Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Hewlett-packard Company

Sumit Roy

Bo Shen

Michele Mae Covell

John George Apostolopoulos

Susie J Wee

Rajendra Kumar

Sujoy Basu

Gene Cheung

Tina Wong

John Ankcorn

Wai-Tian Tan

Michael Harville

Kenneth Mark Wilson

Wai-tan Tan

Nina Bhatti

Mirjana Spasojevic

Robert Bruce Aglietti

Leonidas Kontothanassis

Frederic Huve

Raj Kumar

Beomjoo Seo

Vijay Sundaram

John G Apostolopulos

Milos Prvulovic

John G c/o Hewlett-Packard Company Apostolopoulos

Susie J c/o Hewlett-Packard Company Wee

Embodiments of the present invention recite a method and system for providing visual cues in an interactive media response system. In one embodiment, at least one visual prompt for display on a thin device is generated. The visual prompt is then sent to the thin device where it is displayed.

Method and system for improving interactive media response systems using visual cues

Embodiments of the present invention recite a method for enhancing the quality of visual prompts in and interactive media response system. In one embodiment, a video coder/decoder (codec) used by a thin device is determined. A visual prompt to be displayed on the thin device is accessed and the display parameters of the visual prompt are modified such that at least one character of the visual prompt is aligned with a blocking artifact generated by the video codec.

Method and system for enhancing the quality of video prompts in an interactive media response system

Methods and systems thereof for monitoring the performance of a streaming media server are described. Server-side measurements are performed with the server operating under a load. Client-side measurements are performed along with the server-side measurements. Data from the server-side measurements and data from the client-side measurements are aligned by time.

Monitoring the performance of a streaming media server using server-side and client-side measurements

Embodiments of the present invention recite a method and system for improving the fidelity of a dialog system. In one embodiment, a first input generated by a user of a first system operating in a first modality is accessed. In embodiments of the present invention, the first system also generates a first output corresponding to the first input. An second input from a second user, who is engaged in a conversation with the first user, is accessed by a second system. The second input is then utilized to modify the first output of the first system.

Method and system for improving the fidelity of a dialog system

A method and system thereof for handing off a media session are described. In one embodiment, a first media segment is forwarded to a client node. The first media segment includes a portion of an item of media content stored in lieu of storing the item of media content in its entirety. The item of media content is segmented according to segmentation characteristics. Handoff information used for transferring the media session to another server node is specified. The handoff of the media session to the other server node occurs when the forwarding of the first media segment is completed, such that the handoff occurs between media segments.

Session handoff of segmented media data

Methods and systems for servicing content for delivery to a client device are described. An item of content is identified during a session with the client device. A type of service to be performed on the item of content is identified. A provider is selected from a plurality of providers capable of performing the service. The session is transferred to the selected provider, which performs the service on the item of content.

Systems and methods in which a provider is selected to service content requested by a client device

Embodiments of the present invention recited a method and system for modifying a media stream. In one embodiment, a request is received to modify a media stream from a current display rate to a desired display rate. In response to the request, the media stream dynamically processed to create a modified media stream which is compliant with a pre-determined frame-rate limitation and with a pre-determined bit-rate limitation.

Dynamic trans-framing and trans-rating for interactive playback control

One embodiment of the invention includes a method for managing a streaming media service. The method includes receiving a request for a streaming media service from a client and the streaming media service includes a media service component. A service location manager is selected to which to provide the request from a plurality of service location managers. Additionally, a service provider is selected to which to assign the media service component from a plurality of service providers of a network. Furthermore, the service provider is informed of the assignment to perform the media service component. The service provider is caused to prepare to perform the streaming media service on streaming media. Moreover, information is used to determine whether to initiate a handoff of the streaming media service from the service provider to another service provider. If it is determined to initiate the handoff, the handoff is initiated.

Method and system for managing a streaming media service

A method and system for reducing the resolution of media data. Input data at a first resolution are received from a source. The input data are compressed. The input data can be downsampled to generate compressed downsampled data at a reduced resolution. The compressed downsampled data can be used to generate a frame at the reduced resolution. When the frame is needed as a reference for another frame, the compressed downsampled data can be decoded to generate decompressed downsampled data at the reduced resolution. The decompressed downsampled data can be upsampled to generate decompressed data at a resolution corresponding to the first resolution. Thus, a larger amount of data can be processed while the data are compressed. As such, data processing operations such as transcoding can be accomplished quickly and effectively while saving computing resources.

Reducing the resolution of media data

A method for hand-off of a data session in a server. Data is received from a data source. At least a portion of the data is transmitted to an electronic device located in a first location. Notification is received that the electronic device is moving toward a second location. A first message is transmitted to a second server notifying the second server that the electronic device is moving toward the second location, wherein the second server is located proximate to the second location. A second message is received from the second server that the second server is prepared to communicate with the electronic device. The server then stops transmission of the data.

Method for hand-off of a data session

A method for performing a soft-handoff in a mobile streaming media system, and a method for performing a hard-handoff in a mobile streaming media system are is disclosed. In the soft-handoff embodiment, the present invention detects that a channel quality between a mobile client and a first base station remains above a drop threshold and that a channel quality between the mobile client and a second base station increases from below to above an add threshold. The present embodiment then sends a first multiple description bitstream from the first base station to the mobile client and sends a complementary second multiple description bitstream from the second base station to the mobile client. This method thereby provides improved utilization of wireless bandwidth during soft-handoffs, in contrast to conventional systems where the same bitstream is transmitted from each base station. In both the cases of soft-handoffs and hard-handoffs, when a mobile client enters a cell whose base station has no free capacity, the base station may prevent call dropping by reducing the number of descriptions being served to the existing clients and thereby providing capacity (at least one description) for the new client. These methods provide improved utilization of wireless bandwidth during soft-handoffs, and reduced probability of service disruption during both soft-handoffs and hard-handoffs.

Method for handing off streaming media sessions between wireless base stations in a mobile streaming media system

In a method for optimizing performance in a memory system, a data structure configured to provide at least one free block of memory is received in the memory system. At least one bucket of memory is released in a swap device of the memory system corresponding to at least one free block of memory provided by the data structure.

Efficiency in a memory management system

A method for handing off to a second server, in either a fixed or mobile streaming media system, a multiple description streaming session between a first server and either a fixed or mobile client. In one embodiment, the present invention recites selecting a second server to receive a handoff of a multiple description streaming media session between the first server and the client. In this embodiment, the multiple description streaming media session is comprised of a first multiple description bitstream and a second multiple description bitstream. The present embodiment further recites receiving at the second server, the second multiple description bitstream for streaming to the client. This embodiment further recites sending the second multiple description bitstream from the second server to the client.

Method for handling off multiple description streaming media sessions between servers in fixed and mobile streaming media systems

A method for assigning servers to provide multiple description bitstreams to a mobile client (in a mobile client environment) or to a fixed client (in a fixed client environment). In one embodiment, the present invention, upon receiving a request from a mobile client to have media data streamed thereto, analyzes a plurality of servers to determine a first candidate server for providing a first multiple description bitstream to the base station along a first path. The present method also determines a second candidate server for providing a second multiple description bitstream to the base station along a second path. The present method then sends a request to the first candidate server to provide the first multiple description bitstream to a mobile client through a base station along the first path, and also sends a request to the second candidate server to provide the second multiple description bitstream to the mobile client through the same base station along a second path. In another embodiment, there are two separate paths from two separate servers to two separate base stations and then from each base station there is a separate path to the mobile client. In still another embodiment, there are two paths from a single server to two separate base stations and then from each base station there is a separate path to the mobile client. In one fixed client embodiment, the present invention is able to assign a plurality of servers to provide a plurality of MD bitstreams to the fixed client.

Method for assigning a streaming media session to a server in fixed and mobile streaming media systems

A computer system is provided including a processor, a persistent storage device, and a main memory connected to the processor and the persistent storage device. The main memory includes a compressed cache for storing data retrieved from the persistent storage device after compression and an operating system. The operating system includes a plurality of interconnected software modules for accessing the persistent storage device and a filter driver interconnected between two of the plurality of software modules for managing memory capacity of the compressed cache and the buffer cache.

Growing community of inventors

Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

Sumit Roy