Avica Technology Corporation

William E Elswick

Andrew H Maltz

Nicholas J Clay

John T Hurst

David L Schnuelle

William F McGill

Communication occurs between a source and a destination over plural communications paths by first identifying content to be sent to a destination via a communications system. After discovering that plural communications paths connecting directly to the destination are available, the content is divided into plural different portions and is transmitted to the destination such that each of the plural different portions is routed via a different one of the plural communications paths.

Multi-path content distribution and aggregation

Provided are systems and techniques for playing audio/video programs (e.g., movies) using a bank of networked audio/video players (e.g., digital projectors). Initially, a first portion (e.g., the majority) of an audio/video program is stored on a first audio/video player in a bank of networked audio/video players and a second portion (e.g., the balance) of the audio/video program is stored on a second audio/video player in the bank of networked audio/video players. An instruction to play the audio/video program (or a composition that includes the audio/video program) is input in the first audio/video player and, in response to that instruction, the second portion of the audio/video program is transferred from the second audio/video player to the first audio video player and the audio/video program is played on the first audio/video player.

Distributed storage of audio/video content

Provided are systems and techniques for paging multiple recipients by broadcasting a first communication to plural recipient devices. The first communication causes the recipient devices to provide a message notifying the recipients of a task that should be performed. A reply communication is received from one of the recipient devices and, in response to the reply communication, a second message is broadcast to at least one of the recipient devices. The second communication causes the recipient devices that receive it to cease providing the message.

Broadcast message management

Video signals in different video formats are managed by inputting and outputting video signals via multiple channels and inputting a user selection of a video format for each channel. Then, a video signal input via a first channel is automatically converted into the video format selected for a second channel, and the video signal, in the video format selected for the second channel, is output via the second channel. Also, video signals in different video formats are managed by inputting and outputting video signals through multiple channels, with each such channel having an associated video format. A user designation is input that an output of a user-designated first channel should provide an output video signal corresponding to an input video signal input via a user-designated second channel. The input video signal is then automatically converted to the video format associated with the user-designated first channel, so as to obtain the output video signal, and the output video signal is output via the user-designated first channel.

Multi-format video processing

Provided are systems and methods for facilitating loading of data from a portable medium into a device. Initially, a portable medium encoded with data is accepted and the data from the portable medium is loaded into a mass storage device. A paging signal is caused to be wirelessly transmitted when a specified portion of such loading has been completed.

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Santa Monica, CA, United States of America

William E Elswick