Abstract: For reducing Internet congestion caused by multiple flows of the same popular content transmitted to different destinations, a single flow of content is transmitted from the content hosting server to an Internet regional domain using a conventional exterior routing and in the regional domain, using an interior flow routing. Inside of regional domain, packet destination address is replaced by a flow number, which is used as a local and temporary alias of content. This enables recipient devices that have requested the same content and have been provided with the flow number to receive the same flow of packets and thus to prevent congestion and delays in content delivery that may be caused by multiple separate flows of the same content transmitted from the content hosting server to recipients at different recipients' addresses. The technology implementation is local to a singly administered regional system and does not require any change to the global Internet infrastructure.

Abstract: For digital media, audience evaluation is performed as a result of transmitter-receiver interaction similar to a lottery game. The transmitter provides receivers with a preliminary audience estimate and a “winning” number, both placed in control packets multiplexed with a media stream. Each receiver generates a random number within a range of numbers proportional to the audience estimate and if the winning number is generated, the receiver sends a “claim” back to the transmitter over a return path. The transmitter increases or decreases the audience estimate placed in control packets if the number of “winners” is statistically greater or lesser than theoretically predicted for correct estimates until the number of winners becomes as predicted. Reducing the volume of data transmitted over the return path and keeping the volume independent from audience size, the system prevents the return pass capacity overload and provides an accurate measurement of any audience no matter how large or small it is.

Abstract: For integration of televising advertising with Internet shopping, a link to a web page intended for ordering of advertised product is multiplexed with a stream of video data. At the receiving side, a processor embedded in a set-top box with a USB port detects the link and when the commercial is in progress displays a message prompting a user to save the link. If the user responds, the processor saves the link in a flash drive plugged into the USB port. As a result, the user can watch TV without interruption and shop online at a time of his or her choice by simply pulling the flash drive from the set-top, plugging it into a USB port of a computer with Internet connection and using the link to access the web page for additional information and ordering the product. Optionally, the commercial itself could be recorded on the flash drive and replayed in the computer at the time of online shopping.

Abstract: For digital media, audience evaluation is performed as a result of transmitter-receiver interaction similar to a lottery game. The transmitter provides receivers with a preliminary audience estimate and a “winning” number, both placed in control packets multiplexed with a media stream. Each receiver generates a random number within a range of numbers proportional to the audience estimate and if the winning number is generated, the receiver sends a “claim” back to the transmitter over a return path. The transmitter increases or decreases the audience estimate placed in control packets if the number of “winners” is statistically greater or lesser than theoretically predicted for correct estimates until the number of winners becomes as predicted. Reducing the volume of data transmitted over the return path and keeping the volume independent from audience size, the system prevents the return pass capacity overload and provides an accurate measurement of any audience no matter how large or small it is.

Abstract: A system for protecting commercials included in a digitally distributed and recorded video that minimizes user's inconveniences resulting from restrictions imposed on playback of the video. The video is encrypted at the distributor side and playback of the encrypted video at the user side is limited in such a way that fast forward and reverse playing is not performed, and a lower limit is imposed on skip forward and backward so that only parts of video whose playing time is greater than the time of typical commercial break can be skipped. This arrangement prevents a user from selectively skipping commercials without missing pieces of program itself and thus discourages skipping when the user wants to watch an entire program, but still enables quick browsing before watching the entire program as well as moving fast to any part of the program for watching that part again.

Abstract: A method and system for reducing Internet congestion and latency by transmitting popular content in a broadcast manner. First a single copy of content is delivered from its origin server located anywhere in the world to a broadcast server according to the standard Internet protocol. From the server, that serves a system of interconnected networks in a regional domain, the content is transmitted as a flow of packets with a flow number placed in the packet's datagram header. The number is provided to client computers as an alias of URL, which is the content identifier on the Internet. Clients that have requested the same content by URL simultaneously download the flow of packets with the flow number in the packet header thereby avoiding congestion and as a result, delays in content delivery created by transmission of multiple copies of the same content at clients' different Internet addresses.

Abstract: For selection of entertainment of the most personal interest to a user, a video content control system processes records of video programs against user data. A program record contains data pertinent to user preferences and an impartial rating of program quality or significance determined with no regard to preferences of individual users. The processing is defined by decision tables. For a particular combination of user data and program data pertinent to user preferences, a decision table specifies a value of change to be applied to the impartial rating to produce a personal rating as an increased, decreased or unchanged impartial rating. The system selects videos with the highest personal ratings, i.e. videos that are impartially the best and compliant with user preferences.

Abstract: A method and system for concealing from an outside observer the source and destination of information transmitted over computer network. Two types of data packets are defined: content packets that are carrying application data, i.e. real information, and announcement packets that are carrying data providing delivery of content packets. A flow number is assigned to a flow of packets carrying specific application data from a source host to a destination host and the number is included in the content packet header instead of the source and destination addresses. Applying public/private key encryption to announcement packets, which are delivered according to the standard IP protocol, a network server provides the flow number to the source and destination hosts and each router along the path between them, thereby building an anonymous virtual circuit for delivery of application data.

Abstract: A data broadcast network with a return channel providing a guaranteed error-free data delivery simultaneously to multiple receiving devices. The network transmits data in packets and uses the return channel for audience measurement and packets recovery. Whenever a corrupted packet is detected, the multiple receiving devices play a kind of “lottery game” running generators of random numbers, and only “winners” submit retransmission requests over the return channel. While in the game each receiver acts on its own, it is advised by the sender on the audience size, i.e. the overall number of receivers. It allows setting the game so to limit the number of retransmission requests to just a few and to keep it independent from the audience size. The sender performs the audience measurement by transmitting packets with wrong error-checking values and evaluating receivers' responses.

Abstract: Distributing a scrambled video content together with a video player that descrambles the content and limits playing to conditions defined by content distributor. The conditions may include an expiration date and a limit imposed on both fast forward and fast reverse operations in such a way to prevent users from selectively skipping commercials while not missing parts of entertainment program itself. The player of digital video content may perform additional functions improving efficiency of advertising such as playing different commercials with the same video content depending on user's information stored in the recipient system and supplementing commercials with purchase and other information that can be unloaded on demand when a commercial is played.

Abstract: The invention is an Internet access system that puts together interactivity of the Internet and congestion-free content delivery inherent in broadcast media in order to reduce delays in content presentation. The system delivers any web object (web page, music file, video etc.) in two steps. First, a single copy of object is downloaded according to a standard Internet protocol into a server provided at a broadcast center no matter how many client computers have requested the object; then the copy is transmitted over a broadcast channel according to a data broadcast protocol so that all clients could download it simultaneously. A web object is transmitted as a flow of packets and the transmission is preceded with an announcement specifying a broadcast channel and a flow number. The packet header contains a flow number and a destination address that could be a client address or a broadcast address, thereby enabling an efficient handling of both one-to-one and one-to-many transmissions.

Abstract: The invention is an Internet access system reducing Internet traffic and delays in content presentation. It puts together interactivity of the Internet and congestion-free content delivery inherent in broadcast radio and television. An access server located at a broadcast center receives clients requests for Internet objects (web pages, music files etc.) via a two-way medium, downloads from the Internet a single copy of that object no matter how many clients have requested the object and then retransmits the copy in a broadcast manner so that all clients requested the same object could download it simultaneously. The system provides a repeated transmission of objects in high demand to reduce interaction between Internet clients and access server while operating in two modes of content delivery: an immediate delivery on request and a planned delivery according to a schedule. In both modes users receive Internet content of their choice at the time of their choice.

Abstract: A system using one-way TV channels to provide access to Internet content which, unlike e-mail, is not intended for a particular person but rather for an audience. An Internet server at a television transmission center downloads Web pages from Internet sites and retransmits them via a television network in broadcast manner to simultaneously reach unlimited number of client computers. The server supplies client computers in advance with a timetable listing each Web page scheduled for transmission along with time and channel of the transmission so that client computers, having their individual selection lists, could automatically download pages of interest. The system completely eliminates waiting time downloading Web pages of user's choice whenever they are updated and instantly presents the pages on request providing television quality of images, audio and video. In addition, the system facilitates integration of television and Internet advertising.

Abstract: A data broadcast network for traffic-free Internet access comprising a local area network (LAN) at a multichannel television center connecting a broadcast server to channel servers which, in turn, are bridging the LAN to dynamic subnetworks of one-way broadcast channels with broadcast clients coupled to those channels via channel selectors. The LAN is connected to the Internet for downloading Internet files into the broadcast server before the files are retransmitted via the broadcast network to broadcast clients. Any file is transmitted as a flow of packets and each transmission is preceded with an announcement specifying a transmission channel and a flow number so that broadcast clients could download content selected by their users. The network supports both one-to-one and one-to-many transmissions, the latter as simultaneous delivery of the same copy of file to many clients tuned to the same channel.

Abstract: A traffic-free Internet access technique. Internet content moves between Internet servers via the Internet and from servers to clients via one-way broadcast television systems so that all clients requested the same content could download it simultaneously from a TV channel. Server receives requests for Internet files from clients via telephone, downloads the files from the Web and retransmits them in a broadcast manner via a broadcast television medium along with some other frequently requested files. Server broadcasts in advance a timetable of the transmission so that client computers could automatically control channel selectors connecting them to the broadcast medium thus downloading files requested by their users.

Abstract: A system for automatic personal editing of television programs based on viewer's information privately stored in viewer's computerized television receivers. The system, when activated, protects viewers, first of all children, filtering out everything that is unacceptable or useless. The filtering is carried out on three levels: blocking television programs, blocking some parts of the programs and replacing some parts by alternative video fragments. In particular, the system replaces a television commercial meaningless for a viewer by a commercial that may be of certain interest to the viewer. Another application is an improvement in management of controversial matter such as sex and violence. Depending on viewer's preferences the system replaces a certain scene by a commercial or restores such a scene if it has been replaced by a commercial in a program edited for broadcast television.

Abstract: A system using one-way TV channels to provide access to Internet content which, unlike e-mail, is not intended for a particular person but rather for an audience. An Internet server at a television transmission center downloads Web pages from Internet sites and retransmits them via a television network in broadcast manner to simultaneously reach unlimited number of client computers. The server supplies client computers in advance with a timetable listing each Web page scheduled for transmission along with time and channel of the transmission so that client computers, having their individual selection lists, could automatically download pages of interest. The system completely eliminates waiting time downloading Web pages of user's choice whenever they are updated and instantly presents the pages on request providing television quality of images, audio and video. In addition, the system facilitates integration of television and Internet advertising.

Abstract: A system for distribution of advertisements to interested recipients only via one-way nonaddressable television media and for transmission of orders from recipients to advertisers via two-way addressable Internet media. A system for electronic delivery of newspapers, magazines, books, music, video and computer software to authorized recipients only via nonaddressable television media with recipients' authorization via addressable Internet media. As a result, usage of slow and overcrowded Internet in e-commerce is limited to relatively low-volume communications that need to be addressable while all high-volume information is transferred through fast one-way television lines to bypass the Internet and reach simultaneously an unlimited number of recipients.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing a customer of a television system with virtual personal channel which being selected delivers a television program of the most personal interest no matter on which channel and at what time the program is physically transmitted. Descriptive and time/channel data of scheduled TV programs are broadcasted through a communication medium from the system headend to customer terminal prior to transmission of programs themselves. In customer terminal all scheduled TV programs are evaluated by a computer that stores customer profile data and controls customer video receiver and video recorder. Whenever customer selects personal channel the computer switches the video receiver to a physical channel on which a program having the best evaluation is transmitted. The best program of the day or the week is recorded and can also be presented as current program of personal channel.

Abstract: For protection of communication against interception by frequent pseudorandom changing of the distribution of transmissions on channels, an input distributive switch is installed before the channel division device of a transmitting system and a similar output switch is installed after the channel division device of a receiving system. The distributive switches are controlled by synchronized pseudorandom generators and while the input switch repeatedly changes the distribution of transmissions on channels, and thereby channel of each transmission, the output switch directs all signals of each transmission to a fixed circuit defined for reception of that transmission.