Abstract: An apparatus in one embodiment comprises a client device configured to communicate with a remote system over a network. The client device comprises a processor, a memory, an input device and a display. The client device is configured to detect an input event generated at the input device, to store in the memory a local time associated with the input event, and to transmit information characterizing the input event to the remote system over the network. The client device is configured to receive from the remote system a video signal comprising an event index of the input event. An event index is extracted from the video signal, and a round-trip latency is computed between the input event and a corresponding video output of the client device based at least in part on a local time associated with the extracted event index and the stored local time associated with the input event.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses for implementing shared-license software management are provided. Shared-license software management may be performed by generating a request for a license for running a process of a shared-license software application. The request is communicated to a license server, and the process is made available for scheduling an operation when a grant for the requested license is received from the license server, wherein the grant comprises a license quantum, which is an amount of central processing unit time for which the license has been granted to the process.

Abstract: A manner of facilitating document presentation that may be used to advantage, for example, by a presenter in a meeting room or auditorium setting. A document-presentation system includes a control server that receives a document-presentation indication, for example from a presenter device or another apparatus in a meeting room or associated with a meeting. The control server communicates with the presenter, or user, and determines the document or documents to be presented and a location from which they may be obtained. The control server then sends a presentation notice to a selected render server, which downloads and renders the document. The render server renders the document to a frame buffer in local memory, encodes the pixels read from the frame buffer, and streams the encoded pixels to an adapted display device in a selected location. The render server communicates with the user via the presenter device to start, control, and terminate the presentation.

Abstract: A proxy mixer includes a transceiver configured to receive one or more first requests to provide one or more first media streams to one or more first endpoints. The one or more first media streams are generated by one or more second endpoints. The one or more first requests indicate one or more first quality metrics for the one or more first media streams. The transceiver is also configured to provide one or more second requests for the one or more second endpoints to generate the one or more first media streams at an aggregate quality metric that equals a highest quality metric of the one or more first quality metrics. The transceiver is further configured to transmit the one or more first media streams towards the one or more first endpoints.

Abstract: A proxy mixer includes a transceiver configured to receive one or more first requests to provide one or more first media streams to one or more first endpoints. The one or more first media streams are generated by one or more second endpoints. The one or more first requests indicate one or more first quality metrics for the one or more first media streams. The transceiver is also configured to provide one or more second requests for the one or more second endpoints to generate the one or more first media streams at an aggregate quality metric that equals a highest quality metric of the one or more first quality metrics. The transceiver is further configured to transmit the one or more first media streams towards the one or more first endpoints.

Abstract: A virtual personal computer is implemented in a communication system comprising a plurality of central offices each of which communicates with a plurality of client devices over a corresponding access network. A given one of the central offices comprises at least one compute server and at least one storage server. The virtual personal computer is configured by allocating physical processing resources of the compute server and physical storage resources of the storage server to that virtual personal computer. User access is provided to the virtual personal computer via one of the client devices. The virtual personal computer can be dynamically reconfigured by altering the allocation of at least one of the physical processing resources and the physical storage resources to the given virtual personal computer responsive to particular applications selected by the user to run on the given virtual personal computer.

Abstract: Links to references cited in a given electronic document are automatically generated in conjunction with processing of the electronic document. In one aspect, which may be implemented at least in part in an otherwise conventional electronic document reader or an associated preprocessor, a reference citation is detected in a first electronic document, the reference citation is processed to determine a link that provides access to a second electronic document identified by the reference citation, and the link and at least a portion of the first electronic document are displayed to a user. The link may be determined by providing one or more designated portions of the reference citation to a search engine and processing results provided by the search engine to determine the link. For example, a search query may be formulated based on the detected reference citation and the search query provided to the search engine.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses for implementing shared-license software management are provided. Shared-license software management may be performed by generating a request for a license for running a process of a shared-license software application. The request is communicated to a license server, and the process is made available for scheduling an operation when a grant for the requested license is received from the license server, wherein the grant comprises a license quantum, which is an amount of central processing unit time for which the license has been granted to the process.

Abstract: An intelligent network jack configured for connection to a communication network includes a housing, an input connector, an output connector adapted for coupling to the communication network, processing circuitry arranged within the housing and operative to perform a test for connectivity between the network jack and the communication network, and a display for presenting a result of the connectivity test in a user-perceptible manner. In one embodiment, the network jack comprises an in-wall network jack configured for installation with the housing primarily on one side of a wall and with at least the input connector and display accessible on an opposite side of the wall. In another embodiment, the network jack comprises an adaptor network jack with the output connector configured for insertion into an input connector of an existing conventional in-wall network jack.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for client-side compositing of video streams. The method includes receiving, by the video display device, a multiplexed data stream from a remote video server. The multiplexed data stream includes substreams, where the substreams includes a descriptor substream, at least one media substream, and a compositing-instruction substream. The method further includes demultiplexing, by the video display device, the multiplexed data stream into the substreams according to the descriptor substream and displaying, by the video display device, the at least one media substream on a display screen according to the compositing-instruction substream, where the compositing-instruction substream includes instructions on a composition of the at least one media substream.

Abstract: Methods, apparatuses and articles of manufacture for clientless cloud-computing are provided. Clientless cloud-computing may be implemented by detecting a plurality of input/output devices, at least a portion of the plurality of input/output devices associated with a unique identifier and available to be communicatively bound to a cloud-resident computer. A binding preference, including a selection of an input/output device, is received. The selection includes the unique identifier associated with the selected input/output device. A binding request to the selected input/output device is transmitted, and the selected input/output device is communicatively bound with the cloud-resident computer.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses for implementing shared-license management are provided. Shared-license management may be performed by receiving from a remote client a license request to run a process of a shared-license application; adding the process to a queue maintained for processes waiting for license grants; and reserving at least one license instance for the received license request, the at least one license instance comprising a quantum of CPU time for running the process.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for client-side compositing of video streams. The method includes receiving, by the video display device, a multiplexed data stream from a remote video server. The multiplexed data stream includes substreams, where the substreams includes a descriptor substream, at least one media substream, and a compositing-instruction substream. The method further includes demultiplexing, by the video display device, the multiplexed data stream into the substreams according to the descriptor substream and displaying, by the video display device, the at least one media substream on a display screen according to the compositing-instruction substream, where the compositing-instruction substream includes instructions on a composition of the at least one media substream.

Abstract: An intelligent network jack configured for connection to a communication network includes a housing, an input connector, an output connector adapted for coupling to the communication network, processing circuitry arranged within the housing and operative to perform a test for connectivity between the network jack and the communication network, and a display for presenting a result of the connectivity test in a user-perceptible manner. In one embodiment, the network jack comprises an in-wall network jack configured for installation with the housing primarily on one side of a wall and with at least the input connector and display accessible on an opposite side of the wall. In another embodiment, the network jack comprises an adaptor network jack with the output connector configured for insertion into an input connector of an existing conventional in-wall network jack.

Abstract: A word-separation control capability is provided herein. An apparatus having a word-separation control capability includes a processor configured for controlling a length of separation between adjacent words of audio during playout of the audio. The processor is configured for analyzing a locator analysis region of buffered audio for identifying boundaries between adjacent words of the buffered audio, and, for each identified boundary between adjacent words, associating a boundary marker with the identified boundary. The locator analysis region of the buffered audio may be analyzed using syntactic and/or non-syntactic speech recognition capabilities. The boundary markers may all have the same thickness, or the thickness of the boundary markers may vary based on the length of separation between the adjacent words of the respective boundaries. The boundary markers are associated with the buffered audio for use in controlling the word-separation during the playout of the audio.

Abstract: An exemplary method of communicating includes receiving an electronic mail communication at a message server. The communication has an embedded script that indicates at least one characteristic of at least one intended recipient of the communication. A determination is made whether the embedded script corresponds to an identifier of at least one potential candidate recipient from at least one database provided by at least one facilitator that is independent of the message server. At least an indication of the identifier is forwarded to the database facilitator(s). An indication of identified candidate recipients corresponding to the identifier is received from the facilitator(s). An address list is automatically developed based on the identified recipients.

Abstract: A system and method for achieving oscilloscope functionality over a network. In one embodiment, the system includes: (1) a core having a local memory and configured to gather samples of an external signal based on a schedule at a specified sampling rate, write the samples into the local memory and transmit the samples over the network, and (2) a viewer couplable to the core over a network and configured to receive the samples over the network and display a waveform based on the samples.

Abstract: System including image projector and video camera. System further includes signal processor configured to be in communication with image projector and video camera, and with a video monitor. Image projector is configured for receiving and projecting first image onto surface of an object. Video camera is configured for capturing second image including first image as projected onto object. System is configured for transmitting second image for display by video monitor. Method that includes providing image projector and video camera. Method further includes providing signal processor configured to be in communication with image projector, video camera, and a video monitor. Method also includes causing image projector to receive and to project first image onto surface of an object, causing video camera to capture second image including first image as projected onto object, and causing system to transmit second image for display by video monitor.

Abstract: A virtual personal computer is implemented in a communication system comprising a plurality of central offices each of which communicates with a plurality of client devices over a corresponding access network. A given one of the central offices comprises at least one compute server and at least one storage server. The virtual personal computer is configured by allocating physical processing resources of the compute server and physical storage resources of the storage server to that virtual personal computer. User access is provided to the virtual personal computer via one of the client devices. The virtual personal computer can be dynamically reconfigured by altering the allocation of at least one of the physical processing resources and the physical storage resources to the given virtual personal computer responsive to particular applications selected by the user to run on the given virtual personal computer.

Abstract: Links to references cited in a given electronic document are automatically generated in conjunction with processing of the electronic document. In one aspect, which may be implemented at least in part in an otherwise conventional electronic document reader or an associated preprocessor, a reference citation is detected in a first electronic document, the reference citation is processed to determine a link that provides access to a second electronic document identified by the reference citation, and the link and at least a portion of the first electronic document are displayed to a user. The link may be determined by providing one or more designated portions of the reference citation to a search engine and processing results provided by the search engine to determine the link. For example, a search query may be formulated based on the detected reference citation and the search query provided to the search engine.