Abstract: The present invention teaches a variety of methods, data structures, and apparatus. In a first embodiment of the present invention, an instance of a data type has a data structure including a transient value data field for storing an internalized data format representation of a persistent data associated with the instance and a persistent value data field for storing an externalized data format representation of the persistent data associated with the instance. The data structure provides a capability of maintaining a persistent data associated with the instance within a database in which the data type of the instance is foreign. This includes embodiments in which the database is a relational database or an object oriented database. In some embodiments, the instance is included in a persistent programming language object.

Abstract: A proactive interface management system for ascertaining a computer user's goals and automatically extracting untagged data from one or more source objects and applying the data to one or more target objects. The proactive interface management system includes several cooperating program elements including a user interface, a decision engine, an extractor, and an applicator. These cooperating program elements automatically perform the steps of recognizing user gestures, ascertaining user goals, identifying relevant source information in one or more source objects, extracting the relevant source information, and applying the extracted information to one or more target objects.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for building, maintaining, and using a multi-level index is provided. The multi-level index is accessed using a key. The key is divided into multiple portions referred to as sub-keys. The first level of the multi-level index is built on a first-level sub-key. Each index entry at the first-level is for a particular first-level sub-key value, and either includes sub-entries associated with second-level sub-key values or a reference to a second-level data retrieval structure. All second-level data retrieval structures are built on the portion of the key that has been designated as the second-level sub-key. As the vocabulary of the first-level sub-key becomes exhausted, fewer maintenance operations will have to be performed to maintain the first-level data retrieval structure. This decreases the overhead and increases the concurrency in a database system that uses the multiple-level index.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for finding objectionable material contained within electronic files is presented. The apparatus consists of a computer system that is provided with a computer, a video display, a buffer memory, and at least one electronic file storage device capable of storing electronic files. Each of the electronic files is stored according to an operating system which incorporates a file name and a file name suffix. The method includes provisions for a real type property, a claimed type property, and a result type property for each electronic file. All of the electronic files are located on each of said storage devices for checking. During the checking process, for example, each file is checked to determine the file's real type property. If the checked file is determined to be a graphics file, then the file will be identified as a graphics file. If the file is not a graphics file, (i.e., it is a text file) then it is interrogated in order to determine if the text contains objectionable language.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for transmitting files on a network are described. In response to a network request for a file stored on a secondary data storage device such as a hard disk, a file server retrieves and transmits the file using a reduced number of calls from user-mode processes to kernel-mode processes.In response to a file request from a non-local networked machine, a user-mode process on the file server issues a command to a kernel-mode process requesting transmission of the requested file to the non-local networked machine via a designated connection. In response, the requested file is retrieved from the secondary data storage device and placed in kernel-mode accessed memory (e.g., cache memory). After the requested file information is stored in the kernel-mode accessed memory, a kernel-mode data transmission procedure transmits the requested file information directly from the kernel-mode accessed memory.

Abstract: Systems and methods that model and measure the propagation of error within information systems. The invention provides data management systems that determine an error measure that represent the accuracy, or inaccuracy of a query result achieved for processing a structured data set. In one embodiment, the invention provides systems that have a model of error which exists within a structured data set. The system can further include an error propagation monitor that processes the error model and the structured data set to determine errors within the structured data set that will propagate to a query result generated by performing a query process on the structured data set. The propagated error represents the error that exists within the query result signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a navigational interface for Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) documents. Specifically, frequently asked questions and their answers and links are treated as part of objects in an object-oriented datamodel. The questions are sorted into selectable topics. Each question is also linked to a corresponding answer, and each answer is linked to appropriate other questions, answers, topics or external information. The topics, selected questions, selected answers and links are simultaneously viewable on a single graphical interface.

Abstract: A method computer program product, and system for a reorienting categorization table is provided. A control interface is used to select the hierarchy of categorization levels for a categorization table into a quantity of data records. Once the user selects the desired hierarchy, the categorization table will reorient itself into the chosen categorization level hierarchy with the records in their appropriate locations. This allows more flexibility and a more efficient mechanism for putting the data into a desired organization. The user may reorient the categorization table as desired using the control interface. This invention finds particular usefulness in a database browser wherein the database is queried for potential records according to both a desired categorization level hierarchy and constraints on the potential categorization level values within one or more of the categorization levels.

Abstract: Database system and methods are described for improving scalability of multi-user database systems by improving management of locks used in the system. The system provides multiple server engines, with each engine having a Parallel Lock Manager. More particularly, the Lock Manager decomposes the single spin lock traditionally employed to protect shared, global Lock Manager structures into multiple spin locks, each protecting individual hash buckets or groups of hash buckets which index into particular members of those structures. In this manner, contention for shared, global Lock Manager data structures is reduced, thereby improving the system's scalability. Further, improved "deadlock" searching methodology is provided. Specifically, the system provides a "deferred" mode of deadlock detection. Here, a task simply goes to sleep on a lock; it does not initiate a deadlock search. At a later point in time, the task is awakened to carry out the deadlock search.

Abstract: A system and method for performing intelligent analysis and for generating a report for a user which allows the user to make decisions, without requiring the user to understand or interpret data itself. A database computer includes a database containing the data. The data includes a collection of information about an enterprise of the user. A server computer is coupled to the database computer and executes a database management program. A client computer is coupled to the server and executes an application program. The application program allows a user to define predetermined data types, to define relationships between the data types, to define parameters for the report, to define a method of analysis for the report, and to create the report. The report summarizes the data in terms of the data types, the data relationships, and the method of analysis.

Abstract: A system (10) for recursive document retrieval is provided. An original repository (12) comprises a plurality of documents (14), and a query (16) comprises information by which the original repository (12) can be analyzed to identify relevant documents (14). A retrieval engine (18) is coupled to the original repository (12) and receives the query (16). The retrieval engine (18) is operable to execute an automatic recursive retrieval process with respect to the original repository (12) using the query (16) where the automatic recursive retrieval process comprises a plurality of iterations. The retrieval engine (18) is also operable to provide as system output a retrieved repository (28) comprising a plurality of documents (30) from the original repository (12) identified as sufficiently relevant to the query (16) according to the automatic recursive retrieval process for detection as relevant documents.

Abstract: In a computer network comprised of multiple nodes spread across different geographic locations and connected through a communication system, a Distributed Data Synchronizer (DDS) synchronizes files across the network so that user applications running at the various nodes can share common databases of information. In a preferred embodiment, rather than store master files at a server node, each node stores a master copy locally in a disk drive. When a user application modifies one of the local files, the DDS communicates the update to the appropriate remote nodes under the control of a user defined script file.

Abstract: A system, method and article of manufacture, for improving object security in distributed object systems, in an information handling system employing object oriented technology, includes one or more processors, a storage system, a system bus, a display sub-system controlling a display device, a cursor control device, an I/O controller for controlling I/O devices, all connected by system bus an operating system such as the OS/2* operating system program (OS/2 is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation), one or more application programs for executing user tasks and an object oriented control program, such as, DSOM Objects program, which is a commercially available product of International Business Machines Corporation, the object oriented control program including a system authorization policy (SAP) object, a system authorization oracle (SAO) object, and a system registration object (SRO). The SAP object encapsulates management of a resource authorization policy.

Abstract: Two-wire bus system comprises a clock wire and a data wire for interconnecting a number of stations and allowing both long-format and short-format slave addresses. A communication bus system has a single clock wire and a single data wire. Each wire has wired logic that upon presentation of any prevalence logic signal value imparts to that wire the prevalence logic value regardless of any non-prevalence value second presented thereto. The system has clock synchronization by a master station of any information transmission. The system arbitrates among coexistent prospective masters to select a single actual master. The protocol has a start condition by presenting said first value to the data wire with the clock line at the second value, and generates any subsequent data wire transition exclusively under existence of the prevalence value on the clock wire. The subsequent stop condition is represented by a transition to the second value on the data wire with the clock wire at the second value.

Abstract: A monitoring apparatus is included in each street light of a plurality of street lights. Each monitoring apparatus monitors the operation of the associated street lamp and stores data representing the operation thereof. Data is sent from each monitoring apparatus to a monitoring station, via the power supply cables connected to the street lamps, under control of the monitoring station. The monitoring station stores the data until it is requested to transfer the data to an interrogating station. The data is then analysed to identify faulty street lights.

Abstract: Disclosed are an electronic identification system having remote automatic response capability comprising a wireless portable electronic apparatus (100) for data transmission and reception and a wireless automatic identification control apparatus (200) for data transmission and reception, and an automatic identification control method thereof. The portable electronic apparatus (100) comprises a first memory (130) for storing a user access code and password plus a specific code which are assigned to at least one automatic identification control apparatus (200), a receiver (140), a transmitter (150), and a controller (120) for generating an identification signal using the user access code if a received specific code matches one of a plurality of specific codes registered in the first memory (130).

Abstract: Portable data carriers are known for different applications, for example as so-called smart cards for bank transactions or for access control or for combined applications. For the various applications different subdivisions of the write/read memory in the data carrier are required so that given zones cannot be read and other zones can only be read and not be written. This subdivision is customarily implemented during the manufacture of the card or the chip. In order to obtain a chip which can be flexibly adapted to various applications, in accordance with the invention the memory in the data carrier is subdivided into a number of blocks which are inhibited from reading or writing by read inhibit and write inhibit information stored in different locations in one or two blocks of the memory. The writing in non-inhibited blocks can additionally be made dependent on a previous transmission of a correct password, the password also being stored in one of the blocks in the memory of the data carrier.

Abstract: A communications system comprises a plurality of transceivers capable of transmitting and receiving data from other transceivers in the system. At least one transceiver functions as a control module. Communication between the control module and the remainder of the communications modules occurs by consecutive communication between individual communications modules in the system. This means that low power transceivers can be used to form a system having a long range capability.

Abstract: In an apparatus for data communication between transmission terminal and reception terminal of a network system, a transmission side recognizes whether the transmitted data can receive or not, and the transmission side recognizes permissible capacity of reception about a reception side before the transmission side acquires the network circuit. If the data transmission becomes possible, then the transmission side acquires the circuit, transmits the data, and releases the circuit when the transmitting the data is finished.

Abstract: An electronic device having electronic circuitry powered by a battery and having an interface for interactively coupling the electronic device to a host device, for switching the power source by which power is supplied to the electronic circuitry, and by determining (410) an interface status as being coupled to or detached from the host device. In response to determining (410) that the interface is coupled to the host device, the electronic circuit is coupled (415) to the interface such that power is supplied to the electronic circuitry from the host device. In response to determining (410) that the interface is detached from the host device, the electronic circuit is coupled (420) to the battery.