Abstract: The invention provides a method for configuring a database system to store information regarding a plurality of items, the method comprising: establishing a database on a computer system; establishing within the database a first object corresponding to a first item of the plurality of items; generating within the first object at least one field; associating a field identifier with each the field; and storing at least a portion of the information within each the field; the database system configured to store information regarding a plurality of items, each item in the plurality of items having at least one item attribute, the database system comprising a computer having memory, a database stored in said memory, a first object in said database corresponding to one item of the plurality of items, said first object corresponding to the first item, at least one field in said first object, a field identifier associated with each said field, and information regarding said first item stored in said first object.

Abstract: A computer readable medium includes executable instructions to define an individual publication schema for each heterogeneous source of a set of heterogeneous sources. Each individual publication schema specifies mapping rules between data from a heterogeneous source and a non-permanent structured instance of data. A non-permanent structured instance of data as defined by an individual publication schema is generated. An integration schema defining a set of integration rules for combining data from each non-permanent structured instance of data as defined by individual publication schema is established. A target non-permanent structured instance of data to include data from the plurality of heterogeneous sources based on at least one integration schema is formed.

Abstract: An editing device that replicates and edits data. The device includes a replication destination information display controlling unit that displays files and directories of a recording medium as a replication destination of the data in the figure on a display unit. A user can intuitively know data amounts of the files and directories of the recording medium as well as an available capacity of the recording medium as replication destination information. A replication unit executes planned replication and edition on the basis of the replication destination information displayed by the replication destination information display controlling unit.

Abstract: A system and associated method for building a datastore for storing and retrieving regression testing data for a complex application. The datastore receives a first input data, a first output data, a second input data, and a second output data. The datastore compares first input data to the second input data, modifying the first input data for use regression testing the complex application. The modified first input data is next used to regression test the complex application. The datastore receives the modified first output data from the complex application, comparing the modified first output data to the second output data. The datastore identifies discrepancies between the modified first output data and the second output data and sends a list of the discrepancies to an Application Expert.

Abstract: Improved browsing experience in social bookmarking by leveraging aspects of self tagging and prediction. Quality recommendations are provided for sites of interest to the user and information about what types of people like the current website. Self-tagging is used as an effective means to perform personalized searches. Machine learning and reasoning is employed to predict self-tags based on a website visited and/or website behavior, and self-tags associated with a website and/or webpage based on content of that website and/or webpage. The architecture can be embodied as a browser utility to leverage and extend social-bookmarking information. The utility facilitates the display of information related to a summary view of the users who liked/disliked the current page or website, a tag cloud associated with webpages, and a recommendation button that causes self-tag recommendations to be displayed and that recommends links based on the combination of user tags and content.

Abstract: A computer-enabled system, method, and medium is provided to support, e.g., analyzing intellectual property documents by assigning attributes to the documents. The present invention is suitable for use by intellectual property professionals and is flexible to support development and use of customized attribute types and attributes. Optionally, a group of intellectual property documents can be divided into projects, which can be ingested including assigning attributes. Optionally, the attributes can be used to filter information included in e.g., searches, and/or reports.

Abstract: Prediction-based compression engines are spoon-fed with sequentially efficiently compressible (SEC) streams of input data that make it possible for the compression engines to more efficiently compress or otherwise compact the incoming data than would be possible with streams of input data accepted on a TV-raster scan basis. Various techniques are disclosed for intentionally forming SEC input data streams. Among these are the tight packing of alike files or fragments into concatenation suitcases and the decomposition of files into substantially predictably consistent (SPC) fragments or segments that are routed to different suitcases according to their type. In a graphics-directed embodiment, image frames are partitioned into segment areas that are internally SPC and multidirectional walks (i.e., U-turning walks) are defined in the segment areas where these defined walks are traced during compression and also during decompression.

Abstract: An encoding circuit is disclosed which comprises: a data-for-encoding storing register that stores n-bit data for encoding; a data-for-calculation storing register that stores m-bit data for calculation generated by shifting the data for encoding; a shifter that shifts the data for encoding stored in the data-for-encoding storing register, and shifts and inputs the shifted data into the data-for-calculation storing register; a first coefficient register that stores m-bit first coefficient data indicating a first coefficient for executing encoding; a first logic circuit that is inputted with the data for calculation stored in the data-for-calculation storing register and the first coefficient data stored in the first coefficient register and outputs the logical product for each bit of the data for calculation and the first coefficient data; and a second logic circuit that is inputted with m-bit data outputted from the first logic circuit and outputs the exclusive logical sum of the m-bit data as the encoded da

Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing a source of random numbers are generally described. In one example, an apparatus includes one or more storage elements having a selected voltage and a trip point, the voltage being close enough to the trip point such that random telegraph signal (RTS) noise associated with the elements is a determinant of whether the read voltage is above or below the trip point.

Abstract: A digital filter includes at least a first and a second delayed summation line. One of the delay lines includes a warped finite impulse response (FIR) filter and the other line is a FIR filter. Midpoint elements from the first delayed summation line are used as input to the second delayed summation line. Output from the first delayed summation line is delayed with a delay corresponding to the total delay of the second delayed summation line and the delayed output from the first delayed summation line is added to output from the second delayed summation line to faun a new output.

Abstract: A computer system comprises a processing unit configured to process fixed size data words comprising at least one exponent field of variable size and a mantissa of variable size; an input device configured to provide data words to the processing unit; and an output device configured to output data words processed by the processing unit.

Abstract: Value-added information is generated by collecting information relating to apparatuses from a plurality of users, and service is automatically and adaptively provided in a manner that satisfies each user's own preference. Since a second electronic apparatus of a given user is controlled based on control information of a second electronic apparatus of another user to which first electronic apparatus information of the user is similar, electronic apparatus control service is performed in a manner adaptively matching preference of the user without complex signal processing such as user preference analysis. The electronic apparatus of the user is controlled based electronic apparatus information of the similar user with whom the user shares activity information such as transfer and purchases of apparatuses in common, electronic apparatus control service is performed in a manner adaptively matching preference of the user without complex signal processing such as user preference analysis.

Abstract: A computing system in which a user of a client system can continue with submission of an additional request while an application framework processes prior requests. In an embodiment, when a request is received, the resource requirements for processing the request are determined. If the resource requirements exceed a threshold, the request may be processed in the background. The user can continue issuing additional requests. After completion of processing of a request, the availability of the results may be notified in a pre-specified portion of a window from which the user is interacting with the application framework. The user may conveniently request the results by clicking on a portion of the displayed message.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for processing service requests in a distributed environment includes routing a type of service request to a first service provider in the distributed environment, the first service provider having a commitment level for handling the service request type, detecting a second service provider in the distributed environment capable of handing the service request type, determining a commitment level of the second service provider to handle the service request type, and responsive to the commitment level of the second provider exceeding the commitment level of the first provider, routing the service request type to the second service provider.

Abstract: According to one aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for implementing notifications in a framework to support web-based applications. The system comprising a set of server-side objects managed by an object manager (OM). The system further comprises a set of browser-side objects running on a browser. The system also comprises a remote procedure call (RPC) mechanism to enable re-targeting of methods from browser-side objects to server-side objects. The system additionally comprises a data transmission mechanism to facilitate transmission of notifications from server-side objects to browser-side objects.

Abstract: If a program is to be transmitted/received by message transmission/reception using SOAP, the program description part goes out of the framework of XML, and the message contents contain an uninterpretable part. A SOAP message (M1) includes a data part (D1), a virtual service part (R1) indicating specifications to process the data part (D1), and a program part (P1). A server (S1) processes the data part (D1) by the specifications indicated by the virtual service part (R1) if the virtual service part (R1) in the SOAP message (M1) indicates the specification of processing to be executed by the instruction executed when executing the instruction contained in the program part (P1) of the SOAP message (M1).

Abstract: A method for a first healthcare provider to consult a second healthcare provider regarding at least one of diagnosis of a patient and treatment of a patient includes the first healthcare provider submitting a request for consultation on a machine, and the second healthcare provider submitting a consultation response on a machine.

Abstract: Systems and methods for personalizing devices using data objects in a manner that deters theft and provides a mechanism for finding lost devices are described. In one embodiment, one of the methods includes uniquely registering a device and an owner of the device with the system. The method further includes personalizing the registered device to include lost and found information, such as by creating an image data object to include the information or providing a text data object that includes the information. In another method, a lost and found tracking service is used to receive a report of a found device from a finder and to determine an associated owner of the found device in order to contact the owner and convey information regarding the finder.

Abstract: Machine, method for use and method for making, and corresponding products produced thereby, as well as data structures, computer-readable media tangibly embodying program instructions, manufactures, and necessary intermediates of the foregoing, each pertaining to digital aspects of a computerized aggregation system. The system can include a user computer system interposed between a segment of a network allowing communication between the user computer system and at least one server system, and other segments allowing communication between the user computer system and a plurality of third party server systems. The one server system enables the user computer system to access the plurality of other servers. The access permits forming an aggregation of information obtained from the third party server systems.

Abstract: Disclosed are conferencing systems, devices, architectures, and methods for implementing a trigger-based conferencing system to facilitate increased productivity meeting participation. An exemplary method, in accordance with embodiments, of managing a workflow application in a conference, where the conference includes a plurality of events, can include: (i) creating a trigger by defining a predicate and action for the trigger; (ii) registering the trigger to at least one of a plurality of detection points; (iii) evaluating the trigger's predicate each time any of the detection points against which it is registered are encountered; and (iv) executing actions associated with the trigger if the predicate evaluation is positive, where execution of the actions can result in a state change in the conference.

Abstract: An application collaboration system for allowing a portal application executed on a Web server and a client application executed on a client terminal to collaborate with each other, the application collaboration system including: a collaboration information storage unit that stores collaboration information including information indicating an application and call information used to call a process to be executed by the application in association with information indicating a condition to extract the collaboration information; an execution location information storage unit that stores execution location information indicating an apparatus where the application is executed in association with the information indicating an application; an information extraction unit that executes a process to extract collaboration information matching said condition from said collaboration information storage unit and acquires execution location information corresponding to the information indicating an application included i

Abstract: An interactive Internet-based system and method provides a number of components that can be used to provide interactivity, including chat, polling, and trivia functionalities, particularly for use in enhancing other events, such as television programs.

Abstract: A technique for synchronizing a visual browser and a voice browser. A visual browser is used to navigate through visual content, such as WML pages. During the navigation, the visual browser creates a historical record of events that have occurred during the navigation. The voice browser uses this historical record to navigate the content in the same manner as occurred on the visual browser, thereby synchronizing to a state equivalent to that of the visual browser. The creation of the historical record may be performed by using a script to trap events, where the script contains code that records the trapped events. The synchronization technique may be used with a multi-modal application that permits the mode of input/output (I/O) to be changed between visual and voice browsers. When the mode is changed from visual to voice, the record of events captured by the visual browser is provided to the voice browser, thereby allowing the I/O mode to change seamlessly from visual to voice.

Abstract: An e-mail system implemented on a server having a network connection receives and forwards e-mail messages based on subscriber-supplied criteria. When a message is received addressed to the subscriber, characteristics of the message, such as existence of and size of attachments, are compared to characteristics previously supplied by the subscriber. If a match is found, the subscriber is notified, such as by a page to a pager carried by the subscriber, of the message and the nature of the match. Facility is provided at the server for the subscriber to then call the server, log on, and provide instructions for forwarding the matched message. Forwarding may be to such as a hand-held device or a notebook computer operated by the subscriber, or to a mailbox or mailboxes on other servers, or any combination. A subscriber is then in control of points of delivery of incoming e-mail messages.

Abstract: The present invention is a selective announce system for announcing the receipt of electronic mail and instant messages (e-mail). The e-mail has an attached sound file and a predetermined identifier regarding the nature of the sound file. This sound file may be in the sender's voice, a third party's voice, a computer-simulated voice, or some combination. Upon receipt of the e-mail, the sound file is played or used to convert some portion of the e-mail text to voice. The sound file may be played at a recipient computer or it may be played at a recipient's voice mail or it may be played at some other terminal.

Abstract: A multimedia messaging center is arranged to receive multimedia messages addressed to a terminal. In response to the receipt of such messages, the message center transmits a notification to the terminal regarding the received message. A wireless message is transmitted, from the terminal to the message center, requesting notification messages that have not been acknowledged as received by the terminal.

Abstract: A first party (e.g. educational testing service) provides through the internet to a control server information (e.g. test server) relating to a second party (e.g. a student taking tests prepared by the service). The server provides and may store a verification (e.g. an encrypted digital signature) of, but does not store, the second party information. The server transmits the information and the verification through the internet to the second party. The second party transmits to the server through the internet the information and the verification with a request to transmit the information to a designated third party (e.g. a college or university to which the student has applied for admission). The server authenticates the information through verification comparisons (or through comparison of the information with the reconstruction and decryption of the verification) and transmits the information, authenticated by the server and the testing service, to the third party.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method of gate keeping contact between a plurality of users is disclosed. The method includes: providing a central network to establish communication between the plurality of users; and each of the plurality of users having access to a facility to approve or disapprove of any of the plurality of users to permit communication between respective users.

Abstract: A digital media resource messaging system provides a convenient digital media resource viewing, managing, organizing, and editing platform that facilitates enhanced resource exchange by storing and forwarding digital media resources via a server between multiple resource-sharing partners designated by the user. In one embodiment, the digital media resource messaging system includes services to view, manage, organize, edit, and exchange digital images and video sequences.

Abstract: A method for specifying email recipients that includes specifying a first set of email recipients, a second set of email recipients, and a set operation. A third set of email recipients can be automatically is generated by performing the set operation upon the first set and the second set. Email can then be sent to this automatically generated third set of email recipients.

Abstract: Summarization of text in a document may be requested in dependence upon the position of the text in relation to other text within the document or the position of the document containing the text within a plurality of documents in a document structure. Summarization of text in a document may also be requested in dependence upon a user's interaction with an application in conjunction with a version of the document or with a document structure including the document. Different levels of summarization may be applied to different segments of text within a document.

Abstract: Presence communications are selectively controlled to reduce signaling traffic associated with one or more presence attributes without impacting when or how frequently presence messages associated with other presence attributes may be sent. A first threshold condition is determined that is associated with sending a presence publication message including first presence information from a presence entity to a presence server. A second threshold condition is determined that is associated with sending a presence publication message including second different presence information from the presence entity to the presence server.

Abstract: On a client electronic device, a message in a first format configured to be communicated over a first communication channel. The message in the first format is modified, on the client electronic device, to form a message in a second format, in which the message in the second format is based upon the message in the first format. The message in the second format is transmitted, from the client electronic device, over a second communication channel.

Abstract: Methods, systems and devices are provided for automatically sending e-mail to a future-designated recipient. E-mail servers accordingly send an e-mail categorized with respect to a target project group to each of a plurality of e-mail clients associated with each defined member of the target project group; add the sent e-mail or a copy thereof to a future-designated role recipient e-mail batch in a storage means, wherein the batch is categorized with respect to the group; define an identity of an undefined role member of the target project group, the defining providing an e-mail address; and automatically forward the categorized e-mail batch to an e-mail client associated with the provided e-mail address in response to the identity defining. Service methods are also provided, for example, by a service provider who offers to implement, deploy, and/or perform functions for others.

Abstract: The present invention provides a highly scalable system for fault tolerant distributed data file storage over a set of functionally equal network servers linked through a local network with network servers and client computers. Data files are represented as a set of transactional records, each record is disassembled into redundant, functionally identical data pieces with original file reassembly dependent only upon the number of data file pieces and not on the presence or absence of any particular data file piece. Local algorithms generate unique data file identifiers upon file creation and disassembly. Changes to the data file storage system are ranked by creation time and stored as separate records with unique transaction identifiers in addition to unique data file identifiers. A transactional data file record is stored by disassembling the transactional file into pieces placed at the network servers. Low-level transactional files are collected to reassemble the data file contents.

Abstract: A method for controlling a computer is disclosed wherein one or more remote locations disposed on a network are accessed in response to accessing a product code. A first computer disposed on the network connects to a device for accessing the product code of a product by a user. The device is uniquely identified with a device distributor by a device identification number. A second computer disposed on the network is accessed in response to the user accessing the product code with the device, wherein a lookup operation is performed at the second computer to match the device identification number with the device distributor to obtain remote routing information of the one or remote locations. The remote routing information is returned from the second computer to the first computer in order to access the one or more remote locations disposed on the network. The one or more remote locations are accessed to return remote information to the first computer for presentation.

Abstract: A method is provided. The method determines a set of components to include in an enterprise module. Further, the set of components is divided into a set of platform dependent components and a set of platform independent components. In addition, abstract computer code is prepared for each of the components in the set of platform dependent components according to at least one of a plurality of high-level abstract computer languages. Further, the abstract computer code is provided to a transmogrifier to automatically generate platform dependent source code. In addition, the platform independent source code is prepared for the set of platform independent components. The enterprise object code is generated by compiling and linking the platform dependent source code and the platform independent source code.

Abstract: Computer implemented method, system, and computer usable program code for handling service requests. A service request is received at one service provider of a plurality of service providers, each service provider adapted to receive service requests from service requesters and being in communication with middleware software and with one another. The received service request is sent to one service acceptor of a plurality of service acceptors, each also being in communication with the middleware software and with one another. If the one service acceptor is able to process the request, the one service acceptor processes the request and sends a response back to the one service provider and to each other of the plurality of service acceptors. If the one service acceptor is unable to process the request, the one service acceptor determines if another service acceptor is able to process the request and notifies the middleware software.

Abstract: A computer peripheral device is provided comprising a housing, a plurality of figures each having a unique physical appearance and a unique structural characteristic, an identifying portion that is configured to identify one of the plurality of figures, at a time, based on the unique structural characteristic of the figure. The computer peripheral device comprises a controller coupled to the identifying portion that generates an identifier associating with the figure identified by the identifying portion. Connection of the computer peripheral device to a computer is made by a standard connection cable, such as a USB cable. Computer software is installed in the computer to store data associating a web site address with an identifier for each of the plurality of figures. A web browser application is activated to retrieve content from a web site having a web site address corresponding to an identifier received from the controller in the computer peripheral device.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a development and deployment platform for Software as a Service (SaaS) providers are disclosed. The platform may provide an application programming interface (API) through which customers may configure virtualized grids of language-level virtual machines (VMs), networks, and storage resources. A grid may be horizontally scalable and programmatically configurable by a customer and/or customer code. The platform may allow dynamic scaling of resources (up and down) to match changing demands, by allowing customers and/or customer code to programmatically alter their own system level structure at runtime, through the API. The grid may be accessed by both on-grid and off-grid processes, through internal and external connectivity resources provided by the platform. The platform may provide common utilities for end-user services, deployment operations, and development tasks (e.g., debugging), and may include frameworks and macro-components (e.g. web servers).

Abstract: Contention in a distributed processor computer system with a replicated message environment is reduced. The system comprises processor consumers intercommunicating via a server interface that receives a message from a producer. The server favors one consumer, marks the message accordingly, communicates the marked message to the system, and delays the processing in another consumer beyond a predetermined time, for example the time normally taken to process a message.

Abstract: Server selection is optimized using randomness, feedback, and fanout. A central server maintains a vector of server selection probabilities and provides a subset of candidate servers from the vector for the client in response to receiving from a client a request for a server address to provide substantive service. An interrogating node (i.e., the client or DNS proxy) probes the candidate servers and selects a best server based on at least one criterion. The client accesses the selected server for the substantive data, and the selected server updates a counter used to keep track of the number of times the server is selected. The servers feedback the number of times selected to the central server, which, in turn, updates weightings in the vector of server selection probabilities.

Abstract: A method, computer readable medium, user component, and system for sharing media object in a network environment are disclosed. A network manager may determine a similarity metric between users of the environment, between media objects, and/or between a user and media objects. Based upon the similarity metric, the network manager may share media objects with another user if the similarity metric exceeds a predetermined value or is more similar than other retrieved media objects. A user component may also provide a network map manager to display a network map, and may provide a tailored view manager to display a web log associated with at least one of the user icons displayed in the network map.

Abstract: An information processing unit for operating a server on a network by remote control includes a key code receiving unit that obtains a key code outputted from a keyboard and saves the key code in a memory, before an operating system obtains the key code, a key code control unit that interrupts a transmission of the key code to the operating system, and a communication unit that transmits the key code saved in the memory to the server. It is thus possible to send the key code outputted from the keyboard or the pointing device data outputted from the pointing device to a KVM device on a network without sending to the OS. In addition, it is possible to directly send the key code outputted from the keyboard or the pointing device data outputted from the pointing device to the application that runs on the OS, instead of sending to the OS. It is thus possible to send a special key to the servers without being affected by another application that is monitoring any key input.

Abstract: A method of configuring a hard copy output engine includes receiving an electronic message including configuration data and configuring the hard copy output engine using the configuration data.

Abstract: Methods and arrangements for activating Internet Protocol (IP) configurations are discussed. Embodiments include transformations, code, state machines or other logic for activating in an end node an IP configuration suitable for IP communications between the end node and another end node upon the detection of a direct IP connection of the end node to another end node. In some embodiments, the other end node may have a direct IP connect only to the end node. In some embodiments, the suitable IP configuration may involve a static IP address which has been published. In some embodiments, detecting a direct IP connection with another node may be accomplished by detecting a crossed-over Ethernet connection. In some embodiments, an operating system device driver may activate the suitable IP configuration. In other embodiments, an embedded system may activate the suitable IP configuration.

Abstract: A system transition support system guides design of a new system comprised of merged items from a source system and a destination system. The configuration management database (CMDB) provides hardware and software configuration information inherent to each system. A system configuration optimization module is in communication with the CMDB and generates work items required for the system transition and a recommended hardware and software configuration for the new system.

Abstract: An online test platform facilitates the configuration, development, delivery, and management of educational tests with interactive participation by students, teachers, proctors, and administrators even when some or all of them are remotely located. The platform may include an installation protocol to configure a computing facility and prevent other applications from executing during an exam, administrator interfaces, test proctor interfaces, and test taker (e.g. student) interfaces to allow each participant to view, navigate, and interact with aspects of the online test platform that are intended to meet their needs.

Abstract: A method to configure a service providing system having a service providing device and a service requesting device in a network is provided.

Abstract: A SAN (storage area network) configuration utility may be used to automatically configure a SAN management system for SAN discovery and management. The SAN configuration utility may be used to identify and verify SAN devices, device firmware, device drivers, etc. for the SAN management system, and to configure the SAN management system to support one or more previously incompatible SAN devices. In one embodiment, the SAN configuration utility may automatically configure the SAN management system to use only the SAN devices that are known to be compatible with the SAN management system. In one embodiment, the SAN configuration utility may automatically modify one or more SAN management system configuration files to support the discovered SAN devices and/or automatically modify one or more SAN devices for support by the SAN management system (e.g. by updating firmware). In one embodiment, the SAN configuration utility may generate one or more SAN configuration reports.