Multimedia information service access

A method for connecting a user on the Internet to a live agent, comprising the steps of:

• establishing a first line of communication between said user and an Internet server;
• receiving a request from said user to be connected to said live agent;
• requesting said user to provide identification information to said Internet server, said identification information including a telephone number at which a switched network call can be placed to said user;
• receiving said identification information;
• providing said user identification information to a bridging apparatus;
• connecting said live agent to said bridging apparatus;
• and
• placing a switched network call to said user from said bridging apparatus thereby connecting said user to said live agent.

A method for securing the delivery of multimedia information by a multimedia server to a user requesting said multimedia information over a switched network, comprising the steps of:

• maintaining a database of user identification and corresponding authorization for receiving said multimedia information;
• receiving identification information from said user at said multimedia server;
• comparing at said multimedia server said received identification information with said user identification and corresponding authorization maintained on said database;
• and
• delivering said multimedia by said multimedia server information to said user only if said comparison indicates said user is authorized to receive said multimedia information.

A method for securing the delivery of multimedia information from a multimedia server to a user end point over an ISDN switched network enabled for video telephony, comprising the steps of:

• maintaining a database of pictures of users authorized to receive said multimedia information;
• activating a video camera located at said user endpoint to take a picture of said user prior to delivering said multimedia information;
• triggering a video capture algorithm at said multimedia server to capture a picture of said user;
• comparing said captured picture of said user to said database of pictures of users authorized to receive said multimedia information;
• and
• delivering said multimedia information to said user only if said comparison indicates said user is authorized to receive said multimedia information.

A client-server architecture for real-time delivery of multimedia information from a remote location to one or more users including a principal user, comprising:

• a first line of communication between said principal user and said remote location;
• a multimedia information server for accessing said multimedia information from said remote location;
• a bridging apparatus for delivering said multimedia information to each of said plurality of users according to a selected temporal scheme, said temporal scheme relating to the timing and sequence of said delivery of multimedia information to each of said users;
• and
• a second line of communication over a switched network between said multimedia server and said bridging apparatus for real-time delivery of said requested multimedia information to said bridging apparatus, whereby said bridging apparatus delivers said requested multimedia information to said one or more users.

A client-server architecture for connecting a user on the Internet to a live agent, comprising:

• a first line of communication between said user and an Internet server;
• means for requesting a connection to a live agent;
• means for providing identification information of said user to said internet server, said identification information including a telephone number at which a circuit switched call can be placed to said user;
• means for providing said user identification to a bridging apparatus;
• means for connecting said live agent to said bridging apparatus;
• and
• a switched network for placing a switched network call to said user from said bridging apparatus thereby connecting said user to said live agent.

A system for securing the delivery of multimedia information to a user requesting said multimedia information over a switched network, comprising:

• a database of user identification and corresponding authorization for receiving said multimedia information;
• means for receiving identification information of said user;
• means for comparing said received identification information with said user identification and corresponding authorization maintained on said database;
• and
• means for restricting the delivery of said requested multimedia information to said user if said comparison indicates that said user is not authorized to receive said multimedia information.

A system for securing the delivery of multimedia information from a multimedia server to a user endpoint over an ISDN switch network enabled for video telephony, comprising;

• a database of pictures of users authorized to receive said multimedia information;
• a video camera located at said user endpoint;
• means for activating said video camera prior to delivering said multimedia information;
• means for triggering a video capture algorithm at said multimedia server to capture a picture of said user;
• means for comparing said captured picture of said user and said database of pictures authorized to receive said multimedia information;
• and
• means for restricting the delivery of said multimedia information to said user if said comparison indicates that user is not authorized to receive said multimedia information.