Abstract: A system and method for automatically, programmatically generating media item recommendations on a graphical user interface (GUI) based on a friend media item recommendation selected by a user. In the preferred embodiment, a selected media item recommendation is displayed in the GUI. Received friend media item recommendations are displayed in a list in relevance order adjacent to the selected media item. A programmatically-generated media item recommendation list is automatically generated based on relevance to the selected media item and displayed in another adjacent area to the selected media item recommendation. In this manner, a user can easily play the selected media item recommendation, and then browse the friend media item recommendations and the automatically updated programmatically-generated media item recommendations, which are both provided in their own respective adjacent areas, in order of closest relationship to the selected media item recommendation, at anytime.

Abstract: A distributed network address translation (NAT) system is used to transport data packets between private and public network domains. A packet modifier substitutes public and private network address information in packets that are crossing between public and private domains to and from the end system. A network application server has an address mapping table and communicates with the packet modifier over a control protocol. The network application server generates address mappings which the packet modifier uses for modification of data packets passing through it.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for selecting images from media. As a media stream is processed for display, thumbnail images are extracted at a periodic rate from the media stream. The media stream and the thumbnail images are concurrently processed for display.

Abstract: Failover of VPN traffic between MPLS tunnels may be accelerated by determining a main and a standby MPLS tunnel for each VPN and passing both the main and standby MPLS tunnel information to the forwarding plane of a network element configured to implement the VPN. In the event of failover of a main MPLS tunnel interface, the forwarding plane may be instructed to use the standby MPLS tunnel instead of the main MPLS tunnel. Since the standby MPLS tunnel has already been determined, and information associated with the standby MPLS tunnel has already been provided to the forwarding plane, it is not necessary to recompute a new MPLS tunnel or reprogram the forwarding plane using the new MPLS tunnel information. By removing control plane operations and control plane-forwarding plane interaction from the handling of failovers, the failover recovery time may be accelerated to under 50 ms, to thereby enable VPN connections to handle time sensitive traffic.

Abstract: The present invention creates a buddy list in association with an information vehicle, such as a word processing document, presentation document, or email. The buddy list is created from contacts associated with the information vehicle, and includes communication information such as directory numbers or communication addresses, which are sufficient to establish communications with the contacts. Accordingly, the buddy list may be displayed to a user, and upon the selection of one or more contacts, communication sessions may be established with the selected contact or contacts. Presence information bearing on the relative availability of the contacts may be supported in the buddy list, such that the user can readily determine whether a particular contact is available or determine the best way in which to communicate with the particular contact by viewing the buddy list. The presence information may be periodically updated or may be updated when a particular contact is selected.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided to allow telephony or other types of media communications and services to be provided for a device having a private network address that resides behind a firewall and network address and port translation (NAPT) module (which is not aware of the underlying protocol for the communications and services). Examples of the underlying protocol includes the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and Real-Time Protocol (RTP). A path through the firewall and NAPT module is defined by use of keep-alive messages communicated through the firewall and network address translator. Addresses that are allocated by the firewall and NATP module are associated with the device for both signaling and media communications. A feature of the firewall that enables the provision of telephony and media communications through the firewall that is protocol-unaware is that the firewall allows responses to messages initiated by the device back through the firewall.

Abstract: A method and system for correcting the aspect ratio of an image captured by a digital camera is disclosed. In one aspect, the method and system include determining if the image requires cropping, decompressing the image, and cropping the image if the image required cropping. The image is then provided to a display. In another aspect, the method and system include cropping an image to a predetermined shape and providing the data to a display buffer.

Abstract: The present invention enables the monitoring of application layer metrics of data packets for subscribers or groups of subscribers. In one embodiment, an edge routing node, such as an edge router or the like, between an access network and a core network will identify a subscriber associated with the incoming data packets and then identify an application layer policy to apply to the data packets. The application layer policy may identify the application layer metrics to monitor, how to analyze the application layer metrics, and perhaps actions to take in light of identifying certain application layer metrics, as well as identifying how, where, and when to report the application layer metrics, or an aggregation thereof. With the present invention, application layer metrics can be obtained and analyzed in real time on a subscriber-by-subscriber basis.

Abstract: A gateway interconnecting a high speed Wide Area Network (WAN) and a lower speed Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) is provided. The high speed WAN is preferably connected to the gateway via a Fiber-to-the Home (FTTH) connection and associated FTTH modem. In general, the gateway includes an adaptable cross-layer offload engine operating to manage bandwidth between the high speed WAN and the lower speed WLAN. As data enters the gateway from the WAN at the high speed data rate of the WAN, the offload engine stores the data in a non-secure data cache. A rule check engine performs a stateless or stateful inspection of the data in the non-secure data cache. Thereafter, the data is moved from the non-secure data cache to a secure data cache and thereafter transmitted to an appropriate user device in the WLAN at the lower data rate of the WLAN.

Abstract: Gateways facilitate communication of voice traffic from a calling party to a called party over a packet network. To establish a communication session, an originating gateway sends one or more initial call control messages using overlap signaling to a destination gateway. The destination gateway may be unable to establish the communication session using overlap signaling. The destination gateway signals the originating gateway, such as by indicating that the communication session could not be established because of an incomplete or invalid destination address. The originating gateway then attempts to establish the communication session using en bloc signaling. In this way, an attempt that fails due to the use of overlap signaling is retried using en bloc signaling.

Abstract: A simulation system includes a two-dimensional electrical grid installed in a floor or floor mat. Signals from boot mounted transmitters can be sensed via the grid to track boot locations in real-time during training exercises.

Abstract: Ocular surface interferometry (OSI) devices, systems, and methods are disclosed for measuring a tear film layer thickness (TFLT) of the ocular tear film, including lipid layer thickness (LLT) and/or aqueous layer thickness (ALT). The measured TFLT can be used to diagnosis dry eye syndrome (DES). An imaging device can be focused on the lipid layer of the tear film to capture optical wave interference interactions of specularly reflected light from the tear film combined with a background signal(s) in a first image. The imaging device can also be focused on the lipid layer of the tear film to capture a second image containing the background signal(s) present in the first image. The second image can be subtracted from the first image to reduce and/or eliminate the background signal(s) in the first image to produce a resulting image. The resulting image can be processed and analyzed to measure a TFLT.

Abstract: A system and method for embedding recommendations on a portable media player are provided. In general, recommendations for media presentations stored or to be stored on the portable media player are generated by a recommendation engine hosted by an external system such as, for example, a user's personal computer or a network server. In one embodiment, the media presentations are songs, and the recommendations include a number of recommended songs for each song stored or to be stored on the portable media player. The recommendations may be limited to the media presentations stored on the portable media player or otherwise accessible to the portable media player. After the recommendations are generated, the recommendations are stored, or embedded, on the portable media player. Thereafter, the portable media player may use the recommendations to facilitate playback of media content on the portable media player.

Abstract: A technique for enabling a plurality of software components to communicate in a software component matrix environment is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized by a method for enabling a plurality of software components to communicate in a software component matrix environment comprising the steps of encoding a request at a client side; communicating the request to a server at a server side via a communication interface; comparing the request to a plurality of operations supported at the server side; determining whether a function match exists at the server side; and returning a response comprising the function match to the client side in response to the request via the communication interface wherein the response is mapped to a data model of a client.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for treating gland dysfunction caused by gland obstruction in order to restore the natural flow of secretion from the gland comprises the application of a combination of energy, suction, vibration, heat, aspiration, chemical agents and pharmacological agents to loosen and thereafter remove the obstructive material.

Abstract: In a click-to-call (C2C) communication environment, a web client of a computing terminal is configured to initiate a C2C call when a user selects a call tag provided in a web page being presented to the user. The call is intended to be established between a remote endpoint associated with the call tag and one of either the computing terminal or another terminal associated with the user. If the C2C call is directed to an automated system and placed in a queue or on hold, the present invention allows supplemental content intended for the user to be delivered to the web client from which the C2C call was initiated. The web client may present the supplemental content to the user.

Abstract: A flow admission control module for IP traffic types monitors network topology and usage. A new flow is not admitted if it is determined that the flow would push the utilization of available bandwidth reserved for the traffic type on a link in the associated path beyond a predetermined threshold. The admission control module may, as a result of dynamic changes to network topology capacity, re-compute the link utilization for effected active flows The admission control module may also account for protection regimes in flow admission calculations.

Abstract: A packet header in a source routed network is augmented to include, with each hop identifier, at least one bit for indicating congestion at the particular hop. As the packet traverses from the source to the destination, when congestion is detected at a hop, a congestion bit associated with the hop is set in the header. At the destination, when another packet is forwarded from the destination to the source on the same path, the congestion bits are reflected back to the source. When the source receives the congestion bits, it has the option of re-routing subsequent communications between the source and destination nodes by generating a new hop list, which routes around one or more of the congested hops.

Abstract: A look-up table having distance information corresponding to a distance between a potential candidate symbol and a most proximate competing symbol for each bit of a plurality of potential candidate symbols is provided for a given modulation type. A MIMO decoder will obtain multiple candidate symbols that are provided in a maximum likelihood solution and that correspond to each of the antenna layers of a MIMO wireless communication system. A first candidate symbol is selected from the plurality of candidate symbols, wherein the first candidate symbol corresponds to a first potential candidate symbol of the candidate symbols provided in the look-up table. Distance information is obtained from the look-up table for each bit of the first potential candidate symbol. Likelihood indicium is determined for each bit of the first candidate symbol as a function of the distance information that was obtained for each bit.