Abstract: A facility for sending enhanced SMS messages is provided. The facility at a sending SMS subscriber unit encodes the original text of an SMS message to produce an encoded SMS message, and transmits the encoded SMS message for receipt by the intended recipient of the SMS message. The facility at a receiving SMS subscriber unit receives the transmitted encoded SMS message and decodes the encoded SMS message to produce the original text of the SMS message. In some instances, the facility at the receiving SMS subscriber unit may not decode the received encoded SMS message and, thus, provide the received SMS message in its received form. In some instances, the facility at the sending SMS subscriber unit may send the original text of the SMS message and have the receiving SMS subscriber unit decode (translate) the original text into a different form.

Abstract: A method and system for sending private data to a subscriber via a broadcast analog transmission is provided. A service provider assigns to each subscriber a unique key that specifies a sub-channel (i.e., frequency) that is within a predetermined channel (i.e., broadcast band). Each subscriber is provided with a receiver unit that is configured to demodulate analog signals at the sub-channel indicated by the key that is assigned to the particular subscriber. A service provider system broadcasts over an analog network the private data intended for receipt by a specific subscriber utilizing the key that is assigned to the subscriber. Accordingly, although the service provider system broadcasts the private data, only the receiver unit that is configured to demodulate the analog signals at the sub-channel indicated by the key that is assigned to the specific subscriber will receive the private data.

Abstract: A facility for sending enhanced SMS messages is provided. The facility at a sending SMS subscriber unit encodes the original text of an SMS message to produce an encoded SMS message, and transmits the encoded SMS message for receipt by the intended recipient of the SMS message. The facility at a receiving SMS subscriber unit receives the transmitted encoded SMS message and decodes the encoded SMS message to produce the original text of the SMS message. In some instances, the facility at the receiving SMS subscriber unit may not decode the received encoded SMS message and, thus, provide the received SMS message in its received form. In some instances, the facility at the sending SMS subscriber unit may send the original text of the SMS message and have the receiving SMS subscriber unit decode (translate) the original text into a different form.

Abstract: Functionality is described for providing assets to a client environment, such as a set-top box. The functionality receives a request from the client environment that specifies an original set of parameter name-value pairs. A filtering module filters the original set of parameter name-value pairs to provide a set of germane filtered parameter name-value pairs. A matching module identifies a set of candidate assets which have characteristics which either exactly or partially match the parameter name-value pairs of the filtered set. A matching module resolves partial matches by applying preference analysis. The functionality is advantageous because it provides an intelligent mechanism for supplying assets which match asset requests, without requiring an exhaustive a priori one-to-one mapping between assets and the set-top boxes that can utilize the assets. The functionality also provides a highly extensible design.