Abstract: A two stage electronic messaging system and method of use that automatically and accurately responds to user queries (e.g., input documents) using a two stage searching and retrieval system. The two stages system includes fast document-matching techniques (e.g., “weak” search techniques) in combination with more advanced categorization and text-search techniques (e.g., machine learning and other semi-automated techniques). The two stage searching and retrieval system may be used via the Internet, an intranet, LAN or other similar system, and may be used for providing requested information to a user (e.g., customer, employee, customer representative and the like) via a content rich web site, a propriety database or any computer related help system.

Abstract: An in-place reorganization of a database achieves reasonably accurate results for users during high-throughput concurrent usage of the database. The reorganization's movement of records across a user transaction's position within a scan of the database is tracked. The behavior of the user transaction is corrected to account for the movement of the records.

Abstract: State-based offspring objects are created to correspond to each object in a file system when the corresponding object is opened. Each offspring object contains two fields, an original name field containing the name of the object as opened and a final name field. Each name change made to the object is written to the final name field so that the final name field always reflects the last change made to the name of the object. The various combinations of the fields define the offspring object's state. The offspring objects are arranged in a hierarchical structure that mimics the structure of the file system with the offspring object corresponding to the top level open object as its root. When the changes are committed, the state of the offspring object determines the operation to be performed on the corresponding object. Once the commit is completed, the original name field is overwritten with the final name. If changes are aborted, the original name is written to the final name field to revert the changes.

Abstract: A method of performing design synchronization in a computer system is described. At least a portion of a source schema and at least a portion of a target schema are compared. The target schema is modified based on the differences therebetween. In a preferred fashion, design changes are made at the target with target-specific syntax and the minimum number of equivalent operations.

Abstract: A meta-search engine apparatus and method for searching distributed networks using a plurality of search devices. The meta-search engine apparatus sends search queries to a plurality of search engines and compiles the results obtained from each of these search engines into a single ranked list. The results obtained from each of the search engines includes a listing of the titles of found sources of the search terms, or related search terms, and a summary of the source. The compilation and ranking is based primarily on the occurrence of search terms, or related search terms, in the titles and summaries but may also be based on, for example, relative weights given to each search engine, the number of search engines returning the same source as a result of a search, weighting of sections of the results obtained from the search engines, and the like.

Abstract: A system for automatically switching a computer to a password protected screen saver mode when a computer user leaves the proximity of the computer. The system includes a proximity sensor that determines whether or not an individual is located proximate the computer. The proximity sensor interfaces with either the computer a bus bridge, a keyboard controller, a keyboard, or some another component of the computer to cause the computer to start executing a screen saver program responsive to an output signal from the proximity sensor. A variety of proximity sensors may be used, including ultrasound, infrared, or electromagnetic proximity sensors. A proximity sensor may also detect the presence of the computer user by detecting the weight of the user at a location proximate the computer.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for determining if a query document matches one or more of a plurality of documents in a database. In a coarse matching stage, a compressed file or other query document is scanned to produce a bit profile. Global statistics such as line spacing and text height are calculated from the bit profile and used to narrow the field of documents to be searched in an image database. The bit profile is cross-correlated with bit profiles of documents in the search space to identify candidates for a detailed matching stage. If multiple candidates are generated in the coarse matching stage, a set of endpoint features is extracted from the query document for detailed matching in the detailed matching stage. Endpoint features contain sufficient information for various levels of processing, including page skew and orientation estimation.

Abstract: Lock-free methods and systems for accessing information in an indexed computer data structure may include a lookup procedure, an insertion procedure, a removal and replacement procedure, and a release procedure. Each of these procedures accesses entries in an indexed computer data structure, such as a hash table, to access and store information. Each entry in the indexed computer data structure may include an in-use counter to indicate when the entry is in use by one or more threads. The in-use counter permits multiple threads or processes to concurrently access an entry without locks.

Abstract: An x86 based computer system that implements an advanced firmware based boot process without a conventional x86 BIOS. The computer system includes an x86 processor coupled to a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory via a bus, wherein the non-volatile memory includes an advanced firmware. The advanced firmware is executed by the processor to implement a boot sequence. During the boot sequence, the computer system initializes device drivers using the advanced firmware and interfaces with advanced firmware compliant program with the device drivers of the computer system. The computer system also initializes a virtual compatibility machine for supporting legacy software programs. The virtual compatibility machine includes a plurality of compatibility models.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for identifying associated key words in a data set. Associated key words are identified by a parser which firstly operates to extract key words from a data set. These key words are then analyzed by the parser to identify which key words, if any, have an association as determined by a predefined set of rules. These rules are grammatical and include, for example, two key words both being nouns that occur one after the other without intervening low value words. A similar rule applies to nouns followed by verbs but does not extend to verbs followed by nouns. These rules allow terms and phrases such as “information technology” and “wide area network” to be identified as associated key words rather than as individual and unrelated key words.

Abstract: In an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a plurality of computer systems, an input interpreter separates an input character string from a user into commands and parameters, and a first degree of similarity calculating unit calculates the degree of similarity between context information representing the parameters and metadata of the computer systems. A second degree of similarity calculating unit revises the degree of similarity based upon the processing cost of a command. A command execution unit selects the computer system for which the revised degree of similarity is greatest, converts the input character string to language employed by the selected computer system, outputs the converted character string to the selected computer system and transmits the results obtained to a user terminal. Thus, a computer best suited to execution of processing can be selected from a plurality of computers connected by a network without requiring that the user make any designations.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for retrieving image information in a computer. A controller receives a schematic image inputted by a user and normalizes the input image to an image of a constant size. A feature vector of each sub block of the normalized image is extracted, and the extracted feature vector is quantized to one of representative values of a determined number within feature vector space. An image profile indicating the frequency of occurrence of the feature vector of the input image is generated with respect to a quantizing level. A profile of the input image is compared with a profile of each image in an image data base part. An image corresponding to a profile whose similarity is within a reference value is displayed.

Abstract: An integrated system for managing changes in regulatory and non-regulatory requirements for business activities at an industrial or commercial facility. Application of this system to environmental, health and safety activities, and to food, drug, cosmetic, and medical treatment and device activities, are discussed as examples.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for extracting key terms from a data set, the method includes identifying a first set of one or more word groups of one or more word that occur more than once in the data set, and removing from this first set a second set of word groups that are sub-strings of longer word groups in the first set. The remaining word groups are key terms. Each word group is weighted according to its frequency of occurrence within the data set. The weighting of any word group may be increased by the frequency of any sub-string of words occurring in the second set and then dividing each weighting by the number of words in the word group. This weighting process operates to determine the order of occurrence of the word groups. Prefixes and suffixes are also removed from each word in the data set. This produces a neutral form of each word so that the weighting values are prefix and suffix independent.

Abstract: A method for manipulating objects within a distributed object oriented environment on a data processing system. Complex issues of a distributed object oriented environment are encapsulated within a software generated framework. A plurality of abstract classes of objects with predefined characteristics is created for utilization within the framework. Also, a plurality of proxy objects are connected to the framework. The framework manipulates the proxy objects to instantiate communication and data transfer between objects of the distributed object oriented environment.

Abstract: Fields which are individually addressable data elements in data structures are reordered to improve the efficiency of cache line access. Temporal data regarding the referencing of such fields is obtained, and a tool is used to construct a field affinity graph of temporal access affinities between the fields. Nodes in the graph represent fields, and edges between the nodes are weighted to indicate field affinity. A first pass greedy algorithm attempts to combine high affinity fields in the same cache line or block. Constraints are used to reject invalid combinations of fields. Data structures such as class are partitioned into heavily referenced and less heavily referenced portions. The partitioning is based on profile information about field access counts with indirect addressing used to reference the less heavily referenced partitioned class. A class co-location scheme is used to ensure that temporally correlated classes are placed near each other in cache blocks.

Abstract: Flexible control of access to a Basic Input/Output System memory is provided by a programmable non-volatile storage unit that stores a non-volatile signal and generates a control signal based on the non-volatile signal. A control circuit coupled to the programmable non-volatile storage unit receives the control signal from the non-volatile storage unit. The control circuit also receives a BIOS memory address signal and generates a modified BIOS memory address signal. In this way, different BIOS programs may be accessed on boot-up.

Abstract: A method and computer system for a system setup program includes a routine for displaying a subset of bootable devices from an adapter card, such as a PERC card, on a system from which a user may specify a bootable device to serve as a boot drive, and bootable devices to serve as alternative boot drives. The computer system includes a system Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), a system processor, a system memory coupled to the system processor, at least one expansion slot coupled to the system processor via a bus, at least one adapter coupled to the computer system via the at least one expansion slot, and a system BIOS ROM code. The BIOS ROM code detects a plurality of bootable devices on the computer system, selects from the plurality of bootable devices a preselected number of bootable devices for display, and displays the subset of bootable devices on a setup display. The setup display allows a user to specify a bootable device to serve as a boot drive of the computer system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an index managing unit which comprises an index storage managing section for managing content information corresponding to key information constituting an index on a storage area, a management information storage managing section for managing management information about the index on the storage area, and a management information updating section for updating the management information on the basis of record information inputted as information to be added to the index and constructed in units of a set of key information and content information. The index storage managing section is composed of an area calculating section for calculating, through an arithmetic, a free area to be set when necessary on the basis of the management information at the updating of the index and an area allocating section for allocating the storage area for the storage of the index on the basis of the calculated free area.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a computer matching system used by a plurality of users and the method therefor, said system comprising a database; an offer creation program means for creating an entity for an offer input by each user in the database and storing said offer therein; and a search engine for comparing and matching a requirement input by a user with other users' offers stored in the database and returning matching results to said user. Advantageously, said requirement includes multiple elements as search criteria, each of said elements is assigned a weight of importance thereby each matching result has a search score indicating satisfaction level of said user, said search engine further perform ordering and ranking of said matching results according to the respective search scores thereof, and only the matching results have search scores above a predetermined satisfaction level are returned to said user.