Telephone calls, data and other multimedia information is routed through a hybrid network which includes transfer of information across the internet. A media order entry captures complete user profile information for a user. This profile information is utilized by the system throughout the media experience for routing, billing, monitoring, reporting and other media control functions. Users can manage more aspects of a network than previously possible, and control network activities from a central site. The hybrid network also contains logic for responding to requests for quality of service and reserving the resources to provide the requested services.

System and method for providing requested quality of service in a hybrid network

A computer network based digital information library system employing authentication and encryption protocols for the secure transfer of digital information library programs to a client computer system and a mobile digital information playback device removably connectable to the client computer system. The present invention is a computer network based library and information delivery system for accessing and obtaining selected digital information files. The library and information delivery system comprises: 1) a library server having a plurality of digital information files; 2) a client computer system coupled to the library server over a network; and 3) a mobile device removably connectable to the client computer system, the client computer system including logic for requesting a download of a selected one or more of the digital information files from the library server, the client computer system further including logic for downloading the selected one or more of the digital information files to the mobile device.

Digital information library and delivery system with logic for generating files targeting a playback device

The present invention relates to a system and methodology to enable a variety of information associated with one or more notification sources to be directed to one or more notification sinks via a notification platform architecture. The architecture includes a context analyzer for determining a user's state such as location and attentional focus, wherein the user's state is employed by a notification manager to make decisions regarding what, when and how information generated by the notification sources should be forwarded to the notification sinks, for example. These decisions can include a cost benefit analysis wherein considerations are given as to whether the benefits of notifying the user are outweighed by the costs of disrupting the user. Decision-theoretic policies and/or somewhat less formal heuristic policies can be employed to enable the decision-making process within the notification manager.

Notification platform architecture

A packet-centric wireless system includes: a wireless base station communicating via a transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) to a first data network; one or more host workstations communicating via TCP/IP to the first data network; one or more subscriber customer premise equipment (CPE) stations coupled with the wireless base station over a shared bandwidth via TCP/IP over a wireless medium; and one or more subscriber workstations coupled via TCP/IP to each of the subscriber CPE stations over a second network. The system can allocate shared bandwidth among the subscriber CPE stations to optimize end-user quality of service (QoS). The first data network includes at least one of: a wireline network; a wireless network; a local area network (LAN); and a wide area network (WAN). The second network includes at least one of: a wireline network; a wireless network; a local area network (LAN); and a wide area network (WAN).

Transmission control protocol/internet protocol (tcp/ip) packet-centric wireless point to multi-point (ptmp) transmission system architecture

A network-enabled audio device that provides a display device that allows the user to select playlists of music much like a jukebox is disclosed. The user can compose playlists from disk files, CD's, Internet streaming audio broadcasts, online music sites, and other audio sources. The user can also select a desired Web broadcast from a list of available Web broadcasts. In addition, the user can play standard audio CD's and MP3 encoded CD's and have access to local AM/FM stations. Further, the software, the user controls, and the display in the network-enabled audio device are operably configured and connected such that the user can listen to playlists that include CD's and other audio sources just as the user would choose a playlist in a jukebox.

Method and device for obtaining playlist content over a network

The present invention provides a device (200, 300), system (400, 500) and method for real-time streaming of a multimedia file stored in a remote server over a packet network to a multimedia client connected to the same network via a low-speed access link such as an analog telephone line. The invention operates to provide significantly improved QoS with respect to both quality and delay.

Device, system and method of real-time multimedia streaming

A system and device for, and method of, presenting multimedia information. In a client-server context, the invention includes a client that receives units of the multimedia information and presents the information on a presentation device. Each unit of information has an importance value assigned to it, which in an exemplary embodiment is indicative of the unit's importance in relation to the quality of the presentation. The invention includes a mechanism for characterizing the performance capabilities of the system. For example, several conventional statistics may be gathered and analyzed concurrently with the streaming operation and before it begins. The invention includes a mechanism for inferring network conditions from the characterized performance. The server may then stream the units of multimedia information to the client at a streaming rate and adapt the streaming rate of the streaming in response to the importance information and in response to the inferred network conditions.

System, device, and method for streaming a multimedia file

A multimedia file and method for forming the same organize instances of multimedia information according to media information type (e.g., audio, video, MIDI, etc.), encoding format, media subtype, and encoding rate. Several instances of the same media information type are included, each of such instances having a different encoding format, media subtype, and/or encoding rate. A presentation application utilizes the subject multimedia file to identify, select, and present specific instances of the multimedia information, permitting the presentation application to customize a multimedia presentation based on, among other things, the rate of the connection from the presentation application to the presentation consumer and the decoding capabilities of the presentation consumer.

Multimedia file, supporting multiple instances of media types, and method for forming same

An automatic modulation mode selecting unit (208) and a method (100) provide for selection from a plurality of modulation modes having an optimized transmission time for a data file. This is particularly useful where a small data file is to be transmitted, such as for a hand-held message pad. The present invention may select a modulation mode having a slow data rate but a short training time to achieve a shorter transmission time a small data file in comparison with using another modulation mode having a fast data rate but a longer training time, and thus a longer transmission time. The automatic modulation mode selecting unit includes a mode select controller (202), a mode computer (204), and a mode select switch (206) for selecting a modulation mode based on a calculated optimized transmission time.

Automatic modulation mode selecting unit and method for modems

An apparatus (101) and method for interfacing between a processor (103) and a communications channel (105), the processor operable in data terminal equipment (102) such as a computer having a communications application program, to provide for data transmission and reception over a communications channel (105), utilizing the computer processor without additional or redundant microprocessor or digital signal processor components. The apparatus and method provide for data transfer between the interface apparatus (101 ) and the communications channel (105) at a first, determinate frequency corresponding to a specific data transmission rate. The apparatus and method provide for data transfer between the interface apparatus (101) and the processor (103) at a second, indeterminate frequency, and provides for interim data storage in memory (115) between data transmission (or data reception) and data processing, such as modulation and demodulation, by the computer processor (103). The apparatus and method further provide for generating an interrupt signal to the processor to indicate the presence of received data for processing and the absence of digital data for transmission.

Manickam R. Sridhar

Papers

Device, system and method of real-time multimedia streaming

System, device, and method for streaming a multimedia file

Multimedia file, supporting multiple instances of media types, and method for forming same

Automatic modulation mode selecting unit and method for modems

Apparatus and method for interfacing between a communications channel and a processor for data transmission and reception