Abstract: Situational location dependent information is transmitted from a server data processing system to a receiving data processing system. The server data processing system communicates with the receiving data processing system in a manner by pushing content when appropriate. A candidate delivery event associated with a current positional attribute of the receiving data processing system is recognized and a situational location of the remote data processing system is determined. The candidate delivery event may be a location and/or direction change, device state change, or movement exceeding a movement tolerance. The situational location of the remote data processing system may be its location, direction, location and direction, proximity to a location, state change, or location and/or direction relative to a previous location and/or direction, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: A method of and system for directional drilling alternate between rotary drilling and sliding drilling with the bit remaining in continuous contact with the bottom of the bore hole.

Abstract: An automatic drilling system is disclosed which includes an electric servo motor operatively coupled to a winch brake control, a servo controller operatively coupled to the servo motor, and a drum position encoder rotationally coupled to a winch drum. The controller is adapted to operate the servo motor in response to measurements of position made by the encoder so that a selected rate of rotation of the drum is maintained.

Abstract: Automated packaging of surgical needle-suture assemblies includes a framing operation in which adjacent sheets of polymer coated aluminum foils are conveyed through a sequence of steps in an apparatus which produces frames containing plastic packets of needle-suture assemblies. The apparatus pulls a web of foil off a large diameter feed roll and maintains web alignment as it travels down line through the apparatus by a system that optically detects transverse movement of the web as it is fed into the apparatus and adjusts the position of the feed roll relative to the centerline of travel using a hi-directional stepper motor. Discontinuities in the polymer coating on the top surface of the web of foil are automatically detected so that remedial steps can be taken to avoid processing defective sections of the web. A vision system having video cameras connected to a specially adapted computer enables monitoring the product travelling through the apparatus to detect various defects in the product formation.

Abstract: A method and system for maneuvering a mobile robot are disclosed, which include a mobile robot having a plurality of sensors, including a sensor which detects the presence of an object and a sensor which detects image information related to the object. Utilizing data acquired by the plurality of sensors, elements of the object are determined. A hypothesis expressing the configuration of the object is then generated from the elements interpreted from the data. The hypothesis is generated by referencing a table in which interpretations of data acquired by the plurality of sensors are associated with possible configurations of objects in response to the generated hypothesis, the mobile robot is moved along a path which avoids the object.

Abstract: A method and editor for editing a line of text comprising mixed single-byte character set (SBCS) and double-byte character set (DBCS) text while maintaining the columnar integrity of the text after the edit point. The method and editor provide an extended cursor to indicate to the user the text which will be affected by the editing operation. The method and editor are operable on computer systems which require Shift Out (SO)-Shift In (SI) control characters, on systems which support emulated SO-SI control characters and on systems which do not.

Abstract: A method for document administration within a data processing system which utilizes iconic representations. A bit image or graphic iconic representation is created for selected textual documents and stored as a bit image or graphic object at a selected memory location within the data processing system. A reference or pointer to the memory location of each iconic representation is then stored within a descriptive profile associated with each document. Thereafter, the textual document may be transferred to a user location where graphic or bit image objects may or may not be supported. Upon an examination of the descriptive profile, a subsequent user supporting graphic or image objects may elect to retrieve the iconic representation by utilizing the reference stored therein.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for visually representing data processing operations in a data processing system. An action feedback message is provided for a particular data processing operation. It includes a non-textual message component. Communication between an operator and the data processing system is monitored for requests for performance of the particular data processing operation. For each time a particular data processing operation is performed by the data processing system, the action feedback message is automatically displayed on a display of the data processing system, preferably for a predetermined time interval during the performance of the particular data processing operation. The action feedback message may be moved along a predetermined display path on the display of the data processing system during automatic display.

Abstract: A method and system for creating a compressed data representation of a human speech utterance which may be utilized to accurately regenerate the human speech utterance. First, the location and occurrence of each period of silence, voiced sound and unvoiced sound within the speech utterance is detected. Next, a single representative data frame which may be repetitively utilized to approximate each voiced sound is iteratively determined, along with the duration of each voiced sound. The spectral content of each unvoiced sound, along with variations in the amplitude thereof is also determined. A compressed data presentation is then created which includes encoded representations of a duration of each period of silence, a duration and single representative data frame for each voiced sound and a spectral content and amplitude variations for each unvoiced sound. The compressed data representation may then be utilized to regenerate the speech utterance without substantial loss in intelligibility.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for controlling the deferred execution of user requests in a data processing system. In the depicted embodiment of the present invention, each deferred user request includes a plurality of user defined attributes which may include a desired time of execution, a relative importance assigned, a ranking of the request security level and an indication of the organization level of the user for each deferred request. A deferred application request service is then established and utilized to evaluate the attributes associated with each deferred user request. The order of execution of each deferred request is then determined by the evaluation of each of these user specified attributes, in a specified order. A user specified precedence value for each attribute may be utilized in order to resolve conflicts in the order of execution between multiple deferred requests.

Abstract: A method of processing multiple noncontiguous data blocks within a document is disclosed. A graphical pointing device such as a light pen, computer tablet, mouse pointer, or touch sensitive screen is utilized to designate an initial location and a final location for a plurality of noncontiguous data blocks within a displayed document or set of documents. In response to each designation of a final location for a particular data block that data block is temporarily stored for future processing. In one embodiment of the present invention, the stored data blocks may then be processed utilizing selectable processing commands and the resultant new document may then be displayed to the operator.

Abstract: A method for maintaining a record of set-creating data processing activities and associated data sets. The method includes the steps of creating and displaying a plurality of visual representations, one for each of the set-creating activities, and arranging the visual representations to indicate a hierarchical relationship within the set-creating activities. The visual representations may be used to select for viewing a particular one of either the set-creating activities or the associated data sets, and displaying them on the data processing system. The display may correspond to a duration of an operator input activity, or to a time interval defined by an initiating operator input at a terminating operator input. In its simplest form, the method requires the arrangement of the visual representations in a hierarchy which corresponds to set-creation chronology.

Abstract: A data processing system supports preparation of a software application by coordinating the efforts of a metaprogrammer and a plurality of system users responsible to the metaprogrammer. The data processing system includes a plurality of workstations, each having a display and a user input device. Each of the workstations is connected to shared memory for access to data objects stored therein. One data object is a blank project container which includes a plurality of subject objects relating to phases in a product life for a software application. The metaprogrammer is authorized to replicate a blank project container to provide a project specified container available in shared memory to system users selected to work on a particular software application. The project specific container includes a plurality of subject objects relating to phases in a product life for the software application package. Data objects are stored in memory categorized within subject objects of the project container.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enhanced electronic mail distribution which permits expeditious distribution of electronic mail documents to multiple host systems and/or external networks via a single host agent. A distributed data processing system having multiple host systems and/or external networks permits electronic mail documents to be distributed from local networks to nodes within various host systems or networks by establishing a host agent reference table at selected host agents within the local network. Each host agent reference table includes an identification of selected destination nodes associated with an identified host agent for those nodes. A referral to the host agent reference table may then be utilized to determine the appropriate host agent for an electronic document destined for a selected node. Thereafter, existing interprocess local network communications may be utilized to communicate the electronic document to the appropriate host agent.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and system for directly manipulating an icon in a data processing system. The method includes attaching a visual pointer to the icon and moving the pointer with the icon attached thereto about the display screen. While the pointer remains attached to the icon, the user can manipulate other software objects.

Abstract: This invention enables users to interactively modify a schedule display in sequence in building or after completing a scheduling system in adaptation to the service environment, utility, and purpose of the system.The class layer structure modifier is used to modify the way to group data objects. Then the information stored in the attribute definition storage device and the graphic object definition storage device is modified to correct display attributes and their ways of display in order to enable schedules to be displayed in a format suitable to a user's view.

Abstract: A data processing system has access to a memory storing a data or other information base. The data processing system evaluates objects from the data base against search criteria generated from parameters entered into the data processing system by a user. As objects are located by execution of a search program meeting the search criteria, those objects are identified to the user while the search continues. The user can access the object for substantive evaluation for conformance to the desired target data. The user may enter modified parameters based upon his evaluation of such results as obtained. The data processing system then continues the search over each part of the database as the user designates.

Abstract: A method and system for creating objects in a computer system having a display screen and a device for manipulating objects on the screen. The method includes displaying an object dispenser icon on the screen and a dispensable object mini-icon on the object dispenser icon. Objects may be created by dragging dispensable object icons out of the object dispenser icon, or by opening the dispensable object mini-icon. The objects dispensed by the dispenser may be modified by opening the object dispenser icon or by "dropping" a modified object icon on the dispenser icon. The dispenser icon may be moved about the display screen.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for building a help function in the form of a tutorial that physically demonstrates to an end user the function that the end user wants to understand. The invention includes a script language that includes tags or commands that the information developer can use in demonstrating the application program and providing tutorial information to the user. The system includes an interpreter that interprets the script language.

Abstract: A method is described which permits a user of an Intelligent Work Station (IWS) in an SNA type network in which communication with the host processor employs LU 6.2 advanced program to program protocols and in which the host processor does not assign a dedicated virtual machine to the user during the period the user is active on the system, to notify the system of the user's current terminal address so that distributed applications programs having component parts distributed at the host and the IWS may be executed. When resident counterpart programs of distributed applications are executed by assigning each LU 6.2 conversation to an idle virtual machines from a preestablished pool of virtual machines created by the host processor, rather than to a dedicated virtual machine, the prior art methods that are based on associating the current address of the user with the address of the dedicated virtual are no longer operable.