Abstract: The publishing system and method automates at least some portion of a publishing process. The system publishes content using metadata, rights templates and/or specifications, publishing profiles and business rules.

Abstract: A multi-stage watermarking system and process that creates a watermark specification which describes how to generate a watermark, generates a template specification which describes how to merge the watermark into a target document, generates the watermark based on the watermark specification, and merges the watermark into the target document based on the template specification to provide a watermarked document.

Abstract: An enforceable property right and a system for controlling the manner of use of an item in accordance with usage rights. The enforceable property right includes an item ticket having a security mechanism incorporated therein and specifying an item for which the item ticket can be redeemed and a license associated with the item ticket. The license includes usage rights specifying a manner of use for redeeming the item ticket and a mechanism for unlocking said security mechanism.

Abstract: A system and method for managing use of items having usage rights associated therewith. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a request for a license associated with an item on behalf of a license requesting user, the license requesting user having an associated identification mechanism. The method also includes determining whether the identification mechanism associated to the license requesting user is in an access list associated with the item, the access list having identification mechanisms associated with authorized users. The method further includes issuing the license associated with the item to the license requesting user upon determining that the identification mechanism associated to the license requesting user is in the access list.

Abstract: An electronic music display device having a scanning device for inputting music score image data from a printed musical score. A memory device receives and stores the inputted music score image data. The data is segregated into sections and a performance sequence is programmed whereby a performer can program repeats and forward or backward skips in the music score image data. A display displays at least two pages of the music score image data. An actuator is manipulated by the performer to progress the display to display the sections in accordance with the sequence. Upon each manipulation of the actuator a pre-programmed part of the musical score is displayed. The performer is thus able to smoothly progress between pages of the score, repeat previously preformed parts, and skip to a different part of the score by merely pressing the actuator.

Abstract: The invention concerns bubble level meter having a pneumatic tube connected to a gas generator and to a pressure sensor. A deflecting valve is interposed along the pneumatic tube, for deflecting the air outlet at a predetermined height from the usual lower outlet of the tube. A control circuit controls the deflecting valve and the gas generator based on predetermined set values, processes the pressure measurements obtained from the pressure sensor, checks the calibration of the sensor on the basis of the measurements and the differences in height between the tube outlet, and generates level data based on the processed pressure measurements and a calibrating coefficient. Another valve interposed between the sensor and the tube and monitored by the circuit control, enables to take into account the possible drift of the sensor.

Abstract: An automated access control apparatus and method. Identification data is compared with stored data to determine if a person should be granted access to an area. If granted access, the person is prompted to indicate a number of guests desiring access. As the person and the guests pass through entrance, the persons are counted and proper personnel is notified if an unauthorized number of persons enters the area. Unauthorized entries are recorded as image data that can be played in real time or at a later time for review. Guest entry is logged for billing purposes.

Abstract: A method for monitoring a business process model in which at least one business process object transitions between states. A query having at least one state for the business process object and at least one time-based condition is defined. The query is applied to the business process objects that have changed since a last query application step as a result of execution of the business process model. Events are published when the results of the query are different from previous results of the query. The time based conditions can include conditions compared to actual time and can aggregated values of attributes of plural business process objects and current time.

Abstract: A system and method for the secure distribution of electronic documents reduces the likelihood of unauthorized reproduction and redistribution by either authorized or unauthorized recipients. A self-protecting document (SPD) contains an encrypted document as well as a secure set of permissions and the software necessary to process the document; full decryption of the document is performed as late as possible so as to minimize the possibility of intercepting the document before it has been fully rendered to screen or to paper.

Abstract: Usage rights to digital content are dynamically assigned. Various dynamic conditions are monitored and the usage rights are adjusted in a predetermined manner based on the status of dynamic conditions. The dynamic conditions include the time of day, the load on a server or network, or the like. The resolution of an image can be determined based on the conditions and the image can be rendered using subband decomposition techniques to permit variable resolution images to be constructed on the fly.

Abstract: A computer-implemented process for transforming an input message to an output message including reading transformation configuration information, reading an input message, creating output message data corresponding to each output schema node, calculating a number of reasons to continue for each schema node, performing the steps until the number of reasons to continue becomes zero, and writing the output message.

Abstract: An on-line commerce method and apparatus. A user can select products for purchase from plural merchant servers by examining product information stored on a shopping server. The product information related to selected products is verified by accessing a checkout page of each merchant server. The verified information is then presented to the user for confirmation. Upon confirmation, buy procedures are executed on each merchant server to purchase the products using existing account information for the user at each merchant server.

Abstract: A method of aggregating product information from a plurality of sources in a networked computer environment regarding products of a product category including the steps of providing a server interconnected to the network computer environment for providing a crawler to visit the plurality of sources and gathering product phrase information from each of the plurality of sources via the crawler, where the crawler utilizes computational linguistics to gather the product phrase information which includes a phrase and at least one characteristic of the phrase. The characteristic of the phrase may be frequency, location, font size, font style, font case, font effects, font color, collocation and co-occurrence of the phrase.

Abstract: A system for controlling the distribution and use of digital works using digital tickets. In the present invention, a “digital ticket” is used to entitle the ticket holder to exercise some usage right with respect to a digital work. Usage rights are used to define how a digital work may be used or distributed. Each usage right may specify a digital ticket which must be present before the right may be exercised. Digital works are stored in repositories which enforce a digital works usage rights. Each repository has a “generic ticket agent” which punches tickets. In some instances only the generic ticket agent is necessary. In other instances, punching by a “special ticket agent” residing on another repository may be needed.

Abstract: A system for controlling the distribution and use of digital works using digital tickets. In the present invention, a “digital ticket” is used to entitle the ticket holder to exercise some usage right with respect to a digital work. Usage rights are used to define how a digital work may be used or distributed. Each usage right may specify a digital ticket which must be present before the right may be exercised. Digital works are stored in repositories which enforce a digital works usage rights. Each repository has a “generic ticket agent” which punches tickets. In some instances only the generic ticket agent is necessary. In other instances, punching by a “special ticket agent” residing on another repository may be needed.

Abstract: A publish-subscribe communications system having a plurality of channels for transmitting data furnished by publishers of data to subscribers to data, each channel accepting data published to the channel and furnishing the data accepted to subscribers to the channel, a channel including facilities for accepting data for transmission by the channel from another channel.

Abstract: An on-line commerce method and apparatus. A user can select products for purchase from plural merchant servers by examining product information stored on a shopping server. The product information related to selected products is verified by accessing a checkout page of each merchant server. The verified information is then presented to the user for confirmation. Upon confirmation, buy procedures are executed on each merchant server to purchase the products using existing account information for the user at each merchant server.

Abstract: A system and method for the secure distribution of electronic documents reduces the likelihood of unauthorized reproduction and redistribution by either authorized or unauthorized recipients. A self-protecting document (SPD) contains an encrypted document as well as a secure set of permissions and the software necessary to process the document; full decryption of the document is performed as late as possible so as to minimize the possibility of intercepting the document before it has been fully rendered to screen or to paper.

Abstract: An automated access control apparatus and method. Identification data is compared with stored data to determine if a person should be granted access to an area. If granted access, the person is prompted to indicate a number of guests desiring access. As the person and the guests pass through entrance, the persons are counted and proper personnel is notified if an unauthorized number of persons enters the area. Unauthorized entries are recorded as image data that can be played in real time or at a later time for review. Guest entry is logged for billing purposes.

Abstract: An access control apparatus and method. Enrollment is conducted at a centralized server and enrollment data, such as identification data is downloaded to plural local access units at respective entrances to a restricted area. The local access units then collect data of a person upon an attempted entry in to the area and compare the data with downloaded enrollment data to determine if the person is authorized for access. If the person is authorized, an access control device is operated to open a door, gate, or the like of the entrance. The enrollment data can be biometric data and the same type or different type of biometric data can be collected at the local access units. If a different type of data is collected at the local access units and is correlated to data stored on the local access unit, data of the same type as the downloaded data is collected and compared to the downloaded data for access control.