Patents by Inventor David S. Bill

David S. Bill has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20100228965
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Applicant: AOL INC.
    Inventors: DAVID F. PARE, DAVID L. BIDERMAN, STEPHEN E. LOOMIS, SCOTT K. BROWN, MICHAEL WISE, DAVID WEXELBLAT, CONOR P. CAHILL, DAVID S. BILL
  • Patent number: 7778258
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2010
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: David S. Bill
  • Patent number: 7764311
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: David S. Bill
  • Patent number: 7743056
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Adrienne C. Meisels, Stephen J. Coughlin, George Fletcher, David S. Bill
  • Patent number: 7734042
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: David F. Pare, David L. Biderman, Stephen E. Loomis, Scott K. Brown, Michael Wise, David Wexelblat, Conor P. Cahill, David S. Bill
  • Publication number: 20100124322
    Abstract: Access to an electronic conference may be administered by receiving an electronic instruction configured to establish the electronic conference, enabling more than one user to generate content restrictions that limit content rendered during the electronic conference, analyzing one or more participant devices to ensure compliance with the content restrictions, establishing the electronic conference in accordance with the content restrictions, and enabling user access to the electronic conference consistent with the content restrictions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Publication date: May 20, 2010
    Applicant: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: David S. Bill
  • Patent number: 7720037
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: David S. Bill
  • Patent number: 7707262
    Abstract: Access to an electronic conference may be administered by receiving an electronic instruction configured to establish the electronic conference, enabling more than one user to generate content restrictions that limit content rendered during the electronic conference, analyzing one or more participant devices to ensure compliance with the content restrictions, establishing the electronic conference in accordance with the content restrictions, and enabling user access to the electronic conference consistent with the content restrictions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: AOL LLC
    Inventor: David S. Bill
  • Publication number: 20100091985
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Applicant: AOL LLC
    Inventors: David F. Pare, David L. Biderman, Stephen Loomis, Scott K. Brown, Michael Wise, David Wexelblat, Conor P. Cahill, David S. Bill
  • Patent number: 7602908
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignee: AOL LLC
    Inventors: David F Pare, David L. Biderman, Stephen Loomis, Scott K. Brown, Michael Wise, David Wexelblat, Conor P. Cahill, David S. Bill
  • Publication number: 20090164794
    Abstract: The digital content store provides users with an opportunity to purchase authorized usage of digital content, such as single or multiple music tracks, video, movies, and/or video games. The users can also buy license to a desired track for a fixed number of times, e.g. preferably the users can listen on three different machines simultaneously. Users can also burn a play list of X number of times, for example ten. The burn limit preferably applies to the play list, not the song. Mixed media capability is provided that allows the purchase of digital content and/or physical media. The digital content store system comprises a unique digital rights management system and a back-end enabling system that controls these digital rights.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Inventors: Ellis Verosub, Sanjeev Tenneti, Kamal Acharya, Solomon D. Goldfarb, Todd Pringle, David S. Bill, Shailesh Prakash, Adam Milligan
  • Patent number: 7493289
    Abstract: The digital content store provides users with an opportunity to purchase authorized usage of digital content, such as single or multiple music tracks, video, movies, and/or video games. The users can also buy license to a desired track for a fixed number of times, e.g. preferably the users can listen on three different machines simultaneously. Users can also burn a play list of X number of times, for example ten. The burn limit preferably applies to the play list, not the song. Mixed media capability is provided that allows the purchase of digital content and/or physical media. The digital content store system comprises a unique digital rights management system and a back-end enabling system that controls these digital rights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: AOL LLC
    Inventors: Ellis Verosub, Sanjeev Tenneti, Kamal Acharya, Solomon D. Goldfarb, Todd Pringle, David S. Bill, Shailesh Prakash, Adam Milligan
  • Publication number: 20080249983
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Publication date: October 9, 2008
    Applicant: AOL LLC
    Inventors: Adrienne C. Meisels, Stephen J. Coughlin, George Fletcher, David S. Bill
  • Publication number: 20080046920
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2006
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Applicant: AOL LLC
    Inventor: David S. Bill
  • Publication number: 20080037442
    Abstract: A distribution of a content selection being distributed throughout a wireless mesh network may be tracked. A wireless device in the wireless mesh network enables the content selection to be exchanged. Wireless devices then exchange the content, and a network topology is recorded in response. Finally, the network topology is reported to a reporting agent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2006
    Publication date: February 14, 2008
    Applicant: AOL LLC
    Inventor: David S. Bill
  • Publication number: 20080031203
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2006
    Publication date: February 7, 2008
    Applicant: AOL LLC
    Inventor: David S. Bill
  • Patent number: 7266609
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: AOL LLC
    Inventors: David S. Bill, Gilbert G. Weigand, Scott K. Brown, William J. Raduchel, Christopher L. Amen-Kroeger
  • Patent number: 7243104
    Abstract: A user's access to content may be managed by determining a mood originating point for a present track for a user, with the mood originating point being related to a mood indicator for the present track, identifying a mood destination for a user playlist, the mood destination being related to a mood indicator for an end track that is targeted for the user, and calculating a mood transition from the mood originating point to the mood destination. The mood transition includes one or more intermediary tracks between the mood destination and the mood originating point, such that a quantified mood transition between two tracks in a user playlist including the present track, the intermediary tracks, and the end track, is less than an identified mood transition threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignee: AOL LLC
    Inventor: David S. Bill
  • Publication number: 20040243592
    Abstract: A user's access to content may be managed by determining a mood originating point for a present track for a user, with the mood originating point being related to a mood indicator for the present track, identifying a mood destination for a user playlist, the mood destination being related to a mood indicator for an end track that is targeted for the user, and calculating a mood transition from the mood originating point to the mood destination. The mood transition includes one or more intermediary tracks between the mood destination and the mood originating point, such that a quantified mood transition between two tracks in a user playlist including the present track, the intermediary tracks, and the end track, is less than an identified mood transition threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2003
    Publication date: December 2, 2004
    Inventor: David S. Bill
  • Publication number: 20040237759
    Abstract: Generally, a mood-based playlisting system may select content to maintain a mood consistency between selections of content. In one example, electronic content may be made available to users by determining a mood indicator indicating a present mood state of a user, determining a mood spectrum describing mood indicators that are consistent with the mood indicator for the track, and selecting a next track having a mood indicator that lies within the mood spectrum. In another example, content may be selected by determining a coordinate mood location indicating the present mood state of a user, determining a compatible mood volume indicating potential mood indicators for a next track that is compatible with the present mood, identifying one or more tracks having mood indicators that lie within the compatible mood volume, and enabling the user to access one or more of the identified tracks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2003
    Publication date: December 2, 2004
    Inventor: David S. Bill