Abstract: A method for the configuration of a network made up of server and client computers is provided, which involves the setting of a primary server having an interactive display and the installation of all of the application programs and the driver programs, which may be required to support internal and external components of all of the other server and client computers in the network which is controlled through entries to the interactive display interface of said primary server computer. Similarly, the operating system installation for the server and client computers may be controlled through entries to this primary server computer interface. Also, adapters required by the other server and client computers to support various components are selected through entries made through the interface to the primary server computer.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program are provided for a virtual three-dimensional workspace with means for navigating the user's viewpoint into said workspace. Potentially interactive three-dimensional objects are positioned within the workspace. There is provided for each object an interaction sphere having a preselected radius. This interaction sphere is stored in association with its corresponding object. It remains a characteristic of the object so that when, during navigation, the user's viewpoint comes within the interaction sphere of a particular object, that object is rendered interactive. In addition, the object which is rendered interactive is usually highlighted in some manner so as to inform the user that he may functionally interact with the object.

Abstract: A data processor controlled user interactive display system for displaying hypertext documents, each including a sequence of display screen pages received over a communications network such as the World Wide Web. Each of the pages contains a plurality of hotspots of varying dimensions, each of said hotspots being responsive to user interactive pointing means to display a linked document. The system has means for determining the dimensions and positions of said hotspots on said display page and means responsive to said determining means for dynamically creating a plurality of expanded hotspot zones, each respectively including one of said hotspots. The system then provides means responsive to said user interactive pointing means within a selected hotspot zone to display the document linked to the hotspot in said zone. These hotspot zones are highlighted when the user points to them to provide the user with a large and highly visible target zone within which he may access his selected hotspot.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program are provided for a virtual three-dimensional workspace wherein dependent upon the position of the viewpoint with respect to a particular object, that object may be a functional interactive object with the user at the viewpoint if the virtual distance of the viewpoint to the object is within a certain specified distance. However, if the viewpoint moves beyond this distance, then the object is rendered noninteractive and becomes part of an aggregate object at the next distance level. In forming this aggregate object, the selected object joins a plurality of other noninteractive objects.

Abstract: There is provided a prerecorded stored data file of a sequence of keystrokes and interactive display cursor selections for controlling the subsequent configuration of a network comprising a plurality of server computers and a plurality of client computers. This data file is created by predetermining the components and the programs to be supported by each of said server and client computers in said network and the configuration of said network, making the interactive keystroke and cursor entries required to install said predetermined components and programs on said server and client computers through the display interface of a primary one of said server computers and making the interactive keystroke and cursor entries required for further configuration of said network through said display interface. This sequence of said entries in a recorded data file in said primary server computer.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program are provided for a virtual three-dimensional workspace containing a plurality of three-dimensional objects which may be interactively addressed or accessed by the viewer or user to perform a variety of interactive functions. In addition to these objects, the present invention provides a two-dimensional workplane setup at the front of the three-dimensional workspace which the viewer selectively contains two-dimensional images corresponding to and resembling selected three-dimensional whereby the user may select either the three-dimensional object or its two-dimensional image to perform particular interactive functions.

Abstract: This invention addresses the management of window geometry (or layout) in a distributed data processing system. In this invention, a client server model includes an application executing on a client system with graphics being drawn on the server system for the end user. Each client application interacts with the user by defining client windows into which are placed graphical data and where input data may be entered by the user. The application software together with the graphics software is provided in the client processor. The server processor includes the ability to display data to the end user. The application data for display, in the form of a window, includes a special designated area within the window to provide user access to the application.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program are provided for facilitating viewer navigation within a virtual reality three-dimensional workspace containing functional three-dimensional objects. The viewer has the capability of navigating towards such three-dimensional functional objects and interacting with them functionally in specific tasks. Such specific tasks often require a fairly narrow viewpoint to provide close viewer interaction with the object in the specific task. The present invention provides a means for facilitating the viewer's navigation along his desired or planned path after he has completed a specific task relationship with a particular selected object.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program are provided for a virtual three-dimensional workspace wherein the three-dimensional objects and the workspace in general are environmentally associated, particularly in real world size relationships. In the default or normal workspace, all of the objects are sized relative to each other so that the relative sizing is the same as it would be in the real world. However, in order to provide the viewer ease of use when the viewer has selected particular functional objects for interaction, the system has stored for each of such functional objects an enlarged image of the object. This image is stored associated with the object and is displayed upon the selection of the object by the user. When the user has completed the interaction with the object by way of its enlarged image, the three-dimensional object returns to its default or real world sized image in the three-dimensional workspace.

Abstract: A method, system and program is provided for reconfiguring a database by the manipulation of table and column icons on a user interactive graphical display interface to the database. In the interactive display, columns are represented by icons and tables are represented by icons which in turn represent combinations of columns. One or more of the table icons are decomposed into the column icons making up the tables. The column icons are displayed in pool areas on the display from which the user may interactively select column icons and combine such column icons to form a new table represented by a table icon.

Abstract: A computer system for dynamically generating a set of display panels which will provide a user friendly interactive user interface for I/O as the steps in an application program requiring user interaction are carried out. The system involves a PC or workstation display having a display management system providing a set of rules and constraints governing the layout of each screen panel. The system stores data sufficient to support each of a plurality of basic screen panels. As the program proceeds and each of the program steps is carried out, the system modifies the data supporting a selected one of the basic panels to provide the modified screen panel required for the user interface with respect to each particular application program step. The modification of each particular screen panel is based at least in part on data entered into the system through interfaces provided by the screen panel required for previous steps in the application program.

Abstract: In a computer system with a screen display on which is formed a plurality of at least partially overlapping windows associated with different applications, a depth buffer is added to the display adapter for providing with different applications, a depth buffer is added to the display adapter for providing clipping assistance to the software-based window manager. A refresh buffer stores pixel data for each pixel of the display. The window manager monitors the current depth position of each of the pixels within the display and generates a depth value for each pixel.

Abstract: A system for generating program object modules or decks of object code for selected computing systems is provided. The object module is generated from a conventional source program. The system has a compiler for generating an object module from the source program which module has the necessary instructions for executing the desired program in the selected computing system but these instructions are arranged in a first format which is not loadable or readable into the selected computing system. The present system has a converter for converting this first instruction format into a second instruction format which is loadable into the selected computing system.

Abstract: A method for solving problems using an expert system in which the Rulebase includes a section having specific definitions of processes or procedures which are available to the expert system as a data source. The method allows data to be collected dynamically in response to and in accordance with parameters supplied by the expert system and at a time determined by the expert system. The ability of the expert system to provide meaningful conclusions is considerably enhanced when such type of data is made available since any process or procedure that can be executed on the host for the expert system can become a source of current data for analysis by the expert system. Computer hardware diagnostic applications can include running self-diagnostic procedures even on the host system.

Abstract: A word processing system is provided with an interactive display terminal for displaying by character generation a data stream representative of alphanumeric characters to be printed on a document together with means for printing the characters on the document. The processing system integrates into the data stream, data representative of graphics and converts such integrated graphic data into graphic display characters whereby the graphics may also be displayed through character generation. When printing of the graphics and alphanumeric information to produce documents is required, the data in the data stream representative of alphanumeric characters is applied to the printing means resulting in the printing of the characters and the data in the data stream representative of the graphics is applied to apparatus for producing the graphics such as a plotter to produce the graphic content of the document.

Abstract: A data processing system having a main processing unit, a memory subsystem, and a co-processor selectively connectable to said memory subsystem through an Input/Output Channel Controller which includes a control means for arbitrating access to the I/O Bus among the co-processor and the other I/O devices connected to the Bus. Since the co-processor runs programs stored in the memory subsystem, there is a tendency for the co-processor to monopolize the bus with instruction fetch cycles, thereby excluding other I/O devices from access to the bus. The control means for arbitrating responds to requests on the basis of a linear priority scheme in which the co-processor has the lowest priority. Each device, except the co-processor, is permitted to keep control of the bus until it voluntarily relinquishes it. The co-processor, on the other hand, relinquishes control of the bus in response to a request for access by any higher operator.

Abstract: An improvement in a bus converter that provides a bus to bus address translation function permitting access from an I/O device connected on the I/O bus to a system bus and system memory, where the bus converter includes a circuit connected to the I/O bus to partition I/O addresses received from the I/O bus into a lower order field and a high order field and connected to a circuit to receive DMA ID's from the I/O bus to combine this DMA ID with the high order field to form a first combined address. The first combined address is input to a memory which provides corresponding control field and prefix field data. An address formatter is further included that is connected to receive the control field and prefix field data from the memory and further connected to receive the low order address field. The address formatter forms a second combined address from the prefix field, control field and lower order address field. This second combined address is then provided to a system bus to permit access to the system bus.

Abstract: A word or text processing system has a bidirectional printer with formatting capability. A line of text is printed in one direction, and the printer is backspaced to form complex characters by adding overstrikes, such as underlining or accent marks. The formatting unit includes a storage mechanism for storing encoded space images, including variable width spaces, in a first scan pass. Space images overlapped by a backspace are deleted from the storage mechanism during the scan pass, and the number of spaces backspaced over is subtracted from the total count of expandable spaces available for justification. Upon detecting a space in the input data during the format pass, the system examines the space storage mechanism to determine if the image of the space is encoded therein. A space is expanded for line justification only if the space is encoded in the space storage mechanism.

Abstract: A plurality of controllers are connected to a common bus in turn connected to a central processor. Each of the controllers respectively serves as an interface between the central processor and at least one storage unit for input/output device. In order for the controllers to distinguish between addresses, the addresses sent from the central processor contain identifier segments indicative of the controller to which the address is being sent. Controllers in turn contain programmable comparison means for comparing the identifier segments in addresses to a stored controller identifier indicative of the controller. Because the comparison means are programmable, controller identifiers have to be set up each time the system is turned on.

Abstract: A virtual memory address translation mechanism is provided for converting virtual memory addresses provided by a CPU into real memory addresses within page frames in a large hierachial memory wherein the real memory space is substantially smaller than the scope of the virtual memory. The conversion or translation mechanism includes a combined table in the memory which includes a first list covering the respective virtual address of each memory address (Inverted Page Table or IPT) and a second list connecting each of a plurality of hashed addresses with a predetermined initial virtual address of a linked group of virtual addresses, each of which when hashed produces the connected hashed address (Hashed Addressed Table, HAT). The system also has means for hashing a selected virtual address to produce a hashed address.