Abstract: An apparatus and method for increasing the mean time between failure for computer systems is disclosed. A single spare line can be used to replace any of several signal lines. Using 2:1 multiplexers, defective signal lines can easily be switched to a nonoperative state and the remaining signal lines shifted to provide for replacement of the defective line without significant path length increase or signal time delay. The invention is applicable to signal paths of different varieties, including electrical, electro-optical and fluidic.

Abstract: The method enables realtime establishment and maintenance of a standard of operation for a data communications network. The process begins by monitoring the network over some period of time to build benchmark data sets. The benchmark data sets contain a standard of operation for the network, which is historically categorized by either traffic type or activity. This standard of operation is accumulated by the intelligent monitoring facilities. After a period of accumulation, the benchmark is used to determine whether data taken from current monitoring activity indicates normal network behavior. Network monitoring information is analyzed using criteria in modules that have an interface to an expert system. The criteria modules evaluate the current monitored data against the prior benchmark collected data. The criteria module determines if the current network operating characteristics are outside the bounds of normal behavior. If they are, then alerts and logs of information can be sent to the expert system.

Abstract: A coordinate processor for a computer system having an absolute position pointing device (10) such as a touch sensitive display screen comprises stimulus detection means (200) for detecting a tactile stimulus of an absolute position pointing device (10) and directed to a point within a data display area (610) of a computer system. The processor further comprises coordinate locking means (210-320) for locking a current cursor position to the point within the display area corresponding to the tactile stimulus in response to said stimulus exceeding a predetermined threshold value. The processor permits the computer system to distinguish a stimulus of the pointing device (10) for repositioning the cursor within the data display area (610) from a stimulus of the pointing device (10) for issuing a button click command to the computer system. The processor may be embodied in an electronic logic circuit within a pointing device adapter portion of the computer system.

Abstract: An improved forms recognition method and system are disclosed, that minimizes the time required to perform the forms recognition process, by adaptively changing the processing sequence. In accordance with the invention, when new master forms are defined in the system, a new processing template is also defined. The processing template includes tables and indexes that give the profile of all the master forms that have been defined in the system. The processing template is then referred to at the time of forms recognition processing, to adaptively choose which forms recognition operations to perform, to minimize the time required to finish processing a particular completed form.

Abstract: Controlled current pulses applied to a shaped resistive heating element formed on the bonding surface of a base or substrate component provide sufficient heat to the bonding interface formed between a chip and the base bonding surface to produce a high bonding temperature at the bonding interface while maintaining an opposite surface of the chip at or below a relatively low temperature critical for components formed or mounted on the chip surface. A layer of a thermally setting thin-film bonding agent is applied over a serpentine-shaped resistive heating element having a relatively narrow linewidth formed on the base component bonding surface. The chip to be bonded is retained in a desired position against the bonding surface over the heating element and bonding agent layer while a current pulse is applied to the heating element via contact pads.

Abstract: A method and system for call set-up and channel resource allocation between a plurality of parties in a multi-media conference call that consists of receiving notice that a Sender (the initiator of the conference) wants to commence a video conference. At that point, the number of channels required by the proposed call is determined. Subsequently, each requested participant is identified as available, busy, or no answer. If the receiver is available and sufficient channels are available, the call is set-up and the present members of the conference are notified of what channel each should transmit on and what channel(s) to listen to for the other participants. As each receiver is added, the Sender may conference with the present Receiver. If it is decided at this point, that the receiver will not participate in the conference, the call to that receiver may be terminated, and the procedure continues for other receivers until the full conference is set up. Individuals may leave the conference at any time.

Abstract: A multimedia document form system enables the definition, manipulation, storage and editing of a form which contains multimedia objects. Image objects and text objects can be displayed on the form in the conventional manner. Nonvisual presentation objects such as video objects and audio objects are represented by check boxes on the form. If a nonvisual object is to be associated with the form, then a mark is applied to the corresponding check box on the form. When the form is scanned-in in an optical scanner, presence of a mark in the check box prompts the operator to enter the nonvisual object. For example an audio object will be entered in digitized form and stored in association with the form. When the form is then displayed on a visual display device, the corresponding check box is highlighted to indicate to the operator the presence of a nonvisual presentation object which is stored in association with the form.

Abstract: A system and method for conveying information to a user on the behavior of a dynamic display image or object which uses a display attribute table that maps an object type's attribute values to the object type's display attributes. Each display attribute in the display attribute table consists of an attribute value and an attribute value priority. The display attributes of a particular object are determined by selecting the display attribute values having the highest display attribute value priority given all the particular object's attribute values. As events change a particular object's attribute values the display attributes for the object are changed on the display by a display update means.

Abstract: An Asynchronous Communications Interface to Synchronous Circuit having three stages is disclosed. The first stage captures the control and data signals from an asynchronous bus and converts them into signals which are synchronous to the internal clocks of the interface chip. The second stage of the interface is a synchronous state machine which utilizes the synchronized signals generated by the first stage to determine the current state of the asynchronous bus. The third stage of the interface uses the data generated by the synchronous state machine and the control and data signal capture logic to validate the data in a synchronous manner. This allows further processing of the data from the asynchronous bus without the use of any further asynchronous logic or timing.

Abstract: A system and method provide a security agent, consisting of a monitor and a responder, that respond to a detected security event in a data communications network, by producing and transmitting a security alert message to a network security manager. The alert is a security administration action which includes setting a flag in an existing transmitted protocol frame to indicate a security event has occurred. The security agent detects the transmission of infected programs and data across a high-speed communications network. The security agent includes an adaptive, active monitor using finite state machines, that can be dynamically reprogrammed in the event it becomes necessary to dynamically reconfigure it to provide real time detection of the presence of a suspected offending virus.

Abstract: An explanation system for use in an expert system is described. The rule base used in the inference engine of the expert system is divided into groups of rules called rule classes. With each rule class, three types of explanations are associated: strategy explanations, reason explanations and inference explanations. The rule classes are arranged in a hierarchical explanation tree structure. Each time a first rule is fired within a rule class, a frame is created into which the explanations relating to that rule class are copied. After the completion of the reasoning process, the frames can be used to generate an explanation of the reasoning process.

Abstract: An Image processing apparatus and method for character slant detection and correction is disclosed. The apparatus comprises: scanning logic for scanning a word image and applying a local slant test to each pixel to determine whether in the image at the pixel there is local character slant to the left, to the right or neither and storing a local slant flag accordingly. Also disclosed is logic for combining the local slant flags for the pixels in each row and applying a significance test to the result to obtain, for the row, a row-slant flag indicative of whether in the row there is greater number of pixels having a local character slant to the right, a greater number of pixels in the row having a character slant to the left or neither. The logic for combining the row-slant flags for all of the rows to determine a shear parameter and logic for applying a shear transformation to the image in accordance with the shear parameter is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for efficiently distinguishing between different types of input signals simulated by a pointing device coupled to a multi-tasking computer system. The pointing device may be a stylus, finger or other device that moves across the surface of a touch screen or the like to generate positional information. Depending on the response of a delay timer, the motion of the pointing device is recognized by software application programs as input information either from a mouse or from a gesture or a handwriting input mode. If motion cessation across the screen is detected with a predetermined time-delay period, the system accepts the input information in a mouse-emulating mode. If motion is detected within the predetermined time-delay period, the timer is reset. Thus, the system overhead associated with managing the timer can be reduced because the timer is periodically reset and need not be reset after each movement of the pointing device as in the prior art.

Abstract: A programmable hardware adapter for switching between two or more levels of arbitration priority for devices connected to a communications bus without host processor intervention. The adapter is programmed with an external arbitration value at initial program load. A control bit selects whether the arbitration level within the adapter is used for arbitration or if the device's internal arbitration level is used. When the external arbitration level is used to vie for the bus, the adapter's state machine sends a signal to the device to tell it it won or lost, depending on the outcome of the arbitration.

Abstract: A pyrotechnic shock testing machine employs flexure plates attached to an anvil lying in a vertical plane of a supporting frame to apply pyrotechnic shock pulses to a test unit attached to the anvil when a hammer is dropped to strike the anvil. The dimensions of the flexure plates can be selected to control the lower frequencies of the shock pulse. The anvil materials and their coupling can be selected to control the higher frequencies of the shock pulse whereby shock pulses in the range of 100 to 10000 hertz and accelerations in the range of 50 to 10000 g's can be applied to a test unit in the x, y and z directions. The shock testing apparatus is compact and portable and without the need to have complex hammer raising and dropping mechanisms.

Abstract: A 1-bit token ring arbitration architecture where a plurality of chips which require access to a shared bus are coupled together in a ring is described. Each chip receives an arbitration in signal from the preceding member of the ring which is used to receive the token. Each chip transmits an arbitration out signal to the following member of the ring to send the token to the following member. In the preferred embodiment, the token appears as a 1 cycle active low pulse. An error signal notifies all the bus participants that a ring error has been detected. Preferably, the number of cycles the error signal is held active, the more severe the error. A request of bus (ROB) signal notifies the chip holding the token that another bus member needs to use the bus. The ROB signal allows the current holder of the token to maintain control of the bus if it has further processing on the bus as long as no other bus member needs the bus.

Abstract: A Time Reference Manager for providing a time reference value to the nodes of a ring topology local area network. A time reference is implemented on a distributed system data bus at a low level interface to provide highly accurate time reference values at each node of the LAN with no settling time required. One node on the network is designated as the Time Reference Manager and broadcasts the Time Reference Protocol data around the ring of the LAN network. Time delay correction is provided by an algorithm performed in a time reference software process. Clock accuracy is selectable by the number of bits used in the clock-counter.

Abstract: A Micro Channel integrated circuit design capable of controlling high speed data and control transfers between a Micro Channel bus, a local processor, and a dedicated local data bus. The interface controller utilizes enhanced features of the Micro Channel and data buffering to achieve high speed data communications with various bit size Micro Channel devices. Queued commands are handled by flexibly programming the interface control operations. Interface control hardware increases the processing speed of data transfers by implementing performance critical functions of queuing in hardware. Extensive error checking and reporting and self-test give the interface controller advance functions as an input/output processor.

Abstract: A system and process are disclosed that allows the collection of events to be organized and ordered so that relationship between events and the events themselves can be identified as a state or series of states which describe and allow control of performance aspects of protocol activity. The architecture allows dynamic programming of multiple of devices for the purposes of coordination and correlation of events such that monitoring, performance analysis and control can be accomplished on a real-time basis for any speed network. The architecture facilitates feedback of the correlated events for the purposes of monitoring and controlling network activity.