Abstract: A technique for improving link performance in a wireless communication system includes detecting whether subscriber stations in the wireless communication system are power-limited. The subscriber stations include at least a first subscriber station that is power-limited and a second subscriber station that is not power-limited. The technique assigns a first reference signal having a first cubic metric to the first subscriber station and a second reference signal having a second cubic metric to the second subscriber station. In this case, the first cubic metric is lower in magnitude than the second cubic metric.

Abstract: A system and method for implementing a boot recovery on a data processing system. According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one processor compares contents of a first read-only memory (ROM) image and a second ROM image outputted from a memory. The first ROM image is initially selected to boot a data processing system utilizing a first basic input output system (BIOS) program. In response to determining that contents of the first ROM image and the second ROM image are different, the second ROM image is selected. The data processing system boots utilizing the second BIOS program stored by the second ROM image.

Abstract: A system, computer-implementable method, and computer-readable medium for processing a collection of work items in a data processing system. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an agent monitor assembles a work items list that includes a collection of work items, wherein at least one work item among the collection of work items is a work item that is unassigned to at least one agent among a collection of agents. The agent monitor assigns the at least one work item to the at least one agent. In response to determining that the at least one agent has entered into a hang state, the agent monitor releases the at least one work item from the at least one agent.

Abstract: A method and system for concurrent buffering and layer assignment in integrated current layout. Buffers are inserted and metal interconnects or “wires” are sized for every net, which consists of one driver and one or more receivers, such that timing skew constraints can be met. Long nets are promoted to a higher level if the slew violation can be fixed only by a promotion of the net or if the “slack” gain available by this promotion is equal to or greater than a predesignated layer of promotion threshold. In response to determining these layer assignments, the method and system then systematically demotes nets that are not critical and which do not impact the circuit and electrical constraints in order to minimize the use of high layer wire resources.

Abstract: A receipt printer having a scissor cutter for cutting off a receipt from a paper roll. The scissor cutter includes a moving blade that articulates across an adjustable stationary blade. The adjustable stationary blade is adjustable laterally according to whether a full cut or a partial cut across the paper roll is desired. If a full cut is desired, the stationary blade is positioned against the full width of the paper roll. If a partial cut is desired, the stationary blade is positioned against only a portion of the width of the paper roll.

Abstract: A method is disclosed of associating a mapping function with a configuration construct of a digital design defined by one or more hardware description language (HDL) files. According to the method, in the HDL files, a configuration latch is specified within a design entity forming at least a portion of the digital design. In addition, a Dial is specified that defines a relationship between each of a plurality of input values and a respective one of a plurality of different output values. The HDL files also include a statement that instantiates an instance of the Dial in association with the configuration latch such that a one-to-one correspondence exists between a value contained within the configuration latch and an input value of the instance of the Dial. The HDL files further include a statement associating the Dial with a mapping function that applies a selected transformation to values read from or written to the instance of the Dial.

Abstract: Software aggregates and integrates credit exposure and credit data across accounting, trading and operational systems within an organization and generates views of available credit in light of the exposure and credit limits. A comprehensive model of exposure to all counterparties, across all of their divisions and subsidiaries, is assembled, enabling the creation of a hierarchical view of each counterparty that models its real-world parent-child relationships. Credit limits are set across the enterprise, supporting the organization's unique methodology and business process, and on a granular basis, incorporating factors such as external credit ratings, internal credit scores, commodity, geographic region, deal duration, and security instruments. Credit, transactions, and risk are then determined at any level in the hierarchy.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and an apparatus, as well as a computer recording medium for handwriting input. The invention is implemented by capturing images including raw strokes with a digital camera and receiving writing sounds with a microphone, when a user writes on a writing surface with a stylus having a special mark (such as special color point or light point), said images and sounds are time-stamped; extracting images of raw stroke by comparing the captured images with the special mark on the stylus; and retrieving “effective strokes” from the raw strokes by utilizing the received writing sounds. Moreover, the invention discloses a low cost, wireless method and apparatus for handwriting input which enables an user to write on a paper without a touch sensor provided for a computer system (such as Notebook and PDA etc.) equipped with an embedded digital camera.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for performing thread-specific display of breakpoints are disclosed. The method includes, in response to determining that an event received from a user interface is a request to update a source code of a software module, updating a source display pane and determining whether a first breakpoint is capable of firing in a current thread. In response to determining that the first breakpoint is not capable of firing in the current thread, the first breakpoint is displayed in an altered display state to indicate that the first breakpoint cannot be hit in the current thread.

Abstract: A Water Friend or Foe System (WFSS) includes a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card in a SIM reader on a marine vessel. A transmitter, which is coupled to the SIM reader, transmits information from the SIM card, as well as positioning information, to a WFFS tracking station.

Abstract: A system and method for implementing an enhanced hover state with active prefetches. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a snooper in a processing unit receives a system-wide update complete operation indicating a completion of a storage-modifying operation targeting a particular address, where the storage-modifying operation results in a modified first cache line in a first cache memory. The snooper determines if a second cache memory held a second cache line associated with the particular address prior to receiving the system-wide update complete operation. If so, the snooper issues a prefetch request for a copy of the modified first cache line to replace the second cache line in the second cache memory. The snooper updates the second cache memory with a copy of the modified first cache line.

Abstract: A method and system that enable system firmware to efficiently boot an operating system (OS) and/or client program from a network-connected Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) device. The method generally comprises: (1) defining the firmware representation of the iSCSI device within the hierarchical data structure that represents the system hardware; and (2) extending the network support package to accommodate additional boot arguments that allow system firmware to acquire the information required for booting from the network-connected iSCSI device, while utilizing one of the existing discovery protocols.

Abstract: A data processing system, method, and computer-usable medium for recovering from a hang condition in a data processing system. The data processing system includes a collection of coupled processing units. The processing units include a collection of processing unit components such as, two or more processing cores, and a cache array, a processor core master, a cache snooper, and a local hang manager. The local hang manager determines whether at least one component out of the collection of processing unit components has entered into a hang condition. If the local hang manager determines at least one component has entered into a hang condition, a throttling manager throttles the performance of the processing unit in an attempt to break the at least one component out of the hang condition.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating a statistical tree representing an extensible markup language Schema (XSD) is disclosed. Components of the XSD are prioritized according to predefined rules. A root node representing the XSD is created. Pairs of child nodes are generated from the root node. Each pair comprises at least one genuine node, and each pair of generated child nodes is appended to a parent node which is a genuine node. The path to each of the child nodes from a respective parent genuine node is represented with a binary sequence. At least one genuine node is allocated to a corresponding component of the XSD, the allocation being based on the prioritization of the component. Methods, apparatus and computer program products for generating a statistical tree representing XSD, for encoding an extensible markup language (XML) document utilizing a statistical tree representing XSD, and for decoding an XML document represented by a binary encoded sequence also are disclosed.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and data processing system for executing larger-than-physical-memory applications while protecting sensitive program code (and also data) from unauthorized access in a memory space not subject to protection fault or page fault detection are disclosed. Large applications are accommodated by providing a mechanism for secure program overlays, in which a single large application is broken into two or more smaller applications (overlays) that can be executed from the same memory space by overwriting one of the smaller applications with another of the smaller applications when the latter needs to be executed. So that the data may be shared among these smaller applications, each of the applications contains embedded cryptographic keys, which may be used to encrypt or decrypt information to be stored persistently while control is transferred from one application to the other.

Abstract: A non-GPS capable stationary device and method thereof is presented that permits the stationary device to receive location and time information from a mobile, GPS capable device using a non-GPS wireless protocol. This permits the stationary device to make use of the location information in combination with other information from the stationary device, communicated from the mobile device and/or communicated from other devices in a network of devices connected to the stationary device, to customize features of the stationary device accordingly. The stationary device is activated through an external trigger or automatically through an internal trigger.

Abstract: Inventive embodiments described here provide for accurately distributing a voltage reference to multiple cores of an integrated circuit (IC). A quasi-differential interface is used to transmit the voltage reference, and a virtual ground is established at a receiver located at each core location on the integrated circuit. In one embodiment, the receiver is an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) that converts a virtual-ground-referenced voltage input to a current. In one embodiment, the OTA converts the virtual-ground-referenced voltage into three currents via three driving current sources operating relative to the virtual ground and the local ground of the core. Negative feedback controls the accuracy of this conversion and provides a way to cancel the effects of the distribution resistance. The current is sourced across the voltage domains between the virtual ground and the VSS, which is the IC ground. An I*R drop across a resistor converts the current to a voltage referenced to VSS at the output.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and data processing system for preventing the occurrence of undetectable dangling pointers through memory reallocation are disclosed. Allocated memory regions that are no longer needed are deallocated but are not immediately freed for reallocation, being designated as “retained.” A memory retention metric is computed as a measure of an extent of the retained memory regions in the computer's memory space. Once the memory retention metric exceeds a pre-determined threshold, some or all of the retained memory regions are freed for reuse. In this manner, improper accesses to deallocated memory regions can be detected more easily, since reuse of those regions is delayed, while at the same time excessive resource usage and heap fragmentation is avoided by only retaining deallocated regions for a limited time (determined by the threshold and retention metric chosen).

Abstract: A method of tentative tracing execution events in a multiprocessor system. Each processor stores tentative events in a corresponding buffer. The processor sets pointers in an array to a head and tail of a thread. When a condition triggers a tentative thread to be committed, the processor marks the first event as committed and sets the pointers to a null value. When a condition triggers the thread to be discarded, the processor marks the first event as discarded and sets the pointers to a null value. The processor makes the buffer available to a consumer process, which extracts the first event. If the first event is marked as committed, the consumer process follows a link to a second event of the thread and marks the second event as committed. If the first event is marked as discarded, the second event is marked as discarded and the first event is skipped.

Abstract: Unpackaged bulk material is made up of components that have been laced with RFID tags. By interrogating the RFID tags, the different components are identified and quantified, thus providing a quick assay of the bulk material.