Abstract: A method using a central computer and work station for managing inventory. To dispense inventory to consumers, a system user is issued a card imprinted with a personal user bar code. This user bar code is read into the computer and subsequently verified through the entry of individual user access data to ensure the user is authorized. To issue an item to a consumer, the user must next identify through an input means the particular consumer to whom the item is to be issued. The item to be issued is imprinted with an item bar code. After identifying the consumer, the item bar code is read into the work station and converted to issued-item data. The issued-item data is communicated from the work station to the central computer, where the issued item is decremented from inventory data. The central computer then determines whether each issued item is chargeable to the particular consumer.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for comparing a text with its translation. The apparatus uses cognates in the text and the translation to make a list of first positions in the text and second positions in the translation. The second position specifies a location in the translation which is in the neighborhood of the translation of the first position in the text. By means of the list, a given location in the text can be related to a location in the translation which is in the neighborhood of the translation of the given location. The list permits parallel displays of the text and the translation and easy production of full-context concordances, glossaries, and histograms. Graphs based on the list can be used to detect parts of the text which are not in the translation and vice-versa. The list is made using a technique which iteratively computes an alignment path in a graph which records the positions of matching 4-grams in the text and the translation.

Abstract: A method of eliciting an unbiased prediction of an unknown variable value from at least one of a group of forecasters. This method of compensating individual forecasters can be applied to an entire group of forecasters so as to elicit an unbiased collective prediction. The method yields nearly unbiased predictions from risk-averse forecasters whenever at least two forecasters are employed to make the same prediction. The method involves: aggregating the predictions of the forecasters, both with and without the particular prediction of the individual forecaster; computing collective losses for both of the aggregated predictions; calculating the individual forecaster's marginal contribution to predictive accuracy, based on the difference in collective losses; and computing and paying the individual forecaster's compensation as a function of the individual's marginal contribution.

Abstract: A portable timing device stores selectable user, client and activity data. The device has a memory which stores user selected information relating to a user, client and activity along with corresponding start and stop times. The system communicates with a central billing computer over an appropriate two way port which reads and writes to the memory in the device. Also, disclosed is a method for recording provider, client and services in real time employing a streamlined and efficient sequencing of operation.

Abstract: A personal financial assistant computer system and method includes customer terminals at financial institution branch offices or other locations. Each customer terminal stores financial information for the particular financial services (such as insurance, annuities, bonds, mortgages or loans) sold at that terminal. A display is also provided at each terminal for displaying selected information. At least one representative terminal is provided at a central location and includes a display and keyboard. A telephone link is also provided between the customer terminals and the representative terminals for voice communication. According to the invention, a representative at the representative terminal controls the customer terminal in response to commands initiated from the input device, thereby displaying financial service information at the customer terminal under control of the representative terminal.

Abstract: A cash register which is capable of executing a temporary-closing process without terminating a transaction, includes a closing key (15) for inputting an end-indication of a registering process of transaction data, and a temporary-closing key (12) to initiate collecting registered contents prior to ending the registering process. The temporary-closing key (12) initiates executing a temporary-closing operation in accordance with a result of the accumulation. Further, the temporary-closing key (12) initiates collecting contents of payments after a periodic payment is paid in case that the periodic payment is made after a registering process is performed by an occurrence of a partial payment with the one transaction.

Abstract: A procedure and device for analyzing the gray scale of mammograms. Mammogram images are digitized and subject to image enhancement by manipulating the gray scale. Each pixel of the digitized mammogram is grouped as to a gray scale interval and those pixels lying in the same gray scale interval are assigned a common display value. The display values are displayed for each pixel location on both a color and monochrome monitor producing a unique pattern giving a finer detailed image of density changes in breast parenchyma. Interpretation of these patterns indicate suspicious areas where immediate magnification of the suspect area can produce a better image of a mass for application of known malignant tumor characteristics.

Abstract: A system and method for providing computerized, knowledge-based medical diagnostic and treatment advice. The medical advice is provided to the general public over a telephone network. Two new authoring languages, interactive voice response and speech recognition are used to enable expert and general practitioner knowledge to be encoded for access by the public. "Meta" functions for time-density analysis of a number of factors regarding the number of medical complaints per unit of time are an integral part of the system. A semantic discrepancy evaluator routine along with a mental status examination are used to detect the consciousness level of a user of the system. A re-enter feature monitors the user's changing condition over time. A symptom severity analysis helps to respond to the changing conditions. System sensitivity factors may be changed at a global level or other levels to adjust the system advice as necessary.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system for brokering transactions between sellers and a buyer of goods or services, including a database, a seller interface, and a buyer's interface. The database contains information, including multimedia information, descriptive of respective ones of the goods or services. The seller interface enables the sellers to interactively enter information, including multimedia information, into the database. The buyer's interface provides a knowledge-based interactive protocol, enabling the buyer to select and review the descriptive information from the database, and makes perceptible the multimedia information in response to an interactive buyer request.

Abstract: The invention is directed to non-invasive methods and apparatus for three-dimensional measurement of surface profile and/or volume, and analysis of surface texture for evaluation of wound repair, assessment of surgical reconstructions or treatment of hypertrophic scarring, evaluation of polymerization reactions for polymer and elastomeric curing processes, or in any industrial process requiring quantitative monitoring of surface texture and profile. Both volume and surface texture are quantitatively measured very accurately, and the apparatus and method can be used on both soft and hard surfaces according to the above objectives. The invention generally comprises an apparatus and method to image a three-dimensional surface for volumetric analysis and/or surface texture.

Abstract: A universal electronic transaction card ("UET card") is capable of serving as a number of different credit cards, bank cards, identification cards, employee cards, medical cards and the like. The UET card includes information storage elements, an input interface, a processor, a display, and a communications interface. In a preferred embodiment, the display is a touch-sensitive display which provides the user with a number of graphical images which enable the user to selectively chose the type of "credit card" to use for a transaction, and to then choose a particular credit card to use with the transaction. After the choice is made, a graphic image appears on the display which looks like the face of a plastic credit card, including the account number, the user's name, the name of the credit card company and its logo. Thereafter, the user presents the UET card to the point of sales terminal for a sales transaction.

Abstract: A method of evaluating quantitatively in a design stage degrees of difficulty of works and processings to be performed on an article or parts at various stage of life thereof such as manufacturing, sale, use, maintenance/inspection/repair, recovery, dismantling, disassembling, recycling for resources, nontoxication and scrapping. Part elimination scores E.sub.i representing degrees of difficulty of the works and processings to be performed on the parts are regarded to be a function of indexes indicating the degrees of difficulty of the works and the processings for the parts and expressed by E.sub.i =f(G.sub.i), while an article evaluation score E representing the degrees of difficulty of the work and the processing for the article is regarded to be a function of a mean value of the part evaluation scores E.sub.i or an index G (.SIGMA.G.sub.i) indicating the degrees of difficulty of the work and the processing for the article and expressed by E=f(G)=f(.SIGMA.G.sub.i).

Abstract: Rules registered in the electronic secretary system are defined by separating each of them into a trigger descriptor part, a condition part for object data retrieval, and an action part, and a flag indicating whether or not to fire a rule and a flag indicating whether or not to suppress firing of a rule after it is fired once are installed in each rule, and a flag for selecting whether to automatically activate the action when object data is retrieved or to activate the action after the user confirms it is installed, and an area for storing the period and timing for judging success or failure of the condition when necessary is referred to so as to change the corresponding flag to ON or OFF or to change the period and, whether to automatically execute the electronic secretary system or to execute it after a human confirms it, can be selected freely.

Abstract: A system for determining selections that a user is likely to be interested in. The determination is made based on the user's prior indicated preferences. The user designates his or her preferred selections as entries in a user's preference list. Entries in the user's list are compared with entries in the other users' lists. When a significant number of matches have been found between two lists, the unmatched entries of the other user's preference list are extracted. The unmatched entries are further processed. Those unmatched entries with a high correlation to the user's preference list are presented to the user as selections in which the user is likely to be interested.

Abstract: The present invention, called the Application Program Language Translator (APLT), is a method that allows application programs, performing user interfacing, to be presented/displayed in part or in whole in any language in real-time as selected by the user. In a preferred embodiment the invention comprises two processes, the Learn process and the Run process. The Learn process constructs an application specific translation table (ASTT) specifically for the target application. The Run process utilizes the ASTT during the execution of the target application and performs actual translation for the displays. Application programs can utilize graphic user interface (GUI) on graphical operating system platforms, Such as OS/2, Windows and Unix, running on personal computers (PCs) or workstations. Application programs can be a text based application running in a pure text mode operating system platform, such as DOS, OS/2 and UNIX.

Abstract: A data processing system is disclosed that establishes and administers charge accounts, including both funded and post-funded accounts. In one embodiment, the system of the invention establishes charge accounts for all of the patients of a medical professional, with creditworthy patients having funded accounts, and patients who are not creditworthy having post-funded accounts. Each patient is issued a charge card which can be used to pay for medical services at participating providers. When a patient with a funded account charges medical services, the doctor is paid promptly and the servicing company proceeds to collect payment from the patient. For post-funded accounts, the doctor is not paid until funds are received from the patient.

Abstract: This is a procedure for determining text relevancy and can be used to enhance the retrieval of text documents by search queries. This system helps a user intelligently and rapidly locate information found in large textual databases. A first embodiment determines the common meanings between each word in the query and each word in the document. Then an adjustment is made for words in the query that are not in the documents. Further, weights are calculated for both the semantic components in the query and the semantic components in the documents. These weights are multiplied together, and their products are subsequently added to one another to determine a real value number (similarity coefficient) for each document. Finally, the documents are sorted in sequential order according to their real value number from largest to smallest value. Another, embodiment is for routing documents to topics/headings (sometimes referred to as filtering).

Abstract: An advanced dive computer for use by a user of a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus that can communicate with a conventional personal computer through a digital computer interface to allow the user to customize the dive computer. The dive computer also calculates and stores a variety of dive parameters that the user can access with a conventional personal computer. Moreover, the dive computer automatically calibrates its depth calculations in accordance with the salinity of the water into which it is submerged and is sealed in a secure watertight case with as few case-penetrations a possible.

Abstract: A hand-held, battery-powered medical questionnaire presentation device is provided for use by a patient. The device has means for displaying questions to the patient, a limited number of keys by which the patient can enter answers, and a memory device for storing the patient's answers. The device is controlled by a pre-programmed microcomputer which stores in a memory the text of user instructions, medical or health-related questions, and words to be used in printed reports. The microcomputer is programmed to tally the patient's answers and, on the basis of that information and objective data supplied by a medical staffer, to present an evaluation of aspects of the patient's medical condition or health status.

Abstract: A combinatorial optimization system to reduce the number of neighborhoods generated by modifying a part of the present solution so that one improvement can be performed in a short time, and to efficiently obtain an optimum solution without resulting in a local optimum solution.