Abstract: System and method for protecting data systems such as file systems, volume managers, databases, and backup systems. In embodiments, rather than encrypting the data of a data system, one or more elements or levels of metadata may be encrypted. Some embodiments may encrypt metadata that is not accessed frequently to minimize the cost of encryption and decryption. Alternatively, instead of encrypting an entire metadata, only a portion, such as a header block, of the metadata may be encrypted. The encrypted metadata may be stored in the data system. At startup of the data system, the encrypted metadata may be decrypted and an unencrypted copy of the metadata may be cached in memory for use by the data system software. If the decrypted metadata is modified, then the encrypted metadata may be replaced with an encrypted version of the modified metadata. Format(s) of the metadata that is encrypted may be copyrighted.

Abstract: The concept of partitioning is expanded with a variety of techniques. In particular, one technique involves partitioning an object at multiple levels, where at least one of the levels uses list-based partitioning. Further, a partitioning technique is provided which involves storing a data item in a default partition when the item does not map to any one of the list-based partitions for which a key value group has been defined. Techniques are also provided for efficiently splitting a partition.

Abstract: In an efficient database management method, a program beforehand defined and registered to a database is invoked by a request to execute database processing. An inputted query request is analyzed to generate an execution module for executing it. When a program not contained in the module is invoked at execution of the module, resources predetermined for use by programs are classified into resources to be set as unavailable resources until a transaction is completed in another program and resources to be set as resources unavailable to other programs until the programs are terminated. When a transaction completion request is received from a program, any resource set as an unavailable resource until the transaction is completed in the program is set as an available resource. Any resource set as unavailable resource until a program associated therewith is terminated is set as an available resource when the program is terminated.

Abstract: A system selects a plurality of attributes common to objects being compared and defines at least one value space for each selected attribute. Each selected attribute can have a value space that is different from a value space of the same attribute associated with a different object. The system defines an ordering system for each value space including selecting whether the value space consists of non-ordered values, partially ordered values, or fully ordered values. An objective function is defined for each ordering system and the objective function maps a pair of values of a value space to a number value. The system normalizes each objective function and defines a mapping from the plurality of objective functions to a first general objective function.

Abstract: This is a method for accessing and updating views and other relations of a relational database that: (1) does not require any distinction between base and derived expressions of the data elements; (2) provides data independence; (3) ensures predictable behavior of all updates; and, (4) provides uniformity for all updates independent of data source or type. The method further permits updating of all relations (both base and derived) without unnecessary duplication, overlap, or the creation of null elements, and without using unnecessary physical memory for the resulting data elements.

Abstract: A system for augmenting data from a source data file with data from a reference database to generate an augmented data file is provided. The system includes a reference database including at least one reference datum. A handler component is configured to retrieve a source data file including the structured datum. A locator component is configured to locate the structured datum in the source data file; an analyzer component configured to associate the identified structured datum to one reference datum to create an association according to an analyzing strategy. A generating component is configured to generate a hyperlink based upon the association and embeds the generated hyperlink in the source file to create an augmented data file.

Abstract: The combination recorder and player system includes a recorder/player unit and a remote control unit. The recorder/player unit includes a recorder/player computer system and recorder/player software that is operable to cause the recorder/player to record, play, and burn CDs. The remote control unit includes a remote control computer system and remote control software that can be used to control the recorder/player unit. The system can be used to automatically copy all of the audio on CDs into memory on the recorder/player, to control multiple pieces of audio and video equipment, and to download and store new music from the Internet.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for knowledge management. The method discloses the elements of: generating a client profile on a client computer connected to a network; storing the profile on the computer; receiving a new message; scoring the new message with respect to the client profile; counting a number of message responses to the new message; and re-transmitting the new message to a first sub-set of client computers on the network, based on the response count. The system discloses means for implementing the method.

Abstract: An image file transmitted from a cellular telephone and a user ID indicative of the owner of the image file are associated with each other. To accomplish this, a database server is accessed by the cellular telephone and a connection is established to a Web page for registering image data, whereupon a unique ID is generated by the database server. An HTML file in which the generated unique ID is included as a mail address is generated and transmitted to the cellular telephone. E-mail to which image data has been attached is transmitted to a mail server at a destination specified by the mail address. The mail server detects the unique ID from the mail address. The user ID is found from the unique ID, and the user ID and image data are transmitted in associated form from the mail server to the database server. Image data in association with the user ID can be stored in a database by the database server.

Abstract: A system for improving sensor-based decision making provides for the automatic submission of data obtained locally from instrumentation (such as image data) together with the interpretation of that data, which can be the output of some software which has been checked and possibly corrected by a user according to his/her expertise, to a remote database via an internetwork. The submission to the remote database is preferably automatic so that the remote database grows over time. The local site can access the remote database to retrieve information to assist in interpretation of the locally produced data (for example similar images and their corresponding interpretations), or can retrieve updated or improved software or parameters improving the software used for processing the data. The information on the remote database can also be reprocessed by software agents to provide statistical information based on information from a variety of such local sites.

Abstract: A method in a computer for facilitating interaction between an application program and a subsystem is disclosed. The method includes providing a virtual process file system layer. The virtual process file system layer is configured to interact with the subsystem in a substantially content-independent manner. The method additionally includes providing a content dependent module, the content dependent module being associated with the subsystem and is configured interact with the subsystem in a content-dependent manner. The method further includes providing a directory structure table, the directory structure table being configured to track a name of the content dependent module, wherein the content-dependent module is configured to be registered with the directory structure table using a dynamic name.

Abstract: An invention is provided for a dynamic interactive content system. The dynamic interactive content system includes a receiver capable of receiving main content, such as audio/visual video data, and supplemental content associated with the main content. In addition, a persistent storage is included that is in communication with the receiver. The persistent storage is capable of storing a plurality of main content entries and associated supplemental content entries. The system also includes a processor that is capable of executing an interactive application. In operation, the interactive application searches the stored plurality of supplemental content entries for particular supplemental content entry having particular data. The interactive application then presents at least a portion of the main content entry that is associated with the particular supplemental content to a user.

Abstract: A method for communicating between an application and a database by using a lightweight stored procedure data-binding framework for applications written in object oriented programming languages such as JAVA, significantly reduces the coding effort required to communicate with a relational database. Once the developer specifics the needed tabular data, the inventive framework generates all needed data objects and stored procedures to accomplish the interaction with that database data. The automatically generated code is then used by the application via a run-time component. This means the developer need only make simple calls in a few lines of code for database interaction. The encapsulated data model deals only with persistence and retrieval issues and is therefore de-coupled from the business model.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for generating personalized information includes receiving age data related to the age of a first person, receiving a request for information from a user, and automatically identifying relevant event data in a database based on the age data. The relevant data includes information about a second, famous person different from the first person and wherein the second, famous person was involved with an associated event. The relevant data is associated with an age of the second, famous person when the second, famous person was involved with the associated event. The age of the second, famous person is with respect to a granularity of less than a year. The method further includes automatically providing the relevant data to the user.

Abstract: A data model of a modeled environment is maintained within a database. The data model includes data defining a plurality of hierarchically arranged subsets of space within the modeled environment and data defining a plurality of items populating the modeled environment. A data processing system displays within a display device at least first and second windows. The first window displays a map of the modeled environment, where the map includes at least one user-selectable graphical element representing one of the plurality of hierarchically arranged subsets of space or one of the plurality of items. In response to a first user input, a graphical element is copied from the first window and displayed within the second window. In response to a second user input selecting the graphical element within the second window, data from the database associated with the subset of space or item represented by the graphical element is presented.

Abstract: In a storage network including at least a computer system, at least an external storage and at least a network system for communication of input/output data between the computer system and the external storage, a method of collecting the performance data on the network system and the software operated on the network system, in which the range or degree of data collection is automatically adjusted as required based on the performance data collected.

Abstract: A method in an operating system of a computer for allowing a plurality of application programs to interact with a plurality of subsystems, at least two application programs of the plurality of application programs being associated with two different personalities. The method includes providing a plurality of modules, each of the plurality of modules being associated with at least one personality and configured to interact with one of the plurality of subsystems, at least two modules of the plurality of modules being associated with the two different personalities.

Abstract: This is a method for managing and optimizing transaction processing that: (1) significantly expands the robustness of systems with respect to consistency, reliability, and recoverability; (2) provides multiple performance improvements over traditional methods; (3) enables transactions in a distributed business process to recover from errors without the cost of two-phase commit; (4) enables enhancements to resource management; and, (5) provides improved scheduling. The method further enables a high degree of collaborative and adaptive transaction management over traditional transaction managers.

Abstract: Updating a personalized web page by identifying characteristic features and an information sample from an input, in which the input specifies a web site that provides the information sample. When an update is required by a user-specified frequency, corresponding contents of the web site are determined based on the characteristic features. If the corresponding contents are highly relevant to the information sample, the corresponding contents are extracted, and the personalized web page is updated with the corresponding contents.

Abstract: A method and system is provided for facilitating the retrieval of data from a database using a communications device where the database is stored remotely from the communications device. A communications device using the method or system may obtain remote data, such as e-mail addresses, facsimile numbers, phone numbers, or uniform resource locators, from a user's remotely stored personal database.