Abstract: Organizing a participant list includes maintaining a participant list of users of an electronic communications system to be used by a first user of the electronic communications system. Communications strengths between the first user and each of the users included in the participant list are determined. The users included in the participant list are organized based on the corresponding communications strengths. Communications strengths may be determined for users included in a group within a participant list, and the users within the group may be organized within the group based on communications strength. An additional group in the participant list in which some or all of the users included in the participant list are organized based on communications strength may be provided.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of protecting content includes receiving a request from a user to access the content. The user is enabled to perceive the content based on the request received from the user. The user is prevented from capturing the content when perception of the content is enabled. The method may be performed by a Java applet running in a network environment.

Abstract: Resolving a query term includes receiving at least one query term from a requestor and determining a geographic location of the requestor. The geographic location of the requestor may be determined by accessing an electronic information store containing a requestor profile including geographic information about the requestor, where the requestor profile is used by more than one program. The query term is resolved against electronic information within at least one electronic information store to determine whether one or more matches exist and a result is generated that accounts for the geographic location of the requestor.

Abstract: Automatically saving communicated multimedia objects to a repository for subsequent use includes in response to a sent electronic message and a received electronic message, identifying an embedded multimedia object or an attached multimedia object. The embedded multimedia object or the attached multimedia object is separated from the electronic message. The separated multimedia object is automatically saved to a repository for subsequent use by a user and the user is able to select the multimedia object from the repository for subsequent use.

Abstract: Entries within a participant list of an electronic communications system may be categorized automatically into one or more groups based on attributes of users represented in the participant list. Categorizing users includes maintaining a list of identifiers that are selected by a first user and for which online presence information is made perceivable through the list. The list includes one or more categories into which the identifiers are categorized. At least one attribute associated with an identifier for which online presence information is to be made perceivable through the list and attributes stored relative to at least one of the categories are accessed. The attributes associated with the identifier are compared to the stored attributes. Based on results of the comparison, at least one category within the list that corresponds to the identifier is identified, and the identifier is categorized into the identified category.

Abstract: Securing an accessible computer system typically includes receiving a data packet that includes a payload portion and an attribute portion, where the data packet is communicated between at least one access requestor and at least one access provider. At least the payload portion of the received data packet typically is monitored, where monitoring includes scanning the payload portion for at least one predetermined pattern. When the payload portion is determined to include at least one predetermined pattern, access by the access requestor to the access provider may be controlled . Monitoring the data packet may include scanning the payload portion while handling the data packet with a switch. Controlling access may include denying access by the access requestor to the access provider.

Abstract: A method of interfacing used on a network having a central computer system and a plurality of remote computer systems is provided. Each remote computer system includes a video display. Applied to video games, the method creates a first visual representation of a first player on a first remote computer system, identifies an interest and a skill level of the first player for at least one video game, indicates predetermined personal characteristics of the first player, saves the visual representation, interest, skill levels and personal characteristics of the first player, accesses the central computer system from the first remote computer system, selects a second player who has accessed the central computer system from a second remote computer system, and invites the second player to play a selected video game. The second player may access the visual representation, interest, skill levels and personal characteristics of the first player.

Abstract: Communicating data packets between a client device and a host system generally includes using a protocol server module, located on the client device, that terminates a communication session that uses a first protocol and that is intended to enable communications between a source and a destination, in which the source is one of a client device operating system protocol stack and the host system and the destination is one of the client device operating system protocol stack and the host system but differs from the source. The protocol server module translates data packets from the source between the first protocol and a second protocol that is different from the first protocol and transports the data packets having the second protocol to the destination. A controller module generally also is included on the client device. The protocol server module may include a PPP server module located on the client device.

Abstract: Controlling the volume of an audible alert associated with an instant messaging communications session includes rendering, on a first instant messaging user system, an instant messaging application user interface for an instant messaging communications session involving at least a first instant messaging user and a second instant messaging user, receiving notification of an event related to the instant messaging communications session, determining a characteristic of the event, accessing an audible alert to be rendered to signal existence of the event, adjusting based upon the determined characteristic of the event a volume of the audible alert corresponding to the event, and rendering the audible alert to signal existence of the event.

Abstract: An e-mail filter is used to classify received e-mails so that some of the classes may be filtered, blocked, or marked. The e-mail filter may include a classifier that can classify an e-mail as belonging to a particular class and an e-mail grouper that can detect substantially similar, but possibly not identical, e-mails. The e-mail grouper determines groups of substantially similar e-mails in an incoming e-mail stream. For each group, the classifier determines whether one or more test e-mails from the group belongs to the particular class. The classifier then designates the class to which the other e-mails in the group belong based on the results for the test e-mails.

Abstract: Displaying electronic information in an instant-messaging application includes accessing a first electronic message providing information describing a first user that has an identifier included in a set of identifiers of users of an instant messaging application. A second electronic message providing information describing a second user that has an identifier included in the set of identifiers of users of an instant messaging application is accessed. Content contained within the first and second messages is analyzed to determine that at least a portion of content is common to the first and second electronic messages. Based upon the content analysis, an indication that the first and second messages include common content is provided to the user. Alternatively or additionally, an indication that two users are in physical proximity to a geographic location may be provided in response to detecting that the two users are within a threshold distance from the geographic location.

Abstract: A secure distributed single-login authentication system comprises a client and a server. The client collects a user name and password from a user and tests that user name and password at a variety of potential authentication servers to check where the login is valid. It combines the password with a time varying salt and a service specific seed in a message digesting hash and generates a first hash value. The client sends the hash value along with the user name and the time varying salt to a currently selected server. The server extracts the user name and looks up an entry under the user name from the selected server's database. If an entry is found, it retrieves the password and performs the same hash function on the combination of the user name, the service specific seed, and the retrieved password to generate a second hash value. Then, it compares two hash values. If these two values match, the user is authenticated.

Abstract: Personalizing communications typically includes accessing status information for instant messaging sessions involving an instant messaging identity and passively configuring a buddy group associated with the instant messaging identity to persistently reflect a list of participant identities from instant messaging sessions in which the instant messaging identity recently participated. The buddy group may be configured without action from the instant messaging identity. The list of participant identities may be maintained persistently beyond logout of the instant messaging identity. The list of participant identities may be maintained independent of a device used for the instant messaging sessions during which the list was created such that the buddy group is accessible from one or more different devices.

Abstract: In order to increase the efficacy of a mood-based playlisting system, a mood sensor such as a camera may be used to provide mood information to the mood model. When the mood sensor includes a camera, a camera may be used to capture an image of the user. The image is analyzed to determine a mood for the user so that content may be selected responsive to the mood of the user.

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.

Abstract: Applying services to calls involving subscribers to a telephony services provider includes receiving an indication of a call placed to or from a first call participant. The indication is received by a telephony services provider over a first signaling path of the call that is established between the telephony services provider and a first telephony proxy server that is controlled by a telephony infrastructure provider. Control signals configured to affect a voice path of the call that is established between the first telephony proxy server and a second telephony proxy server also controlled by the telephony infrastructure provider but associated with a second call participant are identified. The identified control signals are sent to the first telephony proxy server over the first signaling path and to the second telephony proxy server over a second signaling path that is established between the telephony services provider and the second telephony proxy server.

Abstract: Directory service results responsive to a request for a desired good or service provider may be provided based on one or more user-selected locations. The user may seek a desired good or service provider that is proximate to a location from which the user may begin traveling to the point of interest, referred to as a source location, and satisfies a beneficial objective held by the user. The beneficial objective may relate to, for example, a directional travel preference, avoiding rush hour traffic or proximity to a specific location or another type of good or service provider that differs from the user's desired good or service provider that is the subject of the user's request. A sequence of geometrical representations, such as, for example, Delauney Triangles, may be generated to provide directory service results that satisfy the user's request.

Abstract: A home-networking gateway may automatically provide a function based on data identified on a device on a home network. The home-networking gateway may perform the function using another device that is capable of performing the function and is accessible to the home-networking gateway.

Abstract: A universal digital content system provides a dynamic user interface having a viewing area, an action menu area, and an organizing area. A user can create, organize, send, receive, access, collaborate with and otherwise manage digital content through a single user interface. The universal digital content system provides multiple ways of viewing and organizing all of the digital content accessible through the dynamic user interface. In addition, a user can create a collaboration session with one or more contacts using one or more digital content files.

Abstract: Perception of a personalization item in an instant messaging communications session may be enabled by perceiving an identifier corresponding to an intended instant message recipient designated by an instant message sender system, accessing personalization items corresponding to the perceived identifier, and making perceivable the personalization items corresponding to the received identifier to the instant messaging sender system for rendering in an instant messaging application running on the instant messaging sender system, where the personalization items are made perceivable prior to communication with the intended instant message recipient.