mckool smith is a u.s. trial firm with more than 175 trial lawyers across offices in austin , dallas , houston , los angeles , marshall , new york city , silicon valley , and washington , dc .

mckool smith

mckool smith <EOT> mckool smith recognized as a leading u . s . firm for patent litigation by the legal 500 : mckool smith

versata software , inc . , counter defendant , represented by john michael shumaker , lee & hayes pllc , joshua wright budwin , mckool smith , pc , kevin m kneupper , mckool smith , pc , laurie lavigna fitzgerald , mckool smith , pc , peter john ayers , lee & hayes pllc , scott lamar cole , mckool smith & steven john pollinger , mckool smith .

versata development group inc . , counter defendant , represented by john michael shumaker , lee & hayes pllc , joshua wright budwin , mckool smith , pc , kevin m kneupper , mckool smith , pc , laurie lavigna fitzgerald , mckool smith , pc , peter john ayers , lee & hayes pllc , scott lamar cole , mckool smith & steven john pollinger , mckool smith .

versata computer industry solutions , inc . , counter defendant , represented by john michael shumaker , lee & hayes pllc , joshua wright budwin , mckool smith , pc , kevin m kneupper , mckool smith , pc , laurie lavigna fitzgerald , mckool smith , pc , peter john ayers , lee & hayes pllc , scott lamar cole , mckool smith & steven john pollinger , mckool smith .

versata computer industry solutions , inc . , formerly known as trilogy computer industry solutions , inc . , plaintiff , represented by samuel franklin baxter , mckool smith , ada elene brown , mckool smith , amir h . alavi , ahmad zavitsanos & anaipakos , demetrios anaipakos , ahmad zavitsanos & anaipakos pc , douglas carleton edwards , mckool smith , joel lance thollander , mckool smith , pc , joseph y ahmad , ahmad , zavitsanos , anaipakos , alavi & mensing p . c . , joshua wright budwin , mckool smith , pc , kevin m kneupper , mckool smith , pc , laurie lavigna fitzgerald , mckool smith , pc , leah bhimani buratti , mckool smith , peter john ayers , lee & hayes pllc , rosemary tyson snider , mckool smith , scott lamar cole , mckool smith , steven chase callahan , charhon , callahan , robson & garza pllc , steven john mitby , ahmad zavitsanos & anaipakos , steven john pollinger , mckool smith & theodore stevenson , iii , mckool smith pc .

mckool smith ranked as a leading u . s . patent litigation firm by legal 500

do you know mckool smith , p . c . ? be the first to :

irunway’s technical experts worked with mckool smith lawyers on the case for the last four years .

" at mckool smith , everyone plays a valuable role in the success of the firm . everyone deserves respect . " - mike mckool

versata software , inc . , formerly known as trilogy software , inc . , plaintiff , represented by ada elene brown , mckool smith , amir h . alavi , ahmad zavitsanos & anaipakos , demetrios anaipakos , ahmad zavitsanos & anaipakos pc , douglas carleton edwards , mckool smith , joel lance thollander , mckool smith , pc , john michael shumaker , lee & hayes pllc , joseph y ahmad , ahmad , zavitsanos , anaipakos , alavi & mensing p . c . , joshua wright budwin , mckool smith , pc , kevin m kneupper , mckool smith , pc , laurie lavigna fitzgerald , mckool smith , pc , nicholas h patton , patton tidwell & schroeder , llp , peter john ayers , lee & hayes pllc , rosemary tyson snider , mckool smith , scott lamar cole , mckool smith , steven john mitby , ahmad zavitsanos & anaipakos , steven john pollinger , mckool smith & theodore stevenson , iii , mckool smith pc .

versata development group inc . , formerly known as trilogy development group , inc . , plaintiff , represented by ada elene brown , mckool smith , amir h . alavi , ahmad zavitsanos & anaipakos , demetrios anaipakos , ahmad zavitsanos & anaipakos pc , douglas carleton edwards , mckool smith , joel lance thollander , mckool smith , pc , john michael shumaker , lee & hayes pllc , joseph y ahmad , ahmad , zavitsanos , anaipakos , alavi & mensing p . c . , joshua wright budwin , mckool smith , pc , kevin m kneupper , mckool smith , pc , laurie lavigna fitzgerald , mckool smith , pc , leah bhimani buratti , mckool smith , nicholas h patton , patton tidwell & schroeder , llp , peter john ayers , lee & hayes pllc , rosemary tyson snider , mckool smith , scott lamar cole , mckool smith , steven chase callahan , charhon , callahan , robson & garza pllc , steven john mitby , ahmad zavitsanos & anaipakos , steven john pollinger , mckool smith & theodore stevenson , iii , mckool smith pc .

congratulations to all associates at mckool smith ! all of this new cash is pretty “kool . ”

mckool smith secures more 2008 " top 100 verdicts " than any u . s . law firm

mckool smith helps secure settlement for liquidating trustee in d & o suit against bearingpoint , inc .

mckool smith recognized as a leading u . s . firm for patent litigation by the legal 500

the hire of christopher johnson and zachary mazin continues mckool smith ' s expansion in new york , currently its largest office , and will bolster mckool smith ' s financial litigation group , the firm said .

mckool smith , p . c . ( about ) - member directory - greater marshall chamber of commerce

mckool smith , headquartered in dallas , describes itself as a trial firm , not a litigation firm .

mckool smith associate joshua budwin also represented versata , along with legal assistants vicki meredith and joanna walls .

mckool smith recognized as a leading u . s . firm for insurance and patent litigation by the legal 500

mckool smith recognized as a 2017 leading u . s . firm for insurance and patent litigation by the legal 500

mckool smith is formidable , strategic , and focused . clients call us when they can ' t afford to lose .

a pair of commercial litigators from kasowitz benson torres—christopher johnson and zachary mazin—plan to leave the firm and join mckool smith’s new york office , where they’ll focus on representing hedge funds and institutional investors in financial litigation , mckool smith said wednesday .

, mckool smith has established a reputation as one of america ' s leading trial firms . the firm has been recognized by

associates at this firm coined the term the mckool method for his trial preparation . “the mckool method is really teasing me about being so intense , ” mckool says .

" for mckool smith , securing judgments in excess of $ 100 million are all part of a year ' s work . "

( flip to the next page to see the full mckool smith pay - raise memo , from executive director gary eden . )

mckool smith’s successes have once again earned the legal 500 ’s recognition as a top tier u . s . firm for patent litigation . according to the directory , mckool smith’s patent litigation practice provides “excellent legal strategy , substantive knowledge and a high level of technical expertise . ”

your mckool smith colleagues will always have your back . everything we do flows from a shared dedication to our principles and to each other .

" congratulations to versata and mckool smith on this favorable verdict , ” said animesh kumar , chief solutioning officer , irunway . “i’m delighted that irunway was part of this winning team . this verdict marks our 4th successive and successful outcome with mckool smith across multiple litigations in 2011 . "

the national law journal has recognized mckool smith principals robin cohen and douglas a . cawley as 2018 “plaintiff trailblazers” in the publication’s second . . .

the mckool smith team representing versata included firm principals scott cole , sam baxter , steve pollinger , and associates joshua budwin , and leah buratti .

for the second consecutive year , mckool smith is ranked as one of the top law firms in the country for intellectual property matters . the 2010 edition of chambers usa also ranks mckool smith as one of the top commercial litigationand intellectual property litigation firms in texas . only one year after establishing the firm’s white collar litigation practice , mckool smith also is ranked as one of the top firms in new york for white collar criminal matters and government investigations .

the team of attorneys from mckool smith representing versata included firm principals sam baxter , ted stevenson , rosemary snider , steve pollinger , and scott cole .

his approach has paid off in spades . mckool smith’s client list is a who’s who of the corporate world : eds , ericsson , american airlines , exxon mobil . the firm’s work in intellectual property , which mckool spearheaded , has made mckool smith one of the go - to firms for patent cases . mckool’s intensity and focus in and out of the courtroom has won him a reputation as one of the best trial lawyers around .

the mckool smith team representing versata included firm principals scott cole , sam baxter , steve pollinger , joel thollander , and associates joshua budwin , and leah buratti .

“everyone at mckool smith is very excited to be recognized again as one of the country’s top law firms , especially since this recognition comes from one of the world’s most trusted legal publishers , ” says mike mckool , co - founder of the firm .

mckool smith secured a final judgment for verizon from the delaware superior court , which entitles verizon to more than $ 40 million in coverage for defense costs , plus . . .

people who thrive at mckool smith bring their a - game every day . in return , we provide a supportive , inclusive work environment with extraordinary opportunities to advance your career .

dallas - - mckool smith and eight attorneys from the firm have earned rankings in the prestigious chambers usa guide to the top law firms and individual attorneys in the united states .

irunway congratulates its clients – versata software and mckool smith – on this landmark verdict . the jury awarded versata $ 260 million for lost profits and $ 85 million as reasonable royalty .

“you have to be utterly sincere , ” says mckool , a founding partner of the civil litigation firm mckool smith . “arrogance is the trial lawyer’s downfall . you can have self - confidence and not be arrogant . there’s a difference between theatrics and sincerity . ”

from left : christopher bovenkamp , samuel f . baxter , david sochia , lewis t . leclair , and robert m . manley , of mckool smith . ( photo : vanessa gavalya )

mckool smith houses some of the best minds in litigation anywhere . lew leclair and robert manley are brilliant , relentless and creative trial lawyers who should make anyone worry if they are across the table .

“as a trial lawyer , i’ve always been impressed by mckool smith’s success in the courtroom and its reputation as a powerhouse trial firm , ” said christopher johnson . “when you talk about the firms that are winning the big verdicts and handling the significant cases , mckool smith’s name is always a part of the discussion . my clients will benefit from the firm’s deep trial bench and highly specialized practice offerings . ”

mckool smith is the first member of the $ 160k - plus club that has announced salary raises to our knowledge . other firms we’ve not yet heard from include bickel & brewer , boies schiller & flexner , desmarais llp , susman & godfrey , wachtell lipton , and williams & connolly . will mckool smith’s move inspire other members of this elite club to raise their salaries even higher ? we’ll have to wait and see .

“top 100 verdicts” over the last five years than any other law firm . mckool smith represents leading clients across a broad range of practice areas , including complex commercial litigation , intellectual property , bankruptcy , and white collar defense .

mckool rose to co - managing partner at hewett johnson , which became johnson & gibbs . he enjoyed the firm , but he found himself doing more and more management and less trial work , which he missed . in 1991 , he left the firm and founded mckool smith with phil smith . they started with 11 lawyers in dallas . today , the firm has more than 90 lawyers with offices in austin and marshall , as well as dallas .

unwired planet llc attorney theodore stevenson iii of mckool smith pc said it wants 7 to 9 cents for each infringing device , but apple inc . argues that royalty amount is too high . however , stevenson said it’s . . .

the mckool smith team representing versata included firm principals sam baxter , steve pollinger , scott cole , rosemary snider and laurie gallun fitzgerald , and associates kevin kneupper , steven callahan , joshua budwin , ada brown , lilanren and leah buratti .

before receiving his legal degree from the southern methodist university dedman school of law , robert attended the pushkin institute in moscow , russia , and the institute of european studies in vienna , austria . he currently leads mckool smith’s pro bono program .

every year , the national law journal ' s verdictsearch affiliate scours court records to compile a listing of the nation ' s largest verdicts . mckool smith ' s versata verdict is ranked as the eighth largest verdict in the country during 2011 .

“i probably saw him try 30 cases and i became very comfortable in the courthouse , ” mckool says .

but by organizing the information this way , mckool can walk into court knowing everything he needs to know .

zachary mazin echoed these sentiments . “mckool smith is known for its trial prowess . however , i was especially drawn to the firm’s history of partnering with clients on creative fee arrangements . i represent a number of leading funds who have an appetite for partnering with law firms that aren’t afraid to put some skin in the game by offering mutually beneficial success fee arrangements . mckool smith is an industry leader in this area , which will be very helpful as i continue to build my practice . ”

mckool smith pc is nationally ranked in 10 practice areas and regionally ranked in 26 practice areas . the u . s . news - best lawyers® " best law firms " rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process . read how we rank firms .

benchmark litigation recognizes mike mckool , sam baxter , and douglas a . cawley among “top 100 trial lawyers in america”

mckool smith ' s bankruptcy and restructuring practice focuses on the defense and prosecution of complex lawsuits arising under bankruptcy and related state and federal laws on behalf of debtors , creditors’ committees , and other parties . the firm also represents clients in complex reorganization proceedings and out - of - court restructurings . mckool smith ' s attorneys have litigated complex multi - party disputes in courtrooms and forums throughout the united states , and were among the first called before congress to provide insights on proposed changes to the federal bankruptcy code .

for winning more top 100 verdicts than any other u . s . law firm during the past three years . mckool smith represents leading clients across a broad range of practice areas , including complex commercial litigation , intellectual property , bankruptcy , and white collar defense .

early in his career , mckool says he had a few cases where he felt he could have been more prepared .

“i get bored unless i’m learning something new , ” mckool says . “then i really work at it—perfecting it . ”

our trial lawyers are involved in many of the most complex and cutting - edge disputes in the nation . if you ' re looking to work on ground breaking cases and learn from some of the best trial lawyers in the business , mckool smith is the place for you .

we maintain a fierce commitment to the success of our clients , and are dedicated to maintaining a firm culture that fosters respect , trust , and collaboration . these standards have become mckool smith’s hallmark , and they enable the firm to deliver the highest levels of service to clients .

marshall , texas – mckool smith has won a $ 345 million verdict awarding damages to austin , texas - based versata software inc . in a patent infringement trial against global software giant sap america inc . ( nyse : sap ) and its german - based parent company sap ag .

mckool smith has been recognized in the national law journal listing of the “top 100 verdicts” of 2011 for securing a $ 345 million verdict for versata software inc . in a patent infringement lawsuit against global software giant sap america inc . and its german - based parent company sap ag .

his father , mike mckool sr . , was a trial lawyer in dallas and was involved in local and state democratic politics , getting elected as a texas state senator in 1968 . in the summers , mckool often went to the courthouse with his father .

mckool always knew he would be a trial lawyer . “it never really occurred to me to do anything else , ” he says .

burleson says mckool doesn’t talk much about his law practice while they ride . if burleson asks , mckool will explain some of the technology involved in the cases he works on , such as how a cell phone works , which he had to explain to a jury .

law360 , los angeles ( may 10 , 2017 , 4 : 11 pm edt ) - - mckool smith pc revealed wednesday the forthcoming addition of two principals to its new york - based financial litigation practice , bringing on experienced commercial litigators christopher p . johnson and zachary w . mazin from kasowitz benson torres llp .

- irunway , a technology consulting and litigation support firm , today announced that its client mckool smith has won a $ 345 million damages verdict in favor of versata software , a technology pioneer in enterprise software , against sap america inc . ( nyse : sap ) and its germany - based parent company sap ag .

attorneys from mckool smith have secured a $ 391 million court judgment in favor of firm client versata software inc . , a pioneer in front - office enterprise software , following a successful patent infringement lawsuit against global software giant sap america inc . ( nyse : sap ) and its german - based parent company sap ag .

“we call it the bible , ” mckool says . “my copy by the time we go to trial is dog - eared and highlighted . ”

“once we started , i was immensely happier , ” mckool says . “the milieu is such that everyone i deal with is a trial lawyer . ”

judge charles everingham iv of the u . s . district court for the eastern district of texas in marshall , texas signed the judgment on september 9 , 2011 . mckool smith originally secured a $ 138 . 6 million verdict for versata against sap in august 2009 . that verdict was set aside , and a second trial was held in may 2011 .

marshall , texas – the national law firm of mckool smith is announcing a $ 138 million jury verdict against global software provider sap america ( nyse : sap ) and its german - based parent company sap ag , in a patent infringement lawsuit won by austin , texas - based versata software inc . , a pioneer in front - office enterprise software .

mckool smith , one of the nation’s leading trial firms , has announced that commercial litigators christopher p . johnson and zachary w . mazin will be joining the firm as principals in its new york office . their anticipated arrival will bolster the firm’s financial litigation practice , which represents hedge funds and other institutional investors in a broad range of disputes against major financial institutions .

but it’s not just his cases on which mckool focuses with such intensity . he pursues his interests—guitar , motocross racing , reading and his friends—with the same focus .

later in 2007 , the firm opened an office in new york city and added a white collar defense practice in response to increased government enforcement and investigations as a result of the financial crisis . in 2009 , mckool smith expanded into bankruptcy litigation with the opening of its houston office . the expansion was timed perfectly to the national spike in bankruptcy filings and unsuccessful business ventures .

in addition to mr . mckool , firm principals sam baxter , douglas cawley , and ted stevenson of dallas , and austin managing principal t . gordon white earned recognition for their work in intellectual property litigation . mr . mckool , mr . baxter , and dallas principal lewis t . leclair are highlighted for their capabilities in commercial litigation

“he’s definitely at the top of his game . ” says laurie gallun , an associate at mckool smith who tried a case last year with him . “he has that way of getting the jury interested . he makes it look like it’s the easiest thing in the world . he makes it look like he woke up this morning and knew exactly what he needed to say . ”

frank vecella is a principal in mckool smith’s dallas office . prior to joining the firm , frank was with ericsson inc . for 16 years and served as associate general counsel of litigation . in that role , he managed and supervised all of ericsson’s significant litigation in the united states and canada and often provided guidance with respect to ericsson’s major disputes in other parts of the world .

, ” mckool says . “i read it my last year in grade school . i’ve read it several times as an adult , and i’ve seen the movie numerous times . ”

2 . mckool recently began re - reading the discoverers : a history of man’s search to know his world and himself by daniel j . boorstin because he enjoys it so much . “it’s a collection of biographies of several people who were key discoverers , ” mckool says . boorstin was the u . s . librarian of congress when he wrote the book .

robert palmer is a principal in the los angeles office of mckool smith hennigan . robert primarily handles complex litigation and trial practice , with a special focus on disputes relating to banking and finance , securities , real estate , and the false claims act . robert joined the firm in 1995 . prior to joining the firm , robert was a litigation partner at osborn maledon in phoenix , arizona , for many years .

almost 20 years ago , mike mckool asked a juror why she voted against him in a case and she said it was because of his cuff links—he came off as uppity . so he put them away . the ban isn’t just in the courtroom . it’s everywhere . if mckool won’t do something in the courtroom , he won’t do it out of the courtroom .

“i think my job is the hardest job in the world , ” mckool says . he adds that he’s 58 and that many trial lawyers burn out by age 40 because of the stress .

“we are very excited that chris and zach will be joining the firm , ” said mckool smith’s managing principal , david sochia . “their arrival will further strengthen our financial litigation practice , which has had remarkable success litigating against financial institutions in disputes concerning complex financial products , breach of fiduciary duty claims , and other matters . we will continue to see opportunities in this area as funds and other investment firms seek formidable representation against the major banks . ”

douglas a . cawley is a principal in the dallas office of mckool smith . for more than forty years , he has been engaged in the trial of complex cases and has handled major intellectual property matters throughout the united states and across the globe . he has served as lead counsel in six patent infringement trials that have earned " top 100 verdict " rankings by the national law journal and verdictsearch in 2007 , 2008 , 2009 , 2010 , 2012 , and 2013 .

scenic land company llc , et al . v . sterne agee & leach inc . , et al . won a substantial verdict in a seven - week jury trial for a hotel development client in a case against an investment bank for fraud , breach of fiduciary duty , and breach of contract . the verdict and judgment were reported as the largest in hamilton county ( chattanooga ) history and helped mckool smith to be recognized again in law360’s “most feared plaintiffs firm” feature .

5 . the civil war : a narrative by shelby foote . “the three - volume set tells the story of the civil war . it is a colorful and fascinating read about history , ” mckool says .

mckool had planned on going into practice with his father . but just prior to his graduation from the university of texas school of law in 1974 , a friend invited him to a party that a dallas firm—hewett johnson swanson barbee—was hosting . mckool went for the free food and drinks . he ended up with a job . it was a difficult decision not to go with his father , but the dynamic firm impressed him .

mckool smith represented versata in the second trial , and secured a $ 260 million verdict for lost profits and $ 85 million in reasonable royalties based on the finding that sap infringed a versata patent related to pricing technology – u . s . patent no . 6 , 553 , 350 b2 . jurors also found that sap’s products , which were redesigned in may 2010 , continued to infringe the ‘350 patent . the ‘350 patent was issued in 2003 and found not to be invalid in 2009 .

“he won’t buy just one book , ” erin mckool says . “he buys 10 books and he reads them . he won’t buy just one cd , he buys 10 . and he listens to all of them . ”

" the litigation involved complex technology and it was important for us to prove that sap continued to infringe on our patent despite the product changes they made in 2010 , ” said scott cole , principal at mckool smith . “irunway consultants worked with our lawyers and experts on this case for over four years and during the first trial it became clear that we knew sap’s software better than sap’s own engineers . irunway’s deep technical knowledge , their insights on the product and technology evolution proved invaluable yet again . "

his wife , erin , says mckool is always following his interests . they frequently go to bookstores to check out new titles . he reads two books at a time , she says , and their house is filled with them .

“he was utterly sincere , ” mckool says . “he went about his work in a way that was not about himself . i see many lawyers even today—most of them are retired—and they say , ‘your dad was a great lawyer . ’”

when mike mckool isn’t reading a fact memorandum or brief , he’s probably reading a book . he often has two books going at a time , re - reading books he enjoys numerous times . here are a few of his favorites :

law360 , new york ( october 16 , 2013 , 8 : 00 pm edt ) - - versata software inc . ' s initial loss of its $ 139 million award from business software giant sap america inc . in a patent dispute could have rattled any of its attorneys , but the team at mckool smith pc saw to it that the firm eventually scored a much larger $ 391 million bounty , niftily applying sap ' s own royalty calculations to versata ' s advantage in a play befitting of one of law360 ' s most feared plaintiffs firms .

mckool smith’s commercial litigators are experienced in all facets of complex commercial litigation , including matters involving antitrust claims , business torts , class actions , complex contract and business tort litigation , fiduciary litigation , information technology and outsourcing disputes , insurance recovery , investment fund and fund advisor litigation , merger and acquisition litigation , oil and gas royalty disagreements , securities litigation , shareholder litigation , whistleblower litigation , and structured finance and derivatives litigation . our attorneys have represented clients in complex commercial litigation in every available forum , including state and federal trials and appeals , and domestic and international mediations and arbitrations .

“he’s open and self - apparent , ” says ernest figari jr . , who worked with mckool for many years and is a founder of figari & davenport . “there are no façades , no come - ons . he’s a gold - standard trial lawyer . ”

mckool does not like the way stress makes him feel . so to avoid it , he makes sure he knows every fact of a case . he used to hole up in the hotel crescent court for days or weeks at a time to prepare for trial . mckool says he doesn’t have the stamina or the interest to work like that anymore . instead , he gives himself more time . he works for months on cases , organizing the material so that when he walks into a courtroom , he can talk confidently about every fact .

“it’s smarter , the way i do it , ” mckool says . “i know what’s important and what’s not . and i trust people more . i’ve done it so much , i know what to expect . fear of the unknown is a huge stress producer . ”

mckool smith’s white collar defense practice is led by former federal prosecutors with decades of experience in virtually every type of government investigation and prosecution . the firm’s attorneys have represented both companies and individuals in a variety of white collar matters , including allegations involving securities fraud , insider trading , bank fraud , tax violations , antitrust violations , racketeering , the foreign corrupt practices act ( fcpa ) , environmental violations , office of foreign assets control ( ofac ) , government procurement violations , insurance fraud , political corruption , and criminal antirust investigations . our attorneys also effectively guide major corporations , boards , and committees through sensitive internal investigations .

for several years , mckool stored his bikes in a warehouse and would spend weekends bringing them to racetracks a few hours away . he got tired of this , so he bought a 300 - acre ranch about 50 miles southwest of dallas and built his own track and trails .

whether he’s talking to a jury , a judge , an associate or a friend , mckool explains things clearly and patiently . as a child , he got into shooting skeet , where he showed great talent . he left it for several years until a friend invited him to a charity tournament and got him interested again . he built three shooting ranges at his ranch and cohosts an event every year for the boy scouts at another texas ranch . burleson says when mckool taught him to skeet shoot , he patiently watched and calmly explained what he needed to do .

3 . a brief history of time by stephen hawking , an english physicist with lou gehrig’s disease . “the consensus choice is he is probably the smartest man alive , ” mckool says . in the book , hawking explains in lay terms many of the scientific concepts being researched today .

4 . david copperfield by charles dickens . “i’ve read every book by charles dickens , ” mckool says . “it’s not his best book . a tale of two cities or great expectations probably is . but david copperfield is my favorite . it just has a warmth to it . ”

mckool smith has secured eleven " top 100 verdicts " since 2007 ; more than any other law firm in the last 5 years . in addition to the versata verdict , these victories include a $ 105 . 75 million verdict on behalf of virnetx holding corporation against technology giant microsoft , a $ 200 million verdict for i4i inc . against microsoft , a $ 59 million verdict for pioneer corp . against samsung , a $ 28 . 1 million verdict on behalf of a class of retired nfl football players against the national football league players association , and a $ 20 million verdict against online travel companies for more than 100 texas cities , among many other courtroom wins .

mckool smith represents clients in all aspects of intellectual property litigation , including patent infringement , trademarks , trade secrets , patent licensing , and copyright matters . the firm employs skilled and experienced trial attorneys who have the legal and technical expertise to persuade judges and juries who decide technologically complex issues . several firm attorneys also hold technical degrees and have worked as engineers themselves , providing clients with an enhanced level of experience in complex intellectual property matters . additionally , the firm’s attorneys include 10 former federal circuit clerks . the firm also maintains a practice before the international trade commission , and has significant expertise in section 337 litigation . the firm was named the south’s top patent litigation firm by

what you see is what you get with mckool . whether he’s racing a motorcycle through dirt trails on his 1 , 800 - acre ranch , learning to play “hey jude” on his guitar or representing a multibillion - dollar corporation in a complex patent case , he approaches it with clarity , intensity and focus .

the third ground urged for a stay is the pendency of a ptab proceeding challenging the validity of the asserted claims of the patent in suit under a covered business method ( cbm ) patent review . defendants assert that the ptab has issued a non - final decision that the asserted claims are invalid . of course , on the other hand , there is a final judgment in this case finding that the claims are valid . the cbm review process was created by the leahy - smith america invents act ( " aia " ) , pub . l . no . 112 - 29 , 125 stat . 284 , which directs district courts to consider the following factors in determining whether to stay their proceedings in favor of the ptab :

often , the cases he works on are extremely complex and can involve millions of pages of documents and several lawyers from his firm . to help organize and pull all the information together , mckool requires three things for every case : an index of all the exhibits in the case so he can easily find his ammunition during a trial ; a proof outline , which shows all the points his side wants to make ; and a fact memorandum listing all of the relevant facts and events in the case . this memo usually starts at 20 pages and sometimes ends up with more than 200 pages .

“once he started it , it was a typical mike deal . he doesn’t do anything halfway , ” says dick burleson , a former professional bike racer who lives in traverse city , mich . mckool hired burleson several years ago as a teacher , and they became close friends . “it can be a dangerous sport , if you’re unprepared and cavalier about it . it also takes a focus , and that’s what’s good about mike . when he’s on a motorcycle , he has to focus . there’s no thinking about cases . it gets him away from the law . if you’re going to do it , you need to do it right . ”

and received the publication ' s 2011 “patent case of the year” honor for securing a $ 290 million judgment for i4i inc . against microsoft . the judgment was unanimously affirmed by the u . s . supreme court , and reportedly represents the largest u . s . patent infringement award to be affirmed by the supreme court . in 2012 , the firm was named intellectual property “firm of the year” by

robert manley is a master in the courtroom . i ' ve seen him lead a team through bet - the - company litigation in multiple venues at once . he ' s a great big - picture leader and excellent at distilling complex legal topics into simple to understand concepts that are persuasive at trial . i hope i never have another case like that one but if so i ' m calling robert .

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short range agent communications ( srac ) are one-way or two-way short-range wireless communications used for intelligence purposes .

this communications technology became possible with the arrival of the transistor and small scale integrated circuits .

in the late 2000s computer wifi technology and usb flash drives had evolved into technologies that ordinary people can buy -- yet can be used in a similar way to srac systems .

srac devices were adopted by western intelligence agencies during the cold war in the 1960s , but eastern block nations possessed and used similar technologies .

the devices are miniature to ease concealment , and are capable of transmitting encrypted data .

short - range agent communications

short - range agent communications <EOT> an object of embodiments herein is to provide improved short range communications between wireless devices in a wireless communications system .

hence , there is still a need for an improved short range communications between wireless devices in a wireless communications system .

fig . 6 depicts another exemplary use of short - range wireless context - determining communications system .

short - range agent communications short range agent communications ( srac ) are one - way or two - way short - range wireless communications used for intelligence purposes . this communications technology became possible with the arrival of the transistor and small scale integrated circuits . - video is targeted to blind users attribution : article text available under cc - by - sa image source in video urltoken

fig . 7 depicts yet another use of short range wireless signals to detect context .

fig . 7 depicts a block diagram of another exemplary use of short - range wireless context - determining communications system .

communications link for establishing the short range connection with the second wireless device based on at least one of the conditions .

when the short range connection has been successfully set up , the first communications link may be terminated . thus , in a step s8 , the first communications link may be terminated upon having established the short range connection . however , according to an embodiment the first

according to embodiments the second communications link is a short range communications link . for example , the second communications link may be a wireless local area network , wlan , link , a bluetooth link , and an

communications link may or may not be terminated , thereby leaving only the short range second communications link present for communications between the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b . hence , whether to maintain or to terminate the first communications link may depend on what triggered setting up the second communications link .

communications link for establishing the short range connection with the second wireless device based on at least one of the conditions . advantageously this provides an efficient means for a wireless device to decide on whether to operate in a short range communications mode for communications with a peer wireless device . advantageously this allows existing network infrastructure and communications protocols to be used for evaluating and setting up the short range communications link . according to a second aspect there is presented a computer program for short range communications in a wireless communications system between a first wireless device and a second wireless device . the computer program comprises computer program code which , when run on the first wireless device , causes the first wireless device to perform a method according to the first aspect .

fig . 5 depicts an exemplary use of a short - range wireless context - determining communications system used to detect the presence and operation of imaging equipment .

( interface converters , short - range modems , multiplexers , surge protectors ) . 2008 is patton’s 25th year in business .

fig . 1 depicts a simplified schematic representation of a communication system for determining contextual surroundings using short - range wireless signals .

the unified communications agent is available for all digital and analog models of smartnode™ gateway - routers .

12 . the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , further comprising terminating ( s8 ) the first communications link upon having established the short range connection .

27 of messages with the second wireless device on the second communications link for establishing the short range connection with the second wireless device based on at least one of the conditions .

fig . 4 depicts a simplified block diagram of the functional elements of a short range wireless subscriber unit capable of both transmission and reception .

short - range agent communications - wanted item the cds - 501 was a spy radio set with built - in data encryption , developed in the us in the late 1970s . it was used by the cia for short - range agent communications ( srac ) in clandestine operations during the cold war . the device was captured in cuba in 1983 and is believed to have been used in central and eastern europe as well [ 1 ] . the satellite variant is known as rs - 804 .

if the communications system includes the optional communications gateway device , also powered from the power grid , that globally communicates to a worldwide communications network external to the local area of radio communication , then this gateway device may be functionally separate from all the plurality of communications agents , in which case it locally wirelessly radio - communicates with at least one agent . alternatively , this communications device may be integrated with a communications agent , in which case it is powered from the power grid identically as is the communications agent .

usually an agent who has worked for some years with the gru will have as a minimum the following elements of communication : the secret rendezvous , long - range one - way radio link , short - range radio line or special link and a system of dead - letter boxes and signals . an agent group in addition is obliged in every case to have a long - range two - way radio link .

exchanging ( s6 ) a third set of messages with the second wireless device on the second communications link for establishing the short range connection with the second wireless device based on at least one of the conditions .

exchange ( s6 ) a third set of messages with the second wireless device on the second communications link for establishing the short range connection with the second wireless device based on at least one of the conditions .

a complete and operational cds - 501 set was compromised by cuban security services in 1983 1 and was subsequently put under scrutiny . they concluded that the set was used for short - range agent communications ( srac ) by the american cia and its operatives and agents in cuba .

there were a few possible advantages to these early short - range agent communications devices ( srac ) . srac systems could eliminate detection risks associated with face - to - face meetings . messages could be sent directly to sources , rather than left in vulnerable " dead drops " or conveyed through risky " brush passes " in public . agents could transmit instructions in text - form over short distances , using radio frequencies that were far more difficult to intercept than those used for long - range or telephonic communications .

attached to each device 102 , 104 , 106 and 108 , is an associated , short - range wireless signal transceiver 110 , 112 , 114 , 116 that is compatible with at least one communications standard by which the transceivers can readily communicate with each other so that the various transceivers can at least establish the presence of each other within the coverage area of the short range signals .

only one transmitter is shown in fig . 4 and depicted as simply the functionality of a modulator 412 and a modulated signal amplifier 414 as radio transmitter architecture is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art . for claim construction purpose , a transmitter of short range wireless signals can be considered to be embodied as the functionality of a modulator 412 and amplifier 414 . in embodiments where a subscriber unit 101 or a device 102 , 104 , 106 and 108 or a base station 118 and 120 can transmit both short range and long range signals , two transmitters can be provided such that each transmitter is separately coupled to the cpu . a first transmitter can transmit short range signals whereas a second transmitter transmits the longer - range signals . still other and equivalent embodiments include using a single transmitter which adjusts is output power level to one level ( including also output frequency , modulation and / or information encoding ) for short range communications and to another level ( frequency , modulation and encoding ) for long range communications .

1 . 3 a two - tier wireless communications network the agents and clients of the present invention implement a " two - tier " wireless communications system . the invention may thus be thought of as a " two - tier " wireless communications system , and / or to be embodied in a " two - tier " wireless communications system . the " two tiers " are tiers of a communications hierarchy : in a first communications tier the agents communicate with other agents ; in a second communications tier the local clients of each agent communicate with that agent .

summarizes the main features of the agent platforms ( first column ) that are usually used for developing multi - agent systems for ami environments . the set of agent platforms includes both general - purpose agent toolkits for lightweight devices ( such as jade - leap or andromeda ) and different agent platforms specific to an application domain or to a specific device ( such as agilla [

for example , whenever agent a3 sends , agents a2 , a5 and a6 are capable of receiving that signal . there is no client - - or at least no remote radio - communicating client , being that a client may be integrated with and agent - - associated with agent a3 . an agent communicating with a client is , for example , agent a2 that is associated with , and that communicates with , client c2 . a pair of agents associated with , and communicating with , a single client are agents a5 and a4 that communicate with client c3 : agent a5 sending communications to the client c3 while agent a4 accepts communications from the client a3 .

20 . the method according to any one of claims 17 to 19 , wherein the short range connection is established only in case said first cqi is above a first predetermined quality threshold .

17 . the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16 , further comprising acquiring ( s14 ) at least one first channel quality indication , cqi , of the second communications link prior to establishing the short range connection with the second wireless device .

the embodiments presented herein disclose mechanisms for wireless devices to initiate direct - mode or device - to - device communications by exploiting the availability of the existing network coverage . based on the communications conditions between them , the wireless devices could potentially communicate more efficiently directly using alternative technologies instead of the cellular link via the central control node . a particular object is therefore to utilize an existing cellular communications link for evaluating conditions for setting up a short range connection between a first wireless device and a second wireless device on an alternative communications link . according to a first aspect there is presented a method for short range communications in a wireless communications system between a first wireless device and a second wireless device . the method is performed in the first wireless device . the method comprises exchanging a first set of messages with the second wireless device via a network node in the wireless communications system for establishing a first communications link with the second wireless device via the network node . the method comprises exchanging a second set of messages with the second wireless device via the network node for evaluating conditions for setting up a short range

forwarding said derived contextual information to a remote data collector using a long range wireless transmitter .

there is provided mechanisms for wireless devices to initiate direct - mode or device - to - device communications by exploiting the availability of the existing network coverage . short range communications in a wireless communications system between a first wireless device and a second wireless device involves exchanging messages between the first wireless device and the second wireless device , first on a first communications link via a network node and then on a second communications link . a corresponding method is provided . also a computer program , a computer program product and a wireless device are provided .

fig . 2 depicts a simplified block diagram of a short - range wireless transceiver for use with , and in , the system shown in fig . 1 and which is capable of transmission and reception .

overview of the multi - agent system ( mas ) architecture of the intelligent museum .

a : the main problem is likely to be the battery life for the device beneath the rock that stores the data . sending data via short - range radio is a notorious gobbler of battery power . if lots of data were being passed back and forth the useful life of the rock could be very short .

a long range wireless transmitter configured to transmit said derived contextual information to a remote data collector .

we also learnt how to use srac ( short range agent communication ) . the agent writes a message on a laptop computer , then downloads it into the srac transmitter , the size of a cigarette packet . a receiver , usually in the british embassy , sends out a low - power interrogation signal that triggers the transmitter when the agent is close enough . for many years " garfield the cat " toys were popular with agents as their sucker feet allowed an agent to stick the transmitter on the side window of a car , giving a clear signal driving past the embassy .

each agent first locally wirelessly radio - communicates with other agents in a local wireless radio communications network , second locally wirelessly radio - communicating with local clients . the agents collectively ( 1 ) register clients to the communications mesh , ( 2 ) maintain a link to external networks , and ( 3 ) self - organizing the communications mesh . the collective agents preferably further ( 4 ) adapt wireless communications upon the mesh to any of the numbers , powers and instantaneous communications requirements of the clients then connected on and by the communications mesh .

11 . the wireless communications management system according to claim 10 further characterized in that the collective agents a1 - a10 are further adapting wireless communications upon the mesh , to any of the numbers , powers and instantaneous communications requirements of the clients c1 - c4 then connected on and by the communications mesh .

according to a third aspect there is presented a computer program product . the computer program product comprises a computer program according to the second aspect and a non - volatile computer readable means on which the computer program is stored . according to a fourth aspect there is presented a first wireless device for short range communications in a wireless communications system between the first wireless device and a second wireless device . the first wireless device comprises a first communications interface arranged to exchange a first set of messages with the second wireless device via a network node in the wireless communications system for establishing a first communications link with the second wireless device via the network node . the first communications interface is further arranged to exchange a second set of messages with the second wireless device via the network node for evaluating conditions for setting up a short range connection between the first wireless device and the second wireless device on a second communications link . the first wireless device comprises a second communications interface arranged to exchange a third set of messages with the second wireless device on the second

upon completion of step s4 ( i . e . when the conditions for setting up the short range connection have been evaluated ) the first wd2a and the second wd 2b thus initiate communications interfaces so that messages can be exchanged on the second communications link . thus , a second communications interface 11 of the first wd 2a is arranged to , in a step s6 , exchange a third set of messages with the second wd 2b on the second communications link . by exchanging the third set of messages on the second communications link the first wd 2a is able to , based on at least one of the conditions , set up the short range connection with the second wd 2b . upon completion of step s6 the second communications link has thus been established between the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b , thereby enabling wd 2a and wd 2b to exchange data via a short range connection . the process to switch over from the first communications link to the second communications link may thus generally involve messages to be exchanged in a three - phase operation ; in a first phase the type of second communications link is determined and a second communications link of the determined type is set up ; in a second phase the communications channel of the set up second communications link is estimated ; and in a third phase ( at least part of ) the data payload traffic between the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b is switched over to the second communications link . the three phases will be disclosed in more detail below with references to the sequence diagrams of figs 6 , 7 and 8 , respectively as well as the flowchart of fig 5 .

according to one embodiment , once the new direct link has been configured , its channel quality is estimated . in a step s14 at least one first channel quality indication ( cqi ) of the second communications link may be acquired . the cqi may be acquired prior to establishing the short range connection .

the diagram above illustrates how the messages were sent . at the right is the agent who delivers his message to the edlb at the embassy . the embassy relays the message to headquarters ( hq ) via a secure satellite link . new instruction for the agent are sent by hq directly via the short - wave

on multi agent based modeling and control in large scale wireless communication systems for improved . . .

7 . the method according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one set of priority levels relate to one of more of a geographical distance between the first wireless device and the second wireless device , a desired transmission rate for communications over the second communications link , a desired power of the transmission over the second communications link , or a desired encryption for communications over the second communications link .

an efficient scheduling mechanism for simulating concurrent events in wireless communications based . . .

currently , there exist different agent platforms , which are suitable for programming and executing ami applications as multi - agent systems . in recent years , the demand for ami systems has increased enormously , and many of these systems have been effectively developed with agent technology [ 13 , 20 , 21 ] .

the system has a number of communication agents that first locally wirelessly radio - communicating between themselves ( to such extent as wireless connectivity in a local wireless radio communications network permits ) . this first locally wirelessly radio - communicating is in a first communications tier separate from any other communications tier . each agent further second wirelessly radio - communicates with one or more uniquely associated clients ( again to such extent as wireless connectivity in a local wireless radio communications network permits ) . this second wirelessly radio - communicating is in a second communications tier separate from the first and from any other communications tier .

communications link is first set up in parallel with the first communications link . as noted above , in a step s6 a third set of messages is exchanged between the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b . the third set of messages , which are exchanged on the second communications link , are exchanged for establishing the short range connection between the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b based on at least one of the conditions . the third set of messages is exchanged by the second communications interface 11 of the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b .

the flowchart of fig 4 illustrates a method for short range communications in a wireless communications system 1 between a first wireless device 2a and a second wireless device 2b according to an embodiment . the method according to the flowchart of fig 4 is performed in the first wd 2a . however , as will be disclosed below , at least some parts of the method may be performed in the second wd 2b .

bickmore t . , vardoulakis l . , schulman d . tinker : a relational agent museum guide .

fans give undrafted free agent nate orf standing ovation for going yard in first hit of his career .

the first text messaging system was developed by the cia in the 1970’s but it was ahead of its time . short - range agent communications ( srac ) , as the sms predecessor was called , required two people be near each other with shoe - box sized devices to send messages . the anachronistic tech would actually have attracted more attention than the brush - pass or dead - drop techniques it was invented to supposedly supplant .

12 . the wireless communications management system according to claim 10 further characterized in that the collective agents a1 - a10 are further authenticating visiting clients to the communications mesh .

improved simulation system performance for wireless communications using efficient multi - threading a . . .

xiaowei w . ( 2011 ) the application of wireless communications and multi - agent system in intelligent transportation systems . in : zhu m . ( eds ) information and management engineering . iccic 2011 . communications in computer and information science , vol 236 . springer , berlin , heidelberg

. agents for mobile phones ( the first three agent types ) are downloaded and executed as mobile apps .

infrared data association , irda , based communications link . further . 5 examples include a near - fields communications ( nfc ) compliant link . the second communications link could provide a better option according to some criteria . such different criteria will be further disclosed below .

while fig . 2 depicts the functional elements of a “device” that is identified in fig . 1 by reference numerals 102 , 104 , 106 or 108 and which broadcasts and receives short range wireless signals ( and that these signals include information that indicates at least the presence of the device but can also include other information as set forth above ) , many of the functional elements shown in fig . 2 are also found in a short - range wireless subscriber unit 101 and 103 ( shown in fig . 1 ) .

14 . the wireless communications management system according to claim 10 further characterized in that the collective agents a1 - a10 self - organizing the communications mesh are implementing the mac protocol .

15 . the wireless communications management system according to claim 10 further characterized in that the collective agents a1 - a10 self - organizing the communications mesh are implementing the llc protocol .

capabilities . for example , the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b may determine their proximity to each other , and subsequently determine which type of second communications link to use . as noted above , in a step s4 a second set of messages is therefore exchanged with the second wd 2b via the network node 3 . the second set of messages is exchanged for evaluating conditions for setting up a short range connection between the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b on the second communications link . the second set of messages is exchanged through the first communications interface 10 of the wireless devices 2a , 2b . according to one embodiment the evaluation is performed by the first wd 2a which in turn may initiate setting up the short range connection . according to an alternative embodiment the evaluation is performed by the second wd 2b which in turn may initiate setting up the short range connection . that is , in general terms the evaluation may be performed either by he first wd 2a or the second wd 2b , regardless of which one of th first wd 2a and the second wd 2b that initiated the exchange of the first set of messages in step s2 . according to yet another embodiment , the first wd 2a may initiate setting up the short range connection although the second wd 2b performed the evaluation , and vice versa .

communications link . data transmission , which was originally transmitted and received via the first communications interface 10 of the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b and occurring over the first communications link , may thus be re - configured to be transmitted and received via the second communications interface 11 of the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b and hence occur over the second communications link . the exchange of the second set of messages for setting up the short range connection between the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b may be triggered by at least one trigger . one trigger may be a received ( by either the first wd 2a or the second wd 2b ) indication that the at least one second cqi ( i . e . the channel quality of the first communications link ) is below a second

although the agents are fully powered to forge such radio links as are necessary , clients are served by best available radio link to an agent , or to two agents ( with one agent for incoming , and the other for outgoing , communications ) . in this case " best means " " lowest power . "

tradecraft means the practical skills that enable a spy to communicate with an agent without arousing the suspicion of counterintelligence .

illustrates , by means of a state transition diagram , the principal behavior of the agent . in their initialization ,

he , j . l . : development of multi - agent systems . anhui university , hefei ( 2004 )

2 . 4 a two - tier wireless communications system in still yet another of its aspects the present invention may be considered to be embodied in a two - tier wireless communications system .

includes the features of the sol agent platform and the selfstarmas agents , which are discussed in detail in this section .

many investigation firms use custom - built devices when trying to spot insurance fraud . some have made " smart bricks " with cameras concealed in them which they toss into a suspect ' s garden . typically these use short range radio to send images back to a van close by .

for presence / reachability , the smartnode™ uca streamlines deployment of unified communications into existing business networks .

the present invention still more particularly concerns power and bandwidth management for wireless communications systems , especially as are used in the home of office , that is adaptive , and tailored to communications conditions .

the gateway communications device may be of the order of a modem , globally communicating via a physical communication channel of a wire or a fiber type . the communications device may be of the order of a long range radio or optical transceiver , globally communicating via an atmospheric communication channel of the radio of free - space optical types .

communications in each of the two tiers may be , and preferably is , separately conducted from communications in the other tier - - but need not be so separated and divided . for example , in one embodiment of the " two - tier " wireless communications system of the present invention communications between agents in one tier is at a different radio frequency than communication between an agent and its associated clients otherwise transpiring in the other tier . in another embodiment of the " two - tier " wireless communications system of the present invention communications between agents in one tier transpires during a different time slice than does communication between an agent and its associated clients otherwise transpiring in the other tier . in still yet another embodiment of the " two - tier " wireless communications system of the present invention communications between agents in one tier transpires with and at different code divisions than does communication between an agent and its associated clients in the other tier . although the communication in tiers is preferably so separated and divided in any of frequency , time division or code division , the communication need not invariably be so divided . instead , the unique address of each agent and client can be relied upon . consider first the agents . when a group of agents is initially powered on , or a new agent is introduced to an existing group , all the agents will attempt to , and will - - in a manner and procedure quite normal for wireless communications - - form an ad hoc ( wireless ) communications network . each agent attempts to communicate with every other . some communications links are enabled ; others fail . the agents serve to create ad hoc what can ultimately be expressed in a conventional connectivity diagram where , by convention , a line is drawn an the diagram between two devices that are ( radio ) communicating . where no communication is present , no line is drawn .

forwarding said derived contextual information to at least one of a remote data collector and a remote service provider using a long range wireless transmitter .

( ii ) a wireless communications system where power and / or bandwidth is allocated efficiently , ( iii ) a wireless communications system distributed among and between power - grid - powered intelligent " agents " communicatively servicing battery - powered dumb clients , and ( iv ) a two - tier wireless communications system .

the first communications interface 10 of the first wd 2a is arranged to , in a step s2 , exchange a first set of messages with the second wd 2b via a network node 3 in the wireless communications system 1 . the first set of messages is exchanged for establishing a first communications link with the second wd 2b via the network node 3 . upon completion of step s2 a first communications link has thus been established between the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b , thereby enabling wd 2a and wd 2b to exchange data via the network node 3 . the first communications interface 10 of the first wd 2a is arranged to , in a step s4 , exchange a second set of messages with the second wd 2b via the network node 3 . the second set of messages is exchanged for evaluating conditions for setting up a short range connection between the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b on a second communications link . by exchanging the second set of messages the first wd 2a ( and / or the second wd 2b ) may evaluate ( in the processing unit 5 ) whether or not it is possible to set up a short range connection between the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b .

the agents thus form of themselves , and without outside intervention or control , a ( radio ) communications mesh . this mesh , this ad hoc communications network , is the " backbone " of the two - tier wireless ( radio ) communications network of the present invention . communication between agents may transpire under the ieee 802 . 11 standard , or the bluetooth standard , or any suitable network radio communications standard .

in step 802 , the subscriber unit receiver monitors one or more radio frequencies , infrared wavelengths or audio frequencies for the presence or absence of recoverable signals . upon the detection of a carrier in step 804 , a decision is made in step 806 as to whether the detected carrier signal strength is usable , i . e . , above an empirically - determined threshold indicative of whether the carrier source is within the aforementioned “short range and which is required to sustain reliable communications . ” in many instances , a marginal carrier level will result in a determination that no short - range wireless signal source is present , as shown by the return of program control to step 802 from both decision steps 804 and 806 .

1 . a wireless communications system characterized in that a plurality of communication agents a1 - a10 , each powered from a power grid , form a communications mesh to locally wirelessly radio - communicate between themselves in a local wireless radio communications network , with each communications agent a1 - a10 further locally wirelessly radio - communicating with associated ones of plurality of clients c1 - c4 ; and a plurality of clients c1 - c4 , each performing an additional function other than just radio communication and with at least one of the clients being powered from a portable power source , locally wirelessly communicating by radio with at least one associated communications agent a1 - a10 , and with no other client nor any un - associated agent ; wherein each of the plurality of agents a1 - a10 is powered from the power grid while at least one of the plurality of clients c1 - c4 is powered from a portable power source .

13 . the wireless communications management system according to claim 10 further characterized in that the collective agents a1 - a10 maintaining the link to an external networks are maintaining a link to a worldwide communications network ii .

a long range wireless transmitter configured to transmit said derived contextual information to at least one of a remote data collector and a remote service provider .

an improved multi - agent simulation model is presented in this paper for modeling resource allocation strategies in wireless communications . it is based on a novel agent negotiation methodology based on real time event scheduling extending calendar queue algorithm . the application of the new scheme in modeling gsm cellular networks shows significant enhancements with regards to network modeling performance compared to rival simulation modeling techniques .

providing any - to - any multi - path switching , security , survivability , and presence / reachability , smartnode™ unified communication agent integrates ip - based communications with existing tdm / pstn telephony and sip / h . 323 voip systems .

fig . 8 depicts steps of a method for determining the “context” surrounding a short range wireless subscriber unit , such as the one depicted in fig . 1 and identified therein by reference numeral 101 - 1 , 101 - 2 and 101 - 3 , the functional elements of which are depicted in fig . 4 .

the local environment or context in which a wireless subscriber unit is located at any given instant can be determined from information that is broadcast to the subscriber unit from context - determinative devices using short - range wireless signals , such as bluetooth . by using short - range wireless signals , only devices that are in relative close proximity to the subscriber unit affect the determination of the subscriber unit ' s context . in one embodiment , information from devices within range of each other is used by the various devices to determine the context in which they each operate . in another embodiment , information from devices is collected by a short - range wireless subscriber unit , which preferably can be carried by a person , such as a personal digital assistant ( pda ) , cellular telephone , pager or the like , is used to determine the context in which the subscriber unit is located . in yet another embodiment , context determinative information ( i . e . , information that effects or creates or defines a “context” or from which a “context” can be calculated ) is forwarded to a data collector whereat the collected information is processed to identify or calculate ( and therefore “determine” context ) the context whereat the subscriber unit , and possibly its operator , is located . information about the present location or context can be returned to the subscriber unit . in another embodiment , context is determined by processing information within the short - range wireless subscriber unit .

upon the mri device ' s 605 determination that a subscriber unit 601 or 603 was authorized to access the device 605 , remote operation of the mri can be established using the subscriber device 601 or 603 as a sort of hand - held remote , albeit via short range wireless signals , such as the bluetooth standard .

in fig . 7 , a bluetooth - enabled and compliant mobile phone ( cellular phone , pcs phone or smr two - way radio ) enters a venue 702 and detects the short - range radio signals being broadcast by a bluetooth - enabled and compliant display kiosk 704 and a bluetooth - enabled and compliant printer kiosk 706 .

if at a later time , the subscriber unit 101 has moved to a different location , identified in fig . 1 by reference numeral 101 - 2 , whereat there are no short - range wireless signals recoverable , the service provider can reasonably determine that the subscriber unit 101 has left the context proximate to the first device 102 .

alo communicating upon a worldwide communications network ii external to the home or business ; wherein wireless radio communication between the agents al - a10 may be further globally communicated by the gateway device alo to the external worldwide communications network ii .

it should be apparent that from the foregoing , that by periodically broadcasting information from various kinds of equipment and devices via short - range wireless signals using a recognizable protocol such as bluetooth that the detection of such signals inherently provides usable information that is potentially useful . the resources of such equipment and devices can be more readily used and recorded .

aiello f . , fortino g . , gravina r . , guerrieri a . a java - based agent platform for programming wireless sensor networks .

a processing unit configured to recover , from said detected short range wireless signals , information that conveys at least the presence of said at least one device , said processing unit further configured to derive contextual information from said recovered information , wherein said derived contextual information includes at least information relating to one or more service capabilities of said at least one device .

communications interface 10 . however , once the wireless device 2 has been activated for inter alia wlan , bluetooth or irda transmission , data packets may be forwarded between the application handler 8 and the second communications interface 11 by the interconnection module .

according to one embodiment the predetermined distance is dependent on the available alternative transmission capabilities . for example , wlan transmission may allow for a longer range than bluetooth transmission ;

interconnection module messages , illustrated by double - lined boxes in the sequence diagrams of figs 6 , 7 and 8 , may thus be generated and / or terminated at the interconnection module , and may hence never reach the application handler 8 . when transmitted over the first communications link , the messages associated with the interconnection module may appear as regular data traffic to the network node 3 . according to an alternative embodiment the wireless device 2 ( and hence also the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b ) is arranged to handle the message exchanges relating to establishing the short range communications without a dedicated

volume 3993 . springer ; berlin / heidelberg , germany : 2006 . agent factory micro edition : a framework for ambient applications ; pp . 727–734 .

acquiring at least one first cqi may be based on at least one probe signal which is transmitted , on the second communications link , from one of the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b and received by the other of the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b . the at least one probe signal may comprise pilot symbols known to both the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b . that is , a pair of unique probe messages may be used in each direction . the short range connection may be established only in case the first cqi is above a first predetermined quality threshold . additionally or alternatively , also at least one second channel quality indication , cqi , of the first communications link may be acquired , step s16 . in fig 7 this is illustrated by the first wd 2a transmitting probes both over the first communications link and the second communications link . the probes are received by the second wd 2b which also may transmit its own probes to the first wd 2a both over the first communications link and the second communications link . thereby the cqi of the second communications link may be compared to the cqi of the first communications link . that is , one set of probe messages ( either in one direction or in both directions ) may be exchanged via the existing ( i . e . , the first communications ) path while one set of probe messages ( either in one direction or in both directions ) may be exchanged via the newly configured ( i . e . , the second communications ) direct - link . a similar value of the cqi of the first communications link and the cqi of the second communications link may indicate a sufficient quality of the second communications link . that is . the first predetermined quality threshold may be dependent on the at least one second cqi . the embodiment of estimating channel quality is not dependent on whether or not addressing and / or encryption is performed . the embodiment of estimating channel quality may furthermore be readily combined with embodiments relating to priority levels of different types of available second communications links . the result of the channel quality estimation may be used as a parameter when determining which one of the available second communications links to prioritize ; the at least one first channel quality indication may thus be acquired for all available second communications links .

in order for the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b to be able to establish the second communications link a number of parameters may be exchanged , | 0 such as which type of second communications link to establish ( for example by exchange of wireless capabilities ) , and if it is even possible to set up the second communications link ( for example by exchange of positional information ) . further information exchange between the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b may therefore take place . different alternative wireless technologies have differing range and

the system further includes a number of communication agents . each agent is powered from a power grid . the agents first locally wirelessly radio - communicate between themselves in a local wireless radio communications network . the agents second locally wirelessly radio - communicating with the plurality of clients .

next , the same re - partitionment simultaneously beneficially conserves local radio frequency bandwidth . a client , especially a battery - powered mobile client , wirelessly communicates only with that agent to which it is electrophysically closest , normally over a distance of but a few meters . very little radio frequency power need be used and , in accordance with the present invention , is used . the communications of other clients with other agents elsewhere in the same home or business is non - interfering ( by action of agent - network - controlled agent - client communication , as will be explained ) .

the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b may also exchange their alternative wireless transmission capabilities over the first communications link .

an optional communications gateway device , also powered from the power grid , controls local wireless radio communication ( i ) between the agents upon the network and ( ii ) an external worldwide communications network ( e . g . , the internet ) .

in fig . 6 , bluetooth enabled subscriber units 601 and 603 are equipped with short - range wireless signal transceivers . the subscriber units not only detect the presence of a bluetooth - enabled and compliant mri device 605 but also send signals to the mri device 605 using the short - range wireless transceiver 210 ( as shown in fig . 2 ) with which the mri device is equipped . in such an application , the mri can determine its context with respect to the subscriber units 601 and 603 but the subscriber units 601 and 603 can also be used to control the mri 605 if the subscriber units 601 and 603 are provided with knowledge of the operation of the mri 605 by way of an equipment or device profile .

to avoid looking suspicious , those involved in the alleged data theft might have turned to a widely available gadget because the basic data transfer capabilities would have been built in and it would need minimal tweaking to get working . many phone and pda users regularly swap data , such as contact details or images , via bluetooth short - range radio or via infra - red .

long before cell phones , the cia ' s office of technical service was developing what it called a short - range agent communications systems or srac . when two officers communicated securely with each other using a srac device , they didn ' t need to risk being spotted in the same location , melton and wallace explain in " spycraft . " an early srac device from the 1970s had code names like “discus " and “buster , " and resembled a large calculator and contained a keyboard with a stylus for punching in 256 characters , wallace said . using “burst transmissions , " these systems allowed agents to transmit messages across about a quarter - mile range , communicating in bursts through coded messages that were automatically deciphered and displayed . although the signal could potentially be intercepted , this communication technique represented a significant advancement in tradecraft . “this meant that you didn ' t have to meet an agent to get information , " wallace said . “you could actually transmit it in real time . "

17 . a two - tier wireless communications system characterized in that a plurality of communication agents al - alo first locally wirelessly radio - communicate between themselves to such extent as wireless connectivity in a local wireless radio communications network permits , the first locally wirelessly radio - communicating transpiring in a first communications tier separate from any other communications tier , with each agent al - alo second wirelessly radio - communicating with one or more uniquely associated clients c1 - c4 to such extent as wireless connectivity in a local wireless radio communications network permits , the second wirelessly radio - communicating transpiring in a second communications tier separate from the first and from any other communications tier ; and plurality of clients c1 - c4 each locally wirelessly radio - communicate in a local wireless radio communications network to one or more associated agents a1 - a10 , only , with no communication transpiring to any un - associated ones of the plurality of agents a1 - a10 , this locally wirelessly radio - communicating transpiring in the second communications tier ; wherein the plurality of communication agents a1 - a10 are self - organizing to produce a communications mesh while each of the plurality of clients c1 - c4 is capable only of identifying , and communicating to , one or more agents a1 - a10 ; wherein the plurality of clients c1 - c4 become communicative from one to another only by communication links proceeding through one or more of the plurality of agents a1 - a10 .

fok c . l . , roman g . c . , lu c . agilla : a mobile agent middleware for self - adaptive wireless sensor networks .

with the help of wireless communications each automotive vehicle will be a unique node on the global communications network in the future . this vehicular communications network , in turn , will support interactions within the automobile , with the surrounding environment and directly with nearby vehicles . in summary analysis , using the multi - agent technology in the traffic control and guidance can effectively alleviate the problems which computing collaborative too concentrated and the computational load big . in traffic control and traffic guidance systems , its consultative mechanism can collaborate with multi - objective optimization goal conflicts .

predetermined quality threshold . the second communications link may thus be established to provide an alternative to the first communications link . another trigger may be that the amount of data to be exchanged between the first wd 2a and the second wd 2b is larger than a predetermined threshold . the second communications link may thus be established to add data resources . another trigger may be the availability of the second