Abstract: Power management in a virtual machine environment that includes at least one virtual machine platform providing a plurality of virtual machines, and a plurality of separate (user) computers, each connected to a respective one of the virtual machines in a typical virtual machine distribution environment. There is also provided a function, independent of the connections of the user computers to the virtual machines, for determining if each of said computers connected to the virtual machines is in an active state together with a function for switching the virtual machine platform into a reduced power consumption state in the platform when all of the computers connected to virtual machines are in a non-active state.

Abstract: Aging of avatars and objects toward eventual removal or removal from the displayed virtual universe through enabling the setting of defined parameters for the aging of said avatars and objects toward eventual removal of said avatars and objects from said virtual universe space; and predetermining a set of events, the occurrence of any one of which events would modify the aging of selected avatars and objects.

Abstract: Providing an updated version of a printed document comprising storing data for generating an original version of a printed document, including a two-dimensional barcode that contains: data identifying the original version of the document, as well as at least a portion of the data for generating the original version of the document. The invention also enables the updating of the stored data so that a later version of the printed document may be generated including a new barcode for identifying and generating the later version. The barcode of a version of the document is scanned to determine if the scanned barcode identifies the later version of the document. If the barcode does not identify the later version, then the later version of the document is generated and printed. If the barcode does identify that the scanned document is the later version, the document is not printed and the user may be notified that the scanned version is the latest version.

Abstract: An enterprise computer network comprising a hierarchy of client computers interconnected through a plurality of server computers at a plurality of hierarchical levels. A system, method and object oriented computer program for giving a selected controller computer remote control of a selected target client computer in the network comprising the combination of a plurality of server controlled regional hubs, each hub connected to and serving a network region including a set of target client computers; and a function for storing at each server controlled regional hub, a remote control object including data necessary to access and remotely control each of the target client computers served by said hub. This is essentially a standard regional set up for remote control by a remote controller.

Abstract: Tracking at the local point of sale terminal level, changes in data associated with each terminal, such as a changed printer or POS register supporting a particular POS terminal, the identified cash drawer for the terminal, the particular changeable removable cash till in the cash drawer or the particular terminal operator. The POS terminal comprises a cash drawer including a drawer identifier, a cash till, including a till identifier, removably engagable with the drawer, as well as apparatus for reading the drawer identifier, apparatus for reading the till identifier when said till is engaged with the drawer and apparatus for transmitting the read drawer and till identifiers to the system administrator.

Abstract: Enabling the server systems managing E-mail distribution, as well as the server systems managing Web site document distribution to selectively reduce the quality of images in E-mail and Web pages in order to maintain effective transmission and storage of such electronic documents. An implementation in the document transmission path intermediate the document sources and the receiving display stations determines the number of colors in the color palettes of images in transmitted documents, and a device responsive to the determination selectively converts these color palettes to color palettes having a lower number of colors for said images. Then, an implementation transmits the documents having these converted color palettes. There is also a storage device in the document transmission path intermediate the sources and the receiving display stations for storing the documents having the converted color palettes with a lower number of colors for the images.

Abstract: The user requesting the search is enabled to analyze the list of excessive hits in a manner organized through a Web content manager on the user's display screen, and reduce the excessive hits through the elimination of extraneous domains or subdomains captured by the search. An implementation for reducing an excessive number of hits in a search result received at one of the receiving display stations on the Web comprising conventional means for displaying at said receiving display station, Web documents received from sources on the Web, and means for conducting keyword searches on the Web.

Abstract: Minimizing the effects of the requisite AGWN packets on transmission channel utilization without diminishing any of the aesthetic quality of the AGWN white noise on the voice or audio communication.

Abstract: RFID tags to provide a relatively low power and power conserving wireless communication system to dynamically and automatically transfer all preselected data developed in designated digital devices to a centralized data processing system. Inclusion, in the target mobile wireless devices from which data is to be transferred, of an RFID tag, preferably passive, to minimize power consumption that is conventionally recognizable by a short range RF transceiver in the computer system to which data is to be transferred. Thus, each mobile wireless device being tracked includes a short range RFID tag, a short range RF transceiver and storage means for the digital data developed by the device that is to be transferred.

Abstract: A hybrid cellular telephonic and satellite radio broadcast system for enabling a wireless mobile computer to rapidly and effectively access information from the Web. The combination of a mobile wireless receiving computer, with wireless cellular telecommunication associated with the receiving computer for transmitting a request for data from the receiving computer to the Web, an implementation for accessing the requested data from the Web, a satellite transponder, wireless communication for transmitting said accessed requested data to the satellite transponder, an implementation on the satellite transponder for broadcasting the accessed requested data and apparatus in the mobile wireless receiving computer for receiving the broadcast data.

Abstract: A system controlled by a data processor for controlling vehicle operational functions enabled for each of a plurality of vehicle drivers comprising a combination of means for assigning to each of a group of drivers a vehicle operation key with a unique identifier, means for storing these identifiers, means for assigning to each of the group of drivers a set of operational functions that each driver is enabled to perform, means for designating a vehicle operation manager and means enabling this operation manager to modify each of the set of operational functions assigned to each of the group of drivers. The vehicle has means for directly receiving one of said vehicle operation keys together with means responsive to the receiving of the key for enabling all of the operational functions assigned to the driver who is identified by the key identifier.

Abstract: A display screen interface implementation in a computer controlled user interactive display system, for enabling an interactive user to select specific items on a large presentation display screen, comprising laser apparatus for projecting a laser beam pointer image onto the display screen, apparatus for interactively moving the projected laser pointer orthogonally with respect to the display screen, apparatus for tracking the orthogonal movement and position of the projected laser bean pointer and apparatus enabling the user to make interactive selections on the display screen based upon the orthogonal position of the projected laser bean pointer. For best results in preferred embodiments, the laser beam pointer is handheld.

Abstract: Extending the function of a conventional VCR to both do digital recording and to convert analog tape VCR cassette recordings to a digital format without any apparatus modification of the conventional VCR. A portable video recording device comprises a video cassette housing adapted to operatively engage a video cassette recorder, i.e. the VCR requires no modification; the VCR in effect thinks that it is receiving a conventional VCR cassette. The inserted cassette housing comprises a set of read-write heads for operatively engaging an opposing set of read-write heads in the video cassette recorder; disk-drive storage apparatus operatively connected to said cassette read-write heads; and apparatus for converting analog input from the VCR to digital data and storing the data in the disk-drive storage.

Abstract: A simple region-specific broadcasting system for broadcasting information pertinent to motor vehicles in sequential regions of a roadway or highway directly to such vehicles when the vehicles are passing through such sequential regions. Existing cellular facilities and resources may be advantageously used in the implementation of the system. A system for broadcasting short range RF real-time information to motor vehicles traveling along a roadway implemented through a sequence of transceiving short range broadcast stations along said highway, the stations spaced so that the broadcast ranges of said stations tangentially overlap each other. Each of the sequence of motor vehicles moving along this roadway should include a transceiver for the short range RF signals.

Abstract: A computer controlled interactive display RFID (radio frequency identification) household system enabling a householder to track and manage a set of RFID tags containing household possessions located within short range RF limited boundaries of a household facility. The implementation includes the combination of a short range RF transceiver for identifying and communicating with all RFID tags within the household boundaries and apparatus for inputting data indicating whether a RFID tag within said household boundaries is in one of the set of household possessions. In such an environment, there also is an implement for inputting this tracking and management data, as well as for storing this input data. There is also provided a function for prompting said householder in response to the entry within said household boundaries of a RFID tag not in one of the set of household possessions.

Abstract: The user receiving a World Wide Web (Web) page is provided with an implementation for predetermining subject matter, terms and words for which the user desires to have hyperlinks in a received web document. It further provides for displaying in the received web document multiple hyperlinks for each predetermined term of interest to thereby substantially reduce the user browsing through several levels of web documents in pursuit of topics of interest. Search engines for locating web documents related to the defined words are provided together with implementations for creating hyperlinks from the received web document to at least some of the located web documents. The system may be implemented by highlighting the defined words in the received web document, and responsive to a user interactive selection of a highlighted defined word in the received document, displaying a menu of a plurality of hyperlinks to the located web documents related to the selected highlighted defined word.

Abstract: In a search session through a browser for pages on the World Wide Web (Web), a system for precluding repetitive accessing of documents linked to hyperlinks in a plurality of hypertext documents. The system is directed to a Web communication network with user access via a plurality of data processor controlled interactive receiving display stations for displaying received hypertext documents of at least one display page containing text, images and a plurality of embedded hyperlinks, each hyperlink being user selectable to access and display a respective linked hypertext document. In addition to precluding hyperlinks which had been activated in previous pages and/or hyperlinks which have been discounted merely by having been present in previous pages, the Web browser may be setup to permit the user to specifically discount individual hyperlinks or groups of hyperlinks. Also, the Web browser may be setup to preclude repetitive hyperlinks in subsequent Web pages from searches from different search engines.

Abstract: There is provided a system for dynamically resynchronizing, in the even of a system failure, a storage system made up of a plurality of nodes, each which has mirrored logical volumes respectively divided in to a plurality of mirrored logical data partitions. Each of these nodes has the means for accessing a common physical data volume, e.g. a disk drive in which data in corresponding logical volumes at respective nodes is represented by data stored in common in the physical volume. System recovery at the plurality of nodes after a failure at one of the nodes is carried out by commencing the sequential resynchronization of a logical data volume at a nonfailure node to thereby sequentially resynchronize the partitions of the physical data volume representative of the logical data volume, and indicating as resynchronized those portions of the logical data volume at the failure node represented by said resynchronized partitions of the physical data volume.

Abstract: A data processing controlled display system for the interactive control of a variety of operations is provided which offers to an operator a plurality of selectable sets of basic interactive functions (i.e. an interactive display interface), each set respectively for the control of one of a plurality of types of operations. There are also provided means for switching a selected first one of said plurality of interactive display interfaces to a selected second one of said display interfaces and means for interactively controlling another one of said production control operations through said second selected interface.

Abstract: A data processing controlled display system for the interactive control of a variety of production operations is provided which offers to an operator or to a production supervisor the means for simplifying complex interactive display interfaces, thereby significantly reducing the number of production operations properties over which the operator has control. In this reduction, all of the operator controllable properties are displayed to the user or operator, and means for selecting a plurality of these controllable properties for interactive operator control of variable property values during said production operations are provided. Upon such a selection, there are further means for maintaining the nonselected properties at constant values during said production operations. These constant value properties remain hidden from the interface and the operator is presented with a simplified interface showing only the properties of which the values are controllable.