Abstract: A virtual machine (VM) is accessed by receiving user log-in information, the log-in information identifying a user and a corresponding VM, the VM having a local copy and a remote copy. A selected copy of the VM is identified based on at least one of a policy and a user selection, the selected copy being one of the local copy and the remote copy of the VM. A desktop generated by the selected copy of the VM is presented to the user in a common application graphical user interface, the common application graphical user interface being used regardless as to whether the selected copy of the VM is the local copy or the remote copy.

Abstract: A portable terminal includes a page storage section, in which a Web page is temporarily stored while the Web page is being browsed. Thus, when the same Web page is browsed the next time, a control section compares the Web page with the previously stored page contents and moves the display range of the page, so that the updated portion is displayed at a predetermined position on a display section.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for authenticating a user are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for authenticating a user includes displaying a first representation of a challenge. The challenge is based on a ruleset. The method also includes receiving a first input, determining if the first input furthers a successful completion of the first representation of the challenge, and determining if the first input completes the first representation of the challenge. If it is determined that the first input completes the first representation of the challenge and that the first input furthers the successful completion of the first representation of the challenge, the method further includes positively augmenting a security indicator.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer-program products, for providing a portal-based desktop. A computer-implemented method for providing status of portal content includes identifying at least one element of portal content to which a user is subscribed. The method includes monitoring a state of the one element of portal content. The method includes indicating status of the one element of portal content, the indication being included as portal content. A computer program product, for providing status of portal content, includes instructions operable to cause a processor to identify at least one element of portal content to which a user is subscribed. The product includes instructions to monitor a state of the one element of portal content. The product includes instructions to indicate status of the one element of portal content, the indication being included as portal content. The product is tangibly stored on machine-readable medium.

Abstract: Mechanisms and approaches for a collaborative financial close portal are provided. A client receives display data, which when rendered by the client, depicts a collaborative financial close portal that supports one or more workspaces. Each of the one or more workspaces may be used by a different set of users to perform activities related to a financial close process. The one or more workspaces are arranged in a hierarchical relationship. In response to receiving identification data that identifies a user of the client, additional display data is sent to the client, which when rendered, depicts a particular workspace for which the user is granted access. The depiction of the particular workspace includes depicting status information about financial close activities associated with one or more workspaces lower in the hierarchal relationship than the particular workspace.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method is presented for distinguishing a live actor from an automation. The method includes receiving, from a user, a request to access a service, and, in response presenting to the user a minority set of N objects and a majority set of >N objects that share at least one common attribute expected to be apparent to a human observer absent among objects associated with the minority set. The method also includes requesting, from the user, to identify at least one object, from among the objects associated with the minority or majority set, that satisfies a predetermined criterion and receiving, from the user, an indication of a selection of at least one object. The method further includes determining whether the user-selected object satisfies the predetermined criterion and determining that the user is a human upon determining that the user-selected object satisfies the predetermined criterion.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides systems and/or methods that facilitate utilizing a shared secret to obscure a password within a sequence of characters. The sequence of characters can include the password as well as noise. The shared secret can leverage utilizing a set of known images that a user can uniquely distinguish from random images. By employing the imaged based shared secret, the user can login to a server from an untrusted machine suspected to be infected with spyware such as a keylogger that tracks user input.

Abstract: A method is provided for keeping presentation of information to a minimum. A perspective comprises areas, and each area can have one or more portlets which display information. Each area has an associated list of portlet types that can be instantiated within the area. Each portlet can be manually placed into or out of a locked state. Various portlets can also be in a dirty state if they contain unsaved information, such as in a partially completed form. When a new portlet is to be added to the perspective, first an area which supports creation of that type of portlet is selected. The existing portlets within that area are then examined, and if one exists which is not locked and is not dirty, then it is replaced with the new portlet. If no such existing portlet is eligible for replacement, then the new portlet is created and added to the existing portlets.

Abstract: A portal having one or more associated data sources is defined, the portal including one or more portlets for displaying information associated with the one or more associated data sources. An index of the one or more associated data sources is generated. A search query is transmitted to a search engine. The index is searched for data associated with the search query. A result set is received based, at least in part, upon the index and the data associated with the search query.

Abstract: A portal containing a plurality of controls that are represented by a meta control hierarchy representing, wherein each node in the meta control hierarchy holds information of one of the plurality of controls. Upon receiving a request from a user for rendering of the portal, a control hierarchy can be created based on the meta control hierarchy. A portal managing component is operable to retrieve a portion of the meta control hierarchy from a cache and create the remaining portion of the meta control hierarchy that does not exist in cache from an XML markup file of the portal.

Abstract: A computer system includes a display interface, a user input device interface, and a processor cooperatively operable with the display interface and the user input device interface. The processor is configured to facilitate displaying, via the display interface, a mashup or service; interacting with the user to input, via the user input device interface, an indication to take a snapshot of the mashup or service being currently displayed via the display interface; and storing a snapshot artifact of live data from the mashup or service at the instant the snapshot is taken.

Abstract: A community accessible via a portal can be provided for maintaining user membership in a collaborative computing environment. Collaboration resources can be displayed on the portal page. Drag and drop functionality can be provided, which enables a community member to drag drop some resource into a target area, thereby causing a computer to execute an action upon the drop. A drag and drop tag library can be provided for allowing a developer to add this functionality to selected resources. For example, a draggable resource tag can be used by the developer to specify the resource displayed on the portal page, that is to be selected and dragged by a user. A resource drop zone tag can specify a particular area on the portal page into which the draggable resource will be dropped. The action can be a Javascript function call, a form or a page flow action initiated upon the drop.

Abstract: A virtual machine (VM) is accessed by receiving user log-in information, the log-in information identifying a user and a corresponding VM, the VM having a local copy and a remote copy. A selected copy of the VM is identified based on at least one of a policy and a user selection, the selected copy being one of the local copy and the remote copy of the VM. A desktop generated by the selected copy of the VM is presented to the user in a common application graphical user interface, the common application graphical user interface being used regardless as to whether the selected copy of the VM is the local copy or the remote copy.

Abstract: An approach is described for controlling access to a data item using one or more access graphs. The approach entails distributing a compact package of access-related information to a recipient that pertains to the access graphs. The recipient can use the access-related information to access the data item through the access graphs in an off-line mode of operation. In one implementation, the access-related information includes markers associated with edges between nodes in the access graphs. One type of marker can link the data item to two or more nodes of the access graphs. This type of marker can be used to implement a logical AND operation among two or more policy factors.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a first administrative entity having first members may initiate an operated shared workspace having a policy control engine. The first administrative entity may configure a first set of policies regarding workspace access, while a second administrative entity, having second members, may configure a second set of policies regarding workspace access. The policy control engine may then apply the first policies to the first and second members, and also may apply one or more policies of the second set of policies to the second members in response to the respective policies being stricter than corresponding policies of the first set of policies.

Abstract: A data processing system includes telecommunication means for providing a data entry form to a client device and for receiving user data that has been entered into the data entry form from the client device, database means for storage of the user data, and program means for extracting application specific data from the database means.

Abstract: A method for rendering a graphical user interface (GUI), comprising providing for the representation of the GUI as a set of objects wherein the objects are organized in a logical hierarchy, associating a theme with a first object in the set of objects, rendering the first object according to the theme, rendering any descendents of the first object according to the theme, wherein any descendents of the first object can override the theme, and wherein one of the set of objects can communicate with another of the set of objects.

Abstract: A method allows a user to process a life or work event by enabling the user to perform certain operations, including creating at least one event instance based on an event definition that includes a specification of data required from an external source, a list of tasks to be completed, a task order, and one or more resources associated with each task, and processing the event instance by importing the data from the external source and by iteratively allowing the user to select a task in accordance with the task order and to access the resources associated with the selected task. The imported data may be used to pre-populate forms, or as other input within the tasks. If the imported data is processed or used to produce output data, the output data may be exported to an external destination.

Abstract: An Entertainment System including a website, in combination with a commercially purchased product, wherein the system allows a product user to register a primary product online using a registration code, allowing the user access to various activities and scenarios in a “virtual world” including a virtual representation of the product, via a computer connected to the Internet. Additional ancillary products are also provided that may be related to the primary product or the virtual world, with these ancillary products also being provided with one or more codes to provide additional content, bonus items, and/or bonus access in the virtual world.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method to distribute a content document with security, customization, and scalability is provided. One or more servers provides a customizable content document associated with a first entity, enables a second entity to specify content to be included for users associated with the entity in the customizable content document, and delivers the customized content document incorporating the specified content in a secure manner to users associated with the second entity.

Abstract: The rendering of portal pages on can be sped up by allowing individual portlets to be displayed while other portlets of the page are still waiting to finish rendering. Temporary messages can be displayed for the portlets that are still rendering. This temporary content can be replaced by the finished portal rendering for the slow rendering portlets. Additionally, a timeout feature for the portlets can be used. The timeout feature allows the rendering of the portlet to be stopped after a certain period of time.

Abstract: Systems and methods which provide a markup language based file format for storing authoring tool content are shown. The markup language based file format of embodiments provides an aggregated content object containing various assets. A container structure is preferably provided for a plurality of assets comprising the aggregated content object. The assets of embodiments of the present invention include different types of assets, including content assets which contain content and packaging assets which contain aggregated content object information. Content assets may comprise various types or forms of media, such as graphics, video, audio, text, etc. Packaging assets may be in a markup language format, such as may be utilized to provide robust information regarding the aggregated content object and assets thereof. The markup language based file format of embodiments of the invention facilitates access to all or portions of the aggregated content by various authoring tools.

Abstract: Techniques are described for user-controlled annotation and sharing of one or more digital items. Examples of digital items that may be shared with other users include digital representations of graphic images, photographs, audio segments, songs, video segments, movies, and text (such as lists of favorites (e.g., a list of favorite books, a list of favorite movies, and a list of favorite places to visit)). A user may make a digital item available to other users of a computer network, such as an instant messaging system, a chat environment, or a subscription-based computer network. User-entered annotations, such as textual comments, may be associated with a digital item, and a user can select which other users can view and/or change all, or some, of the annotations.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed to provide security for graphical user interface elements being displayed in a system having a host operating system and a high assurance operating system. Graphical user interface elements associated with the high-assurance operating system may be prevented from being obscured and from any partial transparency. Additionally, a piece of secret information may be stored and displayed by graphical user interface elements associated with the high-assurance operating system. Coordinating certain elements of the graphical user interface elements associated with the high assurance operating system also helps to identify legitimate elements associated with the high assurance operating system. Public title information may be furnished to a host operating system windowing system to identify a window owned by a process running on a high-assurance operating system. Private title information associated with the same window may be used in the high assurance operating system.

Abstract: A system for verifying the identity of a chat partner during an instant messaging session. The identity of an instant messaging partner can be verified at any given moment during an instant messaging session. The status of the verification is displayed in the current session, and is contained into any subsequently saved session history file. Prior to the beginning of communication, a participant has the ability to challenge one or more other participants to verify that they are really the people assigned to the corresponding instant messaging identifiers. During the instant messaging session, participants are further allowed to challenge any other participant before going further with the session (e.g. prior to discussing confidential information or accepting files). The system addresses the problem of an unauthorized user gaining access to another user's instant messaging identifier.

Abstract: The present invention provides a computing device that supports cloud service. The computing device of present invention includes a communication module configured to communicate with an external cloud database. The computing device also includes a display screen configured to display a cloud navigation area containing a cloud icon. The computing device also includes a processor configured to control to detect a user command of displaying cloud contents, the user command being detected by recognizing the cloud icon selected. The processor further configured to control the communication module to receive cloud contents from the external cloud database and to control the cloud navigation area to be enlarged within the display screen and the received cloud contents to be displayed within the enlarged cloud navigation area.

Abstract: A viewer for displaying electronic books and having various features for restricting access to their content. A user may assign ratings to stored electronic books, or use standard ratings, and assign access levels to potential users. The ratings and access levels determine which electronic books, or portions of the electronic books, a particular user may access on the viewer.

Abstract: A system and method for an environment control and energy management. The system includes a server computer, at least one environment control device (ECD) and at least one mobile device communicatively coupled via a web-based communication system. A mobile device, also having a touch screen display, may be configured to display a replica screen of the touch screen user interface of the ECD, and allows modification of the control program accessed at the ECD.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing concurrent access to a resource via multiple user identities via a single client entity. The client entity is allowed access to the resource utilizing a first user identity. An attempt to access the resource with the client entity utilizing a second user identity is detected. The second user identity is a child identity of the first user identity. The attempt to access the resource is restructured as an attempt to access the resource with a third user identity that is not a child identity of the first user identity. The restructured request is forwarded to the resource using the third user entity to access the resource. A response from the resource is restructured as a response to the client entity accessing the resource utilizing the second user identity. The restructured response is sent to the client entity accessing the resource utilizing the second user identity.

Abstract: A method and a system for obtaining and modifying a plurality of Web components, such as portlets, via an application programming interface (API) are described. The method includes permitting a portal application to invoke a portlet, wherein the portlet runs inside a portlet container and the portal application runs independently from the portlet container; providing information to the portlet container about the invoked portlet related to a runtime environment of the portal application; and modifying the provided information from the portal application to customize the portlet.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for customizing content presented to individual users or user segments is provided. There may be three components, a web portal and toolbar component, a modeling component, and a scoring component. The web portal and toolbar component presents content items and collects data. The web portal and toolbar component generates user event data based on the user actions. The user event data is forwarded to the modeling component. The modeling component generates content scoring functions based on user event data and attributes of content items. Content scoring functions may be unique to individual user segments. The content scoring functions based on content features generate probability a content item will be viewed. The scoring component decides which content items are placed in a portal. The scoring component uses the scoring functions generated by the modeling component to rank content items in real time.

Abstract: The invention provides method and apparatus for collaboration between a plurality of associated portlets in a portal server including: associating each portlet with a portlet descriptor describing context names; forming collaboration groups of portlets having corresponding context names for synchronized contents.

Abstract: Systems, methods and computer programming relating to generating website presentation of functions and content to a user is described. In an exemplary method, there are components of one or more web applications provided to a user interface application on the internet generated at a user display device. A first web application provides control of the display of information upon the user interface on the user display device based on user context information associated with a user of the user display device. There is determining a user perspective associated with the user accessing the user interface, and selecting the one or more web applications as those associated with the user perspective.

Abstract: A community accessed via a portal can be provided that maintains user membership during collaboration on various projects. The members of the community can have access to and share multiple resources. A resource can have a menu associated with it wherein the menu is dynamically displayed on the portal page upon the user right clicking on the resource. Each menu can have several menu items that when selected, execute various actions associated with the resource or perform some other community function. For example, the menu item can call a page flow action, a Javascript function or make a dynamic content update. An active menu tag library can be provided that allows a developer to create customizable new menus and menu items for a given resource by including a tag and specifying tag parameters.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for providing a portal-based desktop. A computer-implemented method for providing access to one or more computer programs and information includes receiving a request from a client computer, the request specifying a user. The method includes identifying one or more computer programs and information to which the user has subscribed. The method includes organizing the one or more computer programs and the information according to context. The method includes defining a user interface in which the organized one or more computer programs and information.

Abstract: The invention relates to method for exchanging portlet configuration data.

Abstract: Configurations for a cellular user interface are provided. In one embodiment, a client configuration includes a viewer and a content development kit. A content server distributes cellularized content among several client viewers. Connectors in a scheduled configuration regularly acquire updated content from data sources. An integration server interfaces between the connectors and the content server for distributing content. A monitoring agent assists with content updating upon detecting source changes. A registration server enables cell content update in client viewers through the content server. Cells in the cellularized environment include a visual proxy component and a metadata component. The visual proxy component can be configured for displaying different content at various levels of detail. The metadata component enables intelligent organization and display of content through queries, channels, and data updates.

Abstract: A user interface programmed to create a digital dashboard includes a dashboard workspace including one or more zones, and a dashboard elements area including a plurality of dashboard elements. A dashboard element of the dashboard elements is dragged and dropped onto one of the zones to add the dashboard element to the digital dashboard.

Abstract: A method for reminding a user of a mobile communication terminal of an event scheduled using a scheduling feature of the mobile communication terminal is provided. The method comprises displaying an alert, associated with a scheduled event, on a display screen of the mobile communication terminal, wherein the alert is in a format that conspicuously distinguishable from other information displayed on the display screen to prompt the user's immediate attention.

Abstract: A system allows modules associated with different domains to communicate, such as within a container document. To transfer payload data from the first module associated with a first domain to a second module associated with a different domain, the first module adds the payload data as a text string to the URL of a transport module associated with the second domain. This way, the second module may directly access the modified transport module to obtain the payload data from its URL. The second module may likewise add other payload data as a text string to the URL of another transport module associated with the first domain, thereby enabling communication from the second domain to the first.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for extracting information from a web page on a standard end user browser without plug-ins, includes the steps of dynamically creating an element on a web page being viewed by an end user, copying at least a portion of the contents of the web page or form field values, and uploading the data to a target domain, wherein the target domain may be different from the domain of the web page. In co-browsing applications, the data uploaded is used to create a copy of the website for display to a third party.

Abstract: A method, software tool and system for communicating data between components in a client computer system is provided. The client computer system has a user interface for displaying a page comprising content rendered by a plurality of components. A property broker is provided which maintains a registry of linked source and destination data fields of components of the client computer system. The property broker is notified when a user request is detected by a component registered with the property broker, and a set of components registered with the property broker is then notified of the start of a communication phase. The user request is processed by the actioned component and the value of each source data field updated during processing of the user request is communicated to each component having a linked destination data field. The property broker notifies the set of components when the communications phase has ended, and at least one component then renders content for display.

Abstract: A method for responding to a request, comprising accepting the request, mapping the request to a control tree wherein the control tree is a logical representation of a graphical user interface (GUI) and wherein the control tree includes a set of controls which are related hierarchically to one another, advancing the control tree through at least one lifecycle stage based on the request, wherein the control tree includes at least one portlet control that represents at least one portlet, providing the request to a portlet container that contains the at least one portlet, and aggregating the output of each of the at least one portlets and providing the output to the GUI.

Abstract: An end-user or administrator is allowed to couple portlets in a portal through user interface events taking place on the portal display itself. When the portal is displayed, if the user actuates a control corresponding to a property in a portlet, a menu of actions that can be performed with that data by other portlets is provided to the user. In addition to this “conventional” manner, an alternative manner of actuating the component is provided to the user such that if the user actuates the control in this alternative manner, the user is provided the option of making the chosen action “persistent,” so that the next time the control is actuated by the user, or the associated property is otherwise produced, the chosen action is performed automatically, without requiring the user to choose an action.

Abstract: Systems and methods that supply direct access (e.g., bypassing the controller) to embedded historian via a subscription and notification component. By modeling the notification related information (e.g., subscription queries, subscriber information, event information . . . ) as data and leveraging the power of database systems to perform set-oriented manipulations on this data efficiently, the subject innovation enables for a highly scalable and efficient subscription and notification system for direct access to the historians.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus which displays a thumbnail image of a stored image is disclosed. When a thumbnail image of a stored image is displayed, it is determined whether the stored image is open or secret by using an attribute attached to the stored image. When the stored image is open, the thumbnail image of the stored image is displayed, and when the stored image is secret, a dummy thumbnail image is displayed.

Abstract: A portal summary controller monitors usage metadata indicating current usage of at least one portlet within at least one portal page for one of multiple events specified to trigger storage of the usage metadata. Responsive to detecting one of the multiple events within the usage metadata which triggers storage, the portal summary controller stores the detected usage metadata at a current time of at least one instance of at least one portlet application within the at least one portal page.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and product ensures the privacy of a user and the utility of data communicated by a device, such as a vehicle telematics device, to a server, comprising receiving data at the device during the time period; processing, by the device, the received data; summarizing, by the device, the processed data in a matrix, wherein the rows and columns of the matrix define circumstances of movement of the device, wherein the matrix includes a plurality matrix-entries, and wherein each matrix-entry includes a distance covered by the device during the time period under a pair of said predefined circumstances of movement; and transmitting the summarized data from the device to the server.

Abstract: An on-line community/social network system and method for provide a novel technique that enables an on-line community system to obtain information necessary to provide additional and more robust features to its users, solely from the user's participation in the community, and without requiring the users to do anything else (i.e., to explicitly provide the needed information). From this core approach, a number of advantageous novel techniques are provided by the inventive system to greatly enhance the quality and usefulness of various features and services that can be offered to community users as well as to provide them with entirely new and unique features as a result of user-specific data generated by the system's novel infrastructure.

Abstract: An application collaboration system for allowing a portal application executed on a Web server and a client application executed on a client terminal to collaborate with each other, the application collaboration system including: a collaboration information storage unit that stores collaboration information including information indicating an application and call information used to call a process to be executed by the application in association with information indicating a condition to extract the collaboration information; an execution location information storage unit that stores execution location information indicating an apparatus where the application is executed in association with the information indicating an application; an information extraction unit that executes a process to extract collaboration information matching said condition from said collaboration information storage unit and acquires execution location information corresponding to the information indicating an application included i