Abstract: An exemplary method for transferring control during multiple digital content access sessions comprises initiating a first session for a first client, initiating a second session for a second client, receiving a request from the second client to obtain control over the first session, and enabling the second client to obtain control by synchronizing the first and second sessions and removing control capabilities from the first session.

Abstract: Various methods for imaging and navigating a selected path are described. A method of navigating a path includes the step of identifying a selected path. At least one image stream associated with navigating the selected path is identified. The displayed image stream includes visual information corresponding to traveling the selected path. In one embodiment, display of the image stream is varied in accordance with an actual location and a speed of a traveler along the selected path. Various single pass and multi-pass systems are described for capturing the visual information associated with a path. One method of acquiring visual information includes generating first and second image streams comprising visual information representing traversal of the path. Audio cues are recorded at the same plurality of locations on each pass. The audio cues permit synchronization of the image streams to locations along the path.

Abstract: Metadata placeholders are used for distributed processing. The metadata placeholders are added to digital objects. The placeholders are filled with requests to perform certain downstream processing on the objects. The placeholders are at least partially empty so they can be filled in by nodes that perform the downstream processing.

Abstract: An authentication scheme for unlocking a computing system may require a shortened password in some cases. For example, the computing system may be configured to determine a time that a user has been locked out of a computing device and to determine which of a plurality of time spans that the time falls within. The computing system may also prompt the user for a required password including a full password or a subset of the full password depending on the determined time span. The computing system may be further configured to display a visual indicator corresponding to the determined time span or a required password length on a visual display. A length of the required password for login may be progressively longer for each of the plurality of time spans as a time period that a respective time span covers increases.

Abstract: A system and methods for managing nodes of a synchronous communication conference are disclosed. In some embodiments, the system includes one or more processors that receive a mute request from a second conferencing node to mute a first synchronous communication data stream designated for transmission to a first conferencing node. The one or more processors generate a mute authorization request for requesting authorization for the mute request from a third conferencing node and transmit the mute authorization request to the third conferencing node for display by the third conferencing node.

Abstract: A system and methods for managing nodes of a synchronous communication conference are disclosed. In some embodiments, the system includes one or more processors that receive a mute request to mute a first conferencing node. A connected group of users is associated with two or more second conferencing nodes and the two or more second conferencing nodes do not include the first conferencing node. The one or more processors transmit a mute authorization request to at least one conferencing node of the two or more second conferencing nodes associated with the connected group of users. The one or more processors receive a mute authorization response from the at least one conferencing node of the two or more second conferencing nodes and mute a first synchronous communication data stream designated for transmission to the first conferencing node based at least in part on the mute request and the mute authorization response.

Abstract: Examples of embodiments provide systems and methods for varying the functions of an electronic device according to a physical relationship (e.g. the distance) between the electronic device and the primary user (e.g., owner) of the electronic device. The device may measure the distance using a wireless signal from a secondary device carried by or associated with the primary user. In some embodiments, the electronic device may change its functions based on its environment, in combination with the distance between the electronic device and the primary user. Environmental factors may include the device's location, the device's velocity, and the date and time of day.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for organizing search results in response to a search query. A search query and sorting criteria are received from a web browser, the sorting criteria including a coarse level of granularity and a fine level of granularity. Results are received from a search engine based on the search query and the search results are organized based on the multiple sorting criteria. In this regard, the search results are ordered top-down from the coarse level of granularity to the fine level of a granularity. The organized search results are then provided for display to the web browser.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure may provide a secure, location-based multimedia experience to users. In one example, a method includes receiving, by one or more computing devices, location information corresponding to a physical location of a user. The method may include receiving, by the one or more computing devices, personal identification information associated with the user. The method may also include authenticating, by the one or more computing devices, the physical location of the user based at least in part on the location information and the personal identification information of the user. The method may further include upon successful authentication of the physical location and the personal identification information of the user, coupling, by the one or more computing devices, a first computing device associated with the user to a video communication session.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for receiving a soft post authored by a user, the soft post including a content item and having a distribution associated therewith, the distribution including a selected group of users that are socially connected to the user, determining an interest level with respect to a content item of the soft post based on content items submitted by one or more users of the selected group of users, the interest level reflecting a likelihood that users of the selected group of users would be interested in the viewing the soft post, comparing the interest level to an interest level threshold associated with the soft post, and selectively providing user access to the content item of the soft post based on the comparing.

Abstract: In one example, a method includes receiving, by a computing device, an indication of a detected force applied to the computing device. The method further comprises determining, by the computing device, that the detected force matches a corresponding input that the computing device associates with a corresponding function that is executable by the computing device. The method further comprises generating, by the computing device and in response to determining that the detected force matches the corresponding input and, a non-visual output based on the corresponding function.

Abstract: A suggestion server generates suggestions of videos. The suggestion server analyzes log data to create co-watch data identifying pairs of co-watched videos and containing generate values representing the number of times the pairs of videos were co-watched. The suggestion server uses the co-watch data to create feature vectors for the co-watched videos. The suggestion server uses the feature vectors to train a ranker for each video. When trained, the ranker can be applied to a feature vector for a video to produce a ranking score. To produce suggestions for a given video, a set of candidate videos is defined. The suggestion server applies the feature vectors for the candidates to the ranker for the given video to produce ranking scores. The candidate videos are ranked based on their ranking scores, and the highest-ranked candidates are provided as suggestions for the given video.

Abstract: An authentication scheme for unlocking a computing system may require a shortened password in some cases. For example, the computing system may be configured to determine a time that a user has been locked out of a computing device and to determine which of a plurality of time spans that the time falls within. The computing system may also prompt the user for a required password including a full password or a subset of the full password depending on the determined time span. The computing system may be further configured to display a visual indicator corresponding to the determined time span or a required password length on a visual display. A length of the required password for login may be progressively longer for each of the plurality of time spans as a time period that a respective time span covers increases.

Abstract: Examples of embodiments provide systems and methods for varying the functions of an electronic device according to a physical relationship (e.g. the distance) between the electronic device and the primary user (e.g., owner) of the electronic device. The device may measure the distance using a wireless signal from a secondary device carried by or associated with the primary user. In some embodiments, the electronic device may change its functions based on its environment, in combination with the distance between the electronic device and the primary user. Environmental factors may include the device's location, the device's velocity, and the date and time of day.

Abstract: A method, a system and a computer program product generate a statistical classification model used by a computer system to determine whether a video contains content in a particular class, such as inappropriate content.

Abstract: A system and a method automatically generate video-based tests to distinguish human users from computer software agents. The system comprises a CAPTCHA generation engine, a CAPTCHA serving engine, a video clips database, and a video tests database. The CAPTCHA generation engine selects a video clip from the video clips database, and segments the video clip into multiple video segments. For each video segment, the CAPTCHA generation engine associates a plurality of related queries with the video segment, generates a video test based on the association, and stores in the video tests database. A CAPTCHA serving engine selects a video test for a user, maintaining a user trial counter for each user taking the video test. Based on the user trial counter information and the response to the selected video test, the CAPTCHA serving engine determines whether the user is a human user.

Abstract: A metadata augmentation system trains individual classifiers associated with digital objects, such as digital videos. Textual features of the classifiers determined to be significant from the weights of the classifier are chosen to be added to the video as metadata.

Abstract: An exemplary method for variable speed video playback comprises obtaining a set of scores for a plurality of discrete segments in a digital video, enabling a playback of the digital video at a variable playback speed that may change from segment to segment based on the set of scores, receiving a user input to adjust the playback speed for at least one of the segments by modifying at least one of the set of scores, and adjusting the variable playback speed based on the user input.

Abstract: A method, a system and a computer program product generate a statistical classification model used by a computer system to determine a class associated with an unlabeled time series event.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method, a system and a computer program product for generating a statistical classification model used by a computer system to determine a class associated with an unlabeled time series event. Initially, a set of labeled time series events is received. A set of time series features is identified for a selected set of the labeled time series events. A plurality of scale space decompositions is generated based on the set of time series features. A plurality of multi-scale features is generated based on the plurality of scale space decompositions. A first subset of the plurality of multi-scale features that correspond at least in part to a subset of space or time points within a time series event that contain feature data that distinguish the time series event as belonging to a class of time series events that corresponds to the class label are identified.