Abstract: 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.

Abstract: Invoking a computer implemented service includes receiving a request from a first user to access a service associated with a second user. The request is associated with a security token for the first user and an identity token for the second user. The acceptability of the security token is determined to authenticate the first user, and the acceptability of the identity token is determined to securely identify the second user. The first user is able to access the service associated with the second user conditioned on the security token being determined to be acceptable and the identity token being determined to be acceptable.

Abstract: Distinctions between resources explicitly selected by a user and resources indirectly selected may be enabled by identifying an explicitly selected web page or other resource as such in the request for the web page or other resource, which may allow the web page or resource to be differentiated from web pages or other resources that are requested as a consequence of their indirect selection. Moreover, a log of web pages or other resources explicitly selected by a user may be maintained at the client and later reference by a local processor or communicated to a host process seeking to differentiate directly and indirectly selected web pages or other resources. These techniques also may allow a proxy or other server to perform processing related to parentally controlled accounts or related to accurately tracking frequently requested resources such as web pages.

Abstract: A first user's avatar in a virtual world environment may be controlled by using a virtual world application enabling access to a virtual world environment within which the first user has an avatar associated with the first user. A virtual world location corresponding to the first avatar is identified. At least one second avatar proximate to the virtual world location is identified. Filtering information is accessed. Profile information related to the second avatar is accessed. Filtering information is compared to the accessed profile information. Based on the comparison results, a metric related to the second avatar is determined. The metric is related to a threshold. It is determined whether relating the metric to the threshold supports enabling communications between the first and second avatars, and if so, communications to be exchanged between the first and second avatars are enabled.

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 user name, an instant message is created according to the message content and is sent to the user with the associated instant message user name.

Abstract: Content may be inserted at a duplicating device by inserting advertising content into a duplicated feed, and transmitting the duplicated feed to the terminal. The transmission of the duplicated feed is performed in response to a state of the terminal.

Abstract: A wireless network with multiple subscriber systems in a lobe pool may operate by determining a state of the wireless network, identifying a new condition, the new condition including a new demand condition or a new network health condition, determining whether the new condition has a threshold impact on operations of the wireless network or component subscriber systems of the wireless network, and if the threshold impact exists, reconfiguring the wireless network to accommodate the new condition.

Abstract: A travel system comprising a universal search feature and a local escapes feature is provided. The universal search feature gives an end user everything in a glance and in an organized fashion; the local escapes feature comprises at-a-glance compilation of things to do for the weekend in a specified area.

Abstract: The performance of a network system having one or more requestor nodes, one or more provider nodes, and one or more intermediate nodes is improved by determining the digital signature of a received file, looking up the digital signature in an index of signatures, and forwarding a previously compressed version of the requested file when the digital signature is found in the index of signatures.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture of the present invention may assist in planning, execution, and evaluation of advertising campaigns on the Internet. Particularly, methods, systems, and articles of manufacture of the present invention may help evaluate and/or predict traffic volume on the Internet. An exemplary method for predicting traffic may comprise receiving historical traffic data for a location, and computing a prediction of traffic volume for a particular time at the location using the historical traffic data and at least one prediction algorithm.

Abstract: A system and method for data storage and removal includes providing databases and providing encryption keys. Each database is associated with a database time period and each encryption key is associated with an encryption time period. Data items are received and each data item is encrypted using the encryption key associated with the encryption time period that corresponds to a time associated with the data item. Each encrypted data item is stored in the database associated with the database time period that corresponds to the time associated with the data item. Each encryption key is deactivated at a predetermined time after the associated encryption time period ends. Each database is made irretrievable upon a determination that all of the encryption keys associated with the data items stored in that database have been deactivated.

Abstract: In one aspect, a data item is input into a scoring classifier such that the scoring classifier indicates that the data item belongs to a first class. A determination is made as to the amount of retraining of the scoring classifier, based on the data item, that is required to cause the scoring classifier to indicate that the data item belongs to a second class. A reliability measure is determined based on the required amount of retraining and a class of the data item is determined based, at least in part, on the reliability measure.

Abstract: A method for executing a transaction related to an item or a service using a telephone includes providing information identifying the item or the service, providing a query as to a transaction to be performed in which the transaction is related to the identified item or service, and sending to a server system a request to execute the transaction related to the identified item or service in response to a user answer. The transaction is executed without the user performing a single action on a computer interface.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for instant message communication in a wireless and non-wireless environment. The invented system includes an apparatus that facilitates conversation with individuals not included in the user's buddy group, non-buddies. The system includes at least one additional routing code reserved for conversing with non-buddies. The first time during a user session that the system receives a message originating from or destined for a non-buddy, before routing the message, the non-buddy's personal identifier is associated with one of the reserved routing codes. The mobile user can then reply to the message using the same automated ‘reply’ function available for replies to buddies. The non-buddy routing code assignment is only for the duration of a user session. When the mobile user signs off from the system, the routing code becomes available for reassignment.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and system for distributing personalized content to potentially large numbers of recipients. A pool is selected, from among all content available for distribution, of those content elements that will be made available for simultaneous distribution, and personalized content is selected for distribution from that pool. The content of the pool can change with new selections over time. For each individual recipient, content elements in the pool are examined to determine if they are predicted to be of sufficient interest to that recipient for distribution, and if so, those content elements are distributed. If not, successive content elements in the pool are examined, relaxing the standard for sufficient interest, until at least one content element is found and distributed to the individual recipient.

Abstract: Electronic messages may be processed using a stamp authority by receiving an electronic message, identifying a stamp associated the message, determining if the stamp is valid, and, if the stamp is determined to be valid, distinguishing the message from messages with which a valid stamp is not identified.

Abstract: Online communication sessions may be joined in an environment that includes receiving a first communication between a first user and a second user and enabling the rendering of the first communication at devices associated with the first and second users. A second communication between the first user and a third user is received and the rendering of the second communication at devices associated with the first and third users is enabled. After receiving the first and second communications, a trigger to join at least the communication sessions associated with the first, second, and third users is received from the first, second, or third user. Information structured and arranged to render, in a single window, text associated with the first and second communications at the devices associated with the first, second, and third users is generated.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for ultra-low latency compression. In accordance with one implementation, a method is provided that includes formatting, by a processor, an input audio signal into a plurality of overlapping time-domain blocks, transforming, by a processor, each time-domain block to a transform domain block comprising a plurality of coefficients, and partitioning the coefficients of each transform domain block into signal coefficients and residue coefficients. The method also includes quantizing the signal coefficients for each transform domain block and generating signal quantization indices indicative of such quantization, modeling the residue coefficients for each transform domain block as stochastic noise and generating residue quantization indices indicative of such quantization, and formatting the signal quantization indices and the residue quantization indices for each transform domain block as an output bit stream.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for filtering unsolicited electronic commercial messages. A system and method according to the present invention for screening out unsolicited commercial messages comprises the steps of receiving a message from a sender, sending a challenge back to the sender, receiving a response to the challenge, and determining if the response is a proper response.