A control server, or similar central processor, manages the distribution of data (including audio and video), voice, and control signals among a plurality of devices connected via a wired and/or wireless communications network. The devices include audio/visual devices (such as, televisions, monitors, PDAs, notepads, notebooks, MP3, portable stereo, etc.) as well as household appliances (such as, lighting, ovens, alarm clocks, etc.). The control server supports video/audio serving, telephony, messaging, file sharing, internetworking, and security. A portable controller allows a user to access and control the network devices from any location within a controlled residential and/or non-residential environment, including its surrounding areas. The controllers are enhanced to support location-awareness and user-awareness functionality.

Method, system, and computer program product for managing controlled residential or non-residential environments

An intelligent gateway device provided at a premise (home or business) for providing and managing application services associated with use and support of a plurality of digital endpoint devices associated with the premises. The device includes a communications and processing infrastructure integrated with a peer and presence messaging based communications protocol for enabling communications between the device and an external support network and between the device and connected digital endpoint devices. A services framework at the gateway device implements the communications and processing infrastructure for enabling service management, service configuration, and authentication of user of services at the intelligent gateway. The framework provides a storage and execution environment for supporting and executing received service logic modules relating to use, management, and support of the digital endpoint devices. Thus, the gateway device provides a network-based services point of presence for a plurality of digital endpoint devices at the premises.

Multi-services application gateway and system employing the same

A converged network accessible by client terminals (16) is provided. The converged network includes a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN) and a gateway (10) linked to the wide area and local area networks. The gateway (10) integrates billing and authentication functions of the wide area and local area networks.

Method and apparatus for integrating billing and authentication functions in local area and wide area wireless data networks

The method and system of the invention provide a variety of techniques for using a selected alias and a selected personal identification entry (PIE) in conjunction with use of a transaction card, such as a credit card, debit card or stored value card, for example. A suitable number or other identification parameter is selected by the account-holder as an alias. The account-holder is then required to choose a PIE for security purposes. The alias is linked to the account-holder's credit card number via a database. When the account-holder enters into a transaction with a merchant, the physical card need not be present. The account-holder simply provides his or her alias and then the PIE. This can be done at any point of sale such as a store, catalog telephone order, or over the Internet. The alias and PIE are entered and authorization is returned from the credit card company.

System for providing cardless payment

A converged network accessible by wireless client devices (fig. 2) includes a wide area wireless network, a local area wireless network, and a gateway linked to the wide area and local area wireless networks for integrating access to the networks by the wireless client devices.

Method and apparatus for converging local area and wide area wireless data networks

A network-based service creation platform automates and simplifies many tasks associated with defining new network service offerings to network users, publishing the new service offerings to the users, handling the subscription and registration of subscribers to the new service, billing for the service, and otherwise managing the service. In one embodiment, once a user is authenticated a first time, the user is then automatically authenticated for multiple network-based services without having to perform separate manual logins for each service. Moreover, the user is authenticated for a plurality of networking devices and/or computing devices used to provide the services.

Single sign-on for multiple network -based services

A central Service Creation Platform (SCP) is located at the service provider's premises. The SCP gives service providers a common platform from which to create and deploy new services, manage services, and record and aggregate billing records. The SCP includes a (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) LDAP database that stores policies associated with the various distributed network elements. The SCP is connected to Service Delivery Agents (SDAs) distributed throughout the network, which in turn are connected to Managed Elements (MEs). The MEs are hardware or software elements that provide the services to users. The SDAs control the MEs and, depending on the type of ME, can monitor the activity of the ME.

Broadband network service delivery method and device

A system and method automates and simplifies tasks associated with setting up a user self-activating network-based service. A configurable input engine is configured to define the service. The service may, for example, use a plurality of networking devices and/or computing devices. After the service is defined, an offer of the service is published to a user. The offer includes values of commercial terms and/or values of configuration parameters associated with the offer. Upon receiving an acceptance of the offer from the user, the configurable input engine automatically generates activations for the devices to be used by the service. The activations are sent to policy distribution points (PDPs) where the activations are translated into device-specific instructions. The device-specific instructions are in turn sent to the devices (networking devices and/or computing devices) to be configured. The device-specific instructions configure the devices, thereby automatically setting up the service for the user.

System and method for setting up user self-activating network-based services

A system allows subscribers quickly to self-activate network-based services by automatically configuring network elements. A service provider preconfigures a state machine on a core server. At the time of self-activation, activations are sent to policy distribution points (PDPs) that translate the activations into device-specific instructions, which in turn configure network elements to provide services. The speed of self-activation is increased by generating activations faster in the core server, by translating activations into device-specific instructions faster in the PDPs, and by separating the configuration of the network elements from complex registration steps. Initiation steps that configure network elements are performed faster by an initiation module that reads from, but does not write to, databases. Subscribers perform dynamic service selection using the initiation module. Initiating services faster results in a more enjoyable user experience as subscribers quickly switch back and forth between network-based services.

Initiation module for initiating network-based services

A “policy distribution point” (PDP) allows service drivers to be installed remotely and automatically without rebooting the PDP or otherwise interrupting existing network-based services The exposure of sensitive configuration data to non-secure networks is minimized by placing PDPs close to the devices to be configured Service drivers on the PDP can be reused to configure multiple devices of the same type The PDP receives an “activation” and uses a service driver on the PDP to translate the activation into “device-specific instructions” The device-specific instructions are sent to a device and configure the device to set up the network-based service One or more PDPs can be used to configure both computing device and networking devices to provide a single service

Tom Phillips

Papers

Single sign-on for multiple network -based services

Broadband network service delivery method and device

System and method for setting up user self-activating network-based services

Initiation module for initiating network-based services

Policy distribution point for setting up network-based services