British Telecommunications Public Limited Company

British Telecommunications Corporation

Behnam Azvine

Trevor P Martin

Kwok Ching Tsui

Detlef Daniel Nauck

Zhan Cui

Martin Spott

John G Taylor

Neill R Taylor

Fadi El-Moussa

Ali Sajjad

Nader Azarmi

Christos Voudouris

David Djian

Wayne Raymond Wobcke

Daniel Bastos

Kwok C Tsui

David P Djian

Paul D Scott

Raymond Turner

Anne N De Roeck

Nicholas J Webb

Udo Kruschwitz

Samuel W D Steel

Behrad Assadian

Simon J Case

Trevor Philip Martin

Detlef Daniel 32 Dodson Vale Kesgrave Nauck

A computer-implemented method of operating a software-defined network, the method comprising: obtaining specifications of a plurality of data plane elements which together form a path through a data plane suitable for carrying traffic associated with a category of applications and/or services; determining, based on the specifications, which one or more of a plurality of security profiles the path is capable of complying with; selecting one of the one or more security profiles to be an initial security profile; routing traffic associated with the category of applications and/or services via the path in compliance with the initial security profile; subsequently obtaining an alert that network performance conditions have worsened; and responsive thereto: selecting a different one of the plurality of security profiles, that is less resource-intensive than the initial security profile, to be a replacement security profile; and routing traffic associated with the category of applications and/or services in compliance with the replacement security profile.

Methods and systems of operating software-defined networks

The present disclosure relates to securing networks against attacks launched via connection of peripheral devices to networked devices. According to one aspect, there is provided a computer-implemented method of automatically updating a network security policy, the method comprising: running a machine learning algorithm to continuously update a plurality of weighting coefficients associated with a respective plurality of threat factors, the threat factors each having values defined for each of a plurality of requests for respective peripheral devices to connect to one or more networked devices which are communicably coupled to a secure network; and automatically updating a security policy associated with the secure network in respect of a particular threat factor when that threat factor's associated weighting coefficient changes by more than a predetermined amount in a predetermined period, wherein requests for peripheral devices to connect to the networked devices are automatically approved or denied in dependence on that policy.

Computer-implemented security methods and systems

A sequence identification apparatus comprising a processor, wherein the apparatus is adapted to access a directed acyclic graph data structure of equivalence classes of events in event sequences identified in a plurality of time-ordered events, and wherein the graph is optimized such that initial and final sub-sequences of event sequences having common equivalence classes are combined in the graph, the apparatus comprising: a code generator adapted to generate executable code corresponding to the graph such that the code includes an instruction sequence for each event classification of the graph, the code sequence for an event classification being adapted to evaluate criteria to determine if an event corresponds to the event classification; a virtual machine adapted to execute the generated executable code such that, in use, the executable code filters incoming time-ordered events based on the graph.

Efficient event filter

A system controller () comprises a receiver () for receiving data about a system () to be controlled and for associating the received data with a time factor; a summarizer () for updating a set of summary bins, each of which covers a respective period of time, and each of which stores a summary of the received data having, a time factor which falls within the respective period of time covered by the summary bin; a processor () for, processing the summary bins, for example in order to categorize an unknown entity () (such as a human user) interacting with the system under control () (via a user interface () forming part of the system under control) such as into an adult interested in football, etc., and a director () for issuing control instructions to the system to be controlled based on the results of the processor (). The periods of time covered by respective summary bins include overlapping periods of time and periods of time having different durations and are preferably overlapping, fuzzy, multi-scale bins.

Method and apparatus for controlling a system

A system for processing data comprising: a plurality of resource interfaces each of which is operable to access a corresponding underlying resource, and a processor unit for integrating data accessed from the underlying resources and controlling a user interface. The user interface is operable in use to permit a user to view all of the underlying resources currently accessible to the system and to select a plurality of these to form a subset comprising some, but not all, of the underlying resources from which to form an integrated view of the sub-set. The processor unit is operable to store the selection within a user selection store and to determine how to join the data from the selected underlying resources to generate an integrated view of the selected sub-set of underlying resources and to generate data for transmission to a device for displaying the generated view to the user.

Data processing

A concept dictionary is generated and/or updated in respect of an information system. The concept dictionary is used to assist in selecting queries and query terms for use in interrogating the information system. A lexical reference source is first used to generate queries semantically related to a query entered by a user, and the answers returned for each query are analyzed using a fuzzy processing technique to determine semantic relationships between the queries. The queries and the determined relationships are recorded in a concept dictionary for subsequent use.

Information retrieval

The performance of a computer-controlled system () operating under the control of a first process (), is monitored () by comparison () with a predetermined set of requirements (), to identify whether the performance of the system () meets the predetermined requirements. If the performance does not meet those requirements, an alternative program () may be selected, or generated from program elements stored in a library (), to replace the current controller process ().

Monitoring computer-controlled processes through a monitoring system

A store of electronic documents is automatically searched by controlling a user interface to permit a user to enter a search term, carrying out a search using the search term, the documents returned by the search into a plurality of distinct categories, and controlling the user interface to present in a left-hand panel the plurality of distinct categories and in a right-hand panel the documents returned by the search, or references thereto, in a grouped manner such that documents, or references thereto, of a particular category are grouped together, wherein the categories are selected in dependence upon the search term.

Document searching tool and method

A method of operating a database management system for integrating data from a plurality of data sources comprising steps of:

Database management

A method and apparatus are provided for generating, from an input set of documents, a word replaceability matrix defining semantic similarity between words occurring in the input document set. For each word, distinct word sequences of predetermined length are identified from the documents of the set, each word sequence being indicative of the context in which the word was used and, according to the relative frequency of occurrence of the identified word sequences for the word, fuzzy sets are generated for each word comprising membership values for corresponding groups of word sequences. For each pair of words occurring in the document set, their respective fuzzy sets are used to calculate the probability that the first word of a pair is semantically suitable as a replacement for the second word of the pair, these probabilities being collated to form a word similarity matrix for use in an improved method of determining document similarity and in information retrieval.

Semantic similarity based document retrieval

A method and apparatus for generating an index entry for a record in a semi-structured database involves analysing each field to identify an entry within each field and to identify a sequence of characters having a format corresponding to a predetermined format. Thereafter, the method and apparatus operate to generate an index entry for the identified entry, and for at least one field, define any characters not identified as an entry as a free text entry.

Index to a semi-structured database

Apparatus for generating sequences of elements including at least one task unit, each of which has an upper and a lower neural network connected in a hierarchical relationship and is operable to output a sequence of elements. Each of the upper and lower neural networks is a class of temporal neural networks having an infinite number of internal states.

Sequence generator

Data from a monitoring system is analyzed for monitoring characteristics of a dynamic system. Characteristic data in respect of a dynamic system is monitored and provided with at least one known normal state. Characteristic data is received from a monitoring system and confirmation information from an operator when the dynamic system is in a known normal state. A normality model is derived including comprising data indicative of known normal states in response to received characteristic data and confirmation information. Future characteristic data is predicted from the normality model a difference function is provided indicating an acceptable difference between predicted and received characteristic data. Predicted characteristic data is compared with received characteristic data in conjunction with the difference function and an abnormality signal is produced if the difference exceeds the difference function.

Data analysis system and method

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

Apparatus for generating sequences of elements

In a multi-modal user interface, user inputs may be made in various different ways. For instance, the user might use a keyboard, a speech system, a vision system, a mouse or pen. Different inputs made by the user may be related and may have different significance. A processing system detects and resolves ambiguities and/or conflicts in inputs made by the user using the different input modes available.

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Ipswich, United Kingdom

Behnam Azvine