Abstract: An initialization vector (IV) is employed to decrypt a block of a stream that has been encrypted with Cypher Block Chaining (CBC) encryption, without requiring decryption of previous blocks within the stream. For example, a listener who accesses a distribution point to retrieve encrypted content authenticates himself to an application server that regulates access to encrypted content on the distribution point, and responsively receives a key. The listener then requests access to a reference point within the encrypted content stream somewhere after its beginning (e.g., using preview clips). The distribution point relates the reference point to a corresponding block of the encrypted stream, and identifies an IV previously used for encryption of that block. The distribution point provides the associated encrypted block of content and the IV to the listener to enable mid-stream rendering of the encrypted content, without requiring the listener to decrypt previous blocks within the encrypted stream.

Abstract: Systems and methods for allowing challenge messages to be sent directly to a recipient's inbox where normally the challenge message would be sent to a pending folder or deleted. Challenge messages sent between federated messaging services contain a federated token which can be identified, authenticated and validated to determine whether the challenge message should be sent to a recipient's inbox. The federated token can include an authentication portion and a validation portion. Authentication methods for the authentication portion can include, for example, checksums, salts, hashes and digital signatures. Once a federated token is authenticated by decrypting the authentication portion according to one or more of these authentication methods, the federated token is validated by determining the defined use-base and determining whether the receipt of the federated token satisfies the defined use.

Abstract: A method and means for self-policing and automatically rate-limiting multiple-user online forums. The preferred embodiment of the invention includes a set of rules that permit users to censure other users. A censured user has one or more “privileges” (which may include access to the online computer system or the effective message rate of a communications connection) taken away or diminished; the privilege is gradually restored if the censured user behaves. The censuring participant and other pertinent participants are notified of the effect of the censuring on the censured user. In another aspect of the invention, the online computer system automatically tracks the rate at which a user sends certain types of messages, and can message rate limit a user who uses too many system resources by sending a large number of messages in rapid succession.

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.

Abstract: An incoming message and an indication of a sender-specified destination for the incoming message are received. In addition, a determination is made as to whether a mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination. If a mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination, a first message that is based on the incoming message is sent to the mobile telephone number. Furthermore, a second message is sent to the mobile telephone number that indicates that the first message was sent to the mobile telephone number based on a determination that the mobile telephone number is known by the sender to be associated with the sender-specified destination.

Abstract: The volume of outgoing electronic messages from a given entity may be restricted by preventing the messages, such as spam, from being sent. Messages may be restricted, for example, by serializing outgoing messages using a mutual-exclusion locking technique or by using a ticket-based system. Serialization may occur, for example, at a web level in web-based implementations. In one system, a limited-use ticket is generated that allows an entity to send one or more electronic messages, and the ticket is provided to the entity. A request is received from the entity to send an electronic message, and the request is associated with the ticket and the electronic message. After receiving the request, a determination is made as to whether the ticket is valid and, if the ticket is determined to be valid, the electronic message is approved for sending.

Abstract: A classification system includes a signature-based duplicate detector and an inductive classifier that share attribute information. To perform the duplicate detection and the classification, the duplicate detector and inductive classifier are first initialized by generating a lexicon of attributes for the duplicate detector and a classification model for the classifier. To develop a classification model, a training set of documents of known class are used by the classifier to determine the attributes of the documents that are most useful in classifying an unknown document. The model is developed from these attributes. Attribute information containing the attributes determined by the classifier is then passed to the duplicate detector and the duplicate detector uses the attribute information to generate the lexicon of attributes.

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: Generally, access to content may be regulated by receiving a content request initiated at a jukebox for access to a content selection, identifying a jukebox location corresponding to a location of the jukebox, determining a permissible location for rendering the content selection, relating the jukebox location to the permissible location, and enabling the content request when the permissible location supports access to the content selection from the jukebox location.

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: 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: Access to an electronic conference may be administered by receiving an electronic instruction configured to establish the electronic conference, enabling more than one user to generate content restrictions that limit content rendered during the electronic conference, analyzing one or more participant devices to ensure compliance with the content restrictions, establishing the electronic conference in accordance with the content restrictions, and enabling user access to the electronic conference consistent with the content restrictions.

Abstract: A first device may communicate by joining a wireless mesh network that includes at least one wireless device configured to operate a wireless routing protocol, discovering a group of other wireless devices configured to participate in the wireless mesh network, and accessing an interest metric for a second wireless device in the group of other wireless devices. The interest metric is based in part on a network topology from the wireless mesh network. The interest metric is related to an interest threshold and it is determined whether relating the interest metric to the interest threshold supports enabling messaging communications. If so, messaging communications may be enabled.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for fine-grained, trust-based rate limiting of network requests distinguishes trusted network traffic from untrusted network traffic at the granularity of an individual user/machine combination, so that network traffic policing measures are readily implemented against untrusted and potentially hostile traffic without compromising service to trusted users. A server establishes a user/client pair as trusted by issuing a trust token to the client when successfully authenticating to the server for the first time. Subsequently, the client provides the trust token at login. At the server, rate policies apportion bandwidth according to type of traffic: network requests that include a valid trust token are granted highest priority. Rate policies further specify bandwidth restrictions imposed for untrusted network traffic.

Abstract: A method and system for utilizing metadata to search for media, such as multimedia and streaming media, includes searching for the media, receiving results, extracting metadata associated with the media, enhancing the extracted metadata, and grouping the search results in accordance with attributes of the enhanced metadata. Enhancing and grouping include adding related metadata to the database of metadata, iteratively using metadata to search for more media related data, removing duplicate URLs, collapsing URLs that are variants of each other, and masking out superfluous terms from URLs. The resultant metadata and media files are available to users and search engines.

Abstract: Implementing an electronic calendar can include accessing a first electronic calendar owned by a first party, accessing a second electronic calendar owned by a second party, and presenting a view that combines at least one existing entry from within each of the first and second electronic calendars. Source information for each of the first and second electronic calendars may be electronically maintained. The combined view may be updated electronically to reflect a change to at least one of the existing entries from within at least one of the first and second electronic calendars. Electronic calendars may be accessed and overlaid without importing events, thus enabling simple updating. Event information may be imported and source or other attributes may be associated with imported information to enable updating and other sorting functions.

Abstract: A preferred route may be determined from an origin location to a destination location. The determination is made by processing directed links (e.g., one-way edges) in a graph that includes one or more links and two or more nodes. The determination of a preferred route may include an estimate of the time required at one or more intersections along alternative. Individual routing preferences, such as a preference of a rural over an urban route, also may be considered. Techniques are described that may help reduce the time required to identify a preferred route, including the identification and removal of no outlet routes before processing the directed links and techniques using particular data formats.

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 the 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: The disclosed system translates into different languages HTML documents available through the World Wide Web. HTML documents are translated by machine translation software bundled in a browser. Alternatively, documents are retrieved as needed, translated, and stored on a Web server so user requests are serviced with a document that has been translated from a different language. The disclosed invention expands usage of the Internet for non-English speakers.

Abstract: Images may be registered using temporal (time-based) and spatial information. In a film implementation, because film is a sequence of frames, using information from neighboring frames may enable a temporally smoother visual experience. In addition, it may be beneficial to take advantage of the fact that consecutive frames are often shifted similarly during the photographic process. Distortion measures may be used that discount candidate transformations that are considered to be too far from one or more preferred transformations, such as, for example, an optimal transformation from another frame or block or a currently-optimal transformation from the same frame/block. Composite color images may be processed to provide registration of underlying components.