Abstract: A meta search system accepts natural language queries which are parsed to extract relevant content, this relevant content being formed into queries suitable for each of a selected number of search engines and being transmitted thereto. The results from the search engines are received and examined and a selected number of the information sources represented therein are obtained. These obtained information sources are then examined to rank their relevance to the extracted relevant content and the portions of interest in each of these ranked information sources are determined. The determined portions are output to the user in ranked order, having first been processed to clean up the portions to include valid formatting and complete paragraphs and/or sentences.

Abstract: A software management system is provided which enables the configuration of a software system to be checked on a specification level and the difference between two software systems to be identified easily. A system name and a system revision for each client to which the system has been released as well as a specification name and a specification revision for each system revision are registered in a configuration storage. And the name, all of the existing revisions and contents of each specification are registered in a specification storage. A data reference means outputs the contents of the configuration storage or the specification storage to a display device according to a data reference request from an input device such as a keyboard, and also outputs the difference in the name and revision of the specifications of two software systems input from the input device, and/or the contents of the specifications.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for sorting data on a parallel processing computer system, wherein the system is comprised of one or more nodes, each of the nodes executes one or more threads to generate a subset of the data, and the subset of data comprises one or more records. A local data structure is generated on each of the nodes, wherein the local data structure stores ordered entries associated with the records generated by each of the threads. A global data structure is generated on a coordinator node, wherein the global data structure stores ordered entries associated with the records stored in each of the local data structures generated by each of the nodes. An answer set is generated using sorted records from the global data structure.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for transforming information obtained from a database into a presentation network topology for seamless serial presentation of selected data items to a user. The presentation network topology is a multidimensional network synthesized according to a predetermined set of rules, using information from the database and using selection parameters provided by the user. The presentation network topology is constructed so as to allow for adaptive playback, wherein a next data item is selected according to the position of the current data item with respect to the presentation network topology and according to at least one playback command provided by the user. The presentation network topology is also constructed so as to allow for automated playback, wherein data items are automatically, serially, and seamlessly presented to the user when no playback command is received, according to the historical choices of the user.

Abstract: A method and system for selectively disabling the logging of database operations during the execution of database processes or the creation of database objects is disclosed. According to the method, changes made to the database through data manipulation statements or queries can include a statement that the change to be executed is not to be logged. If the operation is to be logged, a log buffer stores the information about the changes and a log writer background process writes the operation entries to disk. Similarly, the creation or manipulation of database objects through object manipulation statements can be logged or not logged. As with logged data manipulation statements, if the manipulation of a database object is to be logged, a log buffer stores the information about the changes and a log writer background process writes the operation entries to disk.

Abstract: An access and control system for use in a computer network provides for a rule making algorithm which models a database in advance and prevents queries which could result in exceptional processing requirements. As queries are entered during the life of the system, a learning algorithm updates the rules. The rules may be applied at the point of entry as well as the database.

Abstract: A system for managing data including at least a randomly accessible recording medium, comprised of a data area in which recordal data is recorded in one or more variable length recording blocks by file and a management data area in which file entries and recording entries for each recording block of the files are recorded, the file entries including name data showing the names of the recordal data recorded in the files and identification data showing the record entries of the first recording blocks in which the recordal data are recorded, the record entries including head position data showing the heads of the recording blocks, link data showing the recording blocks in which continuations of the recordal data are recorded, and recording length data showing the recording lengths of the recording blocks.

Abstract: A computer system wherein data records are created, stored and retrieved from predetermined addresses on a plurality of databases using a specialized word processor that recognizes keywords entered by the user and associates those keywords with the unique addresses of the data records to which they refer. Each data record created for storing on the system is automatically stored at a predetermined, unique address by a word processor according to keywords entered into the data record by a user. Users creating data records may reference other data records by the use of keywords which uniquely identify those other records. References to other data records cause a word processor to create hypertext links to those other data records so that users may retrieve them without knowing where they are stored on the computer system.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided which make security, licensing, and browsing capabilities of directory services available for use with the Java language and environment, and thus provide an alternative to security restrictions imposed on Java applets. A Java component type is created in a directory services schema. The Java component type specifies where a Java class can be found in a LAN or on the Internet. The key attributes of the Java component type are its common name (specifying a Java class) and either a reference to the file containing the Java class's byte codes or a binary stream attribute containing the byte codes. The loadClass( ) method is extended to look for Java classes within a directory services database. The directory services features thus made available include support for securing, metering, and licensing individual Java classes.

Abstract: A computer apparatus and method for merging system deltas, and more particularly, to a computer apparatus and method for 1) merging a number of system deltas with a copy S of a system's files (primary input stream) to create a revised copy of a system's files (primary output stream), 2) merging a plurality of system deltas with one another to create a compiled system delta, 3) creating inverse system deltas, and 4) merging inverse system deltas as in 1) and 2), supra. The methods may be used to save, construct and/or retrieve current and historical system states. The apparatus and method may be used in conjunction with a computer backup process, version manager, or the like.

Abstract: Users define virtual views to generate and execute queries across one or more existing application databases in order to implement new applications, including applications that require viewing images linked to existing database records. Mainframe, minicomputer or client-server computer system-based users link electronic documents stored in distributed or centralized image storage volumes on a PC-based system to existing database records, and retrieve those electronic documents when the linked database record is retrieved.

Abstract: An information management device is provided which is capable of performing a flexible search of input information, without the need to attach user-specified keywords or search information and without the need of pre-processing of the input information such as character matching processing, natural language processing, statistical processing and recognition processing.

Abstract: An improved method for encoding, error detection and restoration of corrupted database files comprises generating a unique record code in each record of a record file, and when a memo file is present, generating a unique memo code in each memo of the memo file for identifying the correlation of the memo to one particular record field and one uniquely identified record. Error detection is achieved by verifying locations of record codes in record files; memo codes in memo files; and the correlation between memo codes in memo file and the record codes in record file. Integrity of record file is restored by searching for record codes and rewriting the located records in correct file structure positions. Memo file integrity is restored by searching for memo codes and rewriting memos in correct file structure positions, and memo pointers are corrected by using the method's correlation between record codes and memo codes to locate correct memos in the memo file.

Abstract: A method is provided in a server for storing and retrieving files of various formats in an object database coupled to a network including a multiplicity of clients also coupled to the network. The server includes a storage device for storing objects of the database. The method begins by determining the type and content of files received by the server from the clients coupled. Each file received by the server is transformed into an object. The transformed objects are stored in a hierarchy in accordance with the type and content thereof. The retrieving part of the process includes transmitting a "get" request to the server; searching a Virtual File class for an object whose name matches the file name; and examining corresponding properties of the matching object for compatibility with the first parameter. If compatible, a next parameter is examined for corresponding properties for compatibility.

Abstract: A data retrieving apparatus is used in a multimedia system which includes a processing device, a data storage device, an input device, a display device, and a sound output device. The data storage device includes a retrieving object data storage unit, an occurrence frequency storage unit and a next occurrence position storage unit. The processing device includes a retrieving information input unit, a minimum occurrence frequency detecting unit, a retrieval processing unit and a retrieving result output unit. The retrieving object data includes any one or more of animated picture sound or still picture data, and sets of these data and character text data. Each of said animated picture sound or still picture data includes managing information formed by a character-string having a title or comments. The occurrence frequency of characters or words is included in the retrieving object data with a first occurrence position of each of the characters or words.

Abstract: A method for verifying computer generated data in periodically updated and replaced files to determine if data item characteristics in the files have changed in an unexpected manner. The method involves the steps of selecting a first version of each of the data item characteristics and selecting a second subsequent version of each of the data item characteristics. The first version of each of the data item characteristics and the second subsequent version of each of the data item characteristics are analyzed to produce first and second statistical profiles. The first and second statistical profiles of each of the data item characteristics are then compared to each other to determine if any of the data item characteristics have changed in an unexpected manner. Finally, the files being periodically updated and replaced are monitored to determine if the data item characteristics in the files have changed in an unexpected manner.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for selectively allowing data presented in a join view to be modified is disclosed. Data presented in a join view is allowed to be modified if provided to the join view by a key-preserved table. A table is a key-preserved table with respect to a join view if each of the keys of the table is a key of the join view. Key-preserved tables may be identified by inspecting the definition of a join view to identify the base tables of the join view and to generate a graph. In the graph, each node corresponds to one of the base tables. Directed edges between nodes of the graph correspond to relationships, specified in the definition of the join view, between the base tables. The graph is reduced to strong components, each of which corresponds to a set of the base tables in which each base table in the set is routed to each other base table in the set by one or more directed edges.

Abstract: Apparatus and programmed method is disclosed, providing for the creation of a circular file of use in conjunction with the UNIX.TM. operating system or other layered and modular operating system architectures. The circular file uses an inode field to identify the file as circular and writes fill data to the file to allocate physical blocks to the file at the time of its creation. Thereafter, blocks already allocated to the file are re-allocated when more file space is needed and the file size does not increase.

Abstract: A system, method, and various software products provide improved information retrieval performance from multiple document databases by retrieving from the multiple document databases in response to a user query, a set of documents that globally satisfy the query, even though each database maintains independent document indices, term frequency information, and scoring functions. The global search result approximates, to any desired degree of error, the search results that would have been obtained had the multiple document databases been globally indexed. This is done by sharing at the time the query is executed, a small subset of information about the local relative significance of terms related to the user's query, and from this information, determining a global relative significance of such terms. From the global relative significance, the individual document databases determine their query results, which are then merged into a global set of documents satisfying the query.

Abstract: A method practiced by a computer system for generating SQL commands to create an integrated global schema. The input is two relational schemas in object-oriented form and a list of correspondences between components, object classes, objects and attributes. Based on correspondences object classes within one schema are folded into one object class, or relation, and likewise, based on correspondences one relation from each input schema is merged into a single relation of the integrated schema. This process is continued until no more object classes can be folded together and no more can be merged. SQL commands are generated based on specified correspondences between attributes depending upon whether a relation of the integrated relational schema was derived from only one relation of one of the input schemas, or is the result of the merger of two relations each from a different input schema. In the latter case, correspondences are based on the attributes of merged relations.