Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for authorizing activity in an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) environment. A requested activity can be a request to view a pay-per-view program or purchase an item. An account server receives a request from a viewer to view or purchase the IPTV activity. The account server checks the cost of the request against a spending limit of the viewer. If the cost of the requested item exceeds the amount available in a viewer's account, the viewer receives a message and is offered an option to request an exception to exceed the spending limit. A request for an exception to exceed the spending limit is received at the account server, and an account administrator is notified of the receipt of the request for the exception. A response is received from the account administrator to grant authorization. If no response is received within a selected time limit, the request can be implicitly rejected.

Abstract: A system and method for monitoring and reporting automated call-processing performance is disclosed. Initially, performance metrics can be established for normal or acceptable system performance. Performance metrics may be determined for individual components and/or a combination of components in a system, wherein the individual metric may help to provide a performance indicator for the call processing system. The performance metrics can be established by utilizing historical data gathered from past operating characteristics or operating parameters. The performance metric can be calculated from past operating characteristics and could be a statistical distribution or a statistical value. This statistical distribution will often conform to a Gaussian distribution also known as a bell curve. However, acceptable performance limits can be set based on nearly any statistical distribution.

Abstract: A quality evaluation system (100) has a communications interface (110) coupled to one or more service centers (120, 130), a memory (104), and a processor (102). The processor is programmed to monitor (204) customer interactions with one or more dialogs of each service center, correlate (206) customer interactions with customer surveys collected at each service center, and adjust (212) one or more dialogs at each service center according to the correlated customer interactions.

Abstract: A variable-bit-rate (VBR)-encoding of a plurality of clips from a plurality of video content items is performed to produce a VBR-encoded aggregated video content item. The VBR-encoding of each of the clips is based on an encoding complexity of at least one other one of the clips. This can be performed by combining the clips into aggregated video content and two-pass VBR-encoding the aggregated video content. A video quality test may be performed using the VBR-encoded aggregated video content item.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for obtaining, storing and accessing information using a wireless communication device is disclosed. A request is sent from a wireless communication device to a information agent, typically a human operator or an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. The information agent formulates a search for the requested information and sends the search result to memory associated with the wireless communication device. Memory is provided at the information agent and in local storage such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) in the wireless communication device. The search result can then be accessed at the wireless communication device. Information can be obtained by a search of a proprietary database or by using a search engine to find information over the Internet. The user can be given options concerning types and formats of requested information, as well as options to for using the requested information at the wireless communication device.

Abstract: An Ethernet switch (112) has a communications interface (122), and a controller (124). The controller is programmed to receive (202) an IP query packet generated by a receiver for collecting telemetry data between a source and the receiver in a multicast network, translate (206) the IP query packet to an Ethernet query packet, collect (208) in the Ethernet query packet telemetry data from the Ethernet switch, and submit (218) the Ethernet query packet to the next network element of the multicast network. Additional embodiment are disclosed.

Abstract: An account management system (100) is coupled to a service center (101) serving a number of customers (108). The account management system has a communications interface (110), a memory (104), and a controller (102). The controller is programmed to monitor (202) service outages of the service center, detect (204) a service outage, identify (206) one or more customers affected by the service outage, and assign (208) a credit to each of the affected one or more customers.

Abstract: A method of managing telephone calls is disclosed and includes receiving a telephone call from a caller, prompting the caller to provide a reason for the telephone call, and transferring the telephone call to an automated enterprise check order status system when check order status is indicated as the reason for the telephone call. Additionally, the method includes prompting the caller for an order identifier. The order identifier can be a telephone number, an account number, or an order number. The method also includes receiving the order identifier. The order identifier can be received via a series of touch tones and the order identifier is associated with a previously order telephone service.

Abstract: A communication network (100) has a network element (102), and a remote controller (104). The network element exchanges data packets with other network elements, and is programmed to store (202) telephony configuration information as updates are made thereto, transmit (210) an operational status to a remote controller monitoring operations of the network element, transmit (212, 214) an alarm to the remote controller when an interruption in service is detected, and restore (216) operations of the network element according to the last recorded telephony configuration information. The remote controller is programmed to transmit (306, 308) an alarm notice to a service agent upon detecting a communication interruption event at the network element.

Abstract: A method and system are provided. The method includes providing a multimedia data stream including a first channel having video content representing a first list of video games and corresponding channel identifiers and a second channel having video game data associated with a first video game of the first list. The second channel is associated with a first channel identifier corresponding to the first video game. The system includes one or more storage devices to store video game data, a list generation module to generate video content representing a first list of video games and corresponding channel identifiers and a multimedia stream generator. The multimedia stream generator generates a multimedia data stream including at least a first channel having data representative of the video content representing the first list of video games and a second channel having video game data associated with a first video game of the first list.

Abstract: A method of monitoring network elements configured to support a number of customer virtual private networks (VPNs) provided for a number of customers. The method comprising associating network addresses and extended community numbers (ECNs) with the network elements; associating the ECNs with a number of the customer VPNs; generating a community list for at least a selected one of the customer VPNs, the community list specifying the network addresses for the network elements associated with the ECN of the selected customer VPN; contacting the network elements specified in the community list based on the network addresses associated therewith and extracting VPN interface information for the contacted network elements, the VPN interface information specifying a number of VPN interfaces associated with the network element and the customer associated with the VPN interfaces; and determining an interface status for the interfaces associated with the selected customer.

Abstract: A method of managing configuration profiles for a plurality of network elements after the network elements have been deployed in a network. The method including retrieving configuration profiles from the network elements after the network elements have been deployed in the network; storing the retrieved configuration profiles in a database; and distributing one or more of the stored configuration profiles to one or more network elements experiencing fault conditions to facilitate the correction thereof.

Abstract: In a particular embodiment, the disclosure is directed to a system including a customer authentication and payment server, a merchant data server, a merchant network, and a merchant station. The merchant data server is coupled to a public data network and the public data network is coupled to the customer authentication and payment server. The merchant network is coupled to the merchant data server and the merchant station. The merchant station includes a communication interface to provide for wireless communication with customers located within a wireless coverage area using an ad hoc connection.

Abstract: A call service center can include a call routing system that can use one or more action object identifiers. In one embodiment, a future action object identifier is associated with a task that is desired or otherwise intended to be performed at the call service center. The call routing system may route the call to a module that is not associated with the future action object identifier or perform a portion of a task within the same module, wherein the portion of the task is not associated with the future action object identifier. In another embodiment, at least two action object identifiers can be passed with a call from one module to another module. In a particular embodiment, a past, current, or future action object identifier, other information related to the call, or any combination thereof may be passed from one module to another module with the call.

Abstract: A security system with call management functionality is coupled to a telephone network for providing a telephone service and at least one telephone line. This system also includes a call management controller for enabling, disabling or changing telephone service based on user presence and identity. User presence and identity is determined by a security controller coupled to a plurality of sensors for providing at least one home security function.

Abstract: An information management system (100) for managing support materials has a communications interface (110) coupled to customer service agents (112) and customers 108, a memory 104, and a processor 102. The processor is programmed to receive (202) customer feedback from one or more customer service agents, rank (203) support materials according to the customer feedback, and present (214) the support materials according to their respective rankings.

Abstract: An account management system (100) has a communications interface (110), a memory (104), and a processor (102). The processor is programmed to receive (202) customer profile information for a customer, determine (204) a credit rating according to the profile information, identify (206) services that can be offered according to the credit rating, establish (208) a permanently active account for said customer, and enable or disable (209) services in response to customer demands.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for processing ideas and managing intellectual property assets. The present invention provides a patent portfolio development portal for control and implementation of a workflow for the management of ideas such as intellectual property assets. The intellectual property assets comprise proprietary concepts and ideas captured or described in documents which are filed as applications for patent, trade marks, service marks or copyright. In the case of ideas, the intellectual property assets may also be published in defensive publications or held privately as trade secrets. The present invention provides an interface for comparing an intellectual property concept to other intellectual property concepts in a data base. The comparison enables easy access to similar and related intellectual property concepts so that similar concepts can be used to boot strap descriptions of new ideas based on improvements over and new combinations of other ideas.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus to manage collect phone calling limits are disclosed. A disclosed example method comprises: determining if collect calls from one or more predetermined locations to a terminating phone number have exceeded a collect calls limit; and determining a future date when collect calls will be permitted from the one or more predetermined locations to the terminating phone number if the collect calls limit has been exceeded.

Abstract: A method and system for use in identifying customer premises equipment (CPE) in a distributed network are presented. The method utilizes a unique identifier provided by a CPE device to an access concentrator during the discovery stage of PPPoE communications in a distributed network. The access concentrator receives the unique identifier and stores the identifier in a database for use in identifying and managing CPE devices attached to a service provider's network. A system for identifying a communications device includes an access server and a database server. The access server is configured to receive an active discovery packet from a communications device. The active discovery packet has a tag comprising a device identifier field. The device identifier field is embedded in the tag by a module in the communications device, e.g., CPE device.