Abstract: An electronic document retrieval system is disclosed. It has particular utility to World-Wide Web searching. The system requires webmasters to put forward categories into which the pages on their web-site might sensibly be divided, and to provide a list of those categories together with a list of popular keywords associated with those categories to a global search engine. The global search engine is then able to augment one or more of its search results with links to category-heading pages which most closely relate to the query provided by the user. In this way, a user is able to find the page most relevant to his query more rapidly than has hitherto been possible.

Abstract: Video material is dividing into temporal segments. Each segment is examined to determine whether the soundtrack of the segment contains speech sufficient for analysis and if so, metadata are generated based on analysis of the speech. If not, the segment is analysed by comparing frames thereof with those of stored segments that already have metadata assigned to them. One then assigns to the segment under consideration stored metadata associated with one or more stored segments that are similar.

Abstract: An electronic document retrieval system is disclosed. It has particular utility to World-Wide Web searching. In contrast to conventional search engines, when providing supplementary results in addition to primary results, the system enables the supplementary results to include links to documents in web-sites other than the web-site to which the primary result belongs. In this way, a user is able to find the page most relevant to his query more rapidly than has hitherto been possible.

Abstract: Video material is dividing into temporal segments. Each segment is examined to determine whether the soundtrack of the segment contains speech sufficient for analysis and if so, metadata are generated based on analysis of the speech. If not, the segment is analysed by comparing frames thereof with those of stored segments that already have metadata assigned to them. One then assigns to the segment under consideration stored metadata associated with one or more stored segments that are similar.

Abstract: An apparatus and operating method for generating a second one or more sequences of elements after receiving a first one or more sequence of elements. The apparatus includes an identifying device that receives a first one or more sequence of elements, accesses stored sequences, and identifies which of the stored sequences each of the first one or more received sequences of elements most closely resembles. The identifying device is operable to output for each received sequence of elements, an identifying signal indicative of the correspondingly identified stored sequence. The apparatus further includes a sequence generator that generates sequences of elements, operates to receive an input, an identifying signal, and generates a sequence of elements in response thereto.

Abstract: A profile management system, for use with information processing applications which retrieve information on behalf of a user. The system comprises a profile generator which generates default user profiles. The profile generator can identify user-specific information from, for instance, an organisation chart such that new members of an organisation are automatically assigned a profile. This enables information processing applications to provide new members with information that is relevant to their role within an organisation.

Abstract: A profile management system, for use with information processing applications which retrieve information on behalf of a user. The system comprises a profile generator which generates default user profiles. The profile generator can identify user-specific information from, for instance, an organisation chart such that new members of an organisation are automatically assigned a profile. This enables information processing applications to provide new members with information that is relevant to their role within an organisation.

Abstract: A plurality of resources, typically service operatives, are allocated to a plurality of tasks by a method in which initial information relating to the tasks to be allocated and the resources available to perform the tasks is provided. An initial series of schedules is first generated allocating resources to the tasks, and then modifying the individual schedule of at least one resource in response to updated information. Changes to individual schedules may be made in response to such updated information independently of the schedule generation. The initial, series of schedules may be generated in a two-stage process in which a rule-based system allocates tasks selected as being difficult to allocate (e.g., because they are linked to other tasks). then a stochastic (non-systematic) search system compiles the rest of the schedule.

Abstract: Apparatus for generating a second one or more sequences of elements after receiving a first one or more sequence of elements.

Abstract: A feature checker provides the ability to review communications service features for interaction problems at service creation time, or at runtime. Hence a feature can be reviewed against existing service features or against a specific other user's features. The feature checker is based on modelling communications service features as constraint satisfaction problems in which constraints 600, 605 determine preset relationships between values 610, 615 for variables 200, 215, 300, 400 of the feature. The model can then be searched for inconsistencies which indicate feature interaction. Interaction can be solved by building in an “alternative invoke” 610 for a feature which overcomes the inconsistency. This might be for instance a form of invoke which, when instantiated, actively suppresses a conflicting feature.

Abstract: A network management system for a communications network include management function software accessible to one or more workstations and incorporating a data store for management information. The network management system is structured to accommodate a layered model of the network and pays particular attention to the Service Management Layer/Network Management Layer interface. In fault and test management, the network management system incorporates elements to apply constraints, feature agreements, which elements then determine diagnosis and reporting procedures in response to fault or performance report or test inputs to the system. The system can be used to manage specific services, such as flexible bandwidth services, carried by selected network technology, such as Asynchronous Transfer Mode switching.