Abstract: A location-based advertising system automatically analyzes messages posted on social networking systems or other publicly accessible or private computer systems for posting messages for viewing by others. The messages are analyzed to identify messages that contain offers, such as offers that may be construed as location-based offers. Information about the offers is extracted from the messages and placed in a database. The database may be used by a location-based advertising application to send advertisements to targeted users or to respond to user who are qualified according to their current or recent geographic location. Optionally or alternatively, merchants may send messages, such as e-mail messages or instant messages (IMs), to the system to notify the system of offers. These messages are also analyzed and information about their respective offers is extracted and placed in the database.

Abstract: A navigational computer system and method are provided for presenting local search data according to travel time to points of interest. The navigational computer system comprises a selection engine in communication with a database of points of interest. In response to a user request for a list of points of interest from within a class or type of points of interest, the selection engine is configured to identify and rank points of interest from amongst the class according to estimated travel times for the user to those points of interest. A user equipped with a mobile device or other user interface unit may select search parameters which are provided to the selection engine as a search query. The selection engine provides a list in ranked order of suitable points of interest to the user interface unit. The navigational computer system and method allow a user to search for points of interest based on estimated travel time to those points of interest.

Abstract: Methods are provided for providing a user with real-time access to supplemental information about named entities that appear within a conversation in a messaging application on a user terminal. Named entities, conversational topics, and sentiments are recognized as the user enters messages into the application. These are provided to a semantic search engine in a server system, that classifies the named entities into one of a variety of domains. Each domain has an associated tool for retrieving detailed supplemental information about the named entity. The server system transmits, to the user terminal, indicia that allow the user terminal to retrieve the supplemental information. Advertising related to a named entity having favorable sentiment also may be transmitted to the user terminal for display. These functions occur without the need for a separate search interface in the messaging application.

Abstract: A system facilitates cross-language communication among users of respective wireless communication devices. Two or more mutually-agreeing users establish and participate in a cross-language communication session, without revealing private information, such as their telephone numbers. Once the session has been established, each user enters text into her wireless communication device, and a translated version of the entered text is displayed on a screen of the other user's wireless communication device. The text may be entered, such as by typing on a keyboard on the wireless communication device or by speaking inputs into a microphone and automatically recognizing the speech. Optionally, the translated text may be spoken by a speech synthesizer.

Abstract: A method and system for automated generation of social networks. A graphical user interface receives a user query for an entity of interest, and outputs a graphical network showing entities and associations related to the entity of interest. A search engine interface transmits the query to a search engine, and receives references to documents. A named entity extractor downloads a selection of the documents, and generates a list of named entities referenced in the downloaded documents. A network inference module receives each list of named entities, and generates associations between the named entities in each list. An entity matcher operates on the associations to consolidate them in instances wherein differently named entities are determined to be the same named entity, and provides a consolidated list of named entities and associations to the user interface for display as a graphical network.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products determine, for a number of individuals having a common interest, locations relevant to that common interest. Each individual possesses a user terminal that has a location and executes a messaging application. During the course of a messaging conversation, the application transmits search parameters to a central server. The search parameters may be entered manually or determined automatically by analyzing the conversation. The server identifies clusters of locations that satisfy the search parameters in addition to satisfying geographic proximity to the participants in the conversation. The server scores the clusters, and transmits to the user terminal data relating thereto, for integrated display in the messaging application. Relevant advertising may be identified and transmitted for contemporaneous display.

Abstract: A system and method for sharing digital information between two or more devices in close proximity using a sound signal. The sending device obtains a globally unique share identifier from an information sharing system. The sending device then uploads the digital information to be shared to the information sharing system and transmits the sharing identifier to a receiving device via sound signals. The receiving device communicates the sharing identifier to the information sharing system and receives the digital information from the information sharing system. The information transferred from the sharing system can be password encrypted, the information transfer can be limited to a specified time period or the information transfer can be limited to receiving devices located within a specified geographic extent.

Abstract: A method and system for automated generation of social networks. A graphical user interface receives a user query for an entity of interest, and outputs a graphical network showing entities and associations related to the entity of interest. A search engine interface transmits the query to a search engine, and receives references to documents. A named entity extractor downloads a selection of the documents, and generates a list of named entities referenced in the downloaded documents. A network inference module receives each list of named entities, and generates associations between the named entities in each list. An entity matcher operates on the associations to consolidate them in instances wherein differently named entities are determined to be the same named entity, and provides a consolidated list of named entities and associations to the user interface for display as a graphical network.

Abstract: Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method, a system, and a computer readable medium encoded with instructions for providing a user terminal with supplemental information to a search result. Illustrative embodiments of the present invention include receiving a search request from the user terminal. Once the search request is received, a set of search results is communicated to the user terminal. The set of search results includes search results that include information associated with at least a first business and a second business. These businesses are then notified of the search request using an electronic notification. Illustrative embodiments of the present invention also include receiving, from the first business, supplemental information associated with the first business that is responsive to the notification. The supplemental information is then communicated to the user terminal and at least the second business.

Abstract: A method of achieving synchronous playback of media content over the internet, such as digital video and audio, when the media content is stored on a host that does not have synchronous broadcasting software installed. Users select media sources that are accessible from one or more content servers and create a broadcast playlist. A database maintains a virtual-time record of the broadcast. A server receives a client request for the broadcast, retrieves the virtual-time record from the database, and delivers it to the client. The client then accesses the remotely-stored media source and plays it in a media player, synchronously with all other clients receiving the broadcast.

Abstract: A test interface circuit operates with different types of core circuits. As consistent with various embodiments, the test interface circuit includes a test input register (TIR) configured to select an operating mode and a plurality of test point registers (TPRs). Each TPR is configured to control signals passed from the input port to a mixed-signal core circuit, responsive to the received test input signals and the operating mode selected by a TIR. In a static mode, each TPR provides serial access to digital inputs and outputs of a mixed-signal core circuit. In a bypass mode, each TPR bypasses TPR slices to preserve test time in response to the TPR being chained to other ones of the TPRs during integration of at least two mixed-signal cores.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products determine, for a number of individuals having a common interest, locations relevant to that common interest. Each individual possesses a user terminal that has a location and executes a messaging application. During the course of a messaging conversation, the application transmits search parameters to a central server. The search parameters may be entered manually or determined automatically by analyzing the conversation. The server identifies clusters of locations that satisfy the search parameters in addition to satisfying geographic proximity to the participants in the conversation. The server scores the clusters, and transmits to the user terminal data relating thereto, for integrated display in the messaging application. Relevant advertising may be identified and transmitted for contemporaneous display.

Abstract: An online video search system, including a tag discoverer including a web encyclopedia crawler for (i) accessing a web encyclopedia to find web pages related to at least one designated reference topic, and (ii) retrieving a plurality of web pages by performing an n-level depth recursive traversal of the web pages found, and web pages that are hyper-linked thereto, a concept extractor for extracting important concepts founds in the retrieved plurality of web pages, and a user interface for providing at least of the important concepts extracted by the web page processor to an online video search engine. A method and a computer-readable storage medium are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A single device allows two or more users to converse in different languages. The translation device receives inputs from the users which are translated and displayed to the other user in the other user's selected language. In one embodiment, there are two display areas for right side up display of the conversation to each user. In a second embodiment, one display is changed from one language to another as it is passed from one user to the other.

Abstract: A system facilitates cross-language communication among users of respective wireless communication devices. Two or more mutually-agreeing users establish and participate in a cross-language communication session, without revealing private information, such as their telephone numbers. Once the session has been established, each user enters text into her wireless communication device, and a translated version of the entered text is displayed on a screen of the other user's wireless communication device. The text may be entered, such as by typing on a keyboard on the wireless communication device or by speaking inputs into a microphone and automatically recognizing the speech. Optionally, the translated text may be spoken by a speech synthesizer.

Abstract: A method of providing a location-based advertisement is provided. The advertisement is provided to an electronic communications device, over a communications network, on behalf of an advertiser. The method includes calculating an adjusted price to be charged to the advertiser for the advertisement using at least a geographic location associated with the advertisement, a distance of the electronic communications device from the geographic location and optionally a bid price associated with the geographic location. The method also includes delivering the advertisement over the communications network to the electronic communications device. A system for providing such advertisements, as well as a computer-readable storage medium with instructions, in the form of software, to perform the method or implement the system are also provided.

Abstract: A method of providing a geo-fenced advertisement to a mobile communications device is provided. The advertisement has an associated virtual scratchcard offer. The scratchcard is displayed only when the mobile communications device is less than a first predefined distance from a location of a business. The offer is revealed only when a user performs a virtual scratching function with the mobile communications device while the mobile communications device is less than a second predefined distance from the location of the business. The second predefined distance is less than the first predefined distance.

Abstract: A system and method for sharing digital information between two or more devices in close proximity using a sound signal. The sending device obtains a globally unique share identifier from an information sharing system. The sending device then uploads the digital information to be shared to the information sharing system and transmits the sharing identifier to a receiving device via sound signals. The receiving device communicates the sharing identifier to the information sharing system and receives the digital information from the information sharing system. The information transferred from the sharing system can be password encrypted, the information transfer can be limited to a specified time period or the information transfer can be limited to receiving devices located within a specified geographic extent.

Abstract: A method of delivering an advertisement to an electronic communications device via an electronic communications network includes obtaining, via the electronic communications network, a location of an electronic communications device, the location of the device corresponding to a longitude, a latitude, and an altitude of the communications device, accessing a database of advertisements, each advertisement in the database having an associated three-dimensional geographic region, identifying at least one advertisement in the database such that the location of the electronic communications device is within the associated three-dimensional geographic region of the advertisement, and delivering the advertisement to the electronic communications device via the electronic communications network.

Abstract: A test interface circuit operates with different types of core circuits. As consistent with various embodiments, the test interface circuit includes a test input register (TIR) configured to select an operating mode and a plurality of test point registers (TPRs). Each TPR is configured to control signals passed from the input port to a mixed-signal core circuit, responsive to the received test input signals and the operating mode selected by a TIR. In a static mode, each TPR provides serial access to digital inputs and outputs of a mixed-signal core circuit. In a bypass mode, each TPR bypasses TPR slices to preserve test time in response to the TPR being chained to other ones of the TPRs during integration of at least two mixed-signal cores.