Abstract: A medium is set in a computer, and identification information of the set medium is read out. Related information about the medium is obtained in accordance with the identification information read from the medium. The obtained related information is displayed on a display.

Abstract: A method of accessing a remote location on a network using an optical reader. The optical reader has an optical scanning system and a dedicated address memory system. The optical scanning system, in response to the user scanning an encoded indicia therewith, sends to a first computer disposed on the network a scan code indicative of information encoded in the scanned indicia. The dedicated address memory system, in response to the user completing an activation sequence, sends to the first computer a dedicated code indicative of information corresponding to a particular remote location. The information from the dedicated address memory system corresponding to a particular remote location does not originate from the scanning of an encoded indica by the user. One of the scan code and the dedicated code is transmitted from the optical reader to the first computer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for tracking network activity of a user. A user PC (302) disposed on a network (306) runs tracking software which initially requires registration to a registration server (2500). The registration process is initiated by the user entering user information into the tracking software for transmission to the registration server (2500). In response to registration, the registration server (2500) sends a unique ID and bar code back to the user PC (302). Subsequently, when the user accesses a vendor server (2504) disposed on the network (306), the user PC (302) passes the unique ID/bar code to the vendor server (2504). The vendor server (2504) sends the unique ID/bar code to the registration server to obtain user profile information which matches the unique ID/bar code. As the user accesses the vendor server (2504), the user activities are logged and returned to the registration server (2500) for updating the user information stored therein.

Abstract: A method for providing caller identification information to instant messaging communication participants can include identifying an online presence for at least a first instant messaging client and determining caller identification information for a user associated with the first instant messaging client. The caller identification information can be provided to a second instant messaging client.

Abstract: A method and system for periodically updating data in a relationship system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes identifying a set of desired data concerning elements of a relationship graph. The elements of the relationship graph include nodes representing entities and edges representing relationships between entities. The method further includes determining which pieces of the desired data are important to users and finding one or more information suppliers for each important piece of the desired data.

Abstract: A medium is set in a computer, and identification information of the set medium is read out. Related information about the medium is obtained in accordance with the identification information read from the medium. The obtained related information is displayed on a display.

Abstract: A method of determining behavior of an information system application is provided. The information system application's behavior for user content requests and load conditions is determined as is a user's quality of service objectives. The information system application's capacity allocation is then prioritized. Changes in the information system application's behavior are detected. The behavior of the information system applications is then updated in response to detecting changes that affect the user's quality of service objectives.

Abstract: Delivering an electronic notification to an intended recipient may include communicating an electronic notification directed to an intended recipient, and determining presence information associated with the intended recipient before attempting to deliver the notification to the intended recipient. A cascaded delivery instruction also may be resolved based on notification information. The presence information and the cascaded delivery instruction may be used to select among several delivery mechanisms potentially available for the intended recipient based on the presence information, and to deliver the electronic notification to the intended recipient at the selected delivery mechanism. The presence information may include an online presence and/or a physical presence of the intended recipient.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program for performing a data transfer operation with respect to a source and target storage devices in a network, wherein storage devices in the network are assigned temporary network addresses. Device information is maintained and includes for each identified device a fixed address that does not change and a temporary network address. A data transfer request is received to transfer data between a source and target devices. The network is queried to determine changes to the temporary network addresses of the storage devices in response to receiving the data transfer request and the device information is updated to include any changed determined temporary network addresses for the storage devices. A data transfer command is constructed to transfer data between the source and target storage devices, wherein the data transfer command includes the temporary network addresses of the source and target devices in the device information.

Abstract: A host computer system which receives information, rasterizes it, compresses it and transmits it to a portable device which decompresses the image to display it on a screen. The image can be decompressed in whole or in parts to be viewed as the user scrolls through the image. An electronic touch screen keyboard is featured, which is used to input text characters in a text area on the screen of the device. Thereafter, text is transmitted to specific areas on a virtual browser in the host computer as a string of characters, or individually, with refreshed images of the virtual browser sent back to the device for each transmission. The host computer system is also capable of translating locations on the touch screen of the device into text characters or commands.

Abstract: This invention relates to provide a communication network system, a gateway, and a data communication method, in which the gateway has an advanced functionality. A person who issues an access request can retrieve a desired access destination easily by the following configuration: functions of routing information providing and authentication processing are added to a gateway that performs protocol conversion between two different communication networks; when an access request is issued from a public communication network such as Internet to a terminal in a local (private) communication network connected to the gateway, a request terminal is authenticated to enable prevention of unauthorized data writing and reading; and an access request user who succeeded in the authentication is provided with an active terminal list comprising accessible terminal information, or with a user condition table.

Abstract: A system and method for managing e-mail traffic originating from a specific IP address. An outbound e-mail message is routed to an e-mail governor where the IP address of the computer from which outbound e-mail message originated is determined. A record associated with the originating IP address is created in a datatstore. Metrics useful to determine an e-mail message rate and an e-mail byte rate are stored in the e-mail record. An e-mail message rate is determined and compared with an e-mail message rate threshold. If the e-mail message rate threshold is exceeded, the originating IP address is sending spam e-mail (spam) and redial action is taken. An e-mail byte rate is also determined and compared with an e-mail byte rate threshold. If the e-mail byte rate threshold is exceeded, the originating IP address is using excess network resources to send e-mail and redial action is taken.

Abstract: In accordance with a method embodiment of the present invention, a method for visually navigating through a plurality of virtual meetings is disclosed. The method may include displaying a hierarchical representation of the plurality virtual meetings having interconnected nodes, wherein each node of the hierarchical representation represents a subset of the plurality of virtual meetings. The method may further include that a node at the lowest order in the hierarchical representation is an individual virtual meeting and higher order nodes are an accumulation of all virtual meetings within lower order nodes that are interconnected with the higher order node. The method may also include moving within the hierarchical representation to obtain information about one or more of the plurality of virtual meetings, switching between views and selecting and searching amongst a plurality of views using a Boolean combination of such views.

Abstract: A system and method for a virtual mailbox, in which a user e-mail identity, such as an e-mail address for example, is decoupled from any specific e-mail account, or optionally from any specific action required to authorize the user of the e-mail address to access messages on the server, for example to send or receive messages.

Abstract: An architecture for customizing the amount of web page banner advertising content presented to a user. When a user accesses a server node (102) disposed on a network (104), the user computer (100) provides video resolution information to the server node (102). The server node (102) transmits a web page to the user node (100) which corresponds to the video resolution information of the user node (100). The web page increases the amount of banner advertising presented to the user based upon the user video resolution information provided by the user node (100). The amount of banner advertising is increased by either increasing banner object size or providing more banner advertisements.

Abstract: The present invention disclosed and claimed herein comprises a system and method for launching a web browser on a network comprising a computer having an all new input interface and a communication interface coupled to a computer network; said audio input coupled to the audio output of a source for receiving an audio signal having encoded therein a unique code that is associated with a predetermined destination on the network; and a program operable on said computer responsive to receipt and decoding of the audio signal received from the source for interacting with connections of the computer to a web site available on the computer network wherein the location of the predetermined destination is not stored in a computer.

Abstract: A method for advertising over a network and broadcast media combination. A user's computer at a location on the network is operable to receive a signal from a broadcast generated by an advertiser, which signal has embedded therein unique coded information. The user's computer is connected to an advertiser's location in response to extracting the unique coded information from the audio signal. The advertiser's location is correlated to the unique coded information. The operation of connecting causes profile information of the user to be sent to the advertiser's location over the network. The profile at the advertiser's location is then received, and information generated to forward to the user based upon the user's profile forwarded thereto. This information is then forward to the connected user.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for the automatic updating or installation and invoking of a requested application on a client. The system and method form an application provision system which operates within a network containing at least one client and at least one server. The application provision system includes; a server resident process for controlling the provision of an application to a client, and client-server functionality that is deliverable to the client, the client-server functionality the provision of the application to the client by communicating with the server resident process.

Abstract: A method and system to provide media to a terminal coupled to a network, the terminal comprising a media playback component. The method and system provides for programmatically directing the terminal to access a first network site in the plurality of network sites, and causing the media playback component on the terminal to automatically load a first media web resource located at the first network site to playback a first media. The method and system also includes programmatically directing the terminal to access a second network site in the plurality of network sites, and causing the media playback component on the terminal to automatically load a second media web resource located at the second network site to playback a second media.

Abstract: In accordance with embodiments of the invention, a method is provided for performing a storage operation in a pipeline storage system in which one or more data streams containing data to be stored are written into data chunks. The method includes generating an encryption key associated with a first archive file to be stored when encryption is requested for the storage operation, encrypting the archive data from the data stream using the encryption key to create an encrypted data chunk when a data stream containing the archive file is processed in the pipeline storage system, storing the encrypted data chunk on a storage medium, and storing the encryption key in a manner accessible during a restore operation of the encrypted data chunk.