Abstract: A method and system for preserving state in computers communicating over networks, such as the World Wide Web (WWW) using stateless protocols, e.g., HTTP. State is preserved in a conversation between a client requesting services from a served by performing the service and identifying all continuations (hyperlinks) in an output from the service; recursively embedding the state information in all identified continuations in the output sent to the client. The state information may be embedded and communicated by the server to the client. Alternatively, dynamically downloadable program code may be used to embed the state information at the client. Additional features enable the filtering and/or addition of hyperlinks and data output from the services according to predetermined criteria. State information may be embedded by modifying an identified continuation which is a request for an HTML file, to invoke a CGI converter program with the identified continuation and the state information passed as arguments.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for constructing an optical wavelength-routing network in which each network node is a dynamic add-drop multiplexer (OADM) with minimized spectral filtering effect on pass-through channels and survivability upon power failure. By using cascaded tunable reflection filters as the building blocks, strictly add-drop non-blocking OADMs for single input/output fibers, double input/output fibers, and 3 input/output fibers can be constructed for application to unidirectional and bidirectional ring networks and mesh networks of arbitrary degree. Methods and apparatus for minimizing various types of out-of-band and in-band crosstalk occurring within the dynamic OADMs are also described.

Abstract: An improved multi-port SRAM that requires fewer access means, bit lines and sense amplifiers for multiport access. The number of access means can be reduced to ceiling (log.sub.2 B), where B is the number of access ports. The number of bit line sense amplifiers needed to achieve multiport access can also be reduced by the same factor as the number of access devices per cell. An efficient means is provided to select a correct access device among the plurality of access devices within the array and to condition a correct multiplexer select signal to couple a correct bit as specified by the port read address to the port read output. The access device selection can be implemented by a tree representation of all possible bit line and multiplexer select combinations. The tree representation can be implemented in hardware or software. Examples are provided of both a circuit and a tree walking algorithm that gives priority by port order.

Abstract: A mechanism for creating links and services on the Internet to reduce the bottlenecks at service providers by associating code with links to make them intelligent and a special protocol between the links and the back end servers to maintain scalableness and performance. Scalableness is supported by moving much of the functionality of searching onto the client side.

Abstract: To virtually connect an object stored on a computer with real work as if they were physically connected and to make easy the operation of a computer. In one embodiment, visitors to a museum which incorporates a computer system according to the present invention are given a wireless mouse in which an ID is stored corresponding to an object stored in the computer. The visitor simply operates the mouse near a terminal computer provided in each exhibition booth of the museum to display a file corresponding to the ID the monitor of the terminal. The displayed file is under the exclusive control of the visitor to and may include an edit function. In an edit booth, the visitor may finally edit the information recorded in each exhibition booth, print it out, return the wireless mouse, and exit the museum.

Abstract: An improved method for supporting an empirical measurement of the data bandwidth that one or more computer disks can continuously sustain while reading data. In a computer system having predetermined workload requirements and disk storage for storing an allocation table including entries for meta blocks and data blocks, a method for supporting a dynamic measurement of the read bandwidth of a disk, includes the steps of: creating an alternate allocation table that ignores the existing content of the disk; creating meta blocks for a phantom file by allocating the meta blocks from the allocation table; allocating data blocks for the phantom file from the alternate allocation table; and writing only meta blocks to the disk, but not actual data blocks. Since the actual data blocks are by far the largest component of the files, phantom files require only a very small number of disk blocks, and can be written very quickly.

Abstract: A computer system and method for performing similarity searches which is phase and scale insensitive and which allows similarity searches to be performed at a semantic level. Each sequence in a database is preferably segmented at multiple projections and/or resolution levels. The sequences may represent object having multi-dimensional features such as temporal and/or spatial-temporal data. Preferably, the segmenting logic starts with the finest resolution, and each sequence is parsed into a number of disjointed segments, wherein each segment has uniform features. The uniform features could be segments having a constant slope, or waveform segments representable by a single function. The segments may then be re-sampled into a fixed length vector with appropriate normalization. A label may also be assigned to each segment via conventional clustering/classification methods.

Abstract: A system and method using thermal feedback to cooperatively vary a voltage and frequency of a circuit to control heating while maintaining synchronization. Preferably, on-chip thermal sensors are used for feedback.

Abstract: A method and system of collaboratively caching information to allow improved caching decisions by a lower level or sibling node. In a caching hierarchy, the client and/or servers may factor in the caching status at the higher level in deciding whether to cache an object and which objects are to be replaced. The PICS protocol may be used to pass the caching information of some or all the upper hierarchy down the hierarchy. Furthermore, the caching status information can also be used to direct the object request to the closest higher level proxy which has potentially cached the object, instead of blindly requesting it from the next immediate higher level proxy. A selection policy used to select objects for replacement in the cache may be prioritized not only on the size and the frequency of access of the object, but also on the access time required to get the object if it is not cached.

Abstract: A TCP-connection-router performs encapsulated clustering by dividing each encapsulated cluster into several Virtual EC (VECs), dynamically distributing incoming connections within a VEC based on current server load metrics according to a configurable policy. In one embodiment, the connection router supports dynamic configuration of the cluster, and enables transparent recovery which provides uninterrupted service to the VEC clients.

Abstract: In present computing systems having dynamic linked libraries (DLLs), the user must either explicitly provide directives at the source level or use linker and loader support provided by the computing system. The present invention enables an application programmer to use unmodified source code in conjunction with a compiler, prelinker and runtime library to develop and use DLLs. A DLL can be extended by adding new functions and variables without requiring users of the DLL to recompile or relink their application.

Abstract: A method and system for creating flexible security control mechanisms and virtualization of nominally shared system resources. The goal is to minimize the potential for interference between concurrently executing applications in a multithreaded environment. Executable content is associated with security policies appropriate to the content, and policies are associated with the content loader; security policies are dynamically computed so that content from multiple sources can be combined to create new, yet secure, function; digitally signed executable content can bypass some security restrictions; and, nominally shared resources are managed via policies associated with the content loading mechanism.

Abstract: A method of maintaining cache coherency in a computer system including two or more processors sharing information, the processors coupled by two or more interconnects to a memory such that the processors are not directly coupled to the same is disclosed interconnect is disclosed.

Abstract: A system and method which can efficiently develop new and revised advisories on content loaded (or available to be loaded) by a client from a content server via a protocol between the client and any number of advisory servers that maintain "ratings" knowledge bases. In one example, the advisory servers can be any number of independent non-co-located or combined servers in the World Wide Web. Alternatively, the functions of the advisory server can be integrated with the functions of the content server. Advisories can be efficiently developed based on rational factors, including: suggestions from users of an advisory service; as yet unrated content for which queries are being received; and requests from providers of new and revised primary content. Embodiments of the operation of an advisory server and reviewer's tool are described wherein content which clients are sending queries about, but which have not yet been reviewed, (i.e.

Abstract: A video server is provided with buffer manager which balances the loads on the various "movie storage" elements of a video server by preferentially buffering streams on highly loaded storage elements. The allocation of buffer takes place only when the storage element load increases due to the arrival of a new request or when buffer becomes available due to the pausing or stopping of an old request.

Abstract: A system and method for modulating the switching factor of a circuit to control heating and which does not require modulation of the circuit's clock frequency. The switching factor refers to the fact that due to gating requirements, latency and data transfer characteristics, the rate at which a circuit's inputs are addressed is some fraction of the circuit clock frequency. Application can be made to many existing systems which incorporate single or multiple VLSI circuits such as superscalar microprocessors, parallel processors, DSPs, microcontrollers and MPEG decoders.

Abstract: A system and method for caching sequential data streams in a cache storage device. For each information stream, a determination is made as to whether its data blocks should discarded from cache as they are read by a consuming process. Responsive to a determination that the data blocks of a stream should be discarded from the cache are read by the consuming process, the data blocks associated with that stream are cached in accordance with an interval caching algorithm. Alternatively, responsive to a determination that the data blocks of a stream should not be discarded from the cache storage device as they are read by the consuming process, the data blocks of that stream are cached in accordance with a segment caching algorithm.

Abstract: A fast adder/subtracter using a decoder and shifting function instead of conventional full-adders is disclosed. The circuit is optimized for the addition of multiple operands up to 4-5 binary bits in magnitude. Using this method a subtraction operation can be performed at no added cost with respect to addition (compared to the conventional method requiring complementing one of the operands). Addition and subtraction of multiple operands is implemented by simple multiple shift operations. The multiple shift operations can be implemented as a chain of series NMOS pulldown devices with a precharged load providing considerable speed advantage over conventional solutions. Fast overflow detection may be implemented by or-ing the higher order bits in the shifter.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for determining load capacity of a system. Physical components of the system and their interconnection are identified. The physical components are converted into logical components such that at least one logical component is created by grouping a plurality of the physical components and such that a load on the logical component will result in an approximately fixed proportional load on the plurality of physical components. Links between the logical components and a proportion of the load placed on each link between a source and destination pair are determined. A model of the logical components and interconnection of the logical components in is then stored in an electronically accessible data structure formed in a memory. A system and method for determining a path for routing data between a source and a destination pair in a system are also provided.

Abstract: A system and method for scheduling the number of channels in video-on-demand servers so as to deal with time varying load. The scheduling process is hierarchical. A higher level scheduler controls the rate of channel consumption based on anticipated load, and a lower level scheduler selects the waiting client requests to be served when a channel is allocated by the higher level scheduler.