Abstract: A method, in a digital computer having a display screen, for executing an application program in a backdrop mode that makes the application program non-removable from the display screen. The method includes the steps of designating the application program for execution in the backdrop mode and executing the application program. Further, the method includes the step of intercepting, using substitute subroutines external to the application program, selected data destined for the application program. The interception advantageously prevents the application program from responding to the selected data in a manner normally expected of the application program if the application program executes in a non-backdrop mode. The selected data that is intercepted includes data for causing the application program to quit execution.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the propagation of changes made to a data file in a system of interrelated data files is described. In one embodiment of the method of the invention, a run-time dependency management facility is provided on the computer system which is effective to generate under computer control a graph indicating relationships among the data files and software tools present on the system. A change is made to at least one of the data files and a determination is made as to whether that change is significant. If a significant change is made, then at least one propagation barrier is provided which is effective to prevent computer-implemented propagation of the change in said data file through at least one data file which is interdependent with the changed data file.

Abstract: An apparatus for recognizing shapes characterized by a stroke grouper receptive to a plurality of strokes formed on a screen of a pen-based computer system; a shape recognition engine receptive to a stroke group produced by the stroke grouper; and a knowledge base coupled to the shape recognition engine, where the knowledge base includes, at a minimum, knowledge concerning closed polygons and closed curves. Preferably, the closed curves of the knowledge base include both circles and ellipses. A method for recognizing digitized shapes in a computer system includes the steps of receiving at least one user-initiated stroke; grouping the user-initiated stroke with related strokes to form a stroke group; and analyzing the stroke group to make a best-guess shape represented by the stroke group. Preferably, the method also looks for other shapes which are related to the best-guess shape and modifying at least one of the location, size, or shape of the best-guess shape to conform with the other shapes.

Abstract: The present invention teaches a variety of event bounds adjustment methods and systems. The bounds of the event are defined by event parameters including an event start boundary, an event stop boundary, and an event duration, wherein the event start boundary and the event stop boundary may be tied to one another such that an event parameter interdependence exists.

Abstract: An integrated circuit device including a substrate, a gate structure formed over the substrate, a channel formed in the substrate under the gate, a lightly-doped drain-side LDD region formed in the substrate adjacent to a drain-side of the channel (preferably by a LATID process), a drain region formed in the substrate near to the drain-side LDD region, and a drain-side DDD region substantially separating the drain-side LDD region from the drain region. Preferably, the integrated circuit device is symmetrically formed such that a lightly-doped source-side LDD region is formed in the substrate adjacent to a source-side of the channel (again preferably by a LATID process), a source region is formed in the substrate near to the source-side LDD region, and a source-side DDD region is formed in the substrate to substantially separate the source-side LDD region from the source region. Further preferably, the DDD regions substantially isolate the source and drain from a bulk portion of the substrate.

Abstract: A multi-chip packaging arrangement that contemplates stacking discrete components over film based components is disclosed. The multi-chip package includes a substrate having one or more film based components formed thereon. A discrete component is mounted on the substrate over the film based component such that it is electrically isolated from the film based component. One or more die components are also mounted on the substrate and a plurality of leads are provided for electrically connecting the multi-chip package to external circuitry. Wiring traces formed on the substrate are provided to electrically connect various ones of the components and the leads. A packaging material is provided to encapsulate the components and the wiring traces and leaves a portion of the leads exposed to facilitate electrically connecting the multi-chip package to external circuitry. Methods of making such multi-chip packages are also disclosed.

Abstract: An improved technique for serializing access to multithreading unsafe resources is described. A baton manager is used to manage the serializing of accesses to a multithreading unsafe resource. For a thread to access the multithreading unsafe resource, the thread must first obtain a baton from the baton manager. Then, once the thread has finished accessing the multithreading unsafe resource, the thread releases the baton to the baton manager. Hence, by using the baton manager to manage the baton, accesses to multithreading unsafe resources are serialized while program crashes or deadlocks are minimized. The multithreading unsafe resource will typically have a plurality of baton objects associated therewith. The baton objects are objects of object-oriented programming. The baton manager will permit at most one of the baton objects for a given multithreading unsafe resource to own the baton at a time.

Abstract: A method for processing equations in a graphical computer system characterized by the steps of: receiving at least one unit comprising an equation which was derived from a graphical user input device; parsing the units into a parsed tree utilizing a constrained attribute grammar; and deriving a result of the equation utilizing the parsed tree. Preferably, the graphical user input device is a table or the screen of a pen-based computer system, where stroke units derived from strokes made by a stylus on the screen are passed to at least one recognition domain. The process preferably also includes the steps of: receiving at least one stroke unit comprising an edit to an equation on the screen; determining whether the edit changes the structure of the parsed tree of the equation; and editing the parsed tree if the edit does not change the structure of the parsed tree.

Abstract: An integrated circuit assembly includes an integrated circuit chip having a plurality of input/output terminals arranged at a surface thereof, and an electrically conductive layer connected to such surface of the integrated circuit chip. The layer is electrically conductive in thickness and electrically insulative in width and length. The assembly may further include a dielectric substrate connected to the layer such that the layer electrically connects respective terminals of the integrated circuit chip to respective electrically conductive traces of the dielectric substrate. An array of contacts may be electrically connected to the traces of the dielectric substrate.

Abstract: A discrete multitone modulation transmission system is described in which frame synchronization is monitored at the receiver by correlating frequency domain complex amplitudes of a synchronizing frame with a stored synchronizing pattern. If the correlation result falls below a threshold, indicating a loss of frame synchronization, a plurality of correlations are performed, in each case using the stored complex amplitudes of the synchronizing frame multiplied by a respective complex value representing a respective complex derotation corresponding to a respective possible time shift of the synchronizing frame. The best correlation result, if it exceeds another threshold, indicates a time shift for restoring frame synchronization, this being possible before the next synchronizing frame is received.

Abstract: A recombinant lead acid battery is provided having positive and negative plates coated with active material and separated by a compressible separator material containing an electrolyte. A casing provides structural support for the plates and encases the battery's components. The battery is preferably a recombinant lead acid battery with its plates being formed of lead foil sheets. The casing is reinforced and arranged to i) maintain a substantially evenly distributed compressive force on the separator material and ii) maintain a constant spacing between the plates. The battery is arranged to maintain a compressive force of at least eight psi on the plates which has been found to significantly reduce the incidence of premature capacity loss (PCL). By way of example, compressive forces in the range of 8-14 psi work well for conventional separator materials.

Abstract: A technique for mounting polishing pads to a platen in chemi-mechanical semiconductor wafer polishing apparatus is disclosed. A lower pad is mounted to the platen, and is trimmed to the size of the platen. An upper pad is mounted to the lower pad, and is sized so that an extreme outer edge portion of the upper pad extends beyond the trimmed outer edge of the lower pad. The outer edge portion of the upper pad is deformed downwardly, towards the lower pad. In this manner, polishing slurry is diverted from the pad-to-pad interface. Additionally, an integral annular lip can be formed on the front face of the upper pad, creating a reservoir for slurry to be retained on the face of the upper pad for enhancing residence time of the polishing slurry prior to the slurry washing over the face of the upper pad.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing natural language and deducing meaning from a natural language input characterized by the steps of (a) receiving an ordered string of word objects having a natural language meaning, (b) selecting a word window length, and (c) successively moving the word window along the ordered string and analyzing the meaning of a substring of word objects that fall within the word window. The substring is removed from the ordered string if the substring has a recognized meaning, until all substrings of the ordered string that fit within the window have been analyzed. In a step (d), the word window length is reduced and step (c) is repeated until only an unrecognized residual of the ordered string remains. The meaning of the substring is analyzed by mapping the substring against a database using one or more mapping routines.

Abstract: Multichip integrated circuit modules having crossed bonding wires are disclosed together with methods of making the same. The integrated circuit dies of the multi-chip modules are affixed to a suitable die supporting substrate. The dies are then electrically coupled to each other and/or to associated lead traces by wire bonding the dies, with at least two of the bonding wires being crossed. The integrated circuit dies, the bonding wires, and at least a portion of the lead traces are enclosed in a package. In one embodiment, the bonding wires used in the wire bonding step are precoated with an insulating material. In another embodiment, the insulating layers are formed on the bonding wires after the wire bonding step to prevent shorting between the wires. The insulating layers may be formed in a variety of manners. By way of example, the wires can be oxidized, or they may be coated with a protective material.

Abstract: The method of the present invention includes the steps of executing a process to support a number of temporal-based functions and activating at least one of these temporal-based functions. Temporal-based functions of the present invention include a scheduler, to-do list, and a note function. Temporal-based entries can then be moved within and/or between the temporal-based functions. Further, temporal-based entries can be edited for each temporal-based function. Moving temporal-based entries involves the selection of an entry with a pointer mechanism, dragging the entry to a new location, releasing the entry at the new location, and updating a database to reflect the entry's change in position. Editing an entry involves direct editing of an entry, editing through an editing window, or editing of a duration bar associated with an entry. Data entered into a scheduling field of the scheduler function is processed according to its placement within the scheduling field.

Abstract: A bi-directional data transmission system that facilitates communications between a central unit and a plurality of remote units using a frame based discrete multi-tone (DMT) transmission scheme is disclosed. The discrete multi-tone data transmission system has a multiplicity of discrete subchannels including an overhead bus. In a method aspect of the invention, frames transmitted from the plurality of remote units are synchronized at the central unit. When a selected remote desires to initiate communications, it loop times it own clock to the clock of the central unit and transmits a remote initiated synchronization signal to the central unit over a dedicated overhead subchannel in the overhead bus. The central unit responds with a centrally initiated synchronization signal that contains information indicative of a frame boundary phase shift required to synchronize the selected first remote unit with other remote units that are currently communicating with the central unit.

Abstract: A transmission system includes transmit and receive paths coupled via a hybrid circuit to a bidirectional transmission path. The transmit path includes a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) having a given range and precision. The transmit path signal is limited and truncated to this range and precision before the DAC. In one arrangement including an echo canceller coupled between the transmit and receive paths, a difference of the transmit path signal before and after limiting and truncation is used to produce an estimated echo response which is subtracted from the receive path signal. In another arrangement, all of the inputs to the echo canceller are derived from the transmit path after the limiting and truncation. Instead, or in addition, the amplitudes of transmit path signal samples can be shaped in conjunction with the limiting. The system can in particular be an ADSL transmission system using multicarrier modulation.

Abstract: An apparatus for interfacing the movement of a shaft with a computer includes a support, a gimbal mechanism having two degrees of freedom, and three electromechanical transducers. When a shaft is engaged with the gimbal mechanism, it can move with three degrees of freedom in a spherical coordinate space, where each degree of freedom is sensed by one of the three transducers. A fourth transducer can be used to sense rotation of the shaft around an axis.

Abstract: Low threshold voltage MOS devices having buried electrodes are disclosed herein. Such devices have source and drain regions which include tip regions and plug regions. The buried electrodes have bottom boundaries located above the bottoms of the plug regions. The buried electrode has the same conductivity type as the device's bulk (albeit at a higher dopant concentration) and, of course, the opposite conductivity type as the device's source and drain. The exact dopant concentrations and locations of the buried electrodes should be provided such that punch through is avoided in MOS devices.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit package assembly including (i) an integrated circuit die having a bottom surface and a plurality of input/output terminals, (ii) electrically conductive traces and/or contacts accessible from outside the assembly, and (iii) an encapsulating material encapsulating the integrated circuit die and portions of the electrically conductive traces and/or contacts will be disclosed. The method includes the following steps. First, a temporary support substrate or carrier having a top surface is provided for supporting the integrated circuit package as the package is being assembled. Then, the integrated circuit die is detachably supported on the top surface of the temporary support substrate. Each of the input/output terminals on the integrated circuit die are electrically connected to the electrically conductive traces and/or contacts.