Cisco Technology, Inc.

Other

Philip Clifford Jacobs

Pritam Shah

John Albert Toebes

Rahul G Patel

Matthew Kuhlke

Anthony John Wasilewski

Dana Lynn Blair

Guido Jouret

Wen-hsiung Chen

Vamsidhar Valluri

Ricky Keangpo Ho

Mark John Baugher

Richard W Bradford

Michael Pereira

Gary M Springer

Jason C Osborne

Morgan Littlewood

Benjamin Phillip Hollin

Srinivas Gummadi

Kathleen Nguyen

Yifang Zhuang

In one embodiment, a method includes identifying a request for access to a first system and obtaining a visual image including at least a first piece of information associated with the request. The visual image is associated with a first device and obtained using a second device. The method also includes determining if the at least first piece of information indicates that the access to the first system is to be granted, wherein determining if the at least first piece of information indicates that the access to the first system is to be granted includes implementing a visual recognition algorithm to process the at least first piece of information. Finally, the access to the first system is granted if it is determined that the at least first piece of information indicates that the access to the first system is to be granted.

Method and apparatus for identifying and associating devices using visual recognition

In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving, by a user identifier circuit, a button pressure signature specifying a sequence of button pressure values sampled while a corresponding identified button of a user input device is pressed by a user; the user identifier circuit identifying the user of the user input device based on the button pressure signature; and the user identifier circuit outputting a message identifying the identified button and the identified user.

Identifying user by measuring pressure of button presses on user input device

In one embodiment, two or more links, coupled to a first service provider (SP) that charges a price for utilization of services according to a first pricing structure, are combined to form a single virtual combined link. Each of the two or more links of the virtual combined link and one or more other links, coupled to a second SP that charges a price for utilization of services according to a second pricing structure, are monitored to obtain link data. The link data for the two of more links of the virtual combined link is merged to form link data for the virtual combined link. Data distribution among the virtual combined link and the one or more other links is optimized to distribute data among the virtual combined link and the one or more other links in a manner that minimizes cost.

Route optimization of services provided by one or more service providers for combined links

In one embodiment, a method comprises identifying, by an apparatus at a user premises, a presentation of an addressable video stream to a user; detecting by the apparatus whether the user has supplied a user input, relative to the presentation, to at least one user input device; the apparatus selectively associating each user input detected relative to the presentation with a corresponding identified position of the addressable video stream; and generating, by the apparatus, a data structure enabling identification of an attention level by the user toward at least a portion of the addressable video stream, the data structure specifying an identifier for the addressable video stream and specifying whether the user supplied any user input relative to the presentation, including selectively adding to the data structure at least one user input and the corresponding identified position.

Determining user attention level during video presentation by monitoring user inputs at user premises

A method and apparatus for mixing first and second video content portions is described. The method may comprise overlapping at least one frame of a first content portion comprising multiple frames with at least one frame of a second content portion comprising multiple frames to produce a composite video content. At least one reference frame comprising a frame of the first or second content portion prior to the overlapping may be designated. The composite video content and the reference frame may then be transmitted, for example, to a client device. The client device may use the reference frame to at least reduce an effect of the overlapping.

Mixing of video content

In one embodiment, a routing table of a router is populated with a plurality of prefixes. One or more performance characteristics of the plurality of prefixes are monitored. The router determines that a need exists to split a selected prefix of the plurality of prefixes. The router determines one or more boundaries upon which to split the selected prefix based on the monitored performance characteristics. The router then injects one or more more-specific prefixes into the routing table, each more-specific prefix referring to a smaller subset of nodes than the selected prefix, to split the selected prefix on the one or more boundaries to create a plurality of split prefixes. The split prefixes are controlled to optimize distribution of traffic.

System and method for increasing granularity of prefix control in a computer network

Advertising driven switched digital video may be provided. A plurality of content streams may be transmitted. In response to determining that an available transmission bandwidth has increased, at least one new content stream may be provided according to a bandwidth-based priority list. In response to determining that the available transmission bandwidth has decreased, at least one content stream may be removed according to the bandwidth-based priority list.

Advertising driven switched digital video

In one embodiment, a method comprises detecting that a user has requested presentation of a media content item from a media series having a prescribed sequence of media series events, the media content item containing a subsequent media series event from the media series; determining that the user has not consumed an antecedent media series event, the antecedent media series event not in the media content item and preceding the subsequent media series event in the prescribed sequence of media series events; and sending a message notifying the user that the user has not consumed at least the antecedent media series event, enabling the user to defer presentation of the media content item and consume the antecedent media series event.

Notifying user of missing events to prevent viewing of out-of-sequence media series events

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving at a network device information on paths to a destination node, determining a number of common nodes or links between at least two of the paths, calculating a path diversity index based on the number of common nodes or links, and selecting a route to the destination node based on the path diversity index. An apparatus for calculating path diversity index for use in route selection is also disclosed.

Path diversity index for use in route selection

A technique performs route optimization of services provided by one or more service providers (SPs) for communication links that are combined in a computer network. According to the novel technique, performance characteristics and statistics ('link data') for two or more combined links are merged to form link data for a single 'virtual combined link.' Route optimization techniques (e.g., priority-based route optimization) may then be applied to one or more virtual combined links based on the combined link data, in addition to link data for zero or more conventional single links (physical or virtual). Illustratively, a route optimization technique may be used in accordance with the present invention to efficiently and accurately minimize costs associated with services provided by a plurality of SPs, wherein each SP charges for utilization of its service based on a tiered pricing structure. The tiered pricing structure comprises one or more tiers, wherein each tier correlates to an amount of service provided by the SP and an associated cost.

A technique dynamically increases the granularity of prefix control in a computer network. According to the novel technique, a routing table is populated with one or more reachable prefixes, e.g., learned or configured prefixes, and performance characteristics (e.g., bandwidth, cost, delay, etc.) of the prefixes are monitored. Upon determining that a need exists for more granular prefix control (i.e., smaller prefixes), one or more boundaries may be determined upon which to divide one or more of the prefixes based on the monitored characteristics and/or need. Once the one or more boundaries are determined, the one or more prefixes may be 'split' accordingly, e.g., by injecting more specific prefixes into the routing table, thus providing more granular prefix control (i.e., by controlling the split prefixes).

An Optimized Edge Routing (OER) technique provides efficiently data routing at the edge of a network or subnetwork. The technique employs a Master node that manages a set of border nodes located at the edge of the network or subnetwork. The Master node may be a stand-alone network management node or may be incorporated into a network node, such as a border node. Unlike prior implementations, the Master node instructs the border nodes to dynamically acquire ('learn') prefixes of incoming and outgoing data flows and to selectively filter a set of learned address prefixes whose corresponding data flows match a predetermined set of criteria. The criteria may be based on routing metrics other than, or in addition to, conventional cost-based or distance-based metrics. Further, the criteria may include a set of filtering parameters that may be reconfigured, e.g., by the Master node, from time to time. Using the learned prefixes filtered by the border nodes, the Master node can distribute network traffic and utilize network bandwidth more efficiently than conventionally done.

Method and apparatus for automatically optimizing routing operations at the edge of a network

A method of estimating end-to-end delay performance at an end-to-end delay percentile of interest for a network having two or more network segments includes measuring a delay performance level for each network segment at a corresponding network segment delay percentile and concatenating the measured performance levels by summing to provide an estimate value indicative of end-to-end delay performance. A network segment delay percentile may be selected for each network segment for a particular end-to-end delay percentile of interest, error band, and number of segments. Selection may result in using the same network segment delay percentile for all network segments, or, selecting individual network segment delay percentiles for each network segments, or selecting a first network segment delay percentile for a particular network segment having a largest range of delay relative to the other network segments and selecting a second network segment delay percentile for other segments.

Method and system for concatenation of delay percentiles

In one embodiment, a plurality of connections couple to a plurality of service providers (SPs) that each provide services at a cost. The cost of the services of each SP is determined according to a tiered pricing structure that includes one or more tiers. Each tier correlates a particular amount of data transferred with the SP to a particular cost. A data collector collects measurement data that indicates an amount of data transferred with each SP. A processor selects a target tier in the tiered pricing structure of each SP based on the measurement data. The processor also generates a momentary target utilization rate (MTUR) for each SP based on the target tier for the SP and the measurement data. The processor then distributes utilization of services among the SPs based on the MTUR and tiered pricing structure of each SP to minimize the cost of the services provided by the SPs.

Growing community of inventors

Windham, NH, United States of America

Philip Clifford Jacobs