Abstract: A multimedia system is described that is capable of presenting multimedia segments including television broadcasts, radio broadcasts, stored video information, stored audio information, and Web pages. The multimedia system includes a conditional access manager which is a common interface between the multimedia system and a number of conditional access providers even if the conditional access providers follow different interface standards. In order to access a multimedia segment such as a television program, a radio program, or Web page, the multimedia system receives a request to access the multimedia segment. While accessing the multimedia segment, each of the conditional access providers is notified of the request through the conditional access manager. Each conditional access provider then determines whether permission to access the multimedia segment should be denied, or whether the conditional access provider does not know of any reason why permission to access the multimedia segment should be denied.

Abstract: A video timing system and method. The method typically includes receiving from an input video stream an input video field in a video buffer, transmitting an output video field from the video buffer to an output video stream, measuring a time interval between a predetermined point on the input video field and a predetermined point on the output video field, and altering timing of the output video stream where the time interval is outside a predetermined range.

Abstract: A computer system that hosts a cable modem is described. The cable modem may be used to send and receive messages over the Internet using a cable network managed by a cable operator. Unlike external modems, the cable modem uses the same CPU and memory that are used by the computer system's operating system. However, the cable modem has a different network address than the computer system. When the cable modem receives a data packet having the network address of the cable modem, a cable modem driver forwards the packet to a protocol stack for the cable modem. When the cable modem receives a data packet having the network address of the computer system, the packet is forwarded to a different protocol stack for the computer system. Since the protocol stacks of the cable modem and computer system are different, direct communication from the computer system to the cable modem is not permitted.

Abstract: Provided is a system and method for integrating a cable modem with a host customer premises equipment, such as a computer or set top box. An interface is provided which receives data packets from the cable modem of any manufacturer and transmits the data packet to a media access control layer. The media access control layer determines the destination of the data packet and forwards it to that destination, which may be the cable modem or may be the host computer of the cable modem or any other customer premises equipment networked with the host computer. The interface also receives data packets from the media access control layer and transmits the data packets to the cable modem for transmission upstream. The interface abstracts the control of the cable modem to the media access control layer. The system maintains a protocol stack for the cable modem that is separate from the protocol stack associated with the operating system of the host computer.

Abstract: The invention involves transmission download of data to plural, mass storage medium-based remote users of content or software upgrades or multiple versions. Optionally provided are pre-download scheduling of one or more future download sessions and post-download remote scripted software execution by the remote clients. For purposes of more efficient use of the transmission link, low-volume scheduling information or content are transmitted within designated narrow-bandwidth sub-channels or trickle streams allocated within the broad bandwidth of the transmission channel and such allocation may be dynamic to vary the allocation based upon relative high-volume, high-speed and low-volume, low-speed demands. The invention is implemented in software residing primarily in the server computer connected with the transmission provider.

Abstract: A client is coupled to a modem pool and a server by a communication link in a wide area network. The client allows a user to browse the World Wide Web in response to user inputs entered entirely from a remote control device using a television set as a display device. The communication link to the client is shared by a telephone circuit at the client end of the link. A disruption in communication with the server may occur due to a Call Waiting signal caused by an incoming telephone call. The incoming call includes Caller ID information. In response to such a disruption, communication with the server is terminated. After pausing for a predetermined period of time, the client automatically re-establishes communication with the server if the line is clear. Upon reconnecting to the server, the client accesses a “White Pages” telephone directory Web site on a remote server.

Abstract: A system for targeting information on a computer network. The system involves categorizing a plurality of address pointers according to the content designated by the address pointer. The system further involves reading the address pointer which designates the content received by the user and determining which category or categories, if any, the address pointer is within. Information packets, such as advertisements, are targeted to selected categories. Once the category of an address pointer has been determined, an information packet targeted to that category is selected and transmitted to the user.

Abstract: Methods and voltage controlled oscillator designs that compensate for errors. The errors may be caused by variations, from one oscillator to another, in the voltage that produces a nominal frequency and variations in an overall voltage-to-frequency transfer function. A specific control voltage that produces the nominal frequency in a particular voltage controlled oscillator may be determined by comparing a reference frequency count to a variable frequency count for each of one or more control input voltages that are applied to the particular voltage controlled oscillator. The specific control voltage that produces the nominal frequency and other voltages that produce frequencies higher than the nominal frequency and that produce frequencies lower than the nominal frequency may be stored in a table.

Abstract: Described are methods and apparatus that allow cable customers who wish to add a cable modem (or other device) to a local network to choose both the cable modem through which they access the Internet and the Internet Service Provider (ISP) that will provide them that access. A system of hardware connects the local network to the Internet. This hardware includes cable-modem infrastructure that denies Internet access to devices on the local network that are not registered with an authorized ISP. The hardware also facilitates the registration process, allowing devices new to the local network to establish Internet-access agreements with ISPs, and thereby gain access to the Internet.

Abstract: A client is coupled to a modem pool and a server by a communication link in a wide area network. The client allows a user to browse the World Wide Web in response to user inputs entered entirely from a remote control device using a television set as a display device. The communication link to the client is shared by a telephone circuit at the client end of the link. A disruption in communication with the server may occur due to a Call Waiting signal caused by an incoming telephone call. The incoming call includes Caller ID information. In response to such a disruption, communication with the server is terminated. After pausing for a predetermined period of time, the client automatically re-establishes communication with the server if the line is clear. Upon reconnecting to the server, the client accesses a “White Pages” telephone directory Web site on a remote server.

Abstract: A client is coupled to a modem pool and a server by a communication link in a wide area network. The client allows a user to browse the World Wide Web in response to user inputs entered at the client device. The communication link to the client is shared by a telephone circuit at the client end of the link. A disruption in communication with the server may occur due to a Call Waiting signal caused by an incoming telephone call, or due to another user picking up a telephone extension associated with the client. In response to such a disruption, the client saves the browsing status after which communication with the server is terminated. When the telephone line is once again available for connecting to the server, the client uses the browsing information saved to reconnect to the Web page that was displayed by the client at the time of the disruption.

Abstract: A method and system are described for identifying video segments (e.g., commercials or television programs) without using any identification data that may or may not be provided in the non-displayed overscan portion or the vertical blanking interval of the video signal. Instead, the video segment is identified by recognizing patterns in the viewable portion of the video image data and/or in the video sound data. If the pattern is unique to a specific video segment, that video segment is identified by, for example, looking up the pattern in a table correlating patterns with video segment identifications. Any number of functions may be performed using this identification.

Abstract: In interactive television, information from an information resource may be displayed along with television video in a synchronized fashion. When information is to be displayed at a point in the television video, a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) that identifies the information resource is broadcast along with the television video on a one-way broadcast communication channel. A receiver unit receives the URI from the broadcast channel. If the information resource identified by the URI is available locally (for example, is present in local storage on the receiver unit), then the receiver unit uses the URI to retrieve the information resource locally. If, on the other hand, the information resource is not available locally, then the receiver unit uses the URI to retrieve the information resource from the Internet.

Abstract: The invention is a method and apparatus for simultaneously enhancing two or more unique HTML pages (information resources) using a single enhancement trigger. A content creator, (e.g., a program producer, broadcaster, affiliate, cable company, or satellite provider), embeds an enhancement trigger in a data service channel of a broadcast video signal. The embedded enhancement trigger includes a collective resource identifier that identifies two or more information resources, such as a collection of different HTML pages. The content creator can then broadcast the enhancement trigger to the several information resources to enhance them all using a single enhancement trigger.

Abstract: A method for providing enhanced programming to an entertainment module where the display of the enhanced programming is prepared remotely from the entertainment module. The method includes a step for analyzing a programming transmission stream deliverable to an entertainment module, remotely from the entertainment module, to identify whether the transmission stream includes at least one enhanced programming control signal. In the event that the transmission stream includes at least one enhanced programming control signal, a step for preparing, remotely from the entertainment module, a visual representation of the enhanced programming based upon the at least one enhanced programming control signal. Following preparing the enhanced programming by the preparing step, a step for delivering the visual representation of the enhanced programming to the entertainment module.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for reducing flicker of an image defined in HTML format for display on a television monitor. When an image is retrieved from a server by a user browser system that uses a television monitor and a dedicated computer system to display HTML documents, analysis is performed on the image to determine whether the image exhibits a tendency to interlace flicker if such an image were to be displayed unmodified on the television monitor. If the analysis indicates that the image would exhibit a tendency to interlace flicker, the dedicated computer system identifies a flicker reduction filter that reduces the interlace flicker. The dedicated computer system applies the filter to the images before it is displayed on the television monitor. Otherwise, the dedicated computer system displays the image as retrieved from the server without flicker reduction filtering.

Abstract: The invention involves storing data on a storage medium without fragmentation. A data conveyance system configures data for delivery to a data storage system and associates a storage instruction with the data. The storage instruction instructs the data storage system to store the data without fragmentation. The data conveyance system then conveys the data and the storage instruction to the data storage system. The data storage system receives the conveyance and a controller reads the storage instruction. The controller stores the data in contiguous storage locations on the storage medium in accordance with the storage instruction. If the storage medium is a disk, the data conveyance system may configure the data for delivery to the data storage system by generating a filesystem and combining the data and the filesystem to form a partition file.

Abstract: Systems and methods that reduce the complexity of interconnecting various consumer electronics devices. One consumer electronics device, such as an Internet terminal, forms a central hub to which all other consumer electronics devices are connected. The Internet terminal has a plurality of identical, interchangeable tongue and groove connectors, each having a plurality of pins. The connectors are identical and interchangeable in that a cable designed to connect a consumer electronics device to the Internet terminal may be plugged into any of the connectors and operate properly. A plurality of cables, each specifically adapted to connect to an existing or future type of consumer electronics device, are used to connect the consumer electronics devices to the connectors at the Internet terminal. Each cable has a connector at one end that attaches to the identical, interchangeable connectors, and one or more connectors at the other end that attach to the particular consumer electronics device.

Abstract: A graphics rendering system creates an image based on objects constructed of polygonal primitives, which can generate the perception of three-dimensional objects displayed on a two-dimensional display device. An anti-aliasing operation is applied to silhouette edges of the objects, which are the edges of primitives which are displayed at the perimeter of an object. A silhouette edge can be identified by determining how many times an edge is rendered, with each instance of the rendering of an edge corresponding to the rendering of a primitive that adjoins the edge. An edge that is rendered exactly once is interpreted as a silhouette edge. An example of a silhouette edge is an edge that adjoins one triangular primitive that is viewable and another triangular primitive that is hidden from view by other primitives.

Abstract: A numerically controlled oscillator that generates an accurate digital representation of a repeating waveform such as a sinusoidal wave. Based on the desired output frequency, multiple samples are calculated from multiple cycles of the repeating waveform. As samples are taken, they are stored in a memory location until a sufficient number of samples are accumulated. After the samples are accumulated, they are output in a specified order, which generates an accurate digital representation of a sinusoidal wave at the desired output frequency.