Abstract: This invention relates to a method of distributing documents have a directed relationship within an information processing system. The documents in the directed relationship have a one-to-one relationship. An end user indicates to the system an identification of at least one document in the directed relationship which is to be distributed to one or more recipient end user. The end user also enters system addresses of the recipient end users. The system then builds the necessary structures to transmit the document in the directed relationship to the identified recipient end users such that the directed relationship is maintained.

Abstract: This invention relates to remapping of keyboards within a computer system in a user friendly manner. A plurality of terminal emulators, which are included in the computer system, may require different keyboard inputs. A keyboard program is activated to display one of a plurality of keyboard layouts to be remapped for a selected emulator. A plurality of definitions are displayed in response to the selection of a key the displayed keyboard layout. An action is then selected to modify one or more definitions of the selected key. Thereafter, a plurality of keys and their respective definitions may be simultaneously displayed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods of automatically generating a data stream in which a calendar owner can request the status of a plurality of calenders maintained by an electronic calendaring system. A first data structure is generated by the system in response to the entry of calendar information by the calendar owner. The first data structure includes a plurality of predetermined fields for storing the calendar information. Each of the plurality of fields are compared to equivalent fields in identified ones of the plurality of calendars. A second data structure is then generated for each of the identified ones of the plurality of calendars which sets forth the status of calendaring an event thereon. The second data structure is transmitted to the calendar owner to confirm the status of each of the identified ones of the plurality of calendars.

Abstract: This invention relates to marking a document with action markers and specifying an action to be performed by a responding end user. Notification criteria, notify ID and a status, which are associated with the action to be performed, are also specified. Upon the completion of the action specified, the responding end user updates the status and a message is automatically generated and transmitted to an end user associated with the notify ID if the updated status meets the notification criteria.

Abstract: A sorting technique which relies on the operating system collating weights of characters to the extent that a collating weight difference exists in any of the pairs of corresponding characters of two different strings of characters being compared. While this comparision is being made, the first tie of collating weights for a pair of nonidentical corresponding characters triggers a comparison of the ASCII code values of the two corresponding characters which tied. Assuming that such a tie has occurred, and if, after reaching the end of this process no differences in the collating weights of corresponding characters are found, then if one string has a corresponding character with a lower ASCII value, that string is considered to precede the other string in the alphabetic sequence.

Abstract: This invention relates to updating a display unit associated with a remote computer system communicating with a host computer system. Information, which is currently being displayed on the display unit and information to be displayed thereon are compared to determine any differences which exist therebetween. If the differences exceed a predetermined value, an update command is generated and transmitted by the host computer system to the remote computer system along with the information to be displayed if facilitate the updating of the display unit. If the differences do not exceed the predetermined value, it is determined which of a plurality change categories should be used to transmit the differences to the remote system in the most efficient manner. An update command, which is associated with the selected one of the plurality of change categories, and data representing the differences are then enqueued for transmission to the remote system to facilitate the updating of the display unit.

Abstract: A data processing network in which a plurality of workstations such as personal computers (PC) (12) are connected to a host processor (11) and contain PC programs at particular levels for controlling tasks on the personal computers. The personal computers send a signal to the host when they are about to conduct a task indicating which data files they have and at what level. The host has an object library containing a copy of each disk file for each version of PC program. The host determines if the personal computer has the latest level data file for the version of program at that personal computer and, if it does not, sends a copy of the latest level data file to the personal computer to replace the down-level data file. Preferably, the host checks if the personal computer has all the data files it needs for the particular task and, if it does not and if it should because of the version of PC program stored at the PC, the host can load a copy of the missing file to the personal computer.

Abstract: Encryption and decryption mechanisms at transmitters and receivers, respectively, have applied thereto encryption or decryption keys and initializing values. These mechanisms generate cryptographic bit streams which are intermediate streams of generated values. These intermediate streams, generated prior to their real time need in the encryption or decryption processes, are stored in buffers until data is presented for encryption or decryption, at which time the cryptographic bit streams are conveyed from the buffers to mathematical functions, for combination with the data. This avoids the delays associated with the real time generation of the cryptographic bit streams during the encryption and decryption processes. Appropriate synchronization of the generation and buffer storage of the cryptographic bit streams at the transmitter and receiver is provided.

Abstract: An I/O bus expansion interface is disclosed which enables an I/O device having an n-bit data bus to be interfaced to an m times n-bit I/O data bus of a host processor. This I/O bus expansion circuit maximizes the computer processor's performance by providing full I/O data bus bandwidth and allowing overlap of processor execution and I/O bus expansion interface circuit operation. This is accomplished by: (1) prefetching multiple control and/or data fields from the I/O device and presenting that information to the host without delay and (2) burst writing multiple fields from the host to the bus expansion interface circuit, without delay of the host, and thereafter making these fields individually available to the I/O device.

Abstract: A text editor provides the capability of balancing data for different sets of identified columns within the same page and across multiple imaged pages. Column balancing, as used herein is the technique of dividing an entity to be displayed into a number of columns of substantially similar size. This allows facing pages in a book to be balanced, selected text data on a page to be either balanced or not balanced, and text data associated with logical document constructs (e.g., chapters) to be independently balanced.

Abstract: A very efficient and compact circuit is provided to power an electroluminescent panel as may be used for back lighting liquid crystal displays in portable computers. The capacitance of the electroluminescent panel is incorporated in a series resonant, self-commutating power oscillator. The power oscillator is powered by a DC-to-DC converter and inherently provides the desired sinusoidal output waveform to the reactive load comprising the capacitance of the electroluminescent panel.

Abstract: In a serial link in which it is necessary to occupy the link before and after transmission of a frame by sending a succession idle characters having alternating disparity effects, the disparity effect of the last character in the frame is compared with the disparity effect that would be produced by a disparity flip-flop, which has continued to step during frame transmission. If the disparity effect of these two characters match, no corrective action is required in order to resume the stream of idle characters. If the disparity effect of these characters differ, the disparity flip-flop is corrected before the stream of idle characters is resumed. Disclosed is hardware logic to accomplish this disparity control following transmission of frames in a transparent mode.

Abstract: A technique for providing automatic modification of a computer application program adopts the program for compatibility with hardware different from that for which the program was originally written and tested. Upon initial loading of the application program, a search is made to determine the existence of a set of exception tables, external to the application program. If the exception tables are present, all code conversion tables within the application program relating to I/O operations are modified according to the set of exception tables. Plural sets of exception tables may be included with the ability of the operator to choose which set of exception tables will be used to modify the program, thereby allowing the operator to use a single program with a variety of different hardwawre configurations, assuring with each configuration that the intended characters and symbols are displayed and printed.

Abstract: In a data processing system capable of responding to operator entered format parameter values the capability is provided for compactly storing directives for temporary formatting changes within text data. When temporary formatting directives are specified, the current values of the formatting parameters to be changed are stored, which enables their immediate and automatic return when the need for the temporary formatting change has passed. This is accomplished by the use of the following three new controls which are used within the text data stream: (a) the Begin Temporary Format Change, (b) the End Temporary Format Change, and (c) the Return to Previous Format. The first two of these controls are used to bracket the format change which is to take place and to identify that the format change contained therein is to be considered temporary so that the formatting states for the parameters to be changed can be remembered.

Abstract: Upon termination of the editing of a document, the editing program saves a pointer in the document which contains the location of the character or control at the cursor location when editing was terminated. Then, when editing of the document is resumed, the operator has the option to return to this saved, last revision point location or instead, to the beginning of the document as has been the case with prior art editors. The pointer to the last edit location is saved with the document itself, on the storage media, so that any operator using any copy of the editor with which the document is compatible, can return on any document to the last revision location regardless of the number of intervening documents which have been edited.

Abstract: A plurality of processors or intelligent controllers separately utilize discrete pages of a large memory. Within each of these pages a processor can address a plurality of subdivisions or blocks utilizing the processors' address lines. Thus, separate processors having access to this memory and having a limited addressing capability can utilize a plurality of different pages of this memory, within an identical address range, and nevertheless remain confined to separate memory environments established for each of the separate processors. This is accomplished by use of a hardware register to point the separate processors to their assigned pages of the memory and a stored translate table to point to particular blocks of memory within the pages in accordance with a portion of an address generated by the processor accessing the memory.

Abstract: A pointer controlled by a pointing device, such as a mouse, is temporarily removed from a visual display screen when a first character is being updated on the screen. The pointer is left hidden from the screen until the event causing screen updating has been idle for a predetermined period of time. The pointer is not removed from the screen if the keystroke or other hiding event is invalid in the current context of the application program. The pointer is also immediately redisplayed if an event associated with the pointing device, such as either pointing device movement of pointing device button clicking, is detected.

Abstract: In a data processing system including a keyboard a visual display device, and a pointing input device, such as a mouse, pointing input device events, as well as keyboard events, can be directly stored relative to a keystroke program by defining and storing relative to each menu, command bar, or subdivision thereof, a table of zones capable of being pointed to by the pointing input device. The pointing input device position is then compared to the coordinates of the zones and when a match of the zone coordinates and pointing input device position occurs the stored data table is further utilized to determine valid pointing input device events. The presence of the pointing input device pointer in appropriate zones, along with appropriate pointing input device actions, are the events stored relative to a keystroke program, rather than a conversion of the pointing input device actions into keystrokes by keyboard emulation.

Abstract: A visual display unit with character overstrike capability includes a text store in which text is stored in data stream form. A formatter formats the stored text and loads character codes into a refresh buffer which together with a character generator display the characters on a raster scanned cathode ray tube. Control logic responsive to a backspace character combines the bit patterns corresponding to the characters preceding and succeeding the backspace character in a temporary store and then stores the composite bit pattern in the character generator and a pointer thereto in the refresh buffer. The control logic can be inhibited to allow the individual characters constituting the composite character to be displayed individually for editing purposes.

Abstract: A system allows a workstation to utilize the resources of another workstation without requiring the presence of an operator on the second workstation. These resources can include memory and processor cycles, and I/O devices including disk, diskette, printer, and communications ports. When an operator is present at the second workstations, resources in excess of those required at the second workstation can also be used by a first workstation. Messages are displayed on the display of the second workstation warning that resources there are being utilized to prevent inadvertent powering off of the second workstation. In addition, jobs may be automatically started at the second workstation when the workstation is powered on, without requiring any additional action or logging on by the operator.