Abstract: A load port assembly capable of monitoring a plurality of performance characteristics of wafer carriers. The load port assembly may include one or more of the following monitoring systems: a torque measurement system, a wafer height measurement system, a carrier identification reader, an information pad, a resistivity measurement system, a cleanliness measurement system, a seal performance detector, and a relative humidity detector. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the monitoring systems are integrated into either a carrier advance plate or a port door of the load port assembly.

Abstract: A video displaying method of displaying, on a display unit, contents of video files. Each of the video files is composed of a plurality of images. The video displaying method includes the steps of extracting, from one of the video files, a plurality of images at predetermined intervals from the images composing the video file; displaying the extracted images on the display unit; in response to a selection of one image from the displayed images, reproducing the video file including the selected image beginning at a position of the selected image in the video file; and displaying the reproduced video file on the display unit.

Abstract: Disclosed is a computer-assisted method for generating a summary of or a browsing aid for a document. At an index creation time, information that is relevant to at least one dummy query and is necessary to compile at least one temporary summary for the summary or browsing aid is extracted from a document and cached for later use. The information may be compiled into the summary and saved as such. At a search time, the summary or browsing aid is generated using the information that was cached at index creation time. An apparatus for performing this computer-assisted method is also disclosed.

Abstract: An information release notification is provided using an event manager, reports, information notification messages, an investor events database, and a personal computing device. The personal computing device and event manager are preferably implemented in a client-server architecture providing electronic messaging and web pages over an electronic network such as the Internet. The events manager receives new information releases from an external information service over the network. Information releases are stored in the investor events database and reviewed by the events manager for the occurrence of identifier symbols that uniquely correspond to a particular organization. The investor events database also includes information interest lists to associate notified users with a particular identifier symbol.

Abstract: A method of providing only pre-screened content is described. The method includes maintaining a database on a server including a plurality of pre-screened sites. When a universal resource locator (URL) is received, the method verifies that the URL represents one of the plurality of pre-screened sites. If the URL represents one of the plurality of prescreened sites, displaying data associated with the URL, otherwise, not displaying the data.

Abstract: A method stores, indexes, searches and retrieves data information in a large data storage and retrieval system. Large amounts of data information, subject to searching and retrieval, are broken down and stored in sub-collections. Each sub-collection separately performs indexing of only the data information contained within that sub-collection and forms an inverted index. Statistical information derived from the inverted index of each sub-collection is collected by a global collection custodian and compiled into a global index. The global index is then passed to each sub-collection and is used by each during searching and retrieving of data information. Search results from each sub-collection are passed to the global collection custodian and organized there before being passed to a system user.

Abstract: The disclosed invention uses an event manager, an events database, and a personal computing device to provide investor relations event scheduling. The event manager includes a web server, a scripting engine, and scripts for receiving event information. The personal computing device and event manager are preferably implemented in a client-server architecture on an electronic network such as the Internet. The personal computing device includes a web browser and electronic mail for user interaction. The database stores events and maintains a watchlist of organizations for each user. The event manager detects schedule conflicts between a proposed new scheduled event and each existing event for each organization listed on the watchlist and transmitting a conflicts notification. Override of schedule conflicts is permitted to allow scheduling of an event when conflicts are acceptable. An event report is transmitted to each user associated with the organization with which the new scheduled event is associated.

Abstract: A technique for improving the performance of binary tree operations involves defining an implicit binary tree structure in a memory array, and clustering of the nodes of the tree in memory in a cache-aware manner. The technique reduces memory latency by improved spatial locality of the binary tree data, and further improves cache performance through reduced size of the data objects resulting from elimination of pointers to other nodes of the tree.

Abstract: A method for managing files in a library in a manner to access files in a library operating with a plurality of preservation recording media storing data as files, while copying data more highly required to be reproduced to another storage device of high-speed access, including recording a playback request of the file when required; creating frequency information of the playback request of each file according to the playback request; and copying a file that is judged to have very frequent playback request, at specified time intervals or when the number of the playback requests reaches a specified value. Therefore, more requests from terminal units can be accepted to transmit files than when copied only to a hard disk as the storage device of high-speed access.

Abstract: A system for presenting hypermedia link information. A computer-implemented method for presenting hypermedia link information is described which relates to the user the characteristics of a data file pointed to by the hypermedia link. The computer system waits for an event to occur. This event is the user or system selecting one or more hypermedia links. The hypermedia link in this scenario points to a data file about which information is to be gathered. The computer system then requests information about the data file. In one embodiment, a cue is generated to communicate information about said data file to a user. This information may be conveyed to the user by auditory or visual means, such as a pop-up information box on the user's display. A powerful and convenient system for browsing hypermedia information is thus provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an address storage device for a vehicle, particularly a motor vehicle, with several apparatuses using at least parts of address data, the address storage device comprising a storage unit for storing address data and a storage unit interface. Each apparatus is assigned to an application interface, wherein each application interface communicates with the storage unit interface and—if required—reads out at least parts of address data stored in the storage unit and uses them during operation of the apparatus, so that the address data stored centrally in the storage unit are available to the apparatuses commonly.

Abstract: A method for estimating an association between the media objects and the seed Web page accessed by a user. The method is employed in the context of a Web space on a network having Web pages and links between those Web pages modeled as a directed graph. Each Web page comprises a set of media objects and a page author. For each object a size, a user preference and a page author preference are determined. The network has an available pre-fetch bandwidth. The method calculates a weight for each Web object by applying preference rules defined by and user preference and page author preference to the contents of the set of media objects. Next, a random walk graph is generated, and object gains are calculated by finding a steady state distribution of the random walk graph. The object gain represents an association between the object and the seed Web page.

Abstract: A method of organizing information in which the search activity of previous users is monitored and such activity is used to organize articles for future users. Personal data about future users can be used to provide different article rankings depending on the search activity and personal data of the previous users.

Abstract: An access control via properties system provides ACL rules based on the properties associated with the entries, thereby taking advantage of the fact that there are inherent properties associated with each entry and does not require any changes to the schema. Once the server supports the invention, the system administrator creates a few simple ACL rules and is done. The invention structures the ACL rule such that it indicates the attributes that the administrator has selected for user access and specifies the type of access to be granted to a user which can include: read, write, or any other privileges that the system supports. The desired attributes that the user must have to be granted such access is also listed along with the attribute fieldname associated with the desired attributes. The directory server will match the desired attributes within the specified attribute fieldname with the user's attributes and allows access to the directory entry only if the user has the desired attribute values.

Abstract: An on-line commerce method and apparatus. A user can select products for purchase from plural merchant servers by examining product information stored on a shopping server. The product information related to selected products is verified by accessing a checkout page of each merchant server. The verified information is then presented to the user for confirmation. Upon confirmation, buy procedures are executed on each merchant server to purchase the products using existing account information for the user at each merchant server.

Abstract: The disclosure includes a computational system implemented with respect to a novel computational architecture for operating an externally-defined data based on client-defined rules. In one of the implementations, the architecture is utilized in a billing and customer service program. The architecture includes a engine unit which includes a number of processing modules which internally operate on generic data units that are independent of the particular application. A metadata engine receives externally-defined data and relates the externally-defined data and the relates the externally-defined data to the generic data units for use for the engine unit. A rules-based engine provides to the engine unit information related to the client defined rules. In this manner, the engine unit can be reused in a large part in a variety of different environments.

Abstract: A filter table provides a framework in which queries are efficiently and easily developed to access a gene expression database. The filter table is used to filter a plurality of expression levels to return a reduced set of expression levels, which may be further queried to provide more specific results. Using the filtering and querying provided one can easily identify genes or expressed sequence tags whose expression correlates to particular tissue types. Various tissue types may correspond to different diseases, states of disease progression, different organs, different species, etc. Researchers may now use large-scale gene expression databases to full advantage.

Abstract: An enhancement to existing logical volume managers which provides the functionality to expand logical volumes employing multiple levels of aggregation. It includes functionality to determine if a logical volume employing multiple levels of aggregation can be expanded. If it can be expanded, the aggregator or feature which will perform the expansion is determined. Once this has been done, the features and aggregators that need to be applied to the partitions being added to the volume are determined. These features and aggregators are then applied to the partitions being added to the volume, with user input as required.

Abstract: An incrementally-scalable database system and method. The system architecture enables database servers to be scaled by adding resources, such as additional servers, without requiring that the system be taken offline. Such scaling includes both adding one or more computer servers to a given server cluster, which enables an increase in database read transaction throughput, and adding one or more server clusters to the system configuration, which provides for increased read and write transaction throughput. The system also provides for load balancing read transactions across each server cluster, and load balancing write transactions across a plurality of server clusters.

Abstract: A system and method for efficiently searching directory listing information to obtain more relevant results is provided. In a computer system running a computing application, it is advantageous to provide search capabilities, in the form of a search engine, to operators to assist them in their effort of retrieving desired data. The search engine may cooperate with a data store having directory listing information to provide listings data to an operator. In an illustrative implementation, this search engine may be deployed on an Internet Web site that offers business listing information. The search system may comprise a user interface to enter search query information, a data store that houses a variety of directory listing information according to a predefined data taxonomy, and a means for displaying the search results.