Abstract: An invention for generating standard description records from multimedia information. The invention utilizes fundamental entity-relation models for the Generic AV DS that classify the entities, the entity attributes, and the relationships in relevant types to describe visual data. It also involves classification of entity attributes into syntactic and semantic attributes. Syntactic attributes can be categorized into different levels: type/technique, global distribution, local structure, and global composition. Semantic attributes can be likewise discretely categorized: generic object, generic scene, specific object, specific scene, abstract object, and abstract scene. The invention further classifies entity relationships into syntactic/semantic categories. Syntactic relationship categories include spatial, temporal, and visual categories. Semantic relationship categories include lexical and predicative categories.

Abstract: We disclose a transformation-based method for indexing high-dimensional data to support similarity search. The method, iDistance, partitions the data into clusters either based on some clustering strategies or simple data space partitioning strategies. The data in each cluster can be described based on their similarity with respect to a reference point, and hence they can be transformed into a single dimensional space based on such relative similarity. This allows us to index the data points using a B+-tree structure and perform similarity search using range search strategy. As such, the method is well suited for integration into existing DBMSs. We also study two data partitioning strategies, and several methods on selection of reference points. We conducted extensive experiments to evaluate iDistance, and our results demonstrate its effectiveness.

Abstract: A method of providing directed search for a web site address identified via a media channel and a method for creating a directed search database of web sites identified via a media channel. A preferred method of providing directed search for a web site address identified via a media channel comprises creating a database containing one or more web site identifiers associated with the identification of the web site address; permitting a user to search the database by inputting at least one of the web site identifiers; and providing to the user a search response including one or more web site addresses identified via the media channel.

Abstract: A method and system for guiding drilling into a report are disclosed. Through the use of the invention, a user can drill within a first report dimension or from the first report dimension into a second report dimension. Additionally, a drill map providing a plurality of drilling paths is associated with each report. The system of the invention includes drill transformation tools and drill map management tools for assisting a user in navigating through report instances.

Abstract: A rule based compatibility module provides a single unified mechanism for testing rules where testing results depend on various combinations of database queries, computable values, and/or run-string parameters. The testing results may be evaluated within a particular operational environment. The rule based compatibility module encapsulates all versions of compatibility issues, which are highly dependant on the operational context, into one simple mechanism, thereby reducing risks of unexpected behaviors caused by improper or incomplete handling of compatibility issues. In addition, the rule based compatibility module provides a simple mechanism for handling ad-hoc run-string switches used for debugging, or for optional enabling or disabling of features under development.

Abstract: By providing an index that stores information about how to access each grouping of elements in an interleaved data stream and each element within each grouping, random access to each element in the interleaved data stream can be achieved. The index may store a temporal offset for each grouping for interleaved data streams in which the order of data samples in the interleaved data stream is different from the order in which those data samples are used to present the data stream. The information that allows each element in a grouping to be accessed may include information defining the length of each element, or information describing the relative position of each element in a grouping, such as a map table. Such a map table may have an entry for each data type, wherein each entry includes an indication of information used to access a sample of the data type.

Abstract: A method and system for high-speed database replication. Audit update records and audit backout records are generated by the primary system, and are transmitted to the backup system in multiple streams in parallel. The backup system stores the received audit records as audit image trails, and applies the audit updates and audit backouts to the backup database without regard to whether the transactions committed or aborted and without regard to whether the backup system received a complete set of the audit records pertaining to the transactions. Upon the occurrence of a predetermined event, the backup system applies all the audit updates and backouts it received, and subsequently “undoes” questionable audit updates and audit backouts.

Abstract: Methods for accessing relevant data from data sources for presentation, and computer readable media for the same are provided. One exemplary method defines multiple dimensions. Then data sources are identified that contain relevant information for the dimensions. Next the data sources are accessed through an abstraction layer. The abstraction layer performs the operations of transferring portions of the relevant information to a data structure and displaying the selected portions of the relevant information. Some notable advantages of the discussed methods include the ability to create virtual dimensions by building a hierarchical table structure from data in a flat file. The use of an abstraction layer allows for ease of modification and efficiency in presentation, since only the user requested data is presented. In addition, the customer is provided dynamic reports in real-time, thereby allowing for time sensitive and mission critical business decisions to be made with current data.

Abstract: An automated system and associated method for building a comprehensive database of a configurable entity that is available from one or more Web sites, while removing redundancies. The system merges data tree structures that contain redundant data into more tractable data tree structures where those redundancies have been removed. More specifically, a feature of the present system is to automate the process of collecting information from one or more Web sites and convert the raw data into a logically fashioned, non-redundant tree structure. Advantageously, Web users would be able to retrieve information stored on one or more Web pages and locally merge the data.

Abstract: A method and system for accessing a large object (LOB) that belongs to a cell in a table are provided. An index is built on a column in which the cell resides. The index has a key that includes a LOB identifier. A database server receives from a client a request to access the LOB. The server uses a LOB identifier value for the LOB to traverse the index to locate an index entry for the LOB. The server then follows address information contained in the index entry to a storage containing at least a portion of the LOB and accesses the portion of the LOB as specified in the request. A method and system for tracking storage for data items are also disclosed. Within an index that is built to access the data items are stored both index entries for locating blocks that store current versions of the data items, and index entries for locating blocks that store non-current versions of the data items.

Abstract: This invention includes the step of transmitting a query to a set of search engines. Any result lists returned from these search engines is received, and a subset of entries in each result list is selected. Each entry in this subset is assigned a scoring value according to a scoring function, and each result list is then assigned a representative value according to the scoring values assigned to its entries. A merged list of entries is produced based upon the representative value assigned to each result list.

Abstract: Searching online catalog databases by shoppers is improved by performing similarity searching on searches performed by the shopper, in conjunction with adjusting the similarity metric used during the search to interactively improve the relevance of the resulting search results to the shopper. This involves using relevance feedback and/or product redefinition to learn the “implied concept” of the shopper's stated product requirements; that is, the quality of the search results is enhanced through understanding the concept implied by the shopper's queries by, for example, learning from the product results marked as “relevant” or “irrelevant” by the shopper. This approach is in contrast with attempts to enhance search results using, for example, the shopper's past orders or previous actions, or the past orders or previous actions of other shoppers who may have a purchase history similar to that of the current shopper.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for interaction between a browser engine and an application. The application includes a plurality of function modules. When the application is initiated, it sends a request to the browser engine. After the browser engine receives the request, it downloads a browser display in response to the request. The browser display includes a plurality of function icons. Each of the function icons corresponds to one of the function modules of the application. When a user selects one function icon on the browser display, the browser engine initiate the function module of the application corresponding to the function icon so that the application executes a specific function.

Abstract: Data available in a system is identified. Each data is categorized as a scalar data or a tabular data. The tabular data is associated with data from a table and the scalar data is not. Each data is further categorized as a parameter data or a statistic data. The statistic data is pulled from the system. The parameter data is either pulled from the system or pushed to the system. The data is grouped into groups based on logical relationships of data in the groups. A blank form is developed for each group of data. Each blank form has one or more fields defined to accommodate the data in the group. Using the blank form, the data is pushed to the system and to pulled from the system.

Abstract: A data import system enables access to data of multiple types from multiple data sources of different formats and provides an interface for importing data into a data analysis system. The interface enables a user to customize the formatting of the data as the data is being imported into a data analysis system. A user may select first user defined options for operating on a first data set received during a data importation process. An intermediate representation of the data set is generated based on the user first defined options. A user may specify second user defined options based on the intermediate representation during the data importation process. The second user defined options are processed to produce a final data representation of the data set to be used for analysis of the data. The intermediate representation may be a data table. The processing of a data set may include merging a first and second data set to produce the final data representation.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided in which a search request containing search criteria is received from a first user. A search is performed based on the search criteria to retrieve records in one or more databases that match the search criteria. A list of search results based on the retrieved records is displayed to the first user. In response to the first user's selection of a particular search result in the list of search results, details of the particular search result are displayed to the first user.

Abstract: A method and system for purging database update image files after completion of associated transactions for a database replication system with multiple audit logs. Audit update records and audit backout records are generated by the primary system, and are transmitted to the backup system in multiple streams in parallel. The backup system stores the received audit records as audit image trails, and applies the audit updates and audit backouts to the backup database without regard to whether the associated transactions committed or aborted. Because audit updates and audit backouts are applied without regard to whether the associated transactions committed or aborted, image files containing audit records associated with transactions that have not yet committed or aborted must not be purged. The present invention provides for a method for determining whether an image trail file contains audit records that can be purged such that image trail files can be safely deleted.

Abstract: An equipment management system structured by a monitoring apparatus to monitor equipment of a facility being monitored and retrieve operation data, a database apparatus in which the operation data retrieved by the monitoring apparatus is recorded, and a database client apparatus to send and receive information to and from the database apparatus via a network, display the data recorded in the database apparatus, and enter data. The database apparatus records maintenance reference values for the equipment of the facility being monitored and the monitoring apparatus or database client apparatus outputs a display or printout prompting an execution of maintenance work when the operation data is in excess of or close to the maintenance reference values.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for deleting a member in a circular singly linked list are described. Just prior to the current pointer register being updated, its contents are copied to the previous pointer register. When the consumer needs to delete a member from the list, the previous member location is known because it is saved in the previous pointer register. In this way, deletions done at the time of scanning involve only a single SRAM write access since the contents of the current pointer register is copied into the member referenced by the previous pointer register.

Abstract: This invention provides methods apparatus and data structures useful for mining databases for frequent items. The invention uses a frequent pattern tree to represent the contents of a database in a manner which is conducive to data mining. The frequent pattern tree tends to be smaller than the original database. A frequent pattern tree can be mined recursively. The frequent pattern tree and associated methods and apparatus of this invention is relatively fast, efficient and scalable and can be used to mine both long and short frequent patterns.