Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing geographically relevant search results. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a geotoken for a resource. The geotoken can be a resource token that references a geographic location. A semantic geotoken can be selected using the received geotoken. The semantic geotoken is a standardized representation of the geographic location that includes one or more location-specific terms. The semantic geotoken is stored with a reference to the resource. Neighboring locations for the geographic location are determined. The neighboring locations are within a predetermined distance of the geographic location. Semantic geotokens for the neighboring locations are selected and stored with the reference to the resource. Data specifying the semantic geotokens and the reference to the resource are provided.

Abstract: A tone advisor, a tone assisting system and a method of associating tones with callers. In one embodiment the method includes: (1) monitoring calls to and from a user, (2) obtaining information based on the calls and (3) categorizing a caller associated with at least one of the calls into a contact group according to the information and (4) assigning a genre of tones to the contact group.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for measuring resource geotopicality. In one aspect, a method includes receiving geotokens for a resource, where each geotoken references a geographic location. An initial geotopicality score for a geographic location is computed using token attribute values of geotokens in the resource. A set of geotopical locations are selected for the resource based on the initial geotopicality score for the geographic location. Each geotopical location can be a geographic location for which the initial geotopicality score exceeds a geotopicality threshold. A final geotopicality score representing a measure of relevance for the resource relative to the geotopical location is computed for the geotopical location. Data specifying geotopical locations for the resource and geotopicality scores for the geotopical locations are provided.

Abstract: Location-based services are provided in a communication system comprising a wireless network. In one aspect, information indicative of location of a given mobile user device of the system is periodically collected. The collected location information is processed in a server or other processing device of the system to determine at least one normal pattern of movement of the mobile user device from at least a first location to a second location. An alert is generated if subsequent movement of the mobile user device from the first location to the second location exhibits a significant deviation from the normal pattern of movement. The normal pattern of movement may be used to generate a multidimensional geofence that includes, in addition to a geographic area dimension, at least one additional dimension such as, for example, a speed of movement dimension, a direction of movement dimension, a stop duration dimension, or a related device proximity dimension.

Abstract: A tone advisor, a tone assisting system and a method of associating tones with callers. In one embodiment the method includes: (1) monitoring calls to and from a user, (2) obtaining information based on the calls and (3) categorizing a caller associated with at least one of the calls into a contact group according to the information and (4) assigning a genre of tones to the contact group.

Abstract: An executable shopping list (ESL) enables a user browsing an affiliate Web site's Web page to order, with a single action, a bundle of multiple items offered for sale by the affiliate's associated merchant Web site, wherein the bundle is one that is not offered or available for sale as a bundle to on-line visitors who directly access the merchant's Web site server. By selecting a link on the affiliate's Web page, the ESL is executed, thereby automatically loading the bundle of multiple items on that list into a virtual shopping cart at the merchant's Web site on behalf of the user. The virtual shopping cart, filled with the multiple items, is then returned to the user's browser for completion of the checkout procedure by the user. ESLs can be implemented on the affiliate site's side using what is referred to as smart bookmark technology, which records for later playback, the multiple steps required to load each item on the list into a shopping cart at the merchant's Web server.

Abstract: In a database, a database manager can generate a view, which, in concept, is a subset of the database, which is placed outside the database for use without disturbing the database, and without disturbance by others using the database. The subset, or view, can be understood as a collection of rows, or tuples, of data copied from the database. With views existing, multiple copies of data within the database now exist: the original in the database, and copies in the views. If one of these is changed, without corresponding changes made in the others, then inconsistencies occur, which cannot be tolerated. Under the invention, when a user seeks a lock on a view, indicating that a change may be imminent, the invention locks a superset of the tuples in the database from which the view is derived. A superset is a set which contains the set of tuples of the view, plus possibly others. Thus, more tuples are locked than strictly necessary. The excess locking is tolerated because other benefits are obtained.

Abstract: A database system includes a trigger gateway for implementing trigger functionality. The trigger gateway is located at a communication point between a user and a database system. The trigger gateway receives database commands destined for the database and processes triggers associated with the database commands. Where appropriate, the trigger gateway forwards the database command to the database. A trigger action server, which is located remote from the trigger gateway, may execute trigger actions in response to trigger execution requests sent from the trigger gateway. Alternatively, trigger actions may be executed within the trigger gateway. Trigger processing includes the processing of triggers after failed database commands. Security features are implemented to prevent unauthorized database access through the use of triggers.

Abstract: Shortcuts to Web pages that require multiple steps to be retrieved are enabled by means of a smart bookmark. A smart bookmark is a stored sequence of browsing steps performed by a user, that have been recorded in a transparent manner and which can be automatically played and replayed later when the smart bookmark is accessed. When a user elects to create a smart bookmark, a Java recorder-player applet is invoked that starts the recording process. When the recording process is started and an initial URL is inputted by the user, the responsive Web page at that URL downloaded into the browser is modified to attach event handlers to each element in that page that is associated with actions that the user may take. Each user's click, link traversal to another URL, or input of values to those elements on a form submission are automatically recorded as part of the smart bookmark under creation. The resultant information at each step is recorded in a file.

Abstract: A personalized Web view of content in a Web page is created for later access by users through diverse terminals having different types of processing and display capabilities. The Web view provides a shortcut to specific content and services, which a user is interested in retrieving through limited bandwidth, high latency “thin” devices such as PDAs and WAP phones. Further, the Web view is customized to the specific type or types of devices that the user will use to access the Web view. In creating the Web view from a client terminal, a user accesses the Web page containing the information of interest either directly or by recording a series of navigation steps used to reach a final Web page from a first Web page.

Abstract: Information that is latent in a caller's voice is processed for purposes of improving the handling of the call in any type of voice-interactive application. This implicit information in a caller's voice is not related to the actual words being said but rather to the characteristics of how those words are being said. This information, related to the caller's unique demographic profile, is used to decide how to respond to the caller for improved business performance. For example, by estimating the age and the gender of a caller based on his/her voice signal, a vendor associated with a calling center or Web site is able to make a sophisticated choice of what advertisement to present to the user or how to formulate a response to the caller. Similarly, this latent voice information can be used to determine which agent is likely best suited to handle a call with a caller with an estimated demographic, with the caller then being connected to that agent.

Abstract: In a data warehouse, materialized views are maintained to provide the latest versions thereof. A reader may initiate a reader session where a series of queries are issued against one or more of the views. However, an information inconsistency problem may arise when responses to the queries in the reader session are based on certain common underlying data in the views which is subject to an update by a maintenance transaction. To avoid the information inconsistency problem, each time when a maintenance transaction is performed to update a view, it is executed on a copy of the view, rather than the original view itself to which queries of on-going reader sessions are directed. After the maintenance transaction, the updated copy becomes the current version of the view to which queries of new reader sessions are directed.

Abstract: An executable shopping list (ESL) enables a user browsing an affiliate Web site's Web page to order, with a single action, a bundle of multiple items offered for sale by the affiliate's associated merchant Web site, wherein the bundle is one that is not offered or available for sale as a bundle to on-line visitors who directly access the merchant's Web site server. By selecting a link on the affiliate's Web page, the ESL is executed, thereby automatically loading the bundle of multiple items on that list into a virtual shopping cart at the merchant's Web site on behalf of the user. The virtual shopping cart, filled with the multiple items, is then returned to the user's browser for completion of the checkout procedure by the user. ESLs can be implemented on the affiliate site's side using what is referred to as smart bookmark technology, which records for later playback, the multiple steps required to load each item on the list into a shopping cart at the merchant's Web server.

Abstract: In a database, a database manager can generate a view, which can be considered as a subset of the database, and which is placed outside the database for use without disturbing the database. However, if the database changes, the views will not reflect those changes, because the views are separate from the database. To solve this problem, a process called “refreshing” keeps the views consistent with the data within the database. But different refreshing approaches are used: some views require immediate refreshing when the database changes, other types can be refreshed at later times, and still other types can be refreshed at different times and intervals. The invention presents a system which keeps data consistent among the views and the database, despite the different times of refreshing undertaken.

Abstract: A technique for calling party definition and control of the contact information and sequencing used to reach a particular called party. A method and apparatus are provided wherein the calling party specifies a set of communications devices along with their respective contact numbers for use in contacting a particular called party. Thereafter, attempts are made to locate the called party in accordance with the set of communications devices and respective contact numbers as designated by the calling party. Advantageously, a significant amount of increased control is provided to the calling party in defining and controlling the sequence in which attempts are made to reach a particular called party.

Abstract: A technique for providing calling party definition and control of the contact information and sequencing used to reach a particular called party. The calling party specifies a set of communications devices along with their respective contact numbers for use in contacting a particular called party. Thereafter, for example, a telecommunications service provider will attempt to locate the called party in accordance with the designated set of devices and respective contact numbers so designated by the calling party. Advantageously, the technique provides a significant amount of increased control to the calling party in defining and controlling the sequence in which attempts are made to reach a particular called party.

Abstract: A logical data architecture for fetch-intensive database applications includes a first and a second logical database. The second database includes materialized views over the first database. Updates are propagated from the first database to the second database using so-called view maintenance techniques. In preferred embodiments, the first database may be optimized for update transactions and the second database may be optimized for read transactions. At least one of the materialized views included in the second database is based on a pre-defined application read transaction. The update processing overhead associated with view maintenance is substantially performed at the first database.

Abstract: A method for recovering spin locks in a system having one or more processes capable of accessing a shared resource, the system providing a lock indicating exclusive access to the shared resource by a single process and enabling one or more processes to repeatedly attempt to gain access to the lock when ownership of the shared resource is desired. The method includes generating a linked list queue structure containing a first process currently having exclusive access to the lock and one or more processes added to the queue structure to spin on the lock, each process capable of modifying the queue structure by obtaining exclusive access of the lock from a process having exclusive access of the lock and releasing the lock to another process in the linked list queue structure; detecting when one or more processes having exclusive access to the lock terminates, and upon detection, removing the terminated process from the queue structure, and restoring consistency to said linked list queue structure.

Abstract: An enhanced, deferred messaging service ensures a message is received even when an answering machine is connected to a line and receives the call. In such a case, the service notes the number of rings n necessary to activate the recipient's answering machine. The service then resumes redialing and lets the phone ring n-1 times for each attempted call until either the phone is answered or a time-out occurs. If the recipient's answering machine, however, is in toll-saver mode, then the answering machine may answer a second time in less than n-1 rings. If the toll-saver feature is activated, then the service notes the number of rings m which caused the answering machine to be reached in toll-saver mode. The service then resumes redialing and lets the phone ring m-1 times for each attempted call until either the phone is picked up or a time-out occurs. Thus, even after leaving a message on an answering machine, the service will attempt to reach a human.