Abstract: A system and method is provided for personal sites. The personal sites are associated with a single Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A personal site may contain information that is useful to both the web page owner and other groups of users. According to one aspect of the present invention, the personal site may have two or more views instead of one: one homepage for the web page owner and other homepages directed at other specific users. The present invention allows a web page owner to control access to multiple web pages from a single URL, thereby allowing different groups to have different views of the owner's content. In one embodiment, a web server redirects users to different web pages by analyzing identifiers associated with each web page query.

Abstract: A system for testing software modules is provided. A user enters parameter values that will be tested into a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet application generates an XML data file including the parameter values arranged into a table. A test shell extracts test cases from the XML data file and converts the data into a testing object for use by a test engine.

Abstract: Offloading specific processing tasks that would otherwise be performed in a computer system's processor and memory, to a peripheral device. The computing task is then performed by the peripheral, thereby saving computer system resources for other computing tasks. In one preferred embodiment, the disclosed method is utilized in a layered network model, wherein computing tasks that are typically performed in network applications are instead offloaded to the network interface card (NIC) peripheral.

Abstract: Scalable object model design is described. In an embodiment, one or more objects corresponding to a form are instantiated in response to a request for the form from a first client device, and an events manager is instantiated through which the one or more objects register to process data manipulation events associated with the form. Data specific to the first client device is processed with the one or more objects that correspond to the form via a first processor thread. An additional request from a second client device is received and additional data specific to the second client device is processed with the one or more objects that correspond to the form via a second processor thread. The one or more objects are shared by the first client device and the second client device to process the data manipulation events associated with the form.

Abstract: An image passthrough extension structure and method facilitating the transfer of compressed data image files from a software application to a device via the computer system operating system. The application determines whether the device is capable of decoding the specific compressed data file by polling the device driver. If the driver returns a “no support” message, the application processes the compressed data file in a conventional manner. If the driver returns a “support” message, the application transfers the compressed data file, along with the additional processing information, to the device driver utilizing the conventional file transfer operating system data structures modified to incorporate the compressed data file passthrough function.

Abstract: Communication among agile objects and context-bound objects within object-oriented programming environments, including communication across contextual boundaries, is disclosed. In one embodiment, a reference to a second object within a second context is wrapped in a proxy wrapper. A first object within a first context calls the second object via the wrapped reference. No direct reference is held by the first object to the second object. Other embodiments relate to agile objects. Agile objects called by context-bound objects execute in the contexts of their callers. The context of a calling context-bound object becomes the context of an agile object for calling of the agile object by the calling context-bound object. Direct reference to the agile object by the context-bound object is thus permitted.

Abstract: Unsent messages are securely stored in a client by determining whether a connection to a server exists. If the connection exists, the message can be sent using the intended recipient's public key. In response to a determination that a connection from the client to a server does not exist, information from the client can be used to encrypt a modulated data signal that is to be sent from the client to the server. The encrypted modulated data signal is stored on the client. When a determination is made that a connection from the client to the server exists, information from the client is used to decrypt the encrypted modulated data signal.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for confirmation of the identity of a contact on the network. A notification that a nearby user is present on a network is signed with a private key associated with the nearby user. The private key is also associated with a public key. A local user that has the nearby user's public key can verify the signature on the notification and confirm that the nearby user is the source of the notification. The verification of identity of the nearby user allows rich content previously stored for the nearby user to be displayed along with the nearby user's presence information.

Abstract: A system and method for facilitating exposing a resource over a protocol is provided. The system includes a class factory that holds identifiers associated with determining which, if any, registered listener object creator should be employed to create a listener object. The listener object implements an abstract network protocol base class. The listener object is employed to abstract details of exposing a resource over a protocol and to provide a byte stream interface to communications occurring over the protocol, while removing protocol specific code from a server program. The method includes creating an instance of a listener object from a source of registered protocol handlers based on a request to expose a resource over a protocol and using a base class API to communicate over the protocol through the listener object.

Abstract: Described is a system and method including a user interface to manage sets of digital data (e.g., files) such as digital photographs or email messages. The system and method comprise a rapid sort mechanism and an underlying support mechanism that associates metadata with each set of digital data, including annotation metadata obtained from the sort mechanism. As the user scrolls through images that represent the sets of digital data and categorizes them, metadata as to its particular categorization or lack of categorization is implicitly obtained and associated with each set of digital data. Grouping of sets of digital data into clusters is also provided, with a visual indication as to which cluster a set of digital data belongs. With respect to digital photography, the system and method makes annotating and classifying digital photographs significantly easier and faster than contemporary photograph management mechanisms.

Abstract: Access to WebDAV (Distributed Authoring and Versioning) servers is provided in a manner that is essentially transparent to applications. A WebDAV redirector and related components support file system I/O requests and network requests directed to WebDAV servers identified by URI (Universal Resource Identifier) names, or by a drive may be mapped to a WebDAV share. An application's create or open I/O requests directed to a WebDAV server are detected, and result in a local copy of the file being downloaded and cached for local access. When closed, the local file is uploaded to the WebDAV server. Network-related requests such as for browsing that are directed to a WebDAV server are also handled transparently. WebDAV files may be locally encrypted and decrypted at the file system level, transparent to applications and the WebDAV server, via an encrypting file system that performs local encryption and decryption at the local file system level.

Abstract: A universal plug and play (UPnP) device makes itself known through a set of processes—discovery, description, control, eventing, and presentation. Following discovery of a UPnP device, an entity can learn more about the device and its capabilities by retrieving the device's description. The description includes vendor-specific manufacturer information like the model name and number, serial number, manufacturer name, URLs to vendor-specific Web sites, etc. The description also includes a list of any embedded devices or services, as well as URLs for control, eventing, and presentation. The description is written by a vendor, and is usually based on a device template produced by a UPnP forum working committee. The template is derived from a template language that is used to define elements to describe the device and any services supported by the device. The template language is written using an XML-based syntax that organizes and structures the elements.

Abstract: A method and system for ranking messages of discussion threads based on relationships between messages and authors is provided. The ranking system defines an equation for attributes of a message and an author. The equations define the attribute values and are based on relationships between the attribute and the attributes associated with the same type of object, and different types of objects. The ranking system iteratively calculates the attribute values for the objects using the equations until the attribute values converge on a solution. The ranking system then ranks the messages based on attribute values.

Abstract: The invention is a method for Web authors to include a redirection tag in an HTML data object tag that redirects an application program to an alternative source file that stores underlying data associated with an HTML data object that a user has selected to import into the application program. Typically, HTML data objects in Web page are stored in HTML format. However, when a user selects an HTML object to import, they generally expect to import the data in the format that it was originally created in, such as XML. The redirection tag “redirects” the application program to an alternative source file where the underlying data is stored in a rich format, such as XML. The application program then imports the underlying data of the HTML data object from the alternative source file.

Abstract: Described is a method and system for comparing two XML documents, usually represented as two logical dependency trees, and providing their differences as a set of tree operations. The set of tree operations may be used to transform one tree to the other. A first phase constructs an XML tree of nodes for each file, and a second, link tree construction phase builds a tree of link objects that relate nodes in the left tree to nodes in the right tree. Construction of the link tree generally operates by mapping equal subtrees in the left and right trees to each other, linking mapped subtrees to each other, removing any crossing links, linking groups, and filling gaps in the link tree. A third output phase uses the link tree to write an output file, such as comprising an XML document of change (e.g., insert and delete) operations.

Abstract: A wire protocol provides message formats for creating multiple network connections between a media server and a client. These multiple network connections may include a control link connection for passing control information and a data funnel connection for passing data of multiple media. The data funnel connection may be a multipoint-to-point connection that connects multiple data servers with the client. The protocol facilitates multiple requests being concurrently outstanding and asynchronous processing of requests. The protocol is designed to exist on top of a transport protocol layer.

Abstract: A method and system for allowing a regional service merchant that is outside of a given geographical boundary, but services inside the geographical boundary, to be included in a result set of a search directed to a location inside the geographical boundary. Text and/or glyphs are returned along with the regional service merchant's business listing so as to explain to a user why a business not physically residing in the search area has been included in the result set. An application programming interface ensures that, if a business is listed as a regional service merchant, then the text and/or glyph is stored in association with the business listing.

Abstract: A scalable graphical user interface that may be used to map two or more schemas is provided. Elements of a dominant schema are displayed in a first column. Elements of a subordinate schema are displayed in a second column. A user may drag elements of the subordinate schema to a third mapping column and position those elements next to mapped dominant schema elements. A user can quickly and conveniently determine a relationship between mapped elements by selecting an element from the dominant schema and identifying one or more elements in the mapping column that are located next to that element.

Abstract: Disclosed are a unique system and method that facilitate establishing and maintaining a secure connection between at least one wireless input component and a host (e.g., PC). The system and method involve the wireless input component broadcasting a message that can be “heard” by any potential host located within a given distance from the wireless input component. The message can indicate that the input component is available for use or pairing with a PC. PCs in the area can respond to the message by notifying the user that a wireless input component is available and by generating a random PIN. The PIN can be displayed to the user on the respective PC. The user can be prompted to enter the PIN using the wireless device. When a match between the user's response and the corresponding PC is determined, the two can be securely linked. In addition the invention provides support of wireless input devices at boot or start up.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for providing access to individual resources stored within a package. The system enables a client to access the resources without having to access the entire package. The system allows a client to reference the different resources within the package through use of a URI scheme. The URI scheme of the present invention is composed through a method of combining the URI for the package and the URI for the resource. The URI scheme of the present invention is able to work with any scheme, thereby enabling the URI scheme to be universal and not protocol-specific.