Abstract: The present invention is a method and system for providing a user with confirmation of the identity of a transaction partner comprising the steps of gathering a plurality of business credentials for at least one transaction partner having significance to a defined customer, indexing the business credentials for an electronic database, evaluating the value of each of the business credentials to the defined customer, providing electronic access to the database and generating at least one report summarizing the business credentials of the at least one transaction partner.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and system for providing a user with confirmation of the origin of a Web site and related information including the steps of registering a Web site with an assuring third party, saving the registration on a registration server, entering in a database the Web site's Internet domain name and cross-referencing it to the registration data, retrieving the Web site's domain with an Internet browser, and either (1) using a client application tool to call for registration data for the domain name via a secure SSL connection with the registration server, determining if the domain has been registered, and returning and displaying registration data for the domain name as a confirmed identity, or (2) calling a program on the registration server in response to an HTML tag on the domain via a secure SSL connection and passing it the domain name, determining if the domain has been registered, determining if the domain name has been registered, and returning and displaying registration data

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for generating a document preview. According to the method, a preview handler provides an interface to one or more previewers. The previewers are software components capable of generating a visual preview for one or more document types. In response to a request from a host application to generate a preview for a document, the preview handler is operative to identify the appropriate previewer for generating a preview for the document. The preview handler may then call the previewer and instruct the previewer to load the document and to show the preview in a sub-window of a window provided by the calling host application.

Abstract: A system and method for roaming between networks include determining a presence of a mobile unit by determining when the mobile unit leaves a first network and enters a second network, and routing one or more calls based on the presence of the mobile unit by offloading the one or more calls to the second network into which the mobile unit roams.

Abstract: A previewing system that permits selection from a plurality of interactive previewers for use in a system shell browser is disclosed. The previews may be extensible, such that different application developers may write custom previews for different file types, and the shell browser may follow established criteria to select an appropriate preview. The user may enter criteria to control which previewers are used for different situations, such as when certain file types are selected for previewing. Size of an available display area for the preview may be a criterion, such that resizing the preview area may cause a different preview to be displayed. The preview may be executed as a separate process from the browser so that crashes and hangs in the previewer process do not fatally affect the browser process. Previews may be incorporated within common file dialogs offered by an underlying operating system, such that different applications may share the common previewer.

Abstract: A method for creating, modifying, and terminating connections between Internet end systems, particularly, although not exclusively, for Internet telephony communication. The method relies on several request messages sent between a client and a server and the response messages sent back in response. Each request and response message may contain one or more header fields which modify or more uniquely link the messages with a given connection. On this basis, advanced telephony services, such as call forwarding, call transferring, and multiparty conferencing are provided.

Abstract: A method for creating, modifying, and terminating connections between Internet end systems, particularly, although not exclusively, for Internet telephony communication. The method relies on several request messages sent between a client and a server and the response messages sent back in response. Each request and response message may contain one or more header fields which modify or more uniquely link the messages with a given connection. On this basis, advanced telephony services, such as call forwarding, call transferring, and multiparty conferencing are provided.

Abstract: A method for creating, modifying, and terminating connections between Internet end systems, particularly, although not exclusively, for Internet telephony communication. The method relies on several request messages sent between a client and a server and the response messages sent back in response. Each request and response message may contain one or more header fields which modify or more uniquely link the messages with a given connection. On this basis, advanced telephony services, such as call forwarding, call transferring, and multiparty conferencing are provided.

Abstract: A method for creating, modifying, and terminating connections between Internet end systems, particularly, although not exclusively, for Internet telephony communication. The method relies on several request messages sent between a client and a server and the response messages sent back in response. Each request and response message may contain one or more header fields which modify or more uniquely link the messages with a given connection. On this basis, advanced telephony services, such as call forwarding, call transferring, and multiparty conferencing are provided.

Abstract: A method of tracking a web browser across distinct domains of a network of computers includes the step of identifying, at a first server computer with a first domain name, a first request from the web browser. The web browser is then assigned a unique identification code. The unique identification code is then conveyed to a second server with a second domain name that is distinct from the first domain name. A request by the web browser to the second server computer is associated with the web browser via the unique identification code. In this way, the web browser is tracked across distinct domains of the World Wide Web. As a result, the web browser can be passively tracked to identify content preferences and interests associated with the individual using the web browser.

Abstract: A method of passing demographic information between computers includes the step of associating a computer operator with a set of demographic information. When the computer operator requests a transfer to another computer, a remote site information repository is accessed to identify a remote site destination address and a remote site encryption key. The demographic information is then encrypted using the remote site encryption key to form an encoded demographic signal. The encoded demographic signal is then combined with the remote site destination address to form an encoded demographic hyperlink transfer request, which is used to access the remote computer specified by the remote site destination address. The remote computer decrypts the encoded demographic information. The demographic information can be used by the remote computer in a number of ways, including the generation of a customized reply to an inquiry from the computer operator.

Abstract: The invention is a method and apparatus for operating a client-server computer network such that a server computer dynacically generates and then stores customized pages requested from a client computer. Subsequent requests for previously generated customized pages are retrieved from a cache in the server computer. Since previously generated customized pages need not be re-generated, computational overhead is reduced. This functionality is achieved by transforming a file request into a customized file request. The customized includes the original file request and a selected attribute of a computer user,such as browser name, computer domain, or computer platform. When a customized file request cannot be matched to an existing file on the computer server, an error indication is generated. A customized page corresponding to the file request is created in response to the error indication.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for preprocessing multimedia presentations to be delivered to customers such that delays due to interactive response time is virtually eliminated is described. The preprocessor receives as inputs an original multimedia presentation and parameters characterizing other system components, which parameters include the round trip latency between a delivery processor and a presentation processor, and generates a preprocessed multimedia presentation including a delivery schedule in the form of a labelled, directed graph.

Abstract: A system and method for preprocessing and delivering multimedia presentations to customers such that delays due to interactive response time is virtually eliminated include a preprocessor, mass storage, a delivery processor, a distribution network, and a plurality of presentation processors. The preprocessor receives as inputs an original multimedia presentation and parameters characterizing other system components, which parameters include the round trip latency between the delivery processor and a presentation processor, and generates a preprocessed multimedia presentation including a delivery schedule in the form of a labelled, directed graph.

Abstract: A system for recording and playing back multimedia events includes recording sources, a preprocessor, a delivery processor, and user control units. The recording sources each captures a continuous temporal record or track of the multimedia event and transmits the captured track to the source preprocessor where tracks are coded into digital blocks and digitized blocks of tracks received simultaneously are time stamped with the same relative time, and therefore synchronized in time. Tracks of the multimedia event are also compressed and preprocessed to generate other representations of the multimedia event, which further assist users in searching through the multimedia event. The delivery processor services users' requests for multimedia events and delivers events to requesting users according to users' interactive commands.

Abstract: A system and method for preprocessing and delivering multimedia presentations to customers such that delays due to interactive response time is virtually eliminated include a preprocessor, mass storage, a delivery processor, a distribution network, and a plurality of presentation processors. The preprocessor receives as inputs an original multimedia presentation and parameters characterizing other system components, which parameters include the round trip latency between the delivery processor and a presentation processor, and generates a preprocessed multimedia presentation including a delivery schedule in the form of a labelled, directed graph.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for preprocessing multimedia presentations to be delivered to customers such that delays due to interactive response time is virtually eliminated is described. The preprocessor receives as inputs an original multimedia presentation and parameters characterizing other system components, which parameters include the round trip latency between a delivery processor and a presentation processor, and generates a preprocessed multimedia presentation including a delivery schedule in the form of a labelled, directed graph.

Abstract: A circuit and method for carrying out high-speed ripple-through modulo division includes input registers for inputting two modulo 32 numbers A and B. The output of the circuit is a modulo 32 number Q, where A, B, and Q are related by the equation B*Q mod 32=A. The circuit generates a modulo division operator M.sub.B which is the inverse of B when B is odd, but which is equal to 2.sup.n, n=1, 2, 3, 4, when B is even. Combinational logic is used to calculate the product M.sub.B A, which is then divided by 2.sup.n, or sifted n places, to obtain Q.