Abstract: Access to some aspect of a service may be limited until a user has invested in performing some amount of computation. Legitimate users typically have excess cycles on their machines, which can be used to perform computation at little or no cost to the user. By contrast, computation is expensive for for-profit internet abusers (e.g., spammers). These abusers typically use all of their computing resources to run “bots” that carry out their schemes, so computation increases the abuser's cost by forcing him or her to acquire new computing resources or to rent computer time. Thus, the providers of free services (e.g., web mail services, blogging sites, etc.), can allow newly registered users to use some limited form of the service upon registration. However, in order to make more extensive use of the service, the user can be asked to prove his legitimacy by investing in some amount of computation.

Abstract: Evidence of attempted malware attacks may be used to identify the location and nature of future attacks. A failed attack may cause a program to crash. Crash data may be sent to an analyzer for analysis. The analysis may reveal information such as the identity of the program that is being exploited, the specific way in which the program is being exploited, and the identity or location of the source of the attack. This information may be used to identify potential sources of attack and to identify the same type of attack from other sources. When the source and/or nature of an attempted attack is known, remedial action may be taken. Filters may warn users who are attempting to visit sites from which attacks have been attempted, and the makers of programs that are being exploited can be notified so that those program makers can release updates.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for enabling communication between server resources and a wide spectrum of end-terminals to enable users access to the resources of both converged and non-converged networks via voice and/or electronically generated commands. An electronic personal assistant (ePA) incorporates generalizing/abstracting communications channels, data and resources provided through a converged computer/telephony system interface such that the data and resources are readily accessed by a variety of interface formats including a voice interface or data interface. A set of applications provide dual interfaces for rendering services and data based upon the manner in which a user accesses the data. An electronic personal assistant in accordance with an embodiment of the invention provides voice/data access to web pages, email, file shares, etc.

Abstract: Evidence of attempted malware attacks may be used to identify the location and nature of future attacks. A failed attack may cause a program to crash. Crash data may be sent to an analyzer for analysis. The analysis may reveal information such as the identity of the program that is being exploited, the specific way in which the program is being exploited, and the identity or location of the source of the attack. This information may be used to identify potential sources of attack and to identify the same type of attack from other sources. When the source and/or nature of an attempted attack is known, remedial action may be taken. Filters may warn users who are attempting to visit sites from which attacks have been attempted, and the makers of programs that are being exploited can be notified so that those program makers can release updates.

Abstract: Access to some aspect of a service may be limited until a user has invested in performing some amount of computation. Legitimate users typically have excess cycles on their machines, which can be used to perform computation at little or no cost to the user. By contrast, computation is expensive for for-profit internet abusers (e.g., spammers). These abusers typically use all of their computing resources to run “bots” that carry out their schemes, so computation increases the abuser's cost by forcing him or her to acquire new computing resources or to rent computer time. Thus, the providers of free services (e.g., web mail services, blogging sites, etc.), can allow newly registered users to use some limited form of the service upon registration. However, in order to make more extensive use of the service, the user can be asked to prove his legitimacy by investing in some amount of computation.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for enabling communication between server resources and a wide spectrum of end-terminals to enable users access to the resources of both converged and non-converged networks via voice and/or electronically generated commands. An electronic personal assistant (ePA) incorporates generalizing/abstracting communications channels, data and resources provided through a converged computer/telephony system interface such that the data and resources are readily accessed by a variety of interface formats including a voice interface or data interface. A set of applications provide dual interfaces for rendering services and data based upon the manner in which a user accesses the data. An electronic personal assistant in accordance with an embodiment of the invention provides voice/data access to web pages, email, file shares, etc. The electronic personal assistant enables a user to transmit voice commands to a voice-based resource server to provide information accessible to the resource server.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for bridging mobile phone networks with other telephone networks. A telephone network comprises multiple individually addressable telephone lines connected to telephones and to a gateway, which in turn is connected to one or more mobile phones and potentially to one or more landlines. When the gateway receives an inbound call from one of the mobile phones, or an outbound call from one or the telephones, the gateway applies routing rules to determine how to route the call. Routing may depend on a variety of factors, such as time of day, cost, the mobile phone receiving an inbound call. To help identify the mobile phone as the source of an inbound call, a distinctive ring may be selected. To account for differences in the mobile phone network and the telephone network, the gateway translates signals between the two networks.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for bridging mobile phone networks with other telephone networks. A telephone network comprises multiple individually addressable telephone lines connected to telephones and to a gateway, which in turn is connected to one or more mobile phones and potentially to one or more landlines. When the gateway receives an inbound call from one of the mobile phones, or an outbound call from one or the telephones, the gateway applies routing rules to determine how to route the call. Routing may depend on a variety of factors, such as time of day, cost, the mobile phone receiving an inbound call. To help identify the mobile phone as the source of an inbound call, a distinctive ring may be selected. To account for differences in the mobile phone network and the telephone network, the gateway translates signals between the two networks.

Abstract: A dual-access communications server system is disclosed for enabling communication between server resources and a wide spectrum of end-terminals to enable users access to the resources of both converged and non-converged networks via voice and/or electronically generated commands. Server resources are provided through a converged computer/telephony system interface such that the data and resources are readily accessed by either voice or data calls. A set of applications provide dual interfaces for rendering services and data based upon the manner in which a user accesses the data. A user is authenticated by receiving vocal responses by a user to one or more requests variably selected and issued by a speaker recognition-based authentication facility. Thereafter, an application proxy is created. The application proxy acts on behalf of the authenticated authorized user in accessing applications via the dual-access communications interface.

Abstract: A system enables communication between server resources and a wide spectrum of end-terminals to enable access to the resources of both converged and non-converged networks via voice and/or electronically generated commands. An electronic personal assistant (ePA) incorporates generalizing/abstracting communications channels, data and resources provided through a converged computer/telephony system interface such that the data and resources are readily accessed by a variety of interface formats including a voice interface or data interface. A set of applications provides dual interfaces for rendering services and data based upon the manner in which a user accesses the data. An electronic personal assistant in accordance with an embodiment of the invention provides voice/data access to web pages, email, file shares, etc. A voice-based resource server authenticates a user by receiving vocal responses to one or more requests variably selected and issued by a speaker recognition-based authentication facility.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for enabling communication between server resources and a wide spectrum of end-terminals to enable users access to the resources of both converged and non-converged networks via voice and/or electronically generated commands. An electronic personal assistant (ePA) incorporates generalizing/abstracting communications channels, data and resources provided through a converged computer/telephony system interface such that the data and resources are readily accessed by a variety of interface formats including a voice interface or data interface. A set of applications provide dual interfaces for rendering services and data based upon the manner in which a user accesses the data. An electronic personal assistant in accordance with an embodiment of the invention provides voice/data access to web pages, email, file shares, etc.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for enabling communication between server resources and a wide spectrum of end-terminals to enable users access to the resources of both converged and non-converged networks via voice and/or electronically generated commands. An electronic personal assistant (ePA) incorporates generalizing/abstracting communications channels, data and resources provided through a converged computer/telephony system interface such that the data and resources are readily accessed by a variety of interface formats including a voice interface or data interface. A set of applications provide dual interfaces for rendering services and data based upon the manner in which a user accesses the data. An electronic personal assistant in accordance with an embodiment of the invention provides voice/data access to web pages, email, file shares, etc.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for bridging mobile phone networks with other telephone networks. A telephone network comprises multiple individually addressable telephone lines connected to telephones and to a gateway, which in turn is connected to one or more mobile phones and potentially to one or more landlines. When the gateway receives an inbound call from one of the mobile phones, or an outbound call from one or the telephones, the gateway applies routing rules to determine how to route the call. Routing may depend on a variety of factors, such as time of day, cost, the mobile phone receiving an inbound call. To help identify the mobile phone as the source of an inbound call, a distinctive ring may be selected. To account for differences in the mobile phone network and the telephone network, the gateway translates signals between the two networks.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for enabling communication between server resources and a wide spectrum of end-terminals to enable users access to the resources of both converged and non-converged networks via voice and/or electronically generated commands. A configurable distributed conference bridge is incorporated within the converged network architecture model of the present invention. The distributed conference bridge enables local conference resources to be utilized and incorporates external service bureau conference bridge resources when needed to supplement the internal conference bridge resources of a system.