Abstract: A rich media notice board enables users to communicate with others in their own and related communities who use the rich media notice board or other rich media notice boards, such as those in related communities, as well as with others who use conventional interfaces via the Internet. The users of the rich media notice board can post notices including text, images, audio, and video to the rich media notice board. The notices may also include usage metaphors that may allow users to relate to the notices. A user interface of the rich media notice board may employ the usage metaphors to provide an interface that may be used by users who may not read or write with sufficient proficiency to otherwise use a computer. The users may access the rich media notice boards from computers, mobile phones, and kiosk systems.

Abstract: A rich media notice board enables users to communicate with others in their own and related communities who use the rich media notice board or other rich media notice boards, such as those in related communities, as well as with others who use conventional interfaces via the Internet. The users of the rich media notice board can post notices including text, images, audio, and video to the rich media notice board. The notices may also include usage metaphors that may allow users to relate to the notices. A user interface of the rich media notice board may employ the usage metaphors to provide an interface that may be used by users who may not read or write with sufficient proficiency to otherwise use a computer. The users may access the rich media notice boards from computers, mobile phones, and kiosk systems.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing text resources updated with translation input from multiple users. In one aspect, a method includes receiving machine-translated text, which is a translation of source text in a source language, in a target language and providing the machine-translated text as a translation of the source text to multiple users. A modification of the machine-translated text by a user results in a modified translated text. It is determined that the modified translated text is an acceptable translation of the source text. Upon such determining, the modified translated text is provided as the translation of the source text to subsequent users. The modified translated text so provided is modifiable by one or more of the subsequent users.

Abstract: A system for monitoring performance of a machine for detection of visible signs of failure, includes: a machine enclosure housing machine parts; at least one canal through the machine enclosure acting as a visual conduit for providing a view into the interior of the machine; a guide rail within the canal for moving a camera into the interior; an interface to the machine configured to receive images from the visual conduit; and a repair network for linking the interface to a monitoring center that provides for the repair of problems with the machine.

Abstract: To generate address components for a selected map feature, all polygonal map features containing or near the location of a selected map feature are identified. The error bounds of each identified polygon are modeled based on the quality of the boundary of the polygon. Then, the error bounds of the polygon are compared to the location of the selected map feature to determine the strength of the match. The address components corresponding to the identified polygons are suggested to be components of the address of the selected map feature based on the strength of the matches. In another embodiment, a risk of inaccuracy of a combination of address components in an edited map feature is determined from comparison to other map data and can be adjusted based in part on the magnitude of an inconsistency between address components.

Abstract: A semi-automatic generation of addresses of map features is performed. A geographic information system includes one or more databases comprising map features. Each map feature is indexed by location, and may include an address. Each address is composed of one or more address components, such as street, city, state, country, zip code, and the like. To generate address components for a selected map feature, all polygonal map features containing or near the location of a selected map feature are identified. The strength of the matches between the location of the selected map feature and the identified polygonal features is determined. The address components corresponding to the identified polygonal features are automatically compiled and suggested to the user to be components of the address of the selected map feature based on the strength of the matches.

Abstract: A system and method for configuring client access to a network includes at a first port, accessing a first server on a first local area network associated with the first port. An authorized local area network other than the first local area network is determined to which an authorized connection can be properly made based on information in a client request. The first port is assigned to the authorized local area network. Communications are handled with a new client configuration in the authorized local area network.

Abstract: A system for monitoring performance of a machine for detection of visible signs of failure, includes: a machine enclosure housing machine parts; at least one canal through the machine enclosure acting as a visual conduit for providing a view into the interior of the machine; a guide rail within the canal for moving a camera into the interior; an interface to the machine configured to receive images from the visual conduit; and a repair network for linking the interface to a monitoring center that provides for the repair of problems with the machine.

Abstract: In one implementation, a method includes receiving a request for translation of one or more first keywords from a source language to a target language; and translating, using a machine translation process, the first keywords from the source language into a plurality of second keywords in the target language. The method can also include determining, by a computer system, frequencies with which each of the second keywords occur in a corpus associated with the target language. The method can further include selecting, by the computer system, a subset of the second keywords to use in the target language based on the determined frequencies of occurrence.

Abstract: Some embodiments provide a system that authenticates a user. During operation, the system obtains an identifier for the user from an identification card associated with the user and displays a set of images to the user. Next, the system receives an image sequence comprising a sequence of images selected by the user from the set of images. Finally, the system authenticates the user based on the identifier and the image sequence.

Abstract: Communications over a network are selectively routed to one of multiple mobile devices identified by the same mobile device number. In one example, a method includes identifying a first mobile phone associated with a first activation priority by a phone number and identifying a second mobile phone associated with a second activation priority by the same phone number. The activation priority indicates a priority with which the first and the second mobile phones are activated for communications on a network. Communications associated with the phone number are selectively routed to one of the first mobile phone or the second mobile phone having a highest activation priority. The phone number defines an address at which the communications are routed to the one of the first mobile phone or the second mobile phone having the highest activation priority without being routed to an intervening address defined by another device number.

Abstract: Communications over a network are selectively routed to one of multiple mobile devices identified by the same mobile device number. In one example, a method includes identifying a first mobile phone associated with a first activation priority by a phone number and identifying a second mobile phone associated with a second activation priority by the same phone number. The activation priority indicates a priority with which the first and the second mobile phones are activated for communications on a network. Communications associated with the phone number are selectively routed to one of the first mobile phone or the second mobile phone having a highest activation priority. The phone number defines an address at which the communications are routed to the one of the first mobile phone or the second mobile phone having the highest activation priority without being routed to an intervening address defined by another device number.

Abstract: In one implementation, a method includes receiving a request for translation of one or more first keywords from a source language to a target language; and translating, using a machine translation process, the first keywords from the source language into a plurality of second keywords in the target language. The method can also include determining, by a computer system, frequencies with which each of the second keywords occur in a corpus associated with the target language. The method can further include selecting, by the computer system, a subset of the second keywords to use in the target language based on the determined frequencies of occurrence.

Abstract: A portable intelligent shopping device which can be worn as a wristwatch or carried on a belt. It makes paying for purchases more secure. The device stores the wearer's private key and digital certificate. It can also store the public keys of various stores. When the wearer (shopper) buys something from a store, the store can request a payment of the appropriate amount from the wearer's watch. The authorization for payment of the amount specified by the request for payment may be transmitted using IR or RF. The watch can then display the amount and request the shopper to confirm the transaction by entering a PIN number by tapping on the touch screen or using the roller wheel. Once the correct PIN is entered, the watch can send a message to the store authorizing payment of the requested amount. The store can verify the message based on the shopper's encrypted certificate by decrypting it using the shopper's public key.

Abstract: A system for monitoring performance of a machine for detection of visible signs of failure, the system including: a machine enclosure housing a plurality of machine parts; a visual conduit for providing a view of an interior of the machine; an interface to the machine configured to receive images from the visual conduit; and a repair network for linking the interface to a monitoring center that provides for the repair of problems with the machine.

Abstract: A rich media notice board enables users to communicate with others in their own and related communities who use the rich media notice board or other rich media notice boards, such as those in related communities, as well as with others who use conventional interfaces via the Internet. The users of the rich media notice board can post notices including text, images, audio, and video to the rich media notice board. The notices may also include usage metaphors that may allow users to relate to the notices. A user interface of the rich media notice board may employ the usage metaphors to provide an interface that may be used by users who may not read or write with sufficient proficiency to otherwise use a computer. The users may access the rich media notice boards from computers, mobile phones, and kiosk systems.

Abstract: A method for selling items by a vendor in a shopping venue includes steps of: receiving a first signal from a mobile information processing device, the signal including a list of items of interest; and transmitting a second to the mobile information processing device, the second signal indicating that at least one of the items of interest from the list is available in the shopping venue.

Abstract: A mobile information processing device includes a display driver for displaying a bar code, the bar code including a representation of a user's acceptance of a price requested by a store for a selected item for purchase. The bar code may be one-dimensional or two-dimensional.

Abstract: A portable device for connecting to a host information processing platform includes: a digital information storage medium storing an operating system image, secure data, applications, and system state of an owner of the portable device, wherein the medium is in read only mode until a set of tests are run on the host platform; and a platform validation program for: running the plurality of tests on the host computer to determine whether the host is safe, depending on the outcome of the tests, presenting the owner with a user-identifiable message, prompting the owner to enter decryption credentials, and receiving the decryption credentials. The portable device could also optionally include subsystems that provide additional functionality to the owner such as media playback, communications, and entertainment.

Abstract: A portable storage system for connecting to a host, the portable storage system includes a storage device for storing information and a switch. The switch includes a get mode wherein the host sees only the free space in the storage device and not the part storing the information. Optionally, the portable storage system includes a give mode wherein the storage medium shows an empty space to the host and any file or directory is marked as shared and wherein the host sees a file-system whose size equals the amount of empty storage space on the storage device and an owner mode showing all of the stored information to the host and enabling the owner of the system to uncheck a shared flag on a storage device that received from another user that added files.