Abstract: A gateway interconnecting a high speed Wide Area Network (WAN) and a lower speed Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) is provided. The high speed WAN is preferably connected to the gateway via a Fiber-to-the Home (FTTH) connection and associated FTTH modem. In general, the gateway includes an adaptable cross-layer offload engine operating to manage bandwidth between the high speed WAN and the lower speed WLAN. As data enters the gateway from the WAN at the high speed data rate of the WAN, the offload engine stores the data in a non-secure data cache. A rule check engine performs a stateless or stateful inspection of the data in the non-secure data cache. Thereafter, the data is moved from the non-secure data cache to a secure data cache and thereafter transmitted to an appropriate user device in the WLAN at the lower data rate of the WLAN.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for dynamically adjusting advertisement (“ad”) time for a multicast channel. In one embodiment, a variable ad insertion function operates to receive one or more multicasts of media content from a core distribution network, insert ad timeslots into the media content, and optionally perform late-binding of ads to the ad timeslots. The media content including the inserted ad timeslots and late-binded ads, if any, is then multicast to associated client devices over a feeder network using corresponding multicast channels. For each multicast channel, insertion of ad timeslots into the associated media content is dynamically controlled based on the number of users currently consuming or predicted to consume the multicast channel, the number of client devices receiving or predicted to receive the multicast channel, or both.

Abstract: A gateway interconnecting a high speed Wide Area Network (WAN) and a lower speed Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) is provided. The high speed WAN is preferably connected to the gateway via a Fiber-to-the Home (FTTH) connection and associated FTTH modem. In general, the gateway includes an adaptable cross-layer offload engine operating to manage bandwidth between the high speed WAN and the lower speed WLAN. As data enters the gateway from the WAN at the high speed data rate of the WAN, the offload engine stores the data in a non-secure data cache. A rule check engine performs a stateless or stateful inspection of the data in the non-secure data cache. Thereafter, the data is moved from the non-secure data cache to a secure data cache and thereafter transmitted to an appropriate user device in the WLAN at the lower data rate of the WLAN.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing communications between a mobile device and a machine are described. A mobile device wirelessly discovers a plurality of mobile machine identifiers (IDs) of a plurality of mobile machines, each machine adapted to wirelessly communicate attribute information about the first machine upon receipt of an authorization indication. The mobile device selects a first machine of the plurality of machines and sends a machine identifier (ID) obtained from the first machine to a server. The mobile device receives an authorization indication from the server that authorizes communication with the first machine. The mobile device sends the authorization indication to the first machine, and in response to sending the authorization indication, receives attribute information from the first machine.

Abstract: A skip function for broadcast or multicast media content is disclosed. In general, a receiving device simultaneously receives two or more content streams transmitted for one or more receiving device and provides a skip function by buffering and switching between the two or more content streams. Initially, the receiving device provides playback of a first content stream of the two or more content streams. During playback of the first content stream, the receiving device buffers one or more most recently received content items from the other content streams. When a skip request is received, the receiving device performs a skip function by switching playback from the first content stream to a second content stream of the two or more content streams beginning at the start of the one or more most recently received content items from the second content stream that have been buffered at the receiving device.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for providing customized content to users based on their location. In one embodiment, for each of one or more content providers, a customized content delivery function receives information from the content provider defining a number of geographic shapes selecting corresponding geographic areas. Preferably, each of the geographic shapes overlaps at least one other of the geographic shapes and is assigned an importance level. For each geographic shape, the content provider defines one or more tags for the geographic shape and assigns a weight to each of the one or more tags. Thereafter, when a request is received from a requestor, one or more content items are selected for delivery to the requestor based on the geographic shapes, the tags and corresponding weights for the geographic shapes, and the location of the requestor.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter is directed to systems and methods for providing passive crowd-sourced alternate route recommendations. In one embodiment, locations of users of a number of mobile location-aware devices are tracked over time. Upon receiving a request, users of mobile location-aware devices that have traveled from a desired start location to a desired stop location are identified. At least one of the different routes taken by one or more users from the desired start location to the desired stop location is provided to the requestor as at least one recommended alternate route. The different routes taken by the one or more users from the desired start location to the desired stop location include routes taken that begin before the desired start location and go through the start location and routes taken that stop beyond the desired stop location and go through the desired stop location.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing communications between a mobile device and a machine are described. A mobile device wirelessly discovers a plurality of mobile machine identifiers (IDs) of a plurality of mobile machines, each machine adapted to wirelessly communicate attribute information about the first machine upon receipt of an authorization indication. The mobile device selects a first machine of the plurality of machines and sends a machine identifier (ID) obtained from the first machine to a server. The mobile device receives an authorization indication from the server that authorizes communication with the first machine. The mobile device sends the authorization indication to the first machine, and in response to sending the authorization indication, receives attribute information from the first machine.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for providing customized content to users based on their location. In one embodiment, for each of one or more content providers, a customized content delivery function receives information from the content provider defining a number of geographic shapes selecting corresponding geographic areas. Preferably, each of the geographic shapes overlaps at least one other of the geographic shapes and is assigned an importance level. For each geographic shape, the content provider defines one or more tags for the geographic shape and assigns a weight to each of the one or more tags. Thereafter, when a request is received from a requestor, one or more content items are selected for delivery to the requestor based on the geographic shapes, the tags and corresponding weights for the geographic shapes, and the location of the requestor.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing passive crowd-sourced alternate route recommendations are disclosed. In one embodiment, locations of users of a number of mobile location-aware devices are tracked over time. Upon receiving a request, users of mobile location-aware devices that have traveled from a desired start location to a desired stop location are identified. At least one of the different routes taken by one or more users from the desired start location to the desired stop location is provided to the requestor as at least one recommended alternate route.

Abstract: A device receives key frame information for each of a plurality of key frames of a video content item and sends the key frame information from the device to a recipient while a corresponding segment of the video content item is being rendered by the device. The key frame information may include key frames of the video content item, references to the key frames of the video content item stored by one or more remote sources, or information identifying the key frames of the video content item to enable extraction of the key frames by a recipient device. Each key frame is representative of a segment of the video content item. The key frame information for the video content item is then sent to second users while the first user views the corresponding segment of the video content item. Advertisements may be sent with, or replace, the key frame information.

Abstract: A method and system for displaying program representation. Program rating information derived from a plurality of identified users regarding a plurality of programs is obtained. The plurality of identified users are identified based on at least one of likes and dislikes of the plurality of users of one or more of actors, series, programs, and genres. A social rank of the programs is determined based on the rating information and on rankings of each of the plurality of identified users for the plurality of programs. For each user of the plurality of users the rankings of the user are weighted based on a viewer's level of interactions with and degree of separation from the user. A plurality of program representations representing corresponding ones of the plurality of programs are displayed to the viewer, wherein a differentiating visual characteristic of each of the plurality of representations is based on the ranking.

Abstract: A client playback architecture for a media content distribution system is provided. In the preferred embodiment, the client playback architecture is a Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) based architecture. The RDMA based architecture enables the client playback device to obtain media content from a central server in real-time or in substantially real-time as the media content is needed for playback at the client playback device. More specifically, the playback device includes RDMA enabled playback circuitry operating to perform RDMA transfers for select media content, buffer the media content received as a result of the RDMA transfers, and provide the media content for presentation to one or more associated viewers via one or more audio/video interfaces.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for influencing a viewer to select a second feed. A shared medium is loaded beyond a loading threshold. One or more high viewership feeds being provided over the shared medium are designated preferred feeds, and one or more user devices providing low viewership feeds to viewers are designated candidate user devices. The candidate user devices are instructed to influence their respective viewers to select one of the high viewership feeds. The candidate user devices select a second feed from one or more preferred feeds, and provide information pertaining to the second feed to the viewer.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for providing customized content to users based on their location. In one embodiment, for each of one or more content providers, a customized content delivery function receives information from the content provider defining a number of geographic shapes selecting corresponding geographic areas. Preferably, each of the geographic shapes overlaps at least one other of the geographic shapes and is assigned an importance level. For each geographic shape, the content provider defines one or more tags for the geographic shape and assigns a weight to each of the one or more tags. Thereafter, when a request is received from a requestor, one or more content items are selected for delivery to the requestor based on the geographic shapes, the tags and corresponding weights for the geographic shapes, and the location of the requestor.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing communications between a mobile device and a machine. A mobile device wirelessly discovers a first machine that is adapted to wirelessly communicate attribute information about the first machine upon receipt of an authorization indication. The mobile device sends a machine identifier (ID) obtained from the first machine to a server. The mobile device receives an authorization indication from the server that authorizes communication with the first machine. The mobile device sends the authorization indication to the first machine, and in response to sending the authorization indication, receives attribute information from the first machine.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing passive crowd-sourced alternate route recommendations are disclosed. In one embodiment, locations of users of a number of mobile location-aware devices are tracked over time. Upon receiving a request, users of mobile location-aware devices that have traveled from a desired start location to a desired stop location are identified. At least one of the different routes taken by one or more users from the desired start location to the desired stop location is provided to the requestor as at least one recommended alternate route.

Abstract: A system and method for bandwidth sharing in a distributed wireless client application using inverse multiplexing termination. The system includes: a group of collocated client playback devices having wide area network (WAN) and local area network (LAN) connectivity, and a centralized inverse multiplexing (IMUX) server which optimizes shared bandwidth of both the WAN via inverse multiplexing and the LAN using either broadcast or multicast of all virtual multiplexing paths to all other client playback devices of the group of collocated client playback devices. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: Mechanisms for providing data streams are disclosed. A device accesses a mapping stored at the device that maps a desired media content item to a source address and to a range of addresses in a storage device of a remote content distribution server allocated to the desired media content item. The device preforms a direct memory-to-memory transfer of the desired media content item from the remote content distribution server to a local memory of the device using the range of addresses. The device encapsulates the desired media content item from the local memory into a plurality of packets according to a streaming protocol. Encapsulating the desired media content item includes inserting into each of the plurality of packets the source address. The plurality of packets are streamed.

Abstract: A method and system for displaying program representation. Program rating information derived from a plurality of identified users regarding a plurality of programs is obtained. A social rank of the plurality of programs is determined based on the rating information. A plurality of program representations are displayed to a viewer, wherein the program representations represent corresponding ones of the plurality of programs and wherein a differentiating visual characteristic of each of the plurality of program representations is based on the social ranking.