Abstract: The present invention provides methods, apparatus, and systems for improving the fuel economy of an automobile. An automobile may be configured to receive data relating to a path traversed by the automobile from a server or from other automobiles traveling the path. The path data may indicate one or more road conditions such as traffic patterns, slopes, and the like. In response to receiving the path data, the automobile may automatically adjust the contribution of one or more components of the automobile configured to set the automobile in motion, to conserve fuel or otherwise improve some other performance characteristic of the automobile. For example, the number of cylinders used to operate the vehicle and the electric motor assistance ratios may be adjusted.

Abstract: In an embodiment, in response to detecting that a process is attempting to execute at the client, a vote for the process is requested from a user if the user has not yet provided a vote. In various embodiments, the vote is an opinion of whether execution of the process at the client is harmful or an opinion of a category to which the process belongs. In an embodiment, an aggregation of votes from other users is also presented. The votes of other users are provided by other clients where the process also attempted to execute. The aggregation of votes may be categorized by communities to which the users belong. In an embodiment, a decision is requested of whether to allow the process to execute, and a rule is created based on the decision. The process is blocked from executing if the process satisfies a rule indicating that the process is to be blocked. The process is allowed to execute if the process satisfies a rule indicating that the process is to execute.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a housing that encloses a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. One or more tap sensors provide a tap signal in response to a user's tap on an outside surface of the housing. A position detecting mechanism determines the position of a user's tap on the outside surface of the housing based on the tap signal. In one embodiment, the position of the user's tap is determined through triangulation using the tap signal from each of plural accelerometers mounted at different locations. A matching mechanism compares the determined position of the user's tap and one or more virtual buttons configured on the outside surface of the housing. In accordance with the preferred embodiments, the size and location of one or more virtual buttons are dynamically configured by the user and/or by a software program loaded on the electronic device.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed to control an application interface displayed on electronic paper. A detection module is included to detect intentional bending of an electronic paper at a particular location. A correlation module is included to correlate the particular location where the electronic paper is bent with a user interface command in an application. An execution module is included to execute the user interface command. In one embodiment, a display module is included to update display information on the electronic paper in response to execution of the user interface command. The electronic paper may include a detector in contact with the electronic paper to provide electronic paper bend position information to the detection module.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for facilitating interactive programming services is provided. The method includes providing a selection of viewpoints for perceiving a program event. Each of the viewpoints provides a unique perspective of the program event. The viewpoints are simultaneously transmitted to a digital media system as a single programming event, which is one of a plurality of programming events that collectively form a program. The method also includes providing criteria selectable for determining which of the viewpoints to present via the digital media system, receiving at least one response to the criteria, and selecting a viewpoint to present based upon the at least one response. The method further includes presenting the program event, the program event exhibited from the selected viewpoint.

Abstract: A facility is provided for dynamically adjusting operating level of server processing within a computing environment including one or more servers processing multiple types of server tasks. The facility includes, responsive to detection of a failure at a server of the environment, determining a situational severity threshold for continued computing environment task processing, and automatically comparing the threshold against priority metrics for the multiple types of server tasks processed within the environment. Server processing of one or more types of server tasks having a priority metric below the situational severity threshold is then automatically blocked. The facility can also include dynamically adjusting of at least one priority metric associated with at least one type of server task to reflect a cause of the failure of the server, wherein the dynamically adjusting occurs prior to the automatic comparing of the situational severity threshold against the priority metrics.

Abstract: A facility is provided for transitioning a database service from a failing, primary server to another server of a computing environment including a plurality of servers, at least some of which have a common database service capability, but not commonly replicated supporting databases. The facility includes, responsive to detection of failure at the primary server, selecting another server of the plurality of servers to function as database service backup for the primary server, updating at least one configuration file of the computing environment to indicate that the another server is to function as database service backup for the primary, failing server, and dynamically creating at least one database structure at the another server. The dynamically created at least one database structure supports the database service backup function at the another server and corresponds to a database structure of a database supporting the database service at the primary server.

Abstract: An apparatus and method provide simple and secure financial transactions in an instant messaging (IM) environment. Two users may engage in an IM session (chat session), with negotiations for a product or service taking place during the chat session. One or both of the users may activate an IM financial transaction mechanism during the chat session. The IM financial transaction mechanism analyzes the chat text, and presents a draft transaction to both buyer and seller, with options based on the analyzed chat text. The draft transaction may be modified by both buyer and seller, who both confirm the draft transaction when all of the details are correct. The confirmed transaction is then sent to a web server that includes an interface to the buyer's online account, and payment is made by transferring the funds for the confirmed transaction from the buyer's online account to an account for the seller.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments include a system for secure input for a mobile device including: a input device for receiving an input from a user; a sensor for determining the status of the mobile device; and a processor in operable communication with the input device and the sensor, wherein the processor alters the input received from the user responsive to the status of the mobile device.

Abstract: The present invention concerns methods and apparatus for displaying real-time search trends in graphical search specification and result interfaces. In the methods and apparatus of the present invention, a user enters a text-based search argument using a search specification and result interface associated with a search engine. Search results received in response to the search argument are listed in a search results display component of the search specification and result interface. The user then modifies the search argument using a graphical search argument representation component which visually depicts the search argument and associated search parameters (such as, for example, location; search term frequency, etc.). The graphical search argument representation component has controls for modifying the search argument using a visual paradigm.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer-usable medium for displaying a primary presentation on a display, where the primary presentation includes a collection of frames; in response to receiving a request to overlay the primary presentation with a secondary presentation, analyzing the plurality of frames to identify at least one safe region determined to be suitable for overlaying said primary presentation with a secondary presentation; presenting a preview of the secondary presentation in at least one safe region; in response to receiving a rejection of the preview, indicating a collection of alternate safe regions for presenting the secondary presentation; and in response to an alternate safe region among the collection of alternate safe regions being selected, displaying the secondary presentation in the selected alternate safe region.

Abstract: In a first aspect, a first method of providing communication to a user via one of a plurality of network devices is provided. The first method includes the steps of (1) receiving a plurality of communications for the user from one or more of the network devices in a message queue; (2) selecting a network device based on at least one of respective time thresholds and respective priorities associated with the plurality of network devices; and (3) determining whether the selected network device can receive a communication from the message queue based on at least one of a profile associated with the user adapted to define how the user receives the communication on one or more of the network devices and a ruleset adapted to define how the communication is handled based on criteria associated with the communication. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Abstract: An apparatus, program product and/or method identify relevant shared entities and/or display shared entities in an instant messaging system. In particular, entities such as files, images, videos, e-mails, links, bookmarks, databases, transcripts of other instant messages, etc. that are shared between users participating in an instant message session may be identified and highlighted to indicate that the shared entities are related to the instant message session. Furthermore, a link to an entity may be sent to a user when the entity is referenced in an instant message of the instant message session. Additionally, a display representation of entities that are shared with a user may be displayed in the user's buddy list to indicate that the shared entity is accessible to the user and whom shared the entity with the user. Furthermore, a transcript may be associated with an entity.

Abstract: A television receiver apparatus and method is disclosed that allow a viewer to define a viewer profile, to receive and process viewership information received from the program provider, and to perform at least one action based on the viewer profile and the received viewership information. The viewer profile may include geographical preferences, genre preferences, and channel preferences. The at least one action may include determining the most popular transfer channels, and performing one or more of the following: 1) displaying the most popular transfer channel as picture-in-picture (PIP); 2) display a menu option to jump to the most popular transfer channel; 3) display a menu option of the top X most popular transfer channels. The at least one action may also include providing control signals to a digital video recorder (DVR) to start and/or stop recording based on the viewership information and the viewer profile.

Abstract: The present invention enables users to dynamically manage historical data within documents bearing one or more links, and retain the relationships defined by the links. The present invention tracks the links not just from source documents to destination documents, but also from destination documents back to the source documents, organizes the links in a hierarchical manner based on the content/naming of the links, and displays the link information to the user in a real-time and meaningful way.

Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method utilize rulesets associated with particular individuals to restrict or otherwise control the use of such individuals' likeness data into media presentations using character replacement or like technologies. A ruleset includes at least one rule configured to define a condition under which the likeness data for an individual may or may not be incorporated into a media presentation. As such, during the generation of a media presentation, the ruleset may be accessed and analyzed, whereby the likeness data for an individual may be selectively incorporated into a media presentation based upon the ruleset to generate a personalized version of the media presentation.

Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method utilize a brokering service for use in controlling the incorporation of likeness data for an individual into a media presentation. The brokering service maintains a plurality of rulesets respectively associated with a plurality of individuals. Each ruleset is used to restrict or otherwise control the incorporation of likeness data associated with an associated individual into media presentations, typically through the inclusion of one or more rules configured to define conditions under which the likeness data for the associated individual may or may not be incorporated into a media presentation. The brokering service is capable of responding to requests for selected rulesets for different individuals by communicating the rulesets to various requesting entities.

Abstract: A movement-based filtering mechanism in a graphical user interface allows a user to filter search results by simply moving a pointer, such as a mouse. One or more attributes are displayed to the user in a graphical format. By selecting the pointer (such as clicking on a mouse button), the user may dynamically filter the search results according to the attribute(s) under the pointer. Weighting of multiple attributes may be performed according to the time the pointer spends in each attribute area in the display, or according to a path length of the pointer in each attribute area in the display. In addition, the speed of the dynamic filtering may be directly controlled according to the speed of the movement of the pointer. A timeline may also be displayed that allows the user to go back to any suitable point in time in the filtering process.

Abstract: A digital device automatically arranges digital images for display in a stack-based arrangement, wherein images are grouped in multiple stacks according to at least one grouping criterion, and the user can scroll over groups of images. Preferably, the digital device automatically selects a mascot image from each group as the top of the corresponding stack. When the images are displayed using a digital display apparatus, the user can scroll through the mascot images only, without reviewing the other images in each stack. When the user finds a mascot image of interest, he may optionally scroll down the images in the stack. Preferably, images are grouped according to power-on session, and mascots are chosen based on user interaction history.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention allow the prevention and/or mitigation of damage caused by server failure by predicting future failures based on historic failures. Statistical data for server parameters may be collected for a period of time immediately preceding a historic server failure. The data may be clustered to identify cluster profiles indicating strong pre-fault clustering patterns. Real time statistics collected during normal operation of the server may be applied to the cluster profiles to determine whether real time statistics show pre-fault clustering. If such a pattern is detected, measures to prevent or mitigate server failure may be initiated.