Wi-Fi hot-spot developer Nomadix announced it landed a patent for redirecting subscribers to log-in pages when they access public networks.
Generally, when a computer user enters a hot spot–public places that give people wireless access–his or her browser is redirected to a home page set up by the service provider or the owner of the location. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last week granted a patent to the Westlake Village, Calif.-based company covering that redirection technology.
IDC analyst Keith Waryas said there are a number of ways to redirect hot-spot users to a home page, but they may not be as convenient or as efficient for consumers. He added that because the hot-spot market is in its early stages, any sort of patent enforcement is likely to have a minimal affect on the revenue of a company.
