Abstract: A high capacity computer article of manufacture to be loaded into a drive of a computer that includes a memory, comprising: a computer usable medium including at least one partition area and a boot sector, with the computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein, comprising: first computer readable code means fixed in the boot sector including a first BIOS parameter block for setting parameters for the medium if inserted in a floppy drive of the computer; and second computer readable code means fixed in the boot sector comprising a Partition Table for organizing the medium to include at least one partition and for designating an active partition.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for protecting boot block code while allowing updating to BIOS code during a flash BIOS operation. The boot block code is stored in a boot block or boot region of a flash part, and then a copy of the boot block code is written into another region of the flash part. The image of the boot block code in the another region is compared with the boot block code in the boot block, and if there is a match, the boot block region is unprotected, thereby allowing an update of code in the boot block. The boot block code of the flashed-in BIOS image in the boot block region is compared with the copy of the boot block code in the another region, and if there is a match, the code in the boot block region is protected. If there is not a match or if a power failure occurs, the system is booted up using the boot block code in the another region.

Abstract: A method and system for enumerating a trie of states of nodes. A node near the middle of a state of alphabetically ordered nodes is selected as a skip node and moved to the logical beginning of the state. The skip node is provided with a pointer to a jump node that is at the skip node's former position, and the node immediately to the left of the node's former position is marked as a soft terminal node. As a result of the alphabetic ordering, the segment of nodes before the jump node are alphabetically before the skip node, while the segment of nodes after the jump node are alphabetically after the skip node. The segments of the state may be recursively split into further segments via further skip nodes, jump nodes and soft terminal nodes, and, once the segments are split as desired, the nodes within the segment may be sorted.

Abstract: The present invention provides a search system for providing fulltext search over web pages of world wide web servers which can save memory by storing only text, path and hyperlink data of a web page and excluding extraneous data. The system comprises a server connected to an internet, a plurality of data groups with web page data, and a management program. One user can input search parameter such as keywords into the search system over which the management program uses the search parameters to find matching web pages using an index file within the data groups, generates path data for the matched web pages and outputs the path and text data in a standard http format. The search system retrieve only text and path data of each web page and leaves out extraneous data so that the memory space of the server can be saved.

Abstract: A graphical energy information display system having a menu for user selection of energy related information for an AC load control device, comprising: a device for monitoring AC electrical load usage of a load using a voltage shifter coupled to a sensor to bias the voltage above a ground potential by a predetermined voltage to produce a full-wave biased voltage signal; a graphical display device connected to said device for monitoring AC electrical load usage, said graphical display device adapted so as to graphically display indicia and at least one parameter of the AC electrical load usage of the load said parameters being displayed as a signal representation; menu means for displaying a plurality of selections on said graphical display device, each of said plurality of selections representing at least one parameter of the AC electrical load usage; and menu selection means for selecting at least one of said plurality of selections so as to cause said graphical display device to graphically present the sign

Abstract: A network authentication system provides verification of the identity or other attributes of a network user to conduct a transaction, access data or avail themselves of other resources. The user is presented with a hierarchy of queries based on wallet-type (basic identification) and non-wallet type (more private) information designed to ensure the identity of the user and prevent fraud, false negatives and other undesirable results. A preprocessing stage is employed to ensure correct formatting of the input information and clean up routine mistakes (such as missing digits, typos, etc.) that might otherwise halt the transaction. The authenticator can be configured to require differing levels of input or award differing levels of authentication according to security criteria.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product to facilitate royalty collection with respect to online distribution of electronically published material over a computer network. In one embodiment, a method for managing use of a digital file (that includes content subject to copyright protection on behalf of some content provider) begins by establishing a count of a number of permitted copies of the digital file. In response to a given protocol, a copy of the digital file is then selectively transferred from a source to a target. Thus, for example, the source and target may be located on the same computer with the source being a disk storage device and the target being a rendering device (e.g., a printer, a display, a sound card or the like). The method logs an indication each time the digital file is transferred from the source to a target rendering device, and the count is decremented upon each transfer. When the count reaches a given value (e.g.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for booting up a computing system having enhanced graphics and increased boot up speed begins by obtaining header information from a graphics controller. The header information includes a ROM signature, initialization size of the boot up algorithm, an entry point for the boot up algorithm, and at least one extended mode identifier. The processing then continues by interpreting the header information to determine whether the graphics controller is to boot up in an extended operating mode. When the graphics controller is to boot up in the extended operating mode, the processing continues by allocating memory for storing a boot up algorithm of the graphics controller. Next the processing continues by providing an address pointer to the graphics controller, where the address pointer points to the memory where the boot up algorithm is stored.

Abstract: A memory device with multiple clock domains. Separate clocks to different portions of the control circuitry create different clock domains. The different domains are sequentially turned on as needed to limit the power consumed. The turn on time of the domains is overlapped with the latency for the memory access to make the power control transparent to the user accessing the memory core. The memory device can dynamically switch between a fast and a slow clock depending upon the needed data bandwidth. The data bandwidth across the memory interface can be monitored by the memory controller, and when it drops below a certain threshold, a slower clock can be used. The clock speed can be dynamically increased as the bandwidth demand increases.

Abstract: A system and apparatus are disclosed for identifying polysemous terms and for measuring their degree of polysemy. A polysemy index provides a quantitative measure of how polysemous a word is. A list of words can be ranked by their polysemy indices, with the most polysemous words appearing at the top of the list. A polysemy evaluation process collects a set of terms near a target term. Inter-term distances of the set of terms occurring near the target term are computed and the multi-dimensional distance space is reduced to two dimensions. The two dimensional representation is converted into radial coordinates. Isotonic/antitonic regression techniques are used to compute the degree to which the distribution deviates from unimodality. The amount of deviation is the polysemy index. A corpus can be preprocessed using the polysemy indices to identify words having clearly separated senses, allowing an information retrieval system to return a separate list of documents for each sense of a word.

Abstract: A method for conversion of data between two applications or software packages, respectively, using different data formats to each other is provided. As a central problem in todays data processing, the bringing together and the exchange of data sources of different software packages has been recognized. For an intelligent conversion software there are viewed in the first place data structures from databases and data processing systems. Proceeding from the first recognition of a coarse structure, the file form is pre-classified in conversion tools. The conversion software provides a set of algorithms, by which the fine structure is detected and transformed automatically. The analysis of sample files from applications A and B is continued in the sub-structures, whereas finally, with the help of the analysis, the source data is converted into the target data being imported from application B.

Abstract: A service optimizer establishes an initial subscriber profile relating to a subscriber upon subscribing to a service. The service optimizer uses service data within the subscriber profile to administer a service for the subscriber. The initial subscriber profile contains personal and service information particular to the subscriber. The service optimizer analyzes the personal and service information in the subscriber profile to alter the service data used by the service optimizer to more efficiently administer the service. Additionally, the service optimizer analyzes information indicating how the subscriber uses the service to alter the service data used by the service optimizer to more efficiently administer the service.

Abstract: A method and system for deconfiguring a CPU in a processing system is disclosed. In one aspect, a processing system is disclosed that comprises a central processing unit (CPU), and a memory coupled to the CPU. The error status register for capturing information concerning the status of the CPU. The processing system includes a service processor for gathering and analyzing status information from the CPU error register. The processing system also includes a nonvolatile device coupled to the service processor. The nonvolatile device includes a deconfiguration area. The deconfiguration area stores information concerning the status of the CPU from the service processor. The deconfiguration area also provides information for deconfiguring a CPU during a boot time of the processing system. Accordingly, through the present invention, CPU errors are detected during normal computer operations by error detection logic.

Abstract: A data processing system includes a plurality of components, a power control network, processing resources, and a memory that contains initialization firmware. At system startup, the power control network initiates supply of power to the plurality of components and collects information regarding which components are supplied power. In addition, the initialization firmware initializes the plurality of components to establish a configuration. If an ambiguity in the configuration arises, the initialization firmware resolves the ambiguity utilizing the information collected by the power control network.

Abstract: Authentication and session management can be used with a system architecture that partitions functionality between a human interface device (HID) and a computational service provider such as a server. An authentication manager executing on a server interacts with the HID to validate the user when the user connects to the system via the HID. A session manager executing on a server manages services running on computers providing computational services on behalf of the user. The session manager notifies each service in a session that the user is attached to the system using a given HID. A service can direct display output to the HID while the user is attached to the system. When a user detaches from the system, each of the service's executing for the user is notified via the authentication manager and the session manager. Upon notification that the user is detached from the system, a service can continue to execute while stopping its display to the HID.

Abstract: A method of designing a computer network uses an object-based computer representation which allows on-screen linking of a service object, representative of a network service, to site objects representative of physical sites on a wide-area network. The user specifies expected traffic demands between the sites, and an algorithm calculates a physical connectivity map representative of proposed hardware circuits linking physical sites.

Abstract: A telecommunications network includes at least an active and a standby call server, the standby call server becoming active upon failure of the active call server. To facilitate rapid switch-over from the active to the standby call server and to prevent the loss of call processing data for calls in the call setup stage, the active call server sends call information to the standby call server during intervals in which the active call server is awaiting subsequent signaling messages from elements of the telecommunications network. In this way, the standby call server has the call information needed to commence call processing upon failure of the active call server, and the active call server makes efficient use of time while awaiting a reply signaling message.

Abstract: A method for authentication of network devices in a data-over-cable system is provided. The method includes storing a network address for customer premise equipment and a network address for a cable modem associated with the customer premise equipment in an internal table on a cable modem termination system during an initialization sequence for the customer premise equipment. If the cable modem termination system has to re-boot, or has to re-establish a connection to a cable modem, the internal table is used to prevent the cable modem from registering “rogue” network devices associated with a cable modem on the cable modem termination system. The authentication method allows a cable modem termination system to authenticate customer premise equipment or other network devices associated with a cable modem using internal tables. This authentication helps improve the security of a data-over-cable system and makes it less vulnerable to attack.

Abstract: A method and article of manufacture for the automatic generation of Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface (“ACPI”) Source Language (“ASL”) code in a Basic Input-Output System (“BIOS”) of a computer system having an ACPI compliant BIOS. The method scans all device node structures in the BIOS to find the device node structures corresponding to static and MCD devices. ASL code is generated corresponding to the device node structure by extracting the PnP Id of the devices and generating the required control methods.

Abstract: A method for making fabric pattern pieces for assembly into garments, upholstery or the like, with the fabric of each pattern piece having a fabric design with design features arranged in a predetermined manner with respect to the lines defining the boundary of the piece. The fabric design, which is printed on the fabric web by a computer-controlled dye-jet process, is printed only within the outlines of the desired pattern pieces. This avoids the problems previously associated with alignment of the pattern pieces relative to a repeating fabric design preprinted over the entire surface of the fabric web used as the work material and allows a more compact nesting of the pattern pieces on the web. An electronic pattern piece database is generated, including a template each of the desired pattern pieces.