Abstract: There is described a method and system for calibrating measurements, in particular for calibrating a high resolution counter against an accurate real time calibrated clock signal. The method comprising obtaining the calibrated low resolution clock measurement and the corresponding high resolution counter measurement and calculating a range of possible corrections to the counter measurement to align it with the clock measurement. The correction range is adjusted to make it consistent with a previously stored correction range and a value is taken from it to calibrate the counter measurement. If the calculated range and the stored range are inconsistent then only the calculated range is used. A further measurement of the clock or counter is taken to double check.

Abstract: A battery attaching mechanism for a portable computer by which an accommodated battery can be safely stored and secured, yet easily removed. The battery attaching mechanism comprises a recessed battery compartment provided on the body of the portable electronic apparatus, a latching member for latching the battery pack, said latching member being provided on a side wall of said battery compartment and having an outer latching member surface, a locking member for inhibiting said latching member from being released by contact with said outer latching member surface of said latching member, a connector for receiving a connector of said battery pack, and a removal assisting section for, in the vicinity of said connector, pushing said accommodated battery pack away from said connector.

Abstract: A method of enhancing the audio quality in a reproduction medium having unknown characteristics. With this method a predetermined finite set of single frequency tones are generated and these tones are then passed through the reproduction medium to generate an output signal, which in turn is passed through a set of sub-band filters. Each of the sub-band filters pass at least a frequency corresponding to one of the tones in the set of tones. The characteristics of the reproduction medium is then estimated as a result of passing the output signal through the set of sub-band filters. Based on the estimated characteristics of the reproduction medium, a set of sub-band inverse filters are constructed. Finally before passing the audio signal through the reproduction medium the signal is passed through the set of inverse filters to improve the quality of the audio signal after it passes through the reproduction medium.

Abstract: Rate management in adaptive data rate wireless communication systems in which communicating stations move with respect to one another implements algorithms for calculation of the repetition rate. A rate management module is used for selecting a proper value of repetition rate to be communicated back to sending station and for a selecting proper value of repetition rate to encode the data at the sending station. The repetition rate calculation procedure enables each station to dynamically calculate the optimum rate with which each station should be receiving information from another station. The repetition rate calculation procedures take into consideration past and present measurements of the link quality, age of the link quality measurements, speed of change in the link quality, packet types, packet lengths, received signal strength, and pattern and correlation in the link quality measurements. The rate management module utilizes one or more tables which are accessible from either hardware or software.

Abstract: Authentication is provided for secure devices with limited cryptography, particularly for devices which do not have the capability to do public-key cryptography and generate random numbers. An initialization process is disclosed for limited-power Devices which are unable to perform public-key cryptography and generate random-numbers, as well as for full-power Devices which have the capability to do public-key cryptography and generate random numbers. A Challenge-Response procedure is also disclosed for ensuring the secure state of a device.

Abstract: A technique of monitoring the cache footprint of relevant threads on a given processor and its associated cache, thus enabling operating systems to perform better cache sensitive scheduling. A function of the footprint of a thread in a cache can be used as an indication of the affinity of that thread to that cache's processor. For instance, the larger the number of cachelines already existing in a cache, the smaller the number of cache misses the thread will experience when scheduled on that processor, and hence the greater the affinity of the thread to that processor. Besides a thread's priority and other system defined parameters, scheduling algorithms can take cache affinity into account when assigning execution of threads to particular processors.

Abstract: An improved wireless information processing apparatus that is connectable to an appropriate one of the access points prepared by an internet provider even under a mobile environment. A terminal and method of operation whereby a user of the terminal requests connection to the Internet, the terminal extracts a CS-ID from notification information transmitted from a wireless base station and, then, retrieves its own association table to acquire a telephone number of an access point nearest to the current location. Then, the terminal dials-up to the acquired access point to establish an internet connection. As a result, the terminal is allowed to download an electronic mail destined therefor, a Web page (HTML file or the like) stored in a disk of a given Web server and the like.

Abstract: Dynamically adjustable hybrid two-way data networks are described which provide a high degree of connectivity. In one embodiment, a two-way CaTV system uses the CaTV plant most of the time, but also uses the public switched telephone network (PSTN) as a back-up whenever upstream or downstream connectivity between a cable modem and the CaTV head end (H/E) is severed. Management elements are provided for a fully operational two-way CaTV network which uses PSTN connections as an “on-the-fly” back-up mechanism for rare occasions when the CaTV plant looses its upstream and/or downstream connectivity. On the end-user side, a hybrid two-way CaTV/PSTN network provides added intelligence in either the cable-modem box, which may be enhanced with a regular voice-grade modem, or in the PC attached to the cable modem, to automatically handle both communications media.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a client/server graphics processing system of a type that includes a display and a user input device. A first step, executed at the server entity, renders a plurality views (e.g., six views) of a model of interest and transmits the plurality of views to the client entity. A next step, executed at the client, maps individual ones of the plurality of views onto individual ones of a plurality of faces of a structure (e.g., a cube) and displays the structure on the display. In response to the user manipulating the user input device, a next step, executed at the client, causes a manipulation of the structure displayed on the display for specifying a particular view direction relative to the model.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus adaptively and dynamically deliver multimedia content based on continuously monitored network conditions. Given the temporal relationships among the multimedia items in the multimedia data stream and also the current network condition, the method and apparatus compute a transmission schedule such that the transmission delay and the burstyness of the network bandwidth utilization are minimized, while maintaining the integrity of the multimedia presentation.

Abstract: A method for exchanging information between vehicles involved in or near a collision site. When a collision is sensed by one vehicle, a message is transmitted from the one vehicle to at least one of the other vehicles within a threshold distance of the one vehicle. The message contains at least the identity of the one vehicle and preferably driver information, insurance information, along with the time and place of the collision.

Abstract: Data is transferred by establishing a communication link without deciding in advance the primary and the secondary nodes in a distributed processing system which uses a connection oriented API. When an application program (AP) issues a connection request signal, a communication link A1 is brought to a condition in which it can be established (S100) and a communication link A2 is brought to a condition in which it can be accepted (S102). It is determined whether or not the communication link has been established (S104). If the link A2 is established, the communication link A2 is registered as a communication link A (S106) while it is requested to establish the communication link A1 otherwise (S108). It is determined whether or not the communication link A1 has been established (S10) and, if it is established, it is registered as a communication link A.

Abstract: One aspect of the invention provides a method of processing an PPM encoded input signal transmission of data pulses to a data processing apparatus by processing the pulses by lengthening or shortening the pulses to a length within the predetermined acceptance pulse duration range of the data processing apparatus comprising: detecting when the input pulses of the input signal fall below the duration required and lengthening the pulses by a sufficient amount to bring them within the predetermined duration; detecting when the input pulses of the input signal exceed the duration required and reducing the duration of the pulses by a sufficient amount to bring them within the predetermined duration.

Abstract: An information processing system includes a plurality of different hardware component types (e.g. interface chip, chip port and chip port DMA channel hardware). The chip may include for example two chip ports, each of which includes twelve DMA channels. The system further includes software for controlling the operation of the hardware, the software providing a software class for each hardware type. Each software class defines a constructor for creating instances of each class, one instance for each member of the type e.g. twelve instances of the chip port DMA class. The constructor further includes or references test code for testing each type member. Thus, on construction of each instance of the chip port DMA class, the associated constructor tests the operation of the DMA channel. If there is a failure, the constructor throws an exception to the chip port constructor which then determines how to handle the error.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a computer graphics rendering system which slices the traditional geometry pipeline into two phases to improve overall graphics system utilization is described. The graphics system consists of a host processor and a graphics adapter. The host creates work items and feeds them to the graphics adapter. In the two phase method, the first phase computes the clipping status and immediately returns this status information, before completion of the actual clipping, to the application running on the host processor to minimize stalling the host processor and hence the application. The second phase performs the rest of the work necessary to draw the objects on the screen. The advantage of two phase method is that the host processor minimizes its wait (but only for model/view transformation and clipping status determination) for a return status from the graphics adapter for the current work item and gets to create the next work item from the application sooner.

Abstract: A method for assuring virtual atomic invalidation in a multilevel cache system wherein lower level cache locations store portions of a line stored at a higher level cache location. Upon receipt of an invalidation signal, the higher level cache location invalidates the line and places a HOLD bit on the invalidated line. Thereafter, the higher level cache sends invalidation signals to all lower level caches which store portions of the invalidated line. Each lower level cache invalidates its portion of the line and sets a HOLD bit on its portion of the line. The HOLD bits are reset after all line portion invalidations have been completed.

Abstract: An infrared communication device with an adaptive configuration controller for programming system parameter settings with command codes. The adaptive configuration controller comprises a number of shift registers and control circuits. The registers store command codes for configuring system parameters including bandwidth, sensitivity and LED drive current. The codes are obtained from an external source. The capability to program the system parameter settings allows the communication device to be adapted or reconfigured for optimal operation in response to changes in the environment without the need for removing or adding external components.

Abstract: A method of maintaining cache coherency in a shared memory multiprocessor system having a plurality of nodes, where each node itself is a shared memory multiprocessor. With this invention, an additional shared owner state is maintained so that if a cache at the highest level of cache memory in the system issues a read or write request to a cache line that misses the highest cache level of the system, then the owner of the cache line places the cache line on the bus interconnecting the highest level of cache memories.

Abstract: A method for processing digitized video material is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: capturing (4) a video sequence having a first start-time and a first end-time to provide plurality of digitized frames; filtering (6-13) the frames according to a pre-determined filter function; decimating (6-13) the frames to reduce the frames to a pre-determined horizontal and vertical frame size; and encoding (15) the filtered and decimated frames. In response to the encoding step failing to encode the data at a failure time between the first start-time and the first end-time, the video sequence is divided (20) into two or more sequences having a respective start-time and end-time. One of the sequences, having a start-time and an end-time temporally including the failure time, is selected; and the filter function for the selected sequence is re-defined (21). The capturing, filtering, decimating and encoding steps are then repeated for the selected sequence.

Abstract: A switching system comprising a switching structure for routing cells from a set of M input ports towards a set of M output ports. The system includes a set of distributed individual Switch Core Access layer elements which communicate with one input and output port of the switching structure by means of a set of serial communication links. Each SCAL element provides attachment to at least one Protocol Adapter and comprises a set of circuits. The receive part of each circuit includes means for introducing at least one extra byte to every cell. The extra byte is reserved for carrying a routing header for controlling the switching structure in a first step, and then for use by the PINT circuit when the cell will be received by the transmit part in a second step. The transmit part of each PINT circuit comprises a control module that receives all the cells generated at the corresponding output port and controls whether to discard the cell based on the value of the extra byte.