Authenticating a data transmission by varying a rate thereof

An apparatus comprising a receiver coupled to a transmitter through a network, the receiver configured to detect variations in a data rate of data sent through the network from the transmitter to the receiver by tracking an associated elapsed time interval to receive at least one block of a plurality of blocks of the received data, wherein the associated elapsed time indicates an elapsed time from receipt of the at least one block of the plurality of blocks to receipt of another block of the plurality of blocks, and to authenticate the received data when said variations conform to a preselected variable data rate profile, wherein authentication verifies the transmitter sent the received data, different portions of the data take different, parallel paths through the network from the transmitter to the receiver, the data are received in packets, and at least one packet includes filler data to reduce said data rate in accordance with the preselected variable data rate profile.

An apparatus comprising a transmitter coupled to a receiver across a network, the transmitter configured to transmit user and filler data to the receiver at a selected variable user data rate in accordance with a preselected variable user data rate profile, the receiver configured to receive the user and filler data, detect variations in the selected variable user data rate thereof, and authenticate said user data as authorized user data sent by the transmitter when the detected variations conform to the preselected variable user data rate profile, wherein the user and filler data are transmitted by the transmitter by arranging the user and filler data into a plurality of packets, at least one of the plurality of packets has a first total number of bytes of user data therein, at least another one of the plurality of packets has a second total number of bytes of user data therein different from the first total number, the at least another one of the plurality of packets has a third total number of filler data bytes added, and the first, second, and third total numbers are selected to provide the selected variable user data rate in said transmitted user data.

An apparatus comprising a receiver configured to be coupled to a transmitter over a network, the receiver configured to detect variations in a data rate of data received from the transmitter by tracking an associated elapsed time interval to receive at least one packet of a plurality of packets of the received data where each packet comprises multiple successive bytes of the received data, wherein the associated elapsed time interval indicates an elapsed time from release of the at least one packet of the plurality of packets to receipt of the at least one packet of the plurality of packets, the receiver further configured to reassemble the received data and authenticate the reassembled data responsive to the associated elapsed time interval conforming to a preselected variable data rate profile.

An apparatus comprising a transmitter configured to be coupled to a receiver over a network, the transmitter configured to transfer data to the receiver in the form of packets each having a header and a total multiple number of successive bytes of user data, the user data transmitted at a data rate corresponding to a preselected variable data rate profile, wherein the receiver is configured to detect variations in the data rate by tracking an associated elapsed time interval to receive at least one packet of the packets, the associated elapse time interval indicating elapsed time from release of the at least one packet to receipt of the at least one packet, the transmitter further configured to transmit said preselected variable data rate profile to the receiver to facilitate authentication by the receiver of the received user data upon reassembly thereof responsive to the associated elapsed time interval conforming to the preselected variable data rate profile.