Abstract: The disclosure relates to controlling the operational mode of a radio in a wireless device, with an aim to reducing power consumption. A method of controlling the operational mode of a radio in a wireless device, includes executing at least one application, that provides access information for use by radio control logic to determine an operational mode of a radio, where the said access information defines usage of the radio by that application.

Abstract: A method is described for providing voice conferencing between a plurality of users over a communications network, the plurality of users comprising a host user and a plurality of participant users. The method comprises the host user initiating a voice conference using a host user terminal connected to the communications network. The plurality of users join the voice conference. Each of the plurality of users joins the conference by using a client executed at their respective user terminals, wherein on joining the voice conference the user terminal of each of the plurality of participant users displays a participant user interface and the user terminal of the host displays a host user interface. At least one of the plurality of participant users activates a request control on the participant user interface. The client transmits via the communication network a request to the host user to speak in the voice conference in response to the activation of the request control.

Abstract: A method, system and program for routing a data stream amongst a plurality of network nodes including at least a plurality of end-user nodes. The method comprises: establishing a plurality of routes for the stream to a plurality of consuming end-user nodes, including at least one route via one or more relaying nodes; at each of a plurality of optimising nodes, executing an optimization algorithm to determine a respective routing modification by evaluating a routing criterion with respect to a collection of end-user nodes which share information with the respective optimising node and determining a change in the routing criterion that would result from one or more potential routing modifications. The different optimising nodes' collections of end-user nodes are at least partially coincident such that each optimising node can determine a different routing modification with respect to at least some of the same end-user nodes.

Abstract: Information related to a set of networks from a first node to a second node of a communication system can be distributed. A set of identifiers which belong to the set of networks can be stored at the first node. Hash values are generated at the first node for the identifiers in the set of identifiers using a hash function. The generated hash values are transmitted from the first node to the second node. The second node determines an identifier of a particular network available for communicating with the second node. The second node generates a hash value for the identifier using the hash function. The second node compares the hash value of the identifier with the hash values received at the second node from the first node to determine whether the particular network belongs to said set of networks.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of identifying the presence of matching information items in a network includes using a hashing scheme to generate a set of first hash values from a respective set of first information items stored at a first node and transmitting the set of first hash values over the network to a second node. The set of first hash values is compared at the second node with a set of second hash values generated, using the hashing scheme, from a respective set of second information items stored in the network, to thereby determine at least one matching hash value between the set of first hash values and the set of second hash values. The determined matching hash value is used to identify the presence of at least one matching information item between the set of first information items and the set of second information items.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for transmitting high quality multimedia data from a mobile device for live and on-demand viewing. The mobile device adjusts the quality of a single multimedia data stream based on one or more factors, such as the available bandwidth of a wireless link with a server, whether there are any “live” subscribers of the multimedia data stream, whether any “live” subscribers are interacting with the mobile device, and a change in the privacy settings of the user of the mobile device. Any data that was removed from the multimedia data stream before it was transmitted to a server is subsequently sent to the server. The server generates multiple versions of the multimedia data stream that vary in terms of quality. The server selects which version of the multimedia data stream to transmit to a subscriber of the multimedia data stream based on one or more criteria.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method of controlling transmission of data from a wireless device to a receiver connected via a communication channel includes an application executing on the wireless device providing an estimate of end-to-end bandwidth of the communication channel; supplying to the application from wireless access circuitry in the wireless device at least on communication-related parameter and modifying in the application the estimate of end-to-end bandwidth using the at least one communication-related parameter.

Abstract: A remote control unit for controlling a media device, comprising: a first wireless transmitter arranged to be powered from a first power source; a second wireless transmitter arranged to be powered from a second power source; a processor coupled to the first and second wireless transmitters, wherein the processor is configured to control the first and second wireless transmitters and is arranged to be powered from the first power; and monitoring means arranged to monitor power levels of the second power source and provide power level information to the processor.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for transmitting a live video stream from a mobile device for live viewing by one or more consuming devices. An intermediate server receives the live video stream from the mobile device, identifies a plurality of consuming devices, and sends a real-time notification to those consuming devices to inform the users of those devices that a live video stream is available for immediate viewing. Also, any necessary processing (e.g., transcoding) is performed on the live video stream before the live video stream is sent to one or more consuming devices. The “producing” mobile device is not required to identify (or have any data about) any of the consuming devices in order for the live video stream to be transmitted to those devices. The consuming device can be on a mobile network, any Web network, or any PC connected to the Internet.

Abstract: A method of controlling an audio output device at a user terminal connected to a communication network and executing a communication client is provided. The method comprises: establishing a connection between a user of the user terminal and a further user over the communication network; responsive to establishing the connection, analyzing the status of the audio output device with the communication client; in the case that the communication client determines that the audio output device is in a muted state, controlling the audio output device to deactivate the muted state such that audio information transmitted from the further user via the connection can be heard by the user of the user terminal.

Abstract: A communication system includes a plurality of nodes, the communication system being arranged to assign each of the plurality of nodes a certificate by means of which it can authenticate itself to other nodes in the communication system and periodically distribute to the plurality of nodes an update formed by compressing a data set representing the validity of the certificates assigned to the plurality of nodes. The update is such that a node may not be able to unambiguously determine from the update whether or not a particular certificate is valid. The system further provides the plurality of nodes with a source of information about the validity of the plurality of certificates that is different from the update and by means of which a node may resolve an ambiguity in the update regarding a particular certificate's validity.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for effecting a voice communication between user terminals connected via a communication network include displaying a menu of country options to a user and receiving a number in local form. Formatting rules are recalled for a destination country selected by the user from the country options. A country prefix for the destination country is prepended to the number in accordance with the formatting rules to generate a formatted number. The formatted number is supplied to a client installed at the user terminal for effecting the voice communication using the formatted number.

Abstract: A method of controlling a user interface to display participants of a call in dependence upon the participants' speech activity in the call, the method including monitoring the speech activity of the participants in the call and determining whether a participant is an active participant or an inactive participant in dependence on the participants' speech activity over a minimum time period of the call. In response to determining whether a participant is an active or inactive participant, an active participant is displayed in a first area of the user interface and an inactive participant is displayed in a second area of the user interface. The first area of the user interface is larger than the second area of the user interface.

Abstract: Some embodiments describe methods, programs, and systems for speech encoding. Among other things, a received input signal representing a property of speech is quantized to generate a quantized output signal. Prior to the quantization, a version of the input signal is supplied to a first noise shaping filter having a first set of filter coefficients effective to generate a first filtered signal. Following the quantization, the quantized output signal is supplied to a second noise shaping filter having a second set of filter coefficients, thus generating a second filtered signal. A noise shaping operation is performed to control a frequency spectrum of a noise effect in the quantized output signal caused by the quantization, wherein the noise shaping operation is based on both the first and second filtered signals. Finally, the quantised output signal is transmitted in an encoded signal.

Abstract: Method, user terminal and computer program product for controlling audio signals at the user device during a communication session between the user device and a remote node, in which a primary audio signal is received at audio input means of the user device for transmission to the remote node in the communication session. It is determined whether the user device is operating in (i) a first mode in which secondary audio signals output from the user device are likely to disturb the primary audio signal received at the audio input means, or (ii) a second mode in which secondary audio signals output from the user device are not likely to disturb the primary audio signal received at the audio input means.

Abstract: User activity is communicated in a messaging system. Communication is performed by monitoring an input region displayed to a first user of the messaging system in a client executed at a user terminal of the first user; responsive to receiving a user activated input at the input region, analyzing the input and using the analysis to match the input to a type of user activity from a predetermined set of user activities; and transmitting a message comprising data representing the type of user activity from the user terminal of the first user to a user terminal of at least one other user of the messaging system over a communications network.

Abstract: Method, apparatus and computer program product for processing a video signal, the video signal comprising a plurality of frames, wherein the frames of the video signal are received at a jitter buffer, and the frames are output from the jitter buffer at a variable output rate to account for jitter in the received frames. Variations in the output rate are controlled in dependence upon the visual information content of the video signal, the visual information content of the video signal being the portion of the video signal that is to be displayed when the video signal is played out.

Abstract: A method of estimating noise in data containing voice information and noise includes receiving the data as a sequence of input values; transforming the data by applying a first non linear mapping to the input values wherein the derivative function of the mapping decreases in magnitude as the input values increase in magnitude smoothing the transformed data; and transforming the smoothed transformed data by applying a second non linear mapping that is opposite to the first non linear mapping, to determine an estimate of the noise in the inputted data.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, a mobile device includes wireless access circuitry configured to access a wireless communication network; a processor for executing a communication client application to conduct a packet-based call with a remote device via a channel established over the wireless communication network, the communication client application configured to monitor at least one network parameter; a hardware processing module selectively operable to implement a processing function; a software processing module selectively executable to implement said processing function; and a selection mechanism for supplying the call to one of the hardware processing module and software processing module based on the at least one monitored network parameter.

Abstract: Method, device and computer program product for processing audio signals at the device, the device comprising an audio output for outputting audio signals. Audio signals are received at a plurality of microphones of the device. A characteristic of at least one of the audio signals received by the plurality of microphones is measured. A beamformer applies beamformer coefficients to the received audio signals, thereby generating a beamformer output. An echo canceller is applied to the beamformer output, thereby suppressing, from the beamformer output, an echo resulting from audio signals output from the audio output, wherein an operating parameter of the echo canceller is controlled based on the measured characteristic of the at least one of the audio signals received by the plurality of microphones.