Abstract: A product and method are disclosed for creating an efficient message store and delivery system is provided. A message store having an index directory, index file, and data bucket area, all of which are page based, is described. Each page corresponds to a period of time, such as a day. Each data bucket contains message data and the actual content of the message. The index file contains index file cells which store index information characterizing an associated message. The index directory contains index directory cells which store information on the location of an associated index file cell, and is thereby associated with a message. It also includes page based user folders each having user cells which reference a message, associated with a user, in the user store. A message includes a reference pointer to an associated index file cell and a reference pointer to an associated index directory cell.

Abstract: A method and computer software product for updating a redundant transaction service system, wherein the redundant transaction service system includes a first transaction service device and a second transaction service device. The method comprises removing the first transaction service device from on-line service and installing new software on the first transaction service device. Next, a current database associated with the second transaction service device is transferred to the first transaction service device. The transferred current database is converted into a format associated with the new software. After the transfer and conversion of the current database, the first transaction service device is returned into on-line service.

Abstract: A system for, and method of, displaying a sorted list on a display device and a computer incorporating the system or the method. In one embodiment, the system includes: (1) a sort-point identifier that scans a key field of a sorted list and determines sort-points in the key field and (2) a key field marker, associated with the sort-point identifier, that associates marks with the key field based on the sort-points and causes at least a portion of the sorted list and the associated marks to be displayed on the display device.

Abstract: A method for merging real and synthetic images in real time is comprised of the steps of providing a first signal containing depth and image information per pixel about a real image. A second signal containing depth and image information per pixel about a synthetic image is provided. The depth information corresponding to the real image and the depth information corresponding to the synthetic image for each pixel are compared. Based on the comparison, either the image information corresponding to the real image or the image information corresponding to the synthetic image is selected and combined.

Abstract: A three-tier data processing system of the present invention includes a client application, operating on a client machine (i.e., first tier), which obtains data from a back-end data source (e.g., database server) by submitting a request (e.g., SQL query) to a middle tier. The middle tier, in turn, comprises a provider and a resolver. Data is actually returned to the client by means of a "data packet" of the present invention, which is a platform-independent self-describing data format used to exchange data between different subsystems of the architecture. A data packet normally represents a result set, which is received by a client from a remote server, containing both data and metadata. Upon receiving the data packet from the provider, the client unpacks the data and then proceeds to process and manipulate the data as if it were local data (e.g., for insert, deletes, updates, and the like).

Abstract: A probabilistic queue lock divides requesters for a lock into at least three sets. In one embodiment, the requesters are divided into the owner of the lock, the first waiting contender, and the other waiting contenders. The first waiting contender is made probabilistically more likely to obtain the lock by having it spin faster than the other waiting contenders. Because the other waiting contenders spin more slowly, the first waiting contender is more likely to be able to observe the free lock and acquire it before the other waiting contenders notice that it is free. The first of the other waiting contenders that determines that the previous first waiting contender has acquired the lock is promoted to be the new first waiting contender and begins spinning fast. Because only the first waiting contender is spinning fast on the lock, it is probable that only the first waiting contender will attempt to acquire the lock when it becomes available.

Abstract: A track ball control system which is attachable to a computer system that has a display screen on which a cursor is positionable, including at least one track ball regulator for providing physical control of the position of the track ball in response to signals from the control system. These signals depend on the location of the cursor on the display screen and cause the track ball to change in movement. This change in movement may be a vertical change, and/or an azimuthal change. The operator does not control this change in movement except indirectly by knowingly or unknowingly positioning the cursor in a position which causes the signals to be sent to the track ball.

Abstract: A keyword is provided for each file, and a list of a plurality of files is displayed using a tree structure based on the keywords. From the file list, a source file to be moved or copied is selected, and is moved or copied to a different location. Then, a keyword corresponding to the location to which the file has been moved or copied is added to the source file. In addition, the form of the source file is converted to a file form that corresponds to that at the location to which the file is moved or copied.

Abstract: A class in an object oriented system may be made recyclable by inheriting a recycle.oval-hollow. method from a recyclable class. When automatic garbage collection is attempted on an instance of a class that is recyclable, the garbage collector invokes the recycle.oval-hollow. method on the instance to determine whether or not the instance should be disposed of by the garbage collector. One or more predetermined recycle criteria are used to determine whether a recyclable instance should, in fact, be recycled. If the instance satisfies the recycle criteria, appropriate recycling logic is executed to cause the instance to be recycled, and the garbage collection of the instance is not performed. If, however, the instance is not recyclable, or if it does not satisfy the recycling criteria, it is disposed of by the garbage collector.

Abstract: A uniform object model integrates objects defined by foreign type systems into a single integrated object oriented system. The type system for the integrated object oriented system supports a superset of features from foreign object systems. The uniform object model approach converts foreign objects into uniform object model objects defined by the integrated type system and layers onto the uniform object model objects additional members supported by the integrated type system. Adapters integrate foreign objects and data sources into the integrated object oriented system by implementing foreign objects as full fledged objects of the system. The foreign object adapters are bi-directional such that objects, registered in the system, are exposed to foreign object systems. During run time, clients obtain a connection to the data source adapter, which supports the target data source, to execute transactions in the target data source.

Abstract: A computer-based method and system for establishing topic words to represent a document, the topic words being suitable for use in document retrieval. The method includes determining document keywords from the document; classifying each of the document keywords into one of a plurality of preestablished keyword classes; and selecting words as the topic words, each selected word from a different one of the preestablished keyword classes, to minimize a cost function on proposed topic words. The cost function may be a metric of dissimilarity, such as cross-entropy, between a first distribution of likelihood of appearance by the plurality of document keywords in a typical document and a second distribution of likelihood of appearance by the plurality of document keywords in a typical document, the second distribution being approximated using proposed topic words. The cost function can be a basis for sorting the priority of the documents.

Abstract: A system for protection of filesystem data integrity within a computer cluster is provided. The system uses redundant data caches at client and server nodes within the computer cluster. Caching of filesystem data is controlled so that non-shared files are preferably cached at client nodes. This increases filesystem performance within the computer cluster and ensures that failures may not result in a loss of modified filesystem data without a corresponding loss to the process(es) accessing that data. Shared files are cached at the server node and a backup cache node. This protects modified filesystem data against any single node failure.

Abstract: A document processing apparatus includes a text processor which compares temporal words and phrases of a first document which is used to generate a second, modified document, with temporal words and phrases in the second, modified document, and with temporal metrics. The result of the comparison operation is used to determine whether any temporal words in the modified document have not been updated or should be changed. The document processing apparatus helps to avoid inadvertent errors or omissions concerning temporal phrases, including dates, made when a new document is created using a pre-existing document.

Abstract: A manuscript text composition system and a program storage medium for the same specify data groups with a plurality of dimensions using a parameter table having two or more dimensional coordinate axes to manage data. In pasting specific data, a manuscript text composition system and a program storage medium for the same make it possible to paste specific data after various processing has been conducted. In pasting specific data using templates that enable characters and images to be pasted in a replaceable manner using replacement detection keys, a manuscript text composition system and a program storage medium for the same set parameters used in each corresponding template, and specify the parameters by the replacement detection keys themselves so that each specific processing can be conducted.

Abstract: In an information processing system with a database for storing database records wherein each of said database records has a unique identifier, a method for naming data files comprising the steps of: (a) associating at least one of said database records with additional data specified by a data file name; and (b) naming at least part of said data file name to said unique record identifier for said one of said database records of step (a). In an alternate embodiment, an information processing system with a database for storing database records wherein each of said database records has a unique identifier; at least one data file name for specifying additional data wherein part of each data file name is composed of one of said unique identifiers for one of said database records, a method for locating data files comprising the steps of: retrieving one of said database records; determining said unique identifier for one of said database records; and retrieving any additional data using said data file name.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for predicting document access within a collection of linked documents. The present invention utilizes a predictive technique known as "spreading activation" where document collections are graphically represented as a network. Empirical data is analyzed according to a law of surfing to generate a decay function which is used to dampen the activation as spreads through the network. Activation is applied to a set of focus documents and propagates through the network until a stable pattern of activation is achieved across all documents. From this stable pattern, the desired usage information is extracted. Such a system will provide several practical benefits to users of the World Wide Web. For example, the present invention can be used to identify relevant pages to a set of one or more focus pages or to predict the number of times a document will be accessed in a collection of linked documents.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for storing information objects in a database are disclosed. An information object, instantiated according to an abstract data type having a plurality of attributes, is pickled into an image that contains all values stored in the object in a linearized representation. In one embodiment, the entire image is stored in a single column of a table of the database. In another embodiment, each portion of the image associated with one of the attributes is stored in a separate column of the database table.

Abstract: An efficient set of indexes to cover a plurality of anticipated query types is determined by building a directed acyclic graph whose nodes correspond to anticipated query types. A minimum leaf spanning tree for the equivalent graph is determined by repeatedly finding an augmenting path for a current spanning tree and producing a reduced leaf spanning tree based on the current spanning tree and the augmenting path until an augmenting path can no longer be found. The leaves of the minimum leaf spanning tree indicate which indexes should be built.

Abstract: A method and apparatus provides initializing a data processing system within a distributed data processing system. The data processing system receives data wherein the data is used to initialize the data processing system. The data processing system saves an image within the data processing system in a selected state after initialization of the data processing system, wherein the image is a saved image. The data processing system restores to the state using the saved image.

Abstract: A computer system and method of displaying hypertext documents indicate an update status for a particular hypertext document in association with the display of a hypertext link definition pointing to that document. In addition, one or more specific notification criteria are utilized to determine when a document has been updated. A notification criteria may be based upon a user selection of a selected portion of a document, such that changes to another portion of the document do not trigger an indication of an updated document. A notification criteria may also be based on a specific keyword search criteria selected by a user. A notification criteria may further be based on a relative change threshold for a document, such that changes to a document falling below the threshold are not indicated to a user.