Abstract: A speech synthesis system can select recorded speech fragments, or acoustic units, from a very large database of acoustic units to produce artificial speech. The selected acoustic units are chosen to minimize a combination of target and concatenation costs for a given sentence. However, as concatenation costs, which are measures of the mismatch between sequential pairs of acoustic units, are expensive to compute, processing can be greatly reduced by pre-computing and aching the concatenation costs. Unfortunately, the number of possible sequential pairs of acoustic units makes such caching prohibitive. However, statistical experiments reveal that while about 85% of the acoustic units are typically used in common speech, less than 1% of the possible sequential pairs of acoustic units occur in practice.

Abstract: A method for use in an IMS VoIP Network provides for remote troubleshooting of a CPE problem. After receiving a customer complaint, customer care begins the troubleshooting process, collecting and compiling information to send to the test platform. The test platform constructs a SIP test call request instruction and sends it to the CPE. The process is repeated for a number of test calls. If there is no response from any of the test calls, it is concluded that the CPE is in trouble. The results are reported to Customer Care Center, which can use those results to take action to resolve the problem. In another embodiment, after failure of all of the test calls, another SIP instruction is sent to run diagnostics on the CPE. The diagnostic results are reported to Customer Care Center, which can take action based on those results to resolve the problem.

Abstract: A method of content adaptive encoding video is disclosed. The method comprises segmenting video content into segments based on predefined classifications or models. Examples of such classifications include action scenes, slow scenes, low or high detail scenes, and brightness of the scenes. Based on the segment classifications, each segment is encoded with a different encoder chosen from a plurality of encoders. Each encoder is associated with a model. The chosen encoder is particularly suited to encoding the unique subject matter of the segment. The coded bit-stream for each segment includes information regarding which encoder was used to encode that segment. A matching decoder of a plurality of decoders is chosen using the information in the coded bitstream to decode each segment using a decoder suited for the classification or model of the segment.

Abstract: A system and method of exchanging medical information between a user and a computer device is disclosed. The computer device can receive user input in one of a plurality of types of user input comprising speech, pen, gesture and a combination of speech, pen and gesture. The method comprises receiving information from the user associated with a medical condition and a bodily location of the medical condition on a patient in one of a plurality of types of user input, presenting in one of a plurality of types of system output an indication of the received medical condition and the bodily location of the medical condition, and presenting to the user an indication that the computer device is ready to receive further information. The invention enables a more flexible multi-modal interactive environment for entering medical information into a computer device. The medical device also generates multi-modal output for presenting a patient's medical condition in an efficient manner.

Abstract: A business process automation system architecture is used to isolate problems in a virtual private network access network. Codified rules and a rules based program are used to determine all equipment from a customer premises equipment to a VPN core access point equipment on a VPN access path and that is associated with a failure. The codified rules also govern the gathering of information on the equipment including determining whether the equipment supports automated diagnostics and the communication protocols used. Extended PING testing is done on the equipment and a status of the extended PING test, link status, line protocol status, and existing loop status is determined. Further testing is automatically run based on the codified rules and the status. The failure is then isolated to the CPE, a local exchange carrier, or a network provider.

Abstract: An Internet service provider includes a cache server and a network aware server. The network aware server is operable to determine an optimization between a cost of retrieving content from a network and a cost of caching content from the network at the first cache server and then send a content identifier to the cache server. The cache server is operable to receive the content identifier, and determine the source of a content item. If the source is the same as the content identifier, then the cache server caches the content item.

Abstract: An animation wireframe is modified with three-dimensional (3D) range and color data having a corresponding shape surface. The animation wireframe is vertically scaled based on distances between consecutive features within the 3D range and color data and corresponding distances within the generic animation wireframe. For each animation wireframe point, the location of the animation wireframe point is adjusted to coincide with a point on the shape surface. The shape surface point lies along a scaling line connecting the animation wireframe point, the shape surface point and an origin point. The scaling line is within a horizontal point.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for remotely monitoring undersea cable systems. Upon receiving a fault alert message, an optical cross-connect is set up between the subject cable station and a testing platform. Testing is conducted and a determination is made whether the fault is in the undersea portion of the network, or in the terrestrial backhaul. By making that determination early, unnecessary technician travel is reduced.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention allow the efficient detection of glitches in a set of data. In one embodiment, a set of datapoints is received. The datapoints are transformed into a transformed space, and the transformed space is segmented into a plurality of regions. For each datapoint, a time series is generated representing the trajectory of the transformed datapoint through regions of the segmented transformed space. Data corresponding to transformed datapoints whose trajectories exhibit an unusual pattern are transmitted.

Abstract: A network-based device allows customers to receive television programming and to view summaries of the programming. A method of providing the summaries comprises: dividing a received program into program segments each identified by index marks, summarizing each program segment into summary segments identified by similar index marks, generating metadata files for delimiting a beginning and an end of summary segments and program segments, storing the summary segments and accessing the summary segments to supply the summary segments in lieu of program segments upon demand.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for providing a spoken dialog system using meta-data to build language models to improve speech processing. Meta-data is generally defined as data outside received speech; for example, meta-data may be a customer profile having a name, address and purchase history of a caller to a spoken dialog system. The method comprises building tree clusters from meta-data and estimating a language model using the built tree clusters. The language model may be used by various modules in the spoken dialog system, such as the automatic speech recognition module and/or the dialog management module. Building the tree clusters from the meta-data may involve generating projections from the meta-data and further may comprise computing counts as a result of unigram tree clustering and then building both unigram trees and higher-order trees from the meta-data as well as computing node distances within the built trees that are used for estimating the language model.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system that interacts with a user in an automated dialog system (100). The system may include a communicative goal generator (210) that generates communicative goals based on a first communication received from the user. The generated communicative goals (210) may be related to information needed to be obtained from the user. The system may further include a sentence planning unit (220) that automatically plans one or more sentences based on the communicative goals generated by the communicative goal generator (210). At least one of the planned sentences may be then output to the user (230).

Abstract: A system and method to provide content and call attributes for a destination phone number using a click-to-dial connection includes accepting a query, retrieving links to a document, and searching through cached data using the query to identify relevant or destination number information. If no match is found, the method continues with accessing the document identified by the link for identifying relevant number information and creating a click-to-dial icon to link to the relevant numbers included in the relevant phone number information identified by the query. Next, a popup box for content relevant to the click-to-dial icon and a click feature on the popup box are created to retrieve call destination attributes for viewing by a user. Further, computer instructions create at least one communication connection between two communication devices after viewing call destination attributes.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods that allow more sophisticated use of custom calling services by consolidating the access to and administration of services for multiple lines and/or telephone devices. Embodiments include a single configuration interface for the calling services on all of an individual's telephone lines or devices, a single system for providing incoming calling services for all of an individual's telephone lines or devices, and a single system for providing outgoing calling services for all of an individual's telephone lines or devices. The present invention also includes features which allow custom calling services for a particular telephone device to be customized so as to interact with the custom calling services on another telephone device belonging to the same user.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for use in fiber optic signature recognition to analyze buried optical fiber to identify a non-threat area along a fiber route and to discontinue monitoring for disturbances along that area of the cable route. The technique includes determining the location of the zone of non-threatening disturbances from comparing an optical signal to the representation of a prearranged optical signal identified as friendly. Once a zone of non-threatening disturbances is identified, all subsequent disturbances in that zone are considered friendly. Cable monitoring is discontinued in the identified zone of non-threatening disturbances so as to avoid monitoring fiber cable when permitted workers are in the area.

Abstract: Described is a system and method for receiving a data packet including a destination address and a source address, the data packet corresponding to a port number, assigning an address risk value for the data packet based on the source address and a port risk value for the data packet based on the port number. The data packet is categorized into a community based on the source address, wherein the community is predefined by a user corresponding to the destination address, the community includes a utility value. The address risk value and the port risk value are compared to the utility value to yield a benefit coefficient and the data packet is treated based on the benefit coefficient.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for providing certified voice and/or multimedia mail messages in a broadband signed communication system which uses packetized digital information. Cryptography is used to authenticate a message that has been compiled from streaming voice or multimedia packets. A certificate of the originator's identity and electronic signature authenticates the message. A broadband communication system user may be provisioned for certified voice and/or multimedia mail by registering with a certified mail service provider and thereby receiving certification. The called system user's CPE electronically signs the bits in received communication packets and returns the message with an electronic signature of the called system user to the calling party, along with the system user's certificate obtained from the service provider/certifying authority during registration. The electronic signature is a cryptographic key of the called party.

Abstract: A method and system for monitoring data packet traffic in a multicast network comprising determining a first packet count received at a receiver router, representing a quantity of data packets associated with a multicast group and source at a first time, determining a second packet count received at that receiver router representing a quantity of data packets associated with that multicast group and source, at a second time subsequent to the first time, comparing the second packet count to the first packet count, and indicating an alarm in response to the second packet count being less than a predetermined value greater than the first packet count. A status for multiple routers can be obtained, comprising a difference between the quantity of the first and second packet counts; and indicating a warning in response to at least one of the plurality of router status being less than the predetermined value.

Abstract: A layered syndicated feed or content is provided having layers defined according to a media type (e.g., text, graphic, audio, or video) wherein each layer has a plurality of levels such that each level provides either inclusive or exclusive content of the layer's media type in varying degrees of detail or depth. Furthermore, a system is provided for requesting and storing user and mobile device profiles indicative of the syndicated content layers and levels that the user is interested in receiving and that the user's mobile device is capable of receiving.

Abstract: A method for propagating changes, including updates and new configurations, to data in a data-store for a network is disclosed. The methodology discovers a method that includes forming a schedule for each one of a group of intelligent peripheral resources and forming a query to a data-store for each one of the intelligent peripheral resources. The method continues by using each one of the group of intelligent peripheral resources to gather new data, which is the result of the query, and updating the data with the gathered new data so the updated data can be stored on a computer readable media.