Lucent Technologies Inc.

Alcatel Lucent

At+t Corp.

Avaya Technology LLC

Nokia of America Corporation

At&t Bell Laboratories

Alcatel-lucent USA Inc.

James Robert Ensor

Gianpaolo U Carraro

Markus Andreas Hofmann

Sudhir Raman Ahuja

Murali Aravamudan

Thomas Y Woo

Ivica Rimac

Volker Fredrich Hilt

John T Edmark

Roy Philip Weber

Peter H Stuntebeck

Simon C Borst

Ram S Ramamurthy

Eugene J Rosenthal

Anwar I Walid

Jairo Orlando Esteban

Ashok K Kuthyar

Alfred Vaino Aho

Fei Yu

Giovanni Conti

A chat-based communication capability is presented. In at least some embodiments, a chat-based communication capability utilizes a chat-based communication paradigm to support one or more communication interaction types not typically supported by chat-based communication paradigms. In at least some embodiments, a chat-based communication capability supports chat-based communication between a human entity and a non-human entity (e.g., a device, a program, a process, an organization, or the like). In at least some embodiments, a chat-based communication capability supports chat-based communication between multiple non-human entities (e.g., where the non-human entities may include devices, programs, processes, organizations, or the like).

Chat-based support of multiple communication interaction types

Systems and methods for invoking a third-party program as an additional participant of a chat session include monitoring events of a chat session of a messaging platform. At least one of the events of the chat session is determined to satisfy a triggering condition associated with a third-party program. In response to determining that the at least one of the events of the chat session satisfies the triggering condition associated with the third-party program, the third-party program is invoked as an additional participant of the chat session.

Integrating third-party programs with messaging systems

The invention includes a method and apparatus for promoting a data item within a data distribution network. In one embodiment, a method includes monitoring at least one parameter for the data item where the data item is associated with an application or service, propagating the data item from a first data server toward a second data server based on the monitoring of the at least one parameter for the data item, and propagating, toward at least one device, a message indicative of the propagation of the data item from the first data server toward the second data server. The message is for adapting the at least one device to identify the second data server as a source of the data item capable of serving future requests for the data item.

Method and apparatus for parameterized promotion and delivery of data

A cache management system and method and a content distribution system. In one embodiment, the cache management system includes: (1) a content request receiver configured to receive content requests, (2) a popularity lifetime prediction modeler coupled to the content request receiver and configured to generate popularity lifetime prediction models for content that can be cached based on at least some of the content requests, (3) a database coupled to the popularity lifetime prediction modeler and configured to contain the popularity lifetime prediction models and (4) a popularity lifetime prediction model matcher coupled to the content request receiver and the database and configured to match at least one content request to the popularity lifetime prediction models and control a cache based thereon.

Cache management system and method and content distribution system incorporating the same

A multimedia multiparty communication system and method which includes one or more &ldquo;agents&rdquo; and one or more &ldquo;brokers&rdquo;. Each communication session is managed by a broker which creates and maintains the session. An agent may cause a broker to alter a communication session by entering into &ldquo;negotiations&rdquo; with the broker. It is also possible for an agent, through the broker, to enter into negotiations with one or more other agents. Negotiations, between agents and between agents and brokers may consist of any number of exchanged messages (or &ldquo;offers&rdquo;), thereby allowing for the dynamic negotiations necessary for effective multimedia multiparty communications.

Multimedia multiparty communication system and method

When there is an inability to convey motion that is occurring in the frames of a video source by a full-frame-rate transmission, a surrogate effect, other than another form of motion, may be used as a compensation technique to better convey motion to a viewer. The surrogate effect employed may be a) fading, b) wiping, c) dissolving, d) blurring, e) enhancing the contrast, f) enhancing one or more colors, g) enhancing the brightness, h) scaling the image, and i) the like. How the surrogate effect is applied to any frame may be a function of one or more video frames. Optionally, more than one effect may be used in combination. Advantageously, a more continuous sense of motion is perceived by a viewer. In one embodiment of the invention, full-frame-rate video is initially available. A controller monitors the ability to transmit or display full-frame-rate video. In the event that it is determined that, ultimately, full-frame-rate video cannot be displayed to a user, the images of the frames that will be displayed are adjusted to incorporate a surrogate effect that helps to better convey the intended motion to the viewer. The surrogate effect applied may be selected as a joint function of the available frame rate and knowledge of the content, e.g., the specific type of motion, intended to be shown to the viewer.

Motion display technique

A circuit configuration in a multimedia network representing a controllably persistent virtual meeting room simulates an actual meeting room where conferences between two or more people may be held. This facilitates the creation in the network of flexible, long-term multimedia conferences between conferees who are separated from one another. Any number of conferees may communicate with one another via one or more of audio, video, and data. Virtual meeting rooms may persist in the network for predetermined periods of time controlled by the users of the meeting room. The room may remain in the network independent of whether or not a user is connected to the room. The meeting room is a vehicle whereby the activity of various media servers is coordinated to effectuate conferences between multiple participants in more than one medium. The servers are associated with storage devices which may record or store certain aspects of multimedia conferences using the virtual meeting room.

Multimedia communications network

A limitation of a three-dimensional world in which objects in the distance may be represented in only two dimensions as a video on a screen occurs when a computer graphic object represented by computer graphics, e.g., in front of, to the side, above, or below the video screen, undergoes a trajectory that takes it to a location in the world that is not represented as computer graphics, but instead is within the field represented by the video, because such an object would disappear from view by the viewer. This limitation is overcome by having such an object be represented as video on the screen, rather than computer graphics. Thus, the computer graphics object &ldquo;goes into the video&rdquo; as video and remains visible to a viewer in front of the video screen, rather than becoming invisible because it is blocked from view by the video screen if it were to be generated at its proper location using computer graphic techniques.

Display techniques for three dimensional virtual reality

A limitation of a three-dimensional world in which objects in the distance may be represented in only two dimensions as a video on a screen is that when an object within the field represented by the video undergoes a trajectory that takes it to a location in the world that is not represented by the video but instead is a location in the foreground which is represented by computer graphics, namely, any portion of the object that is no longer on the video screen disappears. To overcome this limitation, when an object within the field represented by the video undergoes a trajectory that takes it to a location in the world that is not represented by the video but instead is a location in the foreground which is represented by computer graphics, such an object, or portion thereof, is made to continue to be visible to the user by representing it at the foreground location to which its trajectory was carrying it using computer graphic techniques, rather than video. Thus, the video object &ldquo;pops&rdquo; out of the video and becomes visible, e.g., in front of, or to the side of, the video screen, rather than becoming invisible because it is no longer on the video screen.

A limitation of a three-dimensional world in which objects in the distance may be represented in only two dimensions as a video on a screen occurs when a computer graphic object represented by computer graphics, e.g., in front of, to the side, above, or below the video screen, undergoes a trajectory that takes it to a location in the world that is not represented as computer graphics, but instead is within the field represented by the video, because such an object would disappear from view by the viewer. This limitation is overcome by having by determining when a computer graphic object undergoes a trajectory that takes it to a location in the world that is not represented as computer graphics, but instead is within the field represented by the video, and representing such an object as computer graphics in front of the screen to which at least one perspective transformation is applied, the perspective transformation being at least a function of the position at which the object is actually located.

Display techniques for three-dimensional virtual reality

For a world that has a portion of the world distant from the point of view of the user represented in only two dimensions as a video on a video screen, when an object on the video screen undergoes a trajectory that takes at least a portion of it to a location in the world that is not represented by the video but instead is a location in the world that is represented by computer graphics, in addition to being able to continue to see such an object when it is rendered as computer graphics in the computer graphics part of the world, i.e., popped out from the video, one is able to interact with such an object. Thus, an object which pops out from a video into the computer graphics part of the world may be &ldquo;investigated&rdquo; by a viewer of the world. For example, the user could enter a store which popped out of the video, and engage in virtual shopping therein. The particular store which is actually entered may be customized on a per user basis, e.g., as a function of geography. When the proprietor of a virtual store, or his representative, e.g., electronic agent, detects the avatar of one or more persons in the vicinity of the avatar of a store for which such proprietor's store corresponds to the virtual store for such passing persons, a message may be transmitted to such passing persons.

Three dimensional virtual reality enhancement techniques

A limitation of a three dimensional world in which objects in the distance may be represented in only two dimensions as a video on a screen is that when an object within the field represented by the video undergoes a trajectory that takes it to a location in the world that is not represented by the video but instead is a location which is represented by computer graphics, namely, any portion of the object that is no longer on the video screen disappears. To overcome this limitation, when an object within the field represented by the video undergoes a trajectory that takes it to a location in the world that is not represented by the video on the video screen as currently configured, i.e., shaped and sized, the configuration of the screen is changed so that the object can continue to be displayed as video. The size and/or shape of the video screen is changed. For example, the video screen may be increased in overall size, or it may &ldquo;grow&rdquo; a specific appendage screen on which the object is displayed as video. If an additional appendage screen is &ldquo;grown&rdquo;, it need not be contiguous with the screen as previously configured. Such appendage screens may sized, shaped, and located so that, the video object continues to be visible rather than becoming invisible because it is no longer displayable within the video screen.

A mix of computer graphics and video is employed to display images, and more particularly, the ratio of computer graphics to video is adjusted as a function of the available processing and transport capacity. The function for adjusting the ratio of computer graphics to video may also be dependent on the motion of the viewer's viewpoint.

Display composition technique

A multimedia telecommunications network provides telephone service which may involve one or more of audio, video, and data communications. In one example of the invention, the multimedia telecommunications network contains a virtual meeting services complex which provides multimedia telecommunications service to subscribers of the network. Multimedia telephone calls can be completed automatically by the virtual meeting services complex in a manner similar to that now used to complete conventional audio telephone calls. The multimedia telecommunications network containing this virtual meeting services complex is able to connect together users having diverse equipment and is able to handle integrated and nonintegrated network access mechanisms.

Growing community of inventors

Red Bank, NJ, United States of America

James Robert Ensor