Abstract: A mechanism is provided for dynamically rendering a component instance at run time. According to the invention, a rendering engine is provided for each type of component that can be rendered, and each engine is responsible for rendering all instances of that component type. When it comes time to render a component instance, the rendering engine associated with that instance is invoked. When invoked, the rendering engine receives a set of metadata associated with the component instance, which specifies the attribute values for that instance. Based upon the metadata, the rendering engine determines, at run time, a format for the instance, and renders the instance in accordance with the determined format. By rendering the instance at run time based purely upon metadata, the present invention makes it possible to store only the metadata associated with the instance. Unlike the prior art, it is not necessary to store a component as a large static entity. As a result, the present invention requires less storage.

Abstract: The present invention provides a generic mechanism for enabling a user to develop one or more components. According to the invention, there is provided a generic builder engine which solicits from a developer, through a simple dialog, all of the information needed to define an instance of a component. The builder engine solicits the information by generating one or more display pages based upon predefined metadata. This metadata specifies what information needs to be solicited from the developer to define an instance of that type of component, and how that information should be solicited. Based upon this metadata, the generic builder engine dynamically generates one or more display pages to solicit the necessary information from the developer. Implementing the builder engine in this generic manner is quite advantageous because it makes it possible for a single engine to be used to guide a developer through the defining process for all possible types of components.

Abstract: During peak usage times in a communications system, a communications control system and a billing system are required to handle a very large volume of communications from a large number of communications devices. Due to the large s volume, the control system and billing system are often overburdened, causing them to not record each and every communication. As a result, some of the communications conducted during peak times are not recorded and hence are not billed to customers, thereby causing a loss in potential revenue. The present invention provides a solution to this problem. Namely, each communications device is adapted to maintain a log of the communications conducted using that communications device. This log information is communicated to the control system at some later time (probably during an off-peak period) to enable the control system to retroactively update the billing system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for automatically determining the behavior of a communications device based upon the likelihood that a user is within relatively close proximity to the communications device. The apparatus comprises one or more sensors, one or more behavioral mechanisms, and a behavior determining mechanism. The sensors (which may, for example, be mechanical, audio, heat, or motion sensors) provide indications as to the likelihood that a user is within relatively close proximity to the communications device. These indications are received by the behavior determining mechanism, and in response, the behavior determining mechanism determines, based upon the indications, one or more appropriate behaviors for the apparatus. The behavior determining mechanism then causes one or more of the behavioral mechanisms to carry out the appropriate behaviors.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for locating buried objects prior to digging at a current location. According to the invention, a positioning device is taken to the location where digging is to take place. The positioning device receives positioning signals from one or more positioning stations, and based upon the positioning signals, determines the current location of the positioning device and hence the location of the dig site. Once the current location is determined, a registry database containing the locations of previously buried objects is accessed. The registry database is queried for all locations within a selected distance of the current location which have buried objects. If this query returns no records, then it is probably safe to dig at the current location. On the other hand, if the query returns one or more locations, then further digging at the current location should either be avoided or performed with great caution.

Abstract: A gain adjustment circuit for maintaining the overall gain of a multi-component apparatus at a relatively constant level is disclosed. A multi-component apparatus in which the gain adjustment circuit may be implemented includes a first component and a second component. The first component has a variable gain, and receives as input a control signal which determines the gain of the component. The second component has an adjustable gain, and provides as output an output signal which affects the control signal fed to the first component. The gain adjustment circuit adjusts the adjustable gain of the second component based upon the control signal fed to the first component to maintain the overall gain of the components at a relatively constant level. More specifically, if the control signal is at a level which causes the variable gain of the first component to be high, then the gain adjustment circuit sets the adjustable gain of the second component to a low level.

Abstract: The present invention provides a mechanism for enabling memory allocation operations to be deterministic. According to the invention, determinism is achieved by first pre-allocating a contiguous memory space, and then using that memory space to perform subsequent memory allocation operations. Because the subsequent memory allocation operations are performed using memory space that has already been allocated, it is ensured that the allocation operations will not trigger a garbage collection operation. Also, because the pre-allocated memory space is contiguous, there will be no fragmentation concerns. Thus, the present invention eliminates the two major causes of non-constant allocation times. By doing so, the present invention makes it possible to achieve determinism in a dynamic memory allocation system.

Abstract: A method for delivering a message unit to a destination network resource within a transport communications layer includes the steps of configuring a mapping to the destination network resource based upon a source address of the message unit, and sending the message unit to the destination network resource based upon the mapping.

Abstract: To establish an access-controlled communications path between a client and an access-controlled network resource, a determination is initially made as to whether the client is authorized to access the access-controlled resource. If the client is authorized to access the access-controlled resource, then a validated parameter associated with the client (e.g. the client's network address) is established. Thereafter, a firewall is configured to selectively accept future communications having the validated parameter associated therewith. Upon receiving a communication, a determination is made as to whether the communication has the validated parameter associated therewith. If it does (thereby indicating that the communication is from the authorized client), then the communication is allowed to pass through the firewall to the access-controlled network resource. In this manner, an access-controlled communications path is established between the client and the access-controlled network resource.

Abstract: An improved burst mode for accessing a storage medium is provided which enables the storage medium to be accessed in any freely specifiable address increments/decrements. The accessing process begins with a bus arbiter receiving a set of request information from a host system specifying a starting address, an incremental/decremental (I/D) value, and a count n. These specified values are stored by the bus arbiter in an address register, an I/D register, and a count register, respectively. Then, the bus arbiter allows the host to access the storage medium beginning with the location having the address indicated by the value stored in the address register which, at this point, is the starting address specified by the host system. Once that location is accessed, the arbiter decrements the value in the count register by one. If the value in the count register is now equal to zero, the process stops.

Abstract: A charge pump having an automatic compensation capability comprises a current source and a current sink. The current source is selectively coupled to the output of the charge pump by a sourcing control. The sourcing control receives an input control signal and responds by controlling the sourcing current flowed from the current source to the output. Likewise, the current sink is selectively coupled to the output of the charge pump by a sinking control. The sinking control receives a second input control signal and responds by controlling the sinking current flowed from the output to the current sink. The charge pump further comprises a sensing circuit and a compensating circuit. The sensing circuit determines whether, given substantially identical input control signals, there is a difference between the sourcing current and the sinking current generated by the charge pump. If so, the sensing circuit provides at its output an indication of the current difference.

Abstract: A multi-component system for linking a user to a product or service provider includes a user processing device, a storage device, and a provider device. The storage device stores provider-specific application software, user-specific data, and a file management program. The storage device and the processing device are coupled to each other to form a user device which communicates with the provider device. Under direction of the file management program, the processing device carries out a recognition methodology which determines whether the processing device and the storage device are authorized to operate with each other. This aspect of the system makes it possible to render the storage device operable only with a specific user processing device, referred to as the principal processing device. This, in turn, reduces the possibility of fraud since the storage device cannot be used without the principal processing device.

Abstract: To optimize system bus utilization in a computer system, a bus coordinator is included in the computer system to coordinate the transfer of information signals on the bus. Each time a source node wishes to transfer information to a destination node, the source node sends a request to the coordinator along with the identification of the destination node. Upon receiving this request, the coordinator determines whether the destination node has capacity to receive information signals. If the destination node has capacity, then the coordinator grants control of the system bus to the source node to allow the source node to send information signals to the destination node via the system bus. Otherwise, the source node is denied control of the system bus until the destination node has capacity to receive information signals.

Abstract: An improved multi-bit memory cell includes a storage capacitor and a switching element coupled to one of the terminals of the capacitor. The switching element includes a first switching component having a positive threshold, and a complementary switching component having a negative threshold. Because the switching element is constructed in this manner, noise generation caused by activation of the switching components is significantly reduced, and cut-off effects are eliminated. Both of these factors contribute to the memory cell's ability to store more bits of information than prior art memory cells.

Abstract: A multi-component system for linking a user to a product or service provider includes a user processing device, a storage device, and a provider device. The storage device stores provider-specific application software, user-specific data, and a file management program. The storage device and the processing device are coupled to each other to form a user device which communicates with the provider device. Under direction of the file management program, the processing device carries out a recognition methodology which determines whether the processing device and the storage device are authorized to operate with each other. This aspect of the system makes it possible to render the storage device operable only with a specific user processing device, referred to as the principal processing device. This, in turn, reduces the possibility of fraud since the storage device cannot be used without the principal processing device.

Abstract: A multi-component system for linking a user to a product or service provider includes a user processing device, a storage device, and a provider device. The storage device stores provider-specific application software, user-specific data, and a file management program. The storage device and the processing device are coupled to each other to form a user device which communicates with the provider device. Under direction of the file management program, the processing device carries out a recognition methodology which determines whether the processing device and the storage device are authorized to operate with each other. This aspect of the system makes it possible to render the storage device operable only with a specific user processing device, referred to as the principal processing device. This, in turn, reduces the possibility of fraud since the storage device cannot be used without the principal processing device.

Abstract: A multi-component system for linking a user to a product or service provider includes a user processing device, a storage device, and a provider device. The storage device stores provider-specific application software, user-specific data, and a file management program. The storage device and the processing device are coupled to each other to form a user device which communicates with the provider device. Under direction of the file management program, the processing device carries out a recognition methodology which determines whether the processing device and the storage device are authorized to operate with each other. This aspect of the system makes it possible to render the storage device operable only with a specific user processing device, referred to as the principal processing device. This, in turn, reduces the possibility of fraud since the storage device cannot be used without the principal processing device.

Abstract: A programmable and adaptive electronic filter for filtering digital signals. The filter uses a table which contains the outputs corresponding to all possible inputs, so that the filter may be constructed of memory, adders and multiplexers, and does not require multipliers. The input sample is used as an address to determine the location in the memory which contains the output corresponding to that input. The table of outputs is placed in a particular order such that the change between the inputs corresponding to each two adjacent locations is a single digit, thus allowing the table to be easily calculated, since the difference between the outputs in those two locations is two times the weighting coefficient for the digit in the input which is changed. Adaptive filtering is accomplished by using a second filter which has as its input the difference between the actual output of the filter and the desired output, and as its output changes to the weighting coefficients of the filter.

Abstract: A random access memory, having multi-bit memory cells, includes a successive approximation analog-to-digital (SAAD) converter and a comparator for reading data from the memory cells. In reading data from a cell, the SAAD generates a first reference voltage. This first reference voltage is compared, by the comparator, to the voltage stored in the cell to derive a first comparison result. Based on this first comparison result, a first bit of data is determined. Thereafter, the SAAD generates a second reference voltage based on the first reference voltage and the first comparison result. This second reference voltage is compared, by the comparator, to the voltage stored in the cell to derive a second comparison result. Based on this second comparison result, a second bit of data is determined.

Abstract: In a bus system including a bus, a plurality of nodes including a primary node, and a bus access coordinator, bus utilization efficiency is improved by operating the coordinator at the same clock frequency as the primary node. The primary node is the node in the bus system which accesses the bus most frequently. By running the coordinator synchronous with the primary node, the need for synchronization events between the two components is eliminated. Since the primary node accesses the bus most frequently, eliminating synchronization events with the primary node eliminates most of the synchronization events in the bus system. Thus, synchronization events are minimized which, in turn, improves bus utilization efficiency.