U.S. patent application number 15/969911 was filed with the patent office on 2018-08-16 for media list for travel.
The applicant listed for this patent is International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Keyur D. Dalal, Galina Grunin, Rick A. Hamilton, II, Alan W. Newman.
Application Number | 20180234425 15/969911 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 61281131 |
Filed Date | 2018-08-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180234425 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dalal; Keyur D. ; et
al. |
August 16, 2018 |
MEDIA LIST FOR TRAVEL
Abstract
In an approach for sending a media list to a transportation
vehicle for a user, a processor determines a media list for travel
for a user, wherein the media list includes at least one media
content item, and wherein the media list has associated access
credentials that are set by the user. A processor receives a travel
reservation for the user, wherein the travel reservation includes,
at least, a departure location and a destination location. A
processor determines a transportation vehicle associated with the
travel reservation. A processor receives the access credentials to
the media list. A processor uses the access credentials to access
the media list. A processor send the media list to the
transportation vehicle, wherein the media list is associated with
the user, and wherein the media list is accessible to the user.
Inventors: |
Dalal; Keyur D.; (Johns
Creek, GA) ; Grunin; Galina; (Briarcliff Manor,
NY) ; Hamilton, II; Rick A.; (Charlottesville,
VA) ; Newman; Alan W.; (New Orleans, LA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
International Business Machines Corporation |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
61281131 |
Appl. No.: |
15/969911 |
Filed: |
May 3, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15697933 |
Sep 7, 2017 |
9998469 |
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15969911 |
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15259438 |
Sep 8, 2016 |
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15697933 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 63/10 20130101;
H04L 63/104 20130101; H04L 67/12 20130101; H04L 65/4084 20130101;
H04L 63/08 20130101; H04L 63/0884 20130101; H04L 67/2852 20130101;
H04W 4/44 20180201; G06Q 10/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04L 29/06 20060101
H04L029/06; H04L 29/08 20060101 H04L029/08; G06Q 10/02 20120101
G06Q010/02 |
Claims
1. A computer system for sending a media list to a transportation
vehicle for a user, the computer system comprising: one or more
computer processors, one or more readable storage media, and
program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable
storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more
computer processors, the program instructions comprising: program
instructions to determine a media list for travel for a user,
wherein: the media list includes at least one media content item;
the media list has associated access credentials that are set by
the user; and the at least one media content item is a size smaller
than a maximum amount of content requirement; program instructions
to receive a travel reservation for the user, wherein the travel
reservation includes, at least, a departure location, a destination
location, and a seat assigned to the user; program instructions to
determine a transportation vehicle associated with the travel
reservation; program instructions to receive the access credentials
to the media list; program instructions to use the access
credentials to access the media list; program instructions to,
prior to sending the media list to the transportation vehicle,
determine the user checked in for the travel reservation; program
instructions to send the media list to the transportation vehicle,
wherein: the media list is associated with the user; the media list
is accessible to the user; program instructions to send the media
list to the transportation vehicle include storing content of the
media list on the transportation vehicle and limiting content
playback to the seat assigned to the user; and program instructions
to send the media list to the transportation vehicle further
comprise: program instructions to determine the transportation
vehicle has the maximum amount of content requirement; program
instructions to determine the media list exceeds the maximum amount
of content requirement; and program instructions to, subsequent to
determining that the media list exceeds the maximum amount of
content requirement, load a subset of the media list, including the
at least one media content item, wherein the subset does not exceed
the maximum amount of content requirement; program instructions to
receive a request to access media content of the media list
associated with the user from a streaming device, wherein receiving
a request to access the media content of the media list includes
the user logging into a streaming server from the seat assigned to
the user on the transportation vehicle using the access
credentials, and wherein the user has access to any of the media
content of the media list that was sent to the transportation
vehicle; and program instructions to present the media content to
the streaming device.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of
traveling entertainment, and more particularly to sending a media
list to a transportation vehicle for a user.
[0002] In-flight entertainment refers to the entertainment
available to aircraft passengers during a flight.
[0003] Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by
and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a provider.
The term "to stream" refers to the process of delivering media in
this manner; the term refers to the delivery method of the medium,
rather than the medium itself and is an alternative to file
downloading.
[0004] Airlines have made great strides in delivering electronic
conveniences in recent years. Two comforts provided to passengers
have been aided by governmental decisions. Small handheld
electronics can now be operated below 10,000 feet, and government
decisions and market forces have driven the increasing commonality
of Wi-Fi onboard flights when flying over land.
[0005] More recently, in-flight streaming has been introduced.
In-flight streaming allows preselected movies to be streamed to a
passenger's mobile device. During in-flight streaming, passengers
are limited to the airlines' choice of movies, while draining the
passengers' batteries on the mobile devices.
SUMMARY
[0006] Aspects of an embodiment of the present invention disclose a
method, computer program product, and computing system for sending
a media list to a transportation vehicle for a user. A processor
determines a media list for travel for a user, wherein the media
list includes at least one media content item, and wherein the
media list has associated access credentials that are set by the
user. A processor receives a travel reservation for the user,
wherein the travel reservation includes, at least, a departure
location and a destination location. A processor determines a
transportation vehicle associated with the travel reservation. A
processor receives the access credentials to the media list. A
processor uses the access credentials to access the media list. A
processor send the media list to the transportation vehicle,
wherein the media list is associated with the user, and wherein the
media list is accessible to the user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a computing system, in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0008] FIG. 2 depicts a flowchart of the steps of a media program,
executing within the computing system of FIG. 1, for sending a
media list to a transportation vehicle for a user, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of components of the servers
and/or the computing device of FIG. 1, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] Embodiments of the present invention recognize that video
options for an airline passenger (i.e., a user) are limited.
Currently, if a passenger wants to watch a movie, the choices are:
(a) download the movie to a personal device (e.g., computer, mobile
phone) and watch the movie on the personal device; or (b) accept
the movie selections offered by the airline. The former provides
flexibility, but is often an inconvenience, namely batteries are
drained and computer usage is generally physically restrained by
seat backs, meal service, and other environmental restraints.
Embodiments of the present invention allow a user to specify a
travel queue (i.e., media list) on a video streaming service and
have the media list made available to the user while in-flight.
Additionally, embodiments of the present invention send a media
list to a transportation vehicle for a user.
[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described
in detail with reference to the Figures.
[0012] FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of computing system 10, in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1
provides an illustration of one embodiment and does not imply any
limitations with regard to the environments in which different
embodiments may be implemented.
[0013] In the depicted embodiment, computing system 10 includes
server 30, computing device 40, and transportation management
system 50 interconnected over network 20. Network 20 may be a local
area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet,
a cellular data network, any combination thereof, or any
combination of connections and protocols that will support
communications between server 30, computing device 40, and
transportation management system 50, in accordance with embodiments
of the invention. Network 20 may include wired, wireless, or fiber
optic connections. Computing system 10 may include additional
computing devices, servers, or other devices not shown.
[0014] Server 30 may be a management server, a web server, or any
other electronic device or computing system capable of processing
program instructions and receiving and sending data. In some
embodiments, server 30 may be a laptop computer, tablet computer,
netbook computer, personal computer (PC), a desktop computer, or
any programmable electronic device capable of communicating with
computing device 40 and transportation management system 50 via
network 20. In other embodiments, server 30 may represent a server
computing system utilizing multiple computers as a server system,
such as in a cloud computing environment. In another embodiment,
server 30 represents a computing system utilizing clustered
computers and components to act as a single pool of seamless
resources. In the depicted embodiment, server 30 contains media
program 110 and database 120. In other embodiments, server 30 may
include media program 110, database 120, and/or other components,
as depicted and described in further detail with respect to FIG.
3.
[0015] Computing device 40 may be a desktop computer, laptop
computer, netbook computer, or tablet computer. In general,
computing device 40 may be any electronic device or computing
system capable of processing program instructions, sending and
receiving data, and communicating with server 30 and transportation
management system 50 via network 20. In the depicted embodiment,
computing device 40 contains user interface 130. In other
embodiments, computing device 40 may include user interface 130
and/or other components, as depicted and described in further
detail with respect to FIG. 3.
[0016] Transportation management system 50 may be a management
server, a web server, or any other electronic device or computing
system capable of processing program instructions and receiving and
sending data. In some embodiments, transportation management system
50 may be a laptop computer, tablet computer, netbook computer,
personal computer (PC), a desktop computer, or any programmable
electronic device capable of communicating with server 30 and
computing device 40 via network 20. In other embodiments,
transportation management system 50 may represent a server
computing system utilizing multiple computers as a server system,
such as in a cloud computing environment. In another embodiment,
transportation management system 50 represents a computing system
utilizing clustered computers and components to act as a single
pool of seamless resources. In some embodiments, transportation
management system 50 contains information, such as, for example,
user media content lists and user flight reservations. In other
embodiments, transportation management system 50 may include
multiple components, as depicted and described in further detail
with respect to FIG. 3.
[0017] Additionally, transportation management system 50 may host a
flight reservation platform, airline flight management platform,
flight video streaming content management platform, or airline
video streaming platform.
[0018] User interface 130 may be any user interface used to access
information from server 30 and transportation management system 50,
such as information gathered and/or produced by media program 110.
In some embodiments, user interface 130 may be a generic web
browser used to retrieve, present, and negotiate information
resources from the Internet. In other embodiments, user interface
130 may be a software program or application that enables a user at
computing device 40 to access server 30 and transportation
management system 50 over network 20. In the depicted embodiment,
user interface 130 resides on computing device 40. In other
embodiments, user interface 130, or similar user interfaces, may
reside on another computing device, another server, or server 30,
provided that user interface 130 is accessible to media program
110.
[0019] Media program 110 sends a media list to a transportation
vehicle for a user. In doing so, media program 110 determines a
media list for travel for a user. Media program 110 receives a
travel reservation for the user. Media program 110 receives access
credentials to the media list. Media program 110 sends the media
list to a transportation vehicle. In the depicted embodiment, media
program 110 resides on server 30. In other embodiments, media
program 110 may reside on another server, another computing device,
or computing device 40, provided that media program 110 can access
database 120, user interface 130, and transportation management
system 50.
[0020] Database 120 may be a repository that may be written to
and/or read by media program 110. In some embodiments, media
program 110 may allow a user to define a list of media content and
store the list of media content to database 120. In other
embodiments, database 120 may store lists of media content that
were previously used by users while traveling. In the depicted
embodiment, database 120 resides on server 30. In other
embodiments, database 120 may reside on another server, another
computing device, or computing device 40, provided that database
120 is accessible to media program 110.
[0021] FIG. 2, depicts a flowchart of the steps of a media program,
executing within the computing system of FIG. 1, in accordance with
an embodiment of the present invention. Media program 110 sends a
media list to a transportation vehicle for a user.
[0022] Herein, the present invention focuses on accessing video on
an airline flight, which is one embodiment. Other embodiments may
include accessing audio, video, both audio and video, or any other
type of entertainment that may be accessed on an airline flight.
Additionally, in some embodiments, other modes of transportation
may be used (e.g., car, bus, boat, truck, helicopter, train).
[0023] In step 210, media program 110 determines a media list for
travel for a user. In some embodiments, a media list is the actual
media content to be used during travel. In other embodiments, a
media list is a file that contains information about media content
to be used during travel, such as, but not limited to: type of
media content, video name, size of video content, and length of
video content. In some embodiments, the media list includes one or
more additional services to be provided to the user, such as:
meals, drinks, etc. In one embodiment, a user designates a travel
queue (i.e., media list), via user interface 130, with a streaming
video service, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu-Plus, etc. In
other embodiments, media program 110 designates a travel media list
for the user, based on media content that the user likes. Media
content that the user likes can be determined from searching, for
example: previously stored media lists in database 120; the user's
profile on a social media server (not shown); and the user's
profile within the streaming video service.
[0024] In some embodiments, the media list is size constrained
(e.g., four or eight GB of video). In other embodiments, the media
list is not size constrained and can contain an arbitrarily high
amount of media content.
[0025] In step 220, media program 110 receives a travel reservation
for the user. The travel reservation may include, but not limited
to: the departure location and destination location, the particular
flight, and the seat assignment for the particular flight. In some
embodiments, the departure and destination information is important
when dealing with international flights that may have regional
conflicts when it comes to certain movies and television shows. In
one embodiment, media program 110 receives a travel reservation for
the user, simultaneously, when the user makes a flight reservation
on transportation management system 50 via user interface 130. In
other embodiments, media program 110 receives a travel reservation
for the user subsequent to the user making a flight reservation on
transportation management system 50 via user interface 130. In some
embodiments, the travel reservation is stored in database 120.
[0026] In one embodiment, media program 110 receives the travel
reservation directly through user interface 130. In other
embodiments, media program retrieves the travel reservation from
transportation management system 50. In some embodiments, media
program 110 retrieves the travel reservation from database 120.
[0027] In step 230, media program 110 determines a transportation
vehicle associated with the travel reservation. In one embodiment,
media program 110 determines the transportation vehicle, including
the location of the transportation vehicle. In other embodiments,
media program 110 determines, only, the type of transportation
vehicle that will be used to accommodate the travel reservation
until the specific transportation vehicle to be used is made
available. For example, if the transportation vehicle is an
aircraft, but the specific aircraft to be used is not made
available until two weeks before the travel date, then media
program 110 determines that the transportation vehicle is an
aircraft and will, later, determine the specific aircraft to be
used when made available.
[0028] In step 240, media program 110 receives access credentials
to the media list. In some embodiments, the access credentials are
credentials to a list of media. In other embodiments, the access
credentials are credentials to access a subscription of a streaming
server of the user. When the user makes the flight reservation, or
subsequent to making the flight reservation, the user provides, or
sets, an authorization code (i.e., access credentials), which
allows media program 110 to access the media list from the
streaming video service. The access credentials may be stored to
database 120. In one embodiment, media program 110 receives the
access credentials to the media list and stores the association of
the media list and the user to database 120.
[0029] In step 250, media program 110 uses the access credentials
to access the media list. In some embodiments, media program 110
accesses the media list associated with the access credentials and
associates the media list with the user, who will be a passenger on
an airline flight.
[0030] In step 260, media program 110 sends the media list to a
transportation vehicle. The media list becomes available for use by
the user associated with the media list. A transportation vehicle
can be any type of vehicle that can transport a person from a
starting point to a finishing point. Examples of a transportation
vehicle include, but are not limited to: a car, truck, bus, train,
airplane, and helicopter, and boat. In one embodiment, before media
program 110 sends the media list to the transportation vehicle, the
user may alter the media list until boarding of the flight begins.
In other embodiments, the user may not alter the media list after
the user initially designates media content for the media list. In
some embodiments, the user may not alter the media list after a
predetermined time period after designating the media list (e.g.,
one week after designating the media list). In other embodiments,
the user may not alter the media list after a predetermined time
period before boarding of the flight begins (e.g., after 12 hours
before the boarding of the flight is scheduled).
[0031] In one embodiment, media program 110 makes the media list
available to a transportation service provider. In other
embodiments, prior to the flight, media program 110 loads the video
content on the media list directly from the streaming video
service's server onto the airplane's (or other vehicle's)
entertainment server. In some embodiments, prior to the flight, the
media list may be transported to a location where the video content
on the media list can be uploaded onto the airplane's (or other
vehicle's) entertainment server. Such an embodiment is done in
cases where it is inconvenient or impossible to load video directly
from the streaming video service's server onto the airplane's (or
other vehicle's) entertainment server. In other embodiments, prior
to the flight, the media list is placed onto aircraft storage.
Aircraft storage may be solid state, hard disks, or any other
aircraft-housed storage, such as a platform housed on
transportation management system 50. In some embodiments, media
program 110 loads the entire (size-constrained) media list onto the
aircraft storage. In other embodiments, a subset of the,
arbitrarily large, media list is loaded onto the aircraft storage.
For example, if a user has 60GB of video in a media list and an
airline policy stipulates that no more than 8GB may be loaded, then
the video content corresponding to up to 8GB will be loaded onto
the aircraft storage, accordingly, and the remaining portion may be
deleted.
[0032] In one embodiment (not shown), media program 110 determines
that the user has checked in for the flight before loading the
media list onto the aircraft storage. In some embodiments (not
shown), the user watches personal videos from the user's media list
while in flight. In other embodiments, the media list is associated
with the user's seat on the airline. In some embodiments, the user
logs into a streaming server from any seat on the airplane, using
the access credentials. The user would have access to any of the
content on the media list that was uploaded in association with the
user's account. In other embodiments, the content may only be
viewed by the user, e.g., the video file itself has a password
available only to the user. In some embodiments, the content in
only viewable a predetermined period of time, having and expiration
date/time.
[0033] FIG. 3 depicts computer system 300, which is an example of a
system that includes components of server 30, computing device 40,
and/or transportation management system 50. Computer system 300
includes processors 301, cache 303, memory 302, persistent storage
305, communications unit 307, input/output (I/O) interface(s) 306
and communications fabric 304. Communications fabric 304 provides
communications between cache 303, memory 302, persistent storage
305, communications unit 307, and input/output (I/O) interface(s)
306. Communications fabric 304 can be implemented with any
architecture designed for passing data and/or control information
between processors (such as microprocessors, communications and
network processors, etc.), system memory, peripheral devices, and
any other hardware components within a system. For example,
communications fabric 304 can be implemented with one or more buses
or a crossbar switch.
[0034] Memory 302 and persistent storage 305 are computer readable
storage media. In this embodiment, memory 302 includes random
access memory (RAM). In general, memory 302 can include any
suitable volatile or non-volatile computer readable storage media.
Cache 303 is a fast memory that enhances the performance of
processors 301 by holding recently accessed data, and data near
recently accessed data, from memory 302.
[0035] Program instructions and data used to practice embodiments
of the present invention may be stored in persistent storage 305
and in memory 302 for execution by one or more of the respective
processors 301 via cache 303. In an embodiment, persistent storage
305 includes a magnetic hard disk drive. Alternatively, or in
addition to a magnetic hard disk drive, persistent storage 305 can
include a solid state hard drive, a semiconductor storage device,
read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory
(EPROM), flash memory, or any other computer readable storage media
that is capable of storing program instructions or digital
information.
[0036] The media used by persistent storage 305 may also be
removable. For example, a removable hard drive may be used for
persistent storage 305. Other examples include optical and magnetic
disks, thumb drives, and smart cards that are inserted into a drive
for transfer onto another computer readable storage medium that is
also part of persistent storage 305.
[0037] Communications unit 307, in these examples, provides for
communications with other data processing systems or devices. In
these examples, communications unit 307 includes one or more
network interface cards. Communications unit 307 may provide
communications through the use of either or both physical and
wireless communications links. Program instructions and data used
to practice embodiments of the present invention may be downloaded
to persistent storage 305 through communications unit 307. Media
program 110 and database 120 may be downloaded to persistent
storage 305 of server 30 through communications unit 307 of server
30. User interface 130 may be downloaded to persistent storage 305
of computing device 40 through communications unit 307 of computing
device 40.
[0038] I/O interface(s) 306 allows for input and output of data
with other devices that may be connected to each computer system.
For example, I/O interface 306 may provide a connection to external
devices 308 such as a keyboard, keypad, a touch screen, and/or some
other suitable input device. External devices 308 can also include
portable computer readable storage media such as, for example,
thumb drives, portable optical or magnetic disks, and memory cards.
Software and data used to practice embodiments of the present
invention, e.g., media program 110 and database 120, can be stored
on such portable computer readable storage media and can be loaded
onto persistent storage 305 of server 30 via I/O interface(s) 306
of server 30. Software and data used to practice embodiments of the
present invention, e.g., user interface 130, can be stored on such
portable computer readable storage media and can be loaded onto
persistent storage 305 of computing device 40 via I/O interface(s)
306 of computing device 40. I/O interface(s) 306 also connect to
display 309.
[0039] Display 309 provides a mechanism to display data to a user
and may be, for example, a computer monitor.
[0040] The programs described herein are identified based upon the
application for which they are implemented in a specific embodiment
of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that any
particular program nomenclature herein is used merely for
convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited to use
solely in any specific application identified and/or implied by
such nomenclature.
[0041] The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a
computer program product. The computer program product may include
a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer
readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to
carry out aspects of the present invention.
[0042] The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible
device that can retain and store instructions for use by an
instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium
may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage
device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an
electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or
any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of
more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium
includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk,
a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static
random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a
floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or
raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon,
and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable
storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being
transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely
propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves
propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,
light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical
signals transmitted through a wire.
[0043] Computer readable program instructions described herein can
be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a
computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or
external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a
local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.
The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical
transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,
switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter
card or network interface in each computing/processing device
receives computer readable program instructions from the network
and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage
in a computer readable storage medium within the respective
computing/processing device.
[0044] Computer readable program instructions for carrying out
operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions,
instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine
instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware
instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object
code written in any combination of one or more programming
languages, including an object oriented programming language such
as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural
programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or
similar programming languages. The computer readable program
instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on
the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on
the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on
the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote
computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type
of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area
network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external
computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet
Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry
including, for example, programmable logic circuitry,
field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays
(PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by
utilizing state information of the computer readable program
instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to
perform aspects of the present invention.
[0045] Aspects of the present invention are described herein with
reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products
according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood
that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations
and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable
program instructions.
[0046] These computer readable program instructions may be provided
to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose
computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to
produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via
the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts
specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in
a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a
programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to
function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable
storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an
article of manufacture including instructions which implement
aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.
[0047] The computer readable program instructions may also be
loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing
apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps
to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or
other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that
the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable
apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified
in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0048] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate
the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one
or more executable instructions for implementing the specified
logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the
functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in
the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in
fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may
sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the
functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of
the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations
of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can
be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that
perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations
of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
[0049] The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present
invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are
not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments
disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to
those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope
and spirit of the invention. The terminology used herein was chosen
to best explain the principles of the embodiment, the practical
application or technical improvement over technologies found in the
marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to
understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
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