Abstract: A user is made able to configure a search query to be responsive to temporal factors in order to adjust the search query to more accurately reflect the user's true information need. By adjusting the search query in this way, the user is more likely to receive satisfactory search results.

Abstract: Using switching technologies to duplicate packets of a digital stream (e.g., digital video stream) sent from one workstation to multiple recipient workstations, where the switching technologies enable the multiple streams sent from the switch to the recipient workstations to be generated from a single digital stream sent from the sending workstation to the switch. Data units, such as video data units, may be transmitted by using a switch to enable receipt of a stream of data units including a payload portion and an attribute portion from at least two conferencing participants. The switch is used to duplicate at least a subportion of the payload portion of a data unit within the stream of data units, and to enable access to the duplicated subportion of the data unit by two or more conferencing participants.

Abstract: Exemplary systems and methods for network authentication are provided. Exemplary systems include an application program interface configured for receiving a request for an authentication code, a code generator in communication with the application program interface, the code generator configured to generate the authentication code, and the application program interface further configured to receive the generated authentication code and allow an application to communicate digital data with a web-based social network. Further systems include the generated authentication code being received from a network device without an Internet browser and the received generated authentication code allowing an application to communicate digital data with a web-based social network for an extended period of time.

Abstract: Users in public forums often mention certain topics in the course of their discussions. Member's comments in messages to other members are analyzed to obtain terms that co-occur with topics. Frequencies of co-occurrence of a term with topics are normalized based on frequency of the term in a random sample of message. The terms are ranked by their normalized frequency of co-occurrence with a topic in messages. The top terms are selected based on their rank. Analysis of demographic information associated with members that mentioned top terms associated with a topic is displayed in graphical format that highlights the relationship between the age, gender, and usage of the top terms over time. The demographic information presented includes average age of members that mentioned a top term or their gender information within a selected time interval.

Abstract: A lead user may share an on-line media content experience with one or more followers by identifying content of interest being experienced on the lead user system, identifying one or more followers with whom to share the content of interest, inviting the followers to experience the content of interest, and enabling the followers to access the content of interest.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method is provided for ranking files from an Internet search. In one embodiment, the method comprises sorting search result items based on a first clickthru popularity and a second clickthru popularity. The first clickthru popularity may be derived from clickthrus that occurred during a first time period. The second clickthru popularity may be derived from clickthrus that occurred during a second time period that is different from the first time period.

Abstract: Particular embodiments evaluate a plurality of messages. Each message may be associated with an author. Information may be logged for each message, such as information associated with the author, information associated with one or more designated recipients of the message, and time information. Correlation values may be determined for one or more sets of designated recipients based on at least a portion of the logged information. Particular embodiments may determine an association amongst a plurality of users over time. The determination may be based on the correlation values. At least one of the plurality of users may comprise at least one of the designated recipients.

Abstract: Information may be presented to a user by using a first application to receive a character stream of one or more noncompletion characters. The noncompletion characters indicate that additional characters may be received. The character stream is exchanged with a host that analyzes the character stream to generate results that are responsive to the user's predicted interest. Results are received and displayed so that the user may select one of the results to launch a code segment related to the selected result.

Abstract: Multimedia content is featured on user pages of an online social network using embed codes that are generated using a configuration file associated with the source ID for the multimedia content and a content ID for the multimedia content. The configuration file, the source ID and the content ID are stored locally by the online social network so that any changes to the embed codes can be made by changing the configuration file associated with the source and regenerating the embed codes. By managing multimedia content in this manner, greater control can be exercised by the online social network over the multimedia content that are featured on its user pages.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a mobile device analyzes frames before and after a particular frame of a real-time video to identify one or more social network objects, and selects one or more frames before and after the particular frame based on social network information for further storage in the mobile device.

Abstract: An object storage system comprises one or more computer processors or threads that can concurrently access a shared memory, the shared memory comprising an array of equally-sized cells. In one embodiment, each cell is of the size used by the processors to represent a pointer, e.g., 64 bits. Using an algorithm performing only one memory write, and using a hardware-provided transactional operation, such as a compare-and-swap instruction, to implement the memory write, concurrent access is safely accommodated in a lock-free manner.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses and systems facilitating responses to writs, such as subpoenas, in an efficient and timely manner. Implementations of the invention may include a writ response module and a queue manager to offer web service providers to automatically generate reports in response to various writs and to prioritize processing and human review prior to delivery of results.

Abstract: An improved mobile communications device, of the type having a set of antennas and a narrowband RF transceiver coupled to a first member of the set of antennas, also includes a broadband RF receiver coupled to a second member of the set of antennas; and processing circuitry, coupled to the narrowband RF transceiver and the broadband RF receiver, that uses a received signal from the broadband receiver to determine a communication parameter for the narrowband RF transceiver. Related methods are also provided.

Abstract: A distributed caching system for storing and serving information modeled as a graph that includes nodes and edges that define associations or relationships between nodes that the edges connect in the graph.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a user of a social networking system requests to check in a place near the user's current location. The social networking system generates a list of places near the user's current location, ranks the places in the list of places near the user's current location by a distance between each place and the user's current location, as well as activity of the user and the user's social contacts for each place, and returns the ranked list to the user.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a computer system identifies a user in one or more frames of a video file, accesses a data store for image attitudinal data associated with the user, ranks the one or more frames based on the image attitudinal data associated with the user, and presents one or more top ranked frames to the user.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses and systems for generating a nickname dictionary that includes associations between names of users and candidate nicknames based on statistical analysis of user communications observed at a network communications facility, such as a social network system, an email provider and the like.

Abstract: In a single-signature duplicate document system, a secondary set of attributes is used in addition to a primary set of attributes so as to improve the precision of the system. When the projection of a document onto the primary set of attributes is below a threshold, then a secondary set of attributes is used to supplement the primary lexicon so that the projection is above the threshold.

Abstract: A service provider may provide one or more services to and/or for a client. Providing a service may involve receiving a service request including a security token at the service provider and determining whether the security token is valid. Providing the service may also involve determining a session security token if the security token is valid and generating a service response including the session security token. Providing the service may further involve receiving a service request including the session security token, determining whether the session security token is valid, and, if the session security token is valid, generating a second service response.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for transferring electronic data include enabling instant messaging communication between a sender an at least one recipient through an instant messaging host. In addition, voice communication is enabled between the sender and the recipient through the instant messaging host.

Abstract: Electronic messages may be processed using a stamp authority by receiving an electronic message, identifying a stamp associated the message, determining if the stamp is valid, and, if the stamp is determined to be valid, distinguishing the message from messages with which a valid stamp is not identified.

Abstract: An interface enables perception of information regarding e-mail communications. The interface includes an e-mail application user interface that enables perception of e-mail message information for one or more e-mails received by an e-mail participant and that enables active display of one or more of the received e-mails selected by the e-mail participant, The interface also includes a mechanism that determines a request for e-mail message information for one of the e-mails from within a desired e-mail message that is not actively displayed. The interface further includes an informational tool tip that provides a temporary perceivable indication to the e-mail participant of at least a portion of the requested information for the desired e-mail message while maintaining active display of the one or more selected e-mails.

Abstract: A system and method provides dynamically selected media content to someone using an electronic device in a social network environment. Items of media content are selected for the user based on his or her relationships with one or more other users. The user's relationships with other users are reflected in the selected media content and its format. An order is assigned to the items of media content, for example, based on their anticipated importance to the user, and the items of media content are displayed to the user in the assigned order. The user may change the order of the items of media content. The user's interactions with media content available in the social network environment are monitored, and those interactions are used to select additional items of media content for the user.

Abstract: In the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, every time a user submits a form the client software tries to match the submitted information with the stored profile of that user. If a match is discovered, the program tags the field of the recognized data with a corresponding type. The resulting profile can be used after that to help all subsequent users to fill the same form.

Abstract: Regulating user interface controls includes identifying a grouping from among different groupings and providing a set of user interface controls corresponding to the identified grouping. The groupings can correspond to the maturity levels (e.g., kids and teenagers) of different network service provider users.

Abstract: A social networking system receives a query associated with a user and, in response, provides a combined result set comprising objects stored by a social networking system that match the query. The combined result set comprises multiple result sets obtained from different search algorithms. The various objects stored by the social networking system may be of different types representing different concepts, such as user objects, application objects, event objects, location objects, group objects, and hub/page objects, any of which may be included in the result set. The objects of the result set may be further filtered, ordered, and/or grouped based at least in part on known relationships of the user with the objects, such as geographic distances between locations associated with the user and the objects.

Abstract: In the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, every time a user submits a form the client software tries to match the submitted information with the stored profile of that user. If a match is discovered, the program tags the field of the recognized data with a corresponding type. The resulting profile can be used after that to help all subsequent users to fill the same form.

Abstract: An information management and distribution system is disclosed. The information management and distribution system includes a client-side application and a server application that interact to facilitate the controlled exchange of contact information over a network. The client-side application can provide creation and design, rolodex, exchange, and update features. The information management and distribution system can also include a corporate administrator application. Still another aspect of the invention is that contact information can be distributed to registered users in a common format.

Abstract: Programming media and advertising media may be presented in a manner that approximates or equals a target ratio. In one implementation, a total temporal length of one or more programming media segments is accessed after the user has selected the programming media segments. One or more advertising media segments are then selected. The advertising media segments have a total length that is based on the total temporal length of the programming media segments and a target temporal ratio between programming media and advertising media. The client system may present the one or more selected advertising media segments.

Abstract: Dynamic web page generation is optimized by reducing the processing overhead required to parse the web page HTML code for tokens and insert dynamic content. Using the invention, an HTML file for a dynamic web page need be read and parsed only once throughout the life of the server. A software object parses the HTML, decomposes the page into constituent pieces and saves them to data structures as byte streams, which are cached, along with the software object, rendering multiple disk accesses unnecessary when the page is reconstituted. For subsequent requests, the dynamic page is created from the cached version, which is shareable across users and across requests. The optimization reduces server resource usage for dynamic page generation to near zero. The invention is also applicable to other documents combining static and dynamic content that require composition tools for editing.

Abstract: A system and method for measuring user affinity in a social network environment is provided. One or more activities performed by a user associated with a social network environment are monitored. A relationship associated with the one or more activities is identified. An affinity for one or more objects associated with the social network environment is then determined based on the one or more activities and the relationship.

Abstract: An online services system includes a mechanism for providing user confidence information to an external data consumer, and for determining user contribution quality. Using stored information about user actions and interactions, user confidence is evaluated for one or more parameters associated with the validity of the user's account and/or quality of the user's contributions to the online services system. Confidence values are assigned to each parameter, and the values are exposed to external data consumers. Using stored information, user actions and interactions are correlated with contribution quality to produce a metric indicative of user contribution quality. Users with low quality parameter metrics may have their contributions shown to a smaller audience or have a lower prominence in a news feed.

Abstract: A home gateway accesses a host system that differentially routes messages over a communication network to a destination system. The selection of a communication pathway from multiple possible communication pathways through a communication network is based on a user experience type (e.g., gaming user experience, streaming user experience, or browsing user experience) that generally reflects network resource consumption preferences of the user of the access account for the home gateway. Examples of user experience types include a gaming user experience, a streaming user experience and a browsing user experience. The user experience type generally reflects the online experience desired by the user.

Abstract: An intelligent synchronization tool ensures access to desired content in a manner that automatically keeps the content current on the portable media device. A variation threshold or user-specified degree of content variation may be introduced among content downloaded to a user's mobile device to prevent the user from becoming bored. Furthermore, intelligent synchronization may automatically populate the portable media device with popular content to save a user time and/or use passive monitoring techniques to ascertain a user's preferences for subsequent population.

Abstract: An anchor bolt assembly for securing a cabinet and other structures to a sub-floor. A bolt with coaxial upper and lower threaded bores receives a threaded member from above and secures it to a threaded member from below. The upper threaded bore allows the cabinet to be secured to the upper floor. The lower threaded bore provides a securing means for the anchor bolt and its attachments through coupling the threaded bolt from the upper threaded bore to a threaded member protruding from the sub-floor. This threaded member engages the lower threaded bore. The threaded bores of the bolt provide two areas of stabilization against shear and torsional stresses along the axis of the anchor bolt assembly.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for incorporating variable values into textual content. In one embodiment, an abstract phrase including a text phrase and a variable at a particular position in the text phrase is received. The abstract phrase may include multiple variables. A text value for the variable is received. The text phrase of the abstract phrase is combined with the text value according to the particular position of the variable. An integration rule is applied at a boundary of the text phrase of the abstract phrase and the text value, where the integration rule is based on a language rule. The integration rule modifies a portion of the text phrase of the abstract phrase or a portion of the text value to produce an integrated phrase.

Abstract: Techniques are described for providing a meeting notification and automatic modification service. A system may be configured to identify an appointment in a calendar application, identify a geographic location of the appointment, and identify, before the appointment time, a geographic location of a first participant of the appointment. Based on the geographic information, the system may identify a route extending from the geographic location of the first participant to the geographic location of the appointment, and may identify a travel time associated with the route. Based on the travel time and the appointment time, the system may determine whether the first participant is estimated to arrive at the appointment on time and, based on the determination, the system may send a message to participants of the appointment or dynamically reschedule the appointment.

Abstract: Systems and methods for allowing challenge messages to be sent directly to a recipient's inbox where normally the challenge message would be sent to a pending folder or deleted. Challenge messages sent between federated messaging services contain a federated token which can be identified, authenticated and validated to determine whether the challenge message should be sent to a recipient's inbox. The federated token can include an authentication portion and a validation portion. Authentication methods for the authentication portion can include, for example, checksums, salts, hashes and digital signatures. Once a federated token is authenticated by decrypting the authentication portion according to one or more of these authentication methods, the federated token is validated by determining the defined use-base and determining whether the receipt of the federated token satisfies the defined use.

Abstract: To display a news feed in a social network environment, a social networking system generates news items regarding activities associated with a user of a social network environment. The social networking system may also attach an informational link associated with at least one of the activities to at least one of the news items, limit access to the news items to a predetermined set of viewers, and assign an order to the news items. The news items may be displayed in the assigned order to at least one viewing user of the predetermined set of viewers, and the number of news items displayed may be dynamically limited.

Abstract: A user maintains notification setting information having temporal periods capable of controlling, at least in part, the dissemination of information describing the on-line presence of the user within an instant messaging system or the geographic location of one or more mobile communications devices used by the user. The user may use multiple identities to communicate within the instant messaging system and/or with the mobile communications device or devices. The user can maintain sets of temporal periods for each of the multiple identities. Only one identity may be used at a specific time to communicate to a specific other identity, but the multiple identities of the user may be linked such that on-line presence and/or geographic location associated with one of the identities is disseminated based on the temporal periods set for one or more of the multiple identities.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for sharing information among members of a group. Information about all current members of a group is stored. Instructions are received from at least one current member to invite at least one prospective member to join the group and the invitation to join the group is sent to the prospective member. In the event that an affirmative response is received, the prospective member is added to the current members of the group and automatically updated services are provided to current members of the group.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for facilitating the usage of an online workforce to remotely monitor security-sensitive sites and report potential security breaches. In some embodiments, cameras are configured to monitor critical civilian infrastructure, such as water supplies and nuclear reactors. The cameras are operatively connected to a central computer or series of computers, and images captured by the cameras are transmitted to the central computer. After initially registering with the central computer, Guardians “log on” to a central website hosted by the central computer and monitor the images, thereby earning compensation. Site owners compensate the operator of the computer system for this monitoring service, and the operator in turn compensates Guardians based on, for example, (i) the amount of time spent monitoring, and/or (ii) the degree of a given Guardian's responsiveness to real or fabricated security breaches.

Abstract: A power supply unit that obviates the need for an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) for a server in a data center by receiving a DC power from a temporary backup power source. The power supply unit converts AC power received from a power utility service into a DC power for operating one or more motherboards of the server. An AC to DC converter in the power supply unit senses an input AC voltage and activates a DC to DC converter coupled to the temporary backup power source. The DC to DC converter powers the one or more motherboards until a generator serving as an auxiliary AC power source becomes operational. The power supply unit resumes connection to the AC to DC converter after the generator becomes operational.

Abstract: Groups of network devices may be identified automatically based on interface tags associated with network device interfaces such that network devices within a group are automatically identified, periodically or otherwise, based on an association of one or more common interface tags between the group and the network device interface.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided that allows a user to automatically add content, such as an event, to a container, such as, a calendar without directly accessing the container. Second and third preferred embodiments are also provided.

Abstract: A document management system monitors proposed recipients for documents and provides recommendations on alterations to the distribution set, such as by adding or removing recipients.

Abstract: A social networking system receives a query associated with a user and, in response, provides a combined result set comprising objects stored by a social networking system that match the query. The combined result set comprises multiple result sets obtained from different search algorithms. The various objects stored by the social networking system may be of different types representing different concepts, such as user objects, application objects, event objects, location objects, group objects, and hub/page objects, any of which may be included in the result set. The objects of the result set may be further filtered, ordered, and/or grouped based at least in part on known relationships of the user with the objects, such as geographic distances between locations associated with the user and the objects. In one embodiment, one of the search algorithms identifies second-order connections of the user by referring to a connection index that stores a list of the connections of the users.

Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically locating web-based social network members are provided. According to one embodiment, contact content including an associated GPS identifier and status for web-based social network members located at or near the same location automatically appears on a GPS-enabled device. A further exemplary system includes a GPS-enabled device configured to receive a GPS identifier and a status representing a location and a current state for a web-based social network member, a processing module that associates the received GPS-identifier and the received status, and a communications module that sends the associated GPS-identifier and status to a server comprising a web-based social network database. Contact content in a web-based social network database record in the web-based social network database is updated to include the associated GPS identifier and status for the web-based social network member.

Abstract: A system and method provides dynamically selected media content to someone using an electronic device in a social network environment. Items of media content are selected for the user based on his or her relationships with one or more other users. The user's relationships with other users are reflected in the selected media content and its format. An order is assigned to the items of media content, for example, based on their anticipated importance to the user, and the items of media content are displayed to the user in the assigned order. The user may change the order of the items of media content. The user's interactions with media content available in the social network environment are monitored, and those interactions are used to select additional items of media content for the user.