Abstract: A method in a communications system for transferring cash is provided. The cash is sent in an electronic form to a phone. The cash may be requested from a financial institution using a cash transfer request. The phone stores the electronic cash for use in purchasing goods and services from a merchant. The cash is transferred to a merchant by calling a Payment Access Number.

Abstract: An electronic money card includes a memory built in an IC chip of an IC card and reads and writes electronic money to and from the memory. The electronic money card allows conditions restricting an electronic money reading process to be written in a storage area excluding an electronic money storage area set for each user or usage of the electronic money.

Abstract: A system, in which information is the primary asset and in which investments may be made in information, includes multiple data stores for storing different types of a user's information. The safe, secure and properly authorized transfer of information while preserving individual privacy is provided. The system also provides for secure backup and storage, as well as for ubiquitous and nomadic access to information while maintaining the privacy of such information. A first data store includes static identification data about a user. A second data store includes moderately dynamic personal data about the user. A third data store includes dynamic demographic information data about the user. An electronic wallet can be used with the system to download selected portions of the data for use by the user. A method of use of the data includes using the data for billing out forms, providing services to the user and allowing merchants to selectively target users for sales while maintaining user anonymity.

Abstract: A signal representative of a key is generated from authenticator-value information and key base information. The authenticator-value information represents a specified authenticator value. The key base information contains identification information which is set to reproduce the specified authenticator value according to a predetermined degeneration function. Contents information is encrypted into encryption-resultant contents information in response to the key signal. The key base information and the encryption-resultant contents information are transmitted or recorded.

Abstract: An information providing system according to the present invention comprises a center block 1 which totally controls all of the system, a data providing block 2 provided by each district with a prescribed range, a local control block which totally controls a plurality of shops in each district. The center block 1, the data providing block 2, and the local control block 4 send and receive various types of information via a network. When the information the customer desires does not exist in the shop 3, the shop 3 is provided the desirable information from the center block 1 and the local control block 4 via the network 5. On the occasion recording the information to the recording medium, label information relating to the information is also attached to the recording medium.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for providing a system for automatically tracking use of a software and also for determining whether the software is validly licensed and enabling or disabling the software accordingly. Exemplary systems involve attaching a licensing system module to a software application. Records of valid licenses are stored in the database maintained by the software provider. The licensing system module transparently forms a license record inquiry message. The message is transparently sent to the database over a public network, such as the Internet, to determine whether a valid license record exists in the database for the software application. The database forms and returns an appropriate response message that is interpreted by the licensing system module. The software application can then be appropriately enabled or disabled by the licensing system module. The receipt of the license record inquiry can be recorded in the database to monitor software use.

Abstract: A method of protecting software from unlicensed use is provided by placing a portion of the executable software code on a secure server and providing for the proffer of a digital key to the secure server by a client who wishes to run the software application. The executable software is, provided that such digital key is authenticated, then run in distributed fashion on both the client and secure server. Selection means to determine the portion of the executable software code to be placed on the secure server is also provided.

Abstract: A method of managing reliance in an electronic transaction system includes a certification authority issuing a primary certificate to a subscriber and forwarding to a reliance server, information about the issued primary certificate. The reliance server maintains the forwarded information about issued primary certificate. The subscriber forms a transaction and then provides the transaction to a relying party. The transaction includes the primary certificate or a reference thereto. The relying party sends to the reliance server a request for assurance based on the transaction received from the subscriber. The reliance server determines whether to provide the requested assurance based on the information about the issued primary certificate and on the requested assurance. Based on the determining, the reliance server issues to the relying party a secondary certificate providing the assurance to the relying party.

Abstract: The invention relates to methods and apparatuses for performing electronic payment transactions between a terminal equipment (100) in a telecommunication network and the other transacting party (1, 2, . . . , N). The invention utilizes a special payment service gateway (10) through which all the payment transactions of the terminal equipments in the telecommunication network are routed. The payment service gateway allows the parties of the payment transaction to support different electronic payment protocols (A, B, . . . , X) and performs the required protocol conversions so as to provide an end-to-end transaction.

Abstract: In a system of information processing by fuzzy logic, force coefficients are associated with values of variables processed by a fuzzy logic processor. The force coefficients show the degree of urgency with which information sent has to be taken into consideration or indicating the imperative nature of this information. In a network structure, this force coefficient is incorporated into address signals conveyed on the network. Then, in the membership function memories of the fuzzy logic processors, there are memories that take account of the classes of addresses for the extraction therefrom of the character of urgency of the information elements concerned.

Abstract: The invention provides a technique regarding an optimal solution search method suitable for use for optimization of a system, wherein genetic algorithms can be executed at a high speed to allow an optimal solution to a problem to be searched for at a high speed.

Abstract: A method of processing data relating to a plurality of examples using a data classifier arranged to classify input data into one of a number of classes, and a rule inducer, comprising the steps of:

Abstract: An automated diagnostic system uses Bayesian networks to diagnose a system. Knowledge acquisition is performed in preparation to diagnose the system. An issue to diagnose is identified. Causes of the issue are identified. Subcauses of the causes are identified. Diagnostic steps are identified. Diagnostic steps are matched to causes and subcauses. Probabilities for the causes and the subcauses identified are estimated. Probabilities for actions and questions set are estimated. Costs for actions and questions are estimated.

Abstract: A browser selectively disables the display of viewable objects in a document. The document contains control tags that describe how associated data is to be displayed. A browser interprets the control tags and formats the associated data to display viewable objects on a display-screen. The user selects a portion of the display screen, containing viewable objects, that the user desires to be blocked. In response to this selection, the browser saves a description of the user-selected area. When the browser subsequently retrieves the document, the browser compares the saved description to locations on the display screen associated with the control tags in the document. When the viewable object associated with a compared control tag is outside the saved description, the browser downloads and displays the viewable object.

Abstract: A public booth for transferring an image of a user over a wide area network of computers. The booth includes, among other features, an image capturing device (e.g., CCD camera), which is coupled to the housing. The image capturing device is adapted or directed toward a user to capture an image of the user. The apparatus also includes a processing device (e.g., computer, microprocessor), which is coupled to the image capturing device. In a specific embodiment, the processing device converts the captured image into a plurality of signals, e.g., digital or analog. The apparatus further includes a transmission device (e.g., modem, transmitter), which is coupled to the processing device. The transmission device is adapted to transmit the plurality of signals. Alternatively, the transmission device may receive a plurality of signals. A wide area network of computers is coupled to the transmission device to receive the plurality of signals.

Abstract: The user of any of a plurality of personal computers linked over an analog or digital network is able to edit a file in one of the personal computers. This one personal computer is a personal computer capable of multi-tasking which effectively permits multi-user access to the file. The host personal computer effectively performs polling of the remote personal computers for input to be added to the file or functions to be performed on the file. In the analog configuration, the personal computers use high-speed modems and data compression/decompression techniques.

Abstract: A method and system of this invention that provides for profiling a user of the Internet according to predefined categories of interest is described herein. This invention includes scanning content information of an Internet user to generate unknown data and processing unknown data to determine its relevance to predefined categories of interest. This relevance is indicated in a matching rating system, analyzing attributes such as length of time reviewing content information, frequency of encounter, recency, strength and closeness. With comparisons such as these, this invention generates a match of the unknown data with the predefined categories to form a profile of the user that may ultimately be used to target offers to users based upon the profile.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for dynamically organizing and tracking website content during its deployment. Organizing and tracking may be done internally to a website development system during development and externally to outside destinations such as production servers that provide access to websites via the Internet or intranet. The method of internal deployment includes the process of deploying data among workstations, storage areas, such as a backing store, staging areas, editing areas and other internal areas during the development of website content. According to the invention, a tracking system is able to track such changes as the content is being created, including information regarding their source and history. The method of external deployment includes different schemes for deploying the finished website content to one or more destinations, such as production servers, including a method for tracking the external deployments as to what content is sent, to where and by whom.

Abstract: An electronic manual search system is provided which can search topics in the manual in descending order of reference frequency of topic. The system stores reference numbers of the topics in the past for each topic, using the reference numbers, searches the topics in descending order of the reference number of topic and displays the search result in the order when search process is performed.

Abstract: The present invention is a nonvolatile memory, a nonvolatile memory reproducing apparatus, and a nonvolatile memory reproducing method, using a memory card for managing files recorded therein with a file allocation table (FAT), for segmenting each file into blocks, adding a file number and block number to each segmented block, and adding an attribute file to each block segmented file, thereby allowing the connection state of each block to be recovered even if the FAT is destroyed.

Abstract: A method and a system of database divisional management for use with a parallel database system comprising an FES (front end server), BES's (back end servers), an IOS (I/O server) and disk units. The numbers of processors assigned to the FES, BES's and IOS, the number of disk units, and the number of partitions of the disk units are determined in accordance with the load pattern in question. Illustratively, there may be established a configuration of one FES, four BES's, one IOS and eight disk units. The number of BES's is varied from one to four depending on the fluctuation in load, so that a scalable system configuration is implemented. When the number of BES's is increased or decreased, only the management information thereabout is transferred between nodes and not the data, whereby the desired degree of parallelism is obtained for high-speed query processing.

Abstract: When a quantity of information recorded in a first storage medium reaches an uppermost limit of a quantity of recordable information, hierarchical structure and a keyword candidate list registered in the first storage medium are recorded in an internal storage unit. Then, after the first storage medium is replaced by a new second storage medium, the hierarchical structure and the keyword candidate list recorded in the internal storage unit are automatically registered in the new second storage medium.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for improving searching capability on a Web. At index time, a Web page is spidered and the text and metatags returned to a processor. The processor extracts spatial information from the text and metatags. A geocode is generated for the spatial information. The geocode is then indexed along with the remaining contents of the page. A subsequent query during query time can search for entries based on proximity to a known location using the indexed geocode.

Abstract: A text cataloging method includes a step of cataloging already-analyzed-text data obtained from an analysis of a logical structure of a text to be cataloged in a text database, a step of creating a structure index by sequentially superposing logical structures of texts to be cataloged, wherein a single metaelement is used for representing a group of elements in the texts having the same position of appearance in one of the texts and the same element type, a single piece of meta-character-string data is used for representing a group of pieces of character-string data in the texts having the same position of appearance in one of the texts, and a context identifier is assigned to each metanode composing a tree-like structure of the structure index for uniquely identifying the metanode; a step of generating structured-full-text data composed of definitions of associative relations between all pieces of character-string data included in already-analyzed-text data of each text to be cataloged, and context identifie

Abstract: An information processing unit is provided which executes various information processing by using Christian calendar year/date information and comprises a memory part, an application processing part for performing processing by using lower-two-digit Christian calendar year information, and a file access control part for writing/reading file format data to/from the memory part in response to a request from the application processing part.

Abstract: An information service system, information service participation management apparatus, information service providing apparatus, and recording medium which are designed to collectively manage identification information once acquired by a participant by the information service participation management apparatus, to once permit the participant who newly requests participation in the information service by the identification information to participate provisionally with the participant's behavior being recorded for a certain period, to permit/reject official participation depending on the evaluation of the recorded result, to record a history that the participant to whom the identification information has been issued is permitted or rejected participate in which information service, to report the historical information in response to an inquiry from the information service providing apparatus, and further to record a history of the participant to whom the identification information has been issued that in which i

Abstract: A World Wide Web registration processing system is disclosed for assisting World Wide Web users in registering at World Wide Web web sites. For each such user, the registration processing system includes a long term repository for the user's web site registration information so that this information can be automatically transferred to a plurality of web sites to which the user may at time to time request to be registered. Further, the registration processing system provides the user with the capability to have a common user identification that may be used for accessing services at a plurality of web sites.

Abstract: A distributive web page management system for managing web page editing data of a website so that an editor can finish web page edition from any end user computer on the network. When a web page management system procedure is initiated, the user is registered in the system. The management system then downloads user assigned web page data to the end user computer according to predetermined privileges. The user edits web pages using the downloaded data and sends the edited web page data back to the server host. The management system replace the original data by the received web page data edited by the user according to his privilege so as to update the web page contents, thus completing the web page editing procedure.

Abstract: A method for providing remote access to on-line resources comprising the steps of encoding address and access information and optional source identification information into a format suitable for embedding onto a document, the format comprising one or two-dimensional bar codes or printed matter, embedding the encoded information onto a document, scanning the document with a scanner enhanced remote control unit comprising a scanning system adapted to obtain an image of the embedded information and a transmission system adapted to transmit the scanned information, transmitting the scanned information, receiving the transmitted information, optionally processing the received information, optionally collecting the user demographic and source identification information, retrieving the on-line resource, and displaying the on-line resource to a user.

Abstract: A computer-implemented directory access mechanism provides a directory service operable to access a network directory under a predetermined protocol by responding to an access request under the protocol for information available in a predetermined environment external to the directory. The directory service then uses the access method for the environment to access the information available in the environment. In this manner, data in the given environment can be accessed by a directory service operable under the given protocol by configuring an attribute access method and using this method to retrieve the information. The protocol can be the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. The information to be accessed could typically be an attribute of an entry in the directory. An access control list (for example the Directory Access Control Domain) can contain not only control access rights for directory objects, but also the access methods for attributes of the directory objects.

Abstract: Bookmark information having bookmark information indicative of a time corresponding to a given time series data piece for a predetermined time and state transition information indicative of a state of the time series data piece for the predetermined time is loaded, along with the time series data piece, in a database. The state transition information has one of a value indicative of an online state in which the data area is permitted to be retrieved, a value indicative of a loading state in which loading of data in the data area has not yet been completed and the data area is not permitted to be retrieved and a value indicative of a state in which data in the data area is empty. The time series data pieces for the predetermined times are loaded in a plurality of data areas of the database in sequence of times. Even during deletion or addition of data, all data retrieval requests need not be suppressed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an interactive label selection system that permits the user to quickly and conveniently locate label products having characteristics that meet the users needs. The user inputs desired label characteristics, and the system searches a database for label products that have or that approximate those characteristics. The search results are then output by the system for the user's review or for further processing. One embodiment of the invention relates to an interactive, electronic method for finding label products that are suitable to meet a user's label needs based on minimum and maximum label width and height dimensions that the user inputs into an input device. Minimum and maximum label dimensions are input into an input device at a remote location. The minimum and maximum label dimensions are then transmitted across a computer network to a server.

Abstract: A computer-based method for use in managing training of employees includes storing data that correlate employee characteristics with training requirements, obtaining information about employee characteristics through computer interaction with the employees; and determining training schedules by applying the obtained information to the stored data. The employee characteristics may include information such as job functions and experience. The method may translate the employee characteristics into risks that correspond to needed training.

Abstract: The present invention is a system and method for providing automated access to and display of electronic images stored in a database or in a local file/folder system. The system utilizes a machine-readable code on a document, referred to herein as an auto-identified document or one with an “autogram” since it stores its own file name in a symbol on the document*. The machine-readable symbol comprises encoded source data, wherein the source data comprises the file name. The machine-readable symbol is printed on the image as the image is printed. The presenter then scans the code via appropriate code scanning (e.g. bar code scanning) equipment, decodes the file name used to access the electronic image and display the image. In a preferred embodiment, a web browser program is launched on a local server on the client computer which has permission to access image files on any of the installed storage devices including magnetic and optical storage devices.

Abstract: There is disclosed a form document processing apparatus for entry of data described in form documents. The form document processing apparatus includes a main processing section for performing predetermined processing operations for entered form data, and an auxiliary processing section which, upon receipt of a request from the main processing section, performs, in an auxiliary manner, among the processing operations to be performed by the main processing section, a specific processing operation determined by the contents of form data. Therefore, specific processing operations determined by the contents of form data can be performed without a need to develop a program for each type of task.

Abstract: An electronic document filing method and a system using the same is disclosed. The system comprises identification code addition means for adding identification code proper to the electronic document thereto, electronic document transfer means for registering the electronic document to which the identification code is added to the document server, print means for printing the registered electronic document and the identification code on the same paper face, identification code read means for reading the identification code printed on the paper face, identification code interpretation means for interpreting the identification code read by the identification code read means, and identification code transfer means for transferring the identification code interpreted by the identification code interpretation means to the document server.

Abstract: A method and system is provided for detecting, commanding and controlling diverse home devices currently connected to a home network. An interface is provided for accessing the home devices that are currently connected to a home network. According to the method, a device link file is generated, wherein the device link file identifies home devices that are currently connected to the home network. A device link page is created, wherein the device link page contains a device button that is associated with each home device that is identified in the device link file. A hyper-text link is associated with each device button, wherein the hyper-text link provides a link to an HTML page that is contained on the home device that is associated with the device button, and the device link page is displayed on a browser based home device.

Abstract: An image display bookmark system is disclosed. The image display bookmark system comprises a bookmark processing unit and a data storing unit. The bookmark processing unit is disposed in a processing unit. The bookmark processing unit in the processing unit registers a reduced image of a page corresponding to a bookmark for each user of a WWW browser. When a user selects a reduced image that has been registered, the page is displayed on a GUI screen of the WWW browser. The system administrator can designate authority to register, change, and delete bookmarks to each user. An automatic traveling unit automatically travels pages corresponding to images that have been registered, updates the reduced images, titles, or URLs of the pages, and maintains the bookmarks as the latest information.

Abstract: Contents of each of nodes indicating a plurality of hyper-text documents are prepared and revised in a node managing unit as node information. A connection-relationship between two nodes is established and revised for each of the nodes in a hierarchy structure managing unit as hierarchy structure information, and a hierarchy structure of the nodes is established. In this hierarchy structure, one node ranked to the top level is set as a parent node, and the other nodes are set to child nodes. Thereafter, a plurality of hyper-text documents arranged in the hierarchy structure are prepared from the node information and the hierarchy structure information. Therefore, because the contents of each node is managed in dependence of the preparation of the hierarchy structure, the hyper-text documents arranged in the hierarchy structure can be easily prepared.

Abstract: In an apparatus defining a style specification for visually outputting a structured document, a group of samples which have been confirmed as having no errors in the notation are registered in regard to the specification information required for style specification. The group of samples is presented to a user when the user defines the style. The user is then capable of selecting a sample corresponding to the desired element forming the document from the group of samples, and is also capable of using it directly. Alternatively, the style specification of each element is generated only by correcting the content to the desired content and a style sheet of the object document can be generated automatically from the generated style specification group.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of assembling a set of page files into a document file is described. A set of page files, which represents one page or a group of pages within a document, is received as input files. For one embodiment of the present invention, the page files and document files are written in a page description language. The correct sequence of the pages within the document is determined. Then, a framework for a document file is created. The framework is created to include all or a portion of the pages from the set of page files. One or more of the pages within the page files are modified to fit into the framework and then stored within the document framework. The document file is then stored.

Abstract: Prior to performing a centroid calculation on a waveform that is discretely sampled at a limited number of sample points, the last sample point (VN, AN) is eliminated if the magnitude of the amplitude at the first sample point (A1) is greater than the last sample point (AN), and the difference in magnitude between the first and last sample points (A1-AN) is greater than the difference in magnitude between the second to last sample point and the first sample point (AN-1-A1). The first sample point (V1, A1) is eliminated prior to the centroid calculation if the magnitude of the amplitude at the last sample point (AN) is greater than the first sample point (A1), and the difference in magnitude between the last and first sample points (AN-A1) is greater than the difference in magnitude between the second sample point and the last sample point (A2-AN).

Abstract: Interpolating filter banks are constructed for use with signals which may be represented as a lattice of arbitrary dimension d. The filter banks include M channels, where M is greater than or equal to two. A given filter bank is built by first computing a set of shifts &tgr;i as D−1 t1, i=1, 2, . . . M−1, where ti is a set of coset representatives taken from a unit cell of the input signal lattice, and D is a dilation matrix having a determinant equal to M. A polynomial interpolation algorithm is then applied to determine weights for a set of M−1 predict filters Pi having the shifts &tgr;1. A corresponding set of update filters Ui are then selected as Ui=Pi*/M, where Pi* is the adjoint of the predict filter Pi. The resulting predict and update filters are arranged in a lifting structure such that each of the predict and update filters are associated with a pair of the M channels of the filter bank.

Abstract: A data processor includes an arithmetic portion incorporated in a floating point unit, in which the arithmetic portion includes a plurality of multipliers supplied mantissa part of floating point number from respectively different data input signal line group and performing mutual multiplication of supplied mantissa parts, an aligner receiving outputs of respective multipliers and performing alignment shift, an exponent processing portion for generating number of alignment shift of the aligner and an exponent before normalization on the basis of generation an exponent part of the floating point number, a multi-input adder and the exponent before normalization, reducing scale of the circuit and performing inner product operation and the like with the floating point numbers in high speed and high accuracy.

Abstract: A computer-readable recording medium is disclosed which comprises a class including, as application program interfaces, a procedure of starting a thread management program which receives a request message to create a thread which is processed based on the request message; a procedure of existing the thread management program; and a procedure of registering into the thread management program what is processed by the thread.

Abstract: Conversations by characters in plural channels are displayed, and of these conversations, the conversation in the main channel and conversations in other channels are displayed in individual regions 23, 24 on one display screen, and an inputted statement is displayed in an intermediate region 22 of the individual regions 23, 24. It hence realizes a display method of a chat system having a notice function for use while working in an office, and information extracting function enabled by electronic expression of conversations, and a recording medium used for execution thereof.

Abstract: This invention generally relates to one or more computer networks having computers like personal computers or network servers with microprocessors linked by broadband transmission means and having hardware, software, firmware, and other means such that at least one parallel processing operation occurs that involve at least two computers in the network. More particularly, this invention relates to one or more large networks composed of smaller networks and large numbers of computers connected, like the Internet, wherein more than one separate parallel processing operation involving more than one different set of computers occurs simultaneously and wherein ongoing processing linkages can be established between virtually any microprocessors of separate computers connected to the network.

Abstract: The procedures for executing a plurality of applications to be integrated are defined on templates. Then, the applications to be integrated are executed by integration workflow means in accordance with the procedures defined on the templates. Thus, even though a plurality of applications provided within an enterprise are integrated and managed to produce a new added value by using a killer application, the number of processes and period of time necessary for development can be reduced.

Abstract: A method and apparatus allows a client to easily send multiple commands to a server. The client registers one or more tables with the method and apparatus of the present invention, which contain information with which to query the client if the client provides commands to be sent to a server. When the client sends a command intended for the server, the command and the tables are used to query the client. If the application responds affirmatively to the query, additional commands are generated for sending to the server. The method and apparatus assist in handling errors by deleting, either unconditionally or upon receipt of an instruction from the client, all pending commands related to the command causing the error and not generating additional such commands.

Abstract: An operation screen simple-creating system for creating an operation screen used for a remote controlling terminal that remotely controls a terminal connected to a communication line, which includes: a paste-up information receiving unit for receiving paste-up information to paste on the operation screen; a paste-up information setting unit for setting the position and size of said paste-up information to be pasted on the operation screen; and an operation screen creating unit for creating a new operation screen according to the result of the setting set by said paste-up information setting unit.