Abstract: A musical tune playback control apparatus adapted to a music playback apparatus performs prescribed musical tune playback controls on a digital audio medium (or a digital storage medium, e.g., a CD and a MD) in association with a storage device such as a hard disk drive. Musical tune data recorded on digital audio media satisfying prescribed conditions are automatically selected and are transferred to the storage device, thus allowing the user to easily create a musical tune collection or an album collection suiting the user's preferences. Prescribed conditions are described in such a way that musical tune data are reproduced over a prescribed time or more, or musical tune data are repeatedly reproduced a prescribed number of times or more, for example. Thus, it is possible to reduce a user's burden to perform troublesome operations in selecting musical tune data suiting the user's preferences.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and system for using predetermined preferences/characteristics to ascertain personal compatibility between network or chat room participants based upon profile information. When the system determines that these preferences are favorable for interpersonal compatibility, the system will automatically notify or page the participants so as to facilitate their introduction. Further functionality, aside from the compatibility based upon profile information, includes e-mail and other electronic notification of personal compatibility as well as geographic compatibility.

Abstract: A database view of a database is created which provides a transaction-consistent view of an existing database at a previous time. Each database view contains all the information needed to, along with the primary database, determine the contents of the primary database at a previous time. The database view consists of a side file corresponding to each data file in the primary database. The side files contain a copy of all data from the corresponding data file which has been changed since the database view was created. Sparse files may be used for the side files in order to conserve space. Page table data is kept in order to allow a quick determination as to whether the page from the primary database has been modified and the old version stored in the database view side file.

Abstract: Novel data structures, methods and apparatus for finding the longest prefix match search when searching tables with variable length patterns or prefixes. To find the exact match or the best matching prefix, patterns have to be compared a bit at a time until the exact or first: match is found. This requires “n” number of comparisons or memory accesses to identify the closest matching pattern. The trees are built in such a way that the matching result is guaranteed to be a best match, whether it is an exact match or a longest prefix match. Using the trail of all the birds and associated prefix lengths enables determination of the correct prefix result from the trail. By construction, the search tree provides the best matching prefix at or after the first compare during walking of the trail or tree.