Patents Examined by Paul V. Kulik
  • Patent number: 5999935
    Abstract: A multisystem log stream of a multisystem environment is compressed. The oldest record needed for each system that can write or delete entries from the multisystem log stream is tracked, and that information is used in compression of the log stream. The block ids associated with those oldest records are maintained within a vector, and when the vector is updated, a determination is made as to whether the entry in the vector that it replaced previously contained the lowest block id in the vector. If so, all the records having block ids lower than the new lowest block id in the vector are deleted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Carl Edward Clark, Steven Jay Greenspan, Jeffrey Douglas Haggar, Danny Ray Sutherland
  • Patent number: 5995959
    Abstract: This invention provides methods to locate and plan the retrieval of data from networked information sources in response to a user query. The methods utilize descriptions of the information sources, the information domain of the sources, and of the query. The methods of this invention integrate both legacy systems and full relational databases with an efficient, domain-independent, query-planning algorithm, reason about the capabilities of different information sources, handle partial goal satisfaction i.e., gather as much data as possible when all that the user requested cannot be gathered, are both sound and complete, and are efficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: The Board of Regents of the University of Washington
    Inventors: Marc T. Friedman, Chung T. Kwok, Daniel S. Weld
  • Patent number: 5991771
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for synchronizing transactions in a disconnectable network. Each transaction includes operations that were performed on a database replica on one computer while that computer was disconnected from another computer and hence from that other computer's replica. Transaction synchronization, which occurs after the computers are reconnected, transfers information from each computer to the other computer and applies updates to both replicas as appropriate. Transaction logs and clash handling tools may be used with the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Novell, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick T. Falls, Brian J. Collins, Stephen P. W. Draper
  • Patent number: 5991752
    Abstract: The present application discloses a method and apparatus for extracting association rules from data having two or more numeric attributes and a true-false attribute, and for presenting the rules in an easily understandable form. The method comprises the steps of: (i) storing numbers u(i,j) and v(i,j) of data in each pixel whose true-false attribute is true, so as to correspond to each pixel in a plane; (ii) inputting a condition .theta.; (iii) segmenting from the plane a rectilinear region S of the pixels to maximize the equation ##EQU1## ;and (iv) outputting data included in the segmented rectilinear region S. The invention also allows regions to be derived which satisfy a desired support maximization rule, confidence maximization rule, optimized entropy rule, and optimized interclass variance rule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Fukuda, Kunikazu Yoda, Takeshi Tokuyama, Shinichi Morishita
  • Patent number: 5991754
    Abstract: A method and system are provided for processing queries, where the queries do not reference a particular materialized view. Specifically, techniques are provided for handling a query that specifies a first set of one or more aggregate functions, where the particular materialized view reflects a second set of one or more aggregate functions. Whether the query can be rewritten is determined based on the aggregate functions in the first and second sets, and the corresponding arguments. Techniques are also provided for processing a query that (1) does not reference a particular materialized view, (2) specifies a first set of one or more aggregate functions, where the particular materialized view reflects a second set of one or more aggregate functions. A technique is also provided for rewriting queries that specify an outer join that has a dimension table on the child-side of the outer join and a fact table on the parent-side of the outer join.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Oracle Corporation
    Inventors: John Raitto, Mohamed Ziauddin, James Finnerty
  • Patent number: 5991756
    Abstract: A search query is applied to documents in a document repository wherein the documents are organized into a hierarchy. A search engine searches the hierarchy to return documents which match a query term either directly or indirectly. A specific embodiment of the search engine organizes the query term into individual subterms and matches the subterms against documents, returning only those documents which indirectly match the entire search query term and directly match at least one of the query subterms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: Yahoo, Inc.
    Inventor: Jiong Wu
  • Patent number: 5987457
    Abstract: A user views search results and subjectively determines if a document is desirable or undesirable. Only documents categorized by the user are analyzed for deriving a list of prospective keywords. The frequency of occurrence of each word of each document is derived. Keywords that occur only in desirable documents are good keywords. Keywords that occur only in undesirable documents are bad keywords. Keywords that occurs in both types are dirty keywords. The best keywords are the good keywords with the highest frequency of occurrence. The worst keywords are the bad keywords with the highest frequency of occurrence. A new query phrase includes the highest ranked good keywords and performs filtering using the highest ranked bad keywords. Key phrases are derived to clean dirty keywords into good key phrases. A key phrase also is derived from a good keyword and replaces the good keyword to narrow a search.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Acceleration Software International Corporation
    Inventor: Clinton L. Ballard
  • Patent number: 5983218
    Abstract: Disclosed is a multimedia database for use in distributed network environments. A query processing module transforms user queries into search transformations that can be used for indexing; an attentional selection module records salient information represented in images by a hierarchy of feature maps, saliency maps and combined saliency maps; a declarative memory comprises active modules that update the representations acquired over time for the same images, as well as across images, to cluster, categorize and organize information extracted from different images by the attentional selection module; and an indexing mechanism utilizes the search transformations from the query processing module to search the declarative memory for an answer to a user query.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventor: Tanveer F. Syeda-Mahmood
  • Patent number: 5983241
    Abstract: A file management system includes a file link control section for relating earlier and later version files to files and a version group information getting section for getting a version group consisting of files having specific relationship with a specified file based on relation information. The file link control section relates the files to each other only with the file identifiers of the earlier and later version files and enables highly flexible registration and deletion in version relationships, and linking and separating of version groups associated with the registration or deletion. The version group information getting section traces the relation information for getting file information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Haruhisa Hoshino
  • Patent number: 5983318
    Abstract: The hit ratio in an automated storage library is maximized by tracking the frequency of usage of each file and rewriteable storage medium therein. For each file therein, the library counts the number of times such files are accessed. For each storage medium therein, the library counts the number of mounts thereof. Periodically, the usage statistics are reviewed to determine the most frequently used files and storage media in the library. The most frequently used files are then transferred to the most frequently used storage media, which then become still more frequently used. The less frequently used files are transferred to the less frequently used storage media, which become still less frequently used. By definition, the most frequently used storage media are the most likely to be mounted, thereby increasing the hit ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lee Douglas Willson, Daniel James Winarski
  • Patent number: 5983213
    Abstract: A request accepting server accepts a processing request of data of a predetermined type, analyzes the request, and allocates a process corresponding to the request to either one of the request accepting server and at least one database processing server. A handle is a control block to manage a storage area of data as a processing target and has a server in which the processing target data has been stored and information regarding its storing position. When the processing target data corresponding to the processing request is processed in accordance with the processing request, the request accepting server executes a process according to the processing request by using a handle regarding the processing target data. When an entity of the processing target data is necessary, the entity of the processing target data is obtained on the basis of the handle and is processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Nakano, Masashi Tsuchida, Masato Asami, Morihiro Iwata, Norihiro Hara, Yoshito Kamegi
  • Patent number: 5983248
    Abstract: A data processing system and method for generating a representation of an electronic document, for indexing the electronic document, for navigating the electronic document using its representation and for displaying the electronic document on an output device. The system and method are used with electronic documents having descriptive markup which describes the content or meaning of the document rather than its appearance. Such documents may be represented by a tree. Each markup element defines a node or element in a tree. The tree is represented by providing a unique identifier for each element and for accessing a descriptor of the element. An element descriptor preferably includes indications of the parent, first child, last child, left sibling, right sibling, type name and text location for the element. The document representation is used to facilitate navigation of the text for constructing navigational aids such as table of contents and full text indexing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Inso Providence Corporation
    Inventors: Steven DeRose, Jeffrey Vogel
  • Patent number: 5983235
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for managing datastore persistent objects and datastore collections in an object-oriented environment. A computerized system in accordance with the principles of the present invention creates datastore persistent objects that encapsulate logical units of data retrieved an external non-object-oriented datastore, creates schema mappers associated with the datastore persistent objects that translate common elements between the data retrieved from the datastore and the datastore persistent objects, creates datastore collections for organizing the datastore persistent objects, and tracks the datastore collections, schema mappers and datastore persistent objects using an instance manager.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Blackman, Jack L. Howe, III
  • Patent number: 5978802
    Abstract: A file allocation and management system for a multi-user network environment is disclosed. At least one server and two or more clients are disposed along the network in communicating via a request/response transfer protocol. Files directed for shared usage among the clients along the network are stored at the server. Each client is adapted to communicate with the server through a plurality of identifier sockets, wherein a first identifier socket is configured for bi-directional communication and a second identifier socket is configured for unidirectional communications initiated by the server. Files normally stored at the server, under appropriate circumstances may be temporarily stored in an internal cache or other memory at each client location, when the file is in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Hans Hurvig
  • Patent number: 5978788
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for approximating the data stored in a databases by generating multiple projections and representations from the database such that the OLAP queries for the original database (such as aggregation and histogram operations) may be applied to the approximated version of the database, which can be much smaller than the original databases. Other aspects optimize a mapping, via a mapping (or dimension) table, of non-numeric or numeric attributes to other numeric attributes such that the error incurred on applying queries to the approximated version of the database is minimized. Still further aspects define boundaries of approximations so that the boundaries are preserved when approximated versions of the databases are generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Vittorio Castelli, Anant Deep Jhingran, Chung-Sheng Li, John Timothy Robinson
  • Patent number: 5978791
    Abstract: In a data processing system, a mechanism identifies data items by substantially unique identifiers which depend on all of the data in the data items and only on the data in the data items. The system also determines whether a particular data item is present in the database by examining the identifiers of the plurality of data items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Kinetech, Inc.
    Inventors: David A. Farber, Ronald D. Lachman
  • Patent number: 5978811
    Abstract: A data model for an information repository (10) models data as objects (12), the relationships (14) or interdependencies between the data, their physical storage or access information (18) and rules or methods of accessing the data (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: Phillip L. Smiley
  • Patent number: 5974410
    Abstract: A computer-based uniform data interface (UDI) system for accessing in a uniform manner data from a data source with an arbitrary organization. The UDI system provides a UDI application programming interface (API) with functions for creating and accessing data organized into containers that contain one or more folders. Each folder optionally contains sub-folders and scalars. The UDI system also provides a UDI registry for registering types of containers and folders supported by a data source, for enumerating the types of containers and folders supported by the data source, and for instantiating container and folder objects corresponding to the data of the data source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce W. Copeland, Jonathan I. Shuval
  • Patent number: 5974416
    Abstract: A method and tabular data stream format is provided for the transmission of tabular data between a client process running on a client computer and a server process running on a server computer via a network such as the Internet. The tabular data stream format, called the Advanced Data TableGram (ADTG) format, is ideally suited for marshaling tabular data in both directions between a Web browser and a Web server. A Web browser query is processed by the Web server retrieving tabular data from a database and converting the data into a Rowset. The Rowset, in turn, is formatted into an ADTG message. The ADTG message includes a Header section, a HandlerOptions section, a Row section, and an End section. The Header section includes data representing global parameters for a tabular data stream. The Handler Options section contains data representing parameters for controlling the processing of the tabular data stream by a process receiving the tabular data stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Thulusalamatom Krishnamurthi Anand, Peter A. Tucker, John G. Bennett, Kamaljit S. Bath, Raja Krishnaswamy
  • Patent number: 5974427
    Abstract: A method and computer system for implementing concurrent edits of a database record by a plurality of users is provided. The preferred embodiment allocates a fixed amount of storage space in the computer system's main memory for each of the plurality of users. The fixed amount of storage space is for storing versions of the record created as a result of the user modifying the record. In response to an access request for the record by one of the plurality of users, the preferred embodiment determines whether the user should be given access to the record itself or to one of the versions of the record, if any exist. When the user modifies the record to create a version of the record, the preferred embodiment stores the version of the record within the fixed amount of storage space allocated to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Allen Reiter