Abstract: A word prediction method that improves the precision accuracy, and a speech recognition method and an apparatus therefor are provided. For the prediction of a sixth word “?”, a partial analysis tree having a modification relationship with the sixth word is predicted. “sara-ni sho-senkyoku no” has two partial analysis trees, “sara-ni” and “sho-senkyoku no”. It is predicted that “sara-ni” does not have a modification relationship with the sixth word, and that “sho-senkyoku no” does. Then, “donyu”, which is the sixth word from “sho-senkyoku no”, is predicted. In this example, since “sara-ni” is not useful information for the prediction of “donyu”, it is preferable that “donyu” be predicted only by “sho-senkyoku no”.

Abstract: In each pixel region of a liquid crystal panel of an in plane switching mode, a pixel electrode is made to have a two-layer structure composed of a lower pixel electrode located in the same layer as a signal line and of an upper pixel electrode located in the same layer as a common electrode. Moreover, an electrode portion of the lower pixel electrode is made closer to the signal line than the upper pixel electrode. Furthermore, the signal line, a gate line and the common electrode are arranged in an overlapped manner.

Abstract: An optical detector for receiving an optical signal transmitting via an optical fiber cable, comprises an array of photo-sensors for location in the path of the optical signal. A controller a controller detects which of the photo-sensors receives the optical signal in use, and derives a received signal from an output of any said photo-sensor so detected.

Abstract: A user is permitted to execute a predetermined program only within a limited time that corresponds to a period wherein the user maintains a valid contract for a connection with a specific network provider. When a user activates or executes a program that is provided by a network provider, or an entity having a tie-up with the network provider, the user must refer to a licensing key that can halt at least a part of the functions of the program when a predetermined licensing (halting) condition is matched. The licensing key can be updated by making a connection with the network provider.

Abstract: A method, system, and a program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for processing an input string to generate a fractal semantic network. The fractal semantic network is obtained by parsing the input string to generate an initial parse structure which comprises a plurality of parse elements. Semantic units are generated from some of the parse elements by employing a set of mapping rules for mapping certain types of parse elements into the semantic units such that some of the semantic units are information objects and some are connection objects. The fractal semantic network is generated by arranging the information objects and connection objects in a fractal manner, where the relation between the information objects is represented by the connection objects. The information objects and the connection objects are derived from a small set of basic building blocks.

Abstract: A panel light source device includes a light source, a light guide plate for guiding and diffusing light from the light source, and a frame for housing the light guide plate. The frame has a convexity inside thereof and the light guide plate has a concavity on a side or lower surface thereof. The convexity and the concavity are engaged with each other, and the light guide plate is provided in the frame so as to cover at least a part of an upper surface of the light guide plate.

Abstract: An expert system selects a computer solution from a set of predefined, proven solution to meet a specific need. Each of the predefined solutions comprises a plurality of hardware platforms and associated software, and a communication facility between the hardware platforms. The system identifies and directs display of a multiplicity of different characteristics of computer solutions within the set. Then, the user selects one of the characteristics to reduce the number of possible solutions from the set. In response, the system may then display other characteristics which can be selected to further reduce the number of possible solutions from those identified after the one characteristic was selected. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, this narrowing process always results in one or more solutions from the set; there are no “dead ends”.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system is provided for determining, in a trader device of an electronic trading system, whether a match exists between a client requirement, provided by a client device of the system, and a supplier offer stored in trader device. The supplier offer comprises feature data, indicative of a set of features of an offered product, including at least one updatable feature data element. The updatable feature data element is indicative of a variable feature of the offered product and includes address data indicative of a location from which a current specification of the variable feature can be obtained by the trader device in response to an update request from the trader device.

Abstract: A multi-processor system includes a system bus communicating between processors, and a bus arbiter. Responsive to a cache line invalidation command, a processor cache conditionally casts back the cache line to a transition cache. Based on the system response to the invalidation command, the transition cache either discards the cast back or writes it to main memory. The processor also converts an exclusive read command requiring a reservation to non-exclusive if the reservation has been lost before placing the command on the system bus. Furthermore, the transition cache may shift memory coherency image state for a non-exclusive command, which is waiting for data to return, if a command involving the same real address is snooped. Responsive to a cache line request, the cache copies that cache line to the transition cache and updates cache line state. The transition cache holds the cache line pending system response.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of information processing by digital computers, and more particularly to a method and system, in an electronic spreadsheet, for handling user-defined options during a copy/cut-paste operation when the source range of cells comprises one or a plurality of cells with user-defined options and when the destination environment does not necessarily defines the same user-defined options as the ones defined in the source environment.

Abstract: Through comparison of electronic shape data for parts, the invention automatically detects a difference in shapes of products due to the design change, and/or searches for a product that is similar in shape. A shape analysis system comprises: an analysis tree node generator; a neighbor graph generator, for creating an edge between the nodes that are generated by the analysis tree node generator and that are geometrically adjacent, so as to produce a neighbor graph; and an analysis tree generator, for merging nodes in the neighbor graph that are generated by the neighbor graph generator and that are connected by the edge, for generating a new node in correlation with a 3d-shape that encloses patches included in the merged nodes and a shape analysis tree wherein the node acquired by merging is defined as a parent node and the other nodes, before being merged, are defined as child nodes.

Abstract: An active matrix substrate includes a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, a semiconductor layer, a source electrode and a drain electrode, which are sequentially deposited on an insulating substrate. A transparent conductive layer is deposited on the source and drain electrodes so that the transparent conductive layer includes a portion deposited to be substantially the same pattern as those of the source and drain electrodes. The transparent conductive layer is connected to either the source electrode or the drain electrode to form a pixel electrode. A gate line is further included on which the gate insulating film is deposited. The gate line is to be connected to the gate electrode.

Abstract: Communication signal mixing and filtering systems and methods utilizing an encapsulated micro electromechanical system (MEMS) device. Furthermore, disclosed is a method of fabricating a simple, unitarily constructed micro electromechanical system (MEMS) device which combines the steps of signal mixing and filtering, and which is smaller, less expensive and more reliable in construction and operation than existing devices currently employed in the technology.

Abstract: The display device includes a pedestal having a planar pedestal main body to be placed on a placing object and a planar arm that is arranged in a standing manner having a specified angle against the pedestal main body, and a display portion that is installed to the arm in a swinging manner and has an image display portion. In the case where the center of gravity of the display portion is within a range of a projection surface of the pedestal, the swinging angle of the display portion can be optimally set.

Abstract: A system and method for web page acquisition reduces the waiting time experienced by a user who accesses a network site when the network is busy and reduces the load imposed on the server of a provider.

Abstract: A display panel having electrode wiring, a circuit board for supplying voltage to electrode wiring, a sheet material for electrically connecting the electrode wiring to circuit board, a frame for holding the display panel, and a restraint member for restraining the circuit board. The sheet material and the frame are restrained from moving relative to each other in a plane direction.

Abstract: A crossbar is implemented within multimedia facilities of a processor to perform vector permute operations, in which the bytes of a source operand are reordered in the target output. The crossbar is then reused for other instructions requiring multiplexing or shifting operations, particularly those in which the size of additional multiplexers or the size and delay of a barrel shifter is significant. A wide shift operation, for example, may be performed with one cycle latency by the crossbar and one additional layer of multiplexers or a small barrel shifter. The crossbar facility thus gets reused with improved performance of the instructions now sharing the crossbar and a reduction in the total area required by a multimedia facility within a processor.

Abstract: A method for preventing illicit copying of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC is defined by a net list which includes a timer circuit for disabling the ASIC. The timer circuit includes a plurality of stages which are distributed in different cores of the ASIC to inhibit detection and removal of the circuit. The timer times out after a period which is set to permit evaluation of the ASIC design. Following the time out period, further use of the ASIC design is inhibited.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus for displaying an image on a liquid crystal cell through a liquid crystal driver driven by a predetermined number of bits by inputting image data in which one pixel is represented with a plurality of sub-pixels. The liquid crystal display apparatus includes: memory for storing information about an offset for converting gray level coordinates of a gamma characteristic spaced evenly according to the number of bits into gray level coordinates spaced unevenly; a gray level adjustment portion for performing a calculation on particular input sub-pixel data based on information about the offset stored in the memory; and a pseudo-gray-level-expansion portion for applying pseudo gray level expansion to the sub-pixel data calculated by the gray level adjustment portion. The sub-pixel data to which the pseudo gray level expansion is applied by the pseudo-gray-level-expansion portion is supplied to the liquid crystal driver to display the image on the liquid crystal cell.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a new method and system for streaming media data in a heterogeneous network environment. In addition to existing standard streaming products, e.g. standard Media Player and Stream Server, a Stream Server Portal which controls a set of Stream Servers is provided by the present invention. The Stream Server Portal offers a service called prepareStreaming to applications which returns the streaming meta data necessary to initiate streaming for given media instances.