Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Integrated Telecom Express, Inc.

Real Communications, Inc.

Victor S Lee

Majd Bakar

Pradip Kumar Fatehpuria

Francis Tsui

David L De Heer

Ming-Kang Liu

Steve S Chen

Young Way Liu

Gaurav Agarwal

Wen Chi Chen

Michael Andrew Cleron

Geoffrey R Smith

Krishna Kumar Parthasarathy

Wilbert De Graaf

Samuel Thomas Scott, Iii

Neelamadhaba Mahapatro

William James Whalen

Wayne Merl Cranston

Piyush Gupta

Paul J Roy

Kevin T Carle

Andrew J Jaffray

Pradeep K Jha

Mingfeng Xiong

Sivaprasad Lakshmi Radhakrishnan

An electronic mail (email) message is received at in email transport infrastructure and has a traffic type identifier identifying a traffic type. Function processing logic in the email transport infrastructure conditionally processes the email message based on the traffic type.

Electronic mail (e-mail) system support for messages with different traffic types

Methods, systems, and engines are presented for synchronizing contents of removable storage devices with a multimedia network. In one implementation, a change in status of a connection between a removable storage device and a multimedia network is detected. A network inventory list of recordings is updated, triggered by the change in connection status. A change in the recording content, associated metadata, or digital rights of a recording may also trigger an update of the network inventory list. A network scheduler can use the updated network inventory list to accurately reflect those recordings actually available to the multimedia network for playback and recording, or available to an unauthorized user for purchase, including the recordings on removable storage devices.

Synchronizing contents of removable storage devices with a multimedia network

Methods are disclosed for measuring ad impressions and receiving feedback on local ad assets inserted into a video transport stream at the set top box level. Each set top box stores the number of times an ad asset is inserted into an ad avail, along with a variety of other information relating to the playback of the ad asset. This measurement data is aggregated and sent to the ad decision service. In order to balance bandwidth usage, each set top box may report its measurement data to the ad decision service at a different time interval that is randomly selected. As it is desirable to receive the data in a timely manner, the random intervals may be confined so that all measurement data is reported within a predefined time period, such as for example over a twelve hour period.

Measurement and reporting of set top box inserted AD impressions

Methods are disclosed for inserting local ad assets into a video transport stream at the set top box level. The media advertising platform of the present system works in conjunction with existing platforms, such as an advertising decision service and a media platform. The present system further includes a client resident on end user set top boxes. In general, the present system operates by pre-caching advertisements to a set top box or boxes within a household or elsewhere. Each set top box is also assigned to particular groups, based on characteristics of the user of that set top box. Group membership information is also sent to the set top box and stored. The present system sends the set top box a decision matrix based on group memberships to allow the set top box to select and insert an ad asset targeted to the specific set top box.

Advertisement insertion decisions for set top box management of advertisements

In accordance with one or more aspects, multiple trick streams corresponding to video content are concurrently displayed in multiple windows. A user selection of one window of the multiple windows is received, and the video content is played back at a location corresponding to a location in a trick stream being played back in the one window when the user selection is received.

Concurrently displaying multiple trick streams for video

A device plays back programming content in a trick mode while an advertising segment record is monitored. When an advertising segment beginning identified by the advertising segment record is encountered, playback of the programming content temporarily ceases. One or more advertisements are played back during the advertising segment, and then playback of the programming content in the trick mode resumes after an ending of the advertising segment is encountered.

Client-side ad insertion during trick mode playback

Service substitution techniques are described. In an implementation, a substitution table is derived that specifies one or more service substitutions to be performed for content and that specifies particular geographic locations to perform at least one service substitution. One or more communications are formed to be streamed over a packet-switched network to a client that is to perform the at least one service substitution. The one or more communications include the substitution table and the content that corresponds to the at least one service substitution.

Service substitution techniques

A MediaDescription data structure that includes both descriptive metadata, such as EPG information, about a multimedia content item and instructions for acquiring the content item is assigned to each multimedia content item in a multimedia system. A MediaDescription data structure is transferable as a token for representing the content item. The acquisition information may also include information about presenting the content item in different view contexts, as well as information about relationships to other pieces of content, and information about how each different version of the content item is to be acquired and displayed. MediaDescription data structure tokens can be used to facilitate digital video recording (DVR) processes, Internet content rendering processes, multimedia search processes, search results aggregating processes, video-on-demand (VOD) processes, pay-per-view processes, and program guide rendering processes.

MediaDescription data structures for carrying descriptive content metadata and content acquisition data in multimedia systems

A pipeline may include a first stage and a second stage for executing data processing services and a data host communicatively coupled to the first and second stages. The data host provides for storing and communicating data, wherein the storing and communicating are asynchronous one to another. Execution of the first data processing service is asynchronous with respect to execution of the second data processing service.

Asynchronous pipeline

A system that can be dynamically configured to achieve an optimal routing path for an end-to-end data link connection is disclosed. An optimal data path can be determined by a digital subscriber loop (DSL) user based on particular bandwidth requirements, data rate cost constraints, and/or data delay requirements. The data path can be set up to include one or more data routes, including the regular digital public switching telephone network (PSTN), a wide area networks (WAN), or virtual permanent circuit links via digital cross-connects (DCS).

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Victor S Lee