Abstract: A system assures the accuracy of information and the performance of services provided by an entity. The system receives a request from the entity to bond the information and services provided by the entity and evaluates the accuracy of the information and the performance of the services. The system bonds the information when the information is determined to be accurate and the services when performance of the services is assured.

Abstract: A n-gram statistical analysis is employed to acquire frequently appearing character strings of n characters or more, and individual character strings having n characters or more are replaced by character translation codes of 1 byte each. The correlation between the original character strings having n characters and the character translation codes is registered in a character translation code table. Assume that a character string of three characters, i.e., a character string of three bytes, “sta,” is registered as 1-byte code “e5” and that a character string of four characters, i.e., a character string of four bytes, “tion,” is registered as 1-byte code “f1.” Then, the word “station,” which consists of a character string of seven characters, i.e., seven bytes, is represented by the 2-byte code “e5 f1,” so that this contributes to a compression of five bytes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a merchant system for online shopping and merchandising. The merchant system architecture provides great flexibility for a merchant to adapt the merchant system to their existing business practices, promotions and databases. The merchant system includes a dynamic page generator, a configurable order processing module and a database module capable of retrieving data from the database without regard to its schema. The present invention enables merchants to create electronic orders which are easily adaptable for different sales situations. The order processing module includes multiple configurable stages to process a merchant's electronic orders. The merchant system is capable of generating pages dynamically using templates having embedded directives. The database module and the dynamic page generator allow merchants to modify their databases and page displays without having to reengineer the merchant system.

Abstract: A method for transmitting a key from a first device to a remotely located second device includes the steps of generating the key within the first device; selecting one of a plurality of one-time pad values from a one-time pad stored within the first device; creating a hash of at least the key and the selected one of the plurality of one-time pad values; and sending the hash and the key from the first device to the second device.

Abstract: A system and method for translating an annotated source document in a first natural language to a target document in a second natural language having corresponding annotations, includes computer storage, a computer receiving module for receiving input textual information in a first language and for storing the input textual information in the computer storage, the input textual information including annotations and a translation engine for creating a first token string including first language tokens, annotation tokens that apply to the first language tokens, and ending tokens. Prior to translation, the annotation tokens are removed from the first token string and a plurality of annotation records are created for the first language tokens, each annotation record linking one of the first language tokens to each of the annotation tokens that apply to the first language token.

Abstract: A printer is provided with a small scanner located upstream along a paper path from a printing device such as a print head. A form is loaded into the printer and is advanced incrementally along the paper path. A segment of the form is scanned by the scanner. The scanned segment is displayed on a user interface. A user may provide information in selected blank spaces of the displayed segment with a keyboard. The user may then command the printer to print, wherein the information is printed in the selected blank spaces of the segment by the print head. The next segment of the form is scanned and displayed to the user.

Abstract: A bill pay system wherein participating consumers pay bills to participating billers through a payment network operating according to preset rules. The participating consumers receive bills from participating billers (paper/mail bills, e-mail notices, implied bills for automatic debts) which indicate an amount, and a unique biller identification number. To authorize a remittance, a consumer transmits to its bank (a participating bank) a bill pay order indicating a payment date, a payment amount, the consumer's account number with the biller, a source of funds and the biller's biller identification number, either directly or by reference to static data containing those data elements. Bank C then submits a payment message to a payment network, and the payment network, which assigns the biller reference numbers, forwards the payment message to the biller's bank.

Abstract: A translating apparatus and a translating method wherein a first language sentence is divided into syntax units consisting of predetermined units of sentence structure such as clauses and phrases in stages from large syntax units into small syntax units and at each stage stored examples most similar to these syntax units are detected using probability models taking into account grammatical attributes of the syntax units and of the examples and using generalized linguistic knowledge and with reference to a thesaurus and the syntax units are translated on the basis of these detected examples and the results of translation of the syntax units are compounded to generate a second language sentence.

Abstract: The present invention is a methodology for analyzing and evaluating a sample text, such as essay(s), or document(s). This methodology compares sample text to a reference essay(s), document(s), or text segment(s) within a reference essay or document. The methodology analyzes the amount of subject-matter information in the sample text, analyzes the relevance of subject matter information in the sample and evaluates the semantic coherence of the sample. This methodology presumes there is an underlying, latent semantic structure in the usage of words. The method parses and stores text objects and text segments from the sample text and reference text into a two-dimensional data matrix. A weight is computed for each text object and applied to each data matrix cell value. The method performs a singular value decomposition on the data matrix, which produces three trained matrices. The method computes a vector representation of the sample text and reference text using the three trained matrices.

Abstract: An improved recognition system for translating Braille into multi-byte languages is provided that resolves ambiguities in the translation. By resolving ambiguities in the translation, the improved recognition system helps integrate visually-impaired users into the workforce. Such integration is achieved by providing visually-impaired users with both the means to input Braille for translation into a multi-byte language and the means to disambiguate the translation so that it reflects what the user intended. In this manner, the translation accurately reflects the intentions of the user. Furthermore, the translation is actually stored in the computer in the multi-byte language so that both sighted and nonsighted users alike can utilize the translation.

Abstract: A common dictionary management system that can reduce the work of data registration into dictionaries. Exchange data generated in any local dictionary of a natural language processing system is sent to the local dictionaries of other natural language processing systems automatically. A local dictionary management portion and a common dictionary management portion collect updated dictionary data from a plurality of local dictionaries and updating time information. The local dictionary management portion updates the common dictionary and the local dictionaries according to the collected dictionary data and the time information. The local dictionary management portion compares the information with the latest time on which dictionary data was distributed to the local user dictionaries with the updating time information of the dictionary data in the common dictionary to distribute the dictionary data of the common dictionary selected according to the result of the comparison, to the local dictionaries.

Abstract: An anaphora analyzing apparatus is disclosed for automatically estimating an anaphora referential relation or an antecedent of a noun for use in a natural language sentence. A storage unit stores analyzed results outputted from an analyzer, and an antecedent candidate generator detects a target component required for anaphora analysis in accordance with the current analyzed results and the past analyzed results stored in the storage unit, and generates antecedent candidates corresponding to the target component. Then, a candidate rejecting section rejects unnecessary candidates having no potential for anaphora referential relation among the antecedent candidates by using a predetermined rejecting criterion, and outputs the remaining antecedent candidates.

Abstract: An interactive computer assisted pronunciation learning system which allows a student to compare his/her pronunciation with that of a model speaker. A model speaker's recorded reading of text is digitally linked to and aligned with each corresponding syllable of the text. Pitch, volume and duration parameters of each syllable are extracted digitally and displayed in a simplified notation above each word. The student's own speech is also recorded, analyzed, displayed, and/or replayed in the same manner. The student can choose the option of overlapping his/her own notation above those of the model speaker and determine whether, to what extent, and on which parameters his own speech varies from that of the model speaker. Scores may be provided in the margin denoting the percentage of correct correspondence to the model as well as the type and degree of each error.

Abstract: A system and method for transforming input source language linguistic structures (SLS) to target linguistic language linguistic structures (TLS) are described. In one embodiment, the SLS is matched to at least one existing source language example linguistic structure (SEF). The SLS is aligned with the at least one SEF, and the TLS is generated using at least one target language example linguistic structure (TEF) corresponding to the at least one SEF.

Abstract: A Chinese character conversion apparatus with no need to input tone symbols increases the input efficiency. The Chinese character conversion apparatus can sever automatically the successive input phonetic symbols into a plurality of syllables that are in consistent with the phonetic combination rule, no matter whether there is a tone symbol input or not. Each syllable or each syllable stream constituted from a plurality of syllables has a group of corresponding homonymous characters or phrases in the dictionary. Since the input of the tone symbol may be omitted in the present invention, the input speed of the user may be increased. Furthermore, incorrect input caused by incorrect tone symbol can thus be avoided.

Abstract: A method for supporting customized tokenization of domain-specific text acomprises the steps of: loading domain-specific tokenization rules corresponding to the customized tokenization of the domain-specific text; tokenizing the domain-specific text using the loaded domain-specific tokenization rules; and, further tokenizing the domain-specific text using general purpose tokenization rules. The loading step of the inventive method can comprise: loading a speech recognition vocabulary; and, loading domain-specific tokenization rules corresponding to the speech recognition vocabulary. In addition, the tokenizing step can comprise identifying each substring in the domain-specific text matching a regular expression having a corresponding replacement pattern in the loaded domain-specific tokenization rules, and replacing each substring identified in the identifying step with the replacement pattern corresponding to the matched regular expression.

Abstract: The cross-lingual retrieval system of the present invention retrieves second language sentences which are appropriate translations of a query written in a first language using pair data without being greatly influenced by the difference in expression between the query and sentences to be the object of retrieval, length of the query or sentences to be the object of retrieval or the like. In the system, a pair data storing unit stores multiple pairs each having a first language sentence and a second language sentence having the same meaning. As a query receiving unit receives a query written in the first language, a first retrieving unit retrieves first language sentences similar to the query from a set of first language sentences stored in the pair data storing unit.

Abstract: The present invention implements retrieval of mutually related sentences even between sentences in a wide variety of languages. A related sentence retrieval system is provided with n (n is 3 or a greater natural number) cross-lingual retrieval systems for bidirectionally retrieving related sentences between sentences written in language P and sentences written in other languages A to F, a language P sentence input unit is shared by the cross-lingual retrieval systems, and the language P sentence output unit is also shared by them to implement bidirectional retrieval of related sentences via language P between sentences in the other n languages. Thus sentences in language P are handed over back and forth between the cross-lingual retrieval systems to implement bidirectional related sentence retrieval between sentences in n different languages.

Abstract: An adaptive learning system and method. This method begins when a problem description provided by the user is received. This problem description may include non-tokenized text. The description is then searched character-by-character against a unique keyword data structure for any user-defined keywords. During this matching process, the routine examines each character in the description and compares it to the keywords in the data structure. Once all keywords are identified, the routine generates a set of solutions associated with at least one of the matching keywords. These solutions are then ranked, for example, based on how many times a respective solution has been used (to solve the problem previously) or how may matching keywords are associated with a respective solution.

Abstract: A system (100, 200) for tokenization and named entity recognition of ideographic language is disclosed. In the system, a word lattice is generated for a string of ideographic characters using finite state grammars (150) and a system lexicon (240). Segmented text is generated by determining word boundaries in the string of ideographic characters using the word lattice dependent upon a contextual language model (152A) and one or more entity language models (152B). One or more named entities is recognized in the string of ideographic characters using the word lattice dependent upon the contextual language model (152A) and the one or more entity language models (152B). The contextual language model (152A) and the one or more entity language models (152B) are each class-based language models. The lexicon (240) includes single ideographic characters, words, and predetermined features of the characters and words.