Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, for providing content, comprising: identifying a social action that includes a preference designation for an object; determining a location of an individual user associated with the social action or a location associated with the object that is the subject of the preference designation; attributing the preference designation to both the location and to the individual user, where the attributed preference designation can be used to target further content to either the individual user or other users; and receiving a request for content that is related to the location and providing, responsive to the request, one or more content items based on the attributed preference designations.

Abstract: A system and method for combining endorsements in related webpages, the method including receiving an indication of an endorsement at a first webpage, incrementing a primary count of the first webpage in response to receiving the indication, determining if the first page is related to one or more other webpages, identifying the one or more other webpages related to the first page, if it is determined that the first page is related to one or more other webpages, incrementing a secondary count of the first webpage and the one or more other webpages if it is determined that the first page is related to one or more other webpages in response to receiving the indication and providing the secondary count for display at the one or more of the first webpage or the one or more other webpages.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for determining influence in a social community. In one aspect, a method includes identifying a user in a community; determining an influence score to be associated with the user in the community for a particular topic, including: determining a reach of one or more communications that relate to the particular topic that have been distributed from the user to other users in the community, and evaluating the reach as compared to the reach of one or more communications distributed from other users in the community for the particular topic; and storing the influence score in association with the user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, for providing content, comprising: identifying a social action that includes a preference designation for an object; determining a location of an individual user associated with the social action or a location associated with the object that is the subject of the preference designation; attributing the preference designation to both the location and to the individual user, where the attributed preference designation can be used to target further content to either the individual user or other users; and receiving a request for content that is related to the location and providing, responsive to the request, one or more content items based on the attributed preference designations.

Abstract: A system and method for utilizing information exchanged during an initiation phase (i.e., the “ringing” phase) of a conventional telephone connection request received from a telephony device, in order to identify and provide a user with content or enhanced services. In a convention telephone call the connection request includes information that identifies the user and/or telephony device that placed the phone call (the originating number) and the dialed phone number (the signaling number). The connection request is rejected and the call is terminated Prior to termination of the call the originating dumber and/or signaling number are extracted and used to identify a task that is desired by a user; content associated with the task is delivered to the user.

Abstract: A system and method for utilizing information exchanged during an initiation phase (i.e., the “ringing” phase) of a conventional telephone connection request received from a telephony device, in order to identify and provide a user with content or enhanced services. In a convention telephone call the connection request includes information that identifies the user and/or telephony device that placed the phone call (the originating number) and the dialed phone number (the signaling number). The connection request is rejected and the call is terminated Prior to termination of the call the originating dumber and/or signaling number are extracted and used to identify a task that is desired by a user; content associated with the task is delivered to the user.

Abstract: Location-based services are provided in a communication system comprising at least a portion of at least one wireless network. One aspect of the invention relates to generation of user movement statistics that may be utilized to facilitate the development of targeted marketing campaigns or other types of message delivery. In this aspect, the user movement statistics are generated based on location and profile information for mobile user devices, and delivery of at least one message to a given one of the mobile user devices is controlled based on the user movement statistics. The user movement statistics may comprise, for example, information sufficient to determine approximately how many users having particular designated characteristics are likely to be in a given location at a given time, and may be utilized to determine prices charged for delivery of messages to the mobile user devices.

Abstract: The concept of “roaming” is extended to wireline networks with a network hosted technique which emulates a wireline telecommunications network user's environment when the user is using a wireline telecommunications device located at a physical location other than his or her “home” location, or when using a wireline or wireless telecommunications device other than his or her own regardless of the location. Any telephone or other telecommunications device being used by the user advantageously appears to be logically connected directly to his or her home telecommunications network, irrespective of the location of the telephone or other telecommunications device being used and the telecommunications network to which that device is actually connected.

Abstract: Location-based services are provided in a communication system comprising at least a portion of at least one wireless network. One aspect of the invention relates to generation of user movement statistics that may be utilized to facilitate the development of targeted marketing campaigns or other types of message delivery. In this aspect, the user movement statistics are generated based on location and profile information for mobile user devices, and delivery of at least one message to a given one of the mobile user devices is controlled based on the user movement statistics. The user movement statistics may comprise, for example, information sufficient to determine approximately how many users having particular designated characteristics are likely to be in a given location at a given time, and may be utilized to determine prices charged for delivery of messages to the mobile user devices.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for use in accordance with such systems as web sites operating electronic commerce (e-commerce) applications, interactive voice response (IVR) systems and workflow systems for providing automated monitoring of user activity and personalized action taking based on such activity, in accordance with an on-line decision support mechanism which combines formal and heuristic reasoning. In a web-based system, for example, the on-line decision support provided in accordance with the invention can be used in a wide variety of e-commerce applications requiring automated, real-time, intelligent interventions, including targeted promotions and discounts, assisting with navigation through self-help material, supporting dynamic price negotiations, and even selecting large portions of page content.

Abstract: A method and apparatus provides personalized audio content delivery to a telephone user who is placed on hold. A server in the telephone network keeps track of a call, and then notices when a party is placed on hold. In response, the server switches the call to an application server that maintains user profiles. A user profile may have been earlier established by a given user to specify the type of content he or she is interested in listening to, such as, for example, relevant weather information, traffic reports, news updates, etc. The application server may also support user interaction, thereby allowing a given user to dynamically choose the content, or to navigate through available options. When the call is taken off hold, the server in the network notices this fact and may, for example, notify the user who can then return to the call.

Abstract: A personal Web view is created that includes a plurality of Web clippings. Each Web clipping contains information from a user-selected Web page, which can be essentially any Web page that is accessible on any Web server. In creating the page, the user loads a personalization applet into his browser and retrieves each Web page of interest. The applet then generates an access script for automatically accessing that Web page and the user specifies the attributes of the Web clipping derived from that Web page. A specification of the Web view is then stored in a file. When the Web view specification is later replayed, the Web page for each Web clipping is retrieved and the specified information is extracted. The plural Web clippings are then displayed in a browser in accordance with the specified layout.

Abstract: A network-based approach to calling user identification (Calling-user ID). A users identifies and authenticates himself directly to the telephone network. Each user is assigned a preferably unique identifier by a service provider. Before a user places a call, he identifies himself to the telephone network with use of the assigned identifier and authenticates his identity with use of a previously selected PIN (Personal Identification Number). When the user dials the call, the network propagates the saved user identification information corresponding to the provided identifier using the same conventional process used in prior art “Caller ID” systems for providing calling device information. Various telephony services including a service for providing the calling user identification to the called party (Calling-user ID), can then advantageously utilize this information.

Abstract: The concept of “roaming” is extended to wireline networks with a network hosted technique which emulates a wireline telecommunications network user's environment when the user is using a wireline telecommunications device located at a physical location other than his or her “home” location, or when using a wireline or wireless telecommunications device other than his or her own regardless of the location. Any telephone or other telecommunications device being used by the user advantageously appears to be logically connected directly to his or her home telecommunications network, irrespective of the location of the telephone or other telecommunications device being used and the telecommunications network to which that device is actually connected.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided such that when a wireless communication system detects that a connection to one of its subscribers has dropped, an application server within the network is dynamically called to intervene in the call and one or more options are presented to the remaining end-user of a mobile or landline terminal. The options presented to the end-user can be dependent upon whether the cause of the dropped call is one that is associated with likely having a short-term duration or is one that is associated with likely having a longer-term duration. If the cause is short term, the end-user can be given the option of being automatically reconnected to the dropped mobile terminal when it is determined to be available again.

Abstract: A method of interactively sharing information between at least two devices in a computer network, each device having a respective browser associated therewith for handling the information, includes retrieving information from an information source in the network for storage in response to receipt of a retrieval request from a first browser associated with a first device. The method further includes sending the stored information to at least a second browser of at least a second device in response to receipt of a similar request therefrom, the second device receiving the request from the first device, such that the devices can share the information retrieved from the information source in response to the single request made to the source. Preferably, a surrogate is established in at least the first device for informing the second device of the request made such that the browser of the second device can make the similar request.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for use in accordance with such systems as web sites operating e-commerce applications, IVR systems and workflow systems for providing automated monitoring of user activity and personalized action taking based on such activity, in accordance with an on-line decision support mechanism.

Abstract: Shortcuts to Web pages that require multiple steps to be retrieved are enabled by means of a smart bookmark. A smart bookmark is a stored sequence of browsing steps performed by a user, that have been recorded in a transparent manner and which can be automatically played and replayed later when the smart bookmark is accessed. When a user elects to create a smart bookmark, a Java recorder-player applet is invoked that starts the recording process. When the recording process is started and an initial URL is inputted by the user, the responsive Web page at that URL downloaded into the browser is modified to attach event handlers to each element in that page that is associated with actions that the user may take. Each user's click, link traversal to another URL, or input of values to those elements on a form submission are automatically recorded as part of the smart bookmark under creation. The resultant information at each step is recorded in a file.

Abstract: Computer users may utilize different web browsers to access a server system on the World Wide Web (WWW) to create or join a collaborative session. One or more controllers connect the users or collaborators in a session in the server system. This is realized by establishing a so-called “shared Web-top”, i.e., a work space, in which different in-document applications can be run and can be interactively, collaboratively shared by a plurality of users. Specifically, this is realized by employing a surrogate that includes a polling loop which periodically checks a shared document structure for changes in prescribed properties, and transmits the detected changes to surrogates of other users, i.e., at least one other collaborator, via a communication channel. To this end, a prospective user of the shared Web-top accesses a system, which transmits mobile code to the user's computer to create a surrogate thereon.

Abstract: A method of interactively sharing information between at least two devices in a computer network, each device having a respective browser associated therewith for handling the information, includes retrieving information from an information source in the network for storage in response to receipt of a retrieval request from a first browser associated with a first device. The method further includes sending the stored information to at least a second browser of at least a second device in response to receipt of a similar request therefrom, the second device receiving the request from the first device, such that the devices can share the information retrieved from the information source in response to the single request made to the source. Preferably, a surrogate is established in at least the first device for informing the second device of the request made such that the browser of the second device can make the similar request.