Abstract: A beverage production system, comprising a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups, a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage, and a turntable assembly. The turntable assembly comprising a central axis, an inner turntable including a first row of cup receptacles, and an outer turntable including a second row of cup receptacles. The outer turntable is disposed circumferentially about the inner turntable, and the outer turntable is configured to rotate about the central axis to align the cup receptacles of the second row with the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station. The turntable assembly is configured to align an opening in a cup receptacle in the second row with an opening in a cup receptacle in the first row. A slide assembly includes an arm configured to slide a cup positioned in the cup receptacle in the second row into the aligned opening of the cup receptacle in the first row.

Abstract: A beverage production system, comprising a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups, a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage, and a turntable assembly. The turntable assembly comprising a central axis, an inner turntable including a first row of cup receptacles, and an outer turntable including a second row of cup receptacles. The outer turntable is disposed circumferentially about the inner turntable, and the outer turntable is configured to rotate about the central axis to align the cup receptacles of the second row with the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station. The turntable assembly is configured to align an opening in a cup receptacle in the second row with an opening in a cup receptacle in the first row. A slide assembly includes an arm configured to slide a cup positioned in the cup receptacle in the second row into the aligned opening of the cup receptacle in the first row.

Abstract: A beverage production system, comprising a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups, a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage, and a turntable assembly. The turntable assembly comprising a central axis, an inner turntable including a first row of cup receptacles, and an outer turntable including a second row of cup receptacles. The outer turntable is disposed circumferentially about the inner turntable, and the outer turntable is configured to rotate about the central axis to align the cup receptacles of the second row with the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station. The turntable assembly is configured to align an opening in a cup receptacle in the second row with an opening in a cup receptacle in the first row. A slide assembly includes an arm configured to slide a cup positioned in the cup receptacle in the second row into the aligned opening of the cup receptacle in the first row.

Abstract: A beverage production system, comprising a cup dispensing station configured to dispense cups, a beverage dispensing station configured to dispense a beverage, and a turntable assembly. The turntable assembly comprising a central axis, an inner turntable including a first row of cup receptacles, and an outer turntable including a second row of cup receptacles. The outer turntable is disposed circumferentially about the inner turntable, and the outer turntable is configured to rotate about the central axis to align the cup receptacles of the second row with the cup dispensing station and the beverage dispensing station. The turntable assembly is configured to align an opening in a cup receptacle in the second row with an opening in a cup receptacle in the first row. A slide assembly includes an arm configured to slide a cup positioned in the cup receptacle in the second row into the aligned opening of the cup receptacle in the first row.

Abstract: A system and method for managing and storing logically grouped hierarchical data via physical block storage is provided. Logical groups of parsed XML node data forming node ID ranges are indexed by creating and inserting an index entry into a node ID range. Index entries indicate node ID range bounds for blocks in which nodes are stored. Consulting a node ID range index facilitates XML node traversal via logical links between nodes in different blocks. Additionally, physical links between nodes within a block allow for fast node traversal. Node update including insertion and deletion as well as document order based pre-fetch and XML document re-organization is also facilitated by this architecture.

Abstract: Techniques are described for processing a query to produce query results, the query specifying at least a first timestamp value. Embodiments receive the query for processing and access a database index containing a plurality of database keys. The database index contains one or more database index keys, each of which includes at least a timestamp value and a time zone value. Embodiments compare the first timestamp value specified in the query with a portion of one the database index keys to locate at least a portion of the query results. More specifically, the compared portion of the database index key excludes the time zone value. The located portion of the query results is then retrieved.

Abstract: An extensible identification system for nodes in a hierarchy is described wherein each node is assigned a concatenation of decimal based values. The values assigned uniquely identify the node, provides an order for the node, and identifies its parent, child, and sibling relationships with other nodes Furthermore, the IDs assigned can be encoded to be byte comparable. Furthermore, the ID's assigned to nodes need not be modified when changes (adding/deleting a child node or a subtree of nodes) are made in the hierarchy. Additionally, in the event of such a change, the order and relationships between the parent, child, and sibling nodes are retained.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and article of manufacture, implementing the method, for operating a database management system stores information in at least one entry. Each entry is associated with a row. At least one entry comprises one or more columns. At least one of the columns has a varying length. At least one entry comprises an offset array having one or more offsets associated with the columns having the varying length. In another aspect of the invention, a column extraction table is built and used, with the offset array, to access a specified column of an entry. Alternately, code is generated to access a specified column based on the offset array of an entry. In yet another aspect of the invention, a comparison table is built and used, with the offset array, to compare subsets of the entries.

Abstract: A computer-based method for compressing varying-length columns of a non-leaf page high key generated during splitting of an index tree leaf page from a key pair including a last key of a splitting leaf page and a first key of a corresponding new leaf page. The method performs a logical comparison of the key pair by comparing each key pair corresponding columns' data with padding considered as insignificant. In a logically equal key pair with equal-length columns, the high key field will have the entire column data, and for unequal-length columns it will have column data of the shorter column length +1 byte and will have all remaining varying-length columns without trailing padding data. In a logically unequal key pair, the high key will have all columns up to and including a first differing byte, wherein the stored varying-length columns are stored without trailing padding data.

Abstract: A computer-based method for compressing varying-length columns of a non-leaf page high key generated during splitting of an index tree leaf page from a key pair including a last key of a splitting leaf page and a first key of a corresponding new leaf page. The method performs a logical comparison of the key pair by comparing each key pair corresponding columns' data with padding considered as insignificant. In a logically equal key pair with equal-length columns, the high key field will have the entire column data, and for unequal-length columns it will have column data of the shorter column length +1 byte and will have all remaining varying-length columns without trailing padding data. In a logically unequal key pair, the high key will have all columns up to and including a first differing byte, wherein the stored varying-length columns are stored without trailing padding data.

Abstract: A system and a method are described for selectively locking the partitions of a partitioned table in a relational database. The database system locks only those partitions of the table that are accessed by an application. Other partitions are available for concurrent access by other applications, regardless of the strength of the lock needed.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and article of manufacture, implementing the method, for operating a database management system stores information in at least one entry. Each entry is associated with a row. At least one entry comprises one or more columns. At least one of the columns has a varying length. At least one entry comprises an offset array having one or more offsets associated with the columns having the varying length. In another aspect of the invention, a column extraction table is built and used, with the offset array, to access a specified column of an entry. Alternately, code is generated to access a specified column based on the offset array of an entry. In yet another aspect of the invention, a comparison table is built and used, with the offset array, to compare subsets of the entries.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for identifying read claims in a database. In accordance with the present invention, the database is stored on at least one data storage device connected to a computer. A read identifier is stored for each reading transaction. The read identifier reflects a time at which the reading transaction first accesses an object stored in the database. The read identifiers are used to determine an age of an oldest active transaction.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer implemented technique for prefetching pages. Pages are prefetched from a database stored on a data storage device connected to a computer. Pages to be retrieved are identified. Identifiers for the identified pages are stored in multiple prefetch page lists. Concurrently, the retrieved pages are processed and prefetch commands are issued to alternating multiple prefetch page lists.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer implemented reorganization system. A table space is reorganized in a database stored on a data storage device connected to a computer. When inserting or updating a LOB into a portion of the table space, a space map is marked to indicate whether the LOB was well inserted. When reorganizing the table space, when the space map indicates that a LOB was well inserted, reorganization of the portion of the table space in which the LOB was well inserted is avoided.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer implemented index recovery system An auxiliary index is recovered in a database stored on a data storage device connected to a computer. An identifier is maintained in each entry of a space map that identifies a large object to which the page associated with that entry is allocated. An indicator is maintained in the entry of the space map indicating whether the page associated with that entry is the first page allocated to the large object. The identifier and the indicator in each entry of the space map are used to build the auxiliary index for locating each large object.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer implemented reorganization system. A table space is reorganized in a database stored on a data storage device connected to a computer. When inserting or updating a LOB into a portion of the table space, a space map is marked to indicate whether the LOB was well inserted. When reorganizing the table space, when the space map indicates that a LOB was well inserted, reorganization of the portion of the table space in which the LOB was well inserted is avoided.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for accessing a row in a database. In accordance with the present invention, the database is stored on a data storage device connected to a computer. An identification number is generated for a region, wherein the identification number associated with the region reflects row movement in the region. The identification number is updated when there is row movement in the region. When accessing a row in the region, whether to perform a direct row access is determined based on the identification number.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for generating a row identification number within a computer. In accordance with the present invention, the row identification number is associated with a row in a database. The database is stored on a data storage device connected to a computer. A unique row identification number is created by using a computer-dependent timestamp. The unique row identification number is manipulated so that the row identification number is quasi-random.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for retrieving data in a computer. In accordance with the present invention, large object data is compressed until the large object data fits within one data page. An uncompressed large object data length is stored in a large object map, wherein the stored uncompressed large object data length is associated with the compressed large object data. A portion of the compressed large object data is located for performing a data processing function by using the stored uncompressed large object data length. The portion of the large object data is stored in the database.