An audio program and message distribution system in which a host system organizes and transmits program segments to client subscriber locations. The host organizes the program segments by subject matter and creates scheduled programming in accordance with preferences associated with each subscriber. Program segments are associated with descriptive subject matter segments, and the subject matter segments may be used to generate both text and audio cataloging presentations to enable the user to more easily identify and select desirable programming. A playback unit at the subscriber location reproduces the program segments received from the host and includes mechanisms for interactively navigating among the program segments. A usage log is compiled to record the subscriber's use of the provided program materials, to return data to the host for billing, to adaptively modify the subscriber's preferences based on actual usage, and to send subscriber-generated comments and requests to the host for processing. Voice input and control mechanisms included in the player allow the user to perform hands-free navigation of the program materials and to dictate comments and messages which are returned to the host for retransmission to other subscribers. The program segments sent to each subscriber may include advertising materials which the user can selectively play to obtain credits against the subscriber fee. Parallel audio and text transcript files for at least selected programming enable subject matter searching and synchronization of the audio and text files. Speech synthesis may be used to convert transcript files into audio format. Image files may also be transmitted from the server for synchronized playback with the audio programming.

System for electrically distributing personalized information

A public switched telephone network (PSTN) (10) provides digital video signals from a video information provider (140, 160) to one or more of a plurality of subscriber premises (100, 120). A subscriber uses either a standard telephone instrument (102) over the PSTN or a dedicated control device (130, 132) over an ISDN packet network (38) to order video programming. The request is transmitted to a designated video information provider (140, 160) and digital transmission connectivity is established between the video information provider (140, 160) and the central office serving the subscriber. Connectivity between the central office and subscriber is provided by asymmetrical digital subscriber line interface units over a local loop. The interface units frequency multiplex digital video information with voice information to the subscriber and support transmission of a reverse control channel from the subscriber to the central office for transmission on the ISDN packet data network (38) back to the video information provider (140, 160). The interfaces also allow base band signalling and audio between the central office and the subscriber for conventional telephone instrument connectivity.

Pstn architecture for video-on-demand services.

A method and apparatus for the automatic access control to multimedia presentations at the receiver in accordance with a viewer selected access mode and access classification data encoded into the multimedia presentation. Screening classification codes (SCCs) are embedded in the Audio Visual Material (AVM) delivered to a subscribers home station. The screening classification codes identify the type of content that follows in the AVM stream. For instance, violent content (video and/or audio) provided to a home station may contain a SCC that indicates violent scenes or violent action is forth coming in the AVM stream. The home station takes the SCC that are encoded and/or embedded in the AVM stream and applies a subscriber selected screening criteria. The screening criteria or suppression criteria are AVM manipulation commands. These AVM manipulation commands can blank the audio and/or video, cause the display of the last acceptable frame, perform obscuration transforms on the AVM stream or otherwise manipulate the audio and/or video portions of the AVM stream. The subscriber associates an AVM manipulation command with each of the available SCCs. The home station applies the subscriber desired manipulation commands to the AVM stream. Information on the subscriber selections are provided to an upstream node for subscriber behavior collection analysis.

A method and apparatus for screening audio-visual materials presented to a subscriber

A system and method are provided for use with an communication and information network, such at the Internet World Wide Web, for assisting a user in accessing information stored at remote network sites based on the user's past history of network usage. An archive is maintained of remote sites accessed and instances in which the same remote sites are accessed in sequence. Statistics regarding information such as the number of time a site has been accessed, and the times a given set of sites have been accessed in sequence, are maintained. This information may be displayed upon command. Based on this information, information items are identified which the user is predicted to be likely to want to access. This information is pre-downloaded, without express user command, so that if the user does enter a command, the response time is advantageously fast.

Network system for profiling and actively facilitating user activities

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for editing the content of a broadcast programming signal to provide a proprietary program signal that has been tailored to the preferences of an individual monitoring the broadcast programming signal. Accordingly, the systems and methods of the invention offer computer-integrated television monitoring.

Systems and methods for computer enhanced broadcast monitoring

A multimedia interface (150) presents information and receives user commands for a computer system (160). The multimedia interface (150) operates in parallel with another application software module (52, 54), such as an expert system. To add multimedia features to the application software module (52, 54), the module is modified so as to generate multimedia commands at the same time as it displays text on a text monitor. The multimedia commands, which are held in a queue (74), provide additional information in the form of video images and generated speech corresponding to the displayed text. In addition, the multimedia commands are split into at least two sets: one set which is dispatched to the user substantially immediately after displaying the corresponding text, and one set which is dispatched only upon request by the user. In the preferred embodiment, the multimedia interface (150) presents information to the user through text, graphics, video, speech production, and printed output. User inputs are made through a special-function keypad (56) and voice recognition (62). The preferred embodiment is a portable expert system which fits in a single portable suitcase sized package (200).

Multimedia interface and method for computer system

An apparatus and method to assess the performance of a start of a turbine is described. The apparatus includes an accumulator to compare a set of on-line data signals corresponding to the starting performance of the turbine to a set of normative starting parameters so as to identify a set of comparison signals. The comparison signals may also be identified by comparing the set of on-line data signals with a database of historical information relating to starts and design profiles of the turbine. In addition, the comparison signals may be identified by comparing the set of on-line data signals with information in an expert system defining fault conditions in previous starts of the turbine. The comparison signals are processed by an analyzer to identify those comparison signals that exceed predetermined thresholds. Those comparison signals that exceed the predetermined thresholds are processed by a risk factor assessor, which generates quality-of-start predication signals corresponding to the likelihood of success of future starts of the turbine. An anticipator then processes the quality-of-start prediction signals and generates output signals that are used to improve the starting performance of the turbine.

System to assess the starting performance of a turbine

We have developed an expert system for diagnosis of efficiency problems for large gas turbines. The system relies on a model-based approach that combines an expert’s probabilistic assessments with statistical data and thermodynamic analysis. The system employs a causal probabilistic graph, called a belief network, to update the likelihoods of alternative faults given information about diverse classes of information. In response to any subset of findings or reported observations, the system suggests the most cost-effective tests to perform to determine the source of a performance problem. We discuss the decision-analytic methodology that underlies the development of the system and present results of an initial version of the system. Finally, we discuss future planned development and evaluation, toward the ultimate goal of applying the system in the day-to-day maintenance of gasturbine power plants.

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George H. Quentin

Papers

Multimedia interface and method for computer system

System to assess the starting performance of a turbine

Automated Decision-Analytic Diagnosis of Thermal Performance in Gas Turbines

Low-rank coal slurries for gasification

Assessment of Gas Turbine Vibration Monitoring