Abstract: A method and apparatus that uses a hypermedia approach to managing distributed objects. A first embodiment of the present invention uses the World Wide Web hypermedia system. A user initializes browser software that allows the user to browse and change various attributes of objects in the system. The browser communicates with a server that includes an http adapter and a gateway. The gateway can access objects in the system and generate HTML code in accordance with the objects. One embodiment of the present invention uses hierarchical tree-oriented objects. These objects are “self-describing” (also called “introspective”). The server queries the objects in response to the queries from the browser and each queried object responds with information about itself. In another preferred embodiment, the server initiates queries of the objects and retains this information for use in responding to later queries from the browser.

Abstract: An automated method of and apparatus for Internet address management is provided. The method and apparatus receive requests for a host name/IP address assignment and automatically performs error checking on the request. The method and apparatus determine if there are available addresses in the address space for the requested subnet and if the new host name meets the requisite criteria for a valid host name. Once error checked, the requested amount of IP addresses are created and inspected for uniqueness. Individual host names are created and inspected for uniqueness prior to being assigned to respective IP addresses. Once assigned, the new host names/IP addresses are entered into the DNS database. Accordingly, the automated method and apparatus is less time consuming while being free from errors arising in prior Internet address management methods.

Abstract: The present invention establishes a TCP/IP session between terminals which connect to a network on-demand by a dial up PPP. This is achieved by connecting from a local terminal X to a local connection point A of the network by a dial up PPP, calling a remote terminal Y from a secondary server C on the network based on information from the local terminal X and sending a FAX message containing an IP address of the local terminal X, and connecting the remote terminal Y to the network by a dial up PPP by a daemon on the remote terminal Y which is started based on the transmitted FAX message to send the IP address of the remote terminal to the local terminal.

Abstract: A computer system and method for filtering unauthorized electronic mail messages that are sent by senders to a user. The system includes a list of the identifications of the senders who are authorized to send an electronic mail message to the user. When an electronic mail message is received, the system determines whether the sender of the electronic mail message is authorized by determining whether the identification of sender in the electronic mail message is in the list of the identifications of the senders who are authorized. When the sender of the electronic mail message is determined to be authorized, the system stores the electronic mail message in an Inbox folder. When the sender of the electronic mail message is determined to be not authorized, the system stores the electronic mail message in a Junk Mail folder.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for facilitating computer network transactions are disclosed herein. The computer network connects a host node and at least one user node. The host node has access to a database including records having predetermined contents, each record associated with a unique identification indicia. Each user node includes a display for displaying an icon and an input device for selecting the icon. The icon is typically an advertising banner having graphics related to an advertised product or service. The icon has embedded therein the network address of the host node, and the indicia for a record associated with the advertised product or service. The icon displayed on one user node is selected by actuating the respective input device (e.g., a mouse). The host network address embedded in the selected icon is used to contact the host node. Then, the record associated with the selected icon is retrieved by searching the database using the indicia embedded in the selected icon as a pointer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system of publicly co-creating a narrative document by parallel and on-going communication of a plurality of signals comprising public reactions to portions of the document, the signals being generated via one or more repurposed signaling devices. A display illustrates an introductory portion of the document intended to engender a public interest in the document and an emotive or intellectual reaction thereto. The document can comprise a dependent set of associated document elements which are sequentially variable for variation of document content to evolve different document narratives. The public viewing the display communicates, via the device or devices, a signal indicative of their reactions and for effecting a prospective scene selection in the document content that, in turn will vary the narrative.

Abstract: The web sharing manager of a receiving sharing client receives duplicated events (e.g. browser requests) and messages from the web sharing manager of a source sharing client that causes the browser of the receiving sharing client to execute the duplicate event/message so that the browsers of the source and receiving sharing client computer system(s) process the same events/messages. Because events/messages, that include control and information locations (addresses), are shared between the source and receiving and sharing client(s), the same web page is simultaneously displayed and controlled, i.e. shared, on all of the sharing client(s).

Abstract: Method and system for representing different types of information on a wide area network in a form suitable for access over an audio interface (12). Audio enabled pages (29) are created to link particular text data, which data can be from the World Wide Web (WWW). The audio enabled pages (29) can be retrieved by an audio web server (16, 18) for interpreting the pages into audio which is displayed at the audio interface (12). Audio input means are created to traverse the links of the audio enable pages (29). A user can use the keypad of the phone (12) or spoken commands to traverse the audio menus. In addition, dynamic audio input means can be created to selectively traverse a database of the WWW information.

Abstract: Systems and processes are disclosed that allow a computer to connect to a server of an Internet site for executing an application program that is stored on a disk linked to that server. Specifically, processes are disclosed that provide a data transport interface for connecting to the server, transport from the server a server address signal representative of a network address of the server, and a path name signal representative of a file system that includes an application program. The process further generates a mount request as a function of the path name signal and transports the mount request to the server to direct the server to provide an array of server file pointers that point to a file descriptor representative of the file system that includes the application program.

Abstract: A system with a network interconnecting a server and a plurality of user stations. The system allows a system administrator to configure applications in the context of a user or a user group, and then to change the context and continue with configuration in the new context, all without requiring the administrator to terminate and relaunch the application to acquire the configuration information pertaining to the new context. A context change event listener is provided as part of the application being configured at the administrator's station. The listener registers itself in the profile management system. When the administrator changes context by selecting a new user, user group, or terminal or terminal group, a profile manager senses the context change and alerts the listener.

Abstract: A multimedia collaboration system that integrates separate real-time and asynchronous networks—the former for real-time audio and video, and the latter for control signals and textual, graphical and other data—in a manner that is interoperable across different computer and network operating system platforms and which closely approximates the experience of face-to-face collaboration, while liberating the participants from the limitations of time and distance. These capabilities are achieved by exploiting a variety of hardware, software and networking technologies in a manner that preserves the quality and integrity of audio/video/data and other multimedia information, even after wide area transmission, and at a significantly reduced networking cost as compared to what would be required by presently known approaches. The system architecture is readily scalable to the largest enterprise network environments.

Abstract: A media manager provides data flow management and other services for client applications on devices coupled together within a network. Preferably, these devices are coupled together within an IEEE 1394-1995 serial bus network. A device control module is generated for each available device for providing an abstraction for all of the capabilities and requirements of the device including the appropriate control protocol, physical connections and connection capabilities for the device. The media manager also manages the flow and format of data transfers between the devices on the network. Through an interface, a user accesses the media manager and enters functions which are to be completed using the devices coupled together on the network. If the appropriate devices are available, the media manager controls and manages the completion of the requested task.

Abstract: A communications network, eg a distributed network, comprises a plurality of distributed physical resources in the form of components, assemblies of components, and systems based on components and composites. A network management system of such a network comprises an application level which represents the functionality of a plurality of different composites being hardware and/or software components of different proprietary manufacture and different function capability, and an implementation level which implements control of the composites. The application level is sub-divided into a plurality of application level elements each of which correspond to a function capability of a composite or system, a system being a highest level of composite. The implementation level is sub-divided into a plurality of implementation level elements each of which represents a system, a composite or a component.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, a mobile agent object executes a first method on a first computer, migrates from the first computer to a second computer, and executes a second method on the second computer. The first and second methods and first and second computers are designated in an itinerary. The agent includes both data and executable code which are serialized for transmission from the first computer to the second computer as data. The data containing the agent is then deserialized in the second computer to regenerate the agent in the form of an object. The executable code portion of the agent can be supplemented with code from a home codebase located on another computer.

Abstract: A system and method for incorporating intermediate link layer drivers into a network protocol stack is presented. The system and method utilize an abstract interface for interfacing both inputs and outputs of intermediate drivers and for providing an interface for link layer device drivers. The abstract interface provides routing of data packets through the intermediate drivers and device drivers to facilitate the desired data flow. The abstract interface facilitates reuse and portability of intermediate drivers across varying computer platforms. Layering of intermediate drivers also accommodates data flow modification with minimal impact to existing drivers.

Abstract: A system and method for managing electronic transactions between a host system and a plurality of trading partners. A transaction gateway is employed to manage electronic transactions between the host system and the trading partners in accordance with a set of rules defined within a software application. The transaction gateway may take the form of a network server, and the rules may provide a correlation between identified trading partners, transaction types, modes of communication and/or scheduling constraints.

Abstract: The application package building system includes an application storage maintaining specification and component information, and a client package build system which creates an application package definition for both a client application package and a server application package. The package definition identifies required specification and component information for both the client application package and the server application package. A client package build engine builds the client application package using the required specification and component information, and a server package build engine builds the server application package from the required specification and component information.

Abstract: An Actively Broadcast URLs for Drive-By Internet Information (ABU-DaBII) system provides for the just-in-time distribution of information through mobile information terminals. The system involves the Internet as the primary source of the information and includes a mobile information terminal as the output device and a local agent which is locally operated. The mobile information terminal includes a receiver, a URL queue and a WWW renderer/browser. The local agent includes a short-range transmitter to distribute information pointers to the mobile information terminal and a mechanism for transferring data into the transmitter.

Abstract: A system and method for pushing information from a host system to a mobile data communication device upon sensing a triggering event is disclosed. A redirector program operating at the host system enables a user to continuously redirect certain user-selected data items from the host system to the user's mobile data communication device upon detecting that one or more user-defined triggering events has occurred. The redirector program operates in connection with event generating applications and repackaging systems at the host system to configure and detect a particular user-defined event, and then to repackage the user-selected data items in an electronic wrapper prior to pushing the data items to the mobile device. The mobile device and the host system share a common electronic address so that messages generated at either the host system or the mobile data communication device are configured using the common electronic address.

Abstract: A Telnet server makes the IP address of a Telnet client accessible to applications by writing the IP address into device associated space initialized when the virtual device at the server is associated with the physical device at the client. Applications retrieve this device IP address using an API, and are thus enabled to do job routing, printer passthru, access control and so forth using TCP/IP networks.