U S West, Inc.

Mediaone Group, Inc.

Qwest Communications International Inc.

U S West Technologies, Inc.

U S West Advanced Technologies, Inc.

Douglas A Corey

Thomas K Landauer

Lawrence A Behmer

Jill E Schmidt

Bud C Wonsiewicz

Kailih David Lin

Karen E Lochbaum

Architecture and a method for reducing voice switch and trunk loading is disclosed. In one embodiment, a system for handling a voice frequency data call to a first termination telephone number associated with a service provider includes a first processor for recognizing and routing the voice frequency data call toward a data network via a first network modem and a converter for receiving the voice frequency data call from the first network modem and packetizing the voice frequency call into a packet switch call having at least a first packet transmittable toward the service provider via the data network interconnectable to the service provider. A method for handling such voice frequency data calls from a first person to a service provider includes the steps of recognizing the voice frequency data call corresponds to a service provider, processing at least the first termination telephone number to direct the routing of data in the voice frequency data call toward a data network, and processing the voice frequency data call to convert it to a packet switch call having at least a first packet transmittable toward the service provider via the data network.

Architecture and method for using an advanced intelligent network (AIN) to reduce voice switch and trunk loading

A method and system is disclosed for transmitting audio and video data to a remote viewing station. The method includes the steps of receiving a signal at a control station representing a request for the audio and video data. The method further includes determining whether the requested data is stored at a mass storage facility or at an active line storage unit. If the requested data is stored at the mass storage facility, the method includes downloading and storing the data at the active line storage unit. Finally, the method includes the step of transmitting the stored data from the active line storage unit to the remote viewing station.

Method and system for delivering audio and video information

An information retrieval system is disclosed, wherein the system includes a plurality of text search engines based on substantially different computational searching techniques. By activating each search engine with input from a user information request, the output from each of the search engines is combined into a single list of information items. A ranking process ranks the information items in the combined list by utilizing information item ordering data also received from each of the search engines as to the relevance of the information items output by the search engine to the user's request. Thus, by providing higher rankings to those information items determined to be most relevant to the user's request by each of (or a majority of) the search engines, these information items have been found to be highly consistent in satisfying the user's request for information.

Searching large collections of text using multiple search engines

The present invention is a system and method for retrieving segments of stored video programs using closed caption text data. The closed caption text data is extracted from video programming signals received by the invention. Text records based on the extracted closed caption data are generated. Each text record is derived from the closed caption data for a single continuous video segment to which the text record serves as an index or key in retrieving this video segment. Preferably, each text record (a) has sufficient content to adequately describe the content of the video segment to which it serves as an index; and (b) corresponds to a video segment focused on a small number of topics. To accomplish (a) and (b) the present invention generates each text record so that it has a predetermined maximum length and so that it is derived from the closed caption data for a single uninterrupted speaker. During video data retrieval, video requests or queries input by users are evaluated either by comparing query terms with terms in the text records, or by comparing an interpretation of query terms with an interpretation of terms in the text records. Subsequently, video segment location information associated with each text record satisfying a query is used to retrieve the video segment to which the text record is an index.

Video programming retrieval using extracted closed caption data which

Provided is a method and apparatus for the decentralized control of respective video cameras at a plurality of subscriber stations. According to the invention, there is provided a telephone, video camera, input device and camera control module at each subscriber station. The camera control module includes the input device and has a communication section for providing intelligence to the system, a control section for controlling respective video cameras, and a user feed-back section to identify a respective camera, its station and a camera function being controlled.

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

Douglas A Corey