Abstract: A method and apparatus for interfacing the motion of an object with a digital processing system includes a sensor for detecting movement of the object along a degree of freedom. A passive pneumatic or hydraulic damper is coupled to the object to provide a damping resistance to the object along the degree of freedom and resist a movement of the object. The damping resistance is provided by regulating the control of a fluid with a digital computing apparatus, thus providing a low-cost, low-power force-feedback interface that is safe for the user. The damper and sensor provide an electromechanical interface between the object and the electrical system. A gimbal or other interface mechanism can be coupled between the damper and the object. The interface is well suited for simulations or video games in which an object such as a joystick is moved and manipulated by the user.

Abstract: A latch control circuit for overcoming phase uncertainty between crossing clock domains, which includes an interface and control circuit for controlling and communicating data between the clock domains and, which also includes either static or dynamic initialization circuitry.

Abstract: A multi-dimensional outline, a wordgraph, represents a subset of a directed graph with a given starting node where all edges related to a node in one direction, either incident out of that node or incident into that node appear indented below that node as in outlining represented by their terminal node or initial node respectively and all edges related in the other direction appear indented above that node represented by their initial node or terminal node, respectively, with the initial nodes and terminal nodes distinguished.

Abstract: A correlation server provides for links between disparate data structures in a hyper-relational data navigation system. In one hyper-relational navigation system, a correlation server is used to provide a relationship between a component in one data structure and a component in another data structure. In one method, a draggable element and a drop target are identified. Metadata is imported into a class-relation matrix maintained for the first data structure and a response to a navigation action is formulated, wherein the response is dependent upon at least the draggable element, the drop target and a cell in the class-relation matrix that corresponds to the draggable element and the drop target and includes imported metadata.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing force sensations in virtual environments includes a human/computer interface device and method used in conjunction with a host computer and which can provide feel sensations to a user of the device. A user manipulatable object physically contacted by a user, such as a joystick, stylus, pool cue, or other object, is movable in multiple degrees of freedom using a gimbal mechanism. A local microprocessor, separate from the host computer, enables communication with the host computer and receives commands from the host, decodes the commands, outputs actuator signals in accordance with commands, receives sensor signals, and reports data to the host in response to commands. Actuators generate feel sensations by providing a force on the user object in response to actuator signals from the local microprocessor, and sensors detect the motion of the user object and reports sensor signals to the local microprocessor.

Abstract: A stage of a multi-stage, self-timed datapath circuit calculates one or more data outputs as a function of one or more data inputs. Data outputs are calculated by multiple logical elements that operate simultaneously and produce internal results as inputs to other logical elements within a stage. An internal completion signal generator detects completion of a predetermined set of the internal results calculation and, in response, generates an completion signal for each internal result detected. A done signal generator receives the completion signals and, in response to one or more preselected combinations of the completion signals, provides a done signal. The done signal is generated with a predetermined delay such that the delay is at least as long as a time it takes for the stage to calculate a final result.

Abstract: A method and system for migrating a computing environment from a source computing platform to a destination computing platform. A script defines at least one software system or application stored on the source computing platform. The script is parsed by a scripting engine to resolve specific user-selectable settings of each source software system or application. Genetic data is generated to represent the resolved settings of the source software systems and/or applications. The genetic data is then selectively applied to corresponding software systems or applications stored on the destination computing platform to automatically provide similar settings thereon.

Abstract: A reusable space vehicle docked in an intermediate orbit for rescue missions allows a satellite to be serviced with less delay, energy expenditure, and cost than a space vehicle launched from Earth for each mission. The reusable repair vehicle can be moved from one orbit to another with minimal energy expense while not having to wait for a launch window. Once a servicing need is identified, a destination orbit is identified for the space vehicle and a minimum energy path is identified. If the time to the next launch window between the docking orbit and the destination orbit happens to be near enough to allow for a timely rendezvous, the space vehicle is moved directly to the destination orbit. The space vehicle can be a vehicle designed to be piloted by humans or telerobotically.

Abstract: A one's complement adder uses two two's complement adders, both of which are coupled to receive first and second addends at their addend inputs, however the first two's complement adder is adapted to output a first sum that is the one's complement sum that would result if no carry occurred upon addition of the first and second addends and the second two's complement adder is adapted to output a second sum that is the one's complement sum that would result if a carry did occur. A selector selects one of the first sum and the second sum as its output (and the output of the one's complement adder) based on whether or not a carry occurred.

Abstract: A remote web site authoring system is located on a server in communication with one or more clients via a network with in a distributed computing environment. The system provides a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) interface program that enables the client to edit a web page of within a web site maintained on the remote server while concurrently viewing a replica of that web page. The system dynamically generates the replica of the web page while the client is editing the web page. The system combines the two elements of remote authoring, i.e., editing the web site and viewing the web site, enabling the user to view a replica of the web site during the editing process.

Abstract: A data compression system separates input data into color planes prior to compression. If needed for legacy game consoles, compression is performed by a game cartridge transparent to the console. To minimize the number of passes required of a coder/decoder, color planes are ordered by density and the densest color plane is coded first. After the first color plane is coded, other color planes are coded, but pixels which are known to have colors from previously coded color planes are not coded. The last color plane is not coded, but is deduced from all the other color planes. Alternatively, pixel color values are represented by vectors with components thereof separately coded by subcolor planes. Also, each color plane can be coded until a threshold number of pixels are coded, and the remaining pixels coded by bit plane. The image data could be coded using pixel position information as context.

Abstract: A user is presented with a display of item labels and category labels, where item labels are shown to the extent that categories contain not more than a threshold count of items. Alternatively, the item labels are shown to the extent that display area is left over after the display of category labels, and the categories for which item labels are shown are selected from the smallest categories to the largest.

Abstract: A secure interface between a private network and a public network are disclosed. The interface includes a collection of routing devices, telecommunications devices, packet-filtering devices, applications-filtering devices, monitoring and maintenance devices organized to enforce a wide variety of desired customer security policies. The apparatus allows a central service provider to install and maintain a collection of similar apparatus and support a number of customers with widely varying security policies and allows a rapid change in the security policy of a given customer, without affecting the security of other customers, and without requiring the customer to understand or modify the underlying apparatus.

Abstract: The concept of a subroutine call is one of the basic ideas in computer science. The invention relates to a technique for achieving the effect of subroutine calls in certain situations where they would not otherwise be possible. The invention allows for the simulation of subroutine calls in applications where the interaction with a client is reduced to successive iterations in which the application sends the client a set of keys, and the client chooses one of the keys and sends it back to the application (i.e., a minimal interface). In one implementation, the invention is used to simulate subroutine calls in an application running on a Web server and communicating with the client through successive Web pages.

Abstract: The present invention provides an efficient streamlined pipeline for a counterflow pipeline processor with a renaming table. The counterflow pipeline includes an execution pipe having multiple instruction stages forming an instruction pipe, a plurality of result stages forming a result pipe, and a corresponding plurality of comparator/inserters. Each comparator/inserter couples an instruction stage to a corresponding result stages. The counterflow pipeline also includes a register exam stage with the renaming table. The renaming table has entries for associating each register value of an instruction with a unique renamed register number (RRN), thereby eliminating the need for arbitration and housekeeping (killing of stale register values), as instructions and their respective register values counterflow in the streamlined counterflow pipeline. An RRN counter, such as a modulo counter, is coupled to the renaming table and provides unique RRNs for assignment to new register values.

Abstract: An oscillator circuit having a topology that provides for high-speed oscillation in an even number of phases. The topology generally comprises an even number of inverting circuit elements generally including a keeper and an even number of inverters. The circuit elements are connected such that each output of each circuit element is coupled to at least one input of a neighboring circuit element such that a signal traversing a closed path is inverted an odd number of times. One oscillator is implemented using circuit elements containing a keeper having two nodes and two pairs of inverters. The outputs of one pair of inverters are tied to a first node of the keeper and the outputs of the other pair are tied to a second node. In a preferred embodiment, the oscillator circuit contains four such circuit elements arranged in a ring such that the outputs of each circuit element are coupled to the two neighbor circuit elements.

Abstract: An example page taken from each document in a document database is processed by a page processor to yield an iconic representation for the example page. To form the iconic representation, the example page is segmented into text regions, line art regions, photograph regions, etc., and each region is reduced in a manner appropriate for that image type. Text is replaced with a block font and reduced, while graphics are reduced in level and/or spatial resolution. The reduced regions of the example page are then reassembled into the icon. When multiple icons are printed on a guide page, a user can visually identify the icon for an example page of a target document and supply the icon, or a label for the icon, to a document retrieval system, which selects candidate matching documents from the document database. For simplified processing, characters can be blocked and words formed into solid line segments with lengths proportional to word lengths.

Abstract: A method of organizing information in which the search activity of previous users is monitored and such activity is used to organize articles for future users. Personal data about future users can be used to provide different article rankings depending on the search activity and personal data of the previous users.

Abstract: A method for automatically interpreting an electronic message, including the steps of (a) receiving the electronic message from a source; (b) interpreting the electronic message using a rule base and case base knowledge engine; and (c) classifying the electronic message as at least one of (i) being able to be responded to automatically; and (ii) requiring assistance from a human operator. The method for automatically interpreting an electronic message may also include the step of retrieving one or more predetermined responses corresponding to the interpretation of the electronic message from a repository for automatic delivery to the source.

Abstract: A software-based computer security enhancing process and graphical software-authenticity method, and a method to apply aspects of the two are disclosed. The process provides protection against certain attacks on executable software by persons or other software used on the computer.