Abstract: The computer processing unit of the present invention includes a new prefetch instruction, referred to as an STOUCH instruction, which provides the capability to encode compile-time speculations associated with the conditional branches between the time the prefetch request is initiated and the time the prefetched data is actually needed. As a result of this explicit communication of compile-time speculations to the run-time hardware, prefetched lines based on invalid speculations can be discarded earlier, whereas, prefetched lines based on valid speculations can be retained longer in the cache, leading to better cache performance.

Abstract: A method and corresponding apparatus utilizes questioning to provide secure access control including the steps of storing information in a database; generating at least one question based upon the information stored in the data base; communicating to the user the generated question(s); receiving a response associated with the question(s), interpreting the response to determine whether the response conforms to the information upon which is based the associated question(s); and outputting an authorization status indicating whether or not the user is authorized for access according to the determination. The question(s) concerns a relationship among portions of information contained in said data base. This feature is advantageous because it protects against an eavesdropper gaining access to the service or facility and provides the capability of generating a relatively large number of different questions from a small data base.

Abstract: A reflective liquid crystal cell for AMLCDs is provided wherein the reflective electrode may be passivated with an insulating film such as silicon oxide. In addition, the liquid crystal cell of the present invention may include a conducting transparent electrode that has a work function substantially equal to the work function of the reflective electrode in the cell. The reflective electrode may include a transparent conductive layer such as ITO, or may include an integer number of film pairs, wherein the film pair comprises a first dielectric film having a low index of refraction and a second dielectric film having a high index of refraction.

Abstract: A graphics processing and display system includes a coordinate sensing system for determining position and orientation of a view point reference with respect to a schematic representation of at least one three-dimensional object; a view point controller for controlling a display view point according to the determined position and orientation of the view point reference with respect to the schematic representation; and a display processor for generating pixel data representing a two-dimensional rendering of the at least one three-dimensional object according to the graphics data and display view point, wherein the two-dimensional rendering is different from the schematic representation, and wherein the pixel data generated by the display processor is output for display on a display device.

Abstract: A computer processing system stores sequences of instructions in a memory for execution by a processor unit. An out-of-order load instruction may be created, either statically or dynamically, by moving a load instruction from its original position in a sequence of instructions to an earlier position in said sequence of instructions. Such out-of-order load instruction identifies a location in memory from which to read a datum and a first destination register in which to place the datum. The present invention is a method and corresponding apparatus that utilizes data comparison to detect coherence among memory and the datum read by an out-of-order load operation. More specifically, the method consists of an interference test which controls the processor unit to read a datum from the same location in memory identified by the out-of-order load instruction and compare the newly read datum with the datum saved in the first destination register.

Abstract: The method and apparatus of the present invention groups the objects of the scene into sets. When rendering a plurality of pixels for display, for each pixel, a set identifier that corresponds to the visible object at the pixel is stored in an auxiliary buffer. The information stored in the auxiliary buffer is utilized during picking. The picking operation of the present invention is an improvement over the conventional picking techniques because the present invention avoids the intensive task of traversing all of the objects of the scene to determine those objects intersected by the picking aperture.

Abstract: A computer system includes a chassis having an internal connector with a first portion in electrical contact with a first external peripheral device, and second portion in electrical contact with a second external peripheral device. An adapter is coupled between an internal device and the internal connector. The internal device is associated with either the first or second external peripheral devices. The adapter has either a first portion that connects the internal device to the first portion of the internal connector or a second portion that connects the internal device to the second portion of the internal connector in order to couple the internal device to its associated external peripheral device.

Abstract: A texture memory for storing color information of a surface of an object and displacement information of the object, wherein the information is prepared in advance; reading means for reading out the color information of the surface of the object and the displacement information of the object necessary for drawing the object from the texture memory in response to receiving a command instructing to draw the object stored in the texture memory according to a size and a position, if necessary, color information and displacement information specified by the command; size modifying means for expanding or reducing and/or modifying the read color information of the surface of the object and the read displacement information of the object by using the color information and the displacement information, and if specified, using the specified displacement information if specified so as to correspond to the size and the displacement specified in the command; color modifying means for modifying the color information proces

Abstract: A threshold correcting reference voltage generator in which a capacitor is charged from a first voltage source to a voltage above the desired corrected reference voltage by means of a charging transistor controlled by a clock pulse. A metering transistor has its drain and gate electrodes connected to the capacitor either directly or through a blocking transistor. The source of the metering transistor is connected to a second voltage source which has a value below the desired corrected reference voltage. The charging transistor is then turned off and the blocking transistor, if present, turns on. Charge flows from the source to the drain of the metering transistor, reducing the capacitor voltage until the metering transistor just turns off. At this point the capacitor voltage is higher than the second voltage source by the threshold voltage of the metering transistor.

Abstract: A computer graphics system includes a graphics processing engine for processing and displaying graphics data representing three-dimensional objects in a first portion of a display. A text processing engine displays text in a second portion of the display. Embedded in the text is a command or hotlink for controlling operation of the graphics processing engine. In response to user selection of first data displayed in the second portion of the display, a supervisory controller analyzes the first data to determine if the first data includes at least one hotlink command. Upon determining that the first data includes at least one hotlink command, the supervisory controller identifies the hotlink command included in the first data and controls operation of the graphics processing engine to perform at least one graphics function according to the hotlink command included in the first data.

Abstract: To obtain a liquid crystal display device which has no leakage of light and has excellent contrast in the minimum number of manufacturing processes. To obtain cell gap Ga on the array panel 12, first projecting sections 38A are formed in a black matrix 38, and, on the color filter panel 13, second projecting sections 50 are formed in which a red color filter 46R, a green color filter 46G, and a blue color filter 46B are placed one upon another. Since the heights of the first projecting sections 38A and the second projecting sections 50 can be made, for instance, half of cell gap Ga, the rubbing process of orientation films 40 and 54 can be performed reliably. In this way, liquid crystal elements can be fully aligned, preventing the leakage of light. Further, since no transparent spacer is required, there is no leakage of light due to this. In addition, the projecting sections can be formed simply by the processes for forming the color filter 46 and the black matrix 38.

Abstract: The rasterization process is separated into two modes, a test mode and a normal mode, to eliminate shading calculations associated with all-hidden triangles, thereby providing improved efficiency over prior rasterization schemes.

Abstract: A computer processing system includes a first memory that stores instructions belonging to a first instruction set architecture and a second memory that stores instructions belonging to a second instruction set architecture. An instruction buffer is coupled to the first and second memories, for storing instructions that are executed by a processor unit. The system operates in one of two modes. In a first mode, instructions are fetched from the first memory into the instruction buffer according to data stored in a first branch history table. In the second mode, instructions are fetched from the second memory into the instruction buffer according to data stored in a second branch history table.The first instruction set architecture may be system level instructions and the second instruction set architecture may be millicode instructions that, for example, define a complex system level instruction and/or emulate a third instruction set architecture.

Abstract: A soluble polyimide solution is applied to the color filter substrate and the TFT substrate of a liquid crystal display. The lower half of the pixels in the color filter substrate and the upper half of the pixels in the TFT substrate are dried by heating by irradiating it with a laser beam. The remaining sections are thereafter dried naturally. The pretilt angle of the molecules of the liquid crystal material in contact with the sections dried by heating with the laser beam is small and the pretilt angle of the molecules which are in contact with the section dried naturally is large, enabling the viewing angle to be widened.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display with an array of pixels comprises a liquid crystal layer having transparent electrodes on either side thereof with an alignment layer disposed on each of the electrodes and in contact with opposite surfaces of the liquid crystal layer. The alignment layers are capable of inducing a predetermined pre-tilt angle on the molecules of the liquid crystal. The pre-tilt angle inducing ability of at least one of the alignment layers, which is formed with only one alignment direction, has been selectively altered so that pre-tilt angle inducing ability in the altered area differs in the magnitude of the angle from the pre-tilt angle inducing ability of the unaltered area. With the liquid crystal molecules having at least two different pre-tilt angles, more than one domain is created when voltage is applied across the electrodes. The change in the pre-tilt angle inducing ability in the altered areas is achieved by exposure to a beam, such as ultra violet light, of sufficient energy.

Abstract: A capacitive bend sensor includes a first element having a comb-patterned portion of conducting material, and a second element having a comb-patterned portion of conducting material. A dielectric material is disposed between the comb-patterned portion of the first element and the comb-patterned portion of the second element. The first element is bonded to the second element such that the comb-patterned portion of the first element slides relative to the comb-patterned portion of the second element when the first and second elements are bent. Bend angle is measured according to the alignment of the comb-patterned portion of the first element and the comb-patterned portion of the second element. The sensor may be coupled to a human finger to measure bend angle of the finger, or may be coupled to a joint of a human body to measure bend angle of the joint.

Abstract: A computer system includes a chassis and a cartridge having separate functional components that interface with one another over a common bus. The chassis includes a plurality of user interface modules, which are generally designed and packaged according to a particular application/work mode, each coupled to a first bus. The cartridge, on the other hand, includes components that can be shared among the various applications/work modes. Specifically, the cartridge has a core processor and memory coupled to a second bus, and at least one slot for housing a communication module that is coupled to the second bus. In addition, the cartridge may be designed to be configured by the user to have a first form and a second form. The cartridge of the first form may be utilized for portable computer processing systems such as laptop, notebook and sub-notebook systems.

Abstract: The liminance within the viewing angle of an LCD device is increased by using an optical film of transparent material. The film has a first surface having a wave structure including a plurality of isosceles triangle prisms arranged side-by-side, and a second surface having an optically rough structure for performing diffuse transmission. The film may also have a first surface having a structure including a plurality of quadrangular prisms arranged side-by-side, and a second surface having an optically rough structure for performing diffuse transmission.

Abstract: To prevent dielectric breakdown for a storage capacitor of a liquid crystal display element connected to a predetermined gate line in a liquid crystal display device.

Abstract: An isosurface is composed of grid points having a predetermined scalar value. The method and apparatus of the present invention generates an isosurface by extracting from volume data a first grid point having a minimum scalar value and a second grid point having a maximum scalar value. A list of polyhedrons that intersect a line connecting the first grid point to the second grid point is generated and stored. The isosurface is generated in accordance with the list of polyhedrons and the predetermined scalar value. Because the volume data obtained by scientific and technological calculation or the like is kept in the form of a polyhedron list having an associated maximum scalar value and minimum scalar value, generating an isosurface according to a predetermined scalar value can be accomplished at high speed.