Abstract: A method of automatically selecting processing parameters for encoding digital content. Metadata containing the genre of the digital content, receiving the compression level selected for encoding the digital content is received. An algorithm selected for encoding the digital content is received. And a previously defined table to select the processing parameters for encoding the digital content based on the genre of the content, the compression level selected and the algorithm selected is indexed and the processing parameters are retrieved.

Abstract: A three-phase database crash recovery mechanism is detailed including a forward phase, a backward phase, and a third, so-called “sideward” phase for recovery of transactions which were interrupted at the time of the crash, using Global Transaction IDs to track the status of the transactions at the coordinating and at the participating nodes. Depending upon the status of the transaction at the time of the crash, either a query message to the coordinating node or a vote message to the participating nodes is generated and processed, thereby allowing most interrupted transactions to be completed.

Abstract: A system for collecting, categorizing and searching metadata about content provided on the internet and/or intranet for delivery in accordance with customized user profiles. The system collects internet information and categorizes same for provision at a customer's intranet server. The system is additionally adapted to either passively receive or actively collect and categorize internally-provided content for delivery with the externally gathered and categorized content and for matching to user profiles.

Abstract: A parcel trace system for tracing parcels handled by a service provider for a plurality of clients. The system includes relay (30) adapted to communicate with the clients across the Internet and with a server database. The server database stores a plurality of parcel objects, each parcel object including a parcel identifier attribute and a parcel location attribute. The server database further includes a URL attribute for each client. A client database (80) includes a plurality of parcel objects, each object corresponding to a parcel being handled for the client and including a parcel identifier and a parcel location attribute. A client database controller (70) communicates with the relay, and across a second network, possibly the Internet with the client. The relay is responsive to a change in state of the parcel location attribute to relay the change in state of the parcel location attribute to the client database controller across the Internet.

Abstract: A system and method of automatically adjusts watermark strength of a watermarked image based on the content of the image. The described system includes a process by which the correct watermark strength is estimated with a model of preferred watermark strength based upon human perception as measured with a test group. Preferred watermark strength of a watermark within a watermarked reference image is determined and parameter constants associated with measured image texture values for the reference image are then determined. Image texture values are measured for a particular image to be watermarked, and these determined parameter constants are used to predict the strength of the watermark for the particular image. Images are watermarked by modifying the luminance of those pixels that fall within a mask specifying the watermark design. In this way, the chromaticity of the pixel remains constant but the luminance changes.

Abstract: A search request is syntactically analyzed, and location constraint data for keywords and function words (FNWORD) are extracted that constitute partial-order relationships. A document, which is to be retrieved and for which no syntactic analysis is required, is searched for that contains a sentence that matches the partial-order relationship. In the search for the document containing the sentence that matches the partial-order relationship, a sentence having a short context that matches the partial-order relationship is regarded as a sentence that has a higher similarity.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display cell is includes a first substrate; a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer of liquid crystal molecules disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a first alignment layer disposed between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer; and a second alignment layer disposed between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer; wherein a surface of at least one alignment layer is bombarded by a particle beam of an adjustable energy using a voltage less than 200 V so that the liquid crystal molecules proximate the surface are induced to a predetermined pretilt angle.

Abstract: A computer application program subsystem (100) includes a program interpreter (120) and an application program interface (API 110) through which an external program requests an execution of a program of interest, such as a macro, in a specified simulated environment. The external program that requests the execution of the program of interest may further specify a simulated application state. The program of interest is written in a program language that the interpreter can interpret. The subsystem further includes an output path for returning to the external program at least one indication of what action or actions the program of interest would have taken if the program of interest had been run in a real environment that corresponds to the specified simulated environment.

Abstract: An electron source comprises a first permanent magnet having a first channel, extending between first and second poles of the magnet, the internal surfaces of the first channel being conductive. A cathode means is located in the first channel at a first pole of the magnet, a potential being applied between the cathode means and the conductive internal surfaces of the first channel causing electrons to be received into the first channel. A plurality of apertures is located on a wall of the first channel, the wall abutting a second permanent magnet having a plurality of second channels extending between first and second poles of the second magnet. The second pole of the second permanent magnet is adjacent to the aperture located on a wall of the first magnet such that electrons received into the first channel are distributed into the plurality of second channels.

Abstract: An LCD reflection display array implementing two or more layers of reflecting front surface mirrors with an upper layer mirror(s) having absorbing back surface(s). The mirror surfaces associated with each pixel are electrically connected to the pixel output electrode. The lower mirrors are appropriately positioned in the three dimensions to achieve nearly 100% aperture fill.

Abstract: A data retrieval system stores a plurality of objects having a multi-level hierarchical relationship, each object having a respective parent and a set of children. The system stores one or more base tables, the or each base table comprising a respective set of attributes associated with a sub-set of objects in the system, and generates for the or each base table a respective complementary table, the or each complementary table comprising a set of attributes excluding the attributes of the associated base table. The system further includes an expression optimiser adapted to interpret a query comprising an expression including one or more operations, each operation having a respective operator and one or more associated operands. The optimser tracks a number of objects associated with the or each operation and any attributes associated with the operation; and re-formulates the expression accordingly.

Abstract: System and method for improving color convergence in projection display systems employs one or more mirror units disposed for reflecting light from the projection lens to a display screen, each mirror unit including one or more reflective layers adjustably positioned for changing the path length of selected one or more color components of the color image.

Abstract: In a client-server environment having a server group including one or more participating servers and one or more controller servers, where each participating server can communicate with at least one controller server, a method for coordinating actions among the servers in the server group comprising the steps of: (1) communicating between a client and at least one of the servers in the server group using a protocol that has limited or no defined procedures for passing state information between the client and the servers; (2) transmitting a request for an action from the client to one of the servers; and (3) communicating among a plurality of servers with at least one controller server coordinating actions of at least some of the servers in response to the request.

Abstract: In a data processing environment where a client requests a server to perform part of its processing, a method of updating the client's version of server-related data without requiring the client to be a server, includes steps of: receiving, at a control point server, a first request from the client requesting that server-related data be transferred from the control point server to the client; and in response to the first request, sending the server-related data from the control point server to the client, along with a unique bind token identifying a version number of the server-related data such that each time the server-related data changes a new unique bind token is associated with the data, where the client uses the server-related data to form a second request for the server to perform part of the client's processing, and where the client sends said bind token to the server as part of the second request.

Abstract: A service contract system for providing a service includes a communication network, a plurality of parties coupled to the communication network and a service contract specifying unambiguous rules of interaction for the parties during transactions for the service. A method for managing service transactions between a plurality of parties coupled to a communication network, includes the steps ofjointly developing a service contract having unambiguous rules of interaction between the plurality of parties regarding a service, registering the service contract in each of the plurality of parties and generating, from the service contract, enforcer modules consistent with the rules of interaction for managing transactions of the service.

Abstract: A method of assembling a liquid crystal display device including a pair of substrates combined together with a sealing member and a liquid crystal interposed between the substrates, includes the steps of disposing a plurality of spacers in the area of the sealing member between the substrates, positioning a frame on an outside surface of each substrate, the frame being aligned with the sealing member, and applying pressure to each frame so that a region corresponding to a display area is substantially pressure-free and a uniform cell gap is obtained.

Abstract: A communications system and method include an efficient cache invalidation technique which allows a computer to relocate and to disconnect without informing the server. The server partitions the entire database into a number of groups. The server also dynamically identifies recently updated objects in a group and excludes them from the group when checking the validity of the group. If these objects have already been included in the most recent invalidation broadcast, the remote computer can invalidate them in its cache before checking the group validity with the server. With the recently updated objects excluded from a group, the server can conclude that the cold objects in the group can be retained in the cache, and validate the rest of the group.

Abstract: A system and method of implicitly localizing agent access to a network component located on a remote host includes the steps of determining a host location of the network component; automatically relocating an agent to the remote host; and incorporating the agent into an address space shared by the network component. The agent is preferably a script.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to balance power saving and useability in a computer system. According to a first aspect of the present invention, when predetermined activities of a device in a computer system, each of which occurs within a predetermined period t.sub.1 after the previous predetermined activity, succeed for a predetermined period t.sub.2 or longer, a substantial frequency of a central processing unit is raised. According to a second aspect of the present invention, a substantial frequency of the CPU is raised after a disk drive has been accessed, and if a predetermined activity performed by a device other than the disk drive occurs within a predetermined period t.sub.4 following the raise of the frequency, the substantial frequency of the CPU is lowered when a predetermined period t.sub.3, following the predetermined activity, has passed.

Abstract: A method, computer program product and a program storage device embodying software for measuring of the response time of an application (including distributed applications in a client/server or Internet environment) as perceived by an end-user. One aspect deals with the measurement of components of the response time and relating those components to user response time. In addition, the components of one transaction can be matched (or correlated) to each other even though they are measured on different systems. The generation of events and transactions can be controlled, allowing their creation to occur as close to their point of origin as practical. Both aggregate and detail reporting facilities provide overall performance and availability information as well as exceptions and/or detail transactions including the decomposition of overall availability and performance metrics into smaller measurements representing the contribution made by select transaction components.