Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises detecting, by an apparatus, first network activity within a time interval on at least a first user device at a user premises, the first user device usable by first and second users; determining from the first network activity a first pattern of network usage associated with the first user and a second pattern of network usage associated with the second user, the second pattern distinct from the first pattern; detecting, by the apparatus, second network activity on the first user device at the user premises following the time interval; and selectively identifying the second network activity as performed by the first user based on a determined correlation between the second network activity and the first pattern of network usage.

Abstract: Techniques for presenting a key to a human across a human-machine interface include receiving key data that indicates a key to be input to a target process. The key is reversibly converted to a first human-language statement. The human language statement is designed so that multiple variations in the human-language statement due to common human errors can be correctly reversed to regenerate the key data. The common human-language statement is presented to a human user for use in the target process. After receiving input data that indicates a second human language statement based on human memory of the first human language statement, the second human language statement is corrected for common human language errors. The corrected second human language statement is then converted to second key data and sent to the target process. Thus multiple human inputs are accepted and correctly converted to the key for the target process.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises identifying, by an apparatus at a user premises, a presentation of an addressable video stream to a user; detecting by the apparatus whether the user has supplied a user input, relative to the presentation, to at least one user input device; the apparatus selectively associating each user input detected relative to the presentation with a corresponding identified position of the addressable video stream; and generating, by the apparatus, a data structure enabling identification of an attention level by the user toward at least a portion of the addressable video stream, the data structure specifying an identifier for the addressable video stream and specifying whether the user supplied any user input relative to the presentation, including selectively adding to the data structure at least one user input and the corresponding identified position.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes obtaining a first document that includes at least a first section, and displaying the first document on a display screen. The method also includes determining when the first section has been consumed. Such a determination includes a determination of whether the first section has been displayed on the display screen. If the first section is determined to have been displayed on the display screen, the method also includes providing an indication that the first section has been consumed.

Abstract: A system and a method of editing Web page online wherein the original web page is converted into block version web page by creating a server based application which breaks HTML into functional nested blocks and delivers a web based interface to add/delete/modify/reorder those blocks. A server based application reads in an HTML page to be edited and breaks it down into HTML blocks, which may be converted into an HTML editing form by putting annotations around each block allowing the user to choose an operation to apply to that block such as edit or delete. A “stateless” web page editing system and method is provided such that a user can edit a web page independently of dependence on, or connection to, the server from which the page was obtained and in which the page resides.

Abstract: A server is configured for preventing flood attacks by a client having sent a request, by dynamically generating a challenge to be performed by the client before the server will perform any work for the client. The challenge includes a dynamically generated computational request and a dynamically generated secure cookie. The server generates a first hash result based on hashing a first random number, having a prescribed length, with a second random number having a dynamically selected length. A secure cookie is generated based on hashing the first hash result with a prescribed secure key known only by the server, and a unique identifier for the request such as the client network address with a time stamp. The challenge requires the client to determine the second random number based on the first random number and the hash result. The server validates the challenge results using the secure cookie.

Abstract: The present disclosure generally provides techniques and apparatuses for producing, for an initiating end user, a recommended mode of communication corresponding to a targeted end user in a network environment, based on a plurality of network accessible or determinable inputs. For example, the identity of an initiating end user, the identity of a targeted end user, the current activity of the targeted end user, the communication preferences of the targeted end user, information from available databases, and other available or determinable data may be used by a contact liaison to produce a recommended mode of communication.

Abstract: Coding quantized transform coefficients as occur in image compression combines a position identifying method to identify the relative position of clusters of consecutive non-zero-valued coefficients, an amplitude event identifying method to identify amplitude events in the clusters of non-zero-valued coefficients, and a coding method to code the position events, amplitude events, and signs of the amplitudes in the clusters. The method is particularly applicable to a series of quantized transform coefficients where clusters are likely to occur.

Abstract: Coding quantized transform coefficients as occur in image compression combines a position identifying method to identify the relative position of clusters of consecutive non-zero-valued coefficients, an amplitude event identifying method to identify amplitude events in the clusters of non-zero-valued coefficients, and a coding method to code the position events, amplitude events, and signs of the amplitudes in the clusters. The method is particularly applicable to a series of quantized transform coefficients where clusters are likely to occur.

Abstract: A method and a carrier medium instructing a processor to execute a method. The method includes accepting a compressed video stream compressed by a compression method that uses macroblocks of possibly different macroblock types for each frame predictive encoding frames. The method further includes identifying a sequence of frames that are substantially visually indistinguishable and that include a predictively encoded frame and the at least one reference frame of the predictively encoded frame. The method further includes creating an ordered set of macroblocks, with the macroblock types of different macroblocks in the ordered set used to encode digital watermark information. The method further includes replacing the predictively encoded frame of the identified sequence with a newly-encoded predictively encoded replacement frame that contains the created ordered set of macroblocks, including the encoded watermarking information.

Abstract: The present invention includes a device, method, and user interface for providing optimized entry of alphanumeric text. In one form, a method for providing selectable characters within a user interface includes determining an operating mode of a communication device and receiving an input associated with a selected input key. The method determines a group of characters associated with the selected key based on the operating mode and displays the group of characters within the user interface. The user interface may display a first character of the group of characters within a first portion of the user interface and the group of characters proximal to the first character within a second portion of the user interface.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises identifying, by a device, an addressable video stream selected for viewing by a user of the device; obtaining, by the device, geographic metadata for the addressable video stream in response to the device identifying the addressable video stream, the geographic metadata including a location metadata element identifying a geographic location that describes a corresponding identifiable event within the addressable video stream; retrieving, by the device, location information about the geographic location based on the corresponding location metadata element; and displaying by the device the location information to the user, for presentation to the user of the location information that provides a geographic context for the identifiable event.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises generating and displaying to a user a user selection interface, the user selection interface representing a plurality of content selection vectors extending from its origin and mapped to respectively distinct media attributes within a prescribed attribute type; detecting a user input that extends from the origin toward at least one of the content selection vectors and that identifies a selected position within the user selection interface; displaying to the user an updated user selection interface representing a corresponding updated origin at the selected position and representing a plurality of updated content selection vectors having a determined relation to the at least one content selection vector; and selecting and displaying at least one identifier for a corresponding video content element having the corresponding media attribute having a highest correlation with the at least one content selection vector relative to the selected position from the origin.

Abstract: A solution is provided for controlling universal serial bus (USB) messages between a plurality of host computers and a USB device. First and second USB servers may communicate with first and second host computers, respectively. A USB client may then communicate with the USB device. A first control path between the USB client and the first USB server and a second control path between the USB client and the second USB server may be established. Then a first data transfer path may be established between the USB client and the first USB server, the first data transfer path enabling the sending of data between the USB client and the first USB server over a data network. Then a busy message may be sent from the USB client to the second USB server over the second control path when the first data transfer path is established with the first USB server.

Abstract: A network has network nodes for storage of respective copies of a data file. One of the network nodes has a corresponding unique locality control object for the copies of the data file. The locality control object provides authority for the one network node to control storing and modifying any of the copies of the data file. The other network nodes lacking the locality control object must obtain permission from the one network node before modifying any one of the copies of the data file. The network nodes also can negotiate for passing the locality control object from the one network node to another one of the network nodes based on determined locality attributes associated with the copies of the data file.

Abstract: A network provides distributed client services based on participation in respective resource groups by computing nodes, each resource group including a corresponding resource requirement for any computing node that joins the corresponding resource group for execution of the corresponding distributed client service. Each computing node, in response to determining its corresponding available node capacity, is configured for selectively creating and joining at least one new resource group for execution of a corresponding distributed client service having a corresponding resource requirement, and/or selectively joining at least one of the available resource groups, based on the corresponding available node capacity satisfying the corresponding resource requirement. Each distributed client service also includes service attributes that define parameters for execution of the distributed client service, and data attributes that define the attributes required for data to be used in the distributed client service.

Abstract: Coding quantized transform coefficients as occur in image compression combines a position coding method to code the position of clusters of consecutive non-zero-valued coefficients with an amplitude coding method to code the amplitudes of a concatenation of a plurality of the clusters. The amplitude coding method exploits that runs of amplitude 1 coefficients are more likely in the clusters than runs of other coefficient amplitudes.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving, by a user identifier circuit, a button pressure signature specifying a sequence of button pressure values sampled while a corresponding identified button of a user input device is pressed by a user; the user identifier circuit identifying the user of the user input device based on the button pressure signature; and the user identifier circuit outputting a message identifying the identified button and the identified user.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises collecting, by a server from a user device, a comment input by a user into the user device, the collecting including identifying a time that the user generated the comment; associating, by the server, the comment input by the user with an identifiable addressable media stream and at an identified position within the addressable media stream that is coincident with the time that the user generated the comment relative to an event presented in the addressable media stream; and generating and outputting by the server a media comment message that identifies the user, the comment generated by the user, the addressable media stream and the identified position within the addressable media stream coinciding with the time that the user generated the comment.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises detecting a first comment that is input by a first user at an instance coincident with the first user having been supplied a first identified position of a content asset; detecting a second comment that is input by a second user at an instance coincident with the second user having been supplied a second identified position of the content asset; and selectively establishing a similarity relationship between the first and second users, based on a determined positional similarity between the first and second comments based on the respective first and second identified positions relative to the content asset, and a determined content similarity between the first and second comments.