Abstract: A method and system for identifying runaway software agents operating in a computer system is disclosed. An operating window is defined for an agent. The operating window specifies the maximum desired operating time for the agent. When an agent begins operation, its start time is recorded. At a later time, a measurement is made comparing the start time and current measurement time to the operating window. If the comparison indicates that the agent has exceeded the operating window, the agent is identified as a runaway agent. The computer system processes data associated with the runaway agent and displays it to a user interface such as a monitor.

Abstract: A system for providing collaborative moderation and correction of instant messaging session transcripts in an instant messaging session that includes an improved instant messaging client user interface that allows collaborative editing and moderation of an instant messaging session transcript in order to correct for errors. An instant messaging client operates to seek approval of changes to the session transcript during the session, and stores transcript changes such that the modifications are conveniently viewable by all session participants. The instant messaging client can be configured to automatically accept requests to modify the session transcript. Alternatively, the instant messaging client can be configured to explicitly notify and seek approval from all other participants when a participant attempts to make a modification to the session history. The time of each modification, and the identity of the participant making each modification, are stored within the session history.

Abstract: A method and system for sharing search index entries across multiple computer systems organized in a peer to peer network, in which unique content is indexed only once, even though the content may be physically duplicated in multiple computer systems in the peer to peer network. When files are obtained by a shared indexing service, and a determination is made as to whether the received files are duplicates with regard to previously indexed files. If a file is determined to be a duplicate, the index representation of the previously indexed copy of the file is modified to indicate that the file is also associated with another computer system in the peer to peer network. If a file is not a duplicate of a previously indexed file, the file is indexed to support future searches. The index representation of a file includes category identifiers associating one or more computer systems with the file. When a file is indexed, one or more category identifiers are generated and stored in association with that file.

Abstract: A system for increasing the call capacity of an access point in a WLAN that determines whether a maximum total voice path delay would be exceeded if the packetization delay is increased for packets in a call. In the event that the packetization delay can be increased without the total delay exceeding the maximum delay, the disclosed system increases the size of packets used in the call, if all participating devices can process the increased packet size. The maximum delay may be predetermined, and reflect a maximum delay that cannot be exceeded without adversely impacting the voice quality of a call. If the two end points for a call are determined to be physically “local” to each other, packetization delay for the call may be increased based on the assumption that the increased packetization delay will not decrease the voice quality of the call.

Abstract: Application program network service requests are translated into specific actions that are then performed through the management plane and/or control plane. The translations and resulting actions are responsive to previously defined policies for the communication network, and may further reflect processing of previous service requests by the same or another application program. The amount of resources available for use by a given application program may be predefined based on a globally defined network policy. Each service request obtained from an application program may be translated into multiple actions performed using various specific protocols and/or interfaces provided by either the management plane, the control plane, or both the management and control planes. Reports of network activity, status and/or faults for a requesting application program may be tailored to the requesting program's view of the network, and passed directly and exclusively to the requesting program.

Abstract: An instant messaging system generates an instant messaging application user interface display object enabling the user to select one or more buddies, or a predefined group from their buddy list, and then to select a file to share with the selected buddies or group. The instant messaging system then controls sharing of the file within the selected buddies or group, by allowing only one of the sharing users to check out and modify the shared document at a given time. The instant messaging system user interface displayed to each user also displays the list of files that are shared with that user. The instant messaging system user interface further provides a current status for each shared file, including an indication of one of the sharing users that currently has the shared file checked out.

Abstract: A system for discussion thread management using tag-based categorization, in which three types of tags are provided together to enable effective categorization of discussion threads, based on both automated and manual tagging. The three tag types are 1) user-defined tags, 2) moderator-promoted tags, and 3) system-generated tags. User-defined tags are arbitrarily defined by individual users and associated by users with posts to meet specific user needs. System-generated tags are automatically generated for each sub-thread to summarize a post and all the replies beneath it. System-generated tags can be promoted to a moderator-promoted tags when a moderator user verifies the correctness of a system-generated tag. The disclosed system detects topic changes in discussion threads based on the tags associated with each post in the thread. A moderator can manually examine sub-threads that have been determined to be off topic, and take appropriate actions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying the focus of a document, in a natural language processing application, the natural language processing application comprising a hierarchical concept tree having a plurality of nodes, each node being associated with a term, the method comprising the steps of: mapping an input document to nodes in a concept tree to determine a number of occurrences of a term in the input document which also occur at a node in the concept tree; weighting each node in the concept tree, depending on the determined number of occurrences of the term in the input document and a determined value assigned to each node in the concept tree; traversing the concept tree to identify a heaviest weighted path, in dependence on the weighting of each node in the concept tree; and determining the focus of the input document by identifying a node having the heaviest weight along the most heavily-weighted path.

Abstract: A system for providing user representations in real-time collaboration application participant lists reflecting external communications, together with user representations in external communication applications indicating current real-time collaboration session participation. A participant list in a collaboration session represents other participants with whom the local user has recently or frequently communicated in a visually separate area. User representations associated with messages, entries, or the like, and contained in applications external to the collaboration application are displayed in a way that visually indicates the user's current participation in a collaboration session.

Abstract: A public speaking self-evaluation tool that helps a user practice public speaking in terms of avoiding undesirable words or sounds, maintaining a desirable speech rhythm, and ensuring that the user is regularly glancing at the audience. The system provides a user interface through which the user is able to define the undesirable words or sounds that are to be avoided, as well as a maximum frequency of occurrence threshold to be used for providing warning signals based on detection of such filler or undesirable words or sounds. The user interface allows a user to define a speech rhythm, e.g. in terms of spoken syllables per minute, that is another maximum threshold for providing a visual warning indication. The disclosed system also provides a visual indication when the user fails to glance at the audience at least as often as defined by a predefined minimum threshold.

Abstract: A method, software tool and system for communicating data between components in a client computer system is provided. The client computer system has a user interface for displaying a page comprising content rendered by a plurality of components. A property broker is provided which maintains a registry of linked source and destination data fields of components of the client computer system. The property broker is notified when a user request is detected by a component registered with the property broker, and a set of components registered with the property broker is then notified of the start of a communication phase. The user request is processed by the actioned component and the value of each source data field updated during processing of the user request is communicated to each component having a linked destination data field. The property broker notifies the set of components when the communications phase has ended, and at least one component then renders content for display.

Abstract: A method and system for accessing declined invitations is provided. The method includes receiving notification of an available time slot, retrieving stored declined event invitations, and presenting the declined event invitations to a user. The user can accept of a previously declined event invitation for the available time slot. When the user receives an event invitation and declines the event invitation, the method includes saving the declined event invitation to a data store from which it may be retrieved. Stored declined event invitations are deleted once the time of the event has passed.

Abstract: A system for providing session based resource allocation in a core or edge networking device are disclosed. Session awareness is provided in networking devices by session control signal interception and interpretation, followed by session based resource commitment, session based data packet treatment, and session management within the networking devices. The session awareness provided to networking devices through the convergence software provides the networking devices with the ability to differentiate between packets belonging to different communication sessions, and to provide the services needed for each committed session.

Abstract: A system for providing single sign-on (SSO) user names for Web cookies in a multiple user information directory environment. SSO access to multiple applications is supported in situations where multiple user information directories are deployed, and users may be known by multiple identifiers. Convenient specification is enabled for which of a user's multiple names is to be used in an SSO Web cookie that is passed from application to application to enable SSO operation. The user's SSO Web cookie user name is fully separated conceptually from the user's effective name for any given application within the SSO environment. The SSO Web cookie user name provided by the disclosed system is specified independently from the effective name by which the user is known when operating in the Web application that writes the SSO Web cookie back to the user's computer system. Use of an administratively supplied user name in the SSO Web cookie is facilitated.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a local user of an instant messaging system with updated status information regarding one or more remote users that provides indication to a local user of whether an instant messaging status message has been recently updated. The disclosed system provides a “new status message” visual indication when a status message for a remote user has recently changed. A timer may be employed to determine how long a new status message visual indication is provided after the status message has changed. The status message itself may be obtained by various specific techniques, such as hovering the cursor over a graphical object for a remote user associated with the new status indication, hovering over the new status indication itself, or clicking through the new status indication or associated graphical object, or through some other appropriate technique.

Abstract: A method and apparatus assigns a quantative variable to each object (or set of objects) in a collection available to a user. The quantative variable is referred to as the Interest Priority Value (IPV). The IPV defines a range of states of the object, between ‘accessed’ and ‘unaccessed’, and is calculated based on one or more attributes of the object. A object with the highest IPV is the most ‘unaccessed,’ and the object with the lowest IPV is the least ‘unaccessed.’ The IPV may be used in a visual representation of the collection of objects, thereby permitting a user to readily identify and obtain those objects of greatest interest to the particular user.

Abstract: A system that enables a communications system user to conveniently define entities to be excluded from receiving an electronic communication, such as an electronic mail (“email”) message. An “Exclude” user entry field is provided in a user interface to a communication system. The Exclude field accepts entry of an “exclude set” of entities to be excluded from an email message being processed or defined in a currently accessible graphical user interface window. The disclosed Exclude field is provided in a user interface window together with one or more other user entry fields available for definition and/or review of an “include set” of entities initially designated for receipt of the message. Lists and/or groups may be resolved by determining the destinations they contain either within the client computer system, within a source server computer system, and/or within a destination server computer system.

Abstract: A method and system for cross-screen component communication in dynamically created composite applications. Meta-data in the mark-up for a source component (e.g. eXtensible Markup Language—XML information) in a dynamically created composite application includes indications of which screens target components are located on. These indications are contained in definitions of logical connections established between components referred to as “cross-page wire” definitions. Executable objects, referred to as “cross-page wire” executable objects, are generated based on the cross-page wire definitions in the source component mark-up. The cross-page wire executable objects are executed by a run-time entity, such as a “property broker” or the like, in response to a change in a property value for which the cross-page wire has been defined, in order to deliver a new value of that property to one or more target components located on screens different from the screen on which the source component is located.

Abstract: A method and system for identifying an off-schedule software agent operating in a computer system is disclosed. When a software agent enters a queue a start time is associated with the agent. A queue threshold is established for the agent, wherein the queue threshold indicates the maximum length of time that an agent should be in the queue. A clock time is compared to the start time and if the result exceeds the threshold, the agent is flagged as being a late agent. The computer system may then address the late agent by, for example, changing an operating priority associated with the agent, increasing the threshold, removing the agent from the queue, or by notifying other agents relying on the flagged agent.

Abstract: A system that enables a communications system user to conveniently define entities to be excluded from receiving an electronic communication, such as an electronic mail (“email”) message. An “Exclude” user entry field is provided in a user interface to a communication system. The Exclude field accepts entry of an “exclude set” of entities to be excluded from an email message being processed or defined in a currently accessible graphical user interface window. The disclosed Exclude field is provided in a user interface window together with one or more other user entry fields available for definition and/or review of an “include set” of entities initially designated for receipt of the message. Lists and/or groups may be resolved by determining the destinations they contain either within the client computer system, within a source server computer system, and/or within a destination server computer system.