Abstract: Techniques for providing at least one user access to one or more documents in a collaborative computing environment in accordance with a search engine are provided. The user is presented with search results, wherein the search results comprise at least one document comprising at least one portion to which the user has no access. A request from the user for access to the at least one document is received. A supervising entity is then notified of the user request to access the at least one document. An instruction from the supervising entity is then received. In accordance with the received instruction, the user is granted access to the at least one document.

Abstract: A method and a system for relating of a value network analysis of a mission to a knowledge base of dependencies of data objects, applications and information technology resources required for achieving of such mission, such method used for optimization of provisioning for information technology resources and for prioritizing of control of data and application security and integrity of such mission.

Abstract: A method and a system for relating of a value network analysis of a mission to a knowledge base of dependencies of data objects, applications and information technology resources required for achieving of such mission, such method used for optimization of provisioning for information technology resources and for prioritizing of control of data and application security and integrity of such mission.

Abstract: Techniques for providing at least one user access to one or more documents in a collaborative computing environment in accordance with a search engine are provided. The user is presented with search results, wherein the search results comprise at least one document comprising at least one portion to which the user has no access. A request from the user for access to the at least one document is received. A supervising entity is then notified of the user request to access the at least one document. An instruction from the supervising entity is then received. In accordance with the received instruction, the user is granted access to the at least one document.

Abstract: A computer has one or more communication interfaces that determine if one or more client (client devices) is within a range of communication of the computer. The computer also has one or more computer interfaces capable of communicating with one or more of the second computers. The second computers can be at any general location and/or installed as subsystems of other devices. An application process determines from the client signal that the client is within the range of communication and that requests and receives one or more of the application programs through the computer interface from one or more of the second computers at the commuter location. Thus, the application program (and necessary databases) are moved to a next computer as the client moves within the range of communication of this next computer. The application programs/databases can be discarded once the client moves outside of the range of communication of the computer.

Abstract: The invention is directed towards an automated system for extracting voice messages from a voice mail system and for providing unified access to voice mail and electronic mail or voice mail and the internet. For a given user, a voice mail remote access server connects to the user's voice mail system through a telephone or data network, and uses speech recognition and understanding to navigate through the prompts of the voice mail system and extract the user's voice mail. Depending upon the access mechanism preferred by the user, the voice messages are sent as e-mail messages with attachments (audio files) to the user or made accessible to the user's world wide web server or displayed to the user using a stand-alone voice mail player application.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and a method for combining the computational resources of numerous embedded devices to enable any of them to perform complex tasks like speech recognition or natural language understanding. A distinguished master device communicates with a network of embedded devices, and organizes them as the nodes of a neural network. To each node (embedded device) in the neural network, the master device sends the activation function for that node and the connectivity pattern for that node. The master device sends the inputs for the network to the distinguished input nodes of the network. During computation, each node computes the activation function of all of its inputs and sends its activation to all the nodes to which it needs to send output to. The outputs of the neural network are sent to the master device. Thus, the network of embedded devices can perform any computation (like speech recognition, natural language understanding, etc.) which can be mapped onto a neural network model.

Abstract: A non intrusive method for freeing storage of portable devices (such as digital video cameras) when the portable device becomes full. This task is accomplished using a network of servers that communicate via wireless channels with the portable devices (like cameras) within the zones of these servers. That is, if a server detects that a camera (or other device) is near full with stored captured images (data), or meets some other criteria, this server moves stored images (data) to a storage server without interrupting possible owner actions with the camera/device. The owner can download all moved images/data from a storage server to his/her computer after returning to a home/office/hotel. Similar non intrusive services can be provided for other miniature devices with embedded storage that are using by owners during some their activities (like palmtops, tapes, smart phones, wrist watches etc.).

Abstract: To improve authenticity of persons accessing secured locations, information, services, and/or goods, random pictures (images) and/or portions of picture are placed on a document (hard copy—e.g. a check—or computer generated). The person requiring access selects a set of one or more of the images/pictures, e.g. by crossing them out. Often the selected images/picture with be familiar to the user. The document is screened, e.g. by a special access server over a network, to check on whether the subset was correct, i.e., matches a subset of images previously stored and associated with the accessor. This can be combined with printed explicit textual questions related to an owner personal database and several possible answers for each question. For further security, biometrics, e.g. from user handwritten answer prompts, can be added. Similar security provision with random visual images can be used when users interact with computers to get access to some services (without providing hard copy documents).

Abstract: A communication system that transmits and receives combinations of paper mail and electronic mail. The communication system permits a user of the system to send an internet message via post mail including the mailing address for delivery. The post mail office forwards the internet message via e-mail to the internet post office that is the closest to the addressee. This post office that is local to the addressee downloads this message, prints a hard copy on a paper, encloses it in an envelop and sends the hard copy to the addressee via usual local mail. The communication system also permits a user of the system to send paper mail to the post office. The post office scans the paper mail and forwards the scanned information data either to the addressee directly via internet or via a post office that is local to the addressee.

Abstract: A communication system is disclosed that transmits and receives combinations of paper mail and electronic mail. The system provides that a user can send an internet message to post mail including the post mail address for delivery. The post mail office forwards the internet message via e-mail to the internet post office that is the closest to the addressee. This post office that is local to the addressee downloads this message, prints a hard copy on a paper, encloses it in an envelop and sends the hard copy to the addressee via usual local mail. The communication system also provides that a user send paper mail to the post office. The post office scans the paper mail and forwards the scanned information data either to the addressee directly via internet or via a post office that is local to the addressee.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for automatic segregation of signals of different origin, using models that statistically characterize a wave signal, more particularly including feature vectors consisting of a plurality of parameters extracted from a data stream of a known type for use in identifying data types by comparison, which can be Hidden Markov Model based methods, thereby enabling automatic data type identification and routing of received data streams to the appropriate destination device, thereby further enabling a user to transmit different data types over the same communication channel without changing communication settings.

Abstract: An automatic dialog system capable of keeping a drive awake while driving during a long trip or one that extends into the late evening. The system carries on a conversation with the driver on various topics utilizing a natural dialog car system. The system includes an automatic speech recognition module, a speech generation module which includes speech synthesis or recorded speech, and possibly dynamically combined speech synthesizer and recorded speech, and a natural language processing module. The natural dialog car system analyzes a driver's answer and the contents of the answer together with his voice patterns to determine if he is alert while driving. The system warns the driver or changes the topic of conversation if the system determines that the driver is about to fall asleep. The system may also detect whether a driver is effected by alcohol or drugs.

Abstract: A method is provided which trains acoustic models in an automatic speech recognizer ("ASR") without explicitly matching decoded scripts with correct scripts from which acoustic training data is generated. In the method, audio data is input and segmented to produce audio segments. The audio segments are clustered into groups of clustered audio segments such that the clustered audio segments in each of the groups have similar characteristics. Also, the groups respectively form audio similarity classes. Then, audio segment probability distributions for the clustered audio segments in the audio similarity classes are calculated, and audio segment frequencies for the clustered audio segments are determined based on the audio segment probability distributions. The audio segment frequencies are matched to known audio segment frequencies for at least one of letters, combination of letters, and words to determine frequency matches, and a textual corpus of words is formed based on the frequency matches.

Abstract: An automated system generates and revises grammars for speech recognizers in a speech recognition system. Given an initial grammar, expressed in terms of non-terminals in Backus-Naur Form (BNF) notation, a sentence generator generates a list of all sentences accepted by the grammar. From this list, a corpus of inappropriate or irrelevant sentences which are accepted by the grammar (counter-examples) is identified. A grammar revisor program uses the original grammar and the list of counter examples, to generate a pruned list from which a revised grammar is generated. The revision process is iterated several times either concatenating or merging pairs of non-terminals until the revised grammar is deemed satisfactory in that it accepts as legal only relevant sentences. The revised grammar is used by the speech recognizer, thus reducing errors in the overall system.

Abstract: A method and corresponding apparatus utilizes questioning to provide secure access control including the steps of storing information in a database; generating at least one question based upon the information stored in the data base; communicating to the user the generated question(s); receiving a response associated with the question(s), interpreting the response to determine whether the response conforms to the information upon which is based the associated question(s); and outputting an authorization status indicating whether or not the user is authorized for access according to the determination. The question(s) concerns a relationship among portions of information contained in said data base. This feature is advantageous because it protects against an eavesdropper gaining access to the service or facility and provides the capability of generating a relatively large number of different questions from a small data base.

Abstract: A method of automatically aligning a written transcript with speech in video and audio clips. The disclosed technique involves as a basic component an automatic speech recognizer. The automatic speech recognizer decodes speech (recorded on a tape) and produces a file with a decoded text. This decoded text is then matched with the original written transcript via identification of similar words or clusters of words. The results of this matching is an alignment of the speech with the original transcript. The method can be used (a) to create indexing of video clips, (b) for "teleprompting" (i.e. showing the next portion of text when someone is reading from a television screen), or (c) to enhance editing of a text that was dictated to a stenographer or recorded on a tape for its subsequent textual reproduction by a typist.