Abstract: A clamping mechanism for an adjustable length tool is provided herein. The clamping mechanism includes a body having a top end, a bottom end opposite the top end, and a top portion proximate the top end; and, a lever rotatably coupled to the body between an unlocked position and a locked position, wherein the lever engages with the body during a movement of the lever to the locked position to cause a deformation of the top portion of the body. According to one embodiment, deformation of the top portion of the body is structured to prevent relative movement between an inner pole of the adjustable length tool and the top portion of the body.

Abstract: A non-cylindrically surfaced lens converts a collimated light beam into a light plane that increases a light intensity toward distal portions of the light plane's arc so as to substantially uniformly project a reference light line onto a reference surface onto which the light plane is projected. The non-cylindrically surfaced lens has first and second surfaces that remain constant over at least a portion of the z direction length of the lens. The second surface defines a multiple-radius curve in an x,y plane. The lens may be incorporated into a self-leveled optical device that projects a reference light line onto a reference surface at a predetermined angle relative to horizontal.

Abstract: A non-cylindrically surfaced lens converts a collimated light beam into a light plane that increases a light intensity toward distal portions of the light plane's arc so as to substantially uniformly project a reference light line onto a reference surface onto which the light plane is projected. The non-cylindrically surfaced lens has first and second surfaces that remain constant over at least a portion of the z direction length of the lens. The second surface defines a multiple-radius curve in an x,y plane. The lens may be incorporated into a self-leveled optical device that projects a reference light line onto a reference surface at a predetermined angle relative to horizontal.

Abstract: OOP environments comprise composite data structures and internal mechanisms for manipulating those structures. The structures are used to allow a user to realize the power of OOP. Hence, the layout of these structures, the way in which the structures inter-relate, and the manner in which they are built and used are all critical to the utility of a particular OOP environment. It is no surprise, then, that manufacturers and suppliers of OOP environments are constantly striving to design composite data structures and internal mechanisms which maximize user productivity. The internal mechanisms and structures that make up the present invention are collectively referred to as the New Object Model (NOM). The composite data structures and organization of the NOM OOP environment provide significant benefits that are not provided by the environments of the prior art.

Abstract: OOP environments comprise composite data structures and internal mechanisms for manipulating those structures. The structures are used to allow a user to realize the power of OOP. Hence, the layout of these structures, the way in which the structures inter-relate, and the manner in which they are built and used are all critical to the utility of a particular OOP environment. It is no surprise, then, that manufacturers and suppliers of OOP environments are constantly striving to design composite data structures and internal mechanisms which maximize user productivity. The internal mechanisms and structures that make up the present invention are collectively referred to as the New Object Model (NOM). The composite data structures and organization of the NOM OOP environment provide significant benefits that are not provided by the environments of the prior art.

Abstract: A multi-tasking computer operating system allocates a respective virtual address space to each task. A portion of virtual address space is reserved as a shared address space (SAS) region, the SAS region occupying the same range of virtual addresses in the virtual address space of each task. Certain classes of data intended for sharing among multiple tasks are assigned unique and persistent addresses in the range of the shared address space region. Preferably, certain facilities are added to a conventional base operating system to support the SAS region and associated function. These include a join facility for initiating a task to the SAS region, an attach facility for attaching blocks of memory within the SAS region, and a paging facility for retrieving a page within the SAS region from storage. In this manner, it is possible for a multi-tasking multiple virtual address space computer system to assume the advantages of a single level store computer system when performing certain tasks.

Abstract: This present invention incorporates the benefits of the function shipping, page shipping and class shipping remote object access models into a single, industry standard programming model. The fundamental mechanism of the present invention is an underlying shipper mechanism, which dynamically selects and updates the remote object access method being employed for any given access based on the most desirable method available at the time of the object access. The shipper mechanism dynamically decides which underlying access mechanism to use based on (1) object access policy rules, and (2) system operational loads and network traffic heuristics. The shipper is further capable of transparently switching from one access model to another while an object access is on-going.

Abstract: The present invention utilizes a hardware Window Storage Protection Controller (WSPC) and an Object Encapsulation Enforcement Manager (OEEM) to limit access to object data to only those methods which are encapsulated by the object All of the objects of the computer system which require protection are stored in protected storage by a base storage protection mechanism so that only the mechanisms of the present invention can deny or permit access to the data encapsulated by the objects.

Abstract: A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides an intelligent reference object (IRO), which is used to encapsulate address translation between shared address space (SAS) addresses and native system addresses. The IRO works with a shared persistent virtual storage system that provides address translation between SAS addresses and the underlying system. By encapsulating these addresses translations in an IRO, the preferred embodiment provides the ability to create and share persistent objects using single level store semantics. When a client accesses the data in a persistent object, the IRO corresponding to the persistent object provides any address translation and indirection needed to perform the access.

Abstract: The preferred embodiment of the present invention facilitates the creation, storage and interaction of persistent objects using single level storage semantics on commodity systems. Specifically, the present invention defines several objects used to implement persistent objects in a shared address space. The preferred embodiment includes a Class Encapsulator class and the Object Encapsulator class that are preferably designed to encapsulate the class data and instance data, respectively. In particular, a Class Encapsulator object would preferably be created in a Persistent Container for each class of objects loaded into that Persistent Container. The Class Encapsulator object would include all of the specific data needed to implement its corresponding class. Likewise, an Object Encapsulator object would preferably be created to encapsulate each object to be stored persistently in the shared address space.

Abstract: The preferred embodiment of the present invention facilitates the creation, storage and interaction of persistent objects using single level storage semantics on commodity systems. The preferred method and apparatus utilize a persistence mechanism to provide object persistence. In particular, the persistence mechanism defines a Factory class, a Finder class, an ExpandingContainer class, a Container class and a ClassLoader class which work together to create persistent shared objects. An application can create persistent objects by calling methods on the Factory class. The Factory class then works in conjunction with an instance of the Container class and the ClassLoader class to create persistent objects in a shared address space (SAS). Shared address space is a persistent virtual address space shared by all processes running on a computer system. The SAS allows the processes to access data within SAS at any time, using a SAS address.

Abstract: The preferred embodiment present invention provides a shared persistent virtual storage system and method for creating and managing a large logical virtual address space, called a shared address space (SAS), on existing systems. The shared persistent virtual storage system provides an interface layer between client processes using the SAS addresses and the underlying system. By providing the ability to use a large shared address space, the preferred embodiment allows the creation and sharing of persistent objects using single level store semantics. The preferred embodiment does this by mapping the shared address space to backing store as needed, and by implicitly moving portions of data, called pages, between backing storage and main memory as needed by client process. The preferred embodiment then provides a mechanism for translating shared address space addresses into a native address of the data in the page cache and providing that address to the application.

Abstract: The data structures, apparatus, methods, and mechanisms of the present invention cooperate to provide the user with a flexible multiple inheritance OOP environment. OOP environments comprise composite data structures and internal mechanisms for manipulating those structures. The structures are used to allow a user to realize the power of OOP. Hence, the layout of these structures, the way in which the structures inter-relate, and the manner in which they are built and used are all critical to the utility of a particular OOP environment. It is no surprise, then, that manufacturers and suppliers of OOP environments are constantly striving to design composite data structures and internal mechanisms which maximize user productivity. The composite data structures and organization of the MOM OOP environment provide significant benefits that are not provided by the multiple inheritance environments of the prior art.

Abstract: OOP environments comprise composite data structures and internal mechanisms for manipulating those structures. The structures are used to allow a user to realize the power of OOP. Hence, the layout of these structures, the way in which the structures inter-relate, and the manner in which they are built and used are all critical to the utility of a particular OOP environment. It is no surprise, then, that manufacturers and suppliers of OOP environments are constantly striving to design composite data structures and internal mechanisms which maximize user productivity. The internal mechanisms and structures that make up the present invention are collectively referred to as the New Object Model (NOM). The composite data structures and organization of the NOM OOP environment provide significant benefits that are not provided by the environments of the prior art.

Abstract: OOP environments comprise composite data structures and internal mechanisms for manipulating those structures. The structures are used to allow a user to realize the power of OOP. Hence, the layout of these structures, the way in which the structures inter-relate, and the manner in which they are built and used are all critical to the utility of a particular OOP environment. It is no surprise, then, that manufacturers and suppliers of OOP environments are constantly striving to design composite data structures and internal mechanisms which maximize user productivity. The internal mechanisms and structures that make up the present invention are collectively referred to as the New Object Model (NOM). The composite data structures and organization of the NOM OOP environment provide significant benefits that are not provided by the environments of the prior art.