A system and method of pushing user-selected data items from a host system to a user's mobile data communication device upon detecting the occurrence of one or more user-defined event triggers is provided. The user may then move (or file) the data items to a particular folder within a folder hierarchy stored in the mobile data communication device, or may execute some other system operation on the data item. Software operating at the mobile device and the host system then synchronizes the folder hierarchy of the mobile device with a folder hierarchy of the host system, and any actions executed on the data items at the mobile device are then automatically replicated on the same data items stored at the host system, thus eliminating the need for the user to manually replicate actions at the host system that have been executed at the mobile data communication device.

System and Method for Pushing Information from a Host System to a Mobile Data Communication Device

In general, techniques of controlling a plurality of multimedia players in groups are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a mechanism is provided to allow a user to group some of the players according to a theme or scene, where each of the players is located in a zone. When the scene is activated, the players in the scene react in a synchronized manner. For example, the players in the scene are all caused to play a multimedia source or music in a playlist, wherein the multimedia source may be located anywhere on a network.

Controlling and manipulating groupings in a multi-zone media system

A method is provided for modifying an image. The method comprises displaying an image, the image comprising a portion of an object; and determining if an edge of the object is in a location within the portion. The method further comprises detecting movement, in a member direction, of an operating member with respect to the edge. The method still further comprises moving, if the edge is not in the location, the object in an object direction corresponding to the detected movement; and modifying, if the edge is in the location, the image in response to the detected movement, the modified image comprising the edge in the location.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method and program

An interprise computing manager in which an application is composed of a client
(front end) program which communicates utilizing a network with a server (back
end) program. The client and server programs are loosely coupled and exchange
information using the network. The client program is composed of a User
Interface (UI) and an object-oriented framework (Presentation Engine (PE)
framework). The UI exchanges data messages with the framework. The
framework is designed to handle two types of messages: (1) from the UI, and (2)
from the server (back end) program via the network. The framework includes a
component, the mediator which manages messages coming into and going out of
the framework. The system includes software for a client computer, a server
computer and a network for connecting the client computer to the server
computer which utilize an execution framework code segment configured to
couple the server computer and the client computer via the network, by a
plurality of client computer code segments resident on the server, each for
transmission over the network to a client computer to initiate coupling; and a
plurality of server computer code segments resident on the server which execute
on the server in response to initiation of coupling via the network with a
particular client utilizing the transmitted client computer code segment for
communicating via a particular communication protocol. Communication is
initiated utilizing the network to acquire characteristics of the client from the
network.

Object-oriented system, method and article of manufacture for a client-server session WEB access in an interprise computing framework system

Techniques and tools for spatial extrapolation of pixel values in intraframe video encoding and/or decoding are described. For example, to predict the pixel values for a block of pixels, a video encoder or decoder uses spatial extrapolation from the pixel values of pixels in a causal neighborhood for the block of pixels.

Spatial extrapolation of pixel values in intraframe video coding and decoding

A method for compressing video movie data to a specified target size using intraframe and interframe compression schemes. In intraframe compression, a frame of the movie is compressed by comparing adjacent pixels within the same frame. In contrast, interframe compression compresses by comparing similarly situated pixels of adjacent frames. The method begins by compressing the first frame of the video movie using intraframe compression. The first stage of the intraframe compression process does not degrade the quality of the original data, e.g., the method uses run length encoding based on the pixels' color values to compress the video data. However, in circumstances where lossless compression is not sufficient, the method utilizes a threshold value, or tolerance, to achieve further compression. In these cases, if the color variance between pixels is less than or equal to the tolerance, the method will encode the two pixels using a single color value--otherwise, the method will encode the two pixels using different color values. The method increases or decreases the tolerance to achieve compression within the target range. In cases where compression within the target range results in an image of unacceptable quality, the method will split the raw data in half and compress each portion of data separately. Frames after the first frame are generally compressed using a combination of intraframe and interframe compression. Additionally, the method periodically encodes frames using intraframe compression only in order to enhance random frame access.

Method and system for compressing video data

A method and system are provided for allowing a sound designer to design and implement interactive soundscapes based on existing waveform audio files, MIDI files, or audio streams. This is accomplished by using a set of tools consisting of an authoring tool for creating specifications of interactive soundscapes visually without having to write complex code, and a graph builder object that recreates the authored soundscape and interacts with it in real-time according to its specification. To give non-programmers the ability to specify and test how a soundscape will interact with programmatic events and user input in an application, the following tools are also provided: an interface to construct a “control panel;” a graphical “trigger-condition-action” specification that defines what actions to take when input from the control panel or application interface is received; a preview mode that enables the sound designer to interact with the soundscape in the same way that the application will; and the ability to save the soundscape as a file that can be edited or used at run-time to recreate the soundscape. Once the interface between the soundscape and the application has been agreed to, the tools allow the sound designer to work independently of the programmer of the media application.

Method and system for authoring a soundscape for a media application

Data stored on a server are synchronized with corresponding data on a plurality of client computers. To facilitate synchronization of the data, the data for a class of nodes on the server are provided with a version identifier (a serial number) that is incremented each time the data are modified on the server. During synchronization, the version identifier for the data stored on the client is transferred to the server, and the nodes stored on the client are updated by downloading nodes modified on the server since the last synchronization. Data on the client that have been modified are then uploaded to the server. Collisions between nodes of the data that have been modified on two different clients are detected, and a user is given an opportunity to resolve a collision.

Handling collisions during synchronization of data between client and server computers

Enabling an organization to control user assignments and assessment results while enabling a proprietary provider to maintain control over both network distribution of proprietary content comprising the assignments and use of proprietary assessment functions that evaluate the user's performance of the assignments. A student uses a browser to submit a request to a learning management system (LMS) that includes a URL to a network node hosting the proprietary learning content and assessment functions. The LMS sends a hidden form to the browser, causing the browser to automatically redirect to the network node. The proprietary provider then controls distribution of the proprietary learning content to the browser and controls the student's interaction with the proprietary learning content to accomplish the assignment. When the student submits responses to the assignment, the proprietary provider performs proprietary assessment functions and redirects only results data to the LMS through the browser.

Controlling access to protected data and assessment functions via browser redirection

Displaying an image at a particular level of opacity on a pixel-oriented output device by selecting a dithered pattern corresponding to the desired opacity level. The image is divided into tiles of a predetermined pixel width and height. The dither pattern comprises a predetermined number of bits, each bit corresponding to a pixel in a tile. When a bit in the dither pattern is set to a binary 1 value, the corresponding pixel is displayed opaque. In contrast, if a bit in the dither pattern is set to a binary 0 pattern, the corresponding bit is displayed transparent. The pixels in each tile in a row are displayed according to the dither pattern. A new dither pattern is then created by shifting the dither pattern by a random number of bits. The pixels of another row are displayed according to the new dither pattern. New dither patterns can be created for each row in the image, thereby generating an image having a desired opacity level.

Eric Ledoux

Papers

Method and system for compressing video data

Method and system for authoring a soundscape for a media application

Handling collisions during synchronization of data between client and server computers

Controlling access to protected data and assessment functions via browser redirection

Method and system for displaying an image at a desired level of opacity