Abstract: A data-gathering and reporting system for collecting WEB summaries from the Internet for individual subscribers to a Portal subscription system has a plurality of gatherer servers each connected to the Internet, to an ascending hierarchy of work request distribution servers, and to a ascending hierarchy of collector servers. A work request generator at the top of the hierarchy of distribution servers generates work requests for collecting WEB summaries, and a filer server at the top of the hierarchy of collector servers writes data to a database. Work flow is by work requests from the work request generator down the hierarchy of distributor servers to the gatherer servers, where work requests are accomplished by gathering WEB summaries from Internet servers according to the work requests, and by data collected from the gatherer servers up the hierarchy of collector servers to the filing server.

Abstract: A system for retrieving and disseminating information records from Internet sources includes a client device and an intermediary server system, including software, between the client device and the Internet. The system collects a record specific to a client from an individual one of said Internet sources in a first form in which the record is recorded at the Internet source, transforms the record from the first form to a second form specific to an application other than an Internet browser application, the application executable by the client device, and transmits the transformed record to the client device for display in the application other than an Internet browser application executable by the client device. In some cases the client device connects by a data link that is not Internet-compatible link. Data mining on the Internet specific to clients and client devices is taught, with aggregation services and synchronization for keeping a client up-to-date efficiently for changing data content.

Abstract: A data-gathering and reporting system for collecting WEB summaries from the Internet for individual subscribers to a Portal subscription system has a plurality of gatherer servers each connected to the Internet, to an ascending hierarchy of work request distribution servers, and to a ascending hierarchy of collector servers. A work request generator at the top of the hierarchy of distribution servers generates work requests for collecting WEB summaries, and a filer server at the top of the hierarchy of collector servers writes data to a database. Work flow is by work requests from the work request generator down the hierarchy of distributor servers to the gatherer servers, where work requests are accomplished by gathering WEB summaries from Internet servers according to the work requests, and by data collected from the gatherer servers up the hierarchy of collector servers to the filing server.

Abstract: An Internet portal system for accomplishing a multi-component task involving interaction with one or more Internet Web sites includes an Internet-connected server having access to client-related data, an internet-capable client station usable by a client, and software executing on the server for managing individual component tasks in execution of the multi-component task. The software, in response to initiation of a multi-component task specified by the client, defines the component tasks, identifies Internet Web sources for completion of the tasks, manages interaction with the identified Web sites gathering results of the interactions, integrates the gathered results, and communicates final results to the client at the client station. Tasks may be such as trip planning and may include payment for services rendered at Web sites, such as airline reservations, car rentals and the like.

Abstract: In a site-sensitive Internet service system enhanced client browsers report URLs to an Internet-connected service-control server, which informs clients of other clients visiting common URLs, and organizes and enables chat sessions among simultaneous visitors to common Internet sites. In some cases the server activity, including chat sessions is transparent to hosts of the WEB sites visited. In others the WEB sites, through cooperation with the service-control server, control information streaming to clients, including chat sessions. Information streamed may include banner ads enabled as hyperlinks. In a further embodiment the service-control server maintains and reports statistics based on site visitation reported by clients.

Abstract: A system for synchronizing data streams meant to be displayed concurrently at an end station, but delivered by separate delivery networks is disclosed. In one aspect, apparatus and methods for marking one of the data streams relative to the other are taught, including insertion of frame numbers in vertical and horizontal blanking intervals, the numbers referring to frames in the other stream and related to timing markers, and inserting such numbers by pixel data alteration. In another aspect, apparatus and methods are taught for receiving and re-synchronizing the data streams at a delivery point, including decoding of the relationship data inserted in one data stream referring to the other data stream. Re-synchronization is accomplished by controlling the separate data streams in separate buffer pipelines by a single controller. In a preferred embodiment one data stream is a live video data stream and the other is an annotation stream having added material to be displayed with the live video data stream.

Abstract: An Internet Portal is enabled by software executing on an Internet-connected server. The Portal, in response to a log-on by a user, presents a secure and personalized page for and to the user, the personalized page having listed plural Internet destinations enabled by hyperlinks, wherein upon invocation of a hyperlink by the subscriber, such as by a point-and-click technique, the portal invokes a URL for the destination, and upon connection with the destination, transparently provides any required log-on information for user access at the destination. In an enhanced embodiment a search function is provided wherein a user may configure searches in any or all of the listed destinations on a personalized page.

Abstract: A system for retrieving and disseminating information records from Internet sources includes a client device and an intermediary server system, including software, between the client device and the Internet. The system collects a record specific to a client from an individual one of said Internet sources in a first form in which the record is recorded at the Internet source, transforms the record from the first form to a second form specific to an application other than an Internet browser application, the application executable by the client device, and transmits the transformed record to the client device for display in the application other than an Internet browser application executable by the client device. In some cases the client device connects by a data link that is not Internet-compatible link. Data mining on the Internet specific to clients and client devices is taught, with aggregation services and synchronization for keeping a client up-to-date efficiently for changing data content.

Abstract: In a site-sensitive Internet service system enhanced client browsers report URLs to an Internet-connected service-control server, which informs clients of other clients visiting common URLs, and organizes and enables chat sessions among simultaneous visitors to common Internet sites. In some cases the server activity, including chat sessions is transparent to hosts of the WEB sites visited. In others the WEB sites, through cooperation with the service-control server, control information streaming to clients, including chat sessions. Information streamed may include banner ads enabled as hyperlinks. In a further embodiment the service-control server maintains and reports statistics based on site visitation reported by clients.

Abstract: An Internet Portal is enabled by software executing on an Internet-connected server. The Portal, in response to a log-on by a user, presents a secure and personalized page for and to the user, the personalized page having listed plural Internet destinations enabled by hyperlinks, wherein upon invocation of a hyperlink by the subscriber, such as by a point-and-click technique, the portal invokes a URL for the destination, and upon connection with the destination, transparently provides any required log-on information for user access at the destination. In an enhanced embodiment a search function is provided wherein a user may configure searches in any or all of the listed destinations on a personalized page.

Abstract: An Internet-connected portal system has a data repository, a data-gathering system, a request processor, a plurality of report algorithms, and a report processor. The request processor receives a request from a user and matches the request to an individual one of the report algorithms. The data-gathering subsystem accesses plural Internet sites associated with the user and extracts raw data therefrom according to needs of the report algorithm. The report processor processes the raw data according to the report algorithm into metasummarized information defined by the report algorithm, and the portal system transmits the metasummarized information as a report to a destination associated with the report request.

Abstract: A system for presenting a virtual advertisement or other virtual content in a sequences of frames of a video presentation utilizes data identifying a candidate region in the sequence of frames, a pixel signature for the region, the signature comprising a range of R, G, B values for pixels based on a standard deviation from an average value, and stored virtual content, such as an advertisement, to be implanted in the candidate region or regions. In operation, as frames having the candidate region are processed by an integration system, the alternative virtual content is substituted by default for the candidate region, except if a pixel value in the region falls outside the pixel signature range. The result is an ad that appears to be on a surface in the video presentation, as images that come between the ad and the viewer occlude the advertisement. Apparatus and methods for providing the video presentation and data sets for regions and advertisements are disclosed as well.

Abstract: An Internet portal system for accomplishing a multi-component task involving interaction with one or more Internet Web sites includes an Internet-connected server having access to client-related data, an internet-capable client station usable by a client, and software executing on the server for managing individual component tasks in execution of the multi-component task. The software, in response to initiation of a multi-component task specified by the client, defines the component tasks, identifies Internet Web sources for completion of the tasks, manages interaction with the identified Web sites gathering results of the interactions, integrates the gathered results, and communicates final results to the client at the client station. Tasks may be such as trip planning and may include payment for services rendered at Web sites, such as airline reservations, car rentals and the like.

Abstract: An Internet Portal is enabled by software executing on an Internet-connected server. The Portal, in response to a log-on by a user, presents a secure and personalized page for and to the user, the personalized page having listed plural Internet destinations enabled by hyperlinks, wherein upon invocation of a hyperlink by the subscriber, such as by a point-and-click technique, the portal invokes a URL for the destination, and upon connection with the destination, transparently provides any required log-on information for user access at the destination. In an enhanced embodiment a search function is provided wherein a user may configure searches in any or all of the listed destinations on a personalized page.

Abstract: An authoring system for interactive video has two or more authoring stations for providing authored metadata to be related to a main video data stream and a multiplexer for relating authored metadata from the authoring sources to the main video data stream. The authoring stations annotate created metadata with presentation time stamps (PTS) from the main video stream, and the multiplexer relates the metadata to the main video stream by the PTS signatures. In analog streams PTS may be created and integrated. In some embodiments there may be multiple and cascaded systems, and some sources may be stored sources. Various methods are disclosed for monitoring and compensating time differences among sources to ensure time coordination in end product. In different embodiments transport of metadata to an end user station is provided by Internet streaming, VBI insertion or by Internet downloading.

Abstract: An Internet-based subscription service accumulates and stores data pertinent to subscribers and subscriber's WEB destinations, monitors the subscriber's WEB browsing activities, and submits completed forms for the subscribers transparent to the subscribers. The forms may be log-in forms including passwords, and the service may periodically manage and alter security data such as passwords for a subscriber to enhance WEB security. In one aspect the service monitors subscribers filling out forms for the first time, then caches form information for subsequent use in submitting completed forms for the subscribers. In another aspect the service recognizes variable information required in forms, completes a proxy form with available information at the service, and then submits the proxy form to the subscriber to fill in the variable information before submitting the proxy form on behalf of the subscriber.

Abstract: A data-gathering and reporting system for collecting WEB summaries from the Internet for individual subscribers to a Portal subscription system has a plurality of gatherer servers each connected to the Internet, to an ascending hierarchy of work request distribution servers, and to a ascending hierarchy of collector servers. A work request generator at the top of the hierarchy of distribution servers generates work requests for collecting WEB summaries, and a filer server at the top of the hierarchy of collector servers writes data to a database. Work flow is by work requests from the work request generator down the hierarchy of distributor servers to the gatherer servers, where work requests are accomplished by gathering WEB summaries from Internet servers according to the work requests, and by data collected from the gatherer servers up the hierarchy of collector servers to the filing server.

Abstract: An authoring system for interactive video has two or more authoring stations for providing authored metadata to be related to a main video data stream and a multiplexer for relating authored metadata from the authoring sources to the main video data stream. The authoring stations annotate created metadata with presentation time stamps (PTS) from the main video stream, and the multiplexer relates the metadata to the main video stream by the PTS signatures. In analog streams PTS may be created and integrated. In some embodiments there may be multiple and cascaded systems, and some sources may be stored sources. Various methods are disclosed for monitoring and compensating time differences among sources to ensure time coordination in end product. In different embodiments transport of metadata to an end user station is provided by Internet streaming, VBI insertion or by Internet downloading.

Abstract: A portal server includes a software agent configured to do summary searches for subscribers based on Internet destinations provided by the subscribers, to retrieve information from such destinations based on pre-programmed site information, and to download the summary information to the subscriber. The destinations and the nature of the information to be retrieved is pre-programmed. There is further a configuration and intitiation interface for a subscriber to set up and start a summary search. In some cases the summary searches are configured for individual clients as templates stored and retrieved at the Internet-connected server. Also in some cases retrieved information is immediately sent to the subscriber, and in other situations such information is saved at the portal to be retrieved by a subscriber at a later time. In preferred embodiments of the invention autologins are accomplished for a subscriber at Internet destinations by use of pre-stored configuration information.

Abstract: A tracking software module for tracking a moving image entity in a video display has an interface for receiving and processing a video data stream while the video presentation provided by the data stream is presented on a display as a series of bitmapped images having a moving image entity to be tracked. There is in the module a graphical user interface usable by an editor for creating, selecting and centering a predefined matrix of signature pixel positions on the moving entity to be tracked in a first frame of the video presentation, and for initiating a tracking process. A determination function determines the color values of the signature pixels in the first frame and stores the values as an image signature.