Abstract: A Web site serves as a portal to only certified Web sites where any products or services listed through these Web sites are certified as genuine. The Web site (named, for example, certified.com) assures the claims by verifying and obtaining strict guarantees from the client companies whose Web sites are listed in the certified.com Web site. The certification can be restricted to apply only to a portion of a client Web site. The invention solves the problem of lack of knowledge about the trustworthiness of Web sites by providing “checking” services that verify the claims made for a Web business. The checking is done via normal audit procedures, as is currently customary, and the keeping of records. The Web site is an Internet version of such assurances as UL listings and Good Housekeeping Seals of Approval so that customers can trust what they get from Web sites; however, the Web site goes beyond just putting a seal on a product or service.

Abstract: A pattern-matching network is merged with an existing RETE network without recompiling the whole network, while still matching existing data. Permanent, temporary, full and partial merging operations are described, depending on the origination of match patterns among LHS, on demand (procedural programming), or top level. The merge process combines functionally identical nodes from the networks for reducing the number of nodes in the resulting network. The merger process produces so-called alpha and beta synapse nodes; alpha synapse nodes have pointers to top nodes, while beta synapse nodes consist pointers to a drain node, which is a node in the grafted RETE portions of the resulting network and to source memory nodes in the pre-existing RETE network. The algorithm for obtaining a set of synapse nodes without duplication of any logic connecting paths is described. The synapse nodes are used in updating a grafted network, also can be a suspended portion, upon completion of the merger.

Abstract: A pattern-matching system, such as of the RETE type, is updated. The updating operation is generalize to operate with correct match resuslts for generalized RETE networks (ones where join nodes may have either predecessor be another join node), and for arbitrary partial update state, characterized by stop nodes designating how far update operations have progressed for particular update tokens (designated suspended tokens) at any particular time. The updating operation consists of the following steps: First, all tokens only partially updated through the network are shadowed, in that the partial result memories associated with the stop nodes are put into the state that exists or existed before the suspended tokens arrive at the stop nodes. Then for each suspended token, it is pushed to resume nodes connected as RHS (or LHS) inputs in a descending order of resume nodes.

Abstract: In a pattern-matching network, such as a RETE, elapsed time for successive pattern matching operations is reduced by selectively priming predetermined ones of pattern-matching nodes, such as beta nodes, by caching stabilized computed delta input or argument values derived from ones of the predecessor nodes that appear not to change during the conduct of one of the tests in the node. The computed argument value caching occurs in an argument storing portion of any test to be conducted using a cached argument value. At any node, different tests may or may not be able to used cached argument values.

Abstract: In an apparatus for generating variable length codewords c(a.sub.i) and c(a.sub.j) responsive to corresponding fixed length codewords b(a.sub.i) and b(a.sub.j), where a.sub.i and a.sub.j are source alphabet characters, a.sub.i .epsilon. A.sub.1 and a.sub.j .epsilon. A.sub.2, ambiguity arises whenever any fixed length character to be encoded can instantaneously represent source characters a.sub.i and a.sub.j drawn from two or more dissimilar alphabets i.e. A.sub.1 or A.sub.2. This is resolved by the inclusion of a Markov processor in combination with the apparatus. The processor establishes the point in the sequence when transitions occur between fixed length characters in one alphabet to fixed length characters in another alphabet by the message context. The processor includes a map of state and transition paths.