Abstract: A method of connecting businesses through common interests can include storing business profiles comprising business attributes in an online business registry. Responsive to a query from an inquiring business, the online business registry can be searched to locate at least one business having a business profile including at least one business attribute corresponding to the query. At least one communications link between the inquiring business and the located business can be established according to at least one business attribute of the business profile of the located business.

Abstract: A method for common contact identification can include receiving in a first portable computing device corresponding to a first user a local communication from a second portable computing device corresponding to a second user. The local communication can identify the second user. A non-local wireless communication from the first portable computing device identifying at least the first and the second user can be received at a central receiving station. A data store including contact information corresponding to the first user and the second user can be accessed to determine whether the first user and the second user have at least one common contact. If at least one common contact is determined, at least one subsequent non-local wireless communication can be sent to the first and second portable computing devices. The subsequent non-local wireless communication can include an identifier common to the first and second users and can correspond to the at least one common contact.

Abstract: In a relational database management system (RDBMS), a method of processing related records can include receiving a plurality of related records and inserting the plurality of related records into a single table of an RDBMS. The plurality of related records can be associated as a set within the single table using a published function of the RDBMS. Responsive to a triggering condition, particular related records of the set can be selectively purged from the single table.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for providing contact management to participants engaged in a communication session. The invention permits chat session participants to a communication session to determine common contacts that exists between the chat session participants. Dependent on the accessibility of the particular chat session participants' contact list, other chat session participants to the communication session can view the information located in the contact list. Moreover, a particular chat session participant to the communication session can give either a particular chat session participant or all the chat session participants to the communication session permission to modify their contact list. Permission to access or modify contact lists for chat session participants can be defined prior to establishment of the communication session and/or changed during the communication session.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system for providing call recipient local information for pervasive communication devices. An originating subscriber places a call through it service provider to a receiving subscriber. Prior to connecting the call, the current time at the receiving subscriber location can be determined. The originating subscriber will be notified of the time at the subscriber's location. Based on the time at the subscriber's location and the urgency of the call, the originating subscriber can decide whether the call should be connected. Upon notifying the originating subscriber of the recipient's local time, the system can provide a prompt that allows the originating subscriber to allow connection or to defer connection. Deferring the connection can include placing the call at a more appropriate time or allowing the call to be sent to a mailbox which is associated with the receiving subscriber.

Abstract: A common contact identification system. The common contact identification system can include at least two contact lists, a comparator for comparing contacts in each of the contact lists, and a common contact list including contacts matched by said comparator. Each contact list can include a plurality of contacts. Each contact list further can have a publicly accessible interface through which the contacts can be accessed remotely. As such, the comparator can identify matching contacts in each of the contact lists.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for feedback of object size during direct manipulation. In one embodiment, the invention determines whether the file size of an object being directly manipulated exceeds a threshold and, if the file size exceeds the threshold, varies the mouse tracking speed. The mouse tracking speed is preferably reduced if the file size exceeds an upper threshold and increased if the file size exceeds (falls below) a lower threshold. The mouse tracking speed is preferably restored to its unvaried value upon the conclusion of the direct manipulation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for optical identification an unknown character from a plurality of known characters. Each of the known characters includes a predominant color and a nonpredominant color in preselected proportions. The unknown character has at least one geometric feature and a plurality of pixels including a predominant color and a nonpredominant color. The method and apparatus of the present invention include an examination of at least one geometric feature of the unknown character. A hypothetical identity for the unknown character is generated in response to the examination of at least one geometric feature of the unknown character. A portion of the plurality of pixels of the unknown character is sampled and a proportion between the predominant color and the nonpredominant color within the sampled portion of the plurality of pixels is determined from the sampled pixels.

Abstract: A method and data processing system are disclosed for media boundary traversal. In one embodiment, the invention transforms an electronic data processing file to a printed output that is understandable to humans and then transforms the printed output back to an electronic data processing file without loss of nonprintable characters. The embodiment gets an input file including both printable characters and nonprintable characters; writes the printable characters to an output file; determines locations among the printable characters of the nonprintable characters; transforms the nonprintable characters to printable character sequences; writes the printable character sequences and the locations of the nonprintable characters to an output file separately from the printable characters; and prints the output file. The printable characters of the input file remain understandable by humans in the printed output.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for camping on an electronic calendar. In one embodiment, the invention determines, in response to an input of a date, a time and a duration of a proposed meeting between a meeting requester and a target, that a conflicting event appears on the target's electronic calendar, monitors the target's electronic calendar to detect the removal of the conflicting event, and schedules a meeting between the requester and the target on their electronic calendars in response to the detection of the removal of the conflicting event.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for the overflow routing of incoming telephone messages to an electronic mail inbasket. In one embodiment, the invention queries the capacity of a telephone answering system to store an audio message from an incoming telephone call for later play. Upon determining that the telephone answering system lacks the capacity to store the audio message, the invention converts the caller's audio message to text and routes the text to an electronic mail inbasket, preferably the inbasket of the intended recipient of the call.

Abstract: A method and data processing system are disclosed for audio media boundary traversal. In one embodiment, the invention transforms a multimedia data stream or file to an audio stream that is understandable to humans and then transforms the audio output back to the original multimedia data stream or file without loss of information. The embodiment processes an input file including both audio or audible, and non-audio components; writes the audio components to an output file; determines locations among the audio components of the non-audio components; transforms the non-audio components to audio components; writes the audio components and the locations of the non-audio components to the output file separately from the audio components; and produces an audio output file. The audio or audible components of the input file remain understandable by humans in the produced output.

Abstract: A method and data processing system are disclosed for automatically creating voice processing template entries. In one embodiment, the invention automatically assembles a plurality of commands received by the data processing system, at least one of said commands having a voice recognition criteria component associated therewith, counts the occurrences of the plurality of commands, assembles voice recognition criteria components associated with the plurality of commands, and, as a result of the occurrence count exceeding a predefined minimum, constructs a voice recognition template entry by associating the assembled voice recognition criteria components with the assembled plurality of commands.

Abstract: A method and a data processing apparatus are disclosed for marking characters of a character string, which string is resident in the data processing system. The disclosed invention finds, in the string, a first character that matches a character of a predefined set of characters; as a result of finding the first character, identifies a character predefined as paired with the matched character of the predefined set of characters; finds, in the string, a second character that matches the paired character; and marks the characters of the string between the first character and second character.

Abstract: A method and data processing system are disclosed for processing incoming telephone calls. In one embodiment, the invention, in response to the receipt of an incoming telephone call, searches a calendar database for information describing the scheduled location of the party called. At the caller's option, the invention may transfer the incoming call to the scheduled location or telephone number of the party called or may inform the caller of the scheduled location or telephone number of the party called. The invention may search a directory database for a telephone number associated with the information describing the scheduled location of the party called if the information describing the scheduled location of the party called does not include a telephone number.

Abstract: A method and data processing system are disclosed for placing a telephone call. In one embodiment, the invention, in response to user designation of a party and input of a CALL command, searches an electronic calendar database for information describing the scheduled location of the designated party and places a call to the scheduled location of the designated party. In another embodiment, the invention, in response to user selection of an electronic calendar event and input of a CALL command, searches an electronic calendar database for information describing the scheduled location of the event and places a call to the scheduled location of the event. In either embodiment, the invention may search an electronic directory database for a telephone number associated with the scheduled location of the designated party or event.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to associate actions, attributes, objects or devices on a computer desktop to reduce multiple manual processes. A media association agent monitors, builds, maintains and recalls links based on prior actions and user choices. The media association agent exists within a data processing system as a background process which may be implemented as a terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) process. Devices, attributes, objects and actions are registered by the media association agent and stored in non-volatile storage. Associations are then built by links among the entities registered with the media association agent. These links take the form of entries in relational database tables, entries in flat files, linked lists, sets of pointers, etc. The groups of links are assigned unique identifiers for internal use by the media association agent. The media association agent acts continuously to record actions and build links passively or on demand based on user specific user signals such as a trigger.

Abstract: A method and system for enhanced data access efficiency in an electronic book implemented within a data processing system having a display, at least one displayable index screen which includes multiple selectable topics and multiple numbered data pages. A user is permitted to designate particular selectable topics within the index screen and page tabs are then displayed for each numbered data page which includes a reference to a designated selectable topic. An iconic representation of the index screen is displayed in the absence of a display of the index screen. The iconic representation of the index screen includes a selectable control element. Each time the selectable control element is selected by a user, a list of each designated selectable topic is provided. A listing of page tabs for each numbered data page associated with a listed selectable topic is then displayed each time a listed selectable topic is graphically selected by a user.

Abstract: A method and system which permits a user to selectively manipulate a display of a full motion video presentation within a data processing system, wherein the full motion video presentation is comprised of a number of frames containing picture elements arranged in rows and columns. The video presentation frames are sequentially displayed within the data processing system. Thereafter, a region of interest within each of a selected number of the frames of the full motion video presentation are designated. The picture elements contained within the region of interest within each of the selected frames are stored. Then, the picture elements from the region of interest within the plurality of frames may be independently manipulated during a sequential display of the frames of the full motion video presentation within the data processing system, wherein a display of a region of interest within a full motion video presentation may be independently manipulated.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for capturing and processing visually perceptible data, such as address or telephone numbers, within a broadcast video signal. Optically recognizable text, numbers, or visual barcodes representative of text or numbers are transmitted within various frames of broadcast video signals. The broadcast video signal is then received and selected video frames are captured, digitized and stored as Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) in response to a user initiated command. Barcode readers or optical character recognition processes are then utilized to extract textual or numeric data from the captured video frames and that data is stored for future utilization. In one depicted embodiment a user defined template may be utilized to assist the optical character recognition process.