Abstract: Data communication between a data sender and at least one data recipient is facilitated when the data recipient is associated with a telephone number that can not be used to access the user with a telephone call. An invention receives the telephone number associated with the data destination (data recipient) and receives an indication that data is to be communicated. The invention uses the telephone number to determine at least one characteristic of data destination/recipient. The invention also receives at least one characteristic of the data to be communicated that enable the data to be communicated to the data receiver/recipient.

Abstract: A system and method for delivering electronic messages over a wireless cellular communications network when the sender of a message is out of the coverage area of any cell within the network. With this method the message is broadcast repeatedly until a mobile wireless courier receives the message when it is range and stores the message. When the courier is within range of a base station of the cellular communication network, it then transmits the stored message to the base station for transmission to a requested destination.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reporting dynamic properties of a product using radio frequency identification device technology. With this invention, an electronic tag is equipped with a sensor which determines dynamic properties of a product when the tag is activated. The dynamic properties of the product are then either further processed into other dynamic properties. In any event either the former or the latter dynamic properties are then transmitted from the tag. Such dynamic properties could be the temperature of a product or the expiration date of the product derived from periodic measurements of the temperature of the product.

Abstract: The packet network phone unit is an interface between a telephone instrument and a packet network for enabling voice data to be communicated over the packet network. The unit also functions as a gateway between a packet network and a public switched telephone network, thereby interconnecting the networks and providing a public switched telephone network gateway to a packet network. When power is not supplied to the unit, a fallback switch automatically links the telephone instrument directly to the public switched network, bypassing the circuitry in the unit. The unit includes links to a plurality of external serial communications lines as well as an interface for connecting to a personal computer. The unit also includes an LCD driver and a display for displaying information such as a caller identification. The packet network phone unit also may function an answering machine/messaging system.

Abstract: A computer workstation runs an application 10 to participate in a video conference. The workstation contains a video adapter card 18 which converts a video signal produced by a camera 20 into a hardware specific format. Likewise, the video adapter card can also be used to display incoming video signals that are in the same hardware specific format. The workstation also contains software support modules (SSM). On the capture side, the SSM 16 provides a video signal in bit map form for transmission to terminals in the conference which do not have compatible video hardware. Correspondingly, on the display side the SSM 34 receives and displays incoming video signals in bit map form from other workstations which likewise do not have compatible hardware.

Abstract: Projector and camera arrangements are provided for use in electronic whiteboard systems. Specifically, the present invention provides projector and camera arrangements wherein the projector and camera share the same imaging optics. By sharing the same projection and camera optics, the distortions that affect the projection system are the same as those of the camera system. Thus, the calibration step required in conventional whiteboard systems where the projector and camera are separate, i.e., each having their own distinct optics and settings, is no longer needed. Further, the arrangements provided in accordance with the invention are self-aligning, even when lens distortions are large and even in the presence of strong perspective effects. The shared optics projector and camera arrangements of the invention also provide for dynamic zooming. In addition, various active and passive optical marker or lightpen designs are provided for use in electronic whiteboard systems.

Abstract: The present invention is a wireless device and method capable of being wirelessly connected to one or more network node devices that in turn is connected to one or more of a plurality of wirelines, preferably telephone wirelines. The wireless device has one or more wireless signal generators supporting one or more wireless connections, one or more memories that store an identifier, and a negotiator that negotiates with the network node device in order to establish a connection to one or more of the wirelines connected to the network node.

Abstract: Present computer software tools for monitoring system performance variables particularly for online activity, are not convenient to use and are not overly effective in their use for identifying critical situations. There is a need for users to be able to readily deduce the accumulated effect of a number of variables on the functioning of a computer system. This is often made more difficult when scales of absolute values of the variables involved are significantly different. The multi-variable graphical interface and method of the present invention addresses many of these concerns. A graphical user interface and method is described wherein at least one zone appears on the display representing threshold values for the variables and overlying the zones, representations or line graphs of one or more of the variables is provided. Thus, their results and accumulated indications as to the functioning of the computer system based on the plurality of performance variables selected is provided in a visual manner.

Abstract: According to the present invention, provided is a superior docking unit for a portable computer that can provide adequate theft prevention environments for a “single user mode” during which the docking unit is used by only one user, and a “multi-user mode” during which the docking unit is shared by a plurality of users. A docking unit for a portable computer according to the present invention has first and second kensington slots positioned on the outer wall of the main body. When the kensington lock is inserted into the first kensington slot, this event is transmitted to inhibit the release of the engagement of the mounted portable computer, to enable its removal and to restrict the exchange of a PC card relative to the docking unit. But when the kensington lock is inserted into the second kensington slot, this event is not transmitted, so that the mounted portable computer can be removed, and restriction for the exchange of the PC card relative to the docking unit is released.

Abstract: A system and method for demultiplexing a TDM channel by redirecting all transport packets communicated on said channel as containing one of a multitude of possible PIDs, while recreating the CBR of the original transport packet transmission by restoring all discarded IDLE packets to enable time delayed re-transmission utilizing a generic TDM function.

Abstract: Sharing wirelines using a network node device includes receiving a second telephone call, while a first telephone call is in progress, and allowing one of the handsets to pick up the second telephone call while the first call proceeds in parallel. Further a call can be placed across a wireline shared by at least two billing entities.

Abstract: The invention allows a user to construct a collection of resolutionally non-uniform, captured digital image views of static scene, thereby defining the more interesting sections of the scene for viewing. The invention provides a system and a method for continuous zooming and display of composite image representation having different levels of resolution at different locations. The invention discloses techniques for acquisition of multiple resolution and overlapping digital images, composite representation of those captured images, and the continuous zooming display of the complete image data.

Abstract: In a system with hardware main memory compression, the method of this invention monitors the physical memory utilization and if physical memory is near exhaustion it forces memory to be paged out, thus freeing up real memory pages. These pages are then zeroed, thus they are highly compressible and therefore reduce the physical memory utilization. Pages that have been forced out due to high physical memory utilization are not made available for allocation. In systems where operating system changes are permitted, this invention dynamically controls the minimum size of the free page pool and zeros pages upon freeing. When the physical memory utilization falls below a critical threshold the mechanism reduces the minimum size of the free pool to allow further allocation. In systems where operating system changes are not possible, pages are allocated by a module (e.g. Device driver) and then zeroed.

Abstract: Techniques for arranging operations performable on information in an information processing system are provided. In a system having a plurality of information producers and a plurality of information subscribers, paths are identified over which information traverses, and within which the information is subject to select and/or transform operations. The present invention optimizes the system by reorganizing the sequence of select and transform operations so that transforms follow select operations; and by combining multiple select and transform operations into single select and transform operations, respectively. Using these optimizations, the processing resources of the system can be reorganized, and/or information flow graphs describing the system can be designed, so that the select operations are “pushed” toward the producers, and transform operations are “pushed” toward the subscribers. Efficient content-based routing systems can then be used to implement the select operations.

Abstract: Transport packet multiplexing system and methodology that provides accurate bandwidth control, allowing bandwidth requirements to vary per multiplexed data stream while guaranteeing bandwidth availability. Accurate timing control is provided by implementing a real-time scheduling mechanism for adjusting the timing information based upon timing information obtained at the time of multiplexing to accurately represent environmental changes.

Abstract: A technique for optimizing published event message sequences destined for information subscribers in an information processing system. Subscribers specify event interpretation rules which map event message streams into states. The event interpretation rules are maintained elsewhere in the system in preparation for providing optimized, possibly shorter, event message streams to subscribers, sufficient to correctly update the states. If a subscriber temporarily loses access to its event message stream, the optimized event message stream is determined using a shortest path graph search technique between the states defined by the start and end of the missing portion of the stream. Optimizations to the shortest path graph search technique are disclosed for use when the event interpretation rule is in replacement form, in which estimator functions based on extended rules are employed.

Abstract: A system and method for enabling real-time searching of patterns over a shared media including the capability of simultaneously searching multiple logical streams over the shared media. Patterns found are reported to the host system using some pre-assigned messages. One particular application of this invention is to search an MPEG-2 program stream, indicating the points (e.g., start-codes) where a new picture starts.

Abstract: A technique for monitoring events generated by an object-oriented system comprises the steps/operations of: (i) monitoring events which describe executed operations associated with the object-oriented system; and (ii) applying one or more sequencing rules when reporting a subset of the monitored events, the one or more sequencing rules substantially ensuring consistent reporting of the subset of monitored events. Preferably, monitoring continues when event reporting is at least partially disabled. Further, the monitoring step/operation may include dividing the monitored events into categories. One category may include entity events, an entity event defining an existence status of a given event. Another category may include activity events, an activity event defining an operation associated with a given event.

Abstract: A system and method which dynamically changes the load balance of assigned loads for each group in a sequence of processes from a first stage to an n-th stage in a computer having a plurality of processors, wherein the plurality of processors are grouped into at least two groups, comprises the steps of: detecting a change in a characteristic value in a queue for transferring a processing result between the groups; and changing the assignment of assigned processes for each group based on the change in the characteristic value. A characteristic value stored in a queue represents a value related to work load, and a queue seldom becomes full or empty if the load balance is changed referring to this characteristic value.

Abstract: A system and method for re-mapping the Packet Identifier (PID)'s for a set of MPEG-2 single program streams prior to multiplexing onto one multi-program transport stream. The system eliminates any ambiguity when generating the multiplexed transport stream in 10 order to avoid PID conflicts when multiplexing several single programs containing non-unique PID values. The system includes a mechanism to assign new PID values, in such a way that it ensures that all new PID's are unique for the multiplexed transport stream. Furthermore, it performs this re-mapping in real-time as the packets are being transmitted over the multi-program transport stream.