Abstract: A demand forecasting and production scheduling system and method creates production schedules for various business items describing a forecasted demand for the business items in a number of future time intervals. The system includes a computer managed database of various profiles, including a base profile for each business item, and a number of influence profiles. The profiles describe variations in demand for the business item in a number of time intervals. The base profile describes an underlying level of demand for a business item that is anticipated for the business item absent any influencing factors, such as promotional sales, holidays, weather variations, and the like. The variations in demand for the business item due to such influence factors are stored in the database as influence profiles. The influence profiles may be either standard, percentage, or seasonal.

Abstract: An anticipated meaning natural language interface system for computer applications. A knowledge engineer anticipates the general meaning of each sentence that a user is likely to enter and builds a structure of general meaning nodes. For each node, the knowledge engineer enters one or more typical sentences to represent the general meaning. A knowledge engineer abstracts the typical sentences and stores the abstractions in a knowledge base. When a user enters a sentence, it is abstracted by the system and compared to abstracted typical sentences in the knowledge base. This information, and other available information, is used by an algorithm to determine which of the general meaning nodes is intended by the user.

Abstract: A Priority Rule Search Technique (PRST) heuristic computer controlled algorithm is disclosed that schedules single project, single resource and multiple project, multiple resource constrained project scheduling problems. Primary areas of utility include construction, manufacturing and research and development projects. The invention can schedule tasks/activities for large scale, multiple resource and multiple project networks that have different network and resource constraint characteristics while providing balance among different project network characteristics in order to provide an effective solution for a variety of network types. The novel PRST algorithm combines four heuristic rules (ACTM, LFT, MGRD and MACTRES) to determine a priority value for each job task/activity. The priority values are ranked to determine an optimum schedule of all job tasks and activities to complete the entire project.

Abstract: Analysis has revealed that there is an undue proliferation of first-class mail being sent each month in the nature of bills, statements and similar such documents. Analysis has also revealed that this produces an unnecessary expense for postage and processing, besides the costs involved in purchasing the paper and envelopes to begin with.The method of the invention avoids this through the single mailing of one or more two-sided documents on which is presented all the bills, statements, etc. intended for a given recipient during a specified period of time, for all subscribers to the service.In accordance with the described embodiment of the invention, the method forms a computer database of addressee information; merges with that database all such record information provided by subscribers; prints out one or more sheets, preferably on both sides, of all information intended for designated recipients during the time period in question; and allows for a single mailing of such sheets in a single envelope.

Abstract: A tracking method and apparatus for use with a computer including a processor for executing code, input/output devices for providing data, memory for storing account data and a display. In operation, a plurality of transaction images are displayed on the computer display. In response to selection of one of the transaction images, a corresponding entry sequence is executed. The execution causes a display of one or more entry fields for receiving transaction data in response to the execution of the entry sequence. The transaction data is entered in response to the entry sequence and the entry fields displayed. The transaction data entered is stored in an account store corresponding to the selected one of the transaction images. Each account has a plurality of fields for data. The entry fields presented by the entry sequence are only the ones necessary for the particular transaction as determined by the selected transaction image and the corresponding entry sequence.

Abstract: Methods and system for effecting the consolidation of travel reservation information including bookings and ticketing using different currencies is disclosed. Specifically, a method is disclosed in which travel reservation information is generated in a computer reservation system (CRS), the prices of which are represented in a predetermined global currency, and subsequently stored in a global data storage medium, such as a database. The information generated from the CRS can be pre-ticketed or ticketed. The information can be generated from more that one CRS. The system that is disclosed includes a global data storage medium, in which pricing information regarding travel reservations generated in at least one CRS is represent in a global currency and is stored. Each CRS is accessed by at least one locally operated computer system to generate the travel reservation information.

Abstract: A process of and method for financing purchase of real property by mortgagors through a combination of mortgagee debt principal and partial mortgagee equity interest in the purchased property by a system which both calculates multiple mortgagor financial obligations and mortgagee rights and which prints instruments embodying those obligations and rights. The system also employs generally available house price indices as proxies for equity values, produces periodic reports to mortgagors of obligated balances, and determines mortgagee and mortgagor balances upon sale and/or termination of instruments produced by the system.

Abstract: A keyword assigning system divides text data into words, stores results of the division in a table, detects numbers of occurrence times of words in each text data, registers them in a table, and obtains word occurrence frequencies in domains on the basis of the table. The system then extract keywords from the text data by domain on the basis of a resulted domain-wise word occurrence collection table, and extracts negligible word not capable of becoming keywords by domain. The system further registers the extracted domain-wise keywords and negligible words in a keyword-negligible word dictionary, looks the keywords and negligible words registered in the dictionary upon assignment of the keywords to the text data to extract words to become keywords from among the words of the text data to have the keywords assigned thereto, and assign the extracted keywords to the text data, thereby automatically making extraction and assignment of most of the keywords.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system for proactively and continuously monitoring the compliance of property transaction agents with government registration laws and regulations includes methods and apparatus for receiving on a periodic basis at a central monitoring computer, information regarding property purchases from computers at financing sources, and information regarding property registrations from computers at a governmental entity. The central monitoring computer compares the two sets of information at periodic intervals, detects instances where there are missing or late registrations, or errors in registration information. The governmental entity sets parameters in the central monitoring computer for determining which detected information should be flagged for further attention.

Abstract: A language syntax defines statement forms for statements that describe the inflectional morphology of the natural language. A set of language statements that follow a language syntax to describe the inflectional morphology of the natural language is accepted as input into to a computer. Rule statements define a set of morpho-syntactic features corresponding to grammatical distinctions within the parts of speech categories in the natural language and define a set of inflectional morphological paradigms. The inflectional morphological paradigms include form rule statements to describe the construction of word forms and associate with each construction pre-selected morpho-syntactic features.

Abstract: A method of operating a display including providing a display; acquiring an image of a structure by measuring, for each of a plurality of elements, a magnitude representing an element of the structure; providing a plurality of contrast setting control buttons including a first contrast setting button that directly and independently modifies dark parts of the image of the structure and a second contract setting button that directly and independently modifies light parts of the image of the structure; digitizing the magnitudes according to a direct mode by assigning a digitized value d representing the measured magnitude of each of the elements; displaying a direct image by assigning a luminosity l corresponding to the digitized value d of each of the elements and transmitting to the display the luminosity l of each of the elements; transforming the direct image to a transformed image by assigning to each the of elements a digital value i which corresponds to the digitized value d of each of the elements; and d

Abstract: An interface system for providing access to a plurality of payment networks is provided that displays to a user a single transaction entry screen capable of initiating a monetary payment transaction over any of a number of differing payment networks. The interface is coupled to a display of a remote computer operated by the user. A plurality of such remote computers are coupled to a central computer, which transfers payment requests initiated by the user to the various selected payment networks. Selection logic is provided at the remote computers to allow the operator to select the particular payment network desired for each particular transaction. Upon selection of the desired payment initiation routine, the interface dynamically prompts the user only for data applicable and necessary to complete the particular transaction.

Abstract: A method of analyzing serial automated visual field data calculates a total field vector of the threshold sensitivity of points in a visual field and compares the total field vector with a calculated normal field vector for a given patient. The vector angle between the total field vector and the normal field vector is calculated to determine the distribution of threshold sensitivities to characterize the localization and the magnitude of field changes. In one embodiment, the sensitivities of each point in the visual field with respect to normal sensitivities for each point is plotted for each of a series of time spaced visual field tests. The single plot uses a line symmetrical about a zero axis whose magnitude reflects the difference from the norm for each point in each exam and forms a graphic depiction of changes in the visual field at each point over a series of visual field tests.

Abstract: A method of communicating with one or more microcomputer (200) controlled instruments (10) for determining the concentration of a medically significant component of a body fluid. Each instrument (10) includes a port (220) through which instructions and data can be received from, and transmitted to, an external device. The method comprises the steps of transmitting to each instrument (10) an attention protocol for advising each instrument (10) that a further instruction is to be transmitted, transmitting one of a global address to all of such instruments (10) and an address unique to one of such instruments (10), and transmitting an instruction to all of the instruments (10) or to the above-mentioned one instrument (10).

Abstract: A party production apparatus allows a party program to be stored in advance and automatically serves various dishes in accordance with the progress of the party to produce the party successfully. The party production apparatus comprises a kitchen counter, a table counter, and a controller. The kitchen counter includes cooking device. The table counter includes a frame, a table provided on the frame, a food displaying section formed on the table, a storage chamber provided in the frame for accommodating a plurality of dishes therein, and a transport apparatus for transporting a selected dish or dishes accommodated in the storage chamber to the food displaying section. The controller includes a register for storing therein a party program including a plurality of operations to be executed successively in a time series relationship and controls the transport apparatus in accordance with an order sequence stored in the register to transport the dish or dishes to the food displaying section.

Abstract: A merchandising system for generating and redeeming product discount coupons prints coupons for a selected consumer from a group of consumers by selecting particular coupons from a group of coupons to provide to the selected consumer and printing the coupons. Both the consumer and coupon identifications are encoded on the coupon in machine-readable form whereby the machine-readable code may be read at a point-of-sale terminal using a code reading apparatus. The portion of the read code corresponding to the consumer identification is replaced with a generic code to provide a substitute code. The substitute code is applied to a look-up table in order to determine coupon parameters related to the coupon identification. The entire machine-readable code may also be captured and uploaded to a central database for determining the coupon identification and consumer identification in order to update the database of consumers and coupons.

Abstract: A computer tomography apparatus undertakes a three-dimensional scanning of the examination subject with relative motion between the rotating measurement unit and the patient, the relative motion ensuing in the longitudinal direction of the patient support during the acquisition and processing of the detector data, so that a spiral scan is accomplished. For image reconstruction, data corresponding to the scanning of parallel slices are generated from the detector data by spiral interpolation, the interpolation being done with the detector data in the form of the relative intensities registered at the detector.

Abstract: This invention is a novel document preparation system in which a user is capable of viewing various permutations of a predefined portion of text. With this invention the display of variations in text is performed automatically. This provides a technique by which the developer can more quickly audit the results of his work and on the user's side it permits the user to rapidly see a wide variety of different transactions which is of enormous use to a young associate learning a particular practice area. In one embodiment, the user is provided with a subset of the total number of permutations of a particular portion of text. Various techniques are used to provide only "meaningful" variations of the text, thereby avoiding the need for the user to view what might be an extremely large number of permutations, many of which are of no real import based upon the task at hand.

Abstract: Two text documents, one of which is a (possibly erroneous) translation of the other are stored in the memory of a text processing system. The distributions and forms of words within the documents are compared and by a statistical process it is determined which words are likely to be correctly translated. A list of those words which seem to have been inconsistently translated is compiled.

Abstract: Method for creating programs and processing data by having data in the form of data cards readily moved in and out of, and exchanged between, a command module, automatic editing display generator, printer generator and database. Programs may be written by simply selecting necessary commands in a small number of characters. The commands may be selected illustratively through kana-kanji conversion input. There is no need to type long sentences in alphabetic characters or in symbols. On arrival at the database, the data card containing actual data is controlled solely by the data characteristics of the database for file storage and editing, free of the constraints of any other module. A group of files on a magnetic disk where data layouts are defined may be readily accessed by anyone with little knowledge of computer systems by use of an appropriate series of database commands. Furthermore, the data cards containing actual data may be processed individually and parallelly by each of the modules.