Patents Assigned to AOL LLC
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Patent number: 7349896Abstract: A search query is submitted to one or more information sources associated with a category of the query. The category of the query is indicated by a query ontology that relates queries to query categories. The information sources represent information sources from which a high percentage of search results for queries associated with the category are retrieved. For instance, the category of the query is identified by identifying categories corresponding to variations of the query, where each variation represents a combination of the terms within the query, and where the categories of the variations are assumed to be the categories of the query. Information sources associated with the query categories are identified, and the query is submitted to the identified information sources. Submitting the query to the identified information sources may cause search results retrieved for the query to more closely reflect search results desired by a user that specified the query.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2004Date of Patent: March 25, 2008Assignee: AOL LLCInventors: Abdur R. Chowdhury, Gregory S. Pass
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Patent number: 7350146Abstract: Various disclosed help center features provide help to a user without a staffed help center, provide help to a user before the user recognizes the need, or create targeted commerce opportunities for a provider of goods or services. One help center feature provides a user with help that is specifically related to a component in the user's computer system and that is supplied to the help center feature by the component manufacturer. Another help center feature detects a condition that degrades performance, and hence user satisfaction, and alerts the user. Another help center feature detects an attempt by a computer system to inform the user of degraded performance and offers the user a solution. Another help center feature provides a user with a commerce opportunity specifically related to a component in the user's computer system and/or to the user's geographic location.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2002Date of Patent: March 25, 2008Assignee: AOL LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability CompanyInventors: James R. Moran, Benjamin D. Brown
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Patent number: 7346587Abstract: An intelligent method of e-commerce order completion automatically completes an order using either stored billing information, or information supplied at purchase if none is stored. User sends an order to a merchant. On receipt, user's authentication level is checked. If user is authenticated and billing information has been stored, it is retrieved and order completed without further user action. When none has been stored, flow redirects to a digital form for entering billing information, whereupon order is completed. In this case, after order completion, the user may save billing information to create a new digital wallet. To create the wallet, if the user isn't authenticated, or is insufficiently authenticated, they are first prompted to authenticate. Upon wallet creation, the user is fully authenticated and can complete purchases quickly without providing billing information with every purchase.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2002Date of Patent: March 18, 2008Assignee: AOL LLCInventors: Seth Goldstein, Rajesh Mahajan, Prakash Muppirala, Benjamin L. Quigley, Jai Rawat, Venkatesh Subramanya, Vincent Tran
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Patent number: 7346344Abstract: Techniques are provided for the relating identity information with wireless configuration information for a wireless device or a wireless network. A trusted system may be used to generate wireless configuration parameters for a wireless network based on identity information. The identity-based wireless configuration information may be stored on the trusted system remote to the wireless network and accessible to the wireless device. The wireless configuration may be migrated from the trusted system to the wireless device.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2003Date of Patent: March 18, 2008Assignee: AOL LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability CompanyInventor: Jean-Emmanuel Fontaine
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Publication number: 20080065723Abstract: Systems and techniques for transferring electronic data to a user of a communications system by establishing a connection between a client and a host; receiving electronic data from the host in response to a data request transmitted from the client; and at the client, simultaneously executing multiple instantiations of the browser application in response to the electronic data received from the host. The client includes a browser application configured to render data encapsulated in a standard Internet content format. Each instantiation of the browser application is configured to exchange messages with at least one other instantiation of the browser application.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 17, 2007Publication date: March 13, 2008Applicant: AOL LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company (formerly known as America Online, Inc.)Inventors: David Corboy, John Marshall
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Patent number: 7343419Abstract: A data stream may be processed using a computer system by receiving the data stream using a browser application, detecting a content type of data in the data stream, temporarily overriding a default rendering process otherwise associated with the content type detected for the data in the data stream by associating a particular rendering process with the data stream based on the type of data in the data stream, and routing the data stream to the particular rendering process. The default rendering process may be identified in a registry of the computer system. It may be temporarily overridden by discriminating among internal and external instances of the browser application used to receive the data stream, and temporarily overriding the default rendering process only if the browser application is an internal instance.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2001Date of Patent: March 11, 2008Assignee: AOL LLCInventor: John Robinson
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Publication number: 20080059456Abstract: Expert domains for a query category represent domains from which a high percentage of search results for queries associated with the query category are retrieved. The expert domains are identified by establishing a base statistical model that indicates frequencies of appearance for domains in search results retrieved for queries corresponding to multiple categories. In addition, frequencies of domain appearance are determined for search results retrieved for queries associated with a category. Domains that appear more frequently in the search results corresponding to the category are identified as expert domains for the category. A user may be allowed to customize expert domains related to one or more categories by adding or removing expert domains for the category.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 12, 2007Publication date: March 6, 2008Applicant: AOL LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company (Formerly Known as America Online, Inc.)Inventors: Abdur Chowdhury, Gregory Pass, Gerald Campbell
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Publication number: 20080059570Abstract: A user is enabled to interact with a virtual world environment using an instant messenger application by enabling a user to enter the virtual world environment using the instant messenger application that includes an instant messaging (IM) user interface, generating and managing an avatar to represent the user in the virtual world environment, monitoring a sub-portion of the virtual world environment corresponding to a current location of the user in the virtual world environment, determining descriptions of activities taking place in the sub-portion of the virtual world environment based on the monitoring, and providing the user with the determined descriptions of activities taking place in the sub-portion of the virtual world environment via the IM user interface.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 5, 2007Publication date: March 6, 2008Applicant: AOL LLCInventor: David Bill
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Publication number: 20080056614Abstract: Separations or images relating to film or other fields may be registered using a variety of features, such as, for example: (1) correcting one or more film distortions; (2) automatically determining a transformation to reduce a film distortion; (3) applying multiple criteria of merit to a set of features to determine a set of features to use in determining a transformation; (4) determining transformations for areas in an image or a separation in a radial order; (5) comparing areas in images or separations by weighting feature pixels differently than non-feature pixels; (6) determining distortion values for transformations by applying a partial distortion measure and/or using a spiral search configuration; (7) determining transformations by using different sets of features to determine corresponding transformation parameters in an iterative manner; and (8) applying a feathering technique to neighboring areas within an image or separation.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 17, 2007Publication date: March 6, 2008Applicants: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., AOL LLCInventors: Keren Perlmutter, Sharon Perlmutter, Eric Wang, Paul Klamer, Christopher Cookson, Massimiliano Gasparri
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Patent number: 7340470Abstract: An electronic dictionary may be created by receiving a data request action for a word appearing in an electronic document, accessing information regarding the context of the word derived from within the electronic document in which the word appears, storing the definition of the word along with the context information for the word, and enabling access by the user to the definition and the context information.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2005Date of Patent: March 4, 2008Assignee: AOL LLCInventor: Carl Bruecken
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Publication number: 20080049723Abstract: A switch having a first communications interface to receive a stream of data units, a buffer to store the payload portion of the data unit, a replicator to duplicate at least the payload portion of the data unit, and a second communications interface to enable access to the stream of data units by two or more terminals.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 31, 2007Publication date: February 28, 2008Applicant: AOL LLCInventors: David Bill, Scott Brown, William Raduchel, Gilbert Weigand, Christopher Amen-Kroeger
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Publication number: 20080052637Abstract: Replacing display content in a window of a graphical user interface includes displaying a window in a graphical user interface, and displaying first display content in the window. A request initiated by a user to change a size of the window is received. Second display content is accessed based on the request. The second display content is different from the first display content. In response to the request, the window is resized and the second display content is substituted for the first display content in the resized window.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 11, 2007Publication date: February 28, 2008Applicant: AOL LLC, a Delaware limited liability companyInventors: Roy Ben-Yoseph, Iain Langridge, Cian Chang
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Patent number: 7337219Abstract: A local proxy in a home network may identify the device class to which a particular device in the home network belongs based on the receipt of a message requesting a network address for use by the device. A device class may include a broad category to describe the device (such as, a gaming device, a personal computer, an appliance, or a PDA), the type of platform (e.g., the type of hardware, such as a Macintosh™ personal computer, a Windows™-based personal computer, a Linux™-based personal computer, a PDA, a home appliance, or an entertainment device), and/or the operating environment (e.g., operating system type and/or version). The local proxy associates the device class with the device. The local proxy may process a request from a device in a home network based on the device class of the device that sent the request. For example, access to a game available on the home network may be restricted to a gaming device or personal computer.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2003Date of Patent: February 26, 2008Assignee: AOL LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability CompanyInventors: Patrick Meenan, Jeffrey Joseph Damick
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Publication number: 20080046755Abstract: A first executable program on a computer system is enabled to exchange communications with a second executable program on the computer system by determining that the first executable program requests to exchange information with the second executable program, using the second executable program to challenge the first executable program for a digital certificate, and using the second executable program to exchange information with the first executable program when the digital certificate is verified.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2006Publication date: February 21, 2008Applicant: AOL LLCInventor: Terry N. Hayes
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Publication number: 20080046920Abstract: Advertisements may be inserted into a streaming video at an intermediary system by receiving a data stream including a video content selection having scenes configured to accommodate insertion of advertising objects, identifying an advertising descriptor based on characteristics of a scene within the data stream, selecting an advertising object based on the identified advertising descriptor, modifying the video content selection by inserting the advertising object in the data stream such that the advertising object is integrated into a scene of the video content selection, where an image scene of the video content selection is modified to integrate and enable visual display of content from within the scene of the video content selection and the advertising object concurrently, and transmitting the content selection to a recipient.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 4, 2006Publication date: February 21, 2008Applicant: AOL LLCInventor: David S. Bill
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Patent number: 7334021Abstract: In general, an interface is provided to the user of an instant messaging client program. The interface displays the user's buddies in a manner that identifies one or more buddy groups, and the membership of buddies within one or more of those buddy groups. The user may use the interface to set customized away messages on a buddy group basis, or otherwise.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2003Date of Patent: February 19, 2008Assignee: AOL LLCInventor: George Fletcher
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Patent number: 7334000Abstract: An electronic calendar includes such features as recurring reminders, dividing unpredictable work loads into equal pieces, template free parsing, a reminders scheduling algorithm to reduce spikes, dynamic delivery and recovery algorithms, methods for splitting the work load between controllers and workers and for monitoring progress, all within the context of a calendar architecture for a large enterprise.Type: GrantFiled: August 22, 2001Date of Patent: February 19, 2008Assignee: AOL LLCInventors: Rupesh Chhatrapati, Richard J. Treitel, Jon Chester, David Sobotka, Louis Lao, Andrew Zaeske, Meera Vengadasubbu
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Publication number: 20080037442Abstract: A distribution of a content selection being distributed throughout a wireless mesh network may be tracked. A wireless device in the wireless mesh network enables the content selection to be exchanged. Wireless devices then exchange the content, and a network topology is recorded in response. Finally, the network topology is reported to a reporting agent.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 9, 2006Publication date: February 14, 2008Applicant: AOL LLCInventor: David S. Bill
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Publication number: 20080040675Abstract: A user interface on a display enables user perception of information regarding a communications session that leverages an instant messaging platform. The user interface includes an instant messaging application user interface and one or more tear-off elements corresponding to ongoing instant messaging communications sessions. Each tear-off element is configured to enable perception and selection by a user of a corresponding instant messaging communications session. Also, each tear-off element is configured to be independently visually separated from other elements of the instant messaging application user interface and maintained as a separate entity on the instant messaging application user interface.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2007Publication date: February 14, 2008Applicant: AOL LLCInventors: James Canfield, Kenneth Carbone, David Colburn, Linda Myers, Thomas Van Lenten, Gregory Willis
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Patent number: 7330876Abstract: A method and system of implementing recorded data for automating interactions which occur across the Internet includes storing data at a central Web server adapted for maintaining a database. Responsive to a program script requesting data, computer program code at the central Web server selectively extracts stored data from the database, manipulates the data in accordance with the request, and supplies the manipulated data in a desired format.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 2000Date of Patent: February 12, 2008Assignee: AOL LLC, a Delaware limited liability companyInventors: Jai Rawat, Silvia Doundakova, Vladmir Fridman, Rajalakshmi Subramanian, Geoffrey George Chemmannoor, Kespragada Ravi Shankar, Subbu Gandrala, Simon Waddington, Benedict T. S. Gladstone