Abstract: A cost effective method for generating and delivering personalized multimedia content targeted at specific end users or groups of end users via client computers coupled to local servers by a diverse computer network which includes local area networks (LANs) and/or wide area networks (WANs) such as the internet. In one embodiment, a global server provides global content via a computer network to a local server. The local server retrieves personal profile associated with the targeted end user(s) from a local database. Personalized content is generated based on the personal profile. Customized information which includes both the global and personalized content is then delivered to the targeted end user(s) via client computer(s) coupled to the computer network. Global and personalized content may or may not be related.

Abstract: Computer-based systems and methods are disclosed for a comprehensive security model for managing active content downloaded from a computer network. The security model includes the configuration of a system security policy that is stored on a host computer. The system security policy is configured by security zone in progressively “finer grain” levels with each level associated with and defining the previous level. These levels may include: protected operations; user permission sets, permissions, parameters and primitives associated with parameters. A requested permission set is provided by the publisher of active content that lists the permissions that the active content requires in order to run on the host system. The requested permission set is automatically compared to one or more user permission sets to determine the permissions, if any that will be granted on the host system.

Abstract: Matching (e.g., via correlation or similarity process) entities having attributes, some of which have associated values. The values of the attributes may be adjusted based on number of entities that have values for a particular attribute so that the values decrease as the number increases. The attributes of the entities may be harmonized and provided with default values so that entities being matched have common attributes defined by the union of the attributes of the entities being matched. The attributes of the entities may be expanded and provided with default values so that the entities being matched have attributes that neither had originally. Match values may be normalized to provide a weight value which may be used to predict an attribute value of a new entity based on known attribute values of known entities. The weight values may be tuned such that relatively high weights are amplified and relatively low weights are suppressed.

Abstract: A smart pointer contains two based addresses which are offsets relative to the start of a shared memory heap. One of the based addresses, a destination-pointer, is the offset of a data structure in the heap pointed to by the smart pointer. The other based address, a this-pointer, is the offset of the smart pointer itself. The smart pointer has a self-referencing property which returns an absolute address of the smart pointer within the address space of a process that has opened the heap in shared memory. The absolute address of the data structure pointed to by the smart pointer is calculated by subtracting the this-pointer from the absolute address of the smart pointer and then adding the destination-pointer.

Abstract: A system, method, and medium for enhancing a GUI and viewing environment for a computer user is disclosed. Enabling a user to fully navigate and operate a computer through the use of a remote control device, the present invention includes at least a PC mode of operation and a theater mode of operation, wherein the theater mode is designed for distance use with the remote device. While operating in theater mode, received function key signals are interpreted by the computer system to operate various functions which have been modified to accommodate remote viewing and control. To enable the remote device to fully control the applications executable on the computer, the disclosed process notifies the various applications of the current operating mode.

Abstract: An architecture for rendering web pages. In one embodiment, a system including a first server, a first-level cache, a second server, a second-level cache and one or more provider objects. The first server receives a request from a requestor for a web page. The web page has a number of clips in an arrangement. The server determines the clips and the arrangement based on a key. The first-level cache stores the clips from which the first server is to assemble the web page. The second server populates the first-level cache with any of the clips not yet stored there. The second-level cache stores the clips from which the second server is to populate the first-level cache. The provider object or objects populate the second-level cache with any of the clips not yet stored there.

Abstract: A method and system for advertising software applications by placing application shortcuts on a start menu or desktop and writing entries to the system registry enabling file extension-based activation and Class ID-based activation of those applications, thereby advertising the applications as available even if not installed. In network settings, advertised applications may be assigned to a user via a policy. To this end, an advertising script is stored with a policy associated with computer or user policy recipients, and the advertising script includes assigned application identifier information. One or more scripts are applied, such as to a user at logon or a machine at re-boot. The scripts are processed by an installer mechanism to advertise the application. Applications advertised as available to the user prior to any installation thereof are installed by an installer as needed upon user activation.

Abstract: To render digital content encrypted according to a content key (KD) on a first device having a public key (PU1) and a corresponding private key (PR1), a digital license corresponding to the content is obtained, where the digital license includes the content key (KD) therein in an encrypted form. The encrypted content key (KD) from the digital license is decrypted to produce the content key (KD), and the public key (PU1) of the first device is obtained therefrom. The content key (KD) is then encrypted according to the public key (PU1) of the first device (PU1 (KD)), and a sub-license corresponding to and based on the obtained license is composed, where the sub-license includes (PU1 (KD)). The composed sub-license is then transferred to the first device.

Abstract: A computing device includes a digital rights management (DRM) system thereon for allowing rendering of protected digital content on the computing device. The content includes video content to be displayed on a monitor coupled to the computing device. The computing device also includes a video section therein for receiving the content and for producing a video signal to be sent to the monitor based on the received content. The video section includes video memory for storing the received content, and the video memory is configured to be write-only except with regard to the video section. The video section further includes an authentication device for authenticating to the DRM system that the video memory is configured to be write-only except with regard to the video section.

Abstract: Computer telephony application programming interface is disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes at least one call control object and at least one media control object. The call control objects are to initiate and terminate a computer telephony call having a media stream. The media control objects are to end-point the media stream of the computer telephony call. In a further embodiment, there is also a media control manager to instantiate a media control object for each multimedia device of the system.

Abstract: A computing system uses a zip code entered by the user during a first boot sequence to automatically configure itself. The computing system includes a computing device (e.g., computer, laptop, handheld device, smart appliance, etc.) and a zip code database. The zip code database may reside locally at the computing device, or remotely at a server accessible by the computing device over a network. The zip code database correlates zip codes with corresponding configuration information that can be derived from the zip code (e.g., city, state, time zone, area code, and daylight savings settings). During a first boot sequence (i.e., a process executed when the user turns on the computer for the first time), the computing device prompts a user to enter a zip code. The computing device passes the zip code to the zip code database either locally, or over a network. The zip code is then used to look up the corresponding configuration information in the zip code database.

Abstract: Techniques for accessing oversampled sub-pixels, also referred to as “source sub-pixels”, such that the blocks of source sub-pixels to be accessed are shifted to account for a left side bearing remainder in the final display of the character. The source sub-pixels are accessed, efficiently, in blocks (or chunks) corresponding to the over-sampling rate.

Abstract: Described above are methods of authoring multimedia titles and of storing and delivering multimedia content that implements guaranteed seamless branching on digital media with high seek latency and a fixed upper bound on this latency. Continuous media content is arranged as individual clips on a storage medium. Seamless branches between clips are identified by an author. A method is disclosed to identify individual clips as carrier clips or non-carrier clips to guarantee specified seamless behavior while optimizing bridge memory usage and availability of seamless jumps. Bridge data of a particular target media clip is interleaved or otherwise associated on the storage medium with a carrier clip that is upstream of the target media clip, and delivered along with the upstream media clip. As bridge data are delivered, they are stored in bridge memory, to be used to implement a subsequent seamless branch.

Abstract: A system for tracking the lineage of data in a database. Data within the tables are tracked by attaching lineage information to the data, preferably, by adding a lineage identifier to each row in a table. Data that share a common lineage can be identified by virtue of sharing a common lineage identifier. The lineage identifier can then be used to trace the source of the data, i.e., data having a common identifier share a common history. Additionally, the lineage identifier can provide details about transformations undergone by the data. For example, the lineage identifier can act as a pointer to a detailed history files of operations that were performed on the data to transform it into its current form. Preferably, the lineage identifier tracks program modules as well as specific versions of the program modules that transformed the particular data under consideration.

Abstract: A bandwidth throttling system is implemented on a server network connected to a computer network system to serve one or more clients over a network. The network server supports a service that presents multiple virtual services that can be individually requested by the clients. The bandwidth throttling system controls bandwidth on a per virtual service basis. The bandwidth throttling system has a measuring subsystem to measure the amount of bandwidth being used by each virtual service supported by the network server. The bandwidth throttling system also has a control subsystem to selectively throttle requests for a particular virtual service independently of others based upon the bandwidth used by the particular virtual service. The bandwidth throttling system utilizes an adaptive, hierarchical throttling strategy that is applied to each virtual service independently.

Abstract: A system and method for synchronizing disparate processing modes and for providing mutually exclusive access to shared system resources. A processing unit operates in disparate first and second processing modes. In the first processing mode, the computer is under the control of an operating system. In the other processing mode, the computer is under the control of a system management mode interrupt handling routine. To synchronize the two processing modes and allow mutually exclusive access to shared hardware resources, the computer system includes shared memory, which contains an intermodal lock, and a mechanism for allowing each processing mode to signal the other. Before either processing mode can access the shared resource, the processing mode must attempt to acquire the intermodal lock. If the lock is acquired, the processing mode accesses the shared resource.

Abstract: A system, a method and a program product provide access to variable-length data segments on a sequential access storage medium using an iterative search for a specified data offset based on estimates of media offsets. The data is recorded in variable-length data segments aligned to predetermined alignment intervals. Each data segment has a predetermined signature field to identify the header of each data segment. Session data recorded on the medium so as to prevent session data that matches the signature field from being aligned with the predetermined alignment interval. Approximate or default parameters for data segment size are used for each estimate and are updated with each iteration based on actual data derived from data segment headers on the medium.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for utilizing pixel sub-components which form a pixel element of an LCD display as separate Red (R), Green (G), and Blue (B) luminous intensity values. R, G, and B luminous intensity level values are generated as part of a weighted scan conversion operation and are packed into 8 bit values thereby avoiding the need to store, transmit and process separate R, G and B luminous intensity values representing character glyphs. A look-up table including packed pixel values and processed pixel values is used to convert between glyphs represented by the packed pixel values and R, G, and B pixel sub-component values in a format used by the display. In various embodiments the processed pixel values represent the result of performing unpacking, gamma correction, color filtering and color palette selection operations using the packed pixel values as input.

Abstract: A mail server site and a method in a mail server site provide mobile e-mail services to mobile stations connected to a digital radio communication network. Furthermore, a method in a mobile station utilizes the mobile e-mail services provided by the inventive mail server site. The mail server site includes a mail server host operating in accordance with POP3- or IMAP4-like protocols with respect to the usage of unique identifiers (UIDs) for identifying e-mail messages stored by the mail server host. Modified UIDs are allocated to e-mails received by the mail server site and transmitted to mobile mail clients using a short message based service. When the mail server host communicates with these mail clients, these modified UIDs will be used in the same way as conventional UIDs are used within the scope of a POP3 or IMAP4 protocol.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and system for routing URL data object requests in a proxy server array. A URL data object request is received at one proxy server of the array while the desired URL data object resides in the local cache of another proxy server in the array. The receiving proxy server will deterministically identify the residing proxy server based on information residing thereon without resorting to expensive query-response transactions, such as those that occur in proxy server arrays using ICP. An array membership list containing array membership information is available at each and every proxy server and is used in conjunction with the URL as the information for identifying the correct proxy server where the URL data object resides. First, a deterministic hash value is computed for each proxy server name and the URL. Next, a combined hash value is computed that combines the URL hash value with each proxy server hash value.

Abstract: A worldwide television tuning system is configurable to the television standards and channel frequencies of multiple different countries based on a country's ITU long-distance country code. The television tuning system is architected in parallel hardware and software components. The hardware components include tuner circuitry to tune to various television frequencies carrying television video signals and video decoder circuitry coupled to receive a television video signal from the tuner circuitry and to convert the television video signal to digital video data. The software components include a tuner module coupled to adjust the tuner circuitry to a particular television frequency and a video decoder module to decode the digital video data according to a particular video standard. A driver interface layer interfaces the software layer and the hardware circuitry.

Abstract: A recoverable I/O request processor includes computer-executable instructions for processing I/O requests, such as requests to send or receive data through a network. The recoverable I/O request processor translates virtual memory addresses to physical memory addresses utilizing translation tables local to an I/O device. If a local translation fails, the recoverable I/O request processor requests virtual address mapping information from the operating system.

Abstract: A method and a corresponding system for enabling the sending of messages to a recipient via any of a number of messaging systems of different types are disclosed. In the method addresses for said recipient are stored. Furthermore, recipient availability information is received from the messaging systems. The recipient availability information is interpreted so as to determine in which of the messaging systems the recipient is currently available. Furthermore, an originator input including an identification of the recipient is received and an address among the stored addresses that are associated with messaging systems in which the recipient is currently available is chosen. Finally, the messaging system associated with the chosen address is identified.

Abstract: A method and system for directing data transfers between applications and devices residing on different computers or devices using an adaptive flow control protocol has been described. When an application or device requests to transfer data with another application or device, the adaptive flow control protocol adapts the way data is transferred by observing when an application that is receiving data posts a receive buffer and detects the receive buffer's size. Based upon the application's or device's behavior, the adaptive flow control protocol transfers the data in a mode that is best suited for the application. A credit-based sequencing method is used to coordinate message transfers.

Abstract: A resource management mechanism is provided to ensure that real-time application programs running on a single machine or set of machines exhibit predictable behavior. The resource management mechanism employs the abstraction of an activity which serves as the basis for granting resource reservations and for accounting. An activity submits a request for resources in specified amounts to a resource planner. The activity is resource self-aware so that it is aware of its resource requirements. The activity may query resource providers to obtain resource requirements for particular operations. The resource planner determines whether the activity should be granted the requested reservation by employing an internal policy. Policy is separated by mechanism so that the resource planner may implement any of a number of policies. The resource planner may choose to grant the reservation to an activity or deny the request by an activity.

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: Described herein is a portable computer having a limited display area. An Internet or other hypermedia browser executes on the portable computer to load and display content in a content viewing area. During times when the browser is loading content, the browser displays a temporary, animated graphic element over the content viewing area. The graphic element is removed after the content is loaded, allowing unobstructed viewing of the loaded content.

Abstract: The resolution of text rendered on a display device having sub-pixel elements, such as an RGB LCD for example, and in particular, on a display device having horizontal striping is enhanced by (i) overscaling (or oversampling) character outline information in the vertical (or Y) direction, and (ii) filtering displaced information from the overscaled (or oversampled) character outline information. Metrics associated with character outline information may be appropriately adjusted. The vertical (or Y) position of the baseline of adjacent characters may be constrained by forcing the first pixel above the baseline to be composed of a full number N of scan conversion source samples, where N corresponds to an overscaling (or oversampling) factor. Groups of scan conversion source samples may be converted into packed pixel index values. Color values may be selectively filtered when the differences in the intensity of adjacent sub-pixel elements would otherwise be irritating to view.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product are provided for controlling the blending of pixels using alpha values. The alpha value of a first pixel is compared to the alpha value of a second pixel. The results of the comparison are then used to choose a particular blending operation from among two or more possible blending operations that are made available. The chosen blending operation is then performed so as to produce a blended pixel. The output of the blending operation is referred to hereinafter as pixel display data and includes a set of color coordinates and an alpha value for the blended pixel. The pixel display data is then sent to a frame buffer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing instrumentation data to an instrumentation data source from within a managed code environment is provided. A decoupled provider is provided that executes partially in managed code and partially in unmanaged code. The decoupled provider facilitates communication with an instrumentation data source. The decoupled provider also dynamically registers schema for managed code objects to be instrumented at run-time. The decoupled provider also receives and processes requests from the instrumentation data source to retrieve instance data for managed code objects, to write properties on managed code objects, and to execute methods on managed code objects.

Abstract: An analog-to-digital converter responsive to an analog signal converts the analog signal to a digital signal. A digital decimation filter, having an associated frequency response, is responsive to the digital signal for producing a decimated digital signal. An alias correction filter attenuates the decimated digital signal to remove distortion. A digital interpolation filter, having an associated frequency response, is responsive to the alias-corrected signal for producing an interpolated digital signal which subsequently is converted to an analog signal by a digital-to-analog converter. The alias correction filter has a frequency response that attenuates the decimated digital signal in a frequency range generally corresponding to a distortion portion that is present within the combination of the digital decimation filter frequency response and the digital interpolation filter frequency response.

Abstract: The invention is a notepad computer with a page display region displaying a page of a document on which a user can write using a pen or stylus type writing tool. Associated with the page is an interface that can be used with the pen. The interface includes a core task tool region adjacent to the page where tool icons are partially visible until the pen is brought near one of the icons. The tool icon becomes fully visible when the pen is within the region of the icon. The tool when activated can pop-up a radial pop-up menu located at an edge of the document where all the menu choices are located in a semi-circle away from the edge so that the user's hand while holding the pen and making a selection does not block the choices. A page flipping tool is located in a corner of the page and is an explicit two-stroke menu allowing selection of a next or previous page.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a group of parallel resources as a proxy for a single shared resource is provided. In a preferred embodiment, a resource grouping facility (“the facility”) is incorporated in a “non-global” operating system. A non-global operating system is an operating system that is unable to respond correctly to a request to allocate a global resource of a particular type, such as a memory block, that can be accessed by every program executing in conjunction with the operating system. Instead, a non-global operating system allocates a putatively global resource that may not be accessed by every program executing in conjunction with the non-global operating system. When the facility detects that a transferer program is attempting to share a putatively global resource allocated by the operating system with a transferee program, the facility allocates a proxy resource that is accessible to the transferee.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for creating and editing event handlers that link events triggered on one object to actions taken on one or more different objects. The method provides a user interface having an event pane, action pane and code pane. A user selects an event icon in the event pane to link that event to a desired action in the action pane. The code that is generated in the code pane can be displayed in either a list view or a code view. In the list view, the event handler is presented to the user in simple, concise statements that are easy for the user to understand. In the code view, the actual event handler code in either VBScript or JavaScript languages is presented to the user.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and data structure for reducing the contention for a global lock that impairs system efficiency. An object is assigned or has thereon a positive reference count and a negative reference count. Upon creation, the positive reference count is incremented to indicate creation and the object is placed in a global data structure. When a process thread or other stream of executable instructions initially accesses the data object, the global lock is acquired and the positive reference count incremented to indicate the object is being used. When a process thread or other stream of executable instructions finishes processing the object, an object lock or other assigned lock is acquired (if not already held) and the negative reference count is incremented to indicate that the object is no longer in use by that particular process thread.

Abstract: A multimedia compression system for generating frame rate scalable data in the case of video, and, more generally, universally scalable data Universally scalable data is scalable across all of the relevant characteristics of the data. In the case of video, these characteristics include frame rate, resolution, and quality. The scalable data generated by the compression system is comprised of multiple additive layers for each characteristic across which the data is scalable. In the case of video, the frame rate layers are additive temporal layers, the resolution layers are additive base and enhancement layers, and the quality layers are additive index planes of embedded codes. Various techniques can be used for generating each of these layers (e.g., Laplacian pyramid decomposition or wavelet decomposition for generating the resolution layers; tree structured vector quantization or tree structured-scalar quantization for generating the quality layers).

Abstract: A secure first process uses a non-secure software object by hosting said non-secure software object in a separate second process, where the first process's address space is inaccessible to the second process. The first process communicates with the second process, preferably by means of a COM API that the second process exposes to the first process. The application that runs in the second process may expose APIs of the hosted non-secure object to the first process, and the first process may communicate with the non-secure object hosted in the second process through this API. In a preferred embodiment, the second process renders its output in a child window of the first process, so that the use of a second process to host non-secure software objects is transparent to a user of the first process.

Abstract: A method and system for providing an electronic shopping service integrated into a software application, and for controlling the set of web sites that are reachable from within the shopping service. Each web site is represented by data which is signed by a private key, and the data together with this signature is delivered to a plurality of computing devices that provide the shopping service. Each of the computing devices has access to the public key that corresponds to the private key, and uses the public key to verify the signature. The computing device displays links to those web sites whose representative data validates against the signature.

Abstract: A system for configuring a network adapter of a computer without user intervention. Device information for the devices of the computer, including each network adapter, is collected to uniquely identify the devices and to describe the device characteristics associated with the operation of those devices with the computer. Computer resources, which support the functions of the devices within the computer, are allocated based upon this device information. This allocation process prevents a potential conflicting use of computer resources by the installed devices. A device driver, which enables communications between a corresponding device and the computer, is also identified and loaded for each of the devices in response to the allocation of computer resources. In response to loading the driver for each network adapter, each network configuration routine or layer for a particular interface of the corresponding network adapter is identified.

Abstract: The invention performs speech recognition using an array of mixtures of Bayesian networks. A mixture of Bayesian networks (MBN) consists of plural hypothesis-specific Bayesian networks (HSBNs) having possibly hidden and observed variables. A common external hidden variable is associated with the MBN, but is not included in any of the HSBNs. The number of HSBNs in the MBN corresponds to the number of states of the common external hidden variable, and each HSBN models the world under the hypothesis that the common external hidden variable is in a corresponding one of those states. In accordance with the invention, the MBNs encode the probabilities of observing the sets of acoustic observations given the utterance of a respective one of said parts of speech. Each of the HSBNs encodes the probabilities of observing the sets of acoustic observations given the utterance of a respective one of the parts of speech and given a hidden common variable being in a particular state.

Abstract: A technique, specifically apparatus and accompanying methods, for implementing an on-demand “Tool Glass” based desktop user interface. The interface uses at least one input device capable of detecting touch. A sensed touch transition reflective of a user then making or breaking contact with the device, such by touching the device with a finger of a non-preferred hand or lifting his(her) finger from the device, causes a Tool Glass sheet to be displayed or dismissed. To prevent user distraction, these detected transitions preferably initiate corresponding predefined animation sequences that occur over preset time intervals in which the Tool Glass sheet either begins to fade into view as soon as user contact begins and then begins to fade out from view as soon as user contact ends. Such touch sensing can readily be used to provide “on-demand” display and dismissal of substantially any display widget, e.g.

Abstract: An architecture is provided that enables an accessibility aid to directly access and manipulate user interface elements of an application program programmatically. Moreover, such access and manipulation occurs in an application-independent manner, so that an accessibility aid utilizing the architecture can access any application program that conforms to the architecture, without the accessibility aid needing any prior knowledge of the application program or its user interface elements. User interface elements typically have both a visual representation displayed on the video display and an implementation, which is the code and data implementing the user interface element. The architecture provides an accessibility aid with direct access to the implementation of user interface elements, thus enabling the accessibility aid to both examine various characteristics of the user interface element and manipulate these characteristics, which may affect its visual representation.

Abstract: A method and a test tool 110 are provided for verifying the functionality of a software based unit 100 which is provided with an interface 105 for its external communication. Pre-recorded data is used for the reproduction of a test case and for the verification of a unit subject to the test case. The pre-recorded data includes pre-recorded input data 125 and pre-recorded output data 126. The pre-recorded input data is applied to an interface of the unit and the pre-recorded output data is compared with the data transmitted from the unit in response to the applied pre-recorded input data. If the data transmitted from the unit is in correspondence with the pre-recorded output data, the functionality of the unit in accordance with the specific test case has been verified.

Abstract: A method for an object-exchange client device to discover network resources is disclosed. Clients listen on well-known communications channels of routable network protocols for advertisements identifying accessible resources. Clients use the information in the advertisements to determine which resources are available and when they become unavailable. In addition, clients send discovery requests over well-known communications channels requesting accessible resources to respond by identifying themselves. When a new resource becomes available, it advertises itself on a common communications channel. The client can specify criteria in its discovery request and only resources meeting those criteria are expected to respond. In particular, the client can limit the scope of dispersion of a discovery request to one network hop or to a certain geographical or network topological region. The scope can be expanded by propagating the request to other networks by means of a bridging protocol.

Abstract: A method and system for directing data transfers between applications and devices residing on different computers or devices using an adaptive flow control protocol has been described. When an application or device requests to transfer data with another application or device, adaptive flow control protocol adapts the way data is transferred by observing when an application that is receiving data posts a receive buffer and detects the receive buffer's size. Based upon the application's or device's behavior, the adaptive flow control protocol transfers the data in a mode that is best suited for the application.