Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention can be characterized as a method for designing a circuit that facilitates sharing of design parameters between separately designed modules of the circuit. The method includes receiving module information, including parameters relating to design of a module of the circuit, and storing the module information in a database. The method also includes retrieving the module information from the database, and generating automatically a constraint file from the module information. In one embodiment, this constraint file includes constraints in a format suitable for use by a synthesis tool to synthesize circuitry for the module.

Abstract: A user interface for a full-text document retrieval computerized system comprises a display with a words window in which each query word is displayed by means of a distinctive representation uniquely associated with each displayed word. In a subsequent results window, each document header or title or representation is accompanied by an indicator which employs the same distinctive representation to directly indicate to the user the relative contributions of the individual query words to each listed document. In a preferred embodiment, the distinctive representation is integrated with an associated weight first indicator in a words window, and in the results window the distinctive representations are also integrated with an associated weight second indicator. The distinctive representation can take several forms, such as by a different color or by means of hatching or shading or by displayed icons.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is presented in which a physical object is formed on the basis of data that represents a free-form surface. A free-form surface is formed by entering into a designing device a series of input points. A free-form surface forming unit of the designing device then generates geometric data that represents an object to be formed. The free-form surface forming unit uses this geometric data to control a milling machine, which sculpts an object in accordance with the geometric data.

Abstract: There is provided an image processing apparatus having communicating and recording functions. This apparatus comprises: a communication control unit to communicate an image; a memory to store image information received from the communication control unit; a CRT display to display the image information stored; a designating device to designate a desired area in the image displayed on the CRT display; a printer to print only the area designated by the designating device from the image information stored; and, preferably a second designating device to designate the number of copies of the image information which are to be printed by the printer. With this apparatus, the necessary area in the received image information can be printed alone, in just the necessary number of copies. Thus losses of the paper and printing time can be prevented.

Abstract: A machine and method for drafting a patent application has a keyboard, mouse, display, printer, and a computer for receiving and transmitting data. The computer requests and stores information regarding the invention including, if appropriate: 1) qualities and benefits (QAB) of the invention over the prior technology; 2) primary elements (PE) of the invention that define the invention apart form prior technology; 3) secondary elements (SE) of the invention that may be important but not necessary to define over the prior technology; and 4) substitute elements (SUB) of the invention that may substituted or modified in an effort to avoid the primary and secondary elements but not depart from the invention.

Abstract: The generation of images is done by the computation of the motion vectors representing the evolution from one image 2D to the other, directly from the co-ordinates and coefficients of geometrical transformation, of associated points in the 3D scene. The applications relate to the generation of monocular sequences by temporal interpolation and of stereoscopic sequences by extrapolation.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer readable-medium for performing operations associated with browser requests are provided. The system includes a plurality of dispatchers coupled to a plurality of web listeners. Each of the dispatchers receives from a corresponding web listener browser requests received by the corresponding web listener. The dispatchers are configured to send messages through an inter-machine communication mechanism to cartridge instances. The messages cause the cartridge instances to perform the operations associated with the browser requests. Each cartridge instances includes a cartridge execution engine and a cartridge. The cartridge execution engine handles all inter-machine communication with the dispatchers, and passes the requests to the cartridges by making calls into the application programming interface of the cartridge.

Abstract: A data partitioning technique for use in sorting data records of a data file. A plurality of data records is retrieved from the file until a trigger condition is satisfied. For example, data is retrieved until a trigger field within the plurality of data records changes from one value to another value, or until a comparison of the trigger field, using a conditional operator, to a predetermined value is satisfied, or until the trigger field changes from one value to another value after a predetermined number of data records is retrieved. After the trigger condition is satisfied, one or more of the retrieved data records are sorted. The sorted records are then available for output prior to reaching the end of the file.

Abstract: A method of selecting the likely most relevant database collections for document searching based on an ad hoc query where each of the databases includes a plurality of documents. Iterative collection selection processing of the databases is performed to obtain consistent relative-ranking collection selection results for each iteration. The method uses a collection selection query and performs the repetitive steps of determining an inverse collection frequency and a document frequency for each database; determining a ranking value for each database; selecting a subset of the set of databases based on predetermined criteria dependant on the ranking value for each the database. The method provides for automated and manual descriptions, boolean selection terms combined with soft terms, and uses term proximity, capitalization, phraseology and other information in establishing a relevance ranking of the collections with respect to the ad hoc query.

Abstract: A high-speed automatic image drawing apparatus divides a three-dimensional object to draw into primitives that can be drawn at a high speed, and draws an image of the object according to the primitives by gradually changing lightness and chromaticity. The image thus provided has a material-like impression. The apparatus comprises a primitive forming unit for dividing the three-dimensional object to draw into predetermined shapes and forming primitives according to the shapes, and a grading unit for drawing the object according to the primitives by gradually changing lightness and chromaticity. In response to a request of drawing a three-dimensional object, the primitive forming unit divides the object into predetermined shapes, and forms primitives for the shapes. Thereafter, the grading unit draws an image of the object according to the primitives by gradually changing lightness and chromaticity.

Abstract: A database client/server development system providing support for remote sessions with user-created application objects is described. When a user desires to create a "remoteable" object from a user object, the user assigns a proxy name or alias, thereby providing a mechanism to differentiate the real (local) version of the object from a remote version of that object. When the user creates the proxy, the system generates all of the interface definitions for the object (i.e., to access its internal functionality) which are capable of being proxied (i.e., "proxiable"). A given object can reside locally, remotely, or both; the proxy mechanism allows the application to resolve at runtime which version of the object to invoke. When the user's final application is deployed, the proxy object is deployed at the client machine for use at the client for accessing the real version at the server. If desired, an application can be deployed with a real copy of the object, in addition to the proxy.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for dynamically constructing electronic and printable documents and forms. An entity reference is read from a document instance and compared to entity identifiers provided in a catalog containing a plurality of entity identifiers. Each of the entity identifiers in the catalog is associated with an entity resolution process. An inference engine or other entity resolving processor is invoked to effectuate the resolution process associated with a matching entity identifier. The inference engine or entity resolving processor resolves the entity reference to a resolved entity, such as a component of text or graphics to be included in a document. Linking between the document, entity reference, and resolved entity provides for detailed auditing of the entity resolution process. A resolved entity may contain one or more embedded entity references which are similarly resolved.

Abstract: A copy of a new version of an existing Envy Library file is transferred to a data processing system in which the existing Envy Library file is stored, such that the amount of data actually stored is smaller than the data contained within the new version of the existing Envy Library file. Scripts containing information about unchanged data that can be copied from the existing Envy Library file is stored in the data processing system. Scripts containing information about data in the new version of the existing Envy Library file that is different from data within the existing Envy Library file is also stored in the data processing system. The existing Envy Library file may be regenerated using the script files and the new version of the Envy Library file within the data processing system.

Abstract: There is disclosed a filing apparatus capable of improving the operability and the work efficiency in the fitting, in prepared data, of multi-media data prepared by another application. The word processor sends a request containing a predetermined code and a keyword to the filing apparatus, which judges whether the received code is a predetermined code. If it is the predetermined code, a file containing the keyword is retrieved. Then judged is the number of the retrieved multi-media data, and, if plural multimedia data are retrieved, there is displayed a retrieval image frame for selecting one of the retrieved multi-media data, but, if only one multi-media data is retrieved, it is directly fitted in a word processed text.

Abstract: A data coding system is arranged such that character font data is compressed in a unit of 4-bit in a form of a bit string with a compression width of 4-bit in the Huffman coding system. The data coding system employs a code structure in the Huffman coding system for respectively converting three bit strings selected in order from that of the highest appearance frequency in a unit of 4-bit in the character font data into the compressed codes expressed using not more than 3 bits. The described system permits a significantly improved compression rate of the character font data into respective compressed codes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided that enhance file system calls to a file system structure of an operating system. In particular, file system calls can be enhanced to provide real-time secure file deletion on an ongoing basis. A file system call that is intended to perform a function with respect to data stored on a storage device is intercepted. It is then determined whether the file system call is of a type that should be processed. If not, the original file system call is passed on through the file system. If the file system call should be processed, supplemental processing is performed to enhance the original file system call and the file system call is transparently returned to the calling system application. In embodiment, real-time secure file deletion is implemented using a vendor supplied driver (VSD) executing within the installable file system (IFS) of WINDOWS 95.

Abstract: A graphics output system stores a collection of graphic segments that are intended for display, potentially in overlapping relation, in a two-dimensional output image. The stored graphic segments are converted into a representation of an output image. The stored graphic segments are specified by boundary inter-relationship data respectively determining the boundary of each segment and the relative depth priorities of the segments in the output image and any clipping of each said segment to the boundary of a lower-priority segment that it can potentially overwrite. The collection of graphic segments is modified, for example, by deleting or adding segments. A new image representation is not formed from the beginning each time the segment collection is modified. Instead, the output image representation is within a region delimited by the boundary of one or more segments associated with the modification.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generically viewing and editing values and attributes of distributed directory objects is disclosed. A data structure is adapted to represent one or more attributes and associated values of a target object in a distributed directory. A user interface receives inputs from a human user and displays at least a portion of the data structure, irrespective of the target object type. One or more syntax editors receives inputs from a human user and modify the data structure. Each of the one or more syntax editors correspond to at least one attribute syntax in the distributed directory. A mechanism modifies the target object in the distributed directory to include modifications made to the data structure with the attribute editors.

Abstract: A system for modeling a three dimensional object on a computer system is provided, the system having means for capturing data from an input device, the data representing various points on the surface of the object, means for generating from said captured data a three dimensional model of said object that has first distinct features at predetermined locations on the model, and means for applying a texture map onto said model, the texture having second distinct features at predetermined locations that correspond to the first distinct features of the model, so that a textured model is generated wherein the first distinct features of the texture map are located at approximately the same location as the second distinct features of the model. A method of modeling a three dimensional object is also provided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating static, dynamic and hybrid sparse indices for use with workfiles used by SQL queries in a relational database management system.