Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Alcatel Lucent

Microsoft Corporation

Pablo Rodriguez

Christos Gkantsidis

Tim Regan

Ken Wood

Manuel Costa

Sampath Rangarajan

Sarit Mukherjee

John L Miller

Caroline Elizabeth Matheson

Stuart Ranson

Marc Shapiro

Julian Chesterfield

John Miller

James William O'Brien

Stephane Ubeda

The invention provides methods of encoding content for distribution over a network and methods for decoding encoded content which has been distributed over the network. In a first example in which the content is divided into a plurality of segments and each segment comprising a plurality of blocks of data, the method comprises selecting a segment from the plurality of segments and selecting at least two blocks of the selected segment from a store of blocks. A new encoded block is created from a linear combination of the selected blocks.

Encoding and decoding optimisations

A method and apparatus for retrieving embedded objects of a web page across links. The method and apparatus include receiving, at a gateway, a requested top-level web page having at least one embedded uniform resource locator (URL) from at least one content server in response to a request for the web page from an end-user browser. The at least one embedded URL is modified with an IP address of a caching proxy. The caching proxy may be either co-located or separate from the gateway. The top-level web page and modified embedded URLs are sent to the end-user browser, wherein the caching proxy forwards the at least one embedded URL from the at least one content server to the end-user browser.

Session level technique for improving web browsing performance on low speed links

Systems and methods for data broadcasting and power management techniques for data broadcast receiving devices are disclosed. A data broadcast receiving device receives a broadcast schedule from a data broadcast server and correlates the broadcast schedule with profile information in the data broadcast receiving device to determine a schedule for activating a receiver module in the data broadcast receiving device. The receiver is activated in accordance with the schedule. The broadcast schedule may include a content identifier that identifies content associated with a specific broadcast schedule. A data broadcast may include metadata that identifies the content of the broadcast. The receiver may use the content identifier and the metadata to determine whether the broadcast data corresponds to the data scheduled for broadcast, and may implement an error routine in the event that there is not a correspondence.

Data broadcasting receiver power management

A content distribution mechanism that relies on cooperative desktop PCs to distribute content is disclosed. The mechanism distributes content in a robust manner by allowing at least one intermediate network node (i.e., between a source and client) to generate and send packets that contain a linear combination of the portions of content available at the node. Such linear combinations may be created by the source and client using at least a portion of the original content file in either encoded or unencoded form. After the client has received enough linearly independent combinations of packets, the original content may be reconstructed. Further, security for network coding file distribution may be employed to maintain the efficiency and security of the content distribution mechanism. A security server may generate security information using a hashing algorithm including the property of producing security information for each block which survives the process of creating encoded blocks. The security server may generate a unique set of security information for each node participating in the content distribution which each node may then use to verify that the blocks being examined are valid and were created from a linear combination of the original blocks of the file.

Security for network coding file distribution

Efficient reconciliation of different versions of a target file or dataset can be facilitated using a hash hierarchy of a master version of the dataset. Each level of the hash hierarchy has hashes of blocks of the master version that may be sub-blocks of the hashes in the level above. The top level of the hash hierarchy, having the hashes of the largest blocks of the master, may be transmitted on a first communication channel, possibly a one-way or broadcast communication channel. Streams of encodings of each lower level of the hash hierarchy may be transmitted on respective communication channels. The encodings for a level of the hierarchy may be combinations, such as random linear combinations, of the hashes of that level. A receiver with a target dataset can receive the top level hashes from the first channel and use them to determine which lower hashes are needed to identify parts of the master missing from the target. The encodings can be used to help obtain needed lower level hashes that can be used to more finely identify missing parts. Different receivers may not have to wait for a particular piece of information about the master. Rather, any received information (e.g. encoding) about the master will most likely allow any receiver to advance its understanding of the master dataset. Receivers will usually not have to wait for delivery of a particular hash in the hierarchy.

Efficient point-to-multipoint data reconciliation

A content distribution mechanism that relies on cooperative desktop PCs to distribute content is disclosed. The mechanism distributes content in a robust manner by allowing at least one intermediate network node (i.e., between a source and client) to generate and send packets that contain a linear combination of the portions of content available at the node. Such linear combinations may be created by the source and client using at least a portion of the original content file in either encoded or unencoded form. After the client has received enough linearly independent combinations of packets, the original content may be reconstructed.

Content distribution using network coding

Systems, methods, and computer program products for providing wireless network access are disclosed. A wireless network access device comprises at least one local communication network interface and a plurality of wireless network interfaces. Requests for resources are received over the local communication network interface, processed by the processor, and distributed among two or more of the plurality of wireless network interfaces. Algorithms for determining a number of wireless network interfaces and for selecting particular wireless network interfaces are disclosed. Received resources may be stored in a cache memory, and may be used to respond to subsequent requests for the same resource.

Wireless network access technologies for retrieving a virtual resource via a plurality of wireless network interfaces

Systems and methods for differential updates in a data broadcasting environment are disclosed. A data broadcasting system receives profile information representative of information desired by subscribers to the data broadcasting system. Broadcast content may be adjusted in response to changes in the aggregate status of document versions stored on subscriber units.

Differential update for data broadcasting

Systems and methods for intelligent data broadcasting techniques are disclosed. A data broadcasting system receives profile information representative of information desired by subscribers to the data broadcasting system. Broadcast content in one or more broadcast regions may be adjusted in response to changes in aggregate user preferences in the region.

Intelligent data broadcasting

A system-wide selective action management facility is provided. Such a facility can support selective action management for multiple applications executing on one or more computer systems (including the operating system and its components, such as a file system). A system-wide action management facility can log actions performed on the computer system(s) and record relationships between such actions (e.g., between actions of different sources, including different documents, different applications and even different computer systems). When a user discovers a mistake, the tool allows the user to select one or more past actions (i.e., the 'mistake') for removal or replacement with one or more correction actions. The tool can also re-execute dependent actions to restore the relevant state of the system at the time of the designation, absent the 'mistake'. As such, actions throughout the system can be selectively undone, fixed and/or redone in an exemplary system-wide selective action management tool.

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Pablo Rodriguez