Abstract: An apparatus for enabling an object-oriented application to access in an object-oriented manner a procedural operating system having a native procedural interface is disclosed. The apparatus includes a computer and a memory component in the computer. A code library is stored in the memory component. The code library includes computer program logic implementing an object-oriented class library. The object-oriented class library comprises related object-oriented classes for enabling the application to access in an object-oriented manner services provided by the operating system. The object-oriented classes include methods for accessing the operating system services using procedural function calls compatible with the native procedural interface of the operating system. The computer processes object-oriented statements contained in the application and defined by the class library by executing methods from the class library corresponding to the object-oriented statements.

Abstract: An improved architecture for a Prolog interpreter/compiler is described to facilitate interrupt processing. The new architecture employs interrupt control words and a set of interrupt control blocks to enhance Prolog processing. As interrupts are detected, an interrupt control word is loaded with the address of an interrupt control block for managing interrupt processing. Then, each time a new predicate is fired, the interrupt control word is tested and control is passed to the interrupt processing routine if the control word is non-zero.

Abstract: A method and system for adding components (documents, tools, fonts, libraries, etc.) to a computer system without running an installation program. A location framework is employed to locate components whose properties match those specified in a search criteria. The framework receives notification from the system when components whose properties match the search criteria are added to or removed from the system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus providing a polymorphic pixel buffer. An object-oriented system design provides a robust and extensible pixel specification which allows for new methods, data types, and operation to be added to a digital pixel representation and processing system.

Abstract: A system for connecting an audio object to various multimedia objects to enable an object-oriented simulation of a multimedia presentation using a computer with a storage and a display. A plurality of multimedia objects are created on the display including at least one connection object and at least one audio object in the storage. Multimedia objects are displayed on the display, including at least one audio object. The multimedia object and the audio object are connected, and information is routed via the connection between the multimedia object and the audio object to create a multimedia presentation.

Abstract: An object-oriented automated testing system and method tests program subroutines which operate on parameter data objects to generate results. Tests determine whether the subroutines meet design specifications provided by test engineers in the form of precondition objects and postcondition objects. The precondition objects comprise data invariant objects and functional precondition objects and are applied to a generated pool of candidate parameter data objects to check data syntax and data semantics, respectively before the parameter data is applied to the subroutines. Each parameter data object belongs to a predetermined data type and the precondition objects are written for generic data types and associated with each parameter data object during the testing process. The subroutines are run with the checked data by an automatically generated test program.

Abstract: A system for connecting a midi object to various multimedia objects to enable an object-oriented simulation of a multimedia presentation using a computer with a storage and a display. A plurality of multimedia objects are created on the display including at least one connection object and at least one midi object in the storage. Multimedia objects are displayed on the display, including at least one midi object.

Abstract: An improved technique for processing Prolog objects is described. The first bit of the Prolog object word is used as a flag to indicate whether the object word is a type pointer or type descriptor. If the one-bit flag indicates that the object word is a type pointer, then the address is available for immediate processing without the unnecessary processing associated with the prior art.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for use in booting a processor with a storage and attached peripherals. The system utilizes a technique for initializing a computer by resetting the storage and the one or more peripherals. Then, the system initializes a degredated environment for use in activating an operating system. The degredated operating environment enables file sharing and other basic tasks of importance in loading in the IO devices, system preferences, and hardware configurations and replaces itself with the IO file system for use by the operating system.

Abstract: A method and system for adding system components (documents, tools, fonts, libraries, etc.) to a computer system without running an installation program. A location framework is employed to locate system components whose properties match those specified in a search criteria. The framework receives notification from the system when system components whose properties match the search criteria are added to or removed from the system.

Abstract: An apparatus for enabling an object-oriented application to access in an object-oriented manner a procedural operating system having a native procedural interface is disclosed. The apparatus includes a computer and a memory component in the computer. A code library is stored in the memory component. The code library includes computer program logic implementing an object-oriented class library. The object-oriented class library comprises related object-oriented classes for enabling the application to access in an object-oriented manner services provided by the operating system. The object-oriented classes include methods for accessing the operating system services using procedural function calls compatible with the native procedural interface of the operating system. The computer processes object-oriented statements contained in the application and defined by the class library by executing methods from the class library corresponding to the object-oriented statements.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for an innovative, object-oriented hardware independent interface to the external world. The interrupt services are part of an overall IO model providing an object base IO system that supports dynamic configuration of the system. Object processing is architected into even the lowest lever routines in the preferred embodiment of the invention. This includes an object oriented design all the way down to interrupt processing abstractions. These interrupt abstractions provide an architecturally sound framework for the dynamic installation, configuration, and timely execution of interrupt handlers.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for an innovative object oriented framework system is disclosed. The system uses an innovative load architecture for a framework application and provides a system and method for dynamically linking load modules at runtime. The preferred embodiment employs a collection of load modules, each of which contains functions, static data, and classes to make the load modules appear as if they were statically linked together. However, code executing in one load module can perform operations on another load modules code, such as: calling a function, or obtaining a pointer to a function; accessing static data or obtaining a pointer to the static data; calling any public or protected member function of a class to obtain a pointer or access a public or protected data member of the class; or cast to any base of an object of a class.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for editing the displayed voice wave form by marking the portion of interest on the screen is disclosed. Marked segment may then be deleted, for example, or copied into another segment in second voice editing window. In either case, pointers are established at the selected marker positions of the displayed voice segment and in the corresponding positions of uncompressed voice segments. The voice data is treated as a stream of fixed-length micro-segments, where there is a predictable correlation between the positions of the compressed and uncompressed data. In the implementation at hand, these micro-segments are 20 ms. in length. Editing is accomplished by modifying micro-segments in both the compressed and uncompressed segments simultaneously. When the user is satisfied with the result, the edited wave form is redrawn on the screen. The user may then SAVE the result, and the entire segment is rewritten to the data base, replacing the previous version.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for an object based notification system. The notification system is designed in a flexible manner to support change notification in an object based operating system.

Abstract: A human oriented object programming system provides an interactive and dynamic modeling system to assist in the incremental building of computer programs which facilitates the development of complex computer programs such as operating systems and large applications with graphic user interfaces (GUIs). A program is modeled as a collection of units called components. A component represents a single compilable language element such as a class or a function. The three major functionality are the database, the compiler and the build mechanism. The database stores the components and properties. The compiler, along with compiling the source code of a property, is responsible for calculating the dependencies associated with a component. The build mechanism uses properties of components along with the compiler generated dependencies to correctly and efficiently sequence the compilation of components during a build process.

Abstract: A system for an object based notification system. The notification system is designed in a flexible manner to support change notification in an object-oriented operating system. The change notification includes a memory for storing connection information including notification routing information and connection registration information. The connection registration information is stored in a connection object of the object-oriented system and the notification system updates the connection object with registration information indicative of enablement or disablement of notification. Then, when a notification event is detected, the object-oriented operating system selectively notifies objects in the system based on the connection registration information stored in the connection object in the memory of the computer system.

Abstract: An improved architecture for a Prolog interpreter is described. Implicit arguments are substituted for classical explicit arguments. The implicit arguments are supported by preassigned register allocation managed by the interpreter. The interpreter also exploits improved Prolog Object processing in which the first bit of the Prolog object word is used as a flag to indicate whether the object word is a type pointer or type descriptor. Significant improvements in interpreter execution result from the usage of these techniques.

Abstract: An improved architecture for a list processing language interpreter/compiler is described to facilitate two-way communication between list processing programs and other external processes. The new architecture employs a table driven approach to translate arguments from the list processing language to arguments that other external processes expect. Additional capability for accessing list processing programs from external processes is also provided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for obtaining well defined surface descriptions from a three-dimensional image. The invention employs an imaging and graphic system to receive as input an image and initial surface of points. The surface of points are modified in the memory of the graphic system to conform to the surface they represent by continually shrinking the points until they conform precisely to the surface to be matched. The resulting set of vectors are displayed by the graphic system. The integrated graphics and imaging system provides remarkable improvements in representing the surface.