomial. While this simplification incurs an inefficiency, each agent models a proximate region in the space of interest, which tends to be linear (i.e., superposable) in a preferred embodiment. Agents compete with each other, and therefore the incentive to distort is limited. Likewise, since the preferred simplification of the problem does not impose a heuristic (i.e., a substitution of a first relatively simpler or more readily analytic algorithm for a second more intractable algorithm), it does not accordingly distort the incentives from those inherent in the basic optimization.


In a simple auction, a role is imposed on an agent, while in a market an agent can choose its own role dynamically, in a series of transactions, dependent on its own value function. In a market, a set of agents having a resource or requiring a resource seek to interact to reallocate the resource, such that the needs are generally satisfied, up to a “market clearing price”. That is, individual agents transact to transfer the resource from those with supply to those with demand, at a price between the private values of the two agents, which reallocation occurs until the demand ask price is higher than the supply bid price. An auction is designed to maximize the economic surplus, which is then typically allocated to the more restrictive of the source of supply or consumer or the sponsor. A market, on the other hand, generally operates to minimize the gap between bid and ask over an extended period, and thus the economic surplus tends to proportionate based on the balance of supply and demand at the clearing price. The particular reallocation also depends on the state of information of each agent, inefficiencies in transfer, and the like.


Where a need or supply is not unitary, one possible means for achieving an optimal solution is a combinatorial auction, in which multiple suppliers, or multiple consumers, or both, reallocate the resource or portions thereof. Thus, a single need is not met by a single supplier, but rather there are at least three parties to a transaction. The net result is a competition between parties that raises the potential for a holdout. In fact, one way to circumvent this issue (a “holdout” problem) is to have direct or indirect (bypass) competition for each element. In such a circumstance, no agent can effectively demand more than the least cost alternate(s).


A combinatorial auction (multifactorial optimization, also known as a Vickrey Clarke Grove [VCG] Auction) seeks to match, for the entire network of possibilities, the highest valued users with the lowest cost suppliers. This leads, however, to a surplus between the two, which must be allocated. In a one-to-many auction, the surplus is generally allocated to the restricted agent, i.e., the agent(s) with “market power”. On the other hand, in an optimal market, the surplus will tend toward zero. That is, the profit to each party will tend toward a competitive mean, with higher profits only gained by undertaking higher risk. In imperfect markets, arbitrage opportunities exist, where profits can be made by trading the same resource.


In a multihop ad hoc network, a path between source and destination consists of a number of legs, with alternate paths available for selection of an optimum. If each node has its own distinct destination, there will likely be competing demands for each intermediate communication node.


One way to promote revealing a private value is if the end result of the process does not penalize those with aberrantly high or low values. One known method is to compute the result of the process as if the bidder or askor was not involved, leading to a so-called second price. Thus, the highest bidder wins, at a price established by a second highest bid. A lowest askor wins, at a price established by the second lowest askor. In a market, the highest bidder and lowest askor win, with a second price dependant on a more restrictive of supply and demand. In a combinatorial auction, this may be extended to price each component as if the highest bidder was uninvolved. In one embodiment of the invention, the second price applies to both buyer and seller, respectively, with the economic surplus allocated to other purposes. Thus, in this case, neither party gains the particular benefit of an imbalance of supply and demand. In fact, this perturbs the traditional market somewhat, in that an imbalance in supply and demand does not particularly recruit new market entrants in the same manner as an allocation of the surplus.


Arbitrage


The present invention seeks to model, within a microeconomy, the elements of the real economy which tend to improve efficiency toward “perfection”, that is, a perfect universal balance of supply and demand, for which no strategy (other than bidding a true private value) will produce a superior result. It is known that combinatorial auctions permit arbitrage opportunities. See, Andrew Gilpin and Tuomas Sandholm. 2004. Arbitrage in Combinatorial Exchanges. AAMAS-04 6th Workshop on Agent Mediated Electronic Commerce (AMEC-VI), New York, N.Y., 2004, expressly incorporated herein by reference.


These efficiency producing elements, paradoxically, are the parasitic elements which thrive off of predictable inefficiencies. That is, by promoting competition among the parasitic elements, an efficient balance of optimization of the direct market and optimization of the derivative markets will produce an overall superior result to an optimization of the direct market alone.


While the use of derivative markets in real economies is well known, the implementation of these as aspects of microeconomies and isolated markets is not well known, and a part of an embodiment of the present invention. For example, in a corporate bankruptcy auction, there are often resellers present who seek to purchase assets cheaply at a “wholesale” price, and to redistribute them on a less urgent basis or in smaller quantities, or at a different location, or otherwise transformed, and to sell them at a higher “retail” price. The auction price is determined by the number and constitution of bidders, as well as the possibility of proxy or absentee bidding. In fact, we presume that the auctioneers themselves are efficient, and that significantly higher bid prices are not available in a modified process without incurring substantial investment, risk, or delay. Indeed, these premises in a narrow sense might be false, i.e., a rational auctioneer might indeed make greater investment, undertake higher risk, or incur greater delay. However, this possible inefficiency merely shifts the allocation of the surplus, and to the extent there is a substantial gain to be made, encourages arbitrage, which in turn encourages competition at subsequent auctions, leading to at least a partial remediation of the allocation “error” in the long term, over a series of auctions.


Therefore, the market system, with derivative and arbitrage possibilities, and deviations from optimal performance is at least partially self-correcting over the long term.


Likewise, because the system has mechanisms for reducing the effects of imperfections in the presumptions and/or the conformance of a real system to the stated mechanisms and applicable rules, particular aspects of the system which impose administrative or overhead burdens may be circumvented by imposing less restrictive criteria and allowing a “self correcting” mechanism to remediate. Thus, for example, if a theoretically ideal mechanism imposes a 15% burden due to overhead, thus achieving an 85% overall efficiency (100−15=85), while a simplifying presumption achieves a result which imposes a 20% efficiency impairment but only a 2% overhead factor (100−20−2=78), and an arbitrage mechanism is available to correct the simplified model to gain 12% efficiency with another 2% overhead (78+12−2), the net result is 88% efficiency, above that of the theoretically ideal mechanism.


An arbitrage mechanism seeks to identify inefficiency based on superior information or mechanism, and a pricing or value disparity, and conduct a countertrade seeking to exploit the disparity while undertaking relatively low risk, to increase overall market efficiency. (That is, to ultimately reallocate resources from a lower valued holder to a higher valued holder).


An ad hoc network generally presents a case where individual nodes have imperfect information, and efforts to gain better information invariably lead to increased overhead. Therefore, by intentionally truncating the information gathering and discovery aspect of the ad hoc network, a residual arbitrage opportunity will remain, but the inherent inefficiency of the arbitrage may be less than the corresponding overhead involved in providing more perfect information to the individual nodes (i.e., overall arbitrage cost is less than efficiency gain).


As such, a design feature of an embodiment of the invention is to provide or even encourage arbitrage mechanisms and arbitrage opportunities, in an effort to improve overall system efficiency. In fact, an embodiment of the system is preferably constructed to regularly provide arbitrage opportunities which can be conducted with low risk and with substantial market efficiency gains, and these arbitrage opportunities may be an important part of the operation of the embodiment.


A second opportunity provides risk transference, such as debt transactions, insurance, and market-making, and/or the like. In such transactions, a market risk is apparent. Each node, on the other and, has its own subjective risk tolerance. Likewise, the market risk provides an opportunity for nodes having a high risk tolerance to improve yield, by trading risk for return. Those nodes which have generally greater liquid resources, which inherently have no return while uninvested, and may permit other nodes having lesser resources to borrow, at interest. Because there is a risk of non-payment, nodes may have different credit ratings, and this creates an opportunity for credit rating “agencies” and/or guarantors. In an ad hoc network, there is also a possibility for delivery failure, which, in turn, provides an opportunity for insurance.


Manet System


Multihop Ad Hoc Networks require cooperation of nodes which are relatively disinterested in the content being conveyed. Typically, such disinterested intermediaries incur a cost for participation, for example, power consumption or opportunity cost. Economic incentives may be used to promote cooperation of disinterested intermediaries, also known as recruitment. An economic optimization may be achieved using a market-finding process, such as an auction. In many scenarios, the desire for the fairness of an auction is tempered by other concerns, i.e., there are constraints on the optimization which influence price and parties of a transaction. For example, in military communication systems, rank may be deemed an important factor in access to, and control over, the communications medium. A simple process of rank-based preemption, without regard for subjective or objective importance, will result in an inefficient economic distortion. In order to normalize the application of rank, one is presented with two options: imposing a normalization scheme with respect to rank to create a unified economy, or providing considering rank using a set of rules outside of the economy. One way to normalize rank, and the implicit hierarchy underlying the rank, is by treating the economy as an object-oriented hierarchy, in which each individual inherits or is allocated a subset of the rights of a parent, with peers within the hierarchy operating in a purely economic manner. The extrinsic consideration of rank, outside of an economy, can be denominated “respect”, which corresponds to the societal treatment of the issue, rather than normalizing this factor within the economy, in order to avoid unintended secondary economic distortion. Each system has its merits and limitations.


An economic optimization is one involving a transaction in which all benefits and detriments can be expressed in normalized terms, and therefore by balancing all factors, including supply and demand, at a price, an optimum is achieved. Auctions are well known means to achieve an economic optimization between distinct interests, to transfer a good or right in exchange for a market price. While there are different types of auctions, each having their limitations and attributes, as a class these are well accepted as a means for transfer of goods or rights at an optimum price. Where multiple goods or rights are required in a sufficient combination to achieve a requirement, a so-called Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) auction may be employed. In such an auction, each supplier asserts a desired price for his component. The various combinations which meet the requirement are then compared, and the lowest selected. In a combinatorial supply auction, a plurality of buyers each seeks a divisible commodity, and each bids its best price. The bidders with the combination of prices which are maximum are selected. In a commodity market, there are a plurality of buyers and sellers, so the auction is more complex. In a market economy, the redistribution of goods or services are typically transferred between those whose value them least to those who value them most. The transaction price depends on the balance between supply and demand; with the surplus being allocated to the limiting factor.


Derivatives, Hedges, Futures and Insurance


In a market economy, the liquidity of the commodity is typically such that the gap between bid and ask is small enough that the gap between them is small enough that it is insignificant in terms of preventing a transaction. In a traditional market, the allocation of the surplus oscillates in dependence on whether it is a buyer's or seller's market. Of course, the quantum of liquidity necessary to assure an acceptably low gap is subjective, but typically, if the size of the market is sufficient, there will be low opportunity for arbitrage, or at least a competitive market for arbitrage. The arbitrage may be either in the commodity, or options, derivatives, futures, or the like.


In a market for communications resources, derivatives may provide significant advantages over a simple unitary market for direct transactions. For example, a node may wish to procure a reliable communications pathway (high quality of service or QoS) for an extended period. Thus, it may seek to commit resources into the future, and not be subject to future competition for or price fluctuation of those resources, especially being subject to a prior broadcast of its own private valuation and a potential understanding by competitors of the presumed need for continued allocation of the resources. Thus, for similar reasons for the existence of derivative, options, futures, etc. markets in the real economy, their analogy may be provided within a communications resource market.


In a futures market analogy, an agent seeks to procure its long-term or bulk requirements, or seeks to dispose of its assets in advance of their availability. In this way, there is increased predictability, and less possibility of self-competition. It also allows transfer of assets in bulk to meet an entire requirement or production lot capability, thus increasing efficiency and avoiding partial availability or disposal.


One issue in mobile ad hoc networks is accounting for mobility of nodes and unreliability of communications. In commodities markets, one option is insurance of the underlying commodity and its production. The analogy in communications resource markets focuses on communications reliability, since one aspect of reliability, nodal mobility is “voluntary” and not typically associated with an insurable risk. On the other hand, the mobility risk may be mitigated by an indemnification. In combination, these, and other risk transfer techniques, may provide means for a party engaged in a communications market transaction to monetarily compensate for risk tolerance factors. An agent in the market having a low risk tolerance can undertake risk transference, at some additional but predetermined transaction costs, while one with a high risk tolerance can “go bare” and obtain a lower transaction cost, or undertake third party risk for profit.


Insurance may be provided in various manners. For example, some potential market participants may reserve wealth, capacity or demand for a fee, subject to claim in the event of a risk event. In other cases, a separate system may be employed, such as a cellular carrier, to step in, in the event that a lower cost resource is unavailable (typically for bandwidth supply only). A service provider may provide risk-related allocations to network members in an effort to increase perceived network stability; likewise, if the network is externally controlled, each node can be subject to a reserve requirement which is centrally (or hierarchically) allocated.


If an agent promises to deliver a resource, and ultimately fails to deliver, it may undertake an indemnification, paying the buyer an amount representing “damages” or “liquidated damages”, the transaction cost of buyer, e.g., the cost or estimated cost of reprocurement plus lost productivity and/or gains. Likewise, if an agent fails to consume resources committed to it, it owes the promised payment, less the resale value of the remaining resources, if any. An indemnification insurer/guarantor can undertake to pay the gap on behalf of the defaulting party. Typically, the insurer may, but need not be, a normal agent peer.


Hedge strategies may also be employed in known manner.


In order for markets to be efficient, there must be a possibility of beneficial use or resale of future assets. This imposes some complexity, since the assets are neither physical nor possessed by the intermediary. However, cryptographic authentication of transactions may provide some remedy. On the other hand, by increasing liquidity and providing market-makers, the transaction surplus may be minimized, and thus the reallocation of the surplus as discussed above minimized. Likewise, in a market generally composed of agents within close proximity, the interposition of intermediaries may result in inefficiencies rather than efficiencies, and the utility of such complexity may better come from the facilitation of distant transactions. Thus, if one presumes slow, random nodal mobility, little advantage is seen from liquid resource and demand reallocation. On the other hand, if an agent has a predefined itinerary for rapidly relocating, it can efficiently conduct transactions over its path, prearranging communication paths, and thus providing trunk services. Thus, over a short term, direct multihop communications provide long-distance communications of both administrative and content data. On the other hand, over a longer term, relocation of agents may provide greater efficiency for transport of administrative information, increasing the efficiency of content data communications over the limited communications resources, especially if a store-and-forward paradigm is acceptable.


It is noted that in an economy having persistent and deep use of financial derivatives, a stable currency is preferred, and the declining value credit discussed above would provide a disincentive to agents who might otherwise take risks over a long time-frame. It is possible, however, to distinguish between credits held by “consumers” and those held by “arbitrageurs” or institutions, with the former having a declining value but can be spent, and those which have a stable value but must be first converted (at some possible administrative cost) for consumer use.


Bandwidth Auction


A previous scheme proposes the application of game theory in the control of multihop mobile ad hoc networks according to “fair” principles. In this prior scheme, nodes seeking to control the network (i.e., are “buyers” of bandwidth), conduct an auction for the resources desired. Likewise, potential intermediate nodes conduct an auction to supply the resources. The set of winning bidders and winning sellers is optimized to achieve the maximum economic surplus. Winning bidders pay the maximum bid price or second price, while winning sellers receive their winning ask or second price. The remaining surplus is redistributed among the winners and losing bidders, whose cooperation and non-interference with the winning bidders is required for network operation. The allocation of the portion to losing bidders is, for example, in accordance with their proportionate bid for contested resources, and for example, limited to the few (e.g., 3) highest bidders or lowest offerors. The winning bids are determined by a VCG combinatorial process. The result is an optimum network topology with a reasonable, but by no means the only, fairness criterion, while promoting network stability and utility.


The purpose of rewarding losers is to encourage recruitment, and therefore market liquidity. In order to discourage strategic losing bids, one possible option is to impose a statistical noise on the process to increase the risk that a strategically losing bid will be a winning bid. Another way is to allocate the available surplus corresponding to the closeness of the losing bid to the winning bid, not merely on its magnitude. Alternately, a “historical” value for the resource may be established, and an allocation made only if the bid is at or above the trailing mean value. Further, the loser's allocation may be dependent on a future bid with respect to a corresponding resource at or above the prior value. In similar manner, various algorithms for surplus allocation may be designed to encourage recruitment of agents seeking to win, while possibly discouraging bidders who have little realistic possibility of winning. Bidders who do not seek to win impose an inefficiency on the network, for example requiring other agents to communicate, evaluate, acknowledge, and defer to these bids. Therefore, a relatively small bidding fee may be imposed in order to assert a bid, which may be used to increase the available surplus to be allocated between the winning and top losing bidders.


As discussed above, risk may be a factor in valuing a resource. The auction optimization may therefore be normalized or perturbed in dependence on an economic assessment of a risk tolerance, either based on a personal valuation, or based on a third party valuation (insurance/indemnification). Likewise, the optimization may also be modified to account for other factors.


Thus, one issue with such a traditional scheme for fair allocation of resources is that it does not readily permit intentional distortions, that is, the system is “fair”. However, in some instances, a relatively extrinsic consideration to supply and subjective demand may be a core requirement of a system. For example, in military systems, it is traditional and expected that higher military rank will provide access to and control over resources on a favored basis. (Note that, in contrast to an example discussed elsewhere herein, this favoritism is not enforced by a hierarchal wealth generation distribution). In civilian systems, emergency and police use may also be considered privileged. However, by seeking to apply economic rules to this access, a number of issues arise. Most significantly, as a privileged user disburses currency, this is distributed to unprivileged users, leading to an inflationary effect and comparative dilution of the intended privilege. If the economy is real, that is the currency is linked to a real economy, this grant of privilege will incur real costs, which is also not always an intended effect. If the economy is synthetic, that is, it is unlinked to external economies, then the redistribution of wealth within the system can grant dramatic and potentially undesired control to a few nodes, potentially conveying the privilege to those undeserving, except perhaps due to fortuitous circumstances such as being in a critical location or being capable of interfering with a crucial communication.


Two different schemes may be used to address this desire for both economic optimality and hierarchal considerations. One scheme maintains optimality and fairness within the economic structure, but applies a generally orthogonal consideration of “respect” as a separate factor within the operation of the protocol. Respect is a subjective factor, and thus permits each bidder to weight its own considerations. It is further noted that Buttyan et al. have discussed this factor as a part of an automated means for ensuring compliance with network rules, in the absence of a hierarchy. Levente Buttyan and Jean-Pierre Hubaux, Nuglets: a Virtual Currency to Stimulate Cooperation in Self-Organized Mobile Ad Hoc Networks, Technical Report DSC/2001/004, EPFL-DI-ICA, January 2001, incorporated herein by reference. See, P. Michiardi and R. Molva, CORE: A collaborative reputation mechanism to enforce node cooperation in mobile ad hoc networks, In B. Jerman-Blazic and T. Klobucar, editors, Communications and Multimedia Security, IFIP TC6/TC11 Sixth Joint Working Conference on Communications and Multimedia Security, Sep. 26-27, 2002, Portoroz, Slovenia, volume 228 of IFIP Conference Proceedings, pages 107-121. Kluwer Academic, 2002; Sonja Buchegger and Jean-Yves Le Boudec, A Robust Reputation System for P2P and Mobile Ad-hoc Networks, Second Workshop on the Economics of Peer-to-Peer Systems, June 2004; Po-Wah Yau and Chris J. Mitchell, Reputation Methods for Routing Security for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks; Frank Kargl, Andreas Klenk, Stefan Schlott, and Micheal Weber. Advanced Detection of Selfish or Malicious Nodes in Ad Hoc Network. The 1st European Workshop on Security in Ad-Hoc and Sensor Networks (ESAS 2004); He, Qi, et al., SORI: A Secure and Objective Reputation-based Incentive Scheme for Ad-Hoc Networks, IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference 2004, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.


The bias introduced in the system operation is created by an assertion by one claiming privilege, and deference by one respecting privilege. One way to avoid substantial economic distortions is to require that the payment made be based on a purely economic optimization, while selecting the winner based on other factors. In this way, the perturbations of the auction process itself is subtle, that is, since bidders realize that the winning bid may not result in the corresponding benefit, but incurs the publication of private values and potential bidding costs, there may be perturbation of the bidding strategy from optimal. Likewise, since the privilege is itself unfair and predictable, those with lower privilege ratings will have greater incentive to defect from, or act against, the network. Therefore, it is important that either the assertion of privilege be subjectively reasonable to those who must defer to it, or the incidence or impact of the assertions be uncommon or have low anticipated impact on the whole. On the other hand, the perturbation is only one-sided, since the payment is defined by the network absent the assertion of privilege.


In the extreme case, the assertion of privilege will completely undermine the auction optimization, and the system will be prioritized on purely hierarchal grounds, and the pricing non-optimal or unpredictable. This condition may be acceptable or even efficient in military systems, but may be unacceptable where the deference is voluntary and choice of network protocol is available, i.e., defection from the network policies is an available choice.


It is noted that those seeking access based on respect, must still make an economic bid. This bid, for example, should be sufficient in the case that respect is not afforded, for example, from those of equal rank or above, or those who for various reasons have other factors that override the assertion of respect. Therefore, one way to determine the amount of respect to be afforded is the self-worth advertised for the resources requested. This process therefore may minimize the deviation from optimal and therefore promotes stability of the network. It is further noted that those who assert respect based on hierarchy typically have available substantial economic resources, and therefore it is largely a desire to avoid economic redistribution rather than an inability to effect such a redistribution, that compels a consideration of respect.


In a combinatorial auction, each leg of a multihop link is separately acquired and accounted. Therefore, administration of the process is quite involved. That is, each bidder broadcasts a set of bids for the resources required, and an optimal network with maximum surplus is defined. Each leg of each path is therefore allocated a value. In this case, it is the winning bidder who defers based on respect, since the other resources are compensated equally and therefore agnostic.


Thus, if pricing is defined by the economic optimization, then the respect consideration requires that a subsidy be applied, either as an excess payment up to the amount of the winning bid, or as a discount provided by the sellers, down to the actually bid value.


Since the pricing is dependent on the network absent the respect consideration, there is an economic deficit or required subsidy. In some cases, the respected bidder simply pays the amount required, in excess of its actual bid. If we presume that the respected bidder could have or would have outbid the winning bidder, it then pays the third price, rather than the second price. If the respected bidder does not have, or will not allocate the resources, then the subsidy must come from the others involved. On one hand, since the respect in this case may be defined by the otherwise winning bidder, this bidder, as an element of its respect, may pay the difference. However, this cost (both the lost economic gains of the transaction and the subsidy) will quickly disincentivize any sort of grant of respect. The recipients could also provide a discount; however this would require consent of both the winning bidder and the recipients, making concluding the transaction more difficult. One other possibility is to request “donations” from nearby nodes to meet the subsidy, a failure of which undermines the assertion of respect.


Another alternate is to assume that there is a surplus between the aggregate winning bid and the aggregate cost, and so long as the bidder claiming respect pays the minimum cost, then the system remains operable, although the benefits of surplus allocation are lost, and all affected nodes must defer to this respect mechanism. In this case, it is more difficult to arbitrate between competing demands for respect, unless a common value function is available, which in this case we presume is not available.


The node demanding respect may have an impact on path segments outside its required route and the otherwise optimal interfering routes; and thus the required payment to meet the differential between the optimum network and the resulting network may thus be significant.


It is noted that, in the real economy, where the U.S. Government allocates private resources, it is required to pay their full value. This model appears rational, and therefore a preferred system requires a node claiming privilege and gaining a resulting benefit to pay the winning bid value (as an expression of market value), and perhaps in addition pay the winning bidder who is usurped its anticipated benefit, that is, the difference in value between the second price and its published private valuation, this having an economically neutral affect, but also requiring a respected node to potentially possess substantial wealth.


A further possible resolution of this issue provides for an assessment of an assertion of respect by each involved node. Since the allocation of respect is subjective, each bidder supplies a bid, as well as an assertion of respect. Each other node receives the bids and assertions, and applies a weighting or discount based on its subjective analysis of the respect assertion. In this case, the same bid is interpreted differently by each supplier, and the subjective analysis must be performed by or for each supplier. By converting the respect assertion into a subjective weighting or discount, a pure economic optimization may then be performed, with the subjectively perturbed result by each node reported and used to compute the global optimization.


An alternate scheme for hierarchal deference is to organize the economy itself into a hierarchy, as discussed in the first example. In a hierarchy, a node has one parent and possibly multiple children. At each level, a node receives an allocation of wealth from its parent, and distributes all or a portion of its wealth to children. A parent is presumed to control its children, and therefore can allocate their wealth or subjective valuations to its own ends. When nodes representing different lineages must be reconciled, one may refer to the common ancestor for arbitration, or a set of inherited rules to define the hierarchal relationships.


In this system, the resources available for reallocation between branches of the hierarchy depend on the allocation by the common grandparent, as well as competing allocations within the branch. This system presumes that children communicate with their parents and are obedient. In fact, if the communication presumption is violated, one must then rely on a priori instructions, which may not be sufficiently adaptive to achieve an optimal result. If the obedience presumption is violated, then the hierarchal deference requires an enforcement mechanism within the hierarchy. If both presumptions are simultaneously violated, then the system will likely fail, except on a voluntary basis, with results similar to the “reputation” scheme described herein.


Thus, it is possible to include hierarchal deference as a factor in optimization of a multihop mobile ad hoc network, leading to compatibility with tiered organizations, as well as with shared resources.


Application of Game Theory to Ad Hoc Networks


There are a number of aspects of ad hoc network control which may be adjusted in accordance with game theoretic approaches. An example of the application of game theory to influence system architecture arises when communications latency is an issue. A significant factor in latency is the node hop count. Therefore, a system may seek to reduce node hop count by using an algorithm other than a nearest neighbor algorithm, bypassing some nodes with longer distance communications. In analyzing this possibility, one must not only look at the cost to the nodes involved in the communication, but also the cost to nodes which are prevented from simultaneously accessing the network due to interfering uses of network resources. As a general proposition, the analysis of the network must include the impact of each action, or network state, on every node in the system, although simplifying presumptions may be appropriate where information is unavailable, or the anticipated impact is trivial.


Game theory is readily applied in the optimization of communications routes through a defined network, to achieve the best economic surplus allocation. In addition, the problem of determining the network topology, and the communications themselves, are ancillary, though real, applications of game theory. Since the communications incidental to the arbitration require consideration of some of the same issues as the underlying communications, corresponding elements of game theory may apply at both levels of analysis. Due to various uncertainties, the operation of the system is stochastic. This presumption, in turn, allows estimation of optimality within a margin of error, simplifying implementation as compared to a rigorous analysis without regard to statistical significance.


There are a number of known and proven routing models proposed for forwarding of packets in ad hoc networks. These include Ad Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV) Routing, Optimized Link State Routing Protocol (OLSR), Dynamic Source Routing Protocol (DSR), and Topology Dissemination Based on Reverse-Path Forwarding (TBRPF).


There can be significant differences in optimum routing depending on whether a node can modulate its transmit power, which in turn controls range, and provides a further control over network topology. Likewise, steerable antennas, antenna arrays, and other forms of multiplexing provide further degrees of control over network topology. Note that the protocol-level communications are preferably broadcasts, while information conveyance communications are typically point-to-point. Prior studies typically presume a single transceiver, with a single omnidirectional antenna, operating according to in-band protocol data, for all communications. The tradeoff made in limiting system designs according to these presumptions should be clear.


It is the general self-interest of a node to conserve its own resources, maintain an opportunity to access network resources, while consuming whatever resource of other nodes as it desires. Clearly, this presents a significant risk of the “tragedy of the commons”, in which selfish individuals fail to respect the very basis for the community they enjoy, and a network of rational nodes operating without significant incentives to cooperate would likely fail. On the other hand, if donating a node's resources generated a sufficient associated benefit to that node, while consuming network resources imposed a sufficient cost, stability and reliability can be achieved. So long as the functionality is sufficient to meet the need, and the economic surplus is “fairly” allocated, that is, the cost incurred is less than the private value of the benefit, and that cost is transferred as compensation to those burdened in an amount in excess of their incremental cost, adoption of the system should increase stability. In fact, even outside of these bounds, the system may be more stable than one which neither taxes system use nor rewards altruistic behavior. While the basic system may be a zero sum system, and over time, the economic effects will likely average out (assuming symmetric nodes), in any particular instance, the incentive for selfish behavior by a node will be diminished.


One way to remedy selfish behavior is to increase the cost of acting this way, that is, to impose a cost or tax for access to the network. In a practical implementation, however, this is problematic, since under lightly loaded conditions, the “value” of the communications may not justify a fixed cost which might be reasonable under other conditions, and likewise, under heavier loads, critical communications may still be delayed or impeded. A variable cost, dependent on relative “importance”, may be imposed, and indeed, as alluded to above, this cost may be market based, in the manner of an auction. In a multihop network, such an auction is complicated by the requirement for a distribution of payments within the chain of nodes, with each node having potential alternate demands for its cooperation. The market-based price-finding mechanism excludes nodes which ask a price not supported by its market position, and the auction itself may comprise a value function encompassing reliability, latency, quality of service, or other non-economic parameters, expressed in economic terms. The network may further require compensation to nodes which must defer communications because of inconsistent states, such as in order to avoid interference or duplicative use of an intermediary node, and which take no direct part in the communication. It is noted that the concept of the winner of an auction paying the losers is not generally known, and indeed somewhat counterintuitive. Indeed, the effect of this rule perturbs the traditional analysis framework, since the possibility of a payment from the winner to the loser alters the allocation of economic surplus between the bidder, seller, and others. Likewise, while the cost to the involved nodes may be real, the cost to the uninvolved nodes may be subjective. While it would appear that involved nodes would generally be better compensated than uninvolved nodes, the actual allocation or reallocation of wealth according to the optimization may result in a different outcome.


The network provides competitive access to the physical transport medium, and cooperation with the protocol provides significant advantages over competition with it. Under normal circumstances, a well developed ad hoc network system can present as a formidable coordinated competitor for access to contested bandwidth by other systems, while within the network, economic surplus is optimized. Thus, a node presented with a communications requirement is presented not with the simple choice to participate or abstain, but rather whether to participate in an ad hoc network with predicted stability and mutual benefit, or one with the possibility of failure due to selfish behavior, and non-cooperation. Even in the absence of a present communication requirement, a network which rewards cooperative behavior may be preferable to one which simply expects altruism without rewarding it.


The protocol may also encompass the concept of node reputation, that is, a positive or negative statement by others regarding the node in question. P. Michiardi and R. Molva. Core: A collaborative reputation mechanism to enforce node cooperation in mobile ad hoc networks. In Communication and Multimedia Security 2002 Conference, 2002. This reputation may be evaluated as a parameter in an economic analysis, or applied separately, and may be anecdotal or statistical. In any case, if access to resources and payments are made dependent on reputation, nodes will be incentivized to maintain a good reputation, and avoid generating a bad reputation. Therefore, by maintaining and applying the reputation in a manner consistent with the community goals, the nodes are compelled to advance those goals in order to benefit from the community. Game theory distinguishes between good reputation and bad reputation. Nodes may have a selfish motivation to assert that another node has a bad reputation, while it would have little selfish motivation, absent collusion, for undeservedly asserting a good reputation. On the other hand, a node may have a selfish motivation in failing to reward behavior with a good reputation.


Economics and reputation may be maintained as orthogonal considerations, since the status of a node's currency account provides no information about the status of its reputation.


This reputation parameter may be extended to encompass respect, that is, a subjective deference to another based on an asserted or imputed entitlement. While the prior system uses reputation as a factor to ensure compliance with system rules, this can be extended to provided deferential preferences either within or extrinsic to an economy. Thus, in a military hierarchy, a relatively higher ranking official can assert rank, and if accepted, override a relatively lower ranking bidder at the same economic bid. For each node, an algorithm is provided to translate a particular assertion of respect (i.e., rank and chain of command) into an economic perturbation. For example, in the same chain of command, each difference in rank might be associated with a 25% compounded discount, when compared with other bids, i.e.

B1=B0×10(1+0.25×ΔR),


Wherein B1 is the attributed bid, B0 is the actual bid, and ΔR is the difference in rank, positive or negative.


Outside the chain of command, a different, generally lower, discount (dNCOC) may be applied, possibly with a base discount as compared to all bids within the chain of command (dCOC), i.e.,

B1=B0×10(1+dCOC+dNCOC×ΔR).


The discount is applied so that higher ranking officers pay less, while lower ranking officers pay more. Clearly, there is a high incentive for each bid to originate from the highest available commander within the chain of command, and given the effect of the perturbation, for ranking officers to “pull rank” judiciously.


The Modified VCG Auction


A so-called Vickrey-Clarke-Groves, or VCG, auction is a type of auction suitable for bidding, in a single auction, for the goods or services of a plurality of offerors, as a unit. Vickrey, W. (1961). Counterspeculation, auctions, and competitive sealed tenders, Journal of Finance 16, 8-37; Clarke, E. H. (1971). Multipart pricing of public goods, Public Choice 11, 17-33.


In the classic case, each bidder bids a value vector for each available combination of goods or services. The various components and associated ask price are evaluated combinatorially to achieve the minimum sum to meet the requirement. The winning bid set is that which produces the maximum value of the accepted bids, although the second (Vickrey) price is paid. In theory, the Vickrey price represents the maximum state of the network absent the highest bidder, so that each bidder is incentivized to bit its private value, knowing that its pricing will be dependent not on its own value, but the subjective value applied by others. In the present context, each offeror submits an ask price (reserve) or evaluatable value function for a component of the combination. If the minimum aggregate to meet the bid requirement is not met, the auction fails. If the auction is successful, then the set of offerors selected is that with the lowest aggregate bid, and they are compensated that amount.


The VCG auction is postulated as being optimal for allocation of multiple resources between agents. It is “strategyproof” and efficient, meaning that it is a dominant strategy for agents to report their true valuation for a resource, and the result of the optimization is a network which maximizes the value of the system to the agents. Game theory also allows an allocation of cost between various recipients of a broadcast or multicast. That is, the communication is of value to a plurality of nodes, and a large set of recipient nodes may efficiently receive the same information. This allocation from multiple bidders to multiple sellers is a direct extension of VCG theory, and a similar algorithm may be used to optimize allocation of costs and benefit.


The principal issue involved in VCG auctions is that the computational complexity of the optimization grows with the number of buyers and their different value functions and allocations. While various simplifying presumptions may be applied, studies reveal that these simplifications may undermine the VCG premise, and therefore do not promote honesty in reporting the buyer's valuation, and thus are not “strategyproof”, which is a principal advantage of the VCG process.


The surplus, i.e., gap between bid and ask, is then available to compensate the deferred bidders. This surplus may be, for example, distributed proportionately to the original bid value of the bidder, thus further encouraging an honest valuation of control over the resource. Thus, if we presume that a bidder may have an incentive to adopt a strategy in which it shaves its bid to lower values, an additional payoff dependent on a higher value bid will promote higher bides and disincentivize shaving. On the other hand, it would be inefficient to promote bidding above a bidder's private value, and therefore care must be exercised to generally avoid this circumstance. In similar manner, potential offerors may be compensated for low bids, to promote availability of supply. It is noted that, by broadcasting supply and demand, fault tolerance of the network is improved, since in the event that an involved node becomes unavailable, a competing node or set of nodes for that role may be quickly enlisted.


The optimization is such that, if any offeror asks an amount that is too high, it will be bypassed in favor of more “reasonable” offerors. Since the bidder pays the second highest price, honesty in bidding the full private value is encouraged. The distribution of the surplus to losing bidders, which exercise deference to the winner, is proportional to the amount bid, that is, the reported value.


In a scenario involving a request for information meeting specified criteria, the auction is complicated by the fact that the information resource content is unknown to the recipient, and therefore the bid is blind, that is, the value of the information to the recipient is indeterminate. However, game theory supports the communication of a value function or utility function, which can then be evaluated at each node possessing information to be communicated, to normalize its value to the requestor. Fortunately, it is a dominant strategy in a VCG auction to communicate a truthful value, and therefore broadcasting the private value function, to be evaluated by a recipient, is not untenable. In a mere request for information conveyance, such as the intermediate transport nodes in a multihop network, or in a cellular network infrastructure extension model, the bid may be a true (resolved) value, since the information content is not the subject of the bidding; rather it is the value of the communications per se, and the bidding node can reasonably value its bid.


Game theory also allows an allocation of cost between various recipients of a broadcast or multicast. That is, in many instances, information which is of value to a plurality of nodes, and a large set of recipient nodes may efficiently receive the same information. This allocation is a direct extension of VCG theory.


Operation of Protocol


The preferred method for acquiring an estimate of the state of the network is through use of a proactive routing protocol. Thus, in order to determine the network architecture state, each node must broadcast its existence, and, for example, a payload of information including its identity, location, itinerary (navigation vector) and “information value function”. Typically, the system operates in a continuous set of states, so that it is reasonable to commence the process with an estimate of the state based on prior information. Using an in-band or out-of-band propagation mechanism, this information must propagate to a network edge, which may be physically or artificially defined. If all nodes operate with a substantially common estimation of network topology, only deviations from previously propagated information need be propagated. On the other hand, various nodes may have different estimates of the network state, allowing efficiency gains through exploitation of superior knowledge as compared with seeking to convey full network state information to each node.


A CSMA scheme may be used for the protocol-related communications because it is relatively simple and robust, and well suited for ad hoc communications in lightly loaded networks. We presume that the network is willing to tolerate protocol related inefficiency, and therefore that protocol communications can occur in a lightly loaded network even if the content communications are saturated. An initial node transmits using an adaptive power protocol, to achieve an effective transmit range, for example, of greater than an average internodal distance, but not encompassing the entire network. This distance therefore promotes propagation to a set of nearby nodes, without unnecessarily interfering with communications of distant nodes and therefore allowing this task to be performed in parallel in different regions. Neighboring nodes also transmit in succession, providing sequential and complete protocol information propagation over a relevance range, for example 3-10 maximum range hops.


If we presume that there is a spatial limit to relevance, for example, 5 miles or 10 hops, then the network state propagation may be so limited. Extending the network to encompass a large number of nodes will necessarily reduce the tractability of the optimization, and incur an overhead which may be inefficient. Each node preferably maintains a local estimate of relevance. This consideration is accommodated, along with a desire to prevent exponential growth in protocol-related data traffic, by receiving an update from all nodes within a node's network relevance boundary, and a state variable which represents an estimate of relevant status beyond the arbitrarily defined boundary. The propagation of network state may thus conveniently occur over a finite number of hops, for example 3-10. In a dense population of nodes, such as in a city, even a single maximum range communication may result in a large number of encompassed nodes. On the other hand, in a deserted environment, there may be few or no communications partners, at any time.


Under conditions of relatively high nodal densities, the system may employ a zone strategy, that is, proximate groups of nodes are is treated as an entity or cluster for purposes of external state estimation, especially with respect to distant nodes or zones. In fact, a supernode may be nominated within a cluster to control external communications for that cluster. Such a presumption is realistic, since at extended distances, geographically proximate nodes may be modeled as being similar or inter-related, while at close distances, and particularly within a zone in which all nodes are in direct communication, inter-node communications may be subject to mutual interference, and can occur without substantial external influence. Alternately, it is clear that to limit latencies and communication risks, it may be prudent to bypass nearby and neighboring nodes, thus trading latency for power consumption and overall network capacity. Therefore, a hierarchal scheme may be implemented to geographically organize the network at higher analytical levels, and geographic cells may cooperate to appear externally as a single coordinated entity.


In order to estimate a network edge condition, a number of presumptions must be made. The effect of an inaccurate estimate of the network edge condition typically leads to inefficiency, while inordinate efforts to accurately estimate the network edge condition may also lead to inefficiency. Perhaps the best way to achieve compromise is to have a set of adaptive presumptions or rules, with a reasonable starting point. For example, in a multihop network, one might arbitrarily set a network edge the maximum range of five hops of administrative data using a 95% reliable transmission capability. Beyond this range, a set of state estimators is provided by each node for its surroundings, which are then communicated up to five hops (or the maximum range represented by five hops). This state estimator is at least one cycle old, and by the time it is transferred five hops away, it is at least six cycles old. Meanwhile, in a market economy, each node may respond to perceived opportunities, leading to a potential for oscillations if a time-element is not also communicated. Thus, it is preferred that the network edge state estimators represent a time-prediction of network behavior under various conditions, rather than a simple scalar value or instantaneous function.


For example, each node may estimate a network supply function and a network demand function, liquidity estimate and bid-ask gap for its environment, and its own subjective risk tolerance, if separately reported; the impact of nodes closer than five hops may then be subtracted from this estimate to compensate for redundant data. Further, if traffic routes are identifiable, which would correspond in a physical setting of highways, fixed infrastructure access points, etc., a state estimator for these may be provided as well. As discussed above, nodes may bid not only for their own needs or resources, but also to act as market-makers or merchants, and may obtain long term commitments (futures and/or options) and employ risk reduction techniques (insurance and/or indemnification), and thus may provide not only an estimate of network conditions, but also “guaranty” this state.


A node seeking to communicate within the five hop range needs to consider the edge state estimate only when calculating its own supply and demand functions, bearing in mind competitive pressures from outside. On the other hand, nodes seeking resources outside the five hop range must rely on the estimate, because a direct measurement or acquisition of information would require excess administrative communications, and incur an inefficient administrative transaction. Thus, a degree of trust and reliance on the estimate may ensue, wherein a node at the arbitrary network edge is designated as an agent for the principal in procuring or selling the resource beyond its own sphere of influence, based on the provided parameters. The incentive for a node to provide misinformation is limited, since nodes with too high a reported estimate value lose gains from competitive sale transactions, and indeed may be requested to be buyers, and vice versa. While this model may compel trading by intermediary nodes, if the information communicated accurately represents the network state, an economic advantage will accrue to the intermediary participating, especially in a non-power constrained, unlicensed spectrum node configuration.


It should be borne in mind that the intended administration of the communications is an automated process, with little human involvement, other than setting goals, risk tolerance, cost constraints, etc. In a purely virtual economy with temporally declining currency value, the detriment of inaccurate optimizations is limited to reduced nodal efficiency, and with appropriate adaptivity, the system can learn from its “mistakes”. (A defined decline in currency value tends to define the cost constraints for that node, since wealth cannot be accumulated nor overspent).


A supernode within a zone may be selected for its superior capability, or perhaps a central location. The zone is defined by a communication range of the basic data interface for communications, with the control channel preferably having a longer range, for example at least double the normal data communications range. Communications control channel transmitters operate on a number of channels, for example at least 7, allowing neighboring zones in a hexagonal tiled array to communicate simultaneously without interference. In a geographic zone system, alternate zones which would otherwise be interfering may use an adaptive multiplexing scheme to avoid interference. All nodes may listen on all control channels, permitting rapid analysis and propagation of control information. As discussed elsewhere herein, directional antennas of various types may be employed, although it is preferred that out-of-band control channels employ omnidirectional antennas, having a generally longer range (and lower data bandwidth) than the normal data communications channels, in order to have a better chance to disseminate the control information to potentially interfering sources, and to allow coordination of nodes more globally.


In order to effectively provide decentralized control, either each node must have a common set of information to allow execution of an identical control algorithm, or nodes defer to the control signals of other nodes without internal analysis for optimality. A model of semi-decentralized control is also known, in which dispersed supernodes are nominated as master, with other topologically nearby nodes remaining as slave nodes. In the pure peer network, relatively complete information conveyance to each node is required, imposing a relatively high overhead. In a master-slave (or supernode) architecture, increased reliance on a single node trades-off reliability and robustness (and other advantages of pure peer-to-peer networks) for efficiency. A supernode within a cellular zone may be selected for its superior capability, or perhaps is at a central location or is immobile.


Once each control node (node or supernode) has an estimate of network topology, the next step is to optimize network channels. According to VCG theory, each agent has an incentive to broadcast its truthful value or value function for the scarce resource, which in this case, is control over communications physical layer, and or access to information. This communication can be consolidated with the network discovery transmission. Each control node then performs a combinatorial solution to select the optimum network configuration from the potentially large number of possibilities, which may include issues of transmit power, data rate, path, timing, reliability and risk criteria, economic and virtual economic costs, multipath and redundancy, etc., for the set of simultaneous equations according to VCG theory (or extensions thereof). This solution should be consistent between all nodes, and the effects of inconsistent solutions may be resolved by collision sensing, and possibly an error/inconsistency detection and correction algorithm specifically applied to this type of information. Thus, if each node has relatively complete information, or accurate estimates for incomplete information, then each node can perform the calculation and derive a closely corresponding solution, and verify that solutions reported by others are reasonably consistent to allow or promote reliance thereon.


As part of the network mapping, communications impairment and interference sources are also mapped. GPS assistance may be particularly useful in this aspect. Where network limitations are caused by interfering communications, the issue is a determination of a strategy of deference or competition. If the interfering communication is continuous or unresponsive, then the only available strategy is competition. On the other hand, when the competing system uses, for example, a CSMA system, such as 802.11, competition with such a communication simply leads to retransmission, and therefore ultimately increased network load, and a deference strategy may be more optimal, at least and until it is determined that the competing communication is incessant. Other communications protocols, however, may have a more or less aggressive strategy. By observation of a system over time, its strategies may be revealed, and game theory permits composition of an optimal strategy to deal with interference or coexistence. It is noted that this strategy may be adopted adaptively by the entire ad hoc network, which may coordinate deference or competition as determined optimal.


The optimization process produces a representation of optimal network architecture during the succeeding period. That is, value functions representing bids are broadcast, with the system then being permitted to determine an optimal real valuation and distribution of that value. Thus, prior to completion of the optimization, potentially inconsistent allocations must be prevented, and each node must communicate its evaluation of other node's value functions, so that the optimization is performed on a normalized economic basis. This step may substantially increase the system overhead, and is generally required for completion of the auction. This valuation may be inferred, however, for intermediate nodes in a multihop network path, since there is little subjectivity for nodes solely in this role, and the respective value functions may be persistent. For example, the valuation applied by a node to forward information is generally independent of content and involved party.


A particular complication of a traffic information system is that the nature of the information held by any node is private to that node (before transmission), and therefore the valuation is not known until after all bids are evaluated. Thus, prior to completion of optimization, each node must communicate its evaluation of other nodes' value functions, so that the optimization is performed on an economic basis. This required step substantially increases the system overhead. This valuation may be inferred, however, for transit nodes in a multihop network path.


As discussed above, may of the strategies for making the economic markets more efficient may be employed either directly, or analogy, to the virtual economy of the ad hoc network. The ability of nodes to act as market maker and derivative market agents facilitates the optimization, since a node may elect to undertake a responsibility (e.g., transaction risk), rather than relay it to others, and therefore the control/administrative channel chain may be truncated at that point. If the network is dense, then a node which acts selfishly will be bypassed, and if the network is sparse, the node may well be entitled to gain transactional profit by acting as a principal and trader, subject to the fact that profits will generally be suboptimal if pricing is too high or too low.


After the network architecture is defined, compensation is paid to those nodes providing value or subjected to a burden (including foregoing communication opportunity) by those gaining a benefit. The payment may be a virtual currency, with no specific true value, and the virtual currency system provides a convenient method to flexibly tax, subsidize, or control the system, and thus steer the virtual currency to a normalized extrinsic value. In a real currency system, external controls are more difficult, and may have unintended consequences. A hybrid economy may be provided, linking both the virtual and real currencies, to some degree. This is especially useful if the network itself interfaces with an outside economy, such as the cellular telephony infrastructure (e.g., 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 4G, proposals for 5G, WiFi (802.11x) hotspots, WiMax (802.16x), etc.)


Using the protocol communication system, each node transmits its value function (or change thereof), passes through communications from neighboring nodes, and may, for example transmit payment information for the immediate-past bid for incoming communications.


Messages are forwarded outward (avoiding redundant propagation back to the source), with messages appended from the series of nodes. Propagation continues for a finite number of hops, until the entire community has an estimate of the state and value function of each node in the community. Advantageously, the network beyond a respective community may be modeled in simplified form, to provide a better estimate of the network as a whole. If the propagation were not reasonably limited, the information would be stale by the time it is employed, and the system latency would be inordinate. Of course, in networks where a large number of hops are realistic, the limit may be time, distance, a counter or value decrement, or other variable, rather than hops. Likewise, the range may be adaptively determined, rather than predetermined, based on some criteria.


After propagation, each node evaluates the set of value functions for its community, with respect to its own information and ability to forward packets. Each node may then make an offer to supply or forward information, based on the provided information. In the case of multihop communications, the offers are propagated to the remainder of the community, for the maximum number of hops, including the originating node. At this point, each node has a representation of the state of its community, with community edge estimates providing consistency for nodes with differing community scopes, the valuation function each node assigns to control over portions of the network, as well as a resolved valuation of each node for supplying the need. Under these circumstances, each node may then evaluate an optimization for the network architecture, and come to a conclusion consistent with that of other members of its community. If supported, node reputation may be updated based on past performance, and the reputation applied as a factor in the optimization and/or externally to the optimization. As discussed above, a VCG-type auction is employed as a basis for optimization. Since each node receives bid information from all other nodes within the maximum node count, the VCG auction produces an optimized result.


As discussed above, by permitting futures, options, derivatives, insurance/indemnification/guaranties, long and short sales, etc., the markets may be relatively stabilized as compared to a simple set of independent and sequential auctions, which may show increased volatility, oscillations, chaotic behavior, and other features which may be inefficient.


Transmissions are preferably made in frames, with a single bidding process controlling multiple frames, for example a multiple of the maximum number of hops. Therefore, the bid encompasses a frame's-worth of control over the modalities. In the event that the simultaneous use of, or control over, a modality by various nodes is not inconsistent, then the value of the respective nodes may be summed, with the resulting allocation based on, for example, a ratio of the respective value functions. As a part of the optimization, nodes are rewarded not only for supporting the communication, but also for deferring their own respective communications needs. As a result, after controlling the resources, a node will be relatively less wealthy and less able to subsequently control the resources, while other nodes will be more able to control the resources. The distribution to deferred nodes also serves to prevent pure reciprocal communications, since the proposed mechanism distributes and dilutes the wealth to deferring nodes.


Another possible transaction between nodes is a loan, that is, instead of providing bandwidth per se, one node may loan a portion of its generator function or accumulated wealth to another node. Presumably, there will be an associated interest payment. Since the currency in the preferred embodiment is itself defined by an algorithm, the loan transaction may also be defined by an algorithm. While this concept is somewhat inconsistent with a virtual currency which declines in value over time and/or space, it is not completely inconsistent, and, in fact, the exchange may arbitrage these factors, especially location-based issues.


Because each node in the model presented above has complete information, for a range up to the maximum node count, the wealth of each node can be estimated by its neighbors, and payment inferred even if not actually consummated. (Failure of payment can occur for a number of reasons, including both malicious and accidental). Because each hop adds significant cost, the fact that nodes beyond the maximum hop distance are essentially incommunicado is typically of little consequence; since it is very unlikely that a node more than 5 or 10 hops away will be efficiently directly included in any communication, due to the increasing cost with distance, as well as reduction in reliability and increase in latency. Thus, large area and scalable networks may exist.


Communications are generally of unencrypted data. Assuming the network is highly loaded, this may allow a node to incidentally fulfill its data requirements as a bystander, and thus at low cost meet its needs, allowing nodes with more urgent or directed needs to both control and compensate the network. While this may reduce compensation to intermediaries and data sources, the improvements in efficiency will likely benefit the network as a whole in increase stability, since we assume that peak load conditions will occur frequently.


Enforcement of responsibility may be provided by a centralized system which assures that the transactions for each node are properly cleared, and that non-compliant nodes are either excluded from the network or at least labeled. While an automated clearinghouse which periodically ensures nodal compliance is preferred, a human discretion clearinghouse, for example presented as an arbitrator or tribunal, may be employed.


It is clear that, once an economic optimization methodology is implemented, various factors may be included in the optimization, as set forth in the Summary and Objects of the invention and claims. Likewise, the optimization itself may have intrinsic limitations, which may create arbitrage opportunities. One set of embodiments of the present invention encourages such arbitrage as a means for efficiently minimizing perturbations from optimality—as the model deviance from reality creates larger arbitrage opportunities, there will be a competitive incentive for recruitment of agents as arbitragers, and also an incentive to create and implement better models. The resulting equilibrium may well be more efficient than either mechanism alone.


The Synthetic Economy


Exerting external economic influences on the system may have various effects on the optimization, and may exacerbate differences in subjective valuations. The application of a monetary value to the virtual currency substantially also increases the possibility of misbehavior and external attacks. On the other hand, a virtual currency with no assessed real value is self-normalizing, while monetization leads to external and generally irrelevant influences as well as possible external arbitrage (with potential positive and negative effects). External economic influences may also lead to benefits, which are discussed in various publications on non-zero sum games.


In order to provide fairness, the virtual currency (similar to the so-called “nuglets” or “nugglets” proposed for use in the Terminodes project) is self-generated at each node according to a schedule, and itself may have a time dependent value. L. Blazevic, L. Buttyan, S. Capkun, S. Giordiano, J.-P. Hubaux, and J.-Y. Le Boudec. Self-organization in mobile ad-hoc networks: the approach of terminodes. IEEE Communications Magazine, 39(6):166-174, June 2001; M. Jakobsson, J. P. Hubaux, and L. Buttyan. A micro-payment scheme encouraging collaboration in multi-hop cellular networks. In Proceedings of Financial Crypto 2003, January 2003; J. P. Hubaux, et al., “Toward Self-Organized Mobile Ad Hoc Networks: The Terminodes Project”, IEEE Communications, 39(1), 2001. citeseer.ist.psu.edu/hubaux01toward.html; Buttyan, L., and Hubaux, J.-P. Stimulating Cooperation in Self-Organizing Mobile Ad Hoc Networks. Tech. Rep. DSC/citeseer.ist.psu.edu/buttyan01stimulating.html; Levente Buttyan and Jean-Pierre Hubaux, “Enforcing Service Availability in Mobile Ad-Hoc WANs”, 1st IEEE/ACM Workshop on Mobile Ad Hoc Networking and Computing (MobiHOC citeseer.ist.psu.edu/buttyan00enforcing.html; L. Buttyan and J.-P. Hubaux. Nuglets: a virtual currency to stimulate cooperation in self-organized ad hoc networks. Technical Report DSC/2001, citeseer.ist.psu.edu/article/buttyan01nuglets.html; Mario Cagalj, Jean-Pierre Hubaux, and Christian Enz. Minimum-energy broadcast in all-wireless networks: Np-completeness and distribution issues. In The Eighth ACM International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking (MobiCom 2002), citeseer.ist.psu.edu/cagalj02minimumenergy.html; N. Ben Salem, L. Buttyan, J. P. Hubaux, and Jakobsson M. A charging and rewarding scheme for packet forwarding. In Proceeding of Mobihoc, June 2003. For example, the virtual currency may have a half-life or temporally declining value. On the other hand, the value may peak at a time after generation, which would encourage deference and short term savings, rather than immediate spending, and would allow a recipient node to benefit from virtual currency transferred before its peak value. This also means that long term hoarding of the currency is of little value, since it will eventually decay in value, while the system presupposes a nominal rate of spending, which is normalized among nodes. The variation function may also be adaptive, but this poses a synchronization issue for the network. An external estimate of node wealth may be used to infer counterfeiting, theft and failure to pay debts, and to further effect remediation.


The currency is generated and verified in accordance with micropayment theory. Rivest, R. L., A. Shamir, PayWord and MicroMint: Two simple micropayment schemes, also presented at the RSA '96 conference, http//theory.lcs.mit.edu/rivest/RivestShamirmpay.ps, citeseer.ist.psu.edu/rivest96payword.html; Silvio Micali and Ronald Rivest. Micropayments revisited. In Bart Preneel, editor, Progress in Cryptology—CT-RSA 2002, volume 2271 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer-Verlag, Feb. 18-22 2002. citeseer.ist.psu.edu/micali02micropayments.html.


Micropayment theory generally encompasses the transfer of secure tokens (e.g., cryptographically endorsed information) having presumed value, which are intended for verification, if at all, in a non-real time transaction, after the transfer to the recipient. The currency is circulated (until expiration) as a token, and therefore may not be subject to immediate definitive authentication by source. Since these tokens may be communicated through an insecure network, the issue of forcing allocation of payment to particular nodes may be dealt with by cryptographic techniques, in particular public key cryptography, in which the currency is placed in a cryptographic “envelope” (cryptolope) addressed to the intended recipient, e.g., is encrypted with the recipient's public key, which must be broadcast and used as, or in conjunction with, a node identifier. This makes the payment unavailable to other than the intended recipient. The issue of holding the encrypted token hostage and extorting a portion of the value to forward the packet can be dealt with by community pressure, that is, any node presenting this (or other undesirable) behavior might be ostracized. The likelihood of this type of misbehavior is also diminished by avoiding monetization of the virtual currency. Further, redundant routing of such information may prevent single-node control over such communications.


This currency generation and allocation mechanism generally encourages equal consumption by the various nodes over the long term. In order to discourage excess consumption of bandwidth, an external tax may be imposed on the system, that is, withdrawing value from the system based on usage. Clearly, the effects of such a tax must be carefully weighed, since this will also impose an impediment to adoption as compared to an untaxed system. On the other hand, a similar effect use-disincentive may be obtained by rewarding low consumption, for example by allocating an advertising subsidy between nodes, or in reward of deference. The external tax, if associated with efficiency-promoting regulation, may have a neutral or even beneficial effect.


Each node computes a value function, based on its own knowledge state, risk profile and risk tolerance, and wealth, describing the value to it of additional information, as well as its own value for participating in the communications of others. The value function typically includes a past travel history, future travel itinerary, present location, recent communication partners, and an estimator of information strength and weakness with respect to the future itinerary. It may be presumed that each node has a standard complement of sensors, and accurately acquired descriptive data for its past travel path. Otherwise, a description of the available information is required. One advantage of a value function is that it changes little over time, unless a need is satisfied or circumstances change, and therefore may be a persistent attribute.


Using the protocol communication system, each node transmits its value function (or change thereof), passes through communications from neighboring nodes, and may, for example transmit payment information for the immediate-past bid for incoming communications.


Messages are forwarded outward (avoiding redundant propagation back to the source), with messages appended from the series of nodes. Propagation continues for a finite number of hops, until the entire community has an estimate of the state and value function of each node in the community. Advantageously, the network beyond a respective community may be modeled in simplified form, to provide a better estimate of the network as a whole.


After propagation, each node evaluates the set of value functions for its community, with respect to its own information and ability to forward packets. Each node may then make an offer to supply or forward information, based on the provided information. In the case of multihop communications, the offers are propagated to the remainder of the community, for the maximum number of hops, including the originating node. At this point, each node has a representation of the state of its community, with community edge estimates providing consistency for nodes with differing community scopes, the valuation function each node assigns to control over portions of the network, as well as a resolved valuation of each node for supplying the need. Under these circumstances, each node may then evaluate an optimization for the network architecture, and come to a conclusion consistent with that of other members of its community. If supported, node reputation may be updated based on past performance, and the reputation applied as a factor in the optimization and/or externally to the optimization. As discussed above, a VCG-type auction is employed as a basis for optimization. Since each node receives bid information from all other nodes within the maximum node count, the VCG auction produces an optimized result.


Transmissions are made in frames, with a single bidding process controlling multiple frames, for example a multiple of the maximum number of hops. Therefore, the bid encompasses a frame's-worth of control over the modalities. In the event that the simultaneous use of, or control over, a modality by various nodes is not inconsistent, then the value of the respective nodes may be summed, with the resulting allocation based on, for example, a ratio of the respective value functions. As a part of the optimization, nodes are rewarded not only for supporting the communication, but also for deferring their own respective needs. As a result, after controlling the resources, a node will be relatively less wealthy and less able to subsequently control the resources, while other nodes will be more able to control the resources. The distribution to deferred nodes also serves to prevent pure reciprocal communications, since the proposed mechanism distributes and dilutes the wealth to deferring nodes.


Because each node in the model presented above has complete information, for a range up to the maximum node count, the wealth of each node can be estimated by its neighbors, and payment inferred even if not actually consummated. (Failure of payment can occur for a number of reasons, including both malicious and accidental). Because each hop adds significant cost, the fact that nodes beyond the maximum hop distance are essentially incommunicado is typically of little consequence; since it is very unlikely that a node more than 5 or 10 hops away will be efficiently included in any communication, due to the increasing cost with distance, as well as reduction in reliability and increase in latency. Thus, large area and scalable networks may exist.


Typically, cryptography is employed for both authentication and to preserve privacy. External regulation, in a legal sense at least, is typically imposed by restrictions on hardware and software design, as well as voluntary compliance at risk of detection and legal sanction.


A synthetic economy affords the opportunity to provide particular control over the generator function, which in turn supports a hierarchy. In this scheme, each node controls the generator function at respectively lower nodes, and thus can allocate wealth among subordinates. If one assumes real time communications, then it is clear that the superordinate node can directly place bids on behalf of subordinates, thus effectively controlling its entire branch. In the absence of real time communications, the superordinate node must defer to the discretion of the subordinate, subject to reallocation later if the subordinate defects. If communications are impaired, and a set of a priori instructions are insufficient, then it is up to the subjective response of a node to provide deference.


It is noted that when sets of nodes “play favorites”, the VCG auction will no longer be considered “strategyproof”. The result is that bidders will assume bidding strategies that do not express their secret valuation, with the result being likely suboptimal market finding during the auction. This factor can be avoided if hierarchal overrides and group bidding play only a small role in the economy, and thus the expected benefits from shaded bidding are outweighed by the normal operation of the system. For example, by taxing transactions, over-valued bidding will be disincentivized, and by redistributing economic surplus to bystanders, the aggregate wealth of the controlling group will be mitigated.


A synthetic economy affords the opportunity to provide particular control over the generator function, which in turn provides particular advantages with respect to a hierarchal organization. In this scheme, each node has the ability to control the generator function at respectively lower nodes, and thus can allocate wealth among subordinates. If one assumes real time communications, then it is clear that the superordinate node can directly place bids on behalf of subordinates, thus effectively controlling its entire branch. In the absence of real time communications, the superordinate node must defer to the discretion of the subordinate, subject to reallocation later if the subordinate defects. If communications are impaired, and a set of a priori instructions are insufficient, then it is up to the subjective response of a node to provide deference. Thus, a node may transfer all or a portion of its generator function, either for a limited time or permanently, using feed-forward or feedback control. In this sense, the hierarchal and financial derivatives, options, futures, loans, etc. embodiments of the invention share a common theme.


It is noted that when sets of nodes “play favorites”, the VCG auction will no longer be considered “strategyproof”. The result is that bidders will assume bidding strategies that do not express their secret valuation, with the result being likely suboptimal market price finding during the auction. This factor can be avoided if hierarchal overrides and group bidding play only a small role in the economy, and thus the expected benefits from shaded bidding are outweighed by the normal operation of the system. On the other hand, the present invention potentially promotes competition within branches of a hierarchy, to the extent the hierarchy does not prohibit this. Between different branches of a hierarchy, there will generally be full competition, while within commonly controlled branches of a hierarchy, cooperation will be expected. Since the competitive result is generally more efficient, there will be incentive for the hierarchal control to permit competition as a default state, asserting control only where required for the hierarchal purpose.


Military Hierarchy


In a typical auction, each player is treated fairly; that is, the same rules apply to each player, and therefore a single economy describes the process. The fair auction therefore poses challenges for an inherently hierarchal set of users, such as a military organization. In the military, there is typically an expectation that “rank has its privileges”. The net result, however, is a decided subjective unfairness to lower ranking nodes. In a mobile ad hoc network, a real issue is user defection or non-compliance. For example, where a cost is imposed on a user for participating in the ad hoc network, e.g., battery power consumption, if the anticipated benefit does not exceed the cost, the user will simply turn off the device until actually needed, to conserve battery power outside the control of the network. The result of mass defection will of course be the instability and failure of the ad hoc network itself. Thus, perceived fairness and net benefit is required to important for network success, assuming that defection or non-compliance remains possible.


On the other hand, in military systems, the assertion of rank as a basis for priority is not necessarily perceived as arbitrary and capricious, and is generally not perceived subjectively as such. Orders and communications from a central command are critical for the organization itself. Therefore, the difficulty in analyzing the application of a fair game to a hierarchal organization is principally a result of conceptualizing and aligning the individual incentives with those of the organization as a whole. Since the organization exists outside of the ad hoc network, it is generally not unrealistic to expect compliance with the hierarchal attributes both within and outside of the network.


An artificial economy provides a basis for an economically efficient solution. In this economy, each node has a generator function for generating economic units which are used in a combinatorial auction with other nodes. The economic units may have a declining value, so that wealth does not accumulate over long periods, and by implication, wealth accumulated in one region is not available for transfer in a distant region, since the transfer may be subject to latency and/or cost. Even if a low latency system is employed to transfer the value, an express spatially declining value function may also be imposed. The geographic decline may also be explicit, for example based on a GPS or navigational system. In other cases, nodal motility is valuable, and mobile nodes are to be rewarded over those which are stationary. Therefore, the value or a portion thereof, or the generator function, may increase with respect to relocations.


This scheme may be extended to the hierarchal case by treating each chain of command as an economic unit with respect to the generator function. At any level of the hierarchy, the commander retains a portion of the wealth generation capacity, and delegates the remainder to its subordinates. In the case of real-time communications, a commander may directly control allocation of the generator function at each time period. Typically, there is no real-time communications capability, and the wealth generator function must be allocated a priori. Likewise, wealth may also be reallocated, although a penalty is incurred in the event of an initial misallocation since the transfer itself incurs a cost, and there will be an economic competitive distortion, under which a node's subjective value of a resource is influenced by its subjective wealth. If a node is supplied with wealth beyond its needs, the wealth is wasted, since it declines in value and cannot be hoarded indefinitely. If a node is supplied with insufficient wealth, economic surplus through transactional gains are lost. Thus, each node must analyze its expected circumstances to retain or delegate the generator function, and to optimally allocate wealth between competing subordinates.


In any transaction, there will be a component which represents the competitive “cost”, and a possible redistribution among nodes within a hierarchal chain. This redistribution may be of accumulated wealth, or of the generation function portion. In the former case, if the communication path fails, no further transfers are possible, while in the latter case, the result is persistent until the transfer function allocation is reversed. It is also possible to transfer an expiring or declining portion of the generating function; however, this might lead a node which is out of range to have no ability to rejoin the network upon return, and thus act as an impediment to efficient network operation. As discussed above, one possibility is for nodes to borrow or load currency. In this case, a node deemed credit-worthy may blunt the impact of initially having insufficient wealth by merely incurring a transaction cost (including interest, if applied).


In practice, the bulk of the wealth generating function will be widely distributed, and not concentrated at the top of the hierarchy. If this is true, under most circumstances, the network will appear to operate according to a non-hierarchal or fair VCG model, but in some circumstances, normal operation may be usurped by nodes which have apparent excess wealth resulting from a superior wealth generator function. Typically, hierarchically superior nodes will use their ability to transfer wealth to themselves, or to recruit subordinates to cooperate, in order to directly or indirectly control the network resources. It is possible, however, for nodes within one branch of a hierarchy to conspire against nodes outside that branch, resulting in a different type of distortion. Since the ad hoc network typically gains by having a larger number of participating nodes, this type of behavior may naturally be discouraged. On the other hand, hierarchically superior nodes either retain, or more likely, can quickly recruit surrounding subordinates to allocate their wealth generating function and accumulated wealth to pass urgent or valuable messages.


Where expensive assets are employed, an actual transfer of wealth or the generator function to a single entity may be required. For example, a high level node might have access to a high power broadcast system, which interferes with other communications, or simply incurs a high cost to operate. Low level nodes might ordinarily be limited to cellular (i.e., short range, low power radio) wireless communications. In order for a low level node to control an expensive asset, the assent or cooperation of others may be required, for example by hierarchal superiors.


Since the network should be stable in the absence of command and control communications, a hierarchal superior should assure that subordinate nodes possess sufficient wealth and motivation to maintain ad hoc network operation. Insufficient wealth will tend to eliminate the advantage to nodal participation (and therefore encourage defection), unless payments from acting as intermediary are significant. Thus, a node with insufficient wealth generation function may potentially exhaust its resources, and be unavailable for ad hoc intermediary use, even for the benefit of the hierarchy. On the other hand, an initial allocation of too much wealth will encourage high spending and less active participation as an intermediary. While it is possible in a military system to formulate an “engineered” solution which forces participation and eliminates defection, this solution does not gain the benefit of economic optimization and may have limited application outside of mandatory hierarchies.


Game theory is a useful basis for analyzing ad hoc networks, and understanding the behavior of complex networks of independent nodes. By presuming a degree of choice and decision-making by nodes, we obtain an analysis that is robust with respect to such considerations. The principal issues impeding deployment are the inherent complexity of the system, as well as the overhead required to continuously optimize the system. Determination of a set of simplifying presumptions to reduce protocol overhead and reduce complexity may improve performance. Hierarchal considerations can be imposed to alter the optimization of the system, which would be expected to provide only a small perturbation to the efficient and optimal operation of the system according to a pure VCG protocol. A marketplace auction with competition between potential buyers and potential sellers, and with the economic surplus distributed between parties which must defer to active participants, provides incentive to all affected parties, and therefore may provide a better result than a simple transfer between supply and demand elements only.


The ad hoc network does not exist in a vacuum. There are various competing interests seeking to use the same bandwidth, and technological superiority alone does not assure dominance and commercial success. Game theory may also be used as a tool to analyze the entities which seek to deploy ad hoc networks, especially where they compete.


First Embodiment

In a typical auction, each player is treated fairly; that is, the same rules apply to each player, and therefore a single economy describes the process. The fair auction therefore poses challenges for an inherently hierarchal set of users, such as a military organization, where rank is accompanied by privilege. The net result, however, is a decided apparent disadvantage to lower ranking agents, at least when viewed in light of constricted self-interest. The issues that arise are similar to the relating to “altruism”, although not identical, and thus the game theoretic analysis of altruistic behavior may be imported for consideration, as appropriate.


In a mobile ad hoc communications network, a real issue is user defection or non-compliance. For example, where a cost is imposed on a user for participating in the ad hoc network, e.g., battery power consumption in a mesh radio network, if the anticipated benefit does not exceed the cost, the user will simply turn off or disable the device until actually needed. The result of mass defection will, of course, be the instability and failure of the ad hoc network itself, leading to decreased utility, even for those who gain an unfair or undue advantage under the system. Thus, perceived fairness and net benefit is required for network success, assuming that defection and/or non-compliance are possible.


On the other hand, in military systems, the assertion of rank as a basis for priority is not itself necessarily arbitrary or capricious. Orders and communications from a central command are critical for the organization itself, and thus the lower ranking agents gain at least a peripheral, if not direct benefit as their own chain of command employs their resources. Therefore, the difficulty in analyzing the application of a fair game paradigm to a hierarchal organization is principally a result of conceptualizing and aligning the individual incentives with those of the organization as a whole and the relationship between branches. Thus, in contradistinction to typical self-organizing peer-to-peer networks, a hierarchal network is not seen as self-organizing, at least in terms of the hierarchy, which is extrinsic to the formation of the communications network under consideration.


As discussed below, the “distortions” of the network imposed by the external hierarchy can be analyzed and accounted for by, for example, the concepts of inheritance and delegation. Thus, each branch of a hierarchy tree may be considered an object, which receives a set of characteristics from its root, and from which each sub-branch inherits the characteristics and adds subcharacteristics of, for example, specialization. It is noted that the hierarchy need not follow non-ambiguous or perfect rules, and thus there is no particular limit imposed that the hierarchy necessarily follow these formalisms. Rather, by analyzing those aspects of the hierarchy which comply with these formalisms in accordance therewith, efficiency is facilitated.


In establishing an economic system, a preliminary question is whether the system is microeconomic or macroeconomic; that is, whether the economy is linked to a real economy or insulated from it. One disadvantage of a real economy with respect to a peer relationship is that external wealth can override internal dynamics, thus diminishing the advantages to be gained by optimization, and potentially creating a perception of unfairness for externally less wealthy agents, at least unless and until the system accomplishes a wealth redistribution. An artificial economy provides a solution for a peer network in which each node has an equal opportunity to gain control over the ad hoc network, independent of outside influences and constraints. On the other hand, by insulating the network from external wealth redistribution, real efficiency gains may be unavailable. Therefore, both types of economies, as well as hybrids, are available. Thus, as discussed in more detail below, a “fair” initial (or recurring) wealth distribution may be applied, which may be supplemented with, and/or provide an output of, external wealth. The rules or proportion of external influence may be predetermined, adaptive, or otherwise.


In accordance with the proposed artificial economy, each node has a generator function for generating economic units, which are then used in a transaction (e.g., an auction) with other nodes to create a market economy, that is, each node has a supply and demand function, and acts as a source or sink for a limited resource. In some cases, nodes may have only supply or demand functions, or a degree of asymmetry, but in this case, these are typically subject to an external economic consideration, and the artificial economy will be less effective in providing appropriate incentives. According to one implementation of this embodiment, the artificial economic units have a temporally and/or spatially declining value, so that wealth does not accumulate over long periods and/or cannot be transferred over large distances. The decline may be linear, exponential, or based on some other function. This creates a set of microeconomies insulated from each other. Where distant microeconomies must deal with each other, there is a discount. This architecture provides a number of advantages, for example, by decreasing the influence of more spatially and temporally distant effects, the scope of an optimization analysis may be relatively constrained, while reducing the amount of information which must be stored over time and/or carried over distance in order to permit an optimization. Likewise, since the economy is artificial, the discount need not be recouped within the scope of the system; that is, conservation of capital is not required. In the same manner, a somewhat different incentive structure may be provided; that is, economic units generated at one location and at one time may have a higher value at a different location and time; this may encourage reduced immediate use of the system resources, and relocation to higher valued locations. As discussed below, one embodiment of the invention permits trading of credits, and thus, for example, a user may establish a repeater site at an under-served location to gain credits for use elsewhere. Preferably, beyond a “near field” effect, the value does not continue to increase, since this may result in inflationary pressures, and undermine the utility of the system in optimally balancing immediate supply and demand at a particular location.


As can be seen, through modifications of the governing rules and formulae, the system can be incentivized to behave in certain ways, but care should be exercised since a too narrow analysis of the incentive might result in unintended long term or distant effects. To the extent that human behavior and subjective analysis is involved, care should also be exercised in applying a rationality assumption, since this is not always true. Rather, there may be applicable models for human irrational behavior that are better suited to an understanding of the network behavior in response to a perturbation.


The typical peer-to-peer ad hoc network may be extended to the hierarchal case by treating each branch (including sub-branches) within the chain of command as an economic unit with respect to the generator function. At any level of the hierarchy, the commander optionally retains a portion of the wealth generation capacity, and delegates the remainder to its subordinates. Therefore, the rank and hierarchal considerations are translated to an economic wealth (or wealth generation) distribution. One aspect of this system allows wealth transfer or redistribution, although in a real system, a time delay is imposed, and in the event of a temporally and/or spatially declining value, the transfer will impose a cost. Thus, an initial misallocation is undesired, and there will be an incentive to optimally distribute the wealth initially. Of course, if centralized control with low penalty is desired, it is possible to limit the penalty, if any, for wealth redistribution through appropriate rules, although the time for propagation through the network remains an issue, and blind nodes (i.e., those which do not have an efficient communication path, or have insufficient resources to utilize otherwise available paths through the hierarchy) may also lead to limitations on system performance.


In this system, there may be an economic competitive distortion, under which a node's subjective value of a resource is influenced by its then subjective wealth. If a node is supplied with wealth beyond its needs, the wealth is wasted, since it may decline in value and cannot be hoarded indefinitely. (In a network wealth model in which wealth could be hoarded indefinitely, small deviations from optimality and arbitrage opportunities may be exploited to create a perception of unfairness, thus, this is not preferred.) If a node is supplied with insufficient wealth, economic surplus through transactional gains are lost. Thus, each node must analyze its expected circumstances to retain or delegate the generator function, and to optimally allocate wealth between competing subordinates. Likewise, there may be a plurality of quasi-optimal states.


In any economic transaction, there is an amount that a seller requires to part with the resource, a price a buyer is willing to pay, and a surplus between them. Typically, in a two party transaction, the surplus is allocated to the party initiating the transaction, that is, the party initiating the transaction uses some discovery mechanism to find the minimum price acceptable by the buyer. In brokered or agent-mediated transactions, a portion of the surplus is allocated to a facilitator.


In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, compliance with the community rules, as well as an incentive to bid or ask a true private value is encouraged by distributing a portion of the transaction surplus to losing competitive bidders. While according to one proposal, this portion is allocated in accordance with their reported valuations, this creates a potential incentive for bidders who know they will not be winning bidders to overbid, and thereby gain an increased portion of the surplus. In order to reward honest reporting of private values, the reward function must penalize both overreporting and underreporting of private values. This circumstance occurs if, at each bid, there is a risk of winning commensurate with the bid, and thus the system is strategyproof. In order to achieve this circumstance, for example, a statistical noise or probability distribution may be added to the system, with an acceptance of a bid made a statistical process. This results in a “fuzzy” boundary on the bid value, although it may impose an inefficiency on the market since any deviation from the optimal market price represents a loss.


Another approach to minimizing strategic bidding is to impose a bid fee. That is, each bidder must offer a prepayment corresponding to a small portion of its bid, thereby disincentivizing bidding to lose. The winning bidder will then pay a second price plus the deposit bid. The sellers will receive their own lowest cost (or second cost) bid. Losing bidders will receive a payment in accordance with the value of their bid, less the bid deposit. In order to disincentivize strategic bidding, the average return to a bidder is less than the bid cost. In fact, a good target for the bidder deposit is the administrative cost of transacting the bidding negotiations. This, in turn, provides an incentive to keep the administrative overhead low, thus improving overall system performance, especially where the administrative communications compete with normal communications for bandwidth. In this circumstance, those bidding to win receive either the benefit of the transaction or a payment for deference, less the transactional fee. Those who are bidding strategically, in manner seeking to acquire the deference payment, must risk the transactional cost, and to gain substantially, must submit a relatively high bid. When the bids are “competitive”, there is a substantial risk that the bid will be a winning bid, and thus incur the full bid cost. Thus, there is a disincentive to bidding a high value, but without an intent to win. Of course, the bid deposit may be a flat fee, or subject to a mathematical or adaptive function, rather than directly related to administrative cost.


The aggregated bid deposits may, for example, be awarded to a class who are optimally incentivized by the nature of this payment. For example, it may be awarded to those selling bandwidth, in a manner generally inversely proportional to the value of their ask, or, for example, based on allocations during the combinatorial (VCG) auction. This payment would then incentivize sellers to offer services at a low price, improving network availability.


Of course, there may be other classes within the auction population who may be taxed or subsidized, using value derived from the auction process.


In a strategyless auction, automated bidding is quite feasible, since the optimal bid is the computed value. For auctions in which a bidder does not have an incentive to bid its true private value, and this must assume a strategic play, automated bidding becomes more of a challenge, but may also be automated.


In a strategy-less auction, a bidder cannot gain by bidding over or under its private value. If a bidder bids below its private value, it has a reduced chance of gaining the benefit of the transaction.


In an auction which is subject to strategic bidding, the strategy may be mitigated by imposing commensurate risks and costs to balance the perceived advantage toward zero.


In particular, the competitive bidders seeking to allocate a scarce resource for themselves receive compensation for deferring to the winning bidder in an amount commensurate with their reported value. Thus, sellers receive their minimum acceptable value, buyers pay their maximum valuation, the surplus is distributed to the community in a manner tending to promote the highest bids within the private value of the bidder. In a corresponding manner, the auction rules can be established to incentivized sellers to ask the minimum possible amount, above their reserve. For example, a portion of the surplus may be allocated to bidders in accordance with how close they come to the winning ask. Therefore, both incentives may be applied, for example with the surplus split in two, and half allocated to the bidder pool and half allocated to the seller pool. Clearly, other allocations or proportionations are possible.


The winning bidder and/or seller may be included within the rebate pool. This is particularly advantageous where for various reasons, the winning bidder is not selected. Thus, this process potentially decouples the bidding (auction) process and the resulting commercial transaction.


Because of transactional inefficiencies, human behavioral aspects, and a desire to avoid increased network overhead by “false” bidders seeking a share of the allocation pool without intending to win the auction, it may be useful to limit the allocation of the surplus pool to a subset of the bidders and/or sellers, for example the top three of one or both. This therefore encourages bidders and/or sellers to seek to be in the limited group splitting the pool, and thus incentivizes higher bids and lower asks. Of course, a party will have a much stronger incentive to avoid bidding outside its valuation bounds, so the risk of this type of inefficiency is small.


As discussed above, one embodiment of the invention provides a possible redistribution of wealth among nodes within a hierarchal chain. This redistribution may be of accumulated wealth, or of the generation function portion. Trading among hierarchically related parties is preferred, since the perceived cost is low, and the wealth can be repeatedly redistributed. In fact, it is because of the possibility of wealth oscillation and teaming that the declining wealth function is preferred, since this will tend to defeat closely related party control over the network for extended periods.


It is noted that, in a multihop mobile ad hoc network, if a communication path fails, no further transfers are possible, potentially resulting in stalled or corrupt system configuration. It is possible to transfer an expiring or declining portion of the generating function; however, this might lead a node which is out of range to have no ability to rejoin the network upon return, and thus act as an impediment to efficient network operation. Therefore, it is preferred that, in an artificial economy, each node has some intrinsic wealth generator function, so an extended period of inactivity, a node gains wealth likely sufficient to rejoin the network as a full participant.


In practice, in a typical military-type hierarchy, the bulk of the wealth generating function will be distributed to the lowest ranks with the highest numbers. Thus, under normal circumstances, the network will appear to operate according to a non-hierarchal (i.e., peer) model, with the distortion that not all nodes have a common generator function. On the other hand, hierarchically superior nodes either retain, or more likely, can quickly recruit surrounding subordinates to allocate their wealth generating function and accumulated wealth to pass urgent or valuable messages. Thus, if 85% of the wealth and network resources are distributed to the lowest-ranking members, then the maximum distortion due to hierarchal modifications is 15%.


One way that this allocation of wealth may be apparent is with respect to the use of expensive assets. Thus, a high level node might have access to a high power broadcast system or licensed spectrum, while low level nodes might ordinarily be limited to lower power transmission and/or unlicensed spectrum or cellular wireless communications. For a low level node to generate a broadcast using an expensive asset (or to allocate a massive amount of space bandwidth product), it must pass the request up through the chain of command, until sufficient wealth (i.e., authority) is available to implement the broadcast.


In fact, such communications and authorizations are quite consistent with the expectations within a hierarchal organization, and this construct is likely to be accepted within a military-type hierarchal organization.


Under normal circumstances, a superior would have an incentive to assure that each subordinate node possesses sufficient wealth to carry out its function and be incentivized to participate in the network. If a subordinate has insufficient initial wealth (or wealth generating function) allocation, it may still participate, but it must expend its internal resources to obtain wealth for participation toward its own benefit. This, in turn, leads to a potential exhaustion of resources, and the unavailability of the node for ad hoc intermediary use, even for the benefit of the hierarchy. An initial surplus allocation will lead to overbidding for resources, and thus inefficient resource allocation, potential waste of allocation, and a disincentive to act as an intermediary in the ad hoc network. While in a traditional military hierarchy, cooperation can be mandated, in systems where cooperation is perceived as contrary to the net personal interests of the actor, network stability may be poor, and defection in spite of mandate.


In a military system, it is thus possible to formulate an “engineered” solution which forces participation and eliminates defection; however, it is clear that such solutions forfeit the potential gains of optimality, and incentivizes circumvention and non-compliance. Further, because such a system is not “cost sensitive” (however the appropriate cost function might be expressed), it fails to respond to “market” forces.


Accordingly, a peer to peer mobile ad hoc network suitable for respecting hierarchal organization structures is provided. In this hierarchal system, the hierarchy is represented by an initial wealth or wealth generation function distribution, and the hierarchically higher nodes can reallocate wealth of nodes beneath themselves, exercising their higher authority. This wealth redistribution can be overt or covert, and if overt, the hierarchal orders can be imposed without nodal assent. In a covert redistribution, trust may be required to assure redistribution by a node to a grandchild node.


The wealth and its distribution can be implemented using modified micropayment techniques and other verifiable cryptographic techniques. This wealth can be applied to auctions and markets, to allocate resources. Various aspects of this system are discussed in more detail elsewhere in this specification.


In accordance with aspects of this embodiment, an example is provided. In this scenario, a vehicle traveling along a highway seeks traffic information 10-20 miles ahead on the road. The transceiver in the vehicle has a range of about 0.5 miles, meaning that, assuming maximum hop range, 20-40 hope would be necessary in each direction in order to fulfill a response to a request for information. If we further assume that the traffic density allows an average density of compatible transceivers of 1 per 0.05 miles2, then it would appear that for each hop, a number of intermediaries would be possible. We further assume that each vehicle has a pair of antennas (which may operate on different frequencies), forward and backward looking, so that forward


And backward communications are non-interfering. It is noted that, in operation, it is not a single vehicle that seeks information responding to a request; rather, it is likely that 2-25% of vehicles will seek information within a short period, especially of the cost of fulfilling a request is relatively low. We also assume that there is no common trigger event, such as an accident, which would provoke essentially all vehicles to request the same information, a circumstances that could be addressed through a multicast or broadcast.


If the vehicle sought to arrange a communication over the entire 10-20 miles in advance of communicating, this would require a multifactorial optimization likely involving over 100 transceivers, and if even one of the 20-40 intermediates fails, the entire communication fails. The administrative overhead for this process may not outweigh its advantages.


On the other hand, if we instead presume that the vehicle only optimize a path over a limited range or number of hops, e.g., 1 mile or 5 hops, then the optimization is facilitated and the administrative overhead reduced. On the other hand, this requires that vehicles or nodes at the fringe arrange for completion of the communication. It is here that the statistical aspects of the network architecture may be exploited to achieve efficiencies. Thus, in observing or participating in the network activities over a period of time, a node can model the behavior of nearby nodes, and determine a degree of risk with respect to the model. That node may then undertake the risk associated with its assessment of its environment, and communicate an offer to act as agent for completion of the communication, without explicitly communicating the details of the communication. Therefore, the originating node optimizes a local region ad hoc network, and then adopts an estimate of the network state beyond the edge of the local region.


Economically, the vehicle seeking the information broadcasts a bid or value function of its valuation of the resources it requires. This bid is propagated to the local region or beyond, and compared with the bids or value functions of other vehicles or nodes. A winning vehicle or node then assumes control over the minimum temporal-spatial-frequency channel required. As stated above, at the edge of the local region, nodes may act as proxies or agents, and undertake the risk of the more distant communication, adding a risk premium to their ask. The node with the lowest ask is selected as the agent or proxy. It is noted that the role of communication intermediary and proxy or agent is discrete, and therefore need not be a single element, though certain efficiencies are gained if this is the case. The agent or proxy must also conduct an auction for the next stage of the communication, in a process which is repeated until the destination node is included within the local region.


The proxy or agent undertakes the risk of the cost of the downstream communications, as well as the risk of non-payment, and thus may well charge a substantial premium over its actual risk-free cost. Therefore, the efficiency gained through the use of the agent or proxy derives from the administrative efficiencies gained, as well as comprehension that the risks are inherent, and must generally be undertaken by some element of the network. The incrementally added risks may be small, but are transferred. A node which promotes itself for acting as agent or proxy may do so because it has lower risks, costs or otherwise unproductive assets. For example, a cellular telephone carrier may choose to participate in the network, using its fixed infrastructure as a backup, or bypass. In that case, if the network fails, or is less efficient, it has the option of using its own facilities.


The agent or proxy therefore arbitrages the risk, based on its own knowledge of its local region which is different from the local region of the originator of the communication. There may be less competition for the role of arbitrageur, allowing it to claim a larger portion of the economic surplus. In fact, an arbitrageur may pre-acquire resources at a defined price, and resell them later at a profit. Thus, it is seen that economic efficiencies and increased profits for intermediaries are not inconsistent, where opportunities for reduction in inefficiencies exist.


Adding hierarchal element to this example, it is noted that certain risks are reduced when transactions are conducted between related entities. For example, if their respective wealth is interlinked, over the long term, the risk of non-payment is abated. Likewise, the risk of defection or non-compliance is reduced. Further, since it is presumed that the benefit function of related nodes is intertwined, actual costs may be reduced, since the communication itself is a countervailing benefit to the cost of a related node conveying the message or packet. Thus, there will likely be a preference for communications between more closely related nodes than between more distantly related or unrelated nodes. On the other hand, since wealth (virtual or real) itself is desirable, and inter-party transactions limit wealth gain opportunities, there will also be an incentive to conduct transactions with unrelated nodes for full value. As discussed above, in a hierarchy, a top level node is initially allocated the entire wealth and/or wealth generation function for its subordinates, which is then redistributed as appropriate or desired. The top level node will generally not maintain more wealth than required, since this is inefficient, and redistributions incur their own inefficiencies.


The economy is preferably virtual, employing arbitrary value credits generated using a cryptographic function. One possible exception is where external elements, such as cellular telephone carriers, are integrated into the system. Since these are real economy agents, there must be some interchange in value between credits and cash, unless the cellular carrier gains a benefit from the ad hoc network. One such possible benefit is extension of its fixed infrastructure to serve under-covered areas. Another possible benefit is the ability to provide information from the ad hoc network to more remote areas. A further benefit is the ability to use unlicensed spectrum for its activities in a standard and non-interfering manner.


In the virtual economy, each node has a physically and/or logically secure cryptographic module, which sequentially generates values which have a unique index number, and may be verified as to node and time of origin, and possibly chain of owners. A node receiving this value can therefore verify that it is authentic, its time of creation (and therefore amortization schedule), and as an audit trail, the chain of ownership. Each bid is also cryptographically secure and signed, so that if a node places a bid, and later fails to pay, a later investigation can be conducted to correctly account for the transaction, and possibly penalize wrongdoing. The payments for a communication are communicated after the transaction, in a cryptographic wrapper (cryptolope) destined for a target node. Since these are secure, the opportunity for theft is low, and there is little incentive for intentional delay of transmission by any intermediate. Further, these packets may be transmitted along redundant paths, to limit the ability of any one node to disrupt communications.


The ability of a node to spend the same value packet twice is limited by a number of factors. First, since each node has a defined generator function, if its spending exceeds its generation capacity, this will be apparent to nearby nodes. Second, since each packet has an index value, the other nodes may compare these values to make sure that they are not used more than once by any node, before they are transferred to another node. Since the value of the credit declines in value over time, indefinite period monitoring is not required.


In some instances, saving value may be an efficient strategy. In order to take advantage of these gains, special bank nodes may be established which have the ability to hoard credits and then reissue new credits when required. Typically, there will be no interest, and in fact there may be discount and delay. The net result of promoting savings will typically be a reduction in demand with respect to supply, thus increasing availability of resources. By allowing withdrawal of savings, periods of inflation and high peak demand is possible. Further, if the withdrawn wealth has the same amortization schedule as newly generated credits, an event which provokes a “run on the bank” may result in a rapid diminution of saved wealth, unless the immediate recipients bank the newly transferred wealth.


As is seen, many of the economic institutions of the real economy have equivalents in the virtual economy, and therefore may be employed in their traditional and known roles to improve efficiency where the self-organizing features of the network alone incur corresponding inefficiencies, thus creating opportunities. Where necessary, links to a real economy, in order to pay for capital investment, efforts, or compensate for risks, may be employed, however it is preferred that these links be attenuated in order to isolate the bulk of the ad hoc network from the influence of real-economy node wealth, and therefore to promote defection of those nodes who are disadvantaged thereby.


Second Embodiment

Multihop Ad Hoc Networks require cooperation of nodes which are relatively disinterested in the content being conveyed. Typically, such disinterested intermediaries incur a cost for participation, for example, power consumption or opportunity cost. Economic incentives may be used to promote cooperation of disinterested intermediaries. An economic optimization may be achieved using a market price-finding process, such as an auction. In many scenarios, the desire for the fairness of an auction is tempered by other concerns, i.e., there are constraints on the optimization which influence price and parties of a transaction. For example, in military communication systems, rank may be deemed an important factor in access to, and control over, the communications medium. A simple process of rank-based preemption, without regard for subjective or objective importance, will result in an inefficient economic distortion. In order to normalize the application of rank, one is presented with two options: imposing a normalization scheme with respect to rank to create a unified economy, or considering rank using a set of rules outside of the economy. One way to normalize rank, and the implicit hierarchy underlying the rank, is by treating the economy as an object-oriented hierarchy, in which each individual inherits or is allocated a subset of the rights of a parent, with peers within the hierarchy operating in a purely economic manner. The extrinsic consideration of rank, outside of an economy, can be denominated “respect”, which corresponds to the societal treatment of the issue, rather than normalizing this factor within the economy, in order to avoid unintended secondary economic distortion. Each system has its merits and limitations.


An economic optimization is one involving a transaction in which all benefits and detriments can be expressed in normalized terms, and therefore by balancing all factors, including supply and demand, at a price, an optimum is achieved. Auctions are well known means to achieve an economic optimization between distinct interests, to transfer a good or right in exchange for a market price. While there are different types of auctions, each having their limitations and attributes, as a class these are well accepted as a means for transfer of goods or rights at an optimum price. Where multiple goods or rights are required in a sufficient combination to achieve a requirement, a so-called Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) auction may be employed. In such an auction, each supplier asserts a desired price for his component. The various combinations which meet the requirement are then compared, and the lowest cost combination selected. In a combinatorial supply auction, a plurality of buyers each seeks a divisible commodity, and each bids its best price. The bidders with the combination of prices which are maximum are selected. In a commodity market, there are a plurality of buyers and sellers, so the auction is more complex. In a market economy, the redistribution of goods or services is typically transferred between those who value them least to those who value them most. The transaction price depends on the balance between supply and demand; with the surplus being allocated to the limiting factor.


There has thus been shown and described novel communications devices and systems and methods which fulfill all the objects and advantages sought therefore. Many changes, modifications, variations, combinations, subcombinations and other uses and applications of the subject invention will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this specification and the accompanying drawings which disclose the preferred embodiments thereof. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention, which is to be limited only by the claims which follow.

Claims
  • 1. A virtual currency agent, comprising: an interface port to an automated public communication network; andat least one automated processor for settling a transaction with a remote virtual currency agent, negotiated by communications through the interface port to the automated public communication network, configured to:receive a message, through the automated public communication network, indicating a proposed transfer of units of a secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information to the virtual currency agent in consideration of the transaction;initiate verification of authenticity and lack of prior inconsistent transfer of the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information by cryptographically processing the message under decentralized control, based on at least an audit trail of the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information; andif the authenticity and lack of prior transfer are verified, selectively accepting the transfer and concluding the transaction.
  • 2. The virtual currency agent according to claim 1, wherein the message comprises packets of information, which are communicated through a packet router of the automated public communication network.
  • 3. The virtual currency agent according to claim 2, wherein the automated communication network comprises a multihop communication network.
  • 4. The virtual currency agent according to claim 1, wherein the at least one automated processor is configured to negotiate the transaction subject to an associated risk tolerance, wherein the verification of authenticity and the verification that the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information are not subject to a prior inconsistent transfer are conducted to satisfy the associated risk tolerance.
  • 5. The virtual currency agent according to claim 1, the virtual currency agent competes with other virtual currency agents for the transaction.
  • 6. The virtual currency agent according to claim 5, wherein the consideration for the transaction is competitively determined based on the competition.
  • 7. The virtual currency agent according to claim 1, wherein the automated processor is further configured to generate units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information based on a cryptographic algorithm.
  • 8. The virtual currency agent according to claim 7, wherein the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information have a valuation that changes over time after creation.
  • 9. The virtual currency agent according to claim 1, wherein the automated processor is further configured to verify a reputation of source of the message.
  • 10. A virtual currency method, comprising: providing an agent comprising:an interface port to an automated public communication network; andat least one automated processor for settling a transaction with a remote virtual currency agent, negotiated by communications through the interface port to the automated public communication network, configured to:receive a message, through the automated public communication network, indicating a proposed transfer of units of a secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information to the virtual currency agent in consideration of the transaction;initiate verification of authenticity and lack of prior inconsistent transfer of the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information by cryptographically processing the message under decentralized control, based on at least an audit trail of the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information;if the authenticity and lack of prior transfer are verified, selectively accepting the transfer and concluding the transaction;negotiating the transaction through the interface port, with the proposed transfer of units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information to the virtual currency agent in consideration of the transaction;receiving the message through the automated public communication network;processing the message based on at least an audit trail of the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information;verifying the authenticity of the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information by cryptographically processing the message under decentralized control, based on at least an audit trail of the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information;verifying that the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information are not subject to a prior inconsistent transfer; andselectively accepting the transfer only if the authenticity and lack of prior transfer are verified.
  • 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the message comprises packets of information, which are communicated through a packet router of the automated public communication network.
  • 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the automated communication network comprises a multihop communication network.
  • 13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the transaction is negotiated subject to an associated risk tolerance, wherein the verification of authenticity and the verification that the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information are not subject to a prior inconsistent transfer are conducted to satisfy the associated risk tolerance.
  • 14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising competing for the transaction with other virtual currency agents, and determining the consideration for the transaction competitively, based on the competition.
  • 15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising selectively automatically communicating in a radio frequency mobile ad hoc communication network among a plurality of the agents, dependent on the selectively accepting the transfer by the agent.
  • 16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising generating units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information based on a public key-based cryptographic algorithm.
  • 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information have a valuation that changes over time after creation.
  • 18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the audit trail comprises a chain of ownership, and information dependent on a time of creation of a respective secure token.
  • 19. A system for receiving a virtual currency payment, comprising: an automated interface to a public communication network; andat least one automated processor, configured to:negotiate a transaction with a remote virtual currency agent, by communications through the automated interface;receive a proposed transfer of units of a secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information in consideration of the transaction through the automated interface;initiate a verification of authenticity and lack of prior disposition of the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information by cryptographically processing the message under decentralized control, based on at least an audit trail specifying a history of the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information; andselectively accept the transfer based on a result of the verification.
  • 20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the proposed transfer of the units of the secure token comprising cryptographically endorsed information in consideration of the transaction is cryptographically secure and signed, so that if a node places a bid, and later fails to pay, a later investigation can be conducted to correctly account for the transaction, and possibly penalize wrongdoing.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/429,666, filed Mar. 26, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,615,264, issued Apr. 4, 2017, which is a Divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/089,277, filed Apr. 4, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,144,619, issued Mar. 27, 2012, which is a U.S. National Stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of PCT/US06/38759, filed Oct. 3, 2006, and claims benefit of priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/467,931 filed Aug. 29, 2006 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/723,339, filed Oct. 4, 2005, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.

US Referenced Citations (3677)
Number Name Date Kind
3573747 Adams et al. Apr 1971 A
3581072 Nymeyer et al. May 1971 A
3582926 Hassan et al. Jun 1971 A
3665161 Oberhart et al. May 1972 A
3845277 Voss et al. Oct 1974 A
3956615 Anderson et al. May 1976 A
4016405 McCune et al. Apr 1977 A
4048452 Oehring et al. Sep 1977 A
4200770 Hellman et al. Apr 1980 A
4218582 Hellman et al. Aug 1980 A
4234932 Gorgens Nov 1980 A
4264782 Konheim Apr 1981 A
4277837 Stuckert Jul 1981 A
4286118 Mehaffey et al. Aug 1981 A
4291749 Ootsuka et al. Sep 1981 A
4306111 Lu et al. Dec 1981 A
4309569 Merkle Jan 1982 A
4314232 Tsunoda Feb 1982 A
4314352 Fought Feb 1982 A
4326098 Bouricius et al. Apr 1982 A
4337821 Saito Jul 1982 A
4341951 Benton Jul 1982 A
4351982 Miller et al. Sep 1982 A
4365110 Lee et al. Dec 1982 A
4386233 Smid et al. May 1983 A
4390968 Hennessy et al. Jun 1983 A
4393269 Konheim et al. Jul 1983 A
4399323 Henry Aug 1983 A
4401848 Tsunoda Aug 1983 A
4405829 Rivest et al. Sep 1983 A
4407564 Ellis Oct 1983 A
4419730 Ito et al. Dec 1983 A
4438326 Uchida Mar 1984 A
4438824 Mueller-Schloer Mar 1984 A
4441405 Takeuchi Apr 1984 A
4450535 de Pommery et al. May 1984 A
4451887 Harada et al. May 1984 A
4453074 Weinstein Jun 1984 A
4458109 Mueller-Schloer Jul 1984 A
4471164 Henry Sep 1984 A
4477874 Ikuta et al. Oct 1984 A
4486853 Parsons Dec 1984 A
4494114 Kaish Jan 1985 A
4514592 Miyaguchi Apr 1985 A
4528588 Lofberg Jul 1985 A
4529870 Chaum Jul 1985 A
4536739 Nobuta Aug 1985 A
4558176 Arnold et al. Dec 1985 A
4564018 Hutchison et al. Jan 1986 A
4567600 Massey et al. Jan 1986 A
4575621 Dreifus Mar 1986 A
4578531 Everhart et al. Mar 1986 A
4582389 Wood et al. Apr 1986 A
4590470 Koenig May 1986 A
4595950 Lofberg Jun 1986 A
4625076 Okamoto et al. Nov 1986 A
4633036 Hellman et al. Dec 1986 A
4636782 Nakamura et al. Jan 1987 A
4650978 Hudson et al. Mar 1987 A
4653003 Kirstein Mar 1987 A
4672572 Alsberg Jun 1987 A
4677663 Szlam Jun 1987 A
4689478 Hale et al. Aug 1987 A
4704610 Smith et al. Nov 1987 A
4706086 Panizza Nov 1987 A
4707788 Tashiro et al. Nov 1987 A
4731769 Schaefer et al. Mar 1988 A
4731841 Rosen et al. Mar 1988 A
4734564 Boston et al. Mar 1988 A
4736203 Sidlauskas Apr 1988 A
4737983 Frauenthal et al. Apr 1988 A
4740779 Cleary et al. Apr 1988 A
4740780 Brown et al. Apr 1988 A
4752676 Leonard et al. Jun 1988 A
4752824 Moore Jun 1988 A
4755940 Brachtl et al. Jul 1988 A
4757529 Glapa et al. Jul 1988 A
4766293 Boston Aug 1988 A
4768221 Green et al. Aug 1988 A
4787039 Murata Nov 1988 A
4789928 Fujisaki Dec 1988 A
4789929 Nishimura et al. Dec 1988 A
4795223 Moss Jan 1989 A
4797911 Szlam et al. Jan 1989 A
4799156 Shavit et al. Jan 1989 A
4807279 McClure et al. Feb 1989 A
4809180 Saitoh Feb 1989 A
4812628 Boston et al. Mar 1989 A
4818048 Moss Apr 1989 A
4819267 Cargile et al. Apr 1989 A
4823264 Deming Apr 1989 A
4827508 Shear May 1989 A
4827518 Feustel et al. May 1989 A
4827520 Zeinstra May 1989 A
4837551 Iino Jun 1989 A
4852149 Zwick et al. Jul 1989 A
4853687 Isomura et al. Aug 1989 A
4860216 Linsenmayer Aug 1989 A
4866754 Hashimoto Sep 1989 A
4868376 Lessin et al. Sep 1989 A
4876594 Schiffman Oct 1989 A
4877947 Mori Oct 1989 A
4878243 Hashimoto Oct 1989 A
4881178 Holland et al. Nov 1989 A
4887818 Escott Dec 1989 A
4890323 Beker et al. Dec 1989 A
4893301 Andrews et al. Jan 1990 A
4894857 Szlam et al. Jan 1990 A
4896363 Taylor et al. Jan 1990 A
4903201 Wagner Feb 1990 A
4906828 Halpern Mar 1990 A
4914698 Chaum Apr 1990 A
4914705 Nigawara Apr 1990 A
4924501 Cheeseman et al. May 1990 A
4926325 Benton et al. May 1990 A
4926480 Chaum May 1990 A
4930073 Cina, Jr. May 1990 A
4930150 Katz May 1990 A
4933964 Girgis Jun 1990 A
4935956 Hellwarth et al. Jun 1990 A
4941168 Kelly, Jr. Jul 1990 A
4941173 Boule et al. Jul 1990 A
4952928 Carroll et al. Aug 1990 A
4953204 Cuschleg, Jr. et al. Aug 1990 A
4958371 Damoci et al. Sep 1990 A
4961142 Elliott et al. Oct 1990 A
4967178 Saito et al. Oct 1990 A
4972476 Nathans Nov 1990 A
4975841 Kehnemuyi et al. Dec 1990 A
4977595 Ohta et al. Dec 1990 A
4979171 Ashley Dec 1990 A
4987587 Jolissaint Jan 1991 A
4988976 Lu Jan 1991 A
4993068 Piosenka et al. Feb 1991 A
4995258 Frank Feb 1991 A
4996959 Akimoto Mar 1991 A
4998272 Hawkins, Jr. et al. Mar 1991 A
5006829 Miyamoto et al. Apr 1991 A
5007000 Baldi Apr 1991 A
5007078 Masson et al. Apr 1991 A
5014298 Katz May 1991 A
5016170 Pollalis et al. May 1991 A
5016270 Katz May 1991 A
5020095 Morganstein et al. May 1991 A
5020097 Tanaka et al. May 1991 A
5020105 Rosen et al. May 1991 A
5036461 Elliott et al. Jul 1991 A
5036535 Gechter et al. Jul 1991 A
5040208 Jolissaint Aug 1991 A
5043736 Darnell et al. Aug 1991 A
5048075 Katz Sep 1991 A
5051735 Furukawa Sep 1991 A
5056141 Dyke Oct 1991 A
5056147 Turner et al. Oct 1991 A
5063522 Winters Nov 1991 A
5065429 Lang Nov 1991 A
5067162 Driscoll, Jr. et al. Nov 1991 A
5070323 Iino et al. Dec 1991 A
5070453 Duffany Dec 1991 A
5070525 Szlam et al. Dec 1991 A
5070526 Richmond et al. Dec 1991 A
5070931 Kalthoff et al. Dec 1991 A
5073890 Danielsen Dec 1991 A
5073929 Katz Dec 1991 A
5073950 Colbert et al. Dec 1991 A
5077665 Silverman et al. Dec 1991 A
5077789 Clark, Jr. et al. Dec 1991 A
5081711 Rickman, Jr. Jan 1992 A
5097528 Gursahaney et al. Mar 1992 A
5103449 Jolissaint Apr 1992 A
5103476 Waite et al. Apr 1992 A
5111390 Ketcham May 1992 A
5119504 Durboraw, III Jun 1992 A
5121422 Kudo Jun 1992 A
5128984 Katz Jul 1992 A
5131020 Liebesny et al. Jul 1992 A
5131038 Puhl et al. Jul 1992 A
5136501 Silverman et al. Aug 1992 A
5140517 Nagata et al. Aug 1992 A
5155680 Wiedemer Oct 1992 A
5161181 Zwick Nov 1992 A
5163083 Dowden et al. Nov 1992 A
5163087 Kaplan Nov 1992 A
5163094 Prokoski et al. Nov 1992 A
5164904 Sumner Nov 1992 A
5164981 Mitchell et al. Nov 1992 A
5166974 Morganstein et al. Nov 1992 A
5168517 Waldman Dec 1992 A
5185786 Zwick Feb 1993 A
5191611 Lang Mar 1993 A
5193110 Jones et al. Mar 1993 A
5198797 Daidoji Mar 1993 A
5203499 Knittel Apr 1993 A
5204670 Stinton Apr 1993 A
5206903 Kohler et al. Apr 1993 A
5208858 Vollert et al. May 1993 A
5214413 Okabayashi et al. May 1993 A
5214688 Szlam et al. May 1993 A
5214707 Fujimoto et al. May 1993 A
5218635 Bonvallet et al. Jun 1993 A
5220501 Lawlor et al. Jun 1993 A
5221838 Gutman et al. Jun 1993 A
5224153 Katz Jun 1993 A
5224162 Okamoto et al. Jun 1993 A
5224163 Gasser et al. Jun 1993 A
5224164 Elsner Jun 1993 A
5224173 Kuhns et al. Jun 1993 A
5228094 Villa Jul 1993 A
5229764 Matchett et al. Jul 1993 A
5235166 Fernadez Aug 1993 A
5235633 Dennison et al. Aug 1993 A
5235642 Wobber et al. Aug 1993 A
5235680 Bijnagte Aug 1993 A
5237159 Stephens et al. Aug 1993 A
5239574 Brandman et al. Aug 1993 A
5245329 Gokcebay Sep 1993 A
5247569 Cave Sep 1993 A
5251252 Katz Oct 1993 A
5253165 Leiseca et al. Oct 1993 A
5253289 Tanaka Oct 1993 A
5254843 Hynes et al. Oct 1993 A
5255349 Thakoor et al. Oct 1993 A
5257190 Crane Oct 1993 A
5265221 Miller Nov 1993 A
5270921 Hornick Dec 1993 A
5272754 Boerbert Dec 1993 A
5274560 LaRue Dec 1993 A
5275400 Weingardt et al. Jan 1994 A
5276732 Stent et al. Jan 1994 A
5278532 Hegg et al. Jan 1994 A
5278898 Cambray et al. Jan 1994 A
5280527 Gullman et al. Jan 1994 A
5283431 Rhine Feb 1994 A
5283731 Lalonde et al. Feb 1994 A
5283818 Klausner et al. Feb 1994 A
5289530 Reese Feb 1994 A
5291550 Levy et al. Mar 1994 A
5291560 Daugman Mar 1994 A
5293115 Swanson Mar 1994 A
5297146 Ogawa Mar 1994 A
5297195 Thorne et al. Mar 1994 A
5299132 Wortham Mar 1994 A
5302955 Schutte et al. Apr 1994 A
5305383 Guillou et al. Apr 1994 A
5309504 Morganstein May 1994 A
5309505 Szlam et al. May 1994 A
5309513 Rose May 1994 A
5311574 Livanos May 1994 A
5311577 Madrid et al. May 1994 A
5313516 Afshar et al. May 1994 A
5319703 Drory Jun 1994 A
5319705 Halter et al. Jun 1994 A
5321745 Drory et al. Jun 1994 A
5325292 Crockett Jun 1994 A
5327490 Cave Jul 1994 A
5329579 Brunson Jul 1994 A
5333190 Eyster Jul 1994 A
5334974 Simms et al. Aug 1994 A
5335276 Thompson et al. Aug 1994 A
5335288 Faulkner Aug 1994 A
5335743 Gillbrand et al. Aug 1994 A
5341412 Ramot et al. Aug 1994 A
5341414 Popke Aug 1994 A
5341428 Schatz Aug 1994 A
5341429 Stringer et al. Aug 1994 A
5343527 Moore Aug 1994 A
5345549 Appel et al. Sep 1994 A
5345817 Grenn et al. Sep 1994 A
5347452 Bay, Jr. Sep 1994 A
5347578 Duxbury Sep 1994 A
5347580 Molva et al. Sep 1994 A
5349642 Kingdon Sep 1994 A
5351041 Ikata et al. Sep 1994 A
5351285 Katz Sep 1994 A
5359645 Katz Oct 1994 A
5361165 Stringfellow et al. Nov 1994 A
5363453 Gagne et al. Nov 1994 A
5365575 Katz Nov 1994 A
5369695 Chakravarti et al. Nov 1994 A
5369705 Bird et al. Nov 1994 A
5371510 Miyauchi et al. Dec 1994 A
5371797 Bocinsky, Jr. Dec 1994 A
5373558 Chaum Dec 1994 A
5377095 Maeda et al. Dec 1994 A
5381470 Cambray et al. Jan 1995 A
5390236 Klausner et al. Feb 1995 A
5390330 Talati Feb 1995 A
5392353 Morales Feb 1995 A
5394324 Clearwater Feb 1995 A
5400045 Aoki Mar 1995 A
5400393 Knuth et al. Mar 1995 A
5402474 Miller et al. Mar 1995 A
5404443 Hirata Apr 1995 A
5410602 Finkelstein et al. Apr 1995 A
5412727 Drexler et al. May 1995 A
5414439 Groves et al. May 1995 A
5414755 Bahler et al. May 1995 A
5416318 Hegyi May 1995 A
5420852 Anderson et al. May 1995 A
5420919 Arnaud et al. May 1995 A
5420926 Low et al. May 1995 A
5422565 Swanson Jun 1995 A
5425093 Trefzger Jun 1995 A
5428544 Shyu Jun 1995 A
5428683 Indeck et al. Jun 1995 A
5428745 de Bruijn et al. Jun 1995 A
5430279 Fernadez Jul 1995 A
5430792 Jesurum et al. Jul 1995 A
5432835 Hashimoto Jul 1995 A
5432864 Lu et al. Jul 1995 A
5432904 Wong Jul 1995 A
5434906 Robinson et al. Jul 1995 A
5434918 Kung et al. Jul 1995 A
5434919 Chaum Jul 1995 A
5436967 Hanson Jul 1995 A
5438186 Nair et al. Aug 1995 A
5440108 Tran et al. Aug 1995 A
5440428 Hegg et al. Aug 1995 A
5442553 Parrillo Aug 1995 A
5442693 Hays et al. Aug 1995 A
5444616 Nair et al. Aug 1995 A
5448045 Clark Sep 1995 A
5448047 Nair et al. Sep 1995 A
5448624 Hardy et al. Sep 1995 A
5448631 Cain Sep 1995 A
5450321 Crane Sep 1995 A
5450329 Tanner Sep 1995 A
5450613 Takahara et al. Sep 1995 A
5453601 Rosen Sep 1995 A
5455407 Rosen Oct 1995 A
5457747 Drexler et al. Oct 1995 A
5459761 Monica et al. Oct 1995 A
5459781 Kaplan et al. Oct 1995 A
5465206 Hilt et al. Nov 1995 A
5465286 Clare et al. Nov 1995 A
5467391 Donaghue, Jr. et al. Nov 1995 A
5469506 Berson et al. Nov 1995 A
5475399 Borsuk Dec 1995 A
5475839 Watson et al. Dec 1995 A
5478993 Derksen Dec 1995 A
5479482 Grimes Dec 1995 A
5479487 Hammond Dec 1995 A
5479501 Lai Dec 1995 A
5481596 Comerford Jan 1996 A
5481613 Ford et al. Jan 1996 A
5483601 Faulkner Jan 1996 A
5483632 Kuwamoto et al. Jan 1996 A
5485161 Vaughn Jan 1996 A
5485312 Horner et al. Jan 1996 A
5485506 Recht et al. Jan 1996 A
5485519 Weiss Jan 1996 A
5486840 Borrego et al. Jan 1996 A
5491800 Goldsmith et al. Feb 1996 A
5493658 Chiang et al. Feb 1996 A
5493690 Shimazaki Feb 1996 A
5494097 Straub et al. Feb 1996 A
5495523 Stent et al. Feb 1996 A
5495528 Dunn et al. Feb 1996 A
5497271 Mulvanny et al. Mar 1996 A
5497339 Bernard Mar 1996 A
5497430 Sadovnik et al. Mar 1996 A
5502762 Andrew et al. Mar 1996 A
5504482 Schreder Apr 1996 A
5504491 Chapman Apr 1996 A
5504622 Oikawa et al. Apr 1996 A
5506595 Fukano et al. Apr 1996 A
5506898 Costantini et al. Apr 1996 A
5511112 Szlam Apr 1996 A
5511117 Zazzera Apr 1996 A
5511121 Yacobi Apr 1996 A
5511724 Freiberger et al. Apr 1996 A
5515421 Sikand et al. May 1996 A
5517566 Smith et al. May 1996 A
5519403 Bickley et al. May 1996 A
5519410 Smalanskas et al. May 1996 A
5519773 Dumas et al. May 1996 A
5521722 Colvill et al. May 1996 A
5523559 Swanson Jun 1996 A
5523739 Manneschi Jun 1996 A
5524140 Klausner et al. Jun 1996 A
5524147 Bean Jun 1996 A
5525977 Suman Jun 1996 A
5526417 Dezonno Jun 1996 A
5526428 Arnold Jun 1996 A
5528248 Steiner et al. Jun 1996 A
5528496 Brauer et al. Jun 1996 A
5528516 Yemini et al. Jun 1996 A
5528666 Weigand et al. Jun 1996 A
5530235 Stefik et al. Jun 1996 A
5530931 Cook-Hellberg et al. Jun 1996 A
5533103 Peavey et al. Jul 1996 A
5533107 Irwin et al. Jul 1996 A
5533109 Baker Jul 1996 A
5533123 Force et al. Jul 1996 A
5534855 Shockley et al. Jul 1996 A
5534888 Lebby et al. Jul 1996 A
5534975 Stefik et al. Jul 1996 A
5535257 Goldberg et al. Jul 1996 A
5535276 Ganesan Jul 1996 A
5535383 Gower Jul 1996 A
5537470 Lee Jul 1996 A
5539645 Mandhyan et al. Jul 1996 A
5539869 Spoto et al. Jul 1996 A
5544220 Trefzger Aug 1996 A
5544232 Baker et al. Aug 1996 A
5544255 Smithies et al. Aug 1996 A
5546452 Andrews et al. Aug 1996 A
5546456 Vilsoet et al. Aug 1996 A
5546462 Indeck et al. Aug 1996 A
5547125 Hennessee et al. Aug 1996 A
5550358 Tait et al. Aug 1996 A
5553155 Kuhns et al. Sep 1996 A
5553661 Beyerlein et al. Sep 1996 A
5555172 Potter Sep 1996 A
5555286 Tendler Sep 1996 A
5555290 McLeod et al. Sep 1996 A
5555295 Bhusri Sep 1996 A
5555309 Kruys Sep 1996 A
5555502 Opel Sep 1996 A
5557516 Hogan Sep 1996 A
5557668 Brady Sep 1996 A
5557765 Lipner et al. Sep 1996 A
5559520 Barzegar et al. Sep 1996 A
5559867 Langsenkamp et al. Sep 1996 A
5559878 Keys et al. Sep 1996 A
5559885 Drexler et al. Sep 1996 A
5560011 Uyama Sep 1996 A
5561711 Muller Oct 1996 A
5561718 Trew et al. Oct 1996 A
5568540 Greco et al. Oct 1996 A
5570419 Cave et al. Oct 1996 A
5572204 Timm et al. Nov 1996 A
5572576 Klausner et al. Nov 1996 A
5572586 Ouchi Nov 1996 A
5572596 Wildes et al. Nov 1996 A
5573244 Mindes Nov 1996 A
5574784 LaPadula et al. Nov 1996 A
5574785 Ueno et al. Nov 1996 A
5576724 Fukatsu et al. Nov 1996 A
5577112 Cambray et al. Nov 1996 A
5578808 Taylor Nov 1996 A
5579377 Rogers Nov 1996 A
5579383 Bales et al. Nov 1996 A
5579535 Orlen et al. Nov 1996 A
5581602 Szlam et al. Dec 1996 A
5581604 Robinson et al. Dec 1996 A
5581607 Richardson, Jr. et al. Dec 1996 A
5583933 Mark Dec 1996 A
5583950 Prokoski Dec 1996 A
5586171 McAllister et al. Dec 1996 A
5586179 Stent et al. Dec 1996 A
5588049 Detering et al. Dec 1996 A
5588059 Chandos et al. Dec 1996 A
5590038 Pitroda Dec 1996 A
5590171 Howe et al. Dec 1996 A
5590188 Crockett Dec 1996 A
5592408 Keskin et al. Jan 1997 A
5592543 Smith et al. Jan 1997 A
5594225 Botvin Jan 1997 A
5594779 Goodman Jan 1997 A
5594790 Curreri et al. Jan 1997 A
5594791 Szlam et al. Jan 1997 A
5594806 Colbert Jan 1997 A
5600710 Weisser, Jr. et al. Feb 1997 A
5602918 Chen et al. Feb 1997 A
5604801 Dolan et al. Feb 1997 A
5606609 Houser et al. Feb 1997 A
5608387 Davies Mar 1997 A
5610774 Hayashi et al. Mar 1997 A
5610978 Purits Mar 1997 A
5613004 Cooperman et al. Mar 1997 A
5613012 Hoffman et al. Mar 1997 A
5615109 Eder Mar 1997 A
5615277 Hoffman Mar 1997 A
5616904 Fernadez Apr 1997 A
5619557 Van Berkum Apr 1997 A
5621201 Langhans et al. Apr 1997 A
5621889 Lermuzeaux et al. Apr 1997 A
5623547 Jones et al. Apr 1997 A
5625676 Greco et al. Apr 1997 A
5625682 Gray et al. Apr 1997 A
5627547 Ramaswamy et al. May 1997 A
5627892 Kauffman May 1997 A
5629980 Stefik et al. May 1997 A
5633917 Rogers May 1997 A
5633922 August et al. May 1997 A
5633924 Kaish et al. May 1997 A
5633932 Davis et al. May 1997 A
5634012 Stefik et al. May 1997 A
5634055 Barnewall et al. May 1997 A
5636267 Utsumi et al. Jun 1997 A
5636268 Dijkstra et al. Jun 1997 A
5636282 Holmquist et al. Jun 1997 A
5636292 Rhoads Jun 1997 A
5638305 Kobayashi et al. Jun 1997 A
5638436 Hamilton et al. Jun 1997 A
5638443 Stefik et al. Jun 1997 A
5640546 Gopinath et al. Jun 1997 A
5640569 Miller et al. Jun 1997 A
5646839 Katz Jul 1997 A
5646986 Sahni et al. Jul 1997 A
5646988 Hikawa Jul 1997 A
5646997 Barton Jul 1997 A
5647017 Smithies et al. Jul 1997 A
5647364 Schneider et al. Jul 1997 A
5648769 Sato et al. Jul 1997 A
5650770 Schlager et al. Jul 1997 A
5650929 Potter et al. Jul 1997 A
5652788 Hara Jul 1997 A
5653386 Hennessee et al. Aug 1997 A
5654715 Hayashikura et al. Aug 1997 A
5655013 Gainsboro Aug 1997 A
5655014 Walsh et al. Aug 1997 A
5657074 Ishibe et al. Aug 1997 A
5659616 Sudia Aug 1997 A
5659726 Sandford, II et al. Aug 1997 A
5661283 Gallacher et al. Aug 1997 A
5664018 Leighton Sep 1997 A
5664115 Fraser Sep 1997 A
5666102 Lahiff Sep 1997 A
5666400 McAllister et al. Sep 1997 A
5666416 Micali Sep 1997 A
5666523 D'Souza Sep 1997 A
5668878 Brands Sep 1997 A
5670953 Satoh et al. Sep 1997 A
5671279 Elgamal Sep 1997 A
5671280 Rosen Sep 1997 A
5672106 Orford et al. Sep 1997 A
5675637 Szlam et al. Oct 1997 A
5677955 Doggett et al. Oct 1997 A
5679940 Templeton et al. Oct 1997 A
5680460 Tomko et al. Oct 1997 A
5682032 Philipp Oct 1997 A
5682142 Loosmore et al. Oct 1997 A
5684863 Katz Nov 1997 A
5687215 Timm et al. Nov 1997 A
5687225 Jorgensen Nov 1997 A
5687236 Moskowitz et al. Nov 1997 A
5689252 Ayanoglu et al. Nov 1997 A
5689565 Spies et al. Nov 1997 A
5689652 Lupien et al. Nov 1997 A
5691524 Josephson Nov 1997 A
5691695 Lahiff Nov 1997 A
5692033 Farris Nov 1997 A
5692034 Richardson, Jr. et al. Nov 1997 A
5692047 McManis Nov 1997 A
5692132 Hogan Nov 1997 A
5696809 Voit Dec 1997 A
5696818 Doremus et al. Dec 1997 A
5696827 Brands Dec 1997 A
5696908 Muehlberger et al. Dec 1997 A
5699056 Yoshida Dec 1997 A
5699418 Jones Dec 1997 A
5699427 Chow et al. Dec 1997 A
5701295 Bales et al. Dec 1997 A
5702165 Koibuchi Dec 1997 A
5703562 Nilsen Dec 1997 A
5703935 Raissyan et al. Dec 1997 A
5704046 Hogan Dec 1997 A
5706427 Tabuki Jan 1998 A
5710834 Rhoads Jan 1998 A
5710887 Chelliah et al. Jan 1998 A
5712625 Murphy Jan 1998 A
5712632 Nishimura et al. Jan 1998 A
5712640 Andou et al. Jan 1998 A
5712912 Tomko et al. Jan 1998 A
5712914 Aucsmith et al. Jan 1998 A
5714852 Enderich Feb 1998 A
5715307 Zazzera Feb 1998 A
5715399 Bezos Feb 1998 A
5715403 Stefik Feb 1998 A
5717387 Suman et al. Feb 1998 A
5717741 Yue et al. Feb 1998 A
5717757 Micali Feb 1998 A
5719950 Osten et al. Feb 1998 A
5720770 Nappholz et al. Feb 1998 A
RE35758 Winter et al. Mar 1998 E
5724418 Brady Mar 1998 A
5724488 Prezioso Mar 1998 A
5727092 Sandford, II et al. Mar 1998 A
5727154 Fry et al. Mar 1998 A
5727165 Ordish et al. Mar 1998 A
5729594 Klingman Mar 1998 A
5729600 Blaha et al. Mar 1998 A
5732368 Knoll et al. Mar 1998 A
5734154 Jachimowicz et al. Mar 1998 A
5734752 Knox Mar 1998 A
5734973 Honda Mar 1998 A
5737420 Tomko et al. Apr 1998 A
5740233 Cave et al. Apr 1998 A
5740240 Jolissaint Apr 1998 A
5740244 Indeck et al. Apr 1998 A
5742226 Szabo et al. Apr 1998 A
5742675 Kilander et al. Apr 1998 A
5742683 Lee et al. Apr 1998 A
5742685 Berson et al. Apr 1998 A
5745555 Mark Apr 1998 A
5745569 Moskowitz et al. Apr 1998 A
5745573 Lipner et al. Apr 1998 A
5745604 Rhoads Apr 1998 A
5745678 Herzberg et al. Apr 1998 A
5745886 Rosen Apr 1998 A
5748103 Flach et al. May 1998 A
5748711 Scherer May 1998 A
5748735 Ganesan May 1998 A
5748738 Bisbee et al. May 1998 A
5748763 Rhoads May 1998 A
5748783 Rhoads May 1998 A
5748890 Goldberg et al. May 1998 A
5748960 Fischer May 1998 A
5749785 Rossides May 1998 A
5750972 Botvin May 1998 A
5751809 Davis et al. May 1998 A
5751836 Wildes et al. May 1998 A
5751909 Gower May 1998 A
5752754 Amitani et al. May 1998 A
5752976 Duffin et al. May 1998 A
5754656 Nishioka et al. May 1998 A
5754939 Herz et al. May 1998 A
5757431 Bradley et al. May 1998 A
5757914 McManis May 1998 A
5757916 MacDoran et al. May 1998 A
5757917 Rose et al. May 1998 A
5758311 Tsuji et al. May 1998 A
5758328 Giovannoli May 1998 A
5761285 Stent Jun 1998 A
5761288 Pinard et al. Jun 1998 A
5761298 Davis et al. Jun 1998 A
5761309 Ohashi et al. Jun 1998 A
5761686 Bloomberg Jun 1998 A
5763862 Jachimowicz et al. Jun 1998 A
5764789 Pare, Jr. et al. Jun 1998 A
5765152 Erickson Jun 1998 A
5767496 Swartz et al. Jun 1998 A
5768355 Salibrici et al. Jun 1998 A
5768360 Reynolds et al. Jun 1998 A
5768382 Schneier et al. Jun 1998 A
5768385 Simon Jun 1998 A
5768426 Rhoads Jun 1998 A
5770849 Novis et al. Jun 1998 A
5771071 Bradley et al. Jun 1998 A
5774073 Maekawa et al. Jun 1998 A
5774357 Hoffberg et al. Jun 1998 A
5774537 Kim Jun 1998 A
5774551 Wu et al. Jun 1998 A
5777394 Arold Jul 1998 A
5778102 Sandford, II et al. Jul 1998 A
5778367 Wesinger, Jr. et al. Jul 1998 A
5781872 Konishi et al. Jul 1998 A
5784461 Shaffer et al. Jul 1998 A
5784566 Viavant et al. Jul 1998 A
5787156 Katz Jul 1998 A
5787159 Hamilton et al. Jul 1998 A
5787187 Bouchard et al. Jul 1998 A
5789733 Jachimowicz et al. Aug 1998 A
5790668 Tomko Aug 1998 A
5790674 Houvener et al. Aug 1998 A
5790703 Wang Aug 1998 A
5790935 Payton Aug 1998 A
5793846 Katz Aug 1998 A
5793868 Micali Aug 1998 A
5794207 Walker et al. Aug 1998 A
5796791 Polcyn Aug 1998 A
5796816 Utsumi Aug 1998 A
5797127 Walker et al. Aug 1998 A
5797128 Birnbaum Aug 1998 A
5799077 Yoshii Aug 1998 A
5799083 Brothers et al. Aug 1998 A
5799086 Sudia Aug 1998 A
5799087 Rosen Aug 1998 A
5799088 Raike Aug 1998 A
5802199 Pare, Jr. et al. Sep 1998 A
5802502 Gell et al. Sep 1998 A
5805055 Colizza Sep 1998 A
5805719 Pare, Jr. et al. Sep 1998 A
5806048 Kiron et al. Sep 1998 A
5806071 Balderrama et al. Sep 1998 A
5809144 Sirbu et al. Sep 1998 A
5809145 Slik et al. Sep 1998 A
5809437 Breed Sep 1998 A
5812642 Leroy Sep 1998 A
5812668 Weber Sep 1998 A
5815252 Price-Francis Sep 1998 A
5815551 Katz Sep 1998 A
5815554 Burgess et al. Sep 1998 A
5815566 Ramot et al. Sep 1998 A
5815577 Clark Sep 1998 A
5815657 Williams et al. Sep 1998 A
5816918 Kelly et al. Oct 1998 A
5819237 Garman Oct 1998 A
5819260 Lu et al. Oct 1998 A
5819289 Sanford, II et al. Oct 1998 A
5822400 Smith Oct 1998 A
5822401 Cave et al. Oct 1998 A
5822410 McCausland et al. Oct 1998 A
5822432 Moskowitz et al. Oct 1998 A
5822436 Rhoads Oct 1998 A
5822737 Ogram Oct 1998 A
5825869 Brooks et al. Oct 1998 A
5825871 Mark Oct 1998 A
5825880 Sudia et al. Oct 1998 A
5826244 Huberman Oct 1998 A
5828731 Szlam et al. Oct 1998 A
5828734 Katz Oct 1998 A
5828751 Walker et al. Oct 1998 A
5828840 Cowan et al. Oct 1998 A
D401613 Goldman Nov 1998 S
5831545 Murray et al. Nov 1998 A
5832089 Kravitz et al. Nov 1998 A
5832119 Rhoads Nov 1998 A
5832464 Houvener et al. Nov 1998 A
5835572 Richardson, Jr. et al. Nov 1998 A
5835881 Trovato et al. Nov 1998 A
5835896 Fisher et al. Nov 1998 A
5838237 Revell et al. Nov 1998 A
5838772 Wilson et al. Nov 1998 A
5838779 Fuller et al. Nov 1998 A
5838812 Pare, Jr. et al. Nov 1998 A
5839114 Lynch et al. Nov 1998 A
5839119 Krsul et al. Nov 1998 A
5841122 Kirchhoff Nov 1998 A
5841852 He Nov 1998 A
5841865 Sudia Nov 1998 A
5841886 Rhoads Nov 1998 A
5841907 Javidi et al. Nov 1998 A
5841978 Rhoads Nov 1998 A
5844244 Graf et al. Dec 1998 A
5845070 Ikudome Dec 1998 A
5845211 Roach, Jr. Dec 1998 A
5845266 Lupien et al. Dec 1998 A
5848143 Andrews et al. Dec 1998 A
5848155 Cox Dec 1998 A
5848161 Luneau et al. Dec 1998 A
5848231 Teitelbaum et al. Dec 1998 A
5850428 Day Dec 1998 A
5850442 Muftic Dec 1998 A
5850446 Berger et al. Dec 1998 A
5850451 Sudia Dec 1998 A
5850481 Rhoads Dec 1998 A
5854832 Dezonno Dec 1998 A
5857013 Yue et al. Jan 1999 A
5857022 Sudia Jan 1999 A
5857023 Demers et al. Jan 1999 A
5862223 Walker et al. Jan 1999 A
5862246 Colbert Jan 1999 A
5862260 Rhoads Jan 1999 A
5862325 Reed et al. Jan 1999 A
5864305 Rosenquist Jan 1999 A
5867386 Hoffberg et al. Feb 1999 A
5867559 Jorgensen et al. Feb 1999 A
5867564 Bhusri Feb 1999 A
5867572 MacDonald et al. Feb 1999 A
5867578 Brickell et al. Feb 1999 A
5867795 Novis et al. Feb 1999 A
5867799 Lang et al. Feb 1999 A
5867802 Borza Feb 1999 A
5869822 Meadows, II et al. Feb 1999 A
5870464 Brewster et al. Feb 1999 A
5870473 Boesch et al. Feb 1999 A
5870723 Pare, Jr. et al. Feb 1999 A
5872833 Scherer Feb 1999 A
5872834 Teitelbaum Feb 1999 A
5872848 Romney et al. Feb 1999 A
5872849 Sudia Feb 1999 A
5873068 Beaumont et al. Feb 1999 A
5873071 Ferstenberg et al. Feb 1999 A
5873782 Hall Feb 1999 A
5875108 Hoffberg et al. Feb 1999 A
5876926 Beecham Mar 1999 A
5878126 Velamuri et al. Mar 1999 A
5878130 Andrews et al. Mar 1999 A
5878137 Ippolito et al. Mar 1999 A
5878144 Aucsmith et al. Mar 1999 A
5880446 Mori et al. Mar 1999 A
5881225 Worth Mar 1999 A
5881226 Veneklase Mar 1999 A
5882258 Kelly et al. Mar 1999 A
5884272 Walker et al. Mar 1999 A
5884277 Khosla Mar 1999 A
5889473 Wicks Mar 1999 A
5889474 LaDue Mar 1999 A
5889799 Grossman et al. Mar 1999 A
5889862 Ohta et al. Mar 1999 A
5889863 Weber Mar 1999 A
5889868 Moskowitz et al. Mar 1999 A
5890138 Godin et al. Mar 1999 A
5890152 Rapaport et al. Mar 1999 A
5892824 Beatson et al. Apr 1999 A
5892838 Brady Apr 1999 A
5892900 Ginter et al. Apr 1999 A
5892902 Clark Apr 1999 A
5893902 Transue et al. Apr 1999 A
5894505 Koyama Apr 1999 A
5896446 Sagady et al. Apr 1999 A
5897616 Kanevsky et al. Apr 1999 A
5897620 Walker et al. Apr 1999 A
5897621 Boesch et al. Apr 1999 A
5898154 Rosen Apr 1999 A
5898759 Huang Apr 1999 A
5898762 Katz Apr 1999 A
5901209 Tannenbaum et al. May 1999 A
5901214 Shaffer et al. May 1999 A
5901229 Fujisaki et al. May 1999 A
5901246 Hoffberg et al. May 1999 A
5903454 Hoffberg et al. May 1999 A
5903641 Tonisson May 1999 A
5903651 Kocher May 1999 A
5903880 Biffar May 1999 A
5903892 Hoffert et al. May 1999 A
5905505 Lesk May 1999 A
5905792 Miloslaysky May 1999 A
5905800 Moskowitz et al. May 1999 A
5905975 Ausubel May 1999 A
5905979 Barrows May 1999 A
5907149 Marckini May 1999 A
5907601 David et al. May 1999 A
5907608 Shaffer et al. May 1999 A
5907677 Glenn et al. May 1999 A
5910982 Shaffer et al. Jun 1999 A
5910987 Ginter et al. Jun 1999 A
5910988 Ballard Jun 1999 A
5911136 Atkins Jun 1999 A
5911143 Deinhart et al. Jun 1999 A
5912818 McGrady et al. Jun 1999 A
5912947 Langsenkamp et al. Jun 1999 A
5912974 Holloway et al. Jun 1999 A
5913025 Higley et al. Jun 1999 A
5913195 Weeren et al. Jun 1999 A
5913196 Talmor et al. Jun 1999 A
5913203 Wong et al. Jun 1999 A
5914951 Bentley et al. Jun 1999 A
5915011 Miloslaysky Jun 1999 A
5915018 Aucsmith Jun 1999 A
5915019 Ginter et al. Jun 1999 A
5915027 Cox et al. Jun 1999 A
5915093 Berlin et al. Jun 1999 A
5915209 Lawrence Jun 1999 A
5915973 Hoehn-Saric et al. Jun 1999 A
5917893 Katz Jun 1999 A
5917903 Jolissaint Jun 1999 A
5918213 Bernard et al. Jun 1999 A
5919239 Fraker et al. Jul 1999 A
5919246 Waizmann et al. Jul 1999 A
5919247 Van Hoff et al. Jul 1999 A
5920058 Weber et al. Jul 1999 A
5920384 Borza Jul 1999 A
5920477 Hoffberg et al. Jul 1999 A
5920628 Indeck et al. Jul 1999 A
5920629 Rosen Jul 1999 A
5920861 Hall et al. Jul 1999 A
5923745 Hurd Jul 1999 A
5923746 Baker et al. Jul 1999 A
5923763 Walker et al. Jul 1999 A
5924016 Fuller et al. Jul 1999 A
5924082 Silverman et al. Jul 1999 A
5924083 Silverman et al. Jul 1999 A
5924406 Kinugasa et al. Jul 1999 A
5925126 Hsieh Jul 1999 A
5926528 David Jul 1999 A
5926539 Shtivelman Jul 1999 A
5926548 Okamoto Jul 1999 A
5926796 Walker et al. Jul 1999 A
5929753 Montague Jul 1999 A
5930339 Nepustil Jul 1999 A
5930369 Cox et al. Jul 1999 A
5930777 Barber Jul 1999 A
5930804 Yu et al. Jul 1999 A
5931890 Suwa et al. Aug 1999 A
5931917 Nguyen et al. Aug 1999 A
5933480 Felger Aug 1999 A
5933492 Turovski Aug 1999 A
5933498 Schneck et al. Aug 1999 A
5933515 Pu et al. Aug 1999 A
5935071 Schneider et al. Aug 1999 A
5937055 Kaplan Aug 1999 A
5937068 Audebert Aug 1999 A
5937390 Hyodo Aug 1999 A
5937394 Wong et al. Aug 1999 A
5938707 Uehara Aug 1999 A
5940493 Desai et al. Aug 1999 A
5940496 Gisby et al. Aug 1999 A
5940497 Miloslaysky Aug 1999 A
5940504 Griswold Aug 1999 A
5940813 Hutchings Aug 1999 A
5940947 Takeuchi et al. Aug 1999 A
5941813 Sievers et al. Aug 1999 A
5941947 Brown et al. Aug 1999 A
5943403 Richardson, Jr. et al. Aug 1999 A
5943422 Van Wie et al. Aug 1999 A
5943423 Muftic Aug 1999 A
5943424 Berger et al. Aug 1999 A
5946387 Miloslaysky Aug 1999 A
5946388 Walker et al. Aug 1999 A
5946394 Gambuzza Aug 1999 A
5946414 Cass et al. Aug 1999 A
5946669 Polk Aug 1999 A
D414313 Maier et al. Sep 1999 S
5948040 DeLorme et al. Sep 1999 A
5948136 Smyers Sep 1999 A
5948322 Baum et al. Sep 1999 A
5949045 Ezawa et al. Sep 1999 A
5949046 Kenneth et al. Sep 1999 A
5949852 Duncan Sep 1999 A
5949854 Sato Sep 1999 A
5949863 Tansky Sep 1999 A
5949866 Coiera et al. Sep 1999 A
5949876 Ginter et al. Sep 1999 A
5949879 Berson et al. Sep 1999 A
5949881 Davis Sep 1999 A
5949882 Angelo Sep 1999 A
5949885 Leighton Sep 1999 A
5950172 Klingman Sep 1999 A
5951055 Mowry, Jr. Sep 1999 A
5952638 Demers et al. Sep 1999 A
5952641 Korshun Sep 1999 A
5953319 Dutta et al. Sep 1999 A
5953332 Miloslaysky Sep 1999 A
5953405 Miloslaysky Sep 1999 A
5953419 Lohstroh et al. Sep 1999 A
5954583 Green Sep 1999 A
5956392 Tanigawa et al. Sep 1999 A
5956397 Shaffer et al. Sep 1999 A
5956400 Chaum et al. Sep 1999 A
5956408 Arnold Sep 1999 A
5956699 Wong et al. Sep 1999 A
5958050 Griffin et al. Sep 1999 A
5959529 Kail, IV Sep 1999 A
5960073 Kikinis et al. Sep 1999 A
5960083 Micali Sep 1999 A
5963632 Miloslavsky Oct 1999 A
5963635 Szlam et al. Oct 1999 A
5963648 Rosen Oct 1999 A
5963657 Bowker et al. Oct 1999 A
5963908 Chadha Oct 1999 A
5963917 Ogram Oct 1999 A
5963924 Williams et al. Oct 1999 A
5963925 Kolling et al. Oct 1999 A
5966386 Maegawa Oct 1999 A
5966429 Scherer Oct 1999 A
5966446 Davis Oct 1999 A
5970132 Brady Oct 1999 A
5970134 Highland et al. Oct 1999 A
5970143 Schneier et al. Oct 1999 A
5970472 Allsop et al. Oct 1999 A
5970479 Shepherd Oct 1999 A
5973616 Grebe et al. Oct 1999 A
5974120 Katz Oct 1999 A
5974135 Breneman et al. Oct 1999 A
5974146 Randle et al. Oct 1999 A
5974548 Adams Oct 1999 A
RE36416 Szlam et al. Nov 1999 E
5977884 Ross Nov 1999 A
5978465 Corduroy et al. Nov 1999 A
5978467 Walker et al. Nov 1999 A
5978471 Bokinge Nov 1999 A
5978475 Schneier et al. Nov 1999 A
5978494 Zhang Nov 1999 A
5978780 Watson Nov 1999 A
5978840 Nguyen et al. Nov 1999 A
5978918 Scholnick et al. Nov 1999 A
5979773 Findley, Jr. et al. Nov 1999 A
5982298 Lappenbusch et al. Nov 1999 A
5982325 Thornton et al. Nov 1999 A
5982520 Weiser et al. Nov 1999 A
5982857 Brady Nov 1999 A
5982868 Shaffer et al. Nov 1999 A
5982891 Ginter et al. Nov 1999 A
5982894 McCalley et al. Nov 1999 A
5983154 Morisawa Nov 1999 A
5983161 Lemelson et al. Nov 1999 A
5983176 Hoffert et al. Nov 1999 A
5983205 Brams et al. Nov 1999 A
5983208 Haller et al. Nov 1999 A
5983214 Lang et al. Nov 1999 A
5984366 Priddy Nov 1999 A
5986746 Metz et al. Nov 1999 A
5987115 Petrunka et al. Nov 1999 A
5987116 Petrunka et al. Nov 1999 A
5987118 Dickerman et al. Nov 1999 A
5987132 Rowney Nov 1999 A
5987140 Rowney et al. Nov 1999 A
5987153 Chan et al. Nov 1999 A
5987155 Dunn et al. Nov 1999 A
5987459 Swanson et al. Nov 1999 A
5987572 Weidner et al. Nov 1999 A
5988897 Pierce et al. Nov 1999 A
5990825 Ito Nov 1999 A
5991391 Miloslavsky Nov 1999 A
5991392 Miloslavsky Nov 1999 A
5991393 Kamen Nov 1999 A
5991395 Miloslaysky Nov 1999 A
5991399 Graunke et al. Nov 1999 A
5991406 Lipner et al. Nov 1999 A
5991408 Pearson et al. Nov 1999 A
5991429 Coffin et al. Nov 1999 A
5991431 Borza et al. Nov 1999 A
5991519 Benhammou et al. Nov 1999 A
5991604 Yi Nov 1999 A
5991738 Ogram Nov 1999 A
5991761 Mahoney et al. Nov 1999 A
5991877 Luckenbaugh Nov 1999 A
5991878 McDonough et al. Nov 1999 A
5995614 Miloslavsky Nov 1999 A
5995615 Miloslavsky Nov 1999 A
5995625 Sudia et al. Nov 1999 A
5995630 Borza Nov 1999 A
5995948 Whitford et al. Nov 1999 A
5996076 Rowney et al. Nov 1999 A
5999095 Earl et al. Dec 1999 A
5999625 Bellare et al. Dec 1999 A
5999629 Heer et al. Dec 1999 A
5999637 Toyoda et al. Dec 1999 A
5999908 Abelow Dec 1999 A
5999919 Jarecki et al. Dec 1999 A
5999965 Kelly Dec 1999 A
5999967 Sundsted Dec 1999 A
6002326 Turner Dec 1999 A
6002756 Lo et al. Dec 1999 A
6002760 Gisby Dec 1999 A
6002767 Kramer Dec 1999 A
6002770 Tomko et al. Dec 1999 A
6002772 Saito Dec 1999 A
6003135 Bialick et al. Dec 1999 A
6003765 Okamoto Dec 1999 A
6004276 Wright et al. Dec 1999 A
6005517 Friedrichs Dec 1999 A
6005534 Hylin et al. Dec 1999 A
6005859 Harvell et al. Dec 1999 A
6005928 Johnson Dec 1999 A
6005931 Neyman et al. Dec 1999 A
6005939 Fortenberry et al. Dec 1999 A
6005943 Cohen et al. Dec 1999 A
6006218 Breese et al. Dec 1999 A
6006328 Drake Dec 1999 A
6006332 Rabne et al. Dec 1999 A
6007426 Kelly et al. Dec 1999 A
6008741 Shinagawa et al. Dec 1999 A
6009149 Langsenkamp Dec 1999 A
6009177 Sudia Dec 1999 A
6009430 Joseph et al. Dec 1999 A
6009526 Choi Dec 1999 A
6011845 Nabkel et al. Jan 2000 A
6011858 Stock et al. Jan 2000 A
6012039 Hoffman et al. Jan 2000 A
6012045 Barzilai et al. Jan 2000 A
6012049 Kawan Jan 2000 A
6013956 Anderson, Jr. Jan 2000 A
6014439 Walker et al. Jan 2000 A
6014605 Morisawa et al. Jan 2000 A
6014627 Togher et al. Jan 2000 A
6014643 Minton Jan 2000 A
6014666 Helland et al. Jan 2000 A
6015344 Kelly et al. Jan 2000 A
6016318 Tomoike Jan 2000 A
6016344 Katz Jan 2000 A
6016475 Miller et al. Jan 2000 A
6016476 Maes et al. Jan 2000 A
6016484 Williams et al. Jan 2000 A
6018579 Petrunka Jan 2000 A
6018724 Arent Jan 2000 A
6018738 Breese et al. Jan 2000 A
6018739 McCoy et al. Jan 2000 A
6018801 Palage et al. Jan 2000 A
6021114 Shaffer et al. Feb 2000 A
6021190 Fuller et al. Feb 2000 A
6021202 Anderson et al. Feb 2000 A
6021397 Jones et al. Feb 2000 A
6021398 Ausubel Feb 2000 A
6021399 Demers et al. Feb 2000 A
6021428 Miloslavsky Feb 2000 A
6021491 Renaud Feb 2000 A
6021497 Bouthillier et al. Feb 2000 A
6023685 Brett et al. Feb 2000 A
6023686 Brown Feb 2000 A
6023762 Dean et al. Feb 2000 A
6023765 Kuhn Feb 2000 A
6026149 Fuller et al. Feb 2000 A
6026156 Epler et al. Feb 2000 A
6026166 LeBourgeois Feb 2000 A
6026167 Aziz Feb 2000 A
6026193 Rhoads Feb 2000 A
6026379 Haller et al. Feb 2000 A
6026383 Ausubel Feb 2000 A
6026490 Johns-Vano et al. Feb 2000 A
6028932 Park Feb 2000 A
6028933 Heer et al. Feb 2000 A
6028936 Hillis Feb 2000 A
6028937 Tatebayashi et al. Feb 2000 A
6028939 Yin Feb 2000 A
6029067 Pfundstein Feb 2000 A
6029150 Kravitz Feb 2000 A
6029151 Nikander Feb 2000 A
6029161 Lang et al. Feb 2000 A
6029195 Herz Feb 2000 A
6029245 Scanlan Feb 2000 A
6029247 Ferguson Feb 2000 A
6031899 Wu Feb 2000 A
6031910 Deindl et al. Feb 2000 A
6031913 Hassan et al. Feb 2000 A
6031914 Tewfik et al. Feb 2000 A
6032118 Tello et al. Feb 2000 A
6034618 Tatebayashi et al. Mar 2000 A
6034626 Maekawa et al. Mar 2000 A
6035021 Katz Mar 2000 A
6035041 Frankel et al. Mar 2000 A
6035280 Christensen Mar 2000 A
6035398 Bjorn Mar 2000 A
6035402 Vaeth et al. Mar 2000 A
6035406 Moussa et al. Mar 2000 A
6037870 Alessandro Mar 2000 A
6038315 Strait et al. Mar 2000 A
6038316 Dwork et al. Mar 2000 A
6038322 Harkins Mar 2000 A
6038337 Lawrence et al. Mar 2000 A
6038548 Kamil Mar 2000 A
6038552 Fleischl et al. Mar 2000 A
6038560 Wical Mar 2000 A
6038581 Aoki et al. Mar 2000 A
6038665 Bolt et al. Mar 2000 A
6038666 Hsu et al. Mar 2000 A
6040783 Houvener et al. Mar 2000 A
6041116 Meyers Mar 2000 A
6041118 Michel et al. Mar 2000 A
6041122 Graunke et al. Mar 2000 A
6041123 Colvin, Sr. Mar 2000 A
6041349 Sugauchi et al. Mar 2000 A
6041357 Kunzelman et al. Mar 2000 A
6041408 Nishioka et al. Mar 2000 A
6041410 Hsu et al. Mar 2000 A
6041412 Timson et al. Mar 2000 A
6044131 McEvoy et al. Mar 2000 A
6044135 Katz Mar 2000 A
6044146 Gisby et al. Mar 2000 A
6044149 Shaham et al. Mar 2000 A
6044155 Thomlinson et al. Mar 2000 A
6044157 Uesaka et al. Mar 2000 A
6044205 Reed et al. Mar 2000 A
6044257 Boling et al. Mar 2000 A
6044349 Tolopka et al. Mar 2000 A
6044350 Weiant, Jr. et al. Mar 2000 A
6044355 Crockett et al. Mar 2000 A
6044363 Mori et al. Mar 2000 A
6044368 Powers Mar 2000 A
6044388 DeBellis et al. Mar 2000 A
6044462 Zubeldia et al. Mar 2000 A
6044463 Kanda et al. Mar 2000 A
6044464 Shamir Mar 2000 A
6044466 Anand et al. Mar 2000 A
6044468 Osmond Mar 2000 A
6045039 Stinson et al. Apr 2000 A
6047051 Ginzboorg et al. Apr 2000 A
6047066 Brown et al. Apr 2000 A
6047067 Rosen Apr 2000 A
6047072 Field et al. Apr 2000 A
6047242 Benson Apr 2000 A
6047264 Fisher et al. Apr 2000 A
6047268 Bartoli et al. Apr 2000 A
6047269 Biffar Apr 2000 A
6047273 Vaghi Apr 2000 A
6047274 Johnson et al. Apr 2000 A
6047325 Jain et al. Apr 2000 A
6047374 Barton Apr 2000 A
6047887 Rosen Apr 2000 A
6049599 McCausland et al. Apr 2000 A
6049610 Crandall Apr 2000 A
6049612 Fielder et al. Apr 2000 A
6049613 Jakobsson Apr 2000 A
6049627 Becker et al. Apr 2000 A
6049671 Slivka et al. Apr 2000 A
6049785 Gifford Apr 2000 A
6049786 Smorodinsky Apr 2000 A
6049787 Takahashi et al. Apr 2000 A
6049838 Miller et al. Apr 2000 A
6049872 Reiter et al. Apr 2000 A
6049874 McClain et al. Apr 2000 A
6049875 Suzuki et al. Apr 2000 A
6052453 Sagady et al. Apr 2000 A
6052466 Wright Apr 2000 A
6052467 Brands Apr 2000 A
6052468 Hillhouse Apr 2000 A
6052469 Johnson et al. Apr 2000 A
6052645 Harada Apr 2000 A
6052780 Glover Apr 2000 A
6052788 Wesinger, Jr. et al. Apr 2000 A
6054275 Morgan et al. Apr 2000 A
6055307 Behnke et al. Apr 2000 A
6055314 Spies et al. Apr 2000 A
6055321 Numao et al. Apr 2000 A
6055508 Naor et al. Apr 2000 A
6055512 Dean et al. Apr 2000 A
6055518 Franklin et al. Apr 2000 A
6055575 Paulsen et al. Apr 2000 A
6055636 Hillier et al. Apr 2000 A
6055637 Hudson et al. Apr 2000 A
6055639 Schanze Apr 2000 A
6056197 Hara et al. May 2000 A
6056199 Wiklof et al. May 2000 A
6057872 Candelore May 2000 A
6058187 Chen May 2000 A
6058188 Chandersekaran et al. May 2000 A
6058189 McGough May 2000 A
6058193 Cordery et al. May 2000 A
6058303 .ANG.strom et al. May 2000 A
6058379 Odom et al. May 2000 A
6058381 Nelson May 2000 A
6058383 Narasimhalu et al. May 2000 A
6058435 Sassin et al. May 2000 A
6061003 Harada May 2000 A
6061347 Hollatz et al. May 2000 A
6061448 Smith et al. May 2000 A
6061451 Muratani et al. May 2000 A
6061454 malik et al. May 2000 A
6061660 Eggleston et al. May 2000 A
6061665 Bahreman May 2000 A
6061692 Thomas et al. May 2000 A
6061729 Nightingale May 2000 A
6061789 Hauser et al. May 2000 A
6061790 Bodnar May 2000 A
6061791 Moreau May 2000 A
6061792 Simon May 2000 A
6061794 Angelo et al. May 2000 A
6061796 Chen et al. May 2000 A
6061799 Eldridge et al. May 2000 A
6064667 Gisby et al. May 2000 A
6064723 Cohn et al. May 2000 A
6064730 Ginsberg May 2000 A
6064731 Flockhart et al. May 2000 A
6064737 Rhoads May 2000 A
6064738 Fridrich May 2000 A
6064740 Curiger et al. May 2000 A
6064741 Horn et al. May 2000 A
6064751 Smithies et al. May 2000 A
6064764 Bhaskaran et al. May 2000 A
6064878 Denker et al. May 2000 A
6064973 Smith et al. May 2000 A
6064977 Haverstock et al. May 2000 A
6065008 Simon et al. May 2000 A
6065119 Sandford, II et al. May 2000 A
6065675 Teicher May 2000 A
6067348 Hibbeler May 2000 A
6067466 Selker et al. May 2000 A
6067620 Holden et al. May 2000 A
6068184 Barnett May 2000 A
6069647 Sullivan et al. May 2000 A
6069914 Cox May 2000 A
6069952 Saito et al. May 2000 A
6069954 Moreau May 2000 A
6069955 Coppersmith et al. May 2000 A
6069969 Keagy et al. May 2000 A
6069970 Salatino et al. May 2000 A
6070118 Ohta et al. May 2000 A
6070141 Houvener et al. May 2000 A
6070142 McDonough et al. May 2000 A
6070239 McManis May 2000 A
6072864 Shtivelman et al. Jun 2000 A
6072870 Nguyen et al. Jun 2000 A
6072874 Shin et al. Jun 2000 A
6072876 Obata et al. Jun 2000 A
6072894 Payne Jun 2000 A
6073118 Gormish et al. Jun 2000 A
6073124 Krishnan et al. Jun 2000 A
6073125 Cordery et al. Jun 2000 A
6073160 Grantham et al. Jun 2000 A
6073172 Frailong et al. Jun 2000 A
6073234 Kigo et al. Jun 2000 A
6073236 Kusakabe et al. Jun 2000 A
6073237 Ellison Jun 2000 A
6073238 Drupsteen Jun 2000 A
6073240 Kurtzberg et al. Jun 2000 A
6073242 Hardy et al. Jun 2000 A
6073839 Mori et al. Jun 2000 A
6075455 DiMaria et al. Jun 2000 A
6075852 Ashworth et al. Jun 2000 A
6075854 Copley et al. Jun 2000 A
6075860 Ketcham Jun 2000 A
6075861 Miller, II Jun 2000 A
6075864 Batten Jun 2000 A
6075865 Scheidt et al. Jun 2000 A
6076077 Saito Jun 2000 A
6076078 Camp et al. Jun 2000 A
6076162 Deindl et al. Jun 2000 A
6076163 Hoffstein et al. Jun 2000 A
6076164 Tanaka et al. Jun 2000 A
6076167 Borza Jun 2000 A
6078265 Bonder et al. Jun 2000 A
6078586 Dugan et al. Jun 2000 A
6078663 Yamamoto Jun 2000 A
6078665 Anderson et al. Jun 2000 A
6078667 Johnson Jun 2000 A
6078853 Ebner et al. Jun 2000 A
6078908 Schmitz Jun 2000 A
6078909 Knutson Jun 2000 A
6078928 Schnase et al. Jun 2000 A
6078946 Johnson Jun 2000 A
6079018 Hardy et al. Jun 2000 A
6079020 Liu Jun 2000 A
6079021 Abadi et al. Jun 2000 A
6079047 Cotugno et al. Jun 2000 A
6079621 Vardanyan et al. Jun 2000 A
6081199 Hogl Jun 2000 A
6081533 Laubach et al. Jun 2000 A
6081597 Hoffstein et al. Jun 2000 A
6081598 Dai Jun 2000 A
6081610 Dwork et al. Jun 2000 A
6081750 Hoffberg et al. Jun 2000 A
6081790 Rosen Jun 2000 A
6081793 Challener et al. Jun 2000 A
6081893 Grawrock et al. Jun 2000 A
6081899 Byrd Jun 2000 A
6081900 Subramaniam et al. Jun 2000 A
D427735 Hitchins Jul 2000 S
6084510 Lemelson et al. Jul 2000 A
6084943 Sunderman et al. Jul 2000 A
6085175 Gugel et al. Jul 2000 A
6088687 Leleu Jul 2000 A
6088717 Reed et al. Jul 2000 A
6091956 Hollenberg Jul 2000 A
6092005 Okada Jul 2000 A
6092014 Okada Jul 2000 A
6092053 Boesch et al. Jul 2000 A
6097806 Baker et al. Aug 2000 A
6097811 Micali Aug 2000 A
6098016 Ishihara Aug 2000 A
6098051 Lupien et al. Aug 2000 A
6098069 Yamaguchi Aug 2000 A
6102970 Kneipp Aug 2000 A
6104101 Miller et al. Aug 2000 A
6104801 Miloslaysky Aug 2000 A
6105008 Davis et al. Aug 2000 A
6105012 Chang et al. Aug 2000 A
6112181 Shear et al. Aug 2000 A
6112186 Bergh et al. Aug 2000 A
6113997 Massey et al. Sep 2000 A
6115462 Servi et al. Sep 2000 A
6115654 Eid et al. Sep 2000 A
6115693 McDonough et al. Sep 2000 A
6118403 Lang Sep 2000 A
6118865 Gisby Sep 2000 A
6118870 Boyle et al. Sep 2000 A
6119105 Williams Sep 2000 A
6119108 Holmes et al. Sep 2000 A
6122358 Shoji et al. Sep 2000 A
6122360 Neyman et al. Sep 2000 A
6122364 Petrunka et al. Sep 2000 A
6122484 Fuller et al. Sep 2000 A
6125178 Walker et al. Sep 2000 A
6125185 Boesch Sep 2000 A
6128376 Smith Oct 2000 A
6128380 Shaffer et al. Oct 2000 A
6130937 Fotta Oct 2000 A
6131087 Luke et al. Oct 2000 A
6134530 Bunting et al. Oct 2000 A
6134536 Shepherd Oct 2000 A
6134591 Nickles Oct 2000 A
6137862 Atkinson et al. Oct 2000 A
6137870 Scherer Oct 2000 A
6138107 Elgamal Oct 2000 A
6138119 Hall et al. Oct 2000 A
6141423 Fischer Oct 2000 A
6144336 Preston et al. Nov 2000 A
6144737 Maruyama et al. Nov 2000 A
6144949 Harris Nov 2000 A
6144964 Breese et al. Nov 2000 A
6146026 Ushiku Nov 2000 A
6147598 Murphy et al. Nov 2000 A
6147975 Bowman-Amuah Nov 2000 A
6148065 Katz Nov 2000 A
6151309 Busuioc et al. Nov 2000 A
6151387 Katz Nov 2000 A
6151589 Aggarwal et al. Nov 2000 A
6154528 Bennett, III et al. Nov 2000 A
6154535 Velamuri et al. Nov 2000 A
6154738 Call Nov 2000 A
RE37001 Morganstein et al. Dec 2000 E
6157655 Shtivelman Dec 2000 A
6157711 Katz Dec 2000 A
6157721 Shear et al. Dec 2000 A
6157917 Barber Dec 2000 A
6157920 Jakobsson et al. Dec 2000 A
6157966 Montgomery et al. Dec 2000 A
6161099 Harrington et al. Dec 2000 A
6163607 Bogart et al. Dec 2000 A
6163701 Saleh et al. Dec 2000 A
6163772 Kramer et al. Dec 2000 A
6167386 Brown Dec 2000 A
6169476 Flanagan Jan 2001 B1
6169789 Rao et al. Jan 2001 B1
6170011 Macleod Beck et al. Jan 2001 B1
6170742 Yacoob Jan 2001 B1
6173052 Brady Jan 2001 B1
6173053 Bogart et al. Jan 2001 B1
6173159 Wright et al. Jan 2001 B1
6174262 Ohta et al. Jan 2001 B1
6175563 Miloslavsky Jan 2001 B1
6175564 Miloslavsky et al. Jan 2001 B1
6175803 Chowanic et al. Jan 2001 B1
6175831 Weinreich et al. Jan 2001 B1
6177932 Galdes et al. Jan 2001 B1
6178240 Walker et al. Jan 2001 B1
6178377 Ishihara et al. Jan 2001 B1
6178409 Weber et al. Jan 2001 B1
6179264 Moy et al. Jan 2001 B1
6182000 Ohta et al. Jan 2001 B1
6185283 Fuller et al. Feb 2001 B1
6185292 Miloslavsky Feb 2001 B1
6185683 Ginter et al. Feb 2001 B1
6186893 Walker et al. Feb 2001 B1
6189096 Haverty Feb 2001 B1
6189098 Kaliski, Jr. Feb 2001 B1
6189100 Barr et al. Feb 2001 B1
6192121 Atkinson et al. Feb 2001 B1
6192413 Lee et al. Feb 2001 B1
6192473 Ryan, Jr. et al. Feb 2001 B1
6199001 Ohta et al. Mar 2001 B1
6199050 Alaia et al. Mar 2001 B1
6199052 Mitty et al. Mar 2001 B1
6201493 Silverman Mar 2001 B1
6201950 Fuller et al. Mar 2001 B1
6202022 Ando Mar 2001 B1
6202058 Rose et al. Mar 2001 B1
6205207 Scherer Mar 2001 B1
6205433 Boesch et al. Mar 2001 B1
6205435 Biffar Mar 2001 B1
6208970 Ramanan Mar 2001 B1
6209095 Anderson et al. Mar 2001 B1
6211972 Okutomi et al. Apr 2001 B1
6212178 Beck et al. Apr 2001 B1
6212553 Lee et al. Apr 2001 B1
6220986 Aruga et al. Apr 2001 B1
6223165 Lauffer Apr 2001 B1
6225901 Kail, IV May 2001 B1
6226287 Brady May 2001 B1
6226289 Williams et al. May 2001 B1
6226360 Goldberg et al. May 2001 B1
6226383 Jablon May 2001 B1
6226618 Downs et al. May 2001 B1
6226677 Slemmer May 2001 B1
6226743 Naor et al. May 2001 B1
6229888 Miloslavsky May 2001 B1
6230098 Ando et al. May 2001 B1
6230146 Alaia et al. May 2001 B1
6230197 Beck et al. May 2001 B1
6230269 Spies et al. May 2001 B1
6230501 Bailey, Sr. et al. May 2001 B1
6233332 Anderson et al. May 2001 B1
6233520 Ito et al. May 2001 B1
6236977 Verba et al. May 2001 B1
6236978 Tuzhilin May 2001 B1
6236980 Reese May 2001 B1
6236981 Hill May 2001 B1
6240411 Thearling May 2001 B1
6243684 Stuart et al. Jun 2001 B1
6243691 Fisher et al. Jun 2001 B1
6249873 Richard et al. Jun 2001 B1
6252544 Hoffberg Jun 2001 B1
6253027 Weber et al. Jun 2001 B1
6253193 Ginter et al. Jun 2001 B1
6255942 Knudsen Jul 2001 B1
6256648 Hill et al. Jul 2001 B1
6260024 Shkedy Jul 2001 B1
6263334 Fayyad et al. Jul 2001 B1
6263436 Franklin et al. Jul 2001 B1
6263505 Walker et al. Jul 2001 B1
6266649 Linden et al. Jul 2001 B1
6266652 Godin et al. Jul 2001 B1
6272473 Sandholm Aug 2001 B1
6272474 Garcia Aug 2001 B1
6272483 Joslin et al. Aug 2001 B1
6272536 van Hoff et al. Aug 2001 B1
6272544 Mullen Aug 2001 B1
6278783 Kocher et al. Aug 2001 B1
6282522 Davis et al. Aug 2001 B1
6282549 Hoffert et al. Aug 2001 B1
6285867 Boling et al. Sep 2001 B1
6285991 Powar Sep 2001 B1
6289096 Suzuki Sep 2001 B1
6289318 Barber Sep 2001 B1
6292736 Aruga et al. Sep 2001 B1
6292743 Pu et al. Sep 2001 B1
6292787 Scott et al. Sep 2001 B1
6292895 Baltzley Sep 2001 B1
6295522 Boesch Sep 2001 B1
6298442 Kocher et al. Oct 2001 B1
6301659 Micali Oct 2001 B1
6304758 Iierbig et al. Oct 2001 B1
6304915 Nguyen et al. Oct 2001 B1
6308072 Labedz et al. Oct 2001 B1
6308175 Lang et al. Oct 2001 B1
6308270 Guthery Oct 2001 B1
6314409 Schneck et al. Nov 2001 B2
6314420 Lang et al. Nov 2001 B1
6314502 Piersol Nov 2001 B1
6317718 Fano Nov 2001 B1
6317722 Jacobi et al. Nov 2001 B1
6321179 Glance et al. Nov 2001 B1
6321212 Lange Nov 2001 B1
6321221 Bieganski Nov 2001 B1
6324519 Eldering Nov 2001 B1
6324525 Kramer et al. Nov 2001 B1
6327590 Chidlovskii et al. Dec 2001 B1
6327656 Zabetian Dec 2001 B2
6327661 Kocher et al. Dec 2001 B1
6330551 Burchetta et al. Dec 2001 B1
6331986 Mitra et al. Dec 2001 B1
6333979 Bondi et al. Dec 2001 B1
6333980 Hollatz et al. Dec 2001 B1
6334127 Bieganski et al. Dec 2001 B1
6334131 Chakrabarti et al. Dec 2001 B2
6335678 Heutschi Jan 2002 B1
6338011 Furst et al. Jan 2002 B1
6340928 McCurdy Jan 2002 B1
6341273 Briscoe Jan 2002 B1
6345239 Bowman-Amuah Feb 2002 B1
6345264 Breese et al. Feb 2002 B1
6345288 Reed et al. Feb 2002 B1
6347139 Fisher et al. Feb 2002 B1
6349288 Barber Feb 2002 B1
6350985 Rodricks et al. Feb 2002 B1
6351812 Datar et al. Feb 2002 B1
6353679 Cham et al. Mar 2002 B1
6353813 Breese et al. Mar 2002 B1
6356822 Diaz et al. Mar 2002 B1
6356899 Chakrabarti et al. Mar 2002 B1
6359571 Endo et al. Mar 2002 B1
6360222 Quinn Mar 2002 B1
6363357 Rosenberg et al. Mar 2002 B1
6363363 Haller et al. Mar 2002 B1
6366666 Bengtson et al. Apr 2002 B2
6366907 Fanning et al. Apr 2002 B1
6367010 Venkatram et al. Apr 2002 B1
6370543 Hoffert et al. Apr 2002 B2
6373950 Rowney Apr 2002 B1
6374227 Ye Apr 2002 B1
6377809 Rezaiifar et al. Apr 2002 B1
6378075 Goldstein et al. Apr 2002 B1
6381316 Joyce et al. Apr 2002 B2
6381696 Doyle Apr 2002 B1
6384739 Roberts, Jr. May 2002 B1
6385595 Kolling et al. May 2002 B1
6385596 Wiser et al. May 2002 B1
6385642 Chlan et al. May 2002 B1
6385647 Willis et al. May 2002 B1
6385725 Baum-Waidner May 2002 B1
6385739 Barton et al. May 2002 B1
6389372 Glance et al. May 2002 B1
6390917 Walker et al. May 2002 B1
6393276 Vanghi May 2002 B1
6397141 Binnig May 2002 B1
6398245 Gruse et al. Jun 2002 B1
6400996 Hoffberg et al. Jun 2002 B1
6401027 Xu et al. Jun 2002 B1
6405922 Kroll Jun 2002 B1
6411221 Horber Jun 2002 B2
6411889 Mizunuma et al. Jun 2002 B1
6411991 Helmer et al. Jun 2002 B1
6412012 Bieganski et al. Jun 2002 B1
6415151 Kreppel Jul 2002 B1
6418367 Toukura et al. Jul 2002 B1
6418424 Hoffberg et al. Jul 2002 B1
6418441 Call Jul 2002 B1
6421709 McCormick et al. Jul 2002 B1
6424718 Holloway Jul 2002 B1
6427132 Bowman-Amuah Jul 2002 B1
6429812 Hoffberg Aug 2002 B1
6430537 Tedesco et al. Aug 2002 B1
6430558 Delano Aug 2002 B1
6436005 Bellinger Aug 2002 B1
6438691 Mao Aug 2002 B1
6442473 Berstis et al. Aug 2002 B1
6442688 Moses et al. Aug 2002 B1
6443841 Rossides Sep 2002 B1
6445308 Koike Sep 2002 B1
6446035 Grefenstette et al. Sep 2002 B1
6449367 Van Wie et al. Sep 2002 B2
6449535 Obradovich et al. Sep 2002 B1
6449612 Bradley et al. Sep 2002 B1
6450407 Freeman et al. Sep 2002 B1
6452565 Kingsley et al. Sep 2002 B1
6453038 McFarlane et al. Sep 2002 B1
6457066 Mein et al. Sep 2002 B1
6459784 Humphrey et al. Oct 2002 B1
6459788 Khuc et al. Oct 2002 B1
6459881 Hoder et al. Oct 2002 B1
6463299 Macor Oct 2002 B1
6466654 Cooper et al. Oct 2002 B1
6466909 Didcock Oct 2002 B1
6466970 Lee et al. Oct 2002 B1
6466977 Sitaraman et al. Oct 2002 B1
6470077 Chan Oct 2002 B1
6470265 Tanaka Oct 2002 B1
6473688 Kohno et al. Oct 2002 B2
6473740 Cockrill et al. Oct 2002 B2
6473794 Guheen et al. Oct 2002 B1
6477245 Chevet et al. Nov 2002 B1
6477246 Dolan et al. Nov 2002 B1
6477494 Hyde-Thomson et al. Nov 2002 B2
6480587 Rao et al. Nov 2002 B1
6480844 Cortes et al. Nov 2002 B1
6484088 Reimer Nov 2002 B1
6484123 Srivastava Nov 2002 B2
6487180 Borgstahl et al. Nov 2002 B1
6487289 Phan et al. Nov 2002 B1
6487533 Hyde-Thomson et al. Nov 2002 B2
6487541 Aggarwal et al. Nov 2002 B1
6487542 Ebata et al. Nov 2002 B2
6487658 Micali Nov 2002 B1
6493432 Blum et al. Dec 2002 B1
6493682 Horrigan et al. Dec 2002 B1
6493685 Ensel et al. Dec 2002 B1
6493696 Chazin Dec 2002 B1
6496568 Nelson Dec 2002 B1
6496932 Trieger Dec 2002 B1
6496936 French et al. Dec 2002 B1
6499018 Alaia et al. Dec 2002 B1
6501765 Lu et al. Dec 2002 B1
6503170 Tabata Jan 2003 B1
6504930 Enari Jan 2003 B2
6507739 Gross et al. Jan 2003 B1
6510221 Fisher et al. Jan 2003 B1
6510518 Jaffe et al. Jan 2003 B1
6519259 Baker et al. Feb 2003 B1
6519459 Chavez, Jr. et al. Feb 2003 B1
6519571 Guheen et al. Feb 2003 B1
6520409 Mori et al. Feb 2003 B1
6522726 Hunt et al. Feb 2003 B1
6522946 Weis Feb 2003 B1
6523027 Underwood Feb 2003 B1
6529870 Mikkilineni Mar 2003 B1
6529891 Heckerman Mar 2003 B1
6530537 Hanlon Mar 2003 B2
6535880 Musgrove et al. Mar 2003 B1
6536037 Guheen et al. Mar 2003 B1
6537575 Firestone et al. Mar 2003 B1
6539092 Kocher Mar 2003 B1
RE38070 Spies et al. Apr 2003 E
6542742 Schramm et al. Apr 2003 B2
6553113 Dhir et al. Apr 2003 B1
6553114 Fisher et al. Apr 2003 B1
6554184 Amos Apr 2003 B1
6556951 Deleo et al. Apr 2003 B1
6557009 Singer et al. Apr 2003 B1
6560580 Fraser et al. May 2003 B1
6560649 Mullen et al. May 2003 B1
6563914 Sammon et al. May 2003 B2
6564192 Kinney, Jr. et al. May 2003 B1
6564995 Montgomery May 2003 B1
6578014 Murcko, Jr. Jun 2003 B1
6578015 Haseltine et al. Jun 2003 B1
6581008 Intriligator et al. Jun 2003 B2
6587837 Spagna et al. Jul 2003 B1
6591229 Pattinson et al. Jul 2003 B1
6591232 Kassapoglou Jul 2003 B1
6601036 Walker et al. Jul 2003 B1
6601233 Underwood Jul 2003 B1
6604023 Brown et al. Aug 2003 B1
6606607 Martin et al. Aug 2003 B1
6606744 Mikurak Aug 2003 B1
6609112 Boarman et al. Aug 2003 B1
6609113 O'Leary et al. Aug 2003 B1
6609128 Underwood Aug 2003 B1
6609200 Anderson et al. Aug 2003 B2
6611812 Hurtado et al. Aug 2003 B2
6611867 Bowman-Amuah Aug 2003 B1
6615166 Guheen et al. Sep 2003 B1
6618705 Wang et al. Sep 2003 B1
6619544 Bator et al. Sep 2003 B2
6628766 Hollis et al. Sep 2003 B1
6629082 Hambrecht et al. Sep 2003 B1
6629135 Ross, Jr. et al. Sep 2003 B1
6633878 Underwood Oct 2003 B1
6636840 Goray et al. Oct 2003 B1
6636854 Dutta et al. Oct 2003 B2
6639898 Dutta et al. Oct 2003 B1
6639982 Stuart et al. Oct 2003 B1
6640145 Hoffberg et al. Oct 2003 B2
6647373 Carlton-Foss Nov 2003 B1
6654884 Jaffe et al. Nov 2003 B2
6658467 Rice et al. Dec 2003 B1
6658568 Ginter et al. Dec 2003 B1
6661379 Stilp et al. Dec 2003 B2
6662141 Kaub Dec 2003 B2
6662231 Drosset et al. Dec 2003 B1
6665709 Barron Dec 2003 B1
6671818 Mikurak Dec 2003 B1
6678245 Cooper et al. Jan 2004 B1
6681017 Matias et al. Jan 2004 B1
6683945 Enzmann et al. Jan 2004 B1
6684250 Anderson et al. Jan 2004 B2
6697858 Ezerzer et al. Feb 2004 B1
6704039 Pena Mar 2004 B2
6704713 Brett Mar 2004 B1
6704714 O'Leary et al. Mar 2004 B1
6704873 Underwood Mar 2004 B1
6705520 Pitroda et al. Mar 2004 B1
6712701 Boylan, III et al. Mar 2004 B1
6714632 Joyce et al. Mar 2004 B2
6714933 Musgrove et al. Mar 2004 B2
6718312 McAfee et al. Apr 2004 B1
6718535 Underwood Apr 2004 B1
6721713 Guheen et al. Apr 2004 B1
6725222 Musgrove et al. Apr 2004 B1
6738749 Chasko May 2004 B1
6742125 Gabber et al. May 2004 B1
6744879 Dezonno Jun 2004 B1
6745187 Singer et al. Jun 2004 B2
6754169 Baum et al. Jun 2004 B2
6757710 Reed Jun 2004 B2
6760414 Schurko et al. Jul 2004 B1
6760731 Huff Jul 2004 B2
6760752 Liu et al. Jul 2004 B1
6766307 Israel et al. Jul 2004 B1
6769607 Pitroda et al. Aug 2004 B1
6772139 Smith, III Aug 2004 B1
6772191 Kurosawa et al. Aug 2004 B1
6772216 Ankireddipally et al. Aug 2004 B1
6779178 Lloyd et al. Aug 2004 B1
6782542 Mein et al. Aug 2004 B1
6785606 DeKock et al. Aug 2004 B2
6785671 Bailey et al. Aug 2004 B1
6785704 McCanne Aug 2004 B1
6791472 Hoffberg Sep 2004 B1
6792399 Phillips et al. Sep 2004 B1
6799165 Boesjes Sep 2004 B1
6801819 Barto et al. Oct 2004 B1
6805289 Noriega et al. Oct 2004 B2
6820064 Currans et al. Nov 2004 B1
6821204 Aonuma et al. Nov 2004 B2
6822945 Petrovykh Nov 2004 B2
6823318 Creswell et al. Nov 2004 B1
6826549 Marks et al. Nov 2004 B1
6829595 Justice Dec 2004 B2
6834110 Marconcini et al. Dec 2004 B1
6834272 Naor et al. Dec 2004 B1
6834811 Huberman et al. Dec 2004 B1
6836765 Sussman Dec 2004 B1
6839691 Bator et al. Jan 2005 B2
6842463 Drwiega et al. Jan 2005 B1
6842515 Mengshoel et al. Jan 2005 B2
6842741 Fujimura Jan 2005 B1
6847939 Shemesh Jan 2005 B1
6850252 Hoffberg Feb 2005 B1
6850502 Kagan et al. Feb 2005 B1
6856975 Inglis Feb 2005 B1
6857073 French et al. Feb 2005 B2
6859795 Zolotorev et al. Feb 2005 B1
6865559 Dutta Mar 2005 B2
6865825 Bailey, Sr. et al. Mar 2005 B2
6868403 Wiser et al. Mar 2005 B1
6868525 Szabo Mar 2005 B1
6876309 Lawrence Apr 2005 B1
6885858 Eder et al. Apr 2005 B2
6889900 Davies et al. May 2005 B2
6892184 Komem et al. May 2005 B1
6904329 Barto et al. Jun 2005 B1
6904421 Shetty Jun 2005 B2
6904449 Quinones Jun 2005 B1
6915272 Zilliacus et al. Jul 2005 B1
6921042 Goodzeit et al. Jul 2005 B1
6926796 Nishida et al. Aug 2005 B1
6928623 Sibert Aug 2005 B1
6934249 Bertin et al. Aug 2005 B1
6938021 Shear et al. Aug 2005 B2
6945457 Barcelou Sep 2005 B1
6954731 Montague Oct 2005 B1
6954931 Shetty et al. Oct 2005 B2
6956835 Tong et al. Oct 2005 B2
6957186 Guheen et al. Oct 2005 B1
6957398 Nayeri Oct 2005 B1
6959288 Medina et al. Oct 2005 B1
6963920 Hohmann et al. Nov 2005 B1
6968318 Ferstenberg et al. Nov 2005 B1
6968323 Bansal et al. Nov 2005 B1
6970852 Sendo et al. Nov 2005 B1
6973445 Tadayon et al. Dec 2005 B2
6974412 Dobrovolny Dec 2005 B2
6978126 Blaker et al. Dec 2005 B1
6983276 Tenorio Jan 2006 B2
6988138 Alcorn et al. Jan 2006 B1
6993563 Lytle et al. Jan 2006 B2
6993572 Ross, Jr. et al. Jan 2006 B2
6993857 Coles et al. Feb 2006 B2
7003485 Young Feb 2006 B1
7006881 Hoffberg et al. Feb 2006 B1
7006986 Sines et al. Feb 2006 B1
7006991 Keiser et al. Feb 2006 B2
7010512 Gillin et al. Mar 2006 B1
7010616 Carlson et al. Mar 2006 B2
7010683 Corella Mar 2006 B2
7013296 Yemini et al. Mar 2006 B1
7016870 Jones et al. Mar 2006 B1
7020638 Yacobi et al. Mar 2006 B1
7020688 Sykes, Jr. Mar 2006 B2
7023979 Wu et al. Apr 2006 B1
7039598 Tobin et al. May 2006 B2
7039688 Matsuda et al. May 2006 B2
7039869 Smith May 2006 B2
7043245 Dokko May 2006 B2
7043759 Kaashoek et al. May 2006 B2
7047242 Ponte May 2006 B1
7047300 Oehrke et al. May 2006 B1
7050993 Piikivi et al. May 2006 B1
7054830 Eggleston et al. May 2006 B1
7058808 Zolotorev et al. Jun 2006 B1
7062458 Maggioncalda et al. Jun 2006 B2
7062461 Ausubel Jun 2006 B1
7065498 Thomas et al. Jun 2006 B1
7069250 Meadow et al. Jun 2006 B2
7069308 Abrams Jun 2006 B2
7069446 Wiederin et al. Jun 2006 B2
7072846 Robinson Jul 2006 B1
7073198 Flowers et al. Jul 2006 B1
7076445 Cartwright Jul 2006 B1
7076553 Chan et al. Jul 2006 B2
7079529 Khuc Jul 2006 B1
7079649 Bramhill et al. Jul 2006 B1
7080041 Nagel Jul 2006 B2
7080048 Sines et al. Jul 2006 B1
7080321 Aleksander et al. Jul 2006 B2
7082426 Musgrove et al. Jul 2006 B2
7085682 Heller et al. Aug 2006 B1
7085725 Leon Aug 2006 B1
7086005 Matsuda Aug 2006 B1
7086645 Hardie Aug 2006 B2
7092892 Sobalvarro et al. Aug 2006 B1
7092914 Shear et al. Aug 2006 B1
7093130 Kobayashi et al. Aug 2006 B1
7094149 Walker et al. Aug 2006 B2
7096192 Pettitt Aug 2006 B1
7096197 Messmer et al. Aug 2006 B2
7096205 Hansen et al. Aug 2006 B2
7099839 Madoff et al. Aug 2006 B2
7099850 Mann, II et al. Aug 2006 B1
7100195 Underwood Aug 2006 B1
7103557 Middeljans et al. Sep 2006 B2
7103562 Kosiba et al. Sep 2006 B2
7103565 Vaid Sep 2006 B1
7103576 Mann, III et al. Sep 2006 B2
7103577 Blair et al. Sep 2006 B2
7103580 Batachia et al. Sep 2006 B1
7103806 Horvitz Sep 2006 B1
7107225 McClung, III Sep 2006 B1
7107249 Dively et al. Sep 2006 B2
7107706 Bailey, Sr. et al. Sep 2006 B1
7110525 Heller et al. Sep 2006 B1
7110979 Tree Sep 2006 B2
7110983 Shear et al. Sep 2006 B2
7111324 Elteto et al. Sep 2006 B2
7117183 Blair et al. Oct 2006 B2
7117227 Call Oct 2006 B2
7124101 Mikurak Oct 2006 B1
7124115 Herzberg et al. Oct 2006 B1
7124440 Poletto et al. Oct 2006 B2
7127236 Khan et al. Oct 2006 B2
7127416 Tenorio Oct 2006 B1
7127455 Carson et al. Oct 2006 B2
7127617 Wiederin et al. Oct 2006 B2
7130579 Rael et al. Oct 2006 B1
7130807 Mikurak Oct 2006 B1
7130817 Karas et al. Oct 2006 B2
7133841 Wurman et al. Nov 2006 B1
7133846 Ginter et al. Nov 2006 B1
7136448 Venkataperumal et al. Nov 2006 B1
7136710 Hoffberg et al. Nov 2006 B1
7136833 Podsiadlo Nov 2006 B1
7136945 Gibbs et al. Nov 2006 B2
7140039 Yemeni et al. Nov 2006 B1
7142523 Chekuri et al. Nov 2006 B1
7143066 Shear et al. Nov 2006 B2
7146338 Kight et al. Dec 2006 B2
7146341 Light et al. Dec 2006 B1
7146342 Angelin et al. Dec 2006 B1
7146344 Wankmueller Dec 2006 B2
7146618 Mein et al. Dec 2006 B1
7149698 Guheen et al. Dec 2006 B2
7149801 Burrows et al. Dec 2006 B2
7152047 Nagel Dec 2006 B1
7155412 Brown et al. Dec 2006 B2
7158944 Settle, III Jan 2007 B1
7158955 Diveley et al. Jan 2007 B2
7159116 Moskowitz Jan 2007 B2
7162035 Durst et al. Jan 2007 B1
7162453 Tenorio Jan 2007 B1
7165041 Guheen et al. Jan 2007 B1
7165046 Ausubel Jan 2007 B2
7165052 Diveley et al. Jan 2007 B2
7165174 Ginter et al. Jan 2007 B1
7171559 Bao et al. Jan 2007 B1
7177429 Moskowitz et al. Feb 2007 B2
7177832 Semret et al. Feb 2007 B1
7177838 Ling Feb 2007 B1
7181017 Nagel et al. Feb 2007 B1
7181438 Szabo Feb 2007 B1
7184777 Diener et al. Feb 2007 B2
7184989 Hansen et al. Feb 2007 B2
7188181 Squier et al. Mar 2007 B1
7194426 Box Mar 2007 B1
7194543 Robertson et al. Mar 2007 B2
7200219 Edwards et al. Apr 2007 B1
7200571 Jenniges et al. Apr 2007 B1
7203657 Noam Apr 2007 B1
7204041 Bailey, Sr. et al. Apr 2007 B1
7205882 Libin Apr 2007 B2
7206769 Laurent et al. Apr 2007 B2
7206941 Raley et al. Apr 2007 B2
7210620 Jones May 2007 B2
7216104 Mason May 2007 B2
7216105 Adamson May 2007 B2
7219449 Hoffberg et al. May 2007 B1
7219832 Fillinger et al. May 2007 B2
7223174 Machida May 2007 B2
7228424 Raheman Jun 2007 B2
7233926 Durand et al. Jun 2007 B2
7233950 Smith, III Jun 2007 B2
7234059 Beaver et al. Jun 2007 B1
7234156 French et al. Jun 2007 B2
7237125 Raley et al. Jun 2007 B2
7240024 Moreau Jul 2007 B2
7242988 Hoffberg et al. Jul 2007 B1
7246084 Javangula et al. Jul 2007 B1
7246164 Lehmann et al. Jul 2007 B2
7248855 Joyce et al. Jul 2007 B2
7249027 Ausubel Jul 2007 B1
7249060 Ling Jul 2007 B2
7249069 Alie et al. Jul 2007 B2
7249081 Shearer et al. Jul 2007 B2
7249085 Kinney, Jr. et al. Jul 2007 B1
7249097 Hutchison et al. Jul 2007 B2
7249099 Ling Jul 2007 B2
7249708 McConnell et al. Jul 2007 B2
7251589 Crowe et al. Jul 2007 B1
7254557 Gillin et al. Aug 2007 B1
7263497 Wiser et al. Aug 2007 B1
7263506 Lee et al. Aug 2007 B2
7263515 Tenorio et al. Aug 2007 B1
7264069 Fiorenza et al. Sep 2007 B2
7266116 Halpern Sep 2007 B2
7266522 Dutta et al. Sep 2007 B2
7266533 Karas et al. Sep 2007 B2
7266692 Ramzan et al. Sep 2007 B2
7268700 Hoffberg Sep 2007 B1
7269160 Friedman et al. Sep 2007 B1
7269253 Wu et al. Sep 2007 B1
7269584 Settle, III Sep 2007 B2
7269726 Corella Sep 2007 B1
7269735 Raley et al. Sep 2007 B2
7271737 Hoffberg Sep 2007 B1
7272723 Abbott et al. Sep 2007 B1
7272855 Yemeni et al. Sep 2007 B1
7274787 Schoeneberger Sep 2007 B1
7275041 Cue et al. Sep 2007 B1
7275162 Wiederin et al. Sep 2007 B2
7278159 Kaashoek et al. Oct 2007 B2
7287007 Detering Oct 2007 B1
7287275 Moskowitz Oct 2007 B2
7290704 Ball et al. Nov 2007 B1
7297832 Blann et al. Nov 2007 B2
7298289 Hoffberg Nov 2007 B1
7299255 Tenorio Nov 2007 B2
7299970 Ching Nov 2007 B1
7300904 Dixon et al. Nov 2007 B2
7303707 Rafferty Dec 2007 B2
7308087 Joyce et al. Dec 2007 B2
7308426 Pitroda Dec 2007 B1
7308434 Braverman Dec 2007 B2
7309288 Machida Dec 2007 B2
7315826 Guheen et al. Jan 2008 B1
7315941 Ramzan et al. Jan 2008 B2
7318047 Foth et al. Jan 2008 B1
7319855 Brune et al. Jan 2008 B1
7319973 Tobin et al. Jan 2008 B1
7321871 Scott et al. Jan 2008 B2
7324972 Oliver et al. Jan 2008 B1
7324976 Gupta et al. Jan 2008 B2
7328166 Geoghegan et al. Feb 2008 B1
7328188 Barry Feb 2008 B1
7328189 Ling Feb 2008 B2
7330826 Porat et al. Feb 2008 B1
7330829 Tenorio Feb 2008 B1
7333942 Cowles Feb 2008 B1
7337139 Ausubel Feb 2008 B1
7337315 Micali Feb 2008 B2
7340506 Arunachalam Mar 2008 B2
7340600 Corella Mar 2008 B1
7343342 Ausubel Mar 2008 B2
7343492 Moskowitz et al. Mar 2008 B2
7346472 Moskowitz et al. Mar 2008 B1
7346560 Tenorio Mar 2008 B1
7346577 Williams et al. Mar 2008 B1
7349827 Heller et al. Mar 2008 B1
7349868 Tenorio Mar 2008 B2
7353396 Micali et al. Apr 2008 B2
7356507 Bezos et al. Apr 2008 B2
7356696 Jakobsson et al. Apr 2008 B1
7361623 Dixon et al. Apr 2008 B2
7362775 Moskowitz Apr 2008 B1
7366701 Bramhill et al. Apr 2008 B2
7366897 Noble Apr 2008 B2
7372952 Wu et al. May 2008 B1
7373310 Homsi May 2008 B1
7375841 Polis et al. May 2008 B1
7376621 Ling May 2008 B1
7376891 Hitchock et al. May 2008 B2
7380131 Trimberger May 2008 B1
7383231 Gupta et al. Jun 2008 B2
7389273 Irwin et al. Jun 2008 B2
RE40444 Linehan Jul 2008 E
7392940 Hansen et al. Jul 2008 B2
7395220 Abrams et al. Jul 2008 B2
7395241 Cook et al. Jul 2008 B1
7395614 Bailey, Sr. et al. Jul 2008 B1
7398252 Neofytides et al. Jul 2008 B2
7398315 Atkinson et al. Jul 2008 B2
7398317 Chen et al. Jul 2008 B2
7403922 Lewis et al. Jul 2008 B1
7404080 Jakobsson Jul 2008 B2
7406436 Reisman Jul 2008 B1
7407094 Myers et al. Aug 2008 B2
7409073 Moskowitz et al. Aug 2008 B2
7412424 Tenorio et al. Aug 2008 B1
7412603 Yeates et al. Aug 2008 B2
7412605 Raley et al. Aug 2008 B2
7413085 Zager et al. Aug 2008 B2
7415432 Gianakouros et al. Aug 2008 B1
7415436 Evelyn et al. Aug 2008 B1
7415617 Ginter et al. Aug 2008 B2
7418311 Lagassey et al. Aug 2008 B1
7418596 Carroll et al. Aug 2008 B1
7421155 King et al. Sep 2008 B2
7422115 Zager et al. Sep 2008 B2
7424456 Takahashi et al. Sep 2008 B2
7424473 Orton, III et al. Sep 2008 B2
7424617 Boyd et al. Sep 2008 B2
7430607 Bolles et al. Sep 2008 B2
7437023 King et al. Oct 2008 B2
7437471 Hohmann et al. Oct 2008 B2
7440922 Kempkes et al. Oct 2008 B1
7441015 Ruellan et al. Oct 2008 B2
7451005 Hoffberg et al. Nov 2008 B2
7457823 Shraim et al. Nov 2008 B2
7457962 Moskowitz Nov 2008 B2
7458507 Fillinger et al. Dec 2008 B2
7460065 Ogawa et al. Dec 2008 B2
7463946 Smith et al. Dec 2008 B2
7464057 Cole et al. Dec 2008 B2
7470197 Massey et al. Dec 2008 B2
7472076 Garg et al. Dec 2008 B2
7472080 Goel Dec 2008 B2
7475030 Tenorio Jan 2009 B1
7475043 Light et al. Jan 2009 B2
7475054 Hearing et al. Jan 2009 B2
7475246 Moskowitz et al. Jan 2009 B1
7478120 Zhang Jan 2009 B1
7480627 Van Horn et al. Jan 2009 B1
7480636 Millner Jan 2009 B2
7483858 Foran et al. Jan 2009 B2
7487123 Keiser et al. Feb 2009 B1
7487213 Zager et al. Feb 2009 B2
7490135 Klug et al. Feb 2009 B2
7493270 Jenkins Feb 2009 B1
7493280 Guler et al. Feb 2009 B2
7493287 Sequeira Feb 2009 B1
7493289 Verosub et al. Feb 2009 B2
7493396 Alcorn et al. Feb 2009 B2
7494055 Fernandes et al. Feb 2009 B2
7496540 Irwin et al. Feb 2009 B2
7502760 Gupta Mar 2009 B1
7502770 Hillis et al. Mar 2009 B2
7506125 Yamamoto et al. Mar 2009 B2
7509685 Lambert Mar 2009 B2
7511183 Blann et al. Mar 2009 B2
7512552 Karas et al. Mar 2009 B2
7516089 Walker et al. Apr 2009 B1
7519559 Appelman Apr 2009 B1
7519821 Wheeler et al. Apr 2009 B2
7523085 Nigam et al. Apr 2009 B2
7523222 Carlson et al. Apr 2009 B2
7525009 Blann et al. Apr 2009 B2
7529563 Pitroda May 2009 B1
7529725 Klug et al. May 2009 B1
7529928 Micali May 2009 B2
7530020 Szabo May 2009 B2
7530102 Moskowitz May 2009 B2
7532725 Moskowitz et al. May 2009 B2
7533058 Kulakowski May 2009 B2
7533064 Boesch May 2009 B1
7536351 Leblang et al. May 2009 B2
7539664 Dutta et al. May 2009 B2
RE40753 Wang et al. Jun 2009 E
7542943 Caplan et al. Jun 2009 B2
7545784 Mgrdechian et al. Jun 2009 B2
7548888 Schutz Jun 2009 B2
7549050 Wheeler et al. Jun 2009 B2
7552090 Barber Jun 2009 B1
7552176 Atkinson et al. Jun 2009 B2
7552435 Ruellan Jun 2009 B2
7554001 Dixon et al. Jun 2009 B2
7558747 Javangula et al. Jul 2009 B2
7558853 Alcorn et al. Jul 2009 B2
7559070 Nakamura et al. Jul 2009 B2
7562304 Dixon et al. Jul 2009 B2
7565303 Vaid Jul 2009 B1
7567846 Sztybel Jul 2009 B2
7567933 Kobayashi et al. Jul 2009 B1
7568100 Moskowitz et al. Jul 2009 B1
7568234 Naslund et al. Jul 2009 B2
7571850 Barcelou Aug 2009 B2
7574659 Szabo Aug 2009 B2
7575158 Barcelou Aug 2009 B2
7577723 Matsuda et al. Aug 2009 B2
7577990 Smith et al. Aug 2009 B2
7580898 Brown et al. Aug 2009 B2
7580899 Adamson Aug 2009 B2
7584153 Brown et al. Sep 2009 B2
7587044 Kocher et al. Sep 2009 B2
7587342 Neofytides et al. Sep 2009 B2
7587363 Cataline et al. Sep 2009 B2
7587368 Felsher Sep 2009 B2
7590558 Chinnappan et al. Sep 2009 B2
7590589 Hoffberg Sep 2009 B2
7590602 Luzzatto Sep 2009 B1
7591420 Barcelou Sep 2009 B2
7593605 King et al. Sep 2009 B2
7596269 King et al. Sep 2009 B2
7596529 Mascavage, III et al. Sep 2009 B2
7596530 Glasberg Sep 2009 B1
7596552 Levy et al. Sep 2009 B2
7597248 Barcelou Oct 2009 B2
7597251 Barcelou Oct 2009 B2
7599488 Kocher et al. Oct 2009 B2
7599580 King et al. Oct 2009 B2
7599844 King et al. Oct 2009 B2
7599855 Sussman Oct 2009 B2
7599856 Agrawal et al. Oct 2009 B2
7600017 Holtzman et al. Oct 2009 B2
7600129 Libin et al. Oct 2009 B2
7600255 Baugher Oct 2009 B1
7600677 Barcelou Oct 2009 B2
7603304 Asthana et al. Oct 2009 B2
7603319 Raley et al. Oct 2009 B2
7606355 Hutchison et al. Oct 2009 B2
7606731 McClung, III Oct 2009 B2
7606734 Baig et al. Oct 2009 B2
7606737 Hutchison et al. Oct 2009 B2
7606741 King et al. Oct 2009 B2
7606760 Hutchison et al. Oct 2009 B2
7606901 Heymann et al. Oct 2009 B2
7610222 Neofytides et al. Oct 2009 B2
7613633 Woolston Nov 2009 B1
7613653 Milberger et al. Nov 2009 B2
7617125 Light et al. Nov 2009 B1
7617973 Barcelou Nov 2009 B2
7620606 Gentry et al. Nov 2009 B2
7621444 Barcelou Nov 2009 B2
7627510 Jain et al. Dec 2009 B2
7627526 Williams et al. Dec 2009 B2
7634083 Kocher et al. Dec 2009 B2
7636695 Driessen Dec 2009 B2
7636696 Sigler, Jr. et al. Dec 2009 B1
7639156 Kuijlaars Dec 2009 B2
7640166 Wiederin et al. Dec 2009 B2
7641109 Seifert et al. Jan 2010 B2
7641549 Asher et al. Jan 2010 B2
7644037 Ostrovsky Jan 2010 B1
7644144 Horvitz et al. Jan 2010 B1
7647243 Woolston Jan 2010 B2
7647278 Foth et al. Jan 2010 B1
7647311 Tenorio et al. Jan 2010 B2
7647502 Moskowitz Jan 2010 B2
7647503 Moskowitz Jan 2010 B2
7650319 Hoffberg et al. Jan 2010 B2
7650334 Tenorio et al. Jan 2010 B2
7653816 Avritch et al. Jan 2010 B2
7657751 Micali et al. Feb 2010 B2
7660700 Moskowitz et al. Feb 2010 B2
7660737 Lim et al. Feb 2010 B1
7660783 Reed Feb 2010 B2
7660863 De Boursetty et al. Feb 2010 B2
7660902 Graham et al. Feb 2010 B2
7660993 Birrell et al. Feb 2010 B2
7660994 Libin et al. Feb 2010 B2
7664263 Moskowitz Feb 2010 B2
7664264 Moskowitz et al. Feb 2010 B2
7664958 Moskowitz Feb 2010 B2
7668310 Kocher et al. Feb 2010 B2
7668921 Proux et al. Feb 2010 B2
7669762 Hutchison et al. Mar 2010 B2
7676034 Wu et al. Mar 2010 B1
7676423 Avery Mar 2010 B2
7676431 O'Leary et al. Mar 2010 B2
7676432 Ling Mar 2010 B2
7680819 Mellmer et al. Mar 2010 B1
7685068 Klein Twennaar Mar 2010 B2
7685420 Gariador et al. Mar 2010 B2
7689518 Bator et al. Mar 2010 B2
7689682 Eldering et al. Mar 2010 B1
7690989 Walker et al. Apr 2010 B2
7693796 Light et al. Apr 2010 B2
7693939 Wu et al. Apr 2010 B2
7698248 Olson Apr 2010 B2
7698335 Vronay Apr 2010 B1
7699220 Barcelou Apr 2010 B2
7702540 Woolston Apr 2010 B1
7702579 Neely et al. Apr 2010 B2
7702584 Omidyar Apr 2010 B2
7702624 King et al. Apr 2010 B2
7702806 Gil et al. Apr 2010 B2
7706611 King et al. Apr 2010 B2
7707069 Thomas et al. Apr 2010 B2
7707118 James Apr 2010 B2
7711574 Bradley et al. May 2010 B1
7711776 Sako et al. May 2010 B2
7711808 Parry May 2010 B2
7715542 Anson et al. May 2010 B2
7716077 Mikurak May 2010 B1
7716128 Diveley et al. May 2010 B2
7716486 Libin et al. May 2010 B2
7716532 Horvitz May 2010 B2
7720712 Allocca et al. May 2010 B1
7720760 Cook et al. May 2010 B1
7720762 Rolf May 2010 B1
7725414 Nigam et al. May 2010 B2
7729975 Ausubel et al. Jun 2010 B2
7729989 Yuen et al. Jun 2010 B1
7729994 Gupta et al. Jun 2010 B2
7730120 Singh et al. Jun 2010 B2
7730314 Kim Jun 2010 B2
7730317 Moskowitz et al. Jun 2010 B2
7731589 Kataoka et al. Jun 2010 B2
7734730 McCanne Jun 2010 B2
7734924 Miller et al. Jun 2010 B2
7738659 Moskowitz Jun 2010 B2
7739153 Anderson et al. Jun 2010 B1
7739162 Pettay et al. Jun 2010 B1
7739168 Gillin et al. Jun 2010 B2
7739335 Siegel et al. Jun 2010 B2
7742953 King et al. Jun 2010 B2
7742967 Keresman, III et al. Jun 2010 B1
7742972 Lange et al. Jun 2010 B2
7742993 Driessen et al. Jun 2010 B2
7742994 Gupta Jun 2010 B1
7743134 Kohler, Jr. et al. Jun 2010 B2
7743163 Ruppert Jun 2010 B2
7743252 Ramzan et al. Jun 2010 B2
7743259 Raley et al. Jun 2010 B2
7747523 Cohen Jun 2010 B2
7747857 Ramzan et al. Jun 2010 B2
7751423 Hottinen et al. Jul 2010 B2
7752064 Kauffman Jul 2010 B2
7752084 Pettitt Jul 2010 B2
7752095 Laracey et al. Jul 2010 B1
7753267 Hansen et al. Jul 2010 B2
7756507 Morper Jul 2010 B2
7756763 Owens et al. Jul 2010 B1
7761385 Hutchison et al. Jul 2010 B2
7761712 Moskowitz et al. Jul 2010 B2
7765161 McKenney et al. Jul 2010 B2
7765481 Dixon et al. Jul 2010 B2
7769631 McClung, III Aug 2010 B2
7770017 Moskowitz et al. Aug 2010 B2
7773749 Durst et al. Aug 2010 B1
7774257 Maggioncalda et al. Aug 2010 B2
7774264 Ausubel Aug 2010 B1
7778856 Reynolds et al. Aug 2010 B2
7778934 Graves et al. Aug 2010 B2
7779261 Moskowitz et al. Aug 2010 B2
7783571 Fish et al. Aug 2010 B2
7783579 Gentry et al. Aug 2010 B2
7787620 Kocher et al. Aug 2010 B2
7788155 Jones et al. Aug 2010 B2
7788172 Kight et al. Aug 2010 B2
7788205 Chalasani et al. Aug 2010 B2
7792705 Bezos et al. Sep 2010 B2
7793830 Barcelou Sep 2010 B2
7797732 Tam et al. Sep 2010 B2
7801802 Walker et al. Sep 2010 B2
7801814 Cataline et al. Sep 2010 B2
7801896 Szabo Sep 2010 B2
7801956 Cumberbatch et al. Sep 2010 B1
7802097 May Sep 2010 B2
7802718 Barcelou Sep 2010 B2
7805377 Felsher Sep 2010 B2
7805518 Kamvar et al. Sep 2010 B1
7805680 Meyers et al. Sep 2010 B2
7808922 Dekorsy Oct 2010 B2
7809672 Tenorio Oct 2010 B1
7809768 Owens et al. Oct 2010 B2
7810134 Loomis et al. Oct 2010 B2
7812738 Kuijlaars Oct 2010 B2
7812860 King et al. Oct 2010 B2
7813506 Moskowitz et al. Oct 2010 B2
7813527 Wang Oct 2010 B2
7813822 Hoffberg Oct 2010 B1
7813989 Jones et al. Oct 2010 B2
7814314 Gentry et al. Oct 2010 B2
7817796 Clippinger et al. Oct 2010 B1
7817799 Greco et al. Oct 2010 B2
7818215 King et al. Oct 2010 B2
7818399 Ross, Jr. et al. Oct 2010 B1
7819307 Lyons et al. Oct 2010 B2
7822197 Moskowitz Oct 2010 B2
7822620 Dixon et al. Oct 2010 B2
7822989 Libin et al. Oct 2010 B2
7827128 Karlsson et al. Nov 2010 B1
7827401 Micali Nov 2010 B2
7830915 Moskowitz Nov 2010 B2
7831477 Woolston Nov 2010 B2
7831521 Ball et al. Nov 2010 B1
7831912 King et al. Nov 2010 B2
7835919 Bradley et al. Nov 2010 B1
7835941 Zucker Nov 2010 B2
7836498 Poletto et al. Nov 2010 B2
7837101 Barcelou Nov 2010 B2
7840491 Lim Nov 2010 B2
7840494 Wiederin Nov 2010 B2
7840813 Canard et al. Nov 2010 B2
7840994 Gentry et al. Nov 2010 B2
7843094 Goodzeit et al. Nov 2010 B2
7843822 Paul et al. Nov 2010 B1
7844074 Moskowitz et al. Nov 2010 B2
7844535 Guler et al. Nov 2010 B2
7844546 Fleishman et al. Nov 2010 B2
7844547 Amos Nov 2010 B2
7848521 Leporini et al. Dec 2010 B2
7856387 Rolf Dec 2010 B1
7859551 Bulman et al. Dec 2010 B2
7860741 Robinson Dec 2010 B1
7860772 Low et al. Dec 2010 B2
7865395 Klug et al. Jan 2011 B2
7865399 Crespo et al. Jan 2011 B2
7865427 Wright et al. Jan 2011 B2
7865561 Kelly et al. Jan 2011 B2
7869591 Nagel et al. Jan 2011 B1
7870055 Fisher et al. Jan 2011 B2
7870240 Horvitz Jan 2011 B1
7870393 Moskowitz et al. Jan 2011 B2
7873572 Reardon Jan 2011 B2
7873710 Kiley et al. Jan 2011 B2
7877299 Bui Jan 2011 B2
7877304 Coulter Jan 2011 B1
7877407 Smith, III Jan 2011 B2
7877609 Moskowitz Jan 2011 B2
7877611 Camacho et al. Jan 2011 B2
7878901 Walker et al. Feb 2011 B2
7881697 Baker et al. Feb 2011 B2
7881962 Mason Feb 2011 B2
7885272 Burger et al. Feb 2011 B2
7885838 Sobalvarro et al. Feb 2011 B2
7890093 Budelsky Feb 2011 B2
7890581 Rao et al. Feb 2011 B2
7890957 Campbell Feb 2011 B2
7894595 Wu et al. Feb 2011 B1
7894670 King et al. Feb 2011 B2
7896740 Asher et al. Mar 2011 B2
7904187 Hoffberg et al. Mar 2011 B2
7904517 Kang et al. Mar 2011 B2
7908179 Karas et al. Mar 2011 B2
7908212 Hansen Mar 2011 B2
7908226 Hutchison et al. Mar 2011 B2
7908330 Oliver et al. Mar 2011 B2
7908602 Alcorn et al. Mar 2011 B2
7913095 Raley et al. Mar 2011 B2
7916858 Heller et al. Mar 2011 B1
7917437 Glasberg Mar 2011 B1
7917454 Bator et al. Mar 2011 B2
7919264 Maksymowych et al. Apr 2011 B2
7921173 Atkinson et al. Apr 2011 B2
7929689 Huitema et al. Apr 2011 B2
7930216 Neofytides et al. Apr 2011 B2
7930340 Arunachalam Apr 2011 B2
7930545 Moskowitz Apr 2011 B2
7933807 Cue et al. Apr 2011 B2
7933829 Goldberg et al. Apr 2011 B2
7933835 Keane et al. Apr 2011 B2
7933893 Walker et al. Apr 2011 B2
7937292 Baig et al. May 2011 B2
7937586 Torre et al. May 2011 B2
7941342 Baig et al. May 2011 B2
7941346 Baig et al. May 2011 B2
7941361 Kobayashi et al. May 2011 B2
7941666 Kocher May 2011 B2
7945238 Baker et al. May 2011 B2
7945464 El Homsi May 2011 B2
7947936 Bobinchak et al. May 2011 B1
7949121 Flockhart et al. May 2011 B1
7949494 Moskowitz et al. May 2011 B2
7949572 Perrochon et al. May 2011 B2
7949600 Portillo et al. May 2011 B1
7949606 Sweet May 2011 B1
7953981 Moskowitz May 2011 B2
7956503 Goodzeit et al. Jun 2011 B2
7957991 Mikurak Jun 2011 B2
7962157 Coffing Jun 2011 B2
7962346 Faltings Jun 2011 B2
7962409 O'Leary et al. Jun 2011 B2
7962415 Gupta et al. Jun 2011 B2
7962418 Wei et al. Jun 2011 B1
7962419 Gupta et al. Jun 2011 B2
7966078 Hoffberg et al. Jun 2011 B2
7966259 Bui Jun 2011 B1
7966487 Engberg et al. Jun 2011 B2
7966647 Igoe et al. Jun 2011 B1
7970652 Woolston Jun 2011 B1
7970701 Lewis et al. Jun 2011 B2
7970722 Owen et al. Jun 2011 B1
7970820 Sivasubramanian et al. Jun 2011 B1
7970827 Cumberbatch et al. Jun 2011 B1
7972209 Kelly et al. Jul 2011 B2
7974714 Hoffberg Jul 2011 B2
7974854 Bradley et al. Jul 2011 B1
7980930 Moreno Jul 2011 B2
7983977 Fisher et al. Jul 2011 B2
7983993 Graves et al. Jul 2011 B2
7987003 Hoffberg et al. Jul 2011 B2
7987371 Moskowitz Jul 2011 B2
7991188 Moskowitz Aug 2011 B2
7996323 Smith et al. Aug 2011 B2
8000709 Burgess et al. Aug 2011 B2
8005720 King et al. Aug 2011 B2
8005722 Hutchison et al. Aug 2011 B2
8005777 Owen et al. Aug 2011 B1
8006086 Gentry et al. Aug 2011 B2
8007364 Moreno Aug 2011 B2
8010451 Nappi Aug 2011 B1
8010627 Schneebeli et al. Aug 2011 B1
8011574 Hutchison et al. Sep 2011 B2
8015071 Crespo et al. Sep 2011 B2
8015073 Ilechko et al. Sep 2011 B2
8015123 Barton et al. Sep 2011 B2
8015264 Hutchison et al. Sep 2011 B2
8015597 Libin et al. Sep 2011 B2
8015607 Appelman Sep 2011 B1
8016190 Hutchison et al. Sep 2011 B2
8019648 King et al. Sep 2011 B2
8019678 Wright et al. Sep 2011 B2
8023929 Mgrdechian et al. Sep 2011 B2
8024229 Baig et al. Sep 2011 B2
8024562 Gentry et al. Sep 2011 B2
8024570 Noble Sep 2011 B2
8027899 Asher et al. Sep 2011 B2
8027918 Nielsen et al. Sep 2011 B2
8031060 Hoffberg et al. Oct 2011 B2
8032409 Mikurak Oct 2011 B1
8032412 Meinhardt Oct 2011 B2
8032457 Ostrovsky Oct 2011 B2
8032466 Yen et al. Oct 2011 B2
8032477 Hoffberg et al. Oct 2011 B1
8032751 Avritch et al. Oct 2011 B2
8036367 Baluja et al. Oct 2011 B2
8036929 Reisman Oct 2011 B1
8037158 Arunachalam Oct 2011 B2
8041643 Mukerji et al. Oct 2011 B2
8041711 Walker et al. Oct 2011 B2
8045490 Friedman et al. Oct 2011 B1
8046313 Hoffberg et al. Oct 2011 B2
8046832 Goodman et al. Oct 2011 B2
8046841 Moskowitz et al. Oct 2011 B2
8051007 Omidyar Nov 2011 B2
8051011 Luzzatto Nov 2011 B2
8052518 Kelly et al. Nov 2011 B1
8054965 Wu et al. Nov 2011 B1
8055552 Kalaboukis Nov 2011 B2
8060426 Gillin et al. Nov 2011 B2
8060561 Sivasubramanian et al. Nov 2011 B2
8062134 Kelly et al. Nov 2011 B2
8064700 King et al. Nov 2011 B2
8065233 Lee et al. Nov 2011 B2
8065240 Jung et al. Nov 2011 B2
8073708 Igoe et al. Dec 2011 B1
8073731 Rajasenan Dec 2011 B1
8073774 Pousti Dec 2011 B2
8073910 Tokuda et al. Dec 2011 B2
8078140 Baker et al. Dec 2011 B2
8078492 Brown et al. Dec 2011 B2
8078812 Yamamoto et al. Dec 2011 B2
8081849 King et al. Dec 2011 B2
8084909 Goodzeit et al. Dec 2011 B2
8086643 Tenorio Dec 2011 B1
8086842 Sidhu et al. Dec 2011 B2
8086858 May Dec 2011 B2
8086866 Jakobsson Dec 2011 B2
8092307 Kelly Jan 2012 B2
8092998 Stuhlmuller et al. Jan 2012 B2
8095875 Krause Jan 2012 B2
8096468 Myers et al. Jan 2012 B2
8099359 Coyle et al. Jan 2012 B1
8099364 Padhye et al. Jan 2012 B2
8102980 Krishnamoorthy et al. Jan 2012 B2
8103048 Sheinin et al. Jan 2012 B2
8104079 Moskowitz Jan 2012 B2
8108492 Arunachalam Jan 2012 B2
8109831 Kataoka et al. Feb 2012 B2
8112483 Emigh et al. Feb 2012 B1
8116326 Rockel et al. Feb 2012 B2
8117130 Aydar et al. Feb 2012 B2
8117358 Labuda et al. Feb 2012 B2
8118660 Pace Feb 2012 B2
8121343 Moskowitz et al. Feb 2012 B2
8121618 Rhoads et al. Feb 2012 B2
8121874 Guheen et al. Feb 2012 B1
8121894 Mason Feb 2012 B2
8121915 Igoe et al. Feb 2012 B1
8126882 Lawyer Feb 2012 B2
8131559 Robinson Mar 2012 B2
8131611 O'Sullivan et al. Mar 2012 B2
8132005 Tarkkala et al. Mar 2012 B2
8132714 Barcelou Mar 2012 B2
8132715 Barcelou Mar 2012 B2
8135644 Rowe Mar 2012 B2
8137200 Kelly et al. Mar 2012 B2
8144619 Hoffberg Mar 2012 B2
8145472 Shore et al. Mar 2012 B2
8145526 Redlich Mar 2012 B2
8146156 King et al. Mar 2012 B2
8150724 Robinson Apr 2012 B1
8150767 Wankmueller Apr 2012 B2
8150768 Gupta et al. Apr 2012 B2
8150769 Gupta et al. Apr 2012 B2
8150842 Brougher et al. Apr 2012 B2
8156206 Kiley et al. Apr 2012 B2
8156327 Gentry et al. Apr 2012 B2
8160249 Moskowitz et al. Apr 2012 B2
8160933 Nguyen et al. Apr 2012 B2
8160935 Bui Apr 2012 B2
8160988 Owen et al. Apr 2012 B1
8161286 Moskowitz et al. Apr 2012 B2
8165916 Hoffberg et al. Apr 2012 B2
8168746 Firestone et al. May 2012 B2
8170954 Keresman, III et al. May 2012 B2
8171561 Moskowitz et al. May 2012 B2
8172683 Kelly May 2012 B2
8175330 Moskowitz et al. May 2012 B2
8175617 Rodriguez May 2012 B2
8175967 O'Leary et al. May 2012 B2
8175968 O'Leary et al. May 2012 B2
8179563 King et al. May 2012 B2
8179882 Friedman et al. May 2012 B1
8180792 Fanning et al. May 2012 B2
8182334 Young May 2012 B2
8185109 Watson et al. May 2012 B2
8185473 Ginter et al. May 2012 B2
8185597 Cumberbatch et al. May 2012 B1
8187086 Young May 2012 B2
8190445 Kuth et al. May 2012 B2
8190513 Felger May 2012 B2
8190521 O'Leary et al. May 2012 B2
8190528 Ginter et al. May 2012 B2
8191766 Tomchek et al. Jun 2012 B2
8195578 Luzzatto Jun 2012 B2
8200700 Moore et al. Jun 2012 B2
8200775 Moore Jun 2012 B2
8204827 Gupta et al. Jun 2012 B1
8205794 Myers et al. Jun 2012 B2
8209531 Gentry et al. Jun 2012 B2
8214067 Sztybel Jul 2012 B1
8214175 Moskowitz et al. Jul 2012 B2
8214273 Dharmaji et al. Jul 2012 B2
8214387 King et al. Jul 2012 B2
8223777 Krishnamoorthy et al. Jul 2012 B2
8223935 Krishnamoorthy et al. Jul 2012 B2
8224705 Moskowitz Jul 2012 B2
8224746 Rolf Jul 2012 B1
8225099 Moskowitz et al. Jul 2012 B2
8225414 Raley et al. Jul 2012 B2
8225458 Hoffberg Jul 2012 B1
8229844 Felger Jul 2012 B2
8229859 Samid Jul 2012 B2
8229888 Roskind et al. Jul 2012 B1
8233918 Roin et al. Jul 2012 B2
8234160 Brown et al. Jul 2012 B2
8235821 Kelly et al. Aug 2012 B2
8238553 Moskowitz et al. Aug 2012 B2
8238965 Baluja et al. Aug 2012 B2
8239320 Suzuki et al. Aug 2012 B2
8239326 Yuen et al. Aug 2012 B1
8239677 Colson Aug 2012 B2
8239921 Benschop et al. Aug 2012 B2
8240557 Fernandes et al. Aug 2012 B2
8244592 Nihalani et al. Aug 2012 B2
8244613 Pettay et al. Aug 2012 B1
8244629 Lewis et al. Aug 2012 B2
8244632 Algiene et al. Aug 2012 B2
8244633 Kempkes et al. Aug 2012 B1
8244641 Light et al. Aug 2012 B2
8244833 Arunachalam Aug 2012 B2
8246439 Kelly et al. Aug 2012 B2
8249566 Mgrdechian et al. Aug 2012 B2
8249982 Rolf Aug 2012 B1
8249985 Giordano et al. Aug 2012 B2
8250650 Jeffries et al. Aug 2012 B2
8255328 Kempkes et al. Aug 2012 B1
8260316 Baba Sep 2012 B2
8260645 Banerjee et al. Sep 2012 B2
8261062 Aura et al. Sep 2012 B2
8261094 King et al. Sep 2012 B2
8261319 Libin et al. Sep 2012 B2
8262481 Ueda Sep 2012 B2
8265276 Moskowitz Sep 2012 B2
8265278 Moskowitz et al. Sep 2012 B2
8265654 Mgrdechian et al. Sep 2012 B2
8270603 Durst et al. Sep 2012 B1
8271336 Mikurak Sep 2012 B2
8271339 Arunachalam Sep 2012 B2
8271392 Tomchek et al. Sep 2012 B2
8271467 Klug et al. Sep 2012 B2
8271795 Moskowitz Sep 2012 B2
8275709 Wang et al. Sep 2012 B2
8275716 Lao Sep 2012 B2
8275874 Sivasubramanian et al. Sep 2012 B2
8280793 Kempkes et al. Oct 2012 B1
8280841 Jung et al. Oct 2012 B1
8281140 Moskowitz Oct 2012 B2
8285641 Cataline et al. Oct 2012 B2
8286190 Burger et al. Oct 2012 B2
8291492 McNally et al. Oct 2012 B2
8296187 Light et al. Oct 2012 B2
8296664 Dixon et al. Oct 2012 B2
8300798 Wu et al. Oct 2012 B1
8301510 Boesch Oct 2012 B2
8307213 Moskowitz et al. Nov 2012 B2
8307308 Hamilton, II et al. Nov 2012 B2
8311901 Carmichael et al. Nov 2012 B1
8315903 Zucker Nov 2012 B2
8315931 Robinson Nov 2012 B2
8316237 Felsher et al. Nov 2012 B1
8321238 Boehmer-Lasthaus et al. Nov 2012 B2
8321344 Forsyth Nov 2012 B2
8321534 Roskind et al. Nov 2012 B1
8321664 Gentry et al. Nov 2012 B2
8321791 Dixon et al. Nov 2012 B2
8326699 Tenorio Dec 2012 B2
8327141 Vysogorets et al. Dec 2012 B2
8332278 Woolston Dec 2012 B2
8332279 Woolston Dec 2012 B2
8335745 Perlman et al. Dec 2012 B2
8341028 Woolston Dec 2012 B2
8341036 Hartman et al. Dec 2012 B2
8341084 Cowen Dec 2012 B2
8341170 Jung et al. Dec 2012 B2
8341642 Aizawa et al. Dec 2012 B2
8341715 Sherkin et al. Dec 2012 B2
8343425 Li et al. Jan 2013 B1
8346620 King et al. Jan 2013 B2
8346660 Reardon et al. Jan 2013 B2
8346894 Arunachalam Jan 2013 B2
8347088 Moore et al. Jan 2013 B2
8347093 Ahmed Jan 2013 B1
8352325 Garg et al. Jan 2013 B2
8352328 Woolston Jan 2013 B2
8352364 Reardon Jan 2013 B2
8352376 Yuen et al. Jan 2013 B2
8352377 Penide Jan 2013 B2
8352400 Hoffberg et al. Jan 2013 B2
8355956 Woolston Jan 2013 B2
8355959 Bui Jan 2013 B2
8359273 Leleu Jan 2013 B2
8364136 Hoffberg et al. Jan 2013 B2
8364556 Nguyen et al. Jan 2013 B2
8364733 Dutta et al. Jan 2013 B2
8369500 Krishnamoorthy et al. Feb 2013 B2
8369967 Hoffberg et al. Feb 2013 B2
8370264 Wei et al. Feb 2013 B1
8370362 Szabo Feb 2013 B2
8371944 Kelly et al. Feb 2013 B2
8373582 Hoffberg Feb 2013 B2
8374962 Abelman et al. Feb 2013 B2
8379828 Baluja et al. Feb 2013 B2
8380630 Felsher Feb 2013 B2
8381087 Hickman et al. Feb 2013 B1
8385971 Rhoads et al. Feb 2013 B2
8386800 Kocher et al. Feb 2013 B2
8392242 Utter et al. Mar 2013 B1
8392273 Woolston Mar 2013 B2
8392306 Gillin et al. Mar 2013 B2
8396926 Oliver et al. Mar 2013 B1
8401868 Bradley et al. Mar 2013 B1
8401907 Litzow et al. Mar 2013 B2
8402490 Hoffberg-Borghesani et al. Mar 2013 B2
8407318 Arunachalam Mar 2013 B2
8411842 Wu et al. Apr 2013 B1
8412644 Raley et al. Apr 2013 B2
8414400 Kelly et al. Apr 2013 B2
8416931 Fiorentino Apr 2013 B2
8418055 King et al. Apr 2013 B2
8422651 Krishnamoorthy et al. Apr 2013 B2
8422994 Rhoads et al. Apr 2013 B2
8423349 Huynh et al. Apr 2013 B1
8423403 McClung Apr 2013 B2
8423474 Light et al. Apr 2013 B2
8429046 Pitroda Apr 2013 B2
8429069 Sheehan et al. Apr 2013 B1
8429072 Sheehan et al. Apr 2013 B1
8429083 Appelman Apr 2013 B2
8429224 Patel et al. Apr 2013 B2
8429545 Dixon et al. Apr 2013 B2
8429630 Nickolov et al. Apr 2013 B2
8429720 Rajasekaran et al. Apr 2013 B2
8433652 O'Leary et al. Apr 2013 B2
RE44222 Moskowitz May 2013 E
8438062 Rohan et al. May 2013 B2
8438070 Butler May 2013 B2
8438111 Driessen May 2013 B2
8438263 Sivasubramanian et al. May 2013 B2
8438499 Dixon et al. May 2013 B2
8442331 King et al. May 2013 B2
8442916 Ta et al. May 2013 B2
8443009 Heller et al. May 2013 B2
8443424 Benschop et al. May 2013 B2
8447066 King et al. May 2013 B2
8447111 King et al. May 2013 B2
8447144 King et al. May 2013 B2
8447693 Lynch et al. May 2013 B2
8447700 Yuen et al. May 2013 B2
8447831 Sivasubramanian et al. May 2013 B1
8452687 Rowe May 2013 B2
8452703 O'Leary et al. May 2013 B2
RE44307 Moskowitz Jun 2013 E
8462923 Krishnamoorthy et al. Jun 2013 B2
8463720 Seale et al. Jun 2013 B1
8465369 Dokei et al. Jun 2013 B2
8467525 Moskowitz et al. Jun 2013 B2
8468092 O'Leary et al. Jun 2013 B2
8468098 Lao et al. Jun 2013 B2
8469792 Pace Jun 2013 B2
8473736 Gamer et al. Jun 2013 B2
8473746 Moskowitz Jun 2013 B2
8478247 Mgrdechian et al. Jul 2013 B2
8478254 Mgrdechian et al. Jul 2013 B2
8484120 Krause et al. Jul 2013 B2
8489115 Rodriguez et al. Jul 2013 B2
8489449 Teicher Jul 2013 B2
8489483 Gillin et al. Jul 2013 B1
8489624 King et al. Jul 2013 B2
8489900 Raley et al. Jul 2013 B2
8498941 Felsher Jul 2013 B2
8503717 Sheinin et al. Aug 2013 B2
8504454 Asher et al. Aug 2013 B2
8504472 Rolf Aug 2013 B1
8504473 Paintin et al. Aug 2013 B2
8505090 King et al. Aug 2013 B2
8510219 Rose Aug 2013 B1
8515816 King et al. Aug 2013 B2
8515825 Ross, Jr. et al. Aug 2013 B1
8515874 Blair et al. Aug 2013 B2
8516262 Jakobsson Aug 2013 B2
8516266 Hoffberg et al. Aug 2013 B2
8516377 Dixon et al. Aug 2013 B2
8521650 Rodov Aug 2013 B2
8521772 King et al. Aug 2013 B2
8526611 Moskowitz et al. Sep 2013 B2
8527337 Lim et al. Sep 2013 B1
8527380 Pitroda Sep 2013 B2
8527406 Cohen Sep 2013 B2
8527407 Yadav-Ranjan Sep 2013 B1
8529344 Ueda Sep 2013 B2
8533059 Nihalani et al. Sep 2013 B2
8533610 Fujioka Sep 2013 B2
8535157 Kelly et al. Sep 2013 B2
8535164 Kelly Sep 2013 B2
8538011 Moskowitz Sep 2013 B2
8538871 Portillo et al. Sep 2013 B2
8539235 Garcia Morchon et al. Sep 2013 B2
8542831 Moskowitz Sep 2013 B2
8543507 Barcelou Sep 2013 B2
8543652 Yasrebi et al. Sep 2013 B2
RE44542 Meadow et al. Oct 2013 E
D691793 Anigwe Oct 2013 S
8548850 Brown et al. Oct 2013 B2
8549305 Moskowitz et al. Oct 2013 B2
8550921 Kelly Oct 2013 B2
8554598 Pool et al. Oct 2013 B2
8554600 Reisman Oct 2013 B2
8554677 Barcelou Oct 2013 B2
8555079 Shablygin et al. Oct 2013 B2
8555408 Raley et al. Oct 2013 B2
8560366 Mikurak Oct 2013 B2
8560451 Barcelou Oct 2013 B2
8560452 Lynch et al. Oct 2013 B2
8560621 Rawat et al. Oct 2013 B2
8566115 Moore Oct 2013 B2
8566247 Nagel et al. Oct 2013 B1
8566461 Jun et al. Oct 2013 B1
8566726 Dixon et al. Oct 2013 B2
8571945 Tenorio Oct 2013 B2
8571952 Barcelou Oct 2013 B2
8571987 Kempkes et al. Oct 2013 B1
8578628 Coles et al. Nov 2013 B2
8582753 Heller et al. Nov 2013 B1
8583263 Hoffberg et al. Nov 2013 B2
8583522 Barcelou Nov 2013 B2
8588735 Baker et al. Nov 2013 B1
8589551 Numaoka et al. Nov 2013 B2
8589973 Chen et al. Nov 2013 B2
8590008 Ellmore Nov 2013 B1
8590056 Ginter et al. Nov 2013 B2
8593946 Goldstein et al. Nov 2013 B2
8594619 Baker et al. Nov 2013 B1
8595083 O'Leary et al. Nov 2013 B2
8595100 Kight et al. Nov 2013 B2
RE44684 Anderson et al. Dec 2013 E
8596528 Fernandes et al. Dec 2013 B2
8597128 Kelly et al. Dec 2013 B2
8600348 Baker et al. Dec 2013 B1
8600821 Borders et al. Dec 2013 B2
8600825 Mukherjee Dec 2013 B2
8600830 Hoffberg Dec 2013 B2
8600887 Barcelou Dec 2013 B2
8600888 Barcelou Dec 2013 B2
8600889 Barcelou Dec 2013 B2
8600890 Barcelou Dec 2013 B2
8600895 Felsher Dec 2013 B2
8601365 Paila et al. Dec 2013 B2
8606383 Jung et al. Dec 2013 B2
8606662 Tomchek et al. Dec 2013 B2
8606685 Keiser et al. Dec 2013 B2
8606719 Oliver et al. Dec 2013 B2
8606900 Levergood et al. Dec 2013 B1
8611885 Baker et al. Dec 2013 B1
8612343 Bezos et al. Dec 2013 B2
8612765 Moskowitz Dec 2013 B2
8619147 King et al. Dec 2013 B2
8619287 King et al. Dec 2013 B2
8620083 King et al. Dec 2013 B2
8620760 King et al. Dec 2013 B2
8620782 Kight et al. Dec 2013 B2
8620814 Wheeler et al. Dec 2013 B2
8620826 Coughlin et al. Dec 2013 B2
8621349 King et al. Dec 2013 B2
8626333 Waddington et al. Jan 2014 B2
8626665 Bui Jan 2014 B2
8629789 Hoffberg Jan 2014 B2
8630612 Baker et al. Jan 2014 B1
8630942 Felger Jan 2014 B2
8631046 B'Far et al. Jan 2014 B2
8634801 Baker et al. Jan 2014 B1
8634802 Baker et al. Jan 2014 B1
8634803 Baker et al. Jan 2014 B1
8635087 Igoe et al. Jan 2014 B1
8635113 Borders et al. Jan 2014 B2
8635164 Rosenhaft et al. Jan 2014 B2
8635327 Levergood et al. Jan 2014 B1
8638363 King et al. Jan 2014 B2
8639216 Baker et al. Jan 2014 B1
8639580 Van Horn et al. Jan 2014 B1
8639629 Hoffman Jan 2014 B1
8640215 Malhotra et al. Jan 2014 B2
8641507 Kelly et al. Feb 2014 B2
8644796 Baker et al. Feb 2014 B1
8645396 McNally et al. Feb 2014 B2
8645697 Emigh et al. Feb 2014 B1
8650320 Merrick et al. Feb 2014 B1
8656180 Shablygin et al. Feb 2014 B2
8660355 Rodriguez et al. Feb 2014 B2
8661537 Stephens, Jr. Feb 2014 B2
8662384 Dodin Mar 2014 B2
8666808 Klug et al. Mar 2014 B2
8666896 Kempkes et al. Mar 2014 B1
8667288 Yavuz Mar 2014 B2
8667518 Kuijlaars Mar 2014 B2
8667559 Baker et al. Mar 2014 B1
8668146 McGhie et al. Mar 2014 B1
8672220 Hanna et al. Mar 2014 B2
8676694 Keresman, III et al. Mar 2014 B2
8681956 Lynam et al. Mar 2014 B2
8682726 Hoffberg Mar 2014 B2
8683564 Khan et al. Mar 2014 B2
8683602 Waller et al. Mar 2014 B2
D701693 Anigwe Apr 2014 S
8684265 McGhie et al. Apr 2014 B1
8684827 Asher et al. Apr 2014 B2
8688504 Reisman Apr 2014 B2
8688600 Barton et al. Apr 2014 B2
8689003 Agrawal Apr 2014 B2
8694425 O'Leary et al. Apr 2014 B2
8706079 Baker et al. Apr 2014 B1
8706570 Moskowitz Apr 2014 B2
8706627 Shore Apr 2014 B2
8706640 Hansen et al. Apr 2014 B2
8706643 Jesensky et al. Apr 2014 B1
8706644 Jesensky et al. Apr 2014 B1
8706914 Duchesneau Apr 2014 B2
8706915 Duchesneau Apr 2014 B2
8707030 Engberg Apr 2014 B2
8707052 Kocher et al. Apr 2014 B2
8712371 Baker et al. Apr 2014 B2
8712728 Moskowitz et al. Apr 2014 B2
8712914 Lyons et al. Apr 2014 B2
8712918 Luzzatto Apr 2014 B2
8713418 King et al. Apr 2014 B2
8713661 Vysogorets et al. Apr 2014 B2
8714443 Ching May 2014 B2
8715664 Hoffman et al. May 2014 B2
8718022 Aoyama May 2014 B2
8719116 Sines et al. May 2014 B2
8719163 Lynch et al. May 2014 B2
8719731 Hamilton, II et al. May 2014 B2
8724808 Diehl May 2014 B2
8725109 Baker et al. May 2014 B1
8725493 Womack et al. May 2014 B2
8725605 Plunkett May 2014 B1
8725851 Kiley et al. May 2014 B2
8727893 Lee et al. May 2014 B2
8731517 Baker et al. May 2014 B1
8732023 Mikurak May 2014 B2
8732082 Karim May 2014 B2
8732256 Oliver et al. May 2014 B2
8732457 Micali May 2014 B2
8737986 Rhoads et al. May 2014 B2
8738491 Pettay et al. May 2014 B1
8738521 O'Leary et al. May 2014 B2
8738591 Labuda et al. May 2014 B2
8739295 Moskowitz et al. May 2014 B2
8740710 Kelly et al. Jun 2014 B2
8743382 Manchala Jun 2014 B2
8744911 Rohan et al. Jun 2014 B2
8744957 Palumbo Jun 2014 B1
8744963 Yadav-Ranjan Jun 2014 B1
8747213 Young Jun 2014 B2
8751334 Wijaya et al. Jun 2014 B2
8751386 Schryer et al. Jun 2014 B2
8751793 Ginter et al. Jun 2014 B2
8751829 Vysogorets et al. Jun 2014 B2
8752153 Vysogorets et al. Jun 2014 B2
8755768 Baker et al. Jun 2014 B1
8755837 Rhoads et al. Jun 2014 B2
8756116 Tenorio Jun 2014 B2
8756142 Keiser et al. Jun 2014 B1
8756153 Rolf Jun 2014 B1
8758141 Walker et al. Jun 2014 B2
8762267 Paintin et al. Jun 2014 B2
8764558 Amaitis et al. Jul 2014 B2
8767962 Moskowitz et al. Jul 2014 B2
8768250 Ma et al. Jul 2014 B2
8768313 Rodriguez Jul 2014 B2
8768731 Moore Jul 2014 B2
8768838 Hoffman Jul 2014 B1
8768851 Appelman Jul 2014 B2
8768852 Huynh et al. Jul 2014 B2
8769010 Green Jul 2014 B2
8769304 Kirsch Jul 2014 B2
8774216 Moskowitz Jul 2014 B2
8774754 Baker et al. Jul 2014 B1
8774755 Baker et al. Jul 2014 B1
8775287 Igoe et al. Jul 2014 B1
8775389 Arcushin et al. Jul 2014 B2
8775400 Ickman et al. Jul 2014 B2
8781121 Moskowitz et al. Jul 2014 B2
8781131 Ma et al. Jul 2014 B2
8781228 King et al. Jul 2014 B2
8787902 Kim Jul 2014 B2
8788350 McKenna et al. Jul 2014 B2
8789201 Moskowitz et al. Jul 2014 B2
8789752 McGhie et al. Jul 2014 B1
8793162 King et al. Jul 2014 B2
8793169 Lu et al. Jul 2014 B2
8793487 Epstein et al. Jul 2014 B2
8793777 Colson Jul 2014 B2
8794507 Yang et al. Aug 2014 B2
8798268 Moskowitz et al. Aug 2014 B2
8798576 Krishnamoorthy et al. Aug 2014 B2
8799099 King et al. Aug 2014 B2
8799164 Reardon Aug 2014 B2
8799303 King et al. Aug 2014 B2
8799658 Sellier et al. Aug 2014 B1
8805110 Rhoads et al. Aug 2014 B2
8806587 Frelechoux Aug 2014 B2
8807427 McGhie et al. Aug 2014 B1
8812637 Cragun et al. Aug 2014 B2
8818903 Dulin et al. Aug 2014 B2
8818904 Keane et al. Aug 2014 B2
8826019 Shablygin et al. Sep 2014 B2
8826154 Dixon et al. Sep 2014 B2
8826155 Dixon et al. Sep 2014 B2
8831205 Wu et al. Sep 2014 B1
8831365 King et al. Sep 2014 B2
8832852 Raley et al. Sep 2014 B2
8839391 Vysogorets et al. Sep 2014 B2
8849259 Rhoads et al. Sep 2014 B2
8849693 Koyfman et al. Sep 2014 B1
8851371 Hansen et al. Oct 2014 B2
8855712 Lord et al. Oct 2014 B2
8856045 Patel et al. Oct 2014 B1
8856178 Labuda et al. Oct 2014 B2
8856310 Norden et al. Oct 2014 B2
8861421 Shuster et al. Oct 2014 B2
8862517 Padhye et al. Oct 2014 B2
8862518 Ching Oct 2014 B2
8867715 Fiorentino Oct 2014 B2
8874477 Hoffberg Oct 2014 B2
8874504 King et al. Oct 2014 B2
8879724 Kocher et al. Nov 2014 B2
8880428 Woodward et al. Nov 2014 B2
8881275 Stephens, Jr. Nov 2014 B2
8886206 Lord et al. Nov 2014 B2
8886222 Rodriguez et al. Nov 2014 B1
8886932 Everett Nov 2014 B2
8887229 Ellmore Nov 2014 B1
8892473 Lao Nov 2014 B2
8892475 Tallent, Jr. et al. Nov 2014 B2
8892495 Hoffberg et al. Nov 2014 B2
8892673 Emigh et al. Nov 2014 B1
8893238 Surace et al. Nov 2014 B2
8898805 Pacella et al. Nov 2014 B2
8899487 Saito et al. Dec 2014 B2
8902320 Jung et al. Dec 2014 B2
8903737 Cameron et al. Dec 2014 B2
8903742 Zager et al. Dec 2014 B2
8903745 Klug et al. Dec 2014 B2
8903759 King et al. Dec 2014 B2
8904181 Felsher et al. Dec 2014 B1
8912772 Childs Dec 2014 B2
8914406 Haugsnes et al. Dec 2014 B1
8914906 Raley et al. Dec 2014 B2
8915780 Irwin, Jr. et al. Dec 2014 B2
8917286 Ohba et al. Dec 2014 B2
8918080 Neal et al. Dec 2014 B2
8920231 Pace Dec 2014 B2
8924294 Lynch et al. Dec 2014 B2
8924741 Wolrich et al. Dec 2014 B2
8929857 Baker et al. Jan 2015 B2
8929877 Rhoads et al. Jan 2015 B2
8930204 Igoe et al. Jan 2015 B1
8930370 Musgrove et al. Jan 2015 B2
8930719 Moskowitz Jan 2015 B2
8930940 Xu et al. Jan 2015 B2
8935182 Cockrill et al. Jan 2015 B2
8938796 Case, Sr. Jan 2015 B2
8941642 Tadaishi et al. Jan 2015 B2
8942993 Tunguz-Zawislak et al. Jan 2015 B2
8943185 Kelly et al. Jan 2015 B2
8944320 McGhie et al. Feb 2015 B1
8944909 Kelly et al. Feb 2015 B2
8949152 Cowen Feb 2015 B2
8950660 Sussman Feb 2015 B2
8950669 McGhie et al. Feb 2015 B1
8953886 King et al. Feb 2015 B2
8955007 Yanko Feb 2015 B2
8959190 Kiley et al. Feb 2015 B2
8960537 Bulawa et al. Feb 2015 B2
8962003 Davidson et al. Feb 2015 B2
8965924 Klug et al. Feb 2015 B2
8970375 Lawrence et al. Mar 2015 B2
8971519 Hoffberg Mar 2015 B1
8972719 Shablygin et al. Mar 2015 B2
8973120 Coughlin et al. Mar 2015 B2
8973821 McGhie et al. Mar 2015 B1
8974308 Boss et al. Mar 2015 B2
8977234 Chava Mar 2015 B2
8977243 Coffing Mar 2015 B2
8977293 Rodriguez et al. Mar 2015 B2
8977614 Skillen et al. Mar 2015 B2
8977864 Kocher et al. Mar 2015 B2
8983874 Micali et al. Mar 2015 B2
8985442 Zhou et al. Mar 2015 B1
8989727 Mgrdechian et al. Mar 2015 B2
8990198 Rolls et al. Mar 2015 B2
8990235 King et al. Mar 2015 B2
8990576 Jakobsson Mar 2015 B2
8995952 Baker et al. Mar 2015 B1
8996876 Outwater et al. Mar 2015 B2
9002018 Wilkins et al. Apr 2015 B2
9002977 Thaxter et al. Apr 2015 B2
9008447 King et al. Apr 2015 B2
9008724 Lord Apr 2015 B2
9009150 Skillen et al. Apr 2015 B2
9009286 Sivasubramanian et al. Apr 2015 B2
9014661 deCharms Apr 2015 B2
9015815 Frelechoux Apr 2015 B2
9020853 Hoffman et al. Apr 2015 B2
9021039 Oliver et al. Apr 2015 B2
9021602 Moskowitz Apr 2015 B2
9022286 Wyatt May 2015 B2
9026616 Sivasubramanian et al. May 2015 B2
9031531 Miluzzo et al. May 2015 B2
9031860 Winters et al. May 2015 B2
9037963 Chandi et al. May 2015 B1
9038183 Haugsnes et al. May 2015 B1
9043228 Ross, Jr. et al. May 2015 B1
9043481 Jun et al. May 2015 B1
9045927 Hoffberg Jun 2015 B1
9047600 Zhou et al. Jun 2015 B2
9053500 Etesse et al. Jun 2015 B2
9053562 Rabin et al. Jun 2015 B1
9056251 Lockton Jun 2015 B2
9070071 Baek et al. Jun 2015 B2
9070127 Pitroda et al. Jun 2015 B2
9070151 Moskowitz Jun 2015 B2
9070250 Kelly et al. Jun 2015 B2
9075779 King et al. Jul 2015 B2
9076174 Rodov Jul 2015 B2
9077538 Cooley et al. Jul 2015 B1
9077679 Shuster et al. Jul 2015 B2
9082456 Jung et al. Jul 2015 B2
9092817 Allocca et al. Jul 2015 B2
9094807 Huang et al. Jul 2015 B2
9098190 Zhou et al. Aug 2015 B2
9098848 Lin et al. Aug 2015 B2
9098851 Cowen Aug 2015 B2
9098958 Joyce et al. Aug 2015 B2
9104842 Moskowitz Aug 2015 B2
9107101 Aoyama Aug 2015 B2
9110991 Skillen et al. Aug 2015 B2
9111454 Holt et al. Aug 2015 B2
9113076 King et al. Aug 2015 B2
9116762 Merrick et al. Aug 2015 B2
9116890 King et al. Aug 2015 B2
9118771 Rodriguez Aug 2015 B2
9119138 Baluja et al. Aug 2015 B2
9121217 Hoffberg Sep 2015 B1
9122380 Hamilton, II et al. Sep 2015 B2
9122633 Case, Sr. Sep 2015 B2
9123044 Keane et al. Sep 2015 B2
9124729 Jung et al. Sep 2015 B2
9125057 Neal et al. Sep 2015 B2
9129019 Skillen et al. Sep 2015 B2
9129284 Sarkissian et al. Sep 2015 B2
9129464 Hansen et al. Sep 2015 B2
9132352 Rabin et al. Sep 2015 B1
9137048 Tokuda et al. Sep 2015 B2
9137258 Haugsnes Sep 2015 B2
9137386 Baker et al. Sep 2015 B1
9137389 Neal et al. Sep 2015 B2
9141905 Baek et al. Sep 2015 B2
9141980 Lindner Sep 2015 B2
9143392 Duchesneau Sep 2015 B2
9143638 King et al. Sep 2015 B2
RE45775 Agee et al. Oct 2015 E
9151633 Hoffberg Oct 2015 B2
9159058 Fleishman et al. Oct 2015 B2
9167001 Haugsnes et al. Oct 2015 B1
9167428 Buntinx Oct 2015 B2
9171136 Moskowitz Oct 2015 B2
9177059 Musgrove et al. Nov 2015 B2
9177169 Shablygin et al. Nov 2015 B2
9185539 Krampe Nov 2015 B2
9189813 Fisher et al. Nov 2015 B1
9189818 McClements, IV Nov 2015 B2
9191205 Moskowitz Nov 2015 B2
9191206 Moskowitz Nov 2015 B2
9197736 Davis et al. Nov 2015 B2
9202084 Moore Dec 2015 B2
9204038 Lord et al. Dec 2015 B2
9215203 Yasrebi et al. Dec 2015 B2
9215322 Wu et al. Dec 2015 B1
9224083 Wyatt Dec 2015 B2
9230264 McGhie et al. Jan 2016 B1
9233293 Lockton Jan 2016 B2
9234744 Rhoads et al. Jan 2016 B2
9237433 Baker et al. Jan 2016 B1
9239951 Hoffberg et al. Jan 2016 B2
9251528 McGhie et al. Feb 2016 B1
9252843 Li et al. Feb 2016 B2
9253319 Kirchhoff et al. Feb 2016 B1
9256806 Aller et al. Feb 2016 B2
9256873 Patel et al. Feb 2016 B2
9256878 Light et al. Feb 2016 B2
9258116 Moskowitz et al. Feb 2016 B2
9268852 King et al. Feb 2016 B2
9270859 Moskowitz et al. Feb 2016 B2
9271133 Rodriguez Feb 2016 B2
9275051 King et al. Mar 2016 B2
9280763 Rawat et al. Mar 2016 B2
9292336 Ramalingam et al. Mar 2016 B1
9298700 Jesensky et al. Mar 2016 B1
9298806 Vessenes et al. Mar 2016 B1
9298904 Surace et al. Mar 2016 B2
9299071 Klingen Mar 2016 B1
9305292 Skelding Apr 2016 B1
9310217 Forutanpour et al. Apr 2016 B2
9311670 Hoffberg Apr 2016 B2
9313158 Oliver et al. Apr 2016 B2
9314686 Lockton Apr 2016 B2
9317849 Pitroda et al. Apr 2016 B2
9319555 King et al. Apr 2016 B2
9323784 King et al. Apr 2016 B2
9324098 Agrawal et al. Apr 2016 B1
9325781 Jung et al. Apr 2016 B2
9330390 Pitroda et al. May 2016 B2
9332078 Sivasubramanian et al. May 2016 B2
9336366 Raley et al. May 2016 B2
9336544 Nakajima et al. May 2016 B2
9342808 Miller et al. May 2016 B2
9342829 Zhou et al. May 2016 B2
9342835 Fordyce, III et al. May 2016 B2
9344576 Friedman et al. May 2016 B2
9361606 Hertel et al. Jun 2016 B2
9361616 Zhou et al. Jun 2016 B2
9367693 Kocher et al. Jun 2016 B2
9367706 Loveland et al. Jun 2016 B2
9372939 Lim et al. Jun 2016 B2
9373205 Outwater et al. Jun 2016 B2
9378724 Zhou et al. Jun 2016 B2
9379559 O'Connell et al. Jun 2016 B2
9384345 Dixon et al. Jul 2016 B2
9384476 Hanna et al. Jul 2016 B2
9384512 McClements, IV Jul 2016 B2
9386404 Emigh et al. Jul 2016 B1
9390360 Yang et al. Jul 2016 B1
9390364 Finn et al. Jul 2016 B2
9396451 Waddington et al. Jul 2016 B2
9396468 Papagrigoriou Jul 2016 B2
9396469 Takayama et al. Jul 2016 B1
9396476 Walker et al. Jul 2016 B2
9399061 Kupper et al. Jul 2016 B2
RE46092 Redlich Aug 2016 E
9405740 King et al. Aug 2016 B2
9405984 Irwin, Jr. et al. Aug 2016 B2
9406063 Zhou et al. Aug 2016 B2
9413808 Paila et al. Aug 2016 B2
9413885 Kirchhoff et al. Aug 2016 B1
9418368 Jung et al. Aug 2016 B2
9419790 Kocher et al. Aug 2016 B2
9419951 Felsher et al. Aug 2016 B1
9424576 Vandervort Aug 2016 B2
9426655 Hong Aug 2016 B2
9430765 Wyatt Aug 2016 B2
9430769 Keresman, III et al. Aug 2016 B2
9430910 Mackenzie Aug 2016 B2
9432190 Davis et al. Aug 2016 B2
9432377 Joyce et al. Aug 2016 B2
RE46140 Wang et al. Sep 2016 E
9444924 Rodriguez et al. Sep 2016 B2
9449034 B'Far et al. Sep 2016 B2
9454764 King et al. Sep 2016 B2
9456086 Wu et al. Sep 2016 B1
9460346 King et al. Oct 2016 B2
9462107 Rhoads et al. Oct 2016 B2
9471906 Samid Oct 2016 B2
9471918 Krampe et al. Oct 2016 B1
9471923 Cragun et al. Oct 2016 B2
9473647 Davis et al. Oct 2016 B2
9474068 Djinki et al. Oct 2016 B2
9477667 Karim Oct 2016 B2
9477988 Haggerty et al. Oct 2016 B2
9485286 Sellier et al. Nov 2016 B1
9489502 Davis et al. Nov 2016 B2
9489671 Zhou et al. Nov 2016 B2
9491146 Davis et al. Nov 2016 B2
9495668 Juels Nov 2016 B1
9495673 Cameron et al. Nov 2016 B2
9495713 McClements, IV Nov 2016 B2
9497149 Kramer Nov 2016 B2
9497322 Barnes Nov 2016 B2
9498704 Cohen et al. Nov 2016 B1
9501772 Sarkissian et al. Nov 2016 B2
9501896 Pace Nov 2016 B2
9501904 Lockton Nov 2016 B2
9514134 King et al. Dec 2016 B2
9514314 Jakobsson Dec 2016 B2
9516143 Eliá{hacek over (s)} et al. Dec 2016 B2
9524496 Olliphant et al. Dec 2016 B2
9535563 Hoffberg et al. Jan 2017 B2
9537976 Coffing Jan 2017 B2
9539501 Szendel et al. Jan 2017 B2
9542554 Salsamendi et al. Jan 2017 B1
9542683 Kalinin et al. Jan 2017 B2
9547859 Patel et al. Jan 2017 B2
9547957 Irwin, Jr. et al. Jan 2017 B2
9551582 Hoffberg Jan 2017 B2
9553812 Mahadevan et al. Jan 2017 B2
9553982 Unitt Jan 2017 B2
9554321 Baluja et al. Jan 2017 B2
9557162 Rodriguez et al. Jan 2017 B2
9558622 Irwin, Jr. et al. Jan 2017 B2
9560188 Kim et al. Jan 2017 B2
RE46310 Hoffberg et al. Feb 2017 E
D779856 Rich et al. Feb 2017 S
9563890 Zhou Feb 2017 B2
9563908 Shanker et al. Feb 2017 B2
9565512 Rhoads et al. Feb 2017 B2
9569616 Leiserson et al. Feb 2017 B2
9569623 Kocher et al. Feb 2017 B2
9569762 McLean et al. Feb 2017 B2
9569770 Jesensky et al. Feb 2017 B1
9569771 Lesavich et al. Feb 2017 B2
9571289 Jaffe Feb 2017 B2
9576133 Kocher et al. Feb 2017 B2
9576285 Zhou Feb 2017 B2
9578088 Nickolov et al. Feb 2017 B2
9578288 Chen et al. Feb 2017 B2
9578474 Brown Feb 2017 B2
9595034 Van Rooyen et al. Mar 2017 B2
9600674 Coffing et al. Mar 2017 B2
9607293 McMillen et al. Mar 2017 B2
9608829 Spanos et al. Mar 2017 B2
9609107 Rodriguez et al. Mar 2017 B2
9615264 Hoffberg Apr 2017 B2
9619776 Ford et al. Apr 2017 B1
9621660 Sivasubramanian et al. Apr 2017 B2
9621937 Carter Apr 2017 B1
9626664 Bouey et al. Apr 2017 B2
9633013 King et al. Apr 2017 B2
9633326 Terry et al. Apr 2017 B2
9635177 Hoffberg Apr 2017 B1
9639717 Moskowitz May 2017 B2
9639876 Ross, Jr. et al. May 2017 B1
9646029 Baird, III May 2017 B1
9646300 Zhou et al. May 2017 B1
9646352 McClements, IV May 2017 B2
9652758 Zhou et al. May 2017 B2
9652937 Lockton May 2017 B2
9656167 Morel et al. May 2017 B2
9658832 Tsirkin May 2017 B2
9659123 Kheterpal et al. May 2017 B2
9659439 Aleksey May 2017 B1
9665865 Xing et al. May 2017 B1
9666023 Irwin, Jr. May 2017 B2
9667600 Piqueras Jover et al. May 2017 B2
9672478 B'Far et al. Jun 2017 B2
9672499 Yang et al. Jun 2017 B2
9672509 Klingen Jun 2017 B2
9672826 Yasrebi et al. Jun 2017 B2
9679194 Ra et al. Jun 2017 B2
9679275 Bruscoe Jun 2017 B2
9680846 Haugsnes Jun 2017 B2
9684889 Hicks et al. Jun 2017 B2
9684902 King et al. Jun 2017 B2
9690373 Haseltine Jun 2017 B2
9690853 Davis et al. Jun 2017 B2
9691056 Bouey et al. Jun 2017 B2
9691085 Scheidelman Jun 2017 B2
9692891 Kirchhoff et al. Jun 2017 B1
9692984 Lord Jun 2017 B2
9697342 Davis et al. Jul 2017 B2
9697547 Borders et al. Jul 2017 B2
9699502 Sandholm et al. Jul 2017 B1
9703936 Ochmanek et al. Jul 2017 B2
9704151 Zhou et al. Jul 2017 B2
9704174 McGhie et al. Jul 2017 B1
9704183 Lieberman et al. Jul 2017 B2
9705838 Shuster et al. Jul 2017 B2
9709403 Raglund Jul 2017 B2
9710644 Reybok et al. Jul 2017 B2
9710669 Moskowitz et al. Jul 2017 B2
9710808 Slepinin Jul 2017 B2
9720555 Sorden et al. Aug 2017 B2
9721193 King et al. Aug 2017 B2
9721287 Barton et al. Aug 2017 B2
9721425 Irwin, Jr. et al. Aug 2017 B2
9727042 Hoffberg-Borghesani et al. Aug 2017 B2
9727932 Lyman et al. Aug 2017 B1
9729205 Pietri et al. Aug 2017 B2
9736308 Wu et al. Aug 2017 B1
9741069 Massiere et al. Aug 2017 B2
9742796 Salsamendi Aug 2017 B1
9744466 Fujioka Aug 2017 B2
9747458 Jakobsson Aug 2017 B2
9747561 Davis et al. Aug 2017 B2
9747586 Frolov et al. Aug 2017 B1
9747621 Kuruvila Aug 2017 B1
9749297 Gvili Aug 2017 B2
9754271 Chwast et al. Sep 2017 B2
9755822 Han et al. Sep 2017 B2
9756082 Haugsnes et al. Sep 2017 B1
9756222 Cabral et al. Sep 2017 B2
9756549 Perdomo Sep 2017 B2
9760547 Brougher et al. Sep 2017 B1
9760882 Myers et al. Sep 2017 B2
9760884 Wyatt Sep 2017 B2
9760938 King et al. Sep 2017 B2
9767450 Na et al. Sep 2017 B2
9767520 Isaacson et al. Sep 2017 B2
9773167 King et al. Sep 2017 B2
9774578 Ateniese et al. Sep 2017 B1
9778653 McClintock et al. Oct 2017 B1
9779436 Bui Oct 2017 B2
9781494 Barakat et al. Oct 2017 B1
9785369 Ateniese et al. Oct 2017 B1
9785912 Quezada Oct 2017 B2
9785937 Wickliffe Oct 2017 B2
9785988 Petri et al. Oct 2017 B2
9792742 Johnson et al. Oct 2017 B2
9794797 Hoffberg Oct 2017 B2
9795882 Rabin et al. Oct 2017 B1
9799060 King et al. Oct 2017 B2
9805193 Salsamendi et al. Oct 2017 B1
9807092 Gutzmann Oct 2017 B1
9807106 Daniel et al. Oct 2017 B2
9807239 Wu et al. Oct 2017 B1
9811728 King et al. Nov 2017 B2
9811820 Pitroda et al. Nov 2017 B2
9812782 Finn et al. Nov 2017 B2
9814988 Hague et al. Nov 2017 B2
9818092 Pennanen Nov 2017 B2
9818098 Royyuru et al. Nov 2017 B2
9818109 Loh Nov 2017 B2
9818116 Caldera Nov 2017 B2
9818136 Hoffberg Nov 2017 B1
9820120 deCharms Nov 2017 B2
9823699 Ko et al. Nov 2017 B2
9824408 Isaacson et al. Nov 2017 B2
9825931 Johnsrud et al. Nov 2017 B2
9826208 Cabral et al. Nov 2017 B2
9830589 Xing Nov 2017 B2
9830593 Myers Nov 2017 B2
9830600 Moskowitz Nov 2017 B2
9830602 Sines et al. Nov 2017 B2
9833698 Haseltine et al. Dec 2017 B2
9836790 Ronca et al. Dec 2017 B2
9836908 Spanos et al. Dec 2017 B2
9838541 Brown Dec 2017 B2
9841282 VonDerheide et al. Dec 2017 B2
9841757 Mikan et al. Dec 2017 B2
9842216 Unitt Dec 2017 B2
9842337 Tran Dec 2017 B2
9843445 Moskowitz et al. Dec 2017 B2
9849364 Tran et al. Dec 2017 B2
9849388 Cohen et al. Dec 2017 B2
9852427 Caldera Dec 2017 B2
9852469 Likourezos et al. Dec 2017 B1
9852572 Kocher Dec 2017 B2
9853759 Rae et al. Dec 2017 B1
9853964 Chester Dec 2017 B2
9858766 Aleksey Jan 2018 B2
9858781 Campero et al. Jan 2018 B1
9860226 Thormaehlen Jan 2018 B2
9860391 Wu et al. Jan 2018 B1
9864989 Hutchison et al. Jan 2018 B2
9864990 Hutchison et al. Jan 2018 B2
9865010 Borders et al. Jan 2018 B2
9870508 Hodgson et al. Jan 2018 B1
9870562 Davis et al. Jan 2018 B2
9872050 Uhr et al. Jan 2018 B2
9875448 Shahraray et al. Jan 2018 B2
9875510 Kasper Jan 2018 B1
9876806 Mondiguing et al. Jan 2018 B2
9876914 Baluja et al. Jan 2018 B2
9881176 Goldfarb et al. Jan 2018 B2
9881346 Lyman et al. Jan 2018 B2
9886845 Rhoads et al. Feb 2018 B2
9887933 Lawrence, III Feb 2018 B2
9888007 Caldera et al. Feb 2018 B2
9888105 Rhoads Feb 2018 B2
9892460 Winklevoss et al. Feb 2018 B1
9894168 Sivasubramanian et al. Feb 2018 B2
9898782 Winklevoss et al. Feb 2018 B1
9900305 Levergood et al. Feb 2018 B2
9902109 Kaltenbach et al. Feb 2018 B2
9904442 Hamilton, II et al. Feb 2018 B2
9904544 Thomas et al. Feb 2018 B2
9906552 Brown et al. Feb 2018 B1
9909879 VonDerheide et al. Mar 2018 B2
9910341 Jung et al. Mar 2018 B2
9911258 Outwater et al. Mar 2018 B2
9914057 Muhlheim et al. Mar 2018 B2
9916519 Rodriguez et al. Mar 2018 B2
9916618 Garg et al. Mar 2018 B2
9917827 Levergood et al. Mar 2018 B2
9918183 Rhoads et al. Mar 2018 B2
9919209 King et al. Mar 2018 B2
9922345 Mikurak Mar 2018 B2
9922380 Isaacson et al. Mar 2018 B2
9922381 Isaacson et al. Mar 2018 B2
9928485 Davis et al. Mar 2018 B2
9928509 Hutchison et al. Mar 2018 B2
9928518 Vippagunta et al. Mar 2018 B1
9928746 MacNeille et al. Mar 2018 B1
9934408 Moskowitz et al. Apr 2018 B2
9934502 Grassadonia et al. Apr 2018 B1
9935772 Madisetti et al. Apr 2018 B1
9935948 Schultz et al. Apr 2018 B2
9935961 Castinado et al. Apr 2018 B2
9940463 Kocher et al. Apr 2018 B2
9940772 Kocher Apr 2018 B2
9940779 To et al. Apr 2018 B2
9942046 Drego et al. Apr 2018 B2
9942232 Park et al. Apr 2018 B2
9947020 Fordyce, III et al. Apr 2018 B2
9948654 Surace et al. Apr 2018 B2
9953308 Xing Apr 2018 B2
9954934 Sivasubramanian et al. Apr 2018 B2
9955286 Segal Apr 2018 B2
9955330 Miluzzo et al. Apr 2018 B2
9959065 Ateniese et al. May 2018 B2
9959383 Bryan et al. May 2018 B1
9959429 Jaffe May 2018 B2
9961050 Gvili May 2018 B2
9965466 Kidwai et al. May 2018 B2
9965628 Ford et al. May 2018 B2
9965804 Winklevoss et al. May 2018 B1
9965805 Winklevoss et al. May 2018 B1
9967088 Ateniese et al. May 2018 B2
9967096 Ateniese et al. May 2018 B2
9967333 Chen et al. May 2018 B2
9967334 Ford May 2018 B2
9971355 Smith et al. May 2018 B2
9972013 Howe May 2018 B2
9973341 Ferrin May 2018 B2
9973518 Lee et al. May 2018 B2
9979718 Kurian May 2018 B2
9986004 Carruth et al. May 2018 B1
9990633 Tenorio Jun 2018 B2
9992028 Androulaki et al. Jun 2018 B2
20010000458 Shtivelman et al. Apr 2001 A1
20010011228 Shenkman Aug 2001 A1
20010024497 Campbell et al. Sep 2001 A1
20010027431 Rupp et al. Oct 2001 A1
20010032164 Kim Oct 2001 A1
20010034578 Ugajin Oct 2001 A1
20010039528 Atkinson et al. Nov 2001 A1
20010042785 Walker et al. Nov 2001 A1
20010043586 Miloslavsky Nov 2001 A1
20010044788 Demir et al. Nov 2001 A1
20010047291 Garahi et al. Nov 2001 A1
20010049650 Moshal et al. Dec 2001 A1
20010051540 Hindman et al. Dec 2001 A1
20020002521 Shearer et al. Jan 2002 A1
20020006191 Weiss Jan 2002 A1
20020009190 McIllwaine et al. Jan 2002 A1
20020010663 Muller Jan 2002 A1
20020010669 Street Jan 2002 A1
20020010673 Muller et al. Jan 2002 A1
20020013631 Parunak et al. Jan 2002 A1
20020013757 Bykowsky et al. Jan 2002 A1
20020019846 Miloslavsky et al. Feb 2002 A1
20020021693 Bruno et al. Feb 2002 A1
20020031230 Sweet Mar 2002 A1
20020035534 Buist et al. Mar 2002 A1
20020038233 Shubov et al. Mar 2002 A1
20020040310 Lieben et al. Apr 2002 A1
20020042274 Ades Apr 2002 A1
20020042769 Gujral et al. Apr 2002 A1
20020047859 Szlam et al. Apr 2002 A1
20020052816 Clenaghan et al. May 2002 A1
20020052819 Burton May 2002 A1
20020052873 Delgado et al. May 2002 A1
20020055899 Williams May 2002 A1
20020059379 Harvey et al. May 2002 A1
20020073018 Mulinder et al. Jun 2002 A1
20020073049 Dutta Jun 2002 A1
20020077954 Slaight et al. Jun 2002 A1
20020082856 Gray et al. Jun 2002 A1
20020095327 Zumel et al. Jul 2002 A1
20020114278 Coussement Aug 2002 A1
20020116239 Reinsma et al. Aug 2002 A1
20020123954 Hito Sep 2002 A1
20020131399 Philonenko Sep 2002 A1
20020138386 Maggioncalda et al. Sep 2002 A1
20020161671 Matsui et al. Oct 2002 A1
20020165756 Tobin et al. Nov 2002 A1
20020165814 Lee et al. Nov 2002 A1
20020165817 Rackson et al. Nov 2002 A1
20020174052 Guler et al. Nov 2002 A1
20020183066 Pankaj Dec 2002 A1
20020194256 Needham et al. Dec 2002 A1
20020194334 Focant et al. Dec 2002 A1
20030002646 Gutta et al. Jan 2003 A1
20030014293 Shetty et al. Jan 2003 A1
20030014326 Ben-Meir et al. Jan 2003 A1
20030014373 Perge et al. Jan 2003 A1
20030018561 Kitchen et al. Jan 2003 A1
20030023538 Das et al. Jan 2003 A1
20030033237 Bawri Feb 2003 A1
20030035468 Corbaton et al. Feb 2003 A1
20030041002 Hao et al. Feb 2003 A1
20030055729 Bezos et al. Mar 2003 A1
20030055743 Murcko Mar 2003 A1
20030055787 Fujii Mar 2003 A1
20030055898 Yeager et al. Mar 2003 A1
20030065608 Cutler Apr 2003 A1
20030078867 Scott et al. Apr 2003 A1
20030087652 Simon et al. May 2003 A1
20030088488 Solomon et al. May 2003 A1
20030097325 Friesen et al. May 2003 A1
20030101124 Semret et al. May 2003 A1
20030101274 Yi et al. May 2003 A1
20030115088 Thompson Jun 2003 A1
20030115114 Tateishi et al. Jun 2003 A1
20030115251 Fredrickson et al. Jun 2003 A1
20030119558 Steadman et al. Jun 2003 A1
20030120809 Bellur et al. Jun 2003 A1
20030135437 Jacobsen Jul 2003 A1
20030139995 Farley Jul 2003 A1
20030152086 El Batt Aug 2003 A1
20030172018 Chen et al. Sep 2003 A1
20030182224 Horrigan et al. Sep 2003 A1
20030195780 Arora et al. Oct 2003 A1
20030195832 Cao et al. Oct 2003 A1
20030217106 Adar et al. Nov 2003 A1
20030233307 Salvadori et al. Dec 2003 A1
20040006528 Fung Jan 2004 A1
20040006529 Fung Jan 2004 A1
20040006534 Fung Jan 2004 A1
20040019650 Auvenshine Jan 2004 A1
20040024684 Montepeque Feb 2004 A1
20040024687 Delenda Feb 2004 A1
20040028018 Cain Feb 2004 A1
20040039670 Fung Feb 2004 A1
20040039685 Hambrecht et al. Feb 2004 A1
20040049479 Dorne et al. Mar 2004 A1
20040054551 Ausubel et al. Mar 2004 A1
20040054610 Amstutz et al. Mar 2004 A1
20040054617 Fung Mar 2004 A1
20040059646 Harrington et al. Mar 2004 A1
20040059665 Suri et al. Mar 2004 A1
20040068416 Solomon Apr 2004 A1
20040068447 Mao et al. Apr 2004 A1
20040073642 Iyer Apr 2004 A1
20040077320 Jackson et al. Apr 2004 A1
20040081183 Monza et al. Apr 2004 A1
20040083195 McCord et al. Apr 2004 A1
20040093278 Burchetta et al. May 2004 A1
20040095907 Agee et al. May 2004 A1
20040101127 Dezonno et al. May 2004 A1
20040103013 Jameson May 2004 A1
20040111308 Yakov Jun 2004 A1
20040111310 Szlam et al. Jun 2004 A1
20040117302 Weichert et al. Jun 2004 A1
20040132405 Kitazawa et al. Jul 2004 A1
20040138958 Watarai et al. Jul 2004 A1
20040141508 Schoeneberger et al. Jul 2004 A1
20040153375 Mukunya et al. Aug 2004 A1
20040184478 Donescu et al. Sep 2004 A1
20040213400 Golitsin et al. Oct 2004 A1
20040215793 Ryan et al. Oct 2004 A1
20040236817 Huberman et al. Nov 2004 A1
20040242275 Corbett et al. Dec 2004 A1
20040259558 Skafidas et al. Dec 2004 A1
20040260645 Yakos Dec 2004 A1
20040264677 Horvitz et al. Dec 2004 A1
20040266505 Keam et al. Dec 2004 A1
20050044032 Lee et al. Feb 2005 A1
20050065808 Faltings Mar 2005 A1
20050065837 Kosiba et al. Mar 2005 A1
20050080710 Malato et al. Apr 2005 A1
20050102221 Sulkowski et al. May 2005 A1
20050129217 McPartlan et al. Jun 2005 A1
20050137939 Calabria et al. Jun 2005 A1
20050144064 Calabria et al. Jun 2005 A1
20050144065 Calabria et al. Jun 2005 A1
20050164664 DiFonzo et al. Jul 2005 A1
20050174975 Mgrdechian et al. Aug 2005 A1
20050195960 Shaffer et al. Sep 2005 A1
20050197857 Avery Sep 2005 A1
20050198031 Pezaris et al. Sep 2005 A1
20050246420 Little Nov 2005 A1
20050251434 Ouimet Nov 2005 A1
20050286426 Padhye et al. Dec 2005 A1
20050289043 Maudlin Dec 2005 A1
20060046658 Cruz et al. Mar 2006 A1
20060062376 Pickford Mar 2006 A1
20060136310 Gonen et al. Jun 2006 A1
20060148414 Tee et al. Jul 2006 A1
20060153356 Sisselman et al. Jul 2006 A1
20060167787 Ausubel Jul 2006 A1
20060168119 Inoue et al. Jul 2006 A1
20060168140 Inoue et al. Jul 2006 A1
20060168147 Inoue et al. Jul 2006 A1
20060222101 Cetiner et al. Oct 2006 A1
20060242017 Libes et al. Oct 2006 A1
20060259957 Tam et al. Nov 2006 A1
20060293951 Patel et al. Dec 2006 A1
20070038498 Powell et al. Feb 2007 A1
20070054617 Nikolajevic et al. Mar 2007 A1
20070064912 Kagan et al. Mar 2007 A1
20070071222 Flockhart et al. Mar 2007 A1
20070115995 Kim et al. May 2007 A1
20070118463 Avery May 2007 A1
20070118464 Avery May 2007 A1
20070118465 Avery May 2007 A1
20070174179 Avery Jul 2007 A1
20070174180 Shin Jul 2007 A1
20070195048 Nam et al. Aug 2007 A1
20070297328 Semret et al. Dec 2007 A1
20080095121 Shattil Apr 2008 A1
20080109343 Robinson et al. May 2008 A1
20080139136 Shtrom et al. Jun 2008 A1
20080162331 Ephrati et al. Jul 2008 A1
20080162666 Ebihara et al. Jul 2008 A1
20080205501 Cioffi et al. Aug 2008 A1
20080207149 Unkefer et al. Aug 2008 A1
20080227404 Harel et al. Sep 2008 A1
20080232238 Agee Sep 2008 A1
20080262893 Hoffberg Oct 2008 A1
20080299923 O'Brien et al. Dec 2008 A1
20090054018 Waheed et al. Feb 2009 A1
20090170607 Chiao et al. Jul 2009 A1
20090180392 Greiner et al. Jul 2009 A1
Foreign Referenced Citations (23)
Number Date Country
0128672 Dec 1984 EP
0254812 Dec 1984 EP
0399822 Nov 1990 EP
0421409 Apr 1991 EP
0565314 Oct 1993 EP
0715247 Jun 1996 EP
0720102 Jun 1996 EP
0772165 May 1997 EP
0913757 May 1999 EP
0952741 Oct 1999 EP
1054336 Nov 2000 EP
2261579 May 1993 GB
2264796 Sep 1993 GB
2279537 Jan 1995 GB
2296413 Jun 1996 GB
2301919 Dec 1996 GB
2161819 Jan 2001 RU
WO1994019912 Sep 1994 WO
WO2000077539 Dec 2000 WO
WO2004018158 Mar 2004 WO
WO9633568 Apr 2006 WO
WO9703410 Apr 2006 WO
WO2006039803 Apr 2006 WO
Non-Patent Literature Citations (119)
Entry
Anastasiadi, A., et al. “A computational economy for dynamic load balancing and data replication.” Proceedings of the first international conference on Information and computation economies. ACM, 1998.
Anastasiadi, A., et al. “Economic Models for Resource Allocation and Services in Distributed Information Systems.” (1997).
Anderson, Ross, Charalampos Manifavas, and Chris Sutherland. “Netcard—a practical electronic-cash system.” In International Workshop on Security Protocols, pp. 49-57. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 1996.
Ausiello, G., et al., “Complexity and Approximation, Combinatorial Optimization Problems and Their Approximability Properties”, Springer 2nd corrected printing (2003).
Back, Adam. “Hashcash—a denial of service counter-measure.” (2002).
Back, Adam. “Hashcash—amortizable publicly auditable cost-functions.” (2002).
Barrett, Matthew Frederick. “Towards on Open Trusted Computing Framework.” PhD diss., University of Auckland, 2005.
Bellare, M. et al., “iKP—a family of secure electronic payment protocols”, First USENIX Workshop on Electronic Commerce, New York 1995.
Bellarey, Mihir, Juan A. Garayz, Ralf Hauserx, Amir Herzbergz, Hugo Krawczykz, Michael Steinerx, Gene Tsudikx, and Michael Waidnerx. “iKP a Family of Secure Electronic Payment Protocols.” (1995).
Blaze, Matt, John Ioannidis, and Angelos D. Keromytis. “Offline micropayments without trusted hardware.” In International Conference on Financial Cryptography, pp. 21-40. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2001.
B-Money, www.weidai.com/bmoney.txt (1997).
Buttyan, Levente and Hubaux, Jean-Pierre, “Nuglets: a Virtual Currency to Stimulate Cooperation in Self-Organized Mobile Ad Hoc Networks”, Jan. 18, 2001.
Buttyan, Levente, and Jean-Pierre Hubaux. Nuglets: a virtual currency to stimulate cooperation in self-organized mobile ad hoc networks. No. LCA-Report-2001-011. 2001.
Byde, Andrew. A comparison between mechanisms for sequential compute resource auctions. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2008.
Chaum, D., “Achieving Electronic Privacy.” Scientific American, Aug. 1992, pp. 96-101. Copyright (c) 1992 by Scientific American, Inc. Found on the WWW at ganges.cs.tcd.ie/mepeirce/Project/Chaum/sciam.html.
Chaum, D., “Prepaid Smart Card Techniques: A Brief Introduction and Comparison.” (1994) DigiCash ganges.cs.tcd.ie/mepeirce/Project/Chaum/cardcom.html.
Chaum, David L. “Untraceable electronic mail, return addresses, and digital pseudonyms.” Communications of the ACM 24, No. 2 (1981): 84-90.
Chaum, David, “Online Cash Checks”, Advances in Cryptology EUROCRYPT '89; J.J. Quisquarter & J. Vanderwalle (Eds.), Springer-Verlag; pp. 288-293.
Chaum, David, “Security Without Identification: Transaction Systems to Make Big Brother Obsolete”, Communications of the ACM; vol. 28 No. 10; Oct. 1985; pp. 1030-1044.
Chaum, David, Amos Fiat, and Moni Naor. “Untraceable electronic cash.” In Conference on the Theory and Application of Cryptography, pp. 319-327. Springer, New York, NY, 1988.
Chaum, David. “Blind signatures for untraceable payments.” In Advances in cryptology, pp. 199-203. Springer, Boston, MA, 1983.
Chicano, Francisco, L. Darrell Whitley, and Enrique Alba. “A methodology to find the elementary landscape decomposition of combinatorial optimization problems.” Evolutionary Computation 19, No. 4 (2011): 597-637.
Choudhury, R., and N. Vaidya. “Capture-aware protocols for wireless multihop networks using multi-beam directional antennas.” Technical report, VIUC (2005).
Chun, Brent N., and David E. Culler. “User-centric performance analysis of market-based cluster batch schedulers.” Cluster Computing and the Grid, 2002. 2nd IEEE/ACM International Symposium on. IEEE, 2002.
Coelho, Fabien. “Exponential Memory-Bound Functions for Proof of Work Protocols Technical Report A/370/CRI version 3.”
Common Markup for web Micropayment Systems, www.w3.org/TR/WD-Micropayment-Markup (Jun. 9, 1999).
Cox, Benjamin, J. D. Tygar, and Marvin Sirbu. “NetBill Security and Transaction Protocol.” In Proceedings of the 1st USENIX Workshop on Electronic Commerce, pp. 77-88. 1995.
Coy, Peter, “The Ancient History of Bitcoin”, Bloomberg Businessweek, Mar. 29, 2018, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-29/the-ancient-history-of-bitcoin.
Deng, Xiaotie, Li-Sha Huang, and Minming Li. “On walrasian price of cpu time.” Algorithmica 48, No. 2 (2007): 159-172.Dyson, P.E., “Toward Electronic Money: Some Internet Experiments”, The Seybold Group on Desktop Publishing, vol. 9, No. 10, Jun. 10, 1995, pp. 3-11.
Ekbom, Kristofer, and Eric Astor. “Multi-Agent Systems in Computational Markets and Ecosystems.” Organization 1103 (1996): 1581.
En.bitcoin.it/wild/Hashcash.
Fattahi et al., “New Economic Perspectives for Resource Allocation in Wireless Networks”, Jun. 2005.
Ferguson, Donald F., Christos Nikolaou, Jakka Sairamesh, and Yechiam Yemini. “Economic models for allocating resources in computer systems.” In Market-based control: a paradigm for distributed resource allocation, pp. 156-183. 1996.
Ferguson, Donald F., et al. “Economic models for allocating resources in computer systems.” Market-based control: a paradigm for distributed resource allocation (1996): 156-183.
Ferguson, Donald, Christos Nikolaou, and Yechiam Yemini. “Microeconomic Algorithms for Flow Control in Virtual Circuit Networks (Subset in Infocom 1989).” (1995).
Ferguson, Donald, Christos Nikolaou, Yechiam Yemini. An Economy for Managing Replicated Data in Autonomous Decentralized Systems (Troceedings of International Symposium on Autonomous and Decentralized Systems, prrs).
Gabber, E. et al., “Agora: A minimal distributed protocol for electronic commerce”, Second USENIX Workshop on Electronic Commerce, pp. 223-232, Oakland, CA., Nov. 1996.
Garcia-Molina, Hector, Steven P. Ketchpel, and Narayanan Shivakumar. “Safeguarding and Charging for Information on the Internet.” In Data Engineering, 1998. Proceedings., 14th International Conference on, pp. 182-189. IEEE, 1998.
Giuseppe Lopomo, “Optimality and Robustness of the English Auction”, Games and Economic Behavior, vol. 36, 219-240 (2000).
Glassman, S. et al., “The millicent protocol for inexpensive electronic commerce”, Proc. 4th International World Wide Web Conference, 1995. GMAGS pp. 1-19, https://www.w3.org/Conferences/WWW4/Papers/246/.
Griffith, Reynolds. “Cashless Society or Digital Cash?.” Paper from Dept. of Economics & Finance, Stephen F. Austin State University (http://www. sfasu. edu/finance/fincash. htm) (1994).
Grotschel, Martin, “Developments in Combinatorial Optimization”, Perspwectives in Mathematics, Birkhauser Verlag, Basel (1984).
groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.805/articles/money/nsamint/nsamint.htm.
Guenther, Oliver, Tad Hogg, and Bernardo A. Huberman. “Market organizations for controlling smart matter.” Simulating Social Phenomena. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 1997. 241-257.
Hallam-Baker, P.M., “Micro Payment Transfer Protocol (MPTP)”, Version 0.1, www.w3.org/pub/WWW/TR/WD-mptp-95-11-22, Nov. 22, 1995.
Hauser, R. et al., “Micro-payments based on ikp”, 14.sup.th World-Wide Congress on Computer and Communications Security Protection, Jun. 1996.
Hauser, R., and G. Tsudik on Shopping Incognito. “2nd USENIX Workshop on Electronic Commerce.” (1996).
Helmberg, C., “Semidefinite Programming for Combinatorial Optimization”, Konrad-Zuse-Zentrum fur Informationstechnik Berlin ZIB-Report 00-34 (Oct. 2000).
Hoffberg, “Control of Ad Hoc Networks using Game Theory”, Mar. 8, 2004.
Hogg, Tad, and Bernardo A. Huberman. “Dynamics of large autonomous computational systems.” Collectives and the design of complex systems. Springer New York, 2004. 295-315.
HSMM-MESH, WN8U, Jan. 27, 2013, w8mrc.com/docs/presentations/HSMM-MESH-Web.pdfwww.maarc.ca/HSMM.sub.--MESH.sub.--Presentation.pdf.
Huberman, Bernardo A., and Tad Hogg. “The emergence of computational ecologies.” Lectures in complex systems (1992).
Jacob K. Goeree and John L. Turner, “All-Pay-All Auctions”, Dec. 2000, see Journal of Political Economy 113, Aug. 2005, pp. 897-918.
Jutla, C. et al., “Paytree: ‘amortized signature’ for flexible micropayments”, Second USENIX Workshop on Electronic Commerce, Nov. 1996.
Kara, Mourad. “A global plan policy for coherent co-operation in distributed dynamic load balancing algorithms.” Distributed Systems Engineering 2.4 (1995): 212.
Ko, Young-Bae, Vinaychandra Shankarkumar, and Nitin H. Vaidya. “Medium access control protocols using directional antennas in ad hoc networks.” INFOCOM 2000. Nineteenth Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies. Proceedings. IEEE. vol. 1. IEEE, 2000.
Korte, Berhard, Vygen, Jens, “Combinatorial Optimization Theory and Algorithms”, Algorithms and Combinatorics vol. 21, 4th ed.
Koubaa, Hend. “Reflections on smart antennas for mac protocols in multihop ad hoc networks.” European Wireless. vol. 2. 2002.
Kropp, Sebastian, and V. I. C. Caulfield. “Distributed Operating Systems.” (2004). (Cites [3] A. Messer and T. Wilkinson. A market model for resource allocation in distributed operating systems, 1995).
Kuwabara, Kazuhiro, and Toni Ishida. “Equilibratory approach to distributed resource allocation: Toward coordinated balancing.” Artificial Social Systems. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 1994. 133-146.
Kuwabara, Kazuhiro, Toni Ishida, Yoshiyasu Nishibe, and Tatsuya Suda. “An Equilibratory Market-Based Approach for Distributed Resource Allocation and Its Applications to Communication Network Control.” Market Based Control: A Paradigm for Distributed Resource Allocation, World Scientific, Singapore (1995), Ch. 3, in Clearwater, Scott H. Market-based control: A paradigm for distributed resource allocation. World Scientific, 1996.
Lai, Charlie, Gennady Medvinsky, and B. Clifford Neuman. Endorsements, Licensing, and Insurance for Distributed System Services, In Proceedings of 2nd the ACM Conference on Computer and Communication Security Nov. 1994.
Law, Laurie, Susan Sabett, and Jerry Solinas. “How to make a mint: the cryptography of anonymous electronic cash.” Am. UL Rev. 46 (1996): 1131.
Lawrence M. Ausubel and Paul Milgrom, Chapter 3, “Ascending Proxy Auctions” P. Cramton, Y. Shoham, and R. Steinberg (eds.), Combinatorial Auctions, MIT Press, 2006.
Leino, Juha. “Applications of game theory in ad hoc networks.” UNe 100 (2003): 5-2.
Low, S.H. and S. Paul. “Anonymous Credit Cards.” 2nd ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security, IEEE, Nov. 2-4, 1994, Fairfax, Virginia, pp. 108-117.
Low, Steven, and Pravin Varaiya. “An algorithm for optimal service provisioning using resource pricing.” INFOCOM'94. Networking for Global Communications., 13th Proceedings IEEE IEEE, 1994.
Macintosh, Kerry Lynn. “How to Encourage Global Electronic Commerce: The Case for Private Currencies on the Internet.” Harv. JL & Tech. 11 (1997): 733.
Manasse, M. S., The Millicent Protocols for Electronic Commerce. First USENIX Workshop on Electronic Commerce, Jul. 11-12, 1995, pp. 117-123.
Mao, W., “Financial Transaction Models in the Electronic World”, www.zurich.ibm.com:80/Technology/Security/extern/ecommerce/spec, Jun. 29, 1995.
Mao, Wenbo. “Lightweight Micro-cash for the Internet.” In European Symposium on Research in Computer Security, pp. 15-32. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 1996.
Maskin, Eric, and John Riley, “The Gains to Making Losers Pay in High Bid Auctions”, Jan. 1981 Discussion Paper # 198.
Medvinsky, Gennady and B. Clifford Neuman. NetCash: A design for practical electronic currency on the Internet. In Proceedings of 1st the ACM Conference on Computer and Communication Security Nov. 1993.
Messer, A., T. Wilkinson. A Market Model for Resource Allocation in Distributed Operating Systems. Technical Report, Department of Computer Science, City University. Feb. 1995.
Messer, Alan, and Tim Wilkinson. “Power to the process.” (1996).
Messer, Alan, and Tim Wilkinson. A Scalable Proportion-share Resource Allocator for Distributed Systems. tech. rep., SARC, Department of Computer Science, City University, England, 1996.
Messer, Alan, and Tim Wilkinson. Dynamic Locality for Resource Information Dissemination. Technical report, City University, London, 1997.
Micro Payment transfer Protocol (MPTP Version 0.1 (Nov. 22, 1995) et seq., www.w3.org/pub/WWW/TR/WD-mptp.
Neuman, B. Clifford, and Gennady Medvinsky. “NetCheque, NetCash, and the Characteristics of Internet Payment Services.” Journal of Electronic Publishing 1, No. 1&2 (1995).
Neuman, B. Clifford, and Gennady Medvinsky. Requirements for Network Payment: The NetCheque Perspective in Proceedings of IEEE COMPCON'95. Mar. 1995.
Neuman, B. Clifford, Proxy-Based Authorization and Accounting for Distributed Systems. In Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems, pp. 283-291, May 1993.
Neuman, B.C., et al., “Kerberos: an Authentication Service for Computer Networks”, IEEE Communications, vol. 32, No. 9, Sep. 94, pp. 33-38.
Neuman, C. et al., “Requirements for network payment: the netcheque perspective”, Proc. of IEEE COMPCON, Mar. 1995.
Nguyen, Khanh Quoc, Yi Mu, and Vijay Varadharajan. “Digital coins based on hash chain.” In National Information Systems Security Conference. 1997.
Noori, N., and N. Nouri. “Directional relays for multi-hop cooperative cognitive radio networks.” Radioengineering (2013).
Okamoto, T. and K. Ohta. “Disposable Zero-Knowledge Authentications and Their Applications to Untraceable Electronic Cash.” CRYPTO '89, Santa Barbara, California, Aug. 20-24, 1989, pp. 481-496.
Okamoto, T. and K. Ohta. “Universal Electronic Cash.” Advances in Cryptology—CRYPTO '91 Proceedings, Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 1992, pp. 324-337.
Olivia, Maurizio, “Distributing Intellectual Property: a Model of Microtransaction Based Upon Metadata and Digital Signatures”, olivia.modlang.denison.edu/.about.olivia/RFC/09/.
Pedersen, Torben P. “Electronic payments of small amounts.” In International Workshop on Security Protocols, pp. 59-68. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 1996.
Phillipe, N. Asokan, and I. B. M. Michael. “The State of the art in electronic payment Systems.” computing practices (1997).
Pirzada, Asad Amir, Amitava Datta, and Chris McDonald. “Propagating trust in ad-hoc networks for reliable routing.” In Wireless Ad-Hoc Networks, 2004 International Workshop on, pp. 58-62. IEEE, 2004.
Pirzada, Asad Amir, Amitava Datta, and Chris McDonald. “Trustworthy routing with the TORA protocol.” In Proceedings of the AusCERT Asia Pacific Information Technology Security Conference, pp. 23-27. 2004.
Pitta, J. “Requiem for a bright idea. Forbes.” (1999).
projects.exeter.ac.uk/RDavies/arian/emoney.html.
Puhrerfellner, Michael. “An implementation of the Millicent micro-payment protocol and its application in a pay-per-view business model.” (2000).
Ramanathan, Ram, et al. “Ad hoc networking with directional antennas: a complete system solution.” IEEE Journal on selected areas in communications 23.3 (2005): 496-506.
Rasmusen, Eric Bennett (2006) “Strategic Implications of Uncertainty over One's Own Private Value in Auctions,” Advances in Theoretical Economics. vol. 6: No. 1, pp. 1-22, Article 7. /www.bepress.com/bejte/advances/vol6/issl/art7.
Rasmusen, Eric, 13 Auctions, Feb. 26, 2006, www.rasmusen.org/GI/chapters/chap13_auctions.pdf.
Rasmusson, Lars. “Evaluating resource bundle derivatives for multi-agent negotiation of resource allocation.” E-Commerce Agents. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2001. 154-165.
Rivest, R. et al., “Payword and micromint: Two simple micropayment schemes”, Fourth Cambridge Workshop on Security Protocols, Springer Verlag, May 7, 1996, pp. 1-18.
Roy, Siuli, et al. “Service differentiation in multi-hop inter-vehicular communication using directional antenna.” Vehicular Technology Conference, 2004. VCT 2004—Spring. 2004 IEEE 59th. vol. 4. IEEE, 2004.
Schriver, Alexander, “A Course in Combinatorial Optimization” (2006).
Shi, Zhefu, Cory Beard, and Ken Mitchell. “Competition, cooperation, and optimization in multi-hop csma networks.” Proceedings of the 8th ACM Symposium on Performance evaluation of wireless ad hoc, sensor, and ubiquitous networks. ACM, 2011.
Shum, Kam Hong, and Muslim Bozyigit. “A load distribution through competition for workstation clusters.” Proc. of the Ninth International Symposium on Computer and Information Sciences. 1994.
Sirbu, M., et al., “Netbill: An Internet Commerce System Optimized for Network-Delivered Services”, IEEE Personal Communications, Aug. 1995, pp. 34-39.
Skalicka, Ondrej, “Combinatorial Optimization Library”, Master's Thesis, Czech Technical University in Prague (2010).
Srivastava et al., “Using Game Theory to Analyze Wireless Ad Hoc Networks”, 2005.
Subramanian, Anand Prabhu, Henrik Lundgren, and Theodoros Salonidis. “Experimental characterization of sectorized antennas in dense 802.11 wireless mesh networks.” Proceedings of the tenth ACM international symposium on Mobile ad hoc networking and computing. ACM, 2009.
Szabo, Nick. “Formalizing and securing relationships on public networks.” First Monday 2, No. 9 (1997). web.archive.org/web/20180308005544/ojphi.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/548/469.
“Nick Szabo”, www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=Nick+Szabo.
Trevisan, Luca, “Inapproximability of Combinatorial Optimization Problems”, Electronic Colloquium on Computational Complexity, Rev. 1 of Rep. No. 65 (2004, Feb. 21, 2010).
VISA International Service Association and Microsoft Corporation, “Secure Transaction Technology Version 1.0” Secure Transaction Technology (STT) Wire Formats and Protocols, www.graphcomp.com/info/specs/ms/stt.htm, Dec. 1, 1995.
Waldspurger, Carl A., Tad Hogg, Bernardo A. Huberman, Jeffrey O. Kephart, and W. Scott Stornetta. “Spawn: A distributed computational economy.” IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering 18, No. 2 (1992): 103-117.
Woo, T., et al., “Authentication for Distributed Systems”, In: Computer, Jan. 1992, pp. 39-52.
Xu, Bo, and Ouri Wolfson. “Data management in mobile peer-to-peer networks.” International Workshop on Databases, Information Systems, and Peer-to-Peer Computing. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2004.
Yamaki, Hirofumi. “A Market-Based Approach to Allocating QoS for Multimedia Applications”, Proc. 2nd Int. Conf. Multiagent Systems (1996).
Yoo, Younghwan, Sanghyun Ahn, and Dharma P. Agrawal. “A credit-payment scheme for packet forwarding fairness in mobile ad hoc networks.” IEEE International Conference on Communications, 2005. ICC 2005. 2005. vol. 5. IEEE, 2005.
Youssefmir, Michael, and Bernardo A. Huberman. “Resource Contention in Multiagent Systems.” ICMAS. 1995. Proc. 1st Int. Conf. Multiagent Systems (1995).
Zhong, Sheng, Jiang Chen, and Yang Richard Yang. “Sprite: A simple, cheat-proof, credit-based system for mobile ad-hoc networks.” INFOCOM 2003. Twenty-Second Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications. IEEE Societies. vol. 3. IEEE, 2003.
Related Publications (1)
Number Date Country
20170206512 A1 Jul 2017 US
Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60723339 Oct 2005 US
Divisions (2)
Number Date Country
Parent 13429666 Mar 2012 US
Child 15476416 US
Parent 12089277 US
Child 13429666 US
Continuation in Parts (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 11467931 Aug 2006 US
Child 12089277 US