Abstract: A user profile server stores a particular user profile corresponding to a user who belongs to a plurality of separate loyalty programs, and the particular user profile includes a plurality of different loyalty program user identifiers each identifying the user on a respective one of the separate loyalty programs. The user profile server communicates user a preference included on the particular user profile to a first controller via the computer network and communicates the user preference included on the particular user profile to a second controller via the computer network. The first controller is associated with a first hospitality location where the user is identified according to a first loyalty program user identifier included on the particular user profile, and the second is controller is associated with a second hospitality location where the user is identified according to a second loyalty program user identifier included on the particular user profile.

Abstract: A coax server acts as a proxy between a coax transmission infrastructure and an Internet Protocol (IP) transmission infrastructure. An incoming request is received from a particular one of a plurality of coax client devices on the coax infrastructure. A request for specific media content is transmitted to a media-on-demand server in response to receiving the incoming request. A media stream is received over the IP infrastructure from the media-on-demand server, the media stream corresponding to the specific media content, and the coax server allocates a coax channel of sufficient bandwidth on the coax infrastructure and transmits the media stream on the coax channel utilizing the RF modulation scheme. A pointer indicating the coax channel on which the media stream is being transmitted is sent to the particular coax client device. The coax channel is unknown to other of the coax client devices besides the particular coax client device.

Abstract: A bandwidth management system includes a plurality of queues respectively corresponding to a plurality of zones. An enqueuing module receives network traffic from one or more incoming network interfaces, determines a belonging zone to which the network traffic belongs, and enqueues the network traffic on a queue corresponding to the belonging zone. A dequeuing module selectively dequeues data from the queues and passes the data to one or more outgoing network interfaces. When dequeuing data from the queues the dequeuing module dequeues an amount of data from a selected queue, and the amount of data dequeued from the selected queue is determined according to user load of a zone to which the selected queue corresponds.

Abstract: A PBX system complements the mobile phones of users. Custom incoming and outgoing call rules are dynamically activated for users when the users begin utilizing a facility having at least one phone number and a number of internal phones. A custom rule causes outgoing calls made from an internal phone used by a user to have a caller ID phone number of the user's personal mobile phone rather than the facility's phone number. Another custom rule causes incoming calls made to the facility's phone number that have a source caller ID phone number matching a phone number in the user's mobile phone address book to be automatically forwarded directly to an internal phone currently utilized by the user. The user may install an application on their mobile phone, and another custom rule causes incoming calls at the user's mobile phone to be twinned while the user is at the facility.

Abstract: A system for integrating modules of computer code may include a sandbox validator for receiving a first module and verifying that the first module complies with one or more sandbox constraints. A computing device may execute the first module within a runtime environment. A module integrator may operate within the runtime environment for receiving a request from the first module to access a service provided by a second module and only allowing the first module to access the service when the first module is authorized to access the service according to a service authorization table. The sandbox validator may ensure the first module correctly identifies itself when requesting a service provide by another module and that the first module includes runtime policing functions for non-deterministic operations. A service authorizer may generate an authorization policy for the first module, which is sent to the computing device along with the first module.

Abstract: A method of servicing requests for information at a server includes receiving a request for information from a client device, and determining a number of attempts of the request made by the client device. Both the client device and the server may count the number of attempts for each request. When the number of attempts is greater than a threshold, the method includes servicing the request and sending the information to the client device. When the number of attempts is not greater than the threshold, the method includes sending a service unavailable message to the client device. A retry-after delay may be calculated by the server according to a predicted time for the server to exit an overloaded state and included in the service unavailable message. The predicted time may take into account both requests currently being serviced and requests that have been scheduled to be serviced in the future.

Abstract: A media system providing customized media functions at a hospitality establishment includes a first device operable to display a first passkey to a user attempting to activate a media function on a particular media device. The hospitality establishment includes a plurality of media devices installed at a plurality of different locations therein. A second device is operable to receive the first passkey from the user, determine whether the first passkey received from the user matches a second passkey associated with the particular media device, and activate the media function on the particular media device in response to determining that the first passkey received from the user matches the second passkey associated with the particular media device.

Abstract: An interface gateway interfaces between a first device and a second device serving a hospitality establishment. The first device is one of a property management system (PMS) and a guest service device, and the second device is the other of the property management system (PMS) and the guest service device. One or more communication ports perform data communications with the first device and the second device. One or more processors receive a message from the first device, determine that the message is in a first format, convert the message from the first format to an internal data structure, parse the message in the internal data structure to determine that the message is applicable to the second device, determine that the second device supports a second format, convert the message from the internal data structure to the second format, and send the message in the second format to the second device.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are described for providing access to arbitrary applications via an interactive television service using a pool of remote virtual desktops.

Abstract: A media server receives a request from an unpaired mobile device, queries a login database to determine whether the mobile device is logged in for high speed Internet access, and, when yes, identifies a particular guest area of the hospitality establishment according to details in its login record. One of the media devices accessible from within the particular guest area is selected and paired with the mobile device without requiring a user of the mobile device to input into the mobile device a connect code of the selected media device. In another example, a user initiates a codeless pairing mode on a particular one of the media devices and begins interacting with the media server utilizing an unpaired mobile device. Since, only one media device can be in that mode at a time, the media server pairs the newly detected unpaired mobile device with the particular media device.

Abstract: A media system includes a computer network, a media device supporting a network-based media sharing protocol, a plurality of output devices located at a plurality of physical locations within a hospitality establishment, and a system controller. In response to a first event, the system controller assigns the media device to a particular guest device by reconfiguring one or more components of the computer network to enable the particular guest device to utilize the network-based media sharing protocol to share media over the computer network with the media device, and commands an output device located at a physical location associated with the particular guest device to play media corresponding to the media signal outputted by the media device on the output port. In response to a second event, the system controller un-assigns the media device from the particular guest device and commands the output device to stop playing the media.

Abstract: A captive portal system includes a login database, a web server, and a name server. The name server receives a DNS request from a user device, queries the login database to determine whether the user device is logged in, and responds to the DNS request with the IP address of the web server as a resolved IP address of the specified domain name when the user device is not logged in. The web server accepts a connection request from the user device to the IP address of the web server, receives an HTTP request specifying a non-local target URL from the user device, queries the login database to determine whether the user device is logged in according to the source address of the user device, and acts as a transparent proxy between the user device and the non-local target URL when the user device is logged in.

Abstract: A system includes a storage device for storing details of a plurality of reservations of a hospitality establishment. A particular reservation includes a set of reservation-specific settings affecting behavior of the computer network at the hospitality establishment during the reservation. The settings may include a registered device setting for affecting behavior of a computer network at the hospitality establishment toward a user device having a specified device identifier. The system further includes a clock unit for tracking time, and a system controller coupled to the computer network and having access to the storage device and the clock unit. The system controller automatically configures one or more network components of the computer network when a start time of the particular reservation is reached in order to activate the reservation-specific settings.

Abstract: Users store information relevant to first responders in the event of an emergency. When a user later places an emergency call, the user's emergency information is automatically made available to the public-safety answering point operator handling the call. Hotel personal are notified of the call and may listen to and break in to the ongoing call in order to assist. A reverse 9-1-1 broadcast enables hotel personnel to quickly notify guests of an emergency situation via in-room and mobile phones. In the event that police need to conduct surveillance on a target location, the onsite PBX server reconfigures phones within the vicinity of the target location to operate in an open mode and records the audio/visual information received. An incoming call to a hotel room from the PSAP is automatically connected to the in-room phone even if other incoming calls not from the PSAP are being screened by front desk.

Abstract: One or more processors are configured to associate a first local IP address with a computer while the computer is connected to a first network access node thereby providing the computer with access to a network. The first local IP address is one of a plurality of local IP addresses used on the network. The one or more processors monitor transmissions received from the first network access node to determine when the computer requests an Internet transaction. When the computer requests an Internet transaction, a first one of the globally unique IP addresses is associated with the first local IP address thereby allowing the computer to conduct the Internet transaction. The first globally unique IP address is disassociated from the first local IP address after termination of the Internet transaction and is then available for association with any of the local IP addresses used on the network.

Abstract: The described captive portal techniques cause client devices to render and display designated web pages. One designated web page may be different than a requested web page such as when a client is not authorized to access the requested page and is instead caused to display a login portal. The captive portal may modify the designated web page to ensure that relative links lacking base domains now have specified base domains pointing to an authorized web server. The modified content is sent from the captive portal to the client device for display. Client web browser security measures related to redirection messages are thereby bypassed and load on the captive portal is minimal. Another designated web page may be the same as the requested web page such as when the requested page is an authorized page even for non-logged in clients. Authorized pages may be modified to add a login link.

Abstract: A hospitality media system includes a media system controller and a plurality of media devices located in a plurality of rooms and coupled to the media system controller. Each room has one or more in-room media devices located therein for performing a media function. A connection port allows a user of a room to establish data communications between the media system controller and a guest device. The media system controller is coupled to the connection port and configured to catalog guest content available on the guest device to thereby form a guest content list, associate the guest content with one or more associated rooms at least including the user's room, and perform the media function utilizing content selected from the guest content list only on the in-room media devices located within the one or more associated rooms.

Abstract: A server is deployed on a network and manages operation of a plurality of server instances each with a virtual frame buffer. A client establishes a connection with the server at a start of a user session. The server allocates a server instance to the client and a user interface application renders a corresponding graphical user interface to the virtual frame buffer of the allocated server instance. The server forwards updates of the graphical user interface from the virtual frame buffer to the client, where at least some of the updates include transparency information for blending the graphical user interface with additional visual information at the client. When the session is complete the server reclaims the server instance allocated to the client. In-room device requirements in guest rooms of a hospitality establishment are thereby minimized while providing enhanced user interface performance. Locations in other applications include private residences and businesses.

Abstract: A hotspot provides an open wireless network and a secure wireless network. The open wireless network has no network-level encryption and allows open association therewith. The secure wireless network employs network-level encryption and requires authentication of a received access credential from a client device before allowing association therewith. A system for authorizing the client device for secured access at the hotspot includes an access controller configured to establish an encrypted connection between the client device and a login portal of the hotspot over the open wireless network, and to store a user-specific access credential transmitted via the encrypted connection as a valid access credential in a credential database. The credential database is accessed by wireless access points of the hotspot to authenticate the received access credential from the client device in response to a request from the client device to associate with the secure wireless network.

Abstract: Network traffic is received from a guest device on a computer network of a hospitality establishment, and a guest area of the hospitality establishment is accordingly identified. A login database is queried to find an unexpired login for the guest area, the unexpired login specifying a stored guest identifier corresponding to information retrieved from a property management system of the hospitality establishment regarding a guest of the guest area at a time when the unexpired login was created. The stored guest identifier of the unexpired login is compared with a current guest identifier of the guest area retrieved from the property management system regarding a current guest of the guest area. When the stored guest identifier matches the current guest identifier, the guest device is automatically allowed to access the network service for a remaining portion of the allowed access duration of the unexpired login.