Abstract: A handheld computer which contains an LCD display having a digitizing surface to allow pen input. Internal storage takes several forms, such as a large flash ROM area, battery-backed up RAM and an optional hard disk drive. Several alternative communication paths are available, such as the previously mentioned modem, a parallel printer port, a conventional serial port, a cradle assembly connected to the host computer, and various wireless short distance techniques such as radio frequency or infrared transmission. The computer can readily communicate with other sources, particularly to a host desktop computer, to allow automated synchronization of information between the host and the handheld system. Preferably the remote synchronization is performed at several user selectable levels. When the handheld computer is in a cradle and actively connected to the host computer, automatic capture of updated data in the host computer is performed.

Abstract: An image processing system provides a very friendly user interface over its scanner for selecting one image processing program to process image signals generated by the scanner. The image processing system comprises a personal computer and a scanner connected to the computer. The scanner comprises a scanning circuit for scanning a document to generate image signals, a user interface containing a display device for displaying message signals and an input circuit for generating selection signals according to user inputs. The computer contains a plurality of image processing programs for processing the image signals generated by the scanning circuit and a scanner control program for transmitting a message signal to the display device of the scanner. The message signal contains one instruction about selecting one of the image processing programs to process the image signals generated by the scanning circuit.

Abstract: A data processing system includes a central processing complex consisting of one or more processor units, each of the processor units having one or more input/output channels, a transmission medium connected to each of the input/output channels, and one or more peripheral device controllers such as for controlling one or more direct access storage devices (DASD). In systems having more than one input/output channels, it is common to include a switching mechanism connected between the input/output channels and the control devices for enabling connection between one of a number of controllers and one of a number of channels. Each control device will include an automatic frame transmission function which includes apparatus and method for controlling transmission of frames of information between the control device and the channel. A queue of reconnection requests is constructed and a state machine controls the queue.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of implementing a novel buffer ba full duplex communication system is disclosed. The disclosed invention is particularly useful in native sign processing systems wherein heavy contention of processor resources typically exist, such as in systems running multi-tasking operating systems. The communication system of the present invention includes a receiver, transmitter, echo canceler. CODEC and telephone hybrid. The major components of the system operate on a buffer of input samples consisting of a set of input bits. The communication system operates to generate a buffer of output samples consisting of a set of output bits. The invention utilizes a novel buffer switching mechanism to optimize the tradeoff between processing response time, on one hand, and robustness to interrupt latency and processor implementation on the other hand.

Abstract: The system and method of this invention automatically manages a group of computers by automatically gathering data, storing the data, analyzing the stored data to identify specified conditions, and initiating automated actions to respond to the detected conditions. The invention, hereafter "SYSTEMWatch AI-L", comprises a SYSTEMWatch AI-L client which turns a computer into a managed computer, a SYSTEMWatch AI-L console, which turns a computer into a monitoring computer, a SYSTEMWatch AI-L send facility, which allows a system administrator to send commands to various SYSTEMWatch AI-L clients through the SYSTEMWatch AI-L console, and a SYSTEMWatch AI-L report facility which allows a system administrator to query information collected and processed by the SYSTEMWatch AI-L clients and SYSTEMWatch AI-L consoles.

Abstract: A computer system is so configured as to be divided into a control system which should have high reliability and high responsiveness and an information system which does not access the control system. They are connected via a transmission path (transmission path of control system and transmission path of information system). Centralized management of development and maintenance is performed from a software maintenance system. In development and maintenance of software, management according to the feature of each software such as processing contents of each software, demanded reliability, and version up frequency is performed from a maintenance system for exclusive use by using a transmission path of information system. Thereby, development and maintenance having high reliability and expandability is realized.

Abstract: A processing system including a processor and a peripheral wherein a configuration input of an address decoder or a device address input of a peripheral device which is not needed to set the peripheral's device address is used to increase the input capability of the processor. A data input signal is coupled to the configuration input or to the device address input such that the peripheral has a plurality of possible device addresses dependent on the state of the data input signal. The processor is configured to attempt communication with the peripheral by checking the plurality of possible device addresses of the peripheral until the peripheral gives a response to the processor. The device address to which the peripheral responds represents the state of the data input signal.

Abstract: An automatic method for adding an additional data stream, such as auxiliary teleconference data, to an existing media connection between two endpoints, such as a teleconference between teleconferencing systems. A first endpoint identifies the availability of a second data stream to a second endpoint via a first message which references the existing media connection. The first endpoint notifies the second endpoint of the desire to connect via a second message. The second endpoint notifies the first endpoint of confirmation to connect via a third message. The first and the second endpoint then establish communication wherein the additional data stream is associated in a first endpoint and the second endpoint with the existing media connection.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for getting descriptors to data and passing the descriptors among data sources and sinks, thereby avoiding copying the data among the data sources and sinks. The data source/sink which consumes the data actual initiates the copying of the actual data itself, using global pointers to the data in the descriptors.

Abstract: A system for interfacing at least one peripheral device with a personal computer is disclosed as including a personal computer microcontroller, a keyboard microcontroller directly connected to the personal computer microcontroller by means of a clock line and a data line, a switching device positioned between the personal computer microcontroller and the keyboard microcontroller, and a wedge microcontroller to which the peripheral device may be connected. The wedge microcontroller further includes a first set of connections to the clock and data lines positioned between the switching device and the keyboard microcontroller, a second set of connections to the clock and data lines positioned between the switching device and the personal computer microcontroller, and a switch control connection to the switching device for opening and closing the switching device.

Abstract: A modular digital dictation system that can be easily modified to service a variable number of dictation stations and transcription stations. The modular digital dictation station comprises a central station for receiving digitized dictation signals from a network of dictation stations, storing the voice portion of the digitized dictation signals as digitized dictation segments, and routing the digitized dictation segments to a network of transcription stations. The central station includes a plurality of line interface and signal processing cards. The number of line interface and signal processing cards connected to the central station determines how many dictation stations and transcription stations the modular digital dictation station can service. The line interface cards may be removed from or connected to the central station during operations. A redundant power supply is connected to the central station to provide continuous power to the central station.

Abstract: The computer system has a processing machine for receiving an electronic message including a request of a transaction from a network, transmitting an electronic message including results of the transaction to the network, and executing the transaction processes corresponding to transmitted/received electronic messages. The computer system also has a data machine for receiving the electronic message including the request of the data accesses from the network, transmitting the electronic message including the results of the data accesses to the network. The computer system also has a man-machine interface machine for transmitting the electronic message including the results of the transaction to the network, receiving the electronic message including the results of the transaction form the network. This computer system includes a network manager for managing access rights of respective users for accessing the processing machine and the data machine connected to the network.

Abstract: A method for retrieving video data which has been striped across a plurality of disks using a coarse-grained striping technique. Specifically, and in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, the method comprises scheduling the retrieval of a video in response to an incoming request and based on the availability of bandwidth on the disks, and then rescheduling the retrieval of that video to occur at an earlier time, the rescheduling based on a change (i.e., an increase) in the availability of bandwidth on the disks which results from the retrieval of another video being completed. The scheduling and rescheduling may, for example, comprise assigning a disk to the video, where the method further comprises incrementing the disk assigned to the video as each round occurs and beginning the retrieval of the given video when the disk assigned to it is the disk on which the data for the given video begins.

Abstract: The present invention provides a universal host-to-switch application program interface (API) utilizing a generic message format for performing call control processing and capable of being customized to meet telecommunications application and network signalling protocol requirements. The generic message formats have programmable fields for transmitting commands, status, and data between the host application and the switch. The present invention further comprises a programmable telecommunication switch that provides a user with the ability to define a desired signalling protocol, either "standard" or custom in nature, for performing any desired switching functions. The present invention includes a protocol development environment which enables a user to define a separate finite state machine for each port provided by the switch.

Abstract: A method of precisely identifying the end of packet location in a memory device. A first and second memory location in the memory device are reserved and a sequence of data is written into the memory device in sequential memory locations. When the last of the sequence of data is written into memory the memory location is written into the first reserved memory location. The second memory location is written to show that the end of packet has been written into memory.

Abstract: A memory controller provides a series of queues between the processor and the PCI bus and the memory system. Memory coherency is maintained in two different ways. Before any read operations are accepted from the PCI bus, both of the posting queues must be empty. A content addressable memory (CAM) is utilized as the PCI to memory queue. When a PCI device executes a memory read, the processor cache and L2 cache are snooped in parallel with the memory read operation. Data is not provided until the snoop operation is complete. If the snoop operation indicates a modified location, a writeback operation is performed before data is provided to the PCI bus. If data is coherent between the memory and caches, data is provided from the memory to the PCI bus.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of controlling data transfers in which the data is in a predefined format. The DMA controller with a status register cooperates with a counter capable of effecting a change in the contents of the status register to generate predefined leading sequences of pulses. The arrangement may also include a module which can detect a predefined trailing sequence and effect a change in the contents of the status register.

Abstract: This invention relates to methods for providing access to network servers. In particular, the process described in the invention includes client-server sessions over the Internet involving hypertext files. In the hypertext environment, a client views a document transmitted by a content server with a standard program known as the browser. Each hypertext document or page contains links to other hypertext pages which the user may select to traverse. The user may also access a hypertext page by providing a conventional telephone number or other descriptor. The server maps such a telephone number or descriptor to a target page identifier using a translation database and automatically directs the client to retrieve the desired page.

Abstract: A public switched telephone network for providing information from a multimedia information server to any one of a plurality of subscriber premises, comprises a central office receiving multimedia information signals from a multimedia information server and orders from a prescribed subscriber. The central office includes a gateway system for conveying routing data in response to subscriber orders and a switch for routing multimedia signals from the server to the prescribed subscriber in accordance with the routing data. An interface at the central office transmits and receives audio telephone service signals, subscriber control signals and digital multimedia information signals on first, second and third signal channels. Each subscriber premises includes an interface for transmitting and receiving audio telephone service signals, subscriber control signals and digital multimedia information signals on the three signal channels.

Abstract: A multimedia collaboration system that integrates separate real-time and asynchronous networks--the former for real-time audio and video, and the latter for control signals and textual, graphical and other data--in a manner that is interoperable across different computer and network operating system platforms and which closely approximates the experience of face-to-face collaboration, while liberating the participants from the limitations of time and distance. These capabilities are achieved by exploiting a variety of hardware, software and networking technologies in a manner that preserves the quality and integrity of audio/video/data and other multimedia information, even after wide area transmission, and at a significantly reduced networking cost as compared to what would be required by presently known approaches. The system architecture is readily scalable to the largest enterprise network environments.