Abstract: An automated agent, such as an instant message robot, is be used to facilitate introduction of a chat participant to a small group of other chat participants in a chat room. To do so, for example, a BOT may present a chat participant who desires to be introduced to a small group of chat participants in a chat room with a series of multiple-choice questions, identify a subset of chat participants based on responses to the multiple-choice questions, and provide introductions among the chat participants in the subset to facilitate conversation therebetween. For example, the introductions provided by the BOT may indicate areas of mutual interest among chat participants in the subset, similar responses to one or more multiple-choice questions, and/or diverse responses to one or more multiple-choice questions.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for improving security in a single-sign-on context by providing, to a user's client system, two linked authentication credentials in separate logical communication sessions and requiring that both credentials be presented to a host system. Only after presentation of both credentials is the user authenticated and permitted to access applications on the host system.

Abstract: Temporal drift correction may be provided in a real-time audio communication system by measuring a size of a receiving data buffer and comparing that size to a predetermined nominal data buffer size. An amount of temporal drift is characterized as a number of samples per audio playback data block based on the measured data buffer size and the nominal data buffer size. A number of samples to be inserted or removed for each audio playback data block to correct the temporal drift may be determined, and the number of samples for each audio playback data block may be modified. For example, an instantaneous size of the receiving data buffer may be measured, and if measured multiple times, may be averaged over a time period. Heuristic resampling of the audio playback data block also may be performed.

Abstract: Instant messaging (IM) entities may be invited to an electronic calendar event using an instant message. Selecting the IM entities as invitees to the event may include dragging and dropping names of the IM entities from a buddy list of an IM application to an event from an electronic calendar application, or vice versa. A method of inviting an entity to a calendar event includes providing a calendar event from a calendar application and recognizing, by the calendar application, an IM entity as an invitee to the event.

Abstract: Personalizing communications for a first communication platform includes accessing status information for communication sessions by a communication identity that leverage a first communication platform other than an instant messaging platform. A participant list associated with the communication identity and the first communication platform is passively configured to persistently reflect a list of participant identities from communication sessions in which the communication identity recently participated using the communication platform.

Abstract: A system and method for determining in a global network the user network authentication status as the user goes from site to site within the network is provided. Additionally, the system and method provides for transparent or implicit multi-site logon functionality, including automatic introduction from one site to the other using a baseline authentication agency (102). The system and method provides an architecture for a core global network (100) (referred to herein as NET) that incorporates some or all of the following features and components: a set of baseline authentication agencies responsible for the core global network (NET) services, such as login and user-selected service-provider lookup; a shared NET domain and associated DNS records (106) used for cookie (110) sharing, login routing, and the like; and a collection of partner sites (108) accessible via the NET.

Abstract: Client-server architectures for allowing web applications to operate even when the client and server are disconnected. Exemplary architectures include a local web engine associated with a local cache which can be separate from a browser cache and browser application. Exemplary data structures include web documents having one or more control commands embedded in the head with manifest code. Exemplary methods include operating web applications when the client is offline, caching web applications, executable code, web documents, security code, and/or remote files, allowing web application access of local files, and operating client/web applications.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for providing content to be displayed to a user in response to a search request. One embodiment of a method includes identifying a page recipe comprising one or more page properties and one or more content module definitions, each content module definition defining an amount of content to be displayed in a content module to be displayed on a results page, the location of the content module to be displayed on the results page, and a content source from which to obtain content to be displayed in the content module, and using the page recipe to generate a results page to be displayed on a search client.

Abstract: Techniques are described for forwarding an instant message addressed to an intended instant messaging recipient to the recipient's mobile telephone when the recipient's mobile telephone number is known to the instant message sender. In one example, an instant message is forwarded to the intended recipient's mobile telephone number when the instant message sender's contact information for the intended recipient includes an instant message address (e.g., a screen name or other type of instant message identifier) and a mobile telephone number, without dependence upon the intended recipient's presence on the instant message (IM) system or through actual login or registration with an IM forwarding service. In another example, an instant message addressed to an intended instant messaging recipient is forwarded to the recipient's mobile telephone when the recipient is known to the instant message sender.

Abstract: A technique for defining a system with enhanced trust is disclosed, in which an immediate contact is made with the user on the enhanced trust system when a compromise is first detected. The service contacts the compromised user and asks for confirmation of the results. As a result, the true user on the enhanced trust machine is able to preclude a login or preclude a password change. In a first embodiment of the invention, an enhanced trust machine is a machine where the user is currently logged in at the time that the less trusted machine attempts a login. A second embodiment of the invention comprehends an enhanced trust machine where the user has logged in repeatedly over a course of numerous weeks, as compared with a lesser trusted machine that the user has never logged into before and which is now asking for a change of the password.

Abstract: A recipient computer system may receive one or more electronic messages. The recipient computer system may send one, two, or more challenge messages to the sender of the electronic messages in determining whether to deliver the electronic message. The recipient computer system may accept or reject an electronic message based on the response, or lack of response, to the challenge messages. The recipient computer system may send two or more challenge messages at intervals. A sender computer system may record activity of the sender computer system for a recipient computer system to use in determining whether to deliver an electronic message. A sender computer system may provide a summary of that activity with an electronic message. A sender computer system may provide an authorization key for a recipient computer system to use in determining whether to deliver an electronic message. The authorization key may be generated by a third party.

Abstract: A graphical user interface on a display device of a computer enables communications using a computer service. The graphical user interface includes a list of potential message recipients selected by a user as significant to the user. The graphical user interface also includes a mobile device identifier associated with one or more of the listed potential message recipients and a user account identifier associated with one or more of the listed potential message recipients. At least one of the listed potential recipients includes a mobile device identifier as the only available conduit for data delivery to the potential message recipient using the computer service.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed that enable an email service provider to implement an email forwarding service without losing associated page views. In one embodiment, rather than forwarding the entire email message, the email forwarding service generates a summary email message, and sends this summary email message to the forwarding email address pre-specified by the subscriber. This summary email message includes a link that is selectable by the user to view the original email message on a web site of the email service provider. Thus, even if the forwarding email address is hosted externally, the subscriber still views the full email message on a web site of the provider of the email forwarding service.

Abstract: A server-based browser system provides a server-based browser and a client system browser. The client browser reports the position of a user click on its display screen, hotspot ID, or URL to the server-side browser which retrieves a Document Object Model (DOM) model and view tree for the client and finds the location on the Web page that the user clicked on using the coordinates or hotspot ID received from the client. If there is a script associated with the location, it is executed and the resulting page location is requested from the appropriate server. If there is a URL associated with the location, it is requested from the appropriate server. The response Web page HTML definition is parsed and a DOM tree model is created which is used to create a view tree model. The server-side browser retrieves a style sheet, layout algorithms, and device constraints for the client device and lays out the view model using them onto a virtual page and determines the visual content.

Abstract: A search query is resolved prior to being submitted to one or more search engines. The query is resolved such that the query unambiguously corresponds to a category included in a query ontology that relates search queries to query categories. The query may be resolved by supplementing the query with additional information corresponding to the category. For example, the query may be formatted into a canonical form of the query for the category. Alternatively or additionally, the query may be supplemented with one or more keywords that are associated with the category and that represent words or phrases that appear in a high percentage of search results for queries from the category. Resolving the query yields search results that more closely reflect search results desired by a user submitting the query.

Abstract: Providing location information to a supervisory user includes providing a parental control, using a computer automatically to determine a location of a subordinate user, and storing location information indicative of the location of the subordinate user in a database. A request of the supervisory user to locate the subordinate user is received and a user interface informs the supervisory user of the location of the subordinate user based on the stored location information. At least one of the storing and/or the informing are based on the parental control.

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: Communication applications may include lists of users with which a user of the application communicates. If two users of a communications application each include the other user on their user lists, an implicit trust may be established between the users. For example, if user A includes user B in her list and user B includes user A in his list, then it may be determined that each user knows and/or trusts the other user. As a result, a connection or communications pathway may be automatically created between the client devices of the users to facilitate communications between the users based on the implicit trust.

Abstract: Search results may be sorted or filtered based on scores assigned to the search results. For example, scores may be assigned to search results based on characteristics of surrogate representations of the search results, which are relatively short summaries or excerpts of the search result that may be presented in place of the search results themselves, and those assigned scores may be used to sort or filter the search results. In one example, pairs of search results may be examined to identify significant drops in quality between search results, which is indicated by a large relative or absolute difference in the scores of the search results. Search results with scores that indicate ranks that are lower than a lower ranked search result of the pair of search results may be eliminated when the difference between the scores assigned to the pair of search results exceeds a maximum allowable difference.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for transmitting electronic data by receiving, at a communications system host, electronic data transmitted from a sender and addressed to an intended recipient; authenticating the electronic data based on attributes of the electronic data and appending information to the electronic data indicating that the electronic data has been authenticated.