Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for controlling writing and reading of data in an array of A storage fields of a probe-based data storage device in which data is written to and read from the array of storage fields by a corresponding array of probes. One method provides error-tolerance by exploiting the inherent parallelism of the probe storage array. A user data block to be written to the A-field array is first coded to produce a plurality of C-byte codewords, such that r·C=k1A where r is the number of codewords and k1 is an integer greater than or equal to 1. A sub-blocks of k1 bytes are produced from the codewords by selecting successive bytes of each sub-block cyclically from the r codewords. The A sub-blocks are then written via respective probes to the corresponding storage fields of the storage field array.

Abstract: A system and method for processing a request by a first control service using a first control specification language, and a second control service using a second control specification language includes steps of: receiving the request from a requestor; providing the request to the first and second control services; receiving a decision on the request from each of the first and second control services; and comparing the decisions. The first control specification language is an access control policy.

Abstract: A system for identifying one or more social patterns in a status history of one or more change requests includes: a processor for executing instructions and memory comprising logic for: receiving as input change request data history; detecting social patterns in the change request data history; storing information about the social patterns, including status history data; and providing information on social patterns within the status history of the given change request. The logic includes the following elements: a hypertext transfer protocol server handler; a social pattern server database; a change log handler; a social pattern alert handler; a social pattern query handler; and a social pattern detection handler for: receiving new patterns wherein the patterns are user-defined operational descriptors, detecting social patterns in raw change request data from the change log handler, and storing the patterns in the database, and analyzing the patterns. The system further includes a graphical user interface.

Abstract: A method for layout design includes steps or acts of: receiving a layout for design of an integrated circuit chip; designing mask shapes for the layout; transmitting the mask shapes to a litho simulator for generating wafer shapes; receiving the wafer shapes; calculating electrically equivalent gate lengths for the wafer shapes; analyzing the gate lengths to check for conformity against a threshold value, wherein the threshold value represents a desired value of electrically equivalent gate lengths; placing markers on the layout at those locations where the gate length violates the threshold value; and generating a histogram of gate lengths for comparing layouts for electrically equivalent gate lengths for layout quality.

Abstract: A communication system which consists of several modules—operating in parallel on segments of a packet—to increase speed and handling capacity. One module acts as master, the others are slave modules controlled by control signals derived by the master module. It is important that in each module the data segment and the respective control signal of each packet are correctly synchronized, because in large systems the data paths carrying packet segments and the control signal paths may have substantially different delays. The invention provides for measurement of the propagation delay differences and for introducing a controlled delay in each slave module, so that data segments and control signals can be correctly correlated by delaying either the one or the other. Synchronization packets are transmitted besides normal data packets, for obtaining time stamps which are used to determine the delay difference.

Abstract: A mold plate to parking location interface includes: a mold plate for holding solder; a fill head with an o-ring for dispensing solder bumps on the mold plate; a parking location for locating the fill head; and a platform between the mold plate and the parking location for relatively moving the fill head from the first location to the second location such that the o-ring decompresses as it passes over the platform.

Abstract: A system for sharing files among different virtual machine images includes a processor, a memory, and an input/output subsystem. The processor is configured for: a) creating a first virtual image; b) determining whether there exists a second virtual image similar to the first virtual image; c) comparing the files of the first and second virtual images to determine a set of common files; d) creating a common file collection; f) creating a second version of the first virtual image with files in the first virtual image that are not in the common file collection; g) creating a second version of the second virtual image with files in the second virtual image that are not in the common file collection; h) receiving a request for modification of the file within one of the virtual images; and i) determining whether the file to be modified is in the set of common files.

Abstract: A system and method for partitioning a data stream into tokens includes steps or acts of: receiving the data stream; setting a partition scanner to a beginning point in the data stream; identifying likely token boundaries in the data stream using the partition scanner; partitioning the data stream according to the likely token boundaries as determined by the partition scanner, wherein each partition of the partitioned data stream bounded by the likely token boundaries comprises a chunk; and passing the chunk to a next available token scanner, one chunk per token scanner, for identifying at least one actual token within each chunk.

Abstract: A method for performing garbage collection for a real-time application uses a memory for determining an amount of memory required to run the garbage collection process and waits until the determined amount of memory is available, then allocates memory space for the application by segmenting the memory space into a number of pages of a predetermined size. A mutator is used for assuring that only non-null, unmarked objects are placed into a write buffer. A hybrid collector is used for removing the dead objects and defragmenting the memory space.

Abstract: An electronic device for executing an application includes: application data, a central control unit for processing the application data according to a first method call, an interface for transmitting a description of the first method call to a second electronic device, and a synchronization entity for generating the description and passing the description to the interface. The transmitted description is used by the second electronic device to derive a second method call that is executable on the second electronic device.

Abstract: An improved system and method is provided for searching a collection of objects that may be located in hierarchies of auxiliary information for retrieval of response objects. A framework to perform a generalization search in hierarchies may be used to generalize a search by moving up to a higher level in a hierarchy of taxonomies or to specialize a search by moving down to a lower level in the hierarchy of taxonomies. Once the system may decide to enumerate response objects at a particular level of generalization, a budgeted generalization search may be used for enumerating a set of response objects within a budgeted cost.

Abstract: The invention allows a reliable and efficient identity management that can, with full interoperability, accommodate to various requirements of participants. For that a method and system are presented for providing an identity-related information about a user to a requesting entity. The method comprises a location-request step initiated by the requesting entity for requesting from a client application a location information that corresponds to a location entity possessing the identity-related information, a redirecting step for connecting the client application to the location entity in order to instruct the location entity to transfer the identity-related information to the requesting entity, and an acquiring step for obtaining the identity-related information.

Abstract: Provides methods, apparatus and systems for determining an applicable policy for an incoming message having a service-level addressing element. A method includes the following steps: a) applying a potentially applicable policy (P1) on the incoming message to make the service-level addressing element of the incoming message visible, b) if the service-level addressing element of the incoming message gets visible and is the one to which the currently applied policy (P1) is associated, the currently applied policy (P1) is determined to be the applicable policy, and if not associated c) repeating steps a) and b) with a further potentially applicable policy (P2 . . . Pn).

Abstract: A garbage collection system that needs to meet real-time requirements uses an eager read barrier that performs a forwarding operation as soon as a quantity is loaded. The barrier maintains a to-space invariant by including a forwarding pointer in the header of objects to be moved or accessed that normally points to the object itself. However, if the object has been moved, the forwarding pointer points to the new object location. The eager read barrier maintains the registers and stack cells such that the registers and stack cells always point into to-space. Barrier-sinking and common sub-expression elimination are used to minimize the overhead associated with the read barrier.

Abstract: A method for facilitating creation and managing of partitioned table indices of a table object of a first partitioning type includes steps of: automatically looking up a table and its partitioning type definition; retrieving the table index and all indices defined for that table object, and their definitions; presenting to a user at least a portion of the table index in a single set of index alter screens; receiving from the user an alter request in the form of a screen option; performing validity checking on the screen option, based on the index type. If the screen option is not compatible with the index type, the method automatically overrides the screen option with one that is compatible, and issues a diagnostic message. If the screen option is valid for the index type, the user is notified about the changes that will be made and the effect of those changes. Data definition language statements are then generated consistent with the screen options.

Abstract: A system for conditional memory ordering implemented in a multiprocessor environment. A conditional memory ordering instruction executes locally using a release vector containing release numbers for each processor in the system. The instruction first determines whether a processor identifier of the release number is associated with the current processor. Where it is not, a conditional registered is examined and appropriate remote synchronization operations are commanded where necessary.

Abstract: An apparatus for plating a magnetic film on a substrate includes: a track including a plurality of stopping points along the track; a permanent magnet placed on the track such that the permanent magnet can be moved along the track towards and away from the stopping points; at least one plating tank positioned on the stopping point; and a removable high permeability iron flux concentrator inserted into gaps between the substrate and inside walls of the plating tank, substantially surrounding the substrate and extending around and under the substrate.

Abstract: Methods, and systems for migrating personality of a computing environment from a source machine platform to a target machine platform through a CIM-based system management infrastructure. A system includes: database wherein migration rules of CIM objects between a plurality of platforms are recorded; and migration tool for implementing migration according to the migration rules in the database, which includes: migration rule extractor, CIM object extractor, migration task producer and migration task executor. The extractor extracts CIM objects related to personality of the computing environment from source machine platform according to migration rule extracted from the database by rule extractor, and extracts from the target machine platform objects corresponding to the extracted CIM objects of the source machine platform. The migration task producer generates the migration tasks according to extracted migration rules.

Abstract: A system and method for obtaining a process definition; determining the current process; determining the current process step; determining whether a whether a user has requested creation or modification of an annotation of the current process or step; receiving information from the user for creating the annotation when a user has requested creation of an annotation; and displaying the annotation.

Abstract: A method for determining a mapping between a first artifact and a second artifact, each artifact comprising at least one constituent, each at least one constituent comprising at least one feature, wherein each at least one feature is selected from a feature group consisting of: a relationship feature and a characteristic feature, the mapping comprising at least one constituent match comprising a correspondence between the at least one constituent of the first artifact and the at least one constituent of the second artifact, the method includes acts or steps of: a) receiving as input the first and second artifacts, and a description of the artifacts, constituents, and the features of the constituents; b) performing advanced inexact matching, comprising a step of selecting the mapping, the mapping comprising the at least one constituent match; and c) producing as output the mapping determined from the step of performing advanced inexact matching.