Abstract: Authentication and session management can be used with a system architecture that partitions functionality between a human interface device (HID) and a computational service provider such as a server. An authentication manager executing on a server interacts with the HID to validate the user when the user connects to the system via the HID. A session manager executing on a server manages services running on computers providing computational services on behalf of the user. The session manager notifies each service in a session that the user is attached to the system using a given HID. A service can direct display output to the HID while the user is attached to the system. When a user detaches from the system, each of the service's executing for the user is notified via the authentication manager and the session manager. Upon notification that the user is detached from the system, a service can continue to execute while stopping its display to the HID.

Abstract: Synchronization of databases is made to allows use of already-received changes in target datasets even if the synchronization session fails, and even before the failed synchronization session is re-performed or resumed to completion. Further, already-received changes received in a synchronization session are handled such that the need to re-send them in a subsequent synchronization session is minimized, even if the present synchronization should fail before completion. In synchronizing datasets to a reference dataset, after receipt of some number of changes from a dataset, changes are propagated into the reference dataset, to the extent that they can be reconciled with the reference dataset, without requiring that all changes from the dataset have already been received.

Abstract: A method for automated technical support in a computer network having a client machine, and at least one server. The method begins in response to entry by a user of a problem areas and description. During a guided self-help session, the user is presented with active content, for example, technical support information that may be “activated” via a diagnostic map. A given diagnostic map encapsulates a set of one or more methods that, upon execution, explore the user's machine and gathers diagnostic data. The active content is useful to facilitate diagnosis or self-repair during the self-help session.

Abstract: An interface between a plant manager and a plant utilises object oriented programming concepts to create objects representing resources of the plant. Objects representing physical resources in the plant have a state, and automatically report this state to their parent objects. Logical objects, which are parents to other objects, determine their states based upon the states of their children, and report these to their own parent objects. At the head or apex of this hierarchy of objects is an initial object, whose state is the state of the plant as a whole. Operations, such as software upgrades or sparing of resources, may be implemented by the manager sending a command to the appropriate object, which will implement the command through its descendant objects. The success or failure of this attempt is then reported to the manager.

Abstract: A weighting system for calculating the term-document importance for each term within each document that is part of a collection of documents (i.e., a corpus). The weighting system calculates the importance of a term within a document based on a computed normalized term frequency and a computed inverse document frequency. The computed normalized term frequency is a function, referred to as the “computed term frequency function” (“A”), of a normalized term frequency. The normalized term frequency is the term frequency, which is the number of times that the term occurs in the document, normalized by the total term frequency of the term within all documents, which is the total number of times that the term occurs in all the documents. The weighting system normalizes the term frequency by dividing the term frequency by a function, referred to as the “normalizing term frequency function” (“&Ggr;”), of the total term frequency.

Abstract: A user interface for querying and displaying records form a database employs a physical metaphor for the process of constructing queries and viewing results. In one embodiment, the search criteria are shown as strings of beads in a three-dimensional scene, each bead representing a criterion and each string representing a different category. For example the criteria, drama, action, suspense, and horror may be included in a category of genre. Criteria are selected to form a query by moving corresponding beads to a query string. User preference profiles can be constructed in the same way. Profiles can be saved and represented as bead strings that can be used in further interactions in the same manner as criteria beads. Results are displayed in a three-dimensional scene also. The accuracy of the match between retrieved records and the query correspond to the placement of results, also represented as beads, along the Z-axis of the scene.

Abstract: A multimedia information retrieval system and method including a method and system for automatic format conversion. The invention includes a data structure that is associated with each multimedia bitstream. The data structure identifies the encoding format, e.g., compression technique, used in the multimedia bitstream which is originated by a contents server. An automatic format conversion process then queries information from the client system (requester) and also receives the data structure identifying the encoding format. The client information identifies the decoding format. The automatic format conversion determines the transcoding process required for converting the bitstream from its encoded format to the format recognized by the client system. The format conversion process of the present invention also determines whether or not decoding is required before transcoding is performed thereby saving processing time and computer resources in those cases where decoding is not required.

Abstract: A system for creating and titling reports from a database by using a graphical title bar navigator to create and depict a natural language phrase to query a database and title the resulting report such that the navigator itself becomes the title, is provided. A set of parameters embodying the various tables and fields in a traditional database system is provided for selection in a menu by the user through this navigator. The user selects a first parameter through the navigator. Based on this selection, a further set of parameters is made available. Another selection is made and so on, until the specificity of the query has been achieved. Each selection that is made grammatically follows the selection before it such that the navigator depicts a complete sentence in natural language form. The query is communicated from the interface to the database management system which, in turn, accesses the data. The natural language phrase persists and becomes the title of the report.

Abstract: A method and system for solving constrained optimization problems. An initial abstract solution represents a prioritized set of decisions. The abstract solution is used as the basis for building a concrete solution. The concrete solution is analyzed to determine one or more local moves that represent a re-prioritization of the abstract solution. After a local moves is made, the process begins again with a new abstract solution, that is closer to an optimal solution. This process continues interactively until an optimal solution is reached or approached. The prioritized set of decisions can be implemented as a priority vector or a priority graph.

Abstract: A method of detecting and recovering from data corruption of a database is characterized by the step of logging information about reads of a database in memory to detect errors in data of the database, wherein said errors in data of said database arise from one of bad writes of data to the database, of erroneous input of data to the database by users and of logical errors in code of a transaction. The read logging method may be implemented in a plurality of database recovery models including a cache-recovery model, a prior state model a redo-transaction model and a delete transaction model. In the delete transaction model, it is assumed that logical information is not available to allow a redo of transactions after a possible error and the effects of transactions that read corrupted data are deleted from history and any data written by a transaction reading Ararat data is treated as corrupted.

Abstract: A high capacity computer article of manufacture to be loaded into a drive of a computer that includes a memory, comprising: a computer usable medium including at least one partition area and a boot sector, with the computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, comprising: first computer readable code means fixed in the boot sector including a first BIOS parameter block for setting parameters for the medium if inserted in a floppy drive of the computer; and second computer readable code means fixed in the boot sector comprising a Partition Table for organizing the medium to include at least one partition and for designating an active partition.

Abstract: The system for maintaining the integrity of application data functions to provide a mechanism to generate safe and efficient database transactions. This is accomplished by minimizing the number of constraints applied to the data stored in the database by segmenting the database into two portions: a set of base data objects and a set of view data objects. The base data objects comprise a set of data that is normalized to reduce the need for complex integrity checks. The set of view data objects represents views of the base data objects as presented in a form needed by the various applications extant in the processor. The system for maintaining the integrity of application data enables the applications to access both the view data objects the base data objects, but to effect a change in the data contained therein, access via an integrity checking process is only provided to the base data objects.

Abstract: A messaging system in which a core messaging infrastructure stores and manages messaging attributes, but applications external to the core infrastructure define and modify most attributes. Attribute types may be easily defined or modified, the manner in which attribute values are obtained may be easily defined or modified, and the entity types to which attributes are assigned may be easily defined or modified. The messaging system includes a plurality of messaging entities, such as messages, folders, and users, a plurality of attributes associated with the messaging entities, and a plurality of applications. Each application is operable to examine and modify at least some of the messaging entities and attributes. An application selection device is operable to examine at least some of the messaging entities and at least some of the attributes and to select an application to be invoked, from among the plurality of applications, based on values of the examined messaging entities and attributes.

Abstract: The video information retrieval system includes a client for inputting video data or retrieving a registered video file, and a retrieval server for registering video data transmitted from the client and retrieving the registered video data in response to a request from the client. The retrieval server analyzes a video stream upon registration of the video data and separates contents of a video constituting the video stream. The server extracts annotation information such as image feature vectors for each of the separated video contents and stores the annotation information in a video information table as a video object. The retrieval server performs retrieval processing in a unit of object on the basis of the retrieval condition designated for each video object by the user and judges the simultaneous appearance on the basis of appearance time section information of the object coincident with the retrieval condition to thereby extract the user's desired video scene and present it to the user.

Abstract: A system and method for organizing search categories for use in an on-line search query engine based on a geographic description is described. The city list is compiled into entries in a database organized by an official name for each city in the city list. A virtual city list is compiled into entries in a database organized by an unofficial name for each virtual city in a virtual city list. A friendly name list is compiled into entries in a database organized by a pseudonym for each friendly name in a friendly name list. A search query engine includes a user interface receiving a location descriptor presenting the search categories organized by an actual location. The search query engine also includes a resolution module resolving the actual location from the location descriptor using at least one of the official name in the city list, the unofficial name in the virtual city list, and the friendly name in the friendly name list.

Abstract: A computer system and method for providing digital video and data capitalizes on a bus, or broadcast backplane, created by circuitry contained within the central office. The broadcast backplane enables a plurality of video program data to be available to each end user, and allows a plurality of end users access to a plurality of video programming content without the necessity of delivering the entire program content to each end user. A user requests a particular program and, if authorized, receives at least that program over the communication channel. Simultaneous with the digital video content supplied on the channel is both bi-directional data service (such as for example, Internet data) and POTS (plain old telephone service). In this manner, a communication channel that is presently available to a large percentage of the population may be used to deliver digital video content, bi-directional data and POTS simultaneously.

Abstract: A browser for viewing data representing text, pictures, sounds, virtual reality worlds, links, or other objects, and organized in a hierarchical structure is provided to display and interact with links to the data. A retrieved set of data is displayed in a lens, and subsequently retrieved sets of data that are deeper in the hierarchical structure are displayed in further stacked lenses, creating a visual representation of the hierarchy. A label on each lens provides information on the data originally displayed in the lens. A user may choose to view the originally displayed contents of any lens on the screen. A user may also modify a personal hierarchical data structure comprising links to sets of data in the first hierarchical structure. In doing so, a user creates an entirely new hierarchical structure that customizes the organization of data according to personal preferences and takes advantage of natural association to reduce the number of perceived levels in the new hierarchical data structure.

Abstract: In embodiments of the present invention incorporate a facility to make a user, or client, aware of other users that are currently viewing the same Web, or display page. Functionality is provided in a browser to allow a user to initiate a collaboration operation with other users on the same Web page. A user provides user information to a registry via a registration process. The registry is further updated to include an entry identifying the page that is currently being viewed by a user. The user can access a collaboration interface to view a list of users that are currently viewing the same page as the user. The collaboration interface further allows the user to select a collaboration operation to collaborate with one or more users that are currently viewing the same page. In embodiments of the invention, the collaboration interface is generated by a Java applet and is contained within a portion of any general-purpose or special-purpose browser.

Abstract: A query word is used to identify one of a number of word groups, by first determining whether the query word is in any of the word groups. If not, attempts to modify the query word are made in accordance with successive suffix relationships in a sequence until a modified query word is obtained that is in one of the word groups. The sequence of suffix relationships, which can be pairwise relationships, can be defined by a list ordered according to the frequencies of occurrence of the suffix relationships in a natural language. If a modified query word is obtained that is in one of the word groups, information identifying the word group can be provided, such as a representative of the group or a list of words in the group.

Abstract: A customized method or algorithm for holding an interactive dialogue session between a (human) user and a machine (hereinafter referred to simply as a “dialogue”) is generated, such that the resulting dialogue advantageously responds to the user's requests and wherein the system's capability (i.e., the dialogue) is automatically modified thereafter based on dynamically changing external databases. Specifically, a computer system acts as a Dialogue Generator agent by creating such a customized dialogue consisting of services that are organized and presented in a form that is a combination of the user's expectations and the system's capabilities.