An intelligent electronic appliance preferably includes a user interface, data input and/or output port, and an intelligent processor. A preferred embodiment comprises a set top box for interacting with broadband media streams, with an adaptive user interface, content-based media processing and/or media metadata processing, and telecommunications integration. An adaptive user interface models the user, by observation, feedback, and/or explicit input, and presents a user interface and/or executes functions based on the user model. A content-based media processing system analyzes media content, for example audio and video, to understand the content, for example to generate content-descriptive metadata. A media metadata processing system operates on locally or remotely generated metadata to process the media in accordance with the metadata, which may be, for example, an electronic program guide, MPEG 7 data, and/or automatically generated format. A set top box preferably includes digital trick play effects, and incorporated digital rights management features.

Intelligent electronic appliance system and method

A system for integrating video programming with the vast information resources of the Internet. A computer-based system receives a video program with embedded uniform resource locators (URLs). The URLs, the effective addresses of locations or Web sites on the Internet, are interpreted by the system and direct the system to the Web site locations to retrieve related Web pages. Upon receipt of the Web pages by the system, the Web pages are synchronized to the video content for display. The video program signal can be displayed on a video window on a conventional personal computer screen. The actual retrieved Web pages are time stamped to also be displayed, on another portion of the display screen, when predetermined related video content is displayed in the video window. As an alternative, the computer-based system receives the URLs directly through an Internet connection, at times specified by TV broadcasters in advance. The system interprets the URLs and retrieves the appropriate Web pages. The Web pages are synchronized to the video content for display in conjunction with a television program being broadcast to the user at that time. This alternative system allows the URLs to be entered for live transmission to the user.

Enhanced video programming system and method for incorporating and displaying retrieved integrated Internet information segments

Instantiation of tiered software applications running on an Internet or Intranet computer system, including a method of instantiation and a program product for instantiation. The method, and program product are particularly useful in instantiation of multi-tiered applications having a user interface tier on the client, browser, or remote computer, from a meta data repository containing attributes and values of the attributes.

Application instantiation based upon attributes and values stored in a meta data repository, including tiering of application layers objects and components

An adaptive interface for a programmable system, for predicting a desired user function, based on user history, as well as machine internal status and context. The apparatus receives an input from the user and other data. A predicted input is presented for confirmation by the user, and the predictive mechanism is updated based on this feedback. Also provided is a pattern recognition system for a multimedia device, wherein a user input is matched to a video stream on a conceptual basis, allowing inexact programming of a multimedia device. The system analyzes a data stream for correspondence with a data pattern for processing and storage. The data stream is subjected to adaptive pattern recognition to extract features of interest to provide a highly compressed representation that may be efficiently processed to determine correspondence. Applications of the interface and system include a video cassette recorder (VCR), medical device, vehicle control system, audio device, environmental control system, securities trading terminal, and smart house. The system optionally includes an actuator for effecting the environment of operation, allowing closed-loop feedback operation and automated learning.

Adaptive pattern recognition based control system and method

The present embodiments provide methods, systems and apparatuses for use in managing content on at least a local network. Some embodiments provide a method for use in managing content that detects there is a change to content on a local network, determines whether the change is additional content on a first client device, determines whether the additional content can be identified, determines whether there is a predictive distribution scheme when the additional content is identified, distributes the additional content over the local network according the predictive distribution scheme when a predictive distribution scheme applies to the additional content, determines whether a new predictive distribution scheme can be defined when a predictive distribution scheme does not apply to the additional content, and saving the new predictive distribution scheme when a new predictive scheme can be defined.

Methods and systems for use in network management of content

A new architecture capable of utilizing the existing twisted pair interface between the customer services equipment and the local office is used to provide a vast array of new services to customers. Using an intelligent services director (ISD) at the customer services equipment and a facilities management platform (FMP) at the local office, new services such as simultaneous, multiple calls (voice analog or digital), facsimile, Internet traffic and other data can be transmitted over the existing single twisted pair using xDSL transmission schemes. New services such as the implementation of Internet connectivity, videophone, utility metering, broadcasting, multicasting, bill viewing, information pushing in response to a user profile, directory look-up and other services can be implemented via a network server platform via this architecture. A network server platform for hosting a plurality of services comprises, for example, a memory for storing a user profile, the user profile containing interests of a user, and for storing information related to their interests and a controller for controlling the collection of information from information servers and for pushing the collected information to the user in accordance with their defined priority.

Network server platform for internet, JAVA server and video application server

User proactive call handling

This invention provides a network server platform forming part of a new local loop network architecture designed to overcome the limitations of current art local access loop technologies. This invention allows end users to seamlessly connect to the numerous disparate networks in order to access the multiplicity of services that these networks have to offer. The network server platform allows interconnection between networks with varying networking protocols. The network server platform is a key component of the new architecture and interacts to allow for easy and seamless integration with network components on both the local access level as well as the core network. The network server platform offers external networking capabilities to the local access network. As a result, the local access network terminates on the network server platform. The network server platform provides subscribers or end users the capabilities to access services from a multiplicity of disparate networks offering a variety of services.

A network server platform for a hybrid fiber twisted pair local loop network service architecture

A local loop access network providing high-speed access at a committed data delivery rate and natural language processing of spoken directory assistance queries. A user's spoken natural language query is processed and a directory assistance database is searched at the network server platform based on the contents of the query. Search results are provided to the user either through an audio interface or as text on a screen. The user is provided with the option of obtaining more information about certain listings and may select a listing to be automatically dialed. Search results are prioritized based on any listings previously selected to be automatically dialed and based on the geographical proximity between the establishments in the results list and the address from which the directory assistance query was initiated.

Network server platform telephone directory white-yellow page services

The location of large caches of memory located at the network server platform can reduce traffic on the network trunks or Internet backbone. In some instances these memory caches might be located at the facilities management platform. Those users supported on a specific network server platform no longer would be required to download regularly used information from the Internet backbone minimizing congestion on the network. These memory caches can be supplemented or refreshed with new data on a regular basis based on the requirements or changing requirements of the users. The close location of regularly accessed data allows for faster downloads and minimizes congestion on the communication network. In addition to user requested information, push information can be stored in these caches for fast downloading to the users.

Kenny Xiaojian Huang

Papers

Network server platform for internet, JAVA server and video application server

User proactive call handling

A network server platform for a hybrid fiber twisted pair local loop network service architecture

Network server platform telephone directory white-yellow page services

Network server platform/facilities management platform caching server