Xerox Corporation

Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Daniel C Swinehart

Marvin Michael Theimer

Roy Want

William Noah Schilit

Mark D Weiser

Richard J Goldstein

Michael J Spreitzer

Scott Alan Elrod

Robert Thomas Krivacic

Diana Kathryn Smetters

Dirk Balfanz

Paul J Stewart

Douglas Brian Terry

Lester D Nelson

James P Dourish

Tomas Sokoler

Mark Spiteri

Authentication information is generated for a group where members within a group are able to communicate with each other, but a non-members is not able to participate in that communication. The authentication information provides the determination of whether the member belongs to the group.

Apparatus and methods for providing secured communication

A user to conducts a telephone conversation without speaking. It does this by moving the participant in the public situation to a quiet mode of communication (e.g., keyboard, buttons, touchscreen). All the other participants are allowed to continue using their usual audible technology (e.g., telephones) over the existing telecommunications infrastructure. The quiet user interface transforms the user's silent input selections into equivalent audible signals that may be directly transmitted to the other parties in the conversation.

Telecommunications infrastructure for generating conversation utterances to a remote listener in response to a quiet selection

Epidemic-style update communications facilities are used in conjunction with multicast update communications facilities in weakly-consistent, replicated data storage systems. Epidemic-style communications handle a wide variety of failures at multiple levels of the system using a single, very robust, but also relatively high-latency mechanism. Multicast communication offers much quicker propagation but less fault tolerance using a different mechanism. The epidemic-style communications and multicast communications, combined for use in weakly consistent replicated database systems obtain a design that offers the benefits of both individual approaches.

Multicast-enhanced update propagation in a weakly-consistant, replicated data storage system

Systems consistent with the present invention allow a user to scan document text and then automatically recognize and organize that text into a format for display by the user. The system preferably includes a hand-held device operable by the user for scanning the text of the document. The hand-held device stores the scanned text information and can then transfer the stored text information to a computer. The computer automatically recognizes the scanned text based on the format and context in which the text is found in the document. Further, the computer automatically creates data entries describing the scanned text and organizes these data entries for display to the user.

Hand-held scanning system for heuristically organizing scanned information

The present invention describes a system of multiple devices and multiple users, wherein the identity and location of each device and user may be known to the system. A method is described for establishing media connections between at least a first user and a second user based on the context of the system and the environment of the particular device, computing devices, or users. The system receives a media connection request from the first user, including information indicating the first user preferences for media, and identifies the intended recipient user or users. The location and media devices in proximity to each of the users is determined, and the preset profiles and policies of the users involved are determined. Each user may specify acceptable media connections and contextual attributes. When the contextual attributes and acceptable media connections for each user are consistent, media device communications paths are established.

Specifying and establishing communication data paths between particular

The present invention describes a method for superimposing general usage interface characteristics upon a computing device configured with specialized interface characteristics to enable the particular computing device to control general purpose computing functions. The user may also establish control of a portion of the display of a particular computing device. The computing system may include multiple computing devices, users, and subsystems that may be controlled by control devices. A first event signals a request for a change of the particular computing device from specialized interface characteristics to general interface characteristics unrelated to the specialized interface, and the particular computing device is reconfigured to general interface characteristics. Control of the device may also be based on the context of the system and the environment of the particular device.

System for changing device from specialized interface that enables

The present invention describes a method for superimposing prespecified locational, environmental, and contextual controls on user interactions, including interactions of mobile users, with computational resources. A system is described for electronically monitoring contextual information concerning users and machines, including state and locational information including proximity. Interaction policies, including user specified interaction policies, may be registered on an identifiable address path. Methods are described for detecting, selecting and controlling computercontrolled devices, based on the proximity of the device to the user, the current context of the user, the location of other nearby users and devices, and the current state of the devices. Temporary transfer of control, including exclusive control, of particular computers and computer controlled devices to individual users based on the context and environment in proximity to those computing devices is also described.

Method for selectively performing event on computer controlled device

Method for triggering selected machine event when the triggering

Method for granting a user request having locational and contextual

System for granting ownership of device by user based on requested level

A database of interests is maintained in a distributed computing system to register the individual interests of users in centrally stored non-textual media files, such as digital voice, music, scanned-in image, and video files. Uniquely named piece table style persistent data structures are employed to give users controlled access to the underlying non-textual media files by embedded name reference to such piece tables in ordinary messages or text files, so a database of piece tables is also maintained. A garbage collector periodically enumerates the interest database to delete interest entries which have been invalidated. Aged piece tables are deleted from the reference database when there no longer are any recorded interests referring to them, and non-textual media files are deleted to reclaim the storage space allocated to them when there no longer are any piece tables referring to them.

Growing community of inventors

Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Daniel C Swinehart