Abstract: Advertisements may be inserted into a streaming video at an intermediary system by receiving a data stream including a video content selection having scenes configured to accommodate insertion of advertising objects, identifying an advertising descriptor based on characteristics of a scene within the data stream, selecting an advertising object based on the identified advertising descriptor, modifying the video content selection by inserting the advertising object in the data stream such that the advertising object is integrated into a scene of the video content selection, where an image scene of the video content selection is modified to integrate and enable visual display of content from within the scene of the video content selection and the advertising object concurrently, and transmitting the content selection to a recipient.

Abstract: In order to increase the efficacy of a mood-based playlisting system, a mood sensor such as a camera may be used to provide mood information to the mood model. When the mood sensor includes a camera, a camera may be used to capture an image of the user. The image is analyzed to determine a mood for the user so that content may be selected responsive to the mood of the user.

Abstract: A switch having a first communications interface to receive a stream of data units, a buffer to store the payload portion of the data unit, a replicator to duplicate at least the payload portion of the data unit, and a second communications interface to enable access to the stream of data units by two or more terminals.

Abstract: A switch having a first communications interface to receive a stream of data units, a buffer to store the payload portion of the data unit, a replicator to duplicate at least the payload portion of the data unit, and a second communications interface to enable access to the stream of data units by two or more terminals.

Abstract: An initialization vector (IV) is employed to decrypt a block of a stream that has been encrypted with Cypher Block Chaining (CBC) encryption, without requiring decryption of previous blocks within the stream. For example, a listener who accesses a distribution point to retrieve encrypted content authenticates himself to an application server that regulates access to encrypted content on the distribution point, and responsively receives a key. The listener then requests access to a reference point within the encrypted content stream somewhere after its beginning (e.g., using preview clips). The distribution point relates the reference point to a corresponding block of the encrypted stream, and identifies an IV previously used for encryption of that block. The distribution point provides the associated encrypted block of content and the IV to the listener to enable mid-stream rendering of the encrypted content, without requiring the listener to decrypt previous blocks within the encrypted stream.

Abstract: An action is triggered by receiving information related to a predicted destination of a user, accessing a library that maps user actions to destinations, determining that at least one of the destinations in the library corresponds with the predicted destination of the user and at least one of the destinations in the library, identifying a user action, within the library, that is associated with the destination determined to correspond with the predicted destination of the user, and triggering the user action.

Abstract: A first content selection stored on a portable media device is associated with a first tag. In addition, a second tag that is associated with a second content selection and that indicates that supplemental content related to the second content selection is stored on a peer device is accessed from a peer device. The first tag is compared to the second tag, and, if a commonality shared by the first content selection and the second content selection is identified, an exchange of the supplemental content from the peer device to the portable media device is initiated.

Abstract: An action is triggered by receiving information related to a predicted destination of a user, accessing a library that maps user actions to destinations, determining that at least one of the destinations in the library corresponds with the predicted destination of the user and at least one of the destinations in the library, identifying a user action, within the library, that is associated with the destination determined to correspond with the predicted destination of the user, and triggering the user action.

Abstract: A first content selection stored on a portable media device is associated with a first tag. In addition, a second tag that is associated with a second content selection and that indicates that supplemental content related to the second content selection is stored on a peer device is accessed from a peer device. The first tag is compared to the second tag, and, if a commonality shared by the first content selection and the second content selection is identified, an exchange of the supplemental content from the peer device to the portable media device is initiated.

Abstract: Paralinguistic indicators are translated at a paralinguistic translation server by receiving from a source a first set of data related to a first paralinguistic indicator that is configured to enable non-verbal communications between a source and a destination. The source is one of an instant messaging system and a virtual world system and the destination is one of the textual instant messaging system and a virtual world system but differs from the source. The first set of data related to the first paralinguistic indicator is translated into a second set of data related to a second paralinguistic indicator, such that the second paralinguistic indicator that is at least partially synonymous to the non-verbal communications associated with the first paralinguistic indicator. The second set of data related to the second paralinguistic indicator is transmitted to the destination.

Abstract: A mood state may be modeled using mood information for a content selection (e.g., a digitally-encoded song) and/or by using mood information determined by how a user is interacting with a media player. For example, a playlist engine on a host may determine that a particular song is associated with an uplifting mood, thus determining that a user who has selected that particular song currently is in an uplifting mood, and correspondingly may select additional songs and advertisements consistent with, or responsive to, the uplifting mood. Mood information also may be used to present a mood state of users (e.g., co-users) in a network for display in a graphical user interface (GUI). For example, a user's screen name appearing in an America Online (AOL) Instant Messenger's Buddy List may indicate a determined user's mood, such as “happy”, “sad”, “silly”, or “angry.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and system for distributing personalized content to potentially large numbers of recipients. A pool is selected, from among all content available for distribution, of those content elements that will be made available for simultaneous distribution, and personalized content is selected for distribution from that pool. The content of the pool can change with new selections over time. For each individual recipient, content elements in the pool are examined to determine if they are predicted to be of sufficient interest to that recipient for distribution, and if so, those content elements are distributed. If not, successive content elements in the pool are examined, relaxing the standard for sufficient interest, until at least one content element is found and distributed to the individual recipient.

Abstract: Paralinguistic indicators are translated at a paralinguistic translation server by receiving from a source a first set of data related to a first paralinguistic indicator that is configured to enable non-verbal communications between a source and a destination. The source is one of an instant messaging system and a virtual world system and the destination is one of the textual instant messaging system and a virtual world system but differs from the source. The first set of data related to the first paralinguistic indicator is translated into a second set of data related to a second paralinguistic indicator, such that the second paralinguistic indicator that is at least partially synonymous to the non-verbal communications associated with the first paralinguistic indicator. The second set of data related to the second paralinguistic indicator is transmitted to the destination.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for predicting a destination for a ground-based vehicle. Travel patterns are accessed and a series of locations of a ground-based vehicle are received. At least some of the received locations are related to at least one accessed travel pattern, and a destination of the ground-based vehicle is predicted based on relating the received locations with the travel patterns. An existence of an event may be predicted using the predicted destinations of a ground-based vehicle.

Abstract: A mood state may be modeled using mood information for a content selection (e.g., a digitally-encoded song) and/or by using mood information determined by how a user is interacting with a media player. For example, a playlist engine on a host may determine that a particular song is associated with an uplifting mood, thus determining that a user who has selected that particular song currently is in an uplifting mood, and correspondingly may select additional songs and advertisements consistent with, or responsive to, the uplifting mood. Mood information also may be used to present a mood state of users (e.g., co-users) in a network for display in a graphical user interface (GUI). For example, a user's screen name appearing in an America Online (AOL) Instant Messenger's Buddy List may indicate a determined user's mood, such as “happy”, “sad”, “silly”, or “angry.

Abstract: In order to increase the efficacy of a mood-based playlisting system, a mood sensor such as a camera may be used to provide mood information to the mood model. When the mood sensor includes a camera, a camera may be used to capture an image of the user. The image is analyzed to determine a mood for the user so that content may be selected responsive to the mood of the user.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for suggesting an intermediate point-of-interest (POI) for a user that is traveling. A series of locations of a ground-based vehicle is received. At least some of the locations are related to at least one travel pattern. A route is identified based on relating at least some of the received locations to at least one travel patterns and an intermediate point-of-interest is identified responsive to a predicted interest of a user based on the route.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for predicting a destination for a ground-based vehicle. Travel patterns are accessed and a series of locations of a ground-based vehicle are received. At least some of the received locations are related to at least one accessed travel pattern, and a destination of the ground-based vehicle is predicted based on relating the received locations with the travel patterns. An existence of an event may be predicted using the predicted destinations of a ground-based vehicle.

Abstract: A method for identifying a result responsive to a current location of a client device includes receiving, form a client device and at a host, a search query that includes a point of interest and a current location of the client device. The method also includes automatically updating the search query as the current location of the client device changes and instructing the host to identify a potential location associated with the point of interest and located within a user-defined proximity from the current location of the client device.

Abstract: A first device may communicate by joining a wireless mesh network that includes at least one wireless device configured to operate a wireless routing protocol, discovering a group of other wireless devices configured to participate in the wireless mesh network, and accessing an interest metric for a second wireless device in the group of other wireless devices. The interest metric is based in part on a network topology from the wireless mesh network. The interest metric is related to an interest threshold and it is determined whether relating the interest metric to the interest threshold supports enabling messaging communications. If so, messaging communications may be enabled.