Patents Assigned to AOL Inc.
  • Patent number: 8335646
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for presenting a route using a route presentation that provides both a context map and one or more detail route maps. Narrative instructions for the route also may be presented. The presentation of the context map and the one or more detail route maps may be interactive. The route presentation also may be user controllable such that a user may control the portions of a route that are printed. The route presentation also may include a re-routing feature that allows a user to request that a new route be identified that avoids a particular maneuver or maneuvers in a route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: David W. Nesbitt
  • Patent number: 8327297
    Abstract: One or more handheld devices may be configured to receive and display content. A server may be configured to help the handheld devices display content. For example, by using at least some of the contents of one or more of feeds, the server may generate user interface data, which the handheld devices may use to display user interfaces that are configured to request content associated with the feeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph R. Van Valen, III
  • Patent number: 8321516
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-implemented method is provided for generating a reputation record and filtering electronic messages, each reputation record including a reputation score and a reputation key. The method includes receiving at least one incoming event notification, including a reputation key; determining, based on the reputation key, whether a corresponding reputation record exists; creating a new reputation record if the corresponding reputation record does not exist; determining a trust determination function based on the incoming event notification; calculating a reputation score based on the determined trust determination function, the incoming event notification, and an attribute associated with the reputation key; storing the calculated reputation score along with the reputation key in either the new reputation record or the corresponding reputation record; and filtering one or more electronic messages based on the calculated reputation score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: James Sargent, Sylvia Margot Romary, Jean-Jacques Moortgat, Lachlan Maxwell, Michael Adkins, Ding Xiao
  • Patent number: 8316399
    Abstract: Enabling a first user to send to a second user a promotional program icon used to enable recording of a program promoted by the icon includes enabling the first user to access a display of content accessible via a network environment. The display of content includes the promotional program icon, and the first user is able to select the promotional program icon and request presentation of the icon to a second user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: Peter G. Nush
  • Patent number: 8296660
    Abstract: A method for personalizing content for a particular user in a computing system comprising a user interface configured to display content. The method comprises identifying one or more features of a short term profile of a user that are not included in a long term profile of the user, using the one or more features to identify one or more third party profiles having features that substantially match the one or more features of the user's short term profile, accessing the identified one or more third party profiles, and providing one or more content items included in the third party profile to the user, the one or more content items having associated features that match the one or more features of the short term profile. An alternative method comprises accessing one or more third party profiles that are not a profile of the user, and using the accessed third party profile to identify a plurality of content items for recommendation to the user based on a feature set of the third party profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Mike Macadaan, William G. Wetherell, David Liu
  • Patent number: 8291062
    Abstract: Access to content may be enabled by receiving an instruction indicating a client request to access content, accessing a list of content sources capable of rendering the content for which access is requested by the client, determining a performance metric for at least two of the content sources, and selecting among the content sources based on the performance metric to identify a content source to be accessed by the client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Scott K. Brown, Keith Peters, David L. Biderman
  • Patent number: 8285803
    Abstract: Systems and methods for sorting electronic messages using attributes of senders or of sender addresses. An electronic messaging server sorts electronic messages using attributes associated with the senders or sender addresses of the electronic messages. The sender addresses and associated attributes are stored in an accept list. A sorting module uses the accept list to sort the electronic messages into various folders. The sorting module can also access other data sources, such as a contact list, to assist in sorting the electronic messages. The attributes can be determined independently of the user or can be set directly by the user. The attributes can also identify a status of a sender such as whether the sender is authorized, unauthorized, or unconfirmed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Phillip Y. Goldman, Richard A. Landsman
  • Patent number: 8275900
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for the configuration of a home-networking system. Home-networking configuration information may be stored on a host system in a manner accessible to the home-networking system and migrated to a home-networking gateway or router that has not yet been configured. Wireless configuration information may be stored on a home-networking gateway or router and used to configure one or more wireless access points through the use of a physical connection, such as a wired communications pathway. One or more wireless home-networking devices may be configured based on wireless configuration information stored in a central repository on a host system or a home-networking system. The wireless configuration information may be accessible only through the use of a security code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick A. Meenan, Fady William Semaan
  • Patent number: 8271646
    Abstract: A client may be configured to access a network by identifying a network bandwidth configuration setting to be used by the client in accessing a networked content source, enabling the client to access the content source using the network bandwidth configuration setting, monitoring client access to the content source, comparing client access metrics to metrics associated with the network bandwidth configuration setting, determining, based on the comparison, whether to adjust the network bandwidth configuration settings for the client, and adjusting the network bandwidth configuration setting if appropriate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Scott K. Brown, David L. Biderman
  • Publication number: 20120231822
    Abstract: A computer program product for instant message communication in a wireless and non-wireless environment. A message is sent from a mobile unit device over a wireless communication network. The message includes a destination address, information associated with the mobile unit device's user, message content and message address. If, according to information previously stored for the mobile unit device's user at the instant message system, the destination address is associated with an instant message function, the associated instant message function is executed at the instant message system using the information contained in the message content, if required as determined by the associated instant message function. If, according to information previously stored for the mobile unit device's user, the destination address is associated with an instant message name, an instant message is created according to the message content and is sent to the user with the associated instant message name.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: AOL INC.
    Inventors: Charles A. Carey, Bruce A. Robinson
  • Patent number: 8255466
    Abstract: Network connectivity is selectively established by monitoring, on a client, communications activity incident to accessing a network, the communications activity including a request to access the network. An application associated with the communications activity is be identified. A communications configuration associated with the application is accessed, the communications configuration indicating how the application is configured to access the network. Network connectivity is selectively established based on the communications configuration, and the application may be enabled to access the network to support the communications activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: Philip W. Flack
  • Patent number: 8255950
    Abstract: Informing a viewer of a television program of the identity of other online identities that represent users concurrently viewing that same television program includes determining dynamically a first television program to which a television viewing device associated with a viewer is tuned and identifying one or more other viewers associated with television viewing devices that are presently tuned to the first television program. Trait information related to the viewer or to the other viewers is stored in a data store related to the first television program. A subset of the other viewers that have similar traits is determined based on the stored trait information. The viewer is graphically informed of the subset of other viewers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Christina Ann Wick, Andrew L. Wick
  • Patent number: 8244799
    Abstract: Processes are disclosed for fingerprinting and identifying client applications based on the analysis of client requests. In an HTTP-based embodiment, a fingerprint is constructed based on the presence and order of HTTP headers included in a request from a client application or device. This fingerprint may then be compared to known fingerprints associated with particular client applications to identify the particular client application and/or to assess whether the client application is malicious. The results of this analysis may, for example, be used to determine how to respond to the current request and/or subsequent requests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: William Salusky, Mark Ellzey Thomas
  • Patent number: 8239236
    Abstract: A method for scheduling a meeting for a set of recipients is provided. The set of recipients includes a special attendee and at least one additional attendee including a meeting organizer. The method includes obtaining an initial meeting request from the meeting organizer. The meeting request does not specify meeting commencement information corresponding to at least one of a start time and a date. The method also includes generating a user interface for displaying the initial meeting request to the special attendee. The method also includes collecting input designated by the special attendee from the user interface. The input specifies the meeting commencement information. The method further includes transmitting the collected input. The collected input is used to generate an updated meeting request designating the set of recipients and specifying the meeting commencement information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: Steve Mansour
  • Patent number: 8234371
    Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing the number of challenge messages that are sent in response to an incoming message in situations where the incoming message is likely not unsolicited. The systems and methods include evaluating the behavior of a sender with regard to one or more federated messaging services and determining if the sender is approved or unapproved. If the sender is approved, the incoming message is deliver to a recipient's inbox without issuing a challenge message. Unapproved senders are required to respond to a challenge message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Jay D. Logue, Richard A. Landsman, Timothy T. Sullivan, Phillip Y. Goldman, Susan Rayl Goldman, legal representative
  • Patent number: 8233679
    Abstract: Similar faces may be determined within images based on human perception of facial similarity. The user may provide an image including a query face to which the user wishes to find faces that are similar. Similar faces may be determined based on similarity information. Similarity information may be generated from information related to a human perception of facial similarity. Images that include faces determined to be similar, based on the similarity information, may be provided to the user as search result images. The user then may provide feedback to indicate the user's perception of similarity between the query face and the search result images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Sharon M. Perlmutter, Keren O. Perlmutter, Joshua Alspector, Alex Holub, Mark Everingham, Pietro Perona, Andrew Zisserman
  • Patent number: 8230094
    Abstract: Digital content encoded in a media file format may be presented by accessing the media file, reading parameters that describe the content, and processing the media file using the encoded parameters to “play” or generate output. Although the media file format may have multiple optional extensions, the media file generally includes one or more frames. Each frame may include a synchronized frame with the synchronized frame having a synchronized header, a video format indicator, an audio format indicator, a width indicator, a height indicator, a frame rate index, and a payload. Although the digital content may include different types and formats, the parameters used in the media file may be used to describe the digital content so that it may be processed independent of the underlying algorithm used. For example, multiple channels of audio signals may be described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Charles Frankel, Thomas Pepper
  • Patent number: 8224916
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for enabling management of contacts is disclosed. The method includes passively recognizing that a plurality of contacts are, as a group, repeatedly sent communications by a member, generating a contacts list including the plurality of contacts based on the passive recognition, enabling the member to associate an identifier with the contacts list, and enabling the member to address future communications to the plurality of contacts, as a group, through use of the identifier associated with the contacts list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Valerie Kucharewski, Michael Traylor, Michael Anthony Buonomo, John Panzer, Jack Mazzeo
  • Patent number: 8224991
    Abstract: Streaming to a terminal by using a duplicating switch to receive a stream of data units, using the duplicating switch to store content from the stream, using the duplicating switch to generate a second stream that incorporates the content that was stored and address information corresponding to more than one terminal whose addressing information was not part of the first stream, and using the duplicating switch to make the second stream of data units available to two or more terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Gilbert G. Weigand, William J. Raduchel
  • Patent number: 8219450
    Abstract: A method is disclosed that provides an Internet wish list for deferred purchasing. A user clicks on an add to wish list button located on locations, such as, a product page, a banner ad, or search results to add an item to the wish list. A reminder system is used to remind a user to purchase an item at a future time. The shopping list service may be integrated at a high level of integration and a low level of integration. On a low level of integration a proxy platform is used to add functionality to a website.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Faten “Fay” Hellal, Fletcher Jones, Kamal Acharya, Peter Gremett, Jai-Jen Chang, Matthew Crampton