Abstract: A handsfree device, which is coupled to a data processing device, may be operable to monitor at least one audio stream for occurrence of at least one keyword. Upon recognition of the at least one keyword, the handsfree device may establish a first connection between the handsfree device and the data processing device for launching a voice interface in the data processing device. The handsfree device may send audio data received after the recognition of the at least one keyword to the data processing device, via the first connection for responding to the audio data via the voice interface. During a keyword configuration operation, the handsfree device may send at least one inputted keyword to the data processing device for recording. The handsfree device may receive, via a second connection, the recorded at least one keyword from the data processing device for keyword configuration of the handsfree device.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for assessing road quality using data collected from a mobile device is disclosed. The method may include obtaining travel data associated with a mobile device traversal. The travel data may include acceleration data associated with the mobile device during the mobile device traversal. The method may also include analyzing the travel data according to one or more heuristics. Each heuristic may provide a heuristic metric indicative of whether the mobile device traversal is a human-carried mobile device traversal. In addition, the method may include determining a confidence score for the travel data based on the heuristic metric provided by each of the one or more heuristics and processing the travel data based at least in part on the confidence score, wherein the processed travel data is configured to be used to assess road quality.

Abstract: A handsfree device, which is coupled to a data processing device, may be operable to monitor at least one audio stream for occurrence of at least one keyword. Upon recognition of the at least one keyword, the handsfree device may establish a first connection between the handsfree device and the data processing device for launching a voice interface in the data processing device. The handsfree device may send audio data received after the recognition of the at least one keyword to the data processing device, via the first connection for responding to the audio data via the voice interface. During a keyword configuration operation, the handsfree device may send at least one inputted keyword to the data processing device for recording. The handsfree device may receive, via a second connection, the recorded at least one keyword from the data processing device for keyword configuration of the handsfree device.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for assessing road quality using data collected from a mobile device is disclosed. The method may include obtaining travel data associated with a mobile device traversal. The travel data may include acceleration data associated with the mobile device during the mobile device traversal. The method may also include analyzing the travel data according to one or more heuristics. Each heuristic may provide a heuristic metric indicative of whether the mobile device traversal is a human-carried mobile device traversal. In addition, the method may include determining a confidence score for the travel data based on the heuristic metric provided by each of the one or more heuristics and processing the travel data based at least in part on the confidence score, wherein the processed travel data is configured to be used to assess road quality.

Abstract: Systems and methods for transferring navigation data are provided. A system includes a map module configured to receive, at a first mobile device, the navigation data for navigating from a beginning location to a target destination. The navigation data includes at least one of the target destination, directions from the beginning location to the target destination, and map tiles covering a geographic area comprising the beginning location and the target destination. The system includes an extraction module configured to determine a portion of the navigation data, which includes at least one of the target destination, directions from a current location to the target destination, and a subset of the map tiles that cover a route from the current location to the target destination. The system includes a communications module configured to transmit the portion of the navigation data from the first mobile device to a second mobile device.

Abstract: In one aspect, the present disclosure can be embodied in a method that includes receiving a search query from a user via an interface of a search engine. User-selected options are identified for excluding at least one search category in a plurality of predetermined search categories. Each search category corresponds to one or more query signals and page signals used by the search engine to execute search queries. The search query is executed based on the user-selected options, one or more query signals related to the search query received from the user, and one or more page signals related to each potential result of the search query to be executed. Search results are provided to the user based on the executed search query.

Abstract: A handsfree device, which is coupled to a data processing device, may be operable to monitor at least one audio stream for occurrence of at least one keyword. Upon recognition of the at least one keyword, the handsfree device may establish a first connection between the handsfree device and the data processing device for launching a voice interface in the data processing device. The handsfree device may send audio data received after the recognition of the at least one keyword to the data processing device, via the first connection for responding to the audio data via the voice interface. During a keyword configuration operation, the handsfree device may send at least one inputted keyword to the data processing device for recording. The handsfree device may receive, via a second connection, the recorded at least one keyword from the data processing device for keyword configuration of the handsfree device.

Abstract: A handsfree device, which is coupled to a data processing device, may be operable to monitor at least one audio stream for occurrence of at least one keyword. Upon recognition of the at least one keyword, the handsfree device may establish a first connection between the handsfree device and the data processing device for launching a voice interface in the data processing device. The handsfree device may send audio data received after the recognition of the at least one keyword to the data processing device, via the first connection for responding to the audio data via the voice interface. During a keyword configuration operation, the handsfree device may send at least one inputted keyword to the data processing device for recording. The handsfree device may receive, via a second connection, the recorded at least one keyword from the data processing device for keyword configuration of the handsfree device.

Abstract: A distributed locking apparatus for a collaborative computing system permits members of a collaborative session to obtain and transfer a lock without the use of a central lock server. Each member of the collaborative session has a lock engine, which transitions among four states depending on the location of the lock. An Available state indicates that the lock is available. A Pending state indicates that the member has requested the lock. A Held state indicates that the member currently holds the lock. A Locked state indicates that another member currently holds the lock. A message structure permits the members to obtain and release the lock and to resolve conflicts over the lock between members of the session.

Abstract: A unifying push framework in a computer network environment uses a plumbing approach wherein a "pipe" (producer) is created to interpret a specified push protocol. Push Universal Resource Locators (PURLs) (the streams) are delivered from a server across the computer network to each pipe that handles the specific protocol which interprets the protocol and delivers the stream to the subscribing client (consumer). Several pipes can be combined and clients can subscribe to several different protocols. These pipes are capable of delivering streams to multiple clients and are created dynamically as each client subscribes to different protocols. Filters are easily added and removed dynamically to or from the system to filter streams. A filter can be added to the output side of a pipe before distribution to the clients and/or added before the client to filter the incoming stream, allowing for a flexible system with multiple filtering schemes.

Abstract: A router discovery system for virtual routers automatically builds a multicast virtual network over an existing network topology. The virtual routers send out "heartbeats" across the Internet Protocol (IP) multicast network marked with a Time to Live (TTL) value containing the number of hops that the packet can take through the network before it gets discarded. The originating router gets an estimate of how far away the receiving router is when it receives the response packet from the receiving router (i.e. the receiving router is less than TTL hops away from the originating router). The invention uses the TTL values to find the closest routers. It balances the efficiency of the IP network connections with the distance of the routers to create a balanced network topology and establishes connections with the routers that meet these criteria. When a router comes alive, it sends out multicast packets across the network.

Abstract: A collaborative computing system includes a plurality of collaborative computing participants, connected over a network. Each collaborative computing participant has a workstation that includes a conference engine, which provides a network interface between applications and the network. The applications are organized into application modules, each of which provides a collaborative computing function. Either the conference engine or the application modules fragment a data packet to be sent to other participants into a set of equally-sized cells. The cells are transmitted individually over the network via switching entities, which can be other participants in the collaborative session. Each switching entity maintains a list of connections from itself to other switching entities.