Abstract: A parallel processing system is provided with a plurality of processors and a plurality of memories, and bus units with arbitration coupling the processors and memories. A bus unit provides a pathway between one processor and the bus unit's respective memory. Each bus unit arbitrates multiple simultaneous access requests for its respective memory and communicates its decisions to other bus units so that a memory access requiring multiple memories will only occur if all those memories are available. The coupling of processors to memories can change, dynamically, each bus cycle without the need for setup before the bus cycle either by pipelining or having unused bus cycles. In a specific embodiment, the memory access information is provided on high order address lines, where the processor logically accesses different memory address spaces to make different accesses, thereby sharing memory with other processors.

Abstract: A system for manipulating image fragments so that image processing devices such as copiers, fax machines and scanners may efficiently process oversize images. The system provides a user interface so that when an oversize image is scanned in multiple parts to produce multiple image fragments the user can manipulate the image fragments by performing drag, drop and merge operations on the image fragments. Embodiments of the invention include the use of a touch screen or mouse to allow the user to perform the operations. Other operations are selectable such as rotating an image fragment, zooming in or out on portions of the displayed fragments, merging the fragments into an integrated image and storing or printing the image fragments.

Abstract: An example page taken from each document in a document database is processed by a page processor to yield an iconic representation for the example page. To form the iconic representation, the example page is segmented into text regions, line art regions, photograph regions, etc., and each region is reduced in a manner appropriate for that image type. Text is replaced with a block font and reduced, while graphics are reduced in level and/or spatial resolution). The reduced regions of the example page are then reassembled into the icon. When multiple icons are printed on a guide page, a user can visually identify the icon for an example page of a target document and supply the icon, or a label for the icon, to a document retrieval system, which selects candidate matching documents from the document database. For simplified processing characters can be blocked and words formed into solid line segments with lengths proportional to word lengths.

Abstract: A message originator is presented with a tree of phrase choices organized from broad to specific categories, with the selections in more specific categories directed by the originator's selections in the broader categories. In a specific embodiment, the selections relate to a patient's medical condition and observations of a health care provider, with broader categories indicating general body systems and narrower categories indicating specific items, including values for properties of an item described by other selections on the path. The text of the message is also presented to the originator, who can then edit the message as text. The text is derivable from the tree structure selections, or path, taken from the originator and the interspersed free form text. At any time in an editing process, or a viewing process after the message has been fixed, an editor or viewer can reselect the path on the tree which generated the text.

Abstract: A data processor in accordance with the present invention makes it possible to perform pre-branch processing with respect to a return address in the initial stage of pipeline processing also on a subroutine return instruction, and therefore by providing a stack memory (PC stack) dedicated to a program counter (PC) for storing only return addresses of the subroutine return instruction, in executing a subroutine call instruction in an execution stage of a pipeline processing mechanism, the return address from the subroutine is pushed to the PC stack, and the pre-branch processing is performed to the address popped from the PC stack in decoding the subroutine return instruction in an instruction decoding stage.

Abstract: A local host computing system, a remote host computing system as connected by a network, and service functionalities: a human interface service functionality, a starter service functionality, and a desired utility service functionality, and a Client-Server-Service (CSS) model is imposed on each service functionality. In one embodiment, this results in nine logical components and three physical components (a local host, a remote host, and an intervening network), where two of the logical components are integrated into one Remote Object Client component, and that Remote Object Client component and the other seven logical components are deployed among the local host and remote host in a manner which eases compatibility and upgrade problems, and provides an illusion to a user that a desired utility service supported on a remote host resides locally on the user's local host, thereby providing ease of use and minimal software maintenance for users of that remote service.

Abstract: Automatic detection of defective pixel locations from digital images of scanned documents is provided. A list of tentative defect locations is kept, and as each document is scanned, entries are added to the list. As subsequent documents occur with the same color pixel in the same location, a count for that tentative defect location is incremented, but if the color of the pixel in that location changes, the count is reduced or zeroed. If a count for a location is incremented above a threshold, the tentative defect is flagged as an actual defect and a defect detector outputs or flags that pixel location as being an actual defect location. If memory size is constrained, the number of entries in the defect list is capped at some maximum size and a tentative defect location is added to the list only if an entry is available.

Abstract: A data compression system uses sameness information, such as temporal sameness of corresponding pixels, in the coding process. Two sets of contexts are used, one set when a pixel is the same as a sameness pixel, and one set of contexts for residual coding of the pixel when it is not the same. The use of the sameness bit saves computation because, if in decoding the one "sameness" bit, a decompressor determines that the pixel is equal to the corresponding pixel in a previous frame, then no further decoding is needed for that pixel.

Abstract: A secure system for executing program code in an insecure environment while making it impossible, or at least impractical, to determine how to copy the program code and associated data is provided. A program memory contains encrypted program data and security circuitry contained within an integrated circuit is provided for decrypting the program data as it is needed by a processor. A portion of the processing steps which would be done by the processor in an insecure system is performed in this secure system within the secure circuitry using portions of the decrypted program data which are not provided to the processor. Program data is parsed it out based on a proper request to the security chip from the processor. A key value stored in volatile memory is used in the decrypting process and the volatile memory is positioned on the integrated circuit such that its contents are lost before a chip peel provides access to the volatile memory.

Abstract: A data compression system separates input data into color planes prior to compression. If needed for legacy game consoles, compression is performed by a game cartridge transparent to the console. To minimize the number of passes required of a coder/decoder, color planes are ordered by density and the densest color plane is coded first. After the first color plane is coded, other color planes are coded, but pixels which are known to have colors from previously coded color planes are not coded. The last color plane is not coded, but is deduced from all the other color planes. Alternatively, pixel color values are represented by vectors with components thereof separately coded by subcolor planes. Also, each color plane can be coded until a threshold number of pixels are coded, and the remaining pixels coded by bit plane. The image data could be coded using pixel position information as context.

Abstract: Spoken-language instruction method and apparatus employ context-based speech recognition for instruction and evaluation, particularly language instruction and language fluency evaluation. A system can administer a lesson, and particularly a language lesson, and evaluate performance in a natural interactive manner while tolerating strong foreign accents, and produce as an output a reading quality score. A finite state grammar set corresponding to the range of word sequence patterns in the lesson is employed as a constraint on a hidden Markov model (HMM) search apparatus in an HMM speech recognizer which includes a set of hidden Markov models of target-language narrations produced by native speakers of the target language. The invention is preferably based on use of a linguistic context-sensitive speech recognizer.

Abstract: A system for restoring images with undefined pixel values at known locations is described. The threshold value and a neighborhood configuration are defined and are used to restore the image. The neighborhood configuration defines a geometric region, typically a fixed number of pixels, surrounding the target pixel. The threshold value specifies a number of pixels in the neighborhood configuration for which pixel values are known. In our system, for each pixel in one of the unknown regions an analysis is performed over the entire area defined by the neighborhood configuration. If the threshold number of pixels within that region is known, then the value of the unknown pixel is calculated. If the threshold value is not achieved, then analysis proceeds to the next pixel location. By continuing the process and reducing the threshold value when necessary or desirable, the complete image can be restored.

Abstract: A content-addressable memory wherein match transistors are prevented from discharging a match line by either placing transistors in series with the match transistors and only turning them on during a match sensing period, or a match sense line which is driven near the precharge voltage of the match line until the match sensing period. The match sensing line also provides charging current to recharge the match line. For some applications, a differential match line amplifier is used to detect matches and mismatches. The match sense line can be used with a CAM having a four-transistor comparator. The invention is also applicable to match lines in programmable-array logic (PAL) cells, and for either NMOS or PMOS circuits.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for digital cellular telephone encryption includes a switch when a choice between compatibility security and a higher security is required. Plaintext is converted into ciphertext using a three-stage transformation process. In a first stage, the plaintext is transformed using a secret key to control encrypting by an invertible transformation process. In a second stage, the output of the first stage is transformed by an involutory transformation, which is unkeyed when the compatibility switch is in a compatibility setting and keyed when the compatibility switch is in a secure setting. In a third stage, the output of the second stage is transformed by the inverse of the transformation performed in the first stage. The compatibility switch is used to toggle between compatibility with a less secure encryption standard and a key-based secure encryption.

Abstract: A character animation system executing on a computer. The system provides a simple, efficient and powerful user interface that allows the user to specify complex animations of multi-legged characters by placing footprints on a surface. The system automatically generates a natural looking animation based on the footprints. Motions such as walking, running, jumping, etc. are easily animated depending on the way footprints are placed. The user is able to create new footprint patterns and modify existing patterns. Footprint blocks on a timeline are used to specify the time duration that each foot is in contact with a footprint. The user may specify keyframes in the animation sequence that allow more complicated body movements to be incorporated with the footprint based animation.

Abstract: A process for determining an orientation of a binary image includes segmentation of the image into many square regions. Orientations of the individual regions that are determined to be textual squares allow local variations of the binary image to establish an overall orientation for the binary image. The process iteratively groups and consolidates the individual regions into successively larger and larger regions. An orientation for particular ones of the larger regions is determined by a single mode of the various composite modes of the particular one regions having the greatest weight. After all the regions have been consolidated in this fashion, the process uses the orientation of the single consolidated region as the orientation of the binary image.

Abstract: A processor interface chip and a maintenance diagnostic chip are provided coupled with two microprocessors designed to be run in tandem. The processor interface chip includes logic for interfacing between the microprocessors and a main memory, logic for pipelining multiple microprocessor requests between the microprocessors and main memory, logic for prefetching data before a microprocessor issues a read request, logic for allowing a boot to occur from code anywhere in physical memory without regard to the microprocessors' fixed memory location for boot code, and logic for intelligently limiting the flow of interrupt information over a processor bus between the microprocessors and the processor interface chip.

Abstract: A system for determining selections that a user is likely to be interested in. The determination is made based on the user's prior indicated preferences. The user designates his or her preferred selections as entries in a user's preference list. Entries in the user's list are compared with entries in the other users' lists. When a significant number of matches have been found between two lists, the unmatched entries of the other user's preference list are extracted. The unmatched entries are further processed. Those unmatched entries with a high correlation to the user's preference list are presented to the user as selections in which the user is likely to be interested.

Abstract: Context sensitive help is provided by an application-external help system for a windowing environment. The help system is application-external in that it operates without the cooperation of an application or the help system supplied as part of the application. An object about which help is desired is selected by a user during the course of operation of an application program, and the help system uniquely identifies the object so that the help system can take appropriate action. Objects are uniquely identified by storing characteristics of each object, such as title, class, ID, style, number of child objects, number of parent objects, etc. An agent list contains, for each agent on the list, an event, an object string (including characteristics for each object) and an action.

Abstract: Link Ids are associated with file handles in a directory structure in a computer operating system. The Link Ids allow a file handle to be mapped uniquely to a pathname for a file associated with the file handle. In one implementation lists are used to facilitate fast searching of directory structures for a name associated with a Link Id. The list includes entry pairs where each entry pair is a Link Id and a directory number where a name associated with the Link Id may be found.