Abstract: A memory controller provides a series of queues between the processor and the PCI bus and the memory system. Memory coherency is maintained in two different ways. Before any read operations are accepted from the PCI bus, both of the posting queues must be empty. A content addressable memory (CAM) is utilized as the PCI to memory queue. When a PCI device executes a memory read, the processor cache and L2 cache are snooped in parallel with the memory read operation. Data is not provided until the snoop operation is complete. If the snoop operation indicates a modified location, a writeback operation is performed before data is provided to the PCI bus. If data is coherent between the memory and caches, data is provided from the memory to the PCI bus.

Abstract: A cutting instrument for severing a thin layer of corneal tissue from the surface of the eye, preferably leaving a flap. The cutting instrument includes a body portion that forces the surface of the eye against an applanating surface through a vacuum. A blade with a cutting edge not perpendicular to the direction of travel is then urged across the surface of the eye, severing a thin layer of corneal tissue. The blade can then be retracted, the instrument removed, leaving a flap of corneal tissue suitable for surgical procedures to modify corneal curvature.

Abstract: A retrievable bridge plug apparatus and retrieving tool, the retrievable bridge plug apparatus serving as a temporary bridge plug that can be set in casing in order to isolate the zone and aiding in the stimulation of the zone or test which would be conducted within the zone. The apparatus would include mechanical slips and compression type sealing packer rubbers with a mechanically operated J-slot for locking it in the running position or the set position. Further, the packer rubbers would be of sufficient size for allowing an annulus between the packer body and the wall of the casing for running and bypassing fluid as it travels in and out of the well, yet are sufficiently close tolerance to the casing for preventing extrusion when set and can be exposed to high differential pressure.

Abstract: A method for transferring data through a bus bridge. The bus bridge includes a number of data buffers for storing data, prefetching data and write posting data. A device communicating with the bus bridge may reserve a buffer by one of two reservation mechanism. The reservation mechanism provides the bus bridge with the address and byte count. The reservation may also be forwarded to any upstream bus bridges. The reserved buffers are prefetched for efficient use of bus access. Data is prefetched and flushed according to alternative algorithms if a buffer is not reserved.

Abstract: A cooking apparatus enables a user to cook either by steaming or by boiling. The apparatus includes a burner having a base that is specially shaped to cradle a pot. An upper ring extends above the support surface of the burner for engaging the sidewall of the pot should the pot be tipped inadvertently. A removable basket fits the pot interior, the basket having a base that registers against the bottom of the pot and a vertically extending portion that includes hooks for receiving a bail that can then removably attach to the basket at the periphery of the pot. The burner includes an upper ring member that is supported above the bottom of the pot and a lower ring member that engages an underlying supporting ground surface. Struts extend between the rings are shaped and cradle the bottom of the pot and its sidewall respectively.

Abstract: A drain piping for forming buried drainage fields is formed from a flexible plastic pipe having periodically spaced restricted water flow orifices. Around the flexible pipe at each orifice is placed a larger diameter section of highly perforated drain pipe forming a drain cell; the cell is wrapped with a porous plastic cloth wrap (e.g. GeoTextile.TM.--a known membrane cloth for preventing dirt migration). This pipe can be directly buried in dirt filled trenches; no special drainage provisions, such as crushed stone are required. Each cell individually fills with and drains waste water and sludge. The inventive pipe can be laid in uneven terrain, including areas win which the water table may rise above the level of some sections of pipe. Even if drainage is temporarily blocked form one cell, the pipe will properly drain through the other cells.

Abstract: A posterior stabilized/constrained reamer guide is provided that enables a surgeon to prepare a patient s distal femur to receive either a posterior stabilized or a constrained type femoral component. The instrument guide has an opening the largest anterior to posterior housing size. For example, a constrained housing has a longer anterior to posterior dimension than a posterior stabilized housing. The apparatus of the present invention provides an improved reamer guide that addresses differences in housing sizes and necessary bone removal. The apparatus provides a housing guide that accepts either a posterior stabilized collet or a constrained collet. Each of the collets accepts a rotary reamer or a box chisel. During surgery, the reamer is first used to form a cylindrically-shaped or oval shaped cut. The box chisel then removes additional bone to create a rectangular or squared opening. This insures that only the necessary bone is removed for each housing depending upon the one selected by the surgeon.

Abstract: A computer aided game apparatus is disclosed for tracking location and distance on a golf course, recommending club selection, recording golfer performance statistics, receiving notification via a pager, and playing infomercials during the course of a golf game. The apparatus has a processor connected to a memory which is suitably supports a geographic information system (GIS), a player performance database, and an infomercial database. The apparatus has a global positioning receiver which operates in conjunction with the GIS for indicating the current position of the golfer. The GPS receiver is connected to the processor which in turn drives a convenient, intuitive touch screen display. The apparatus has a pager which allows for direct contact with the golfer. To support data networking, the microprocessor is also connected to one or more interface ports, including an infra-red port, a parallel port, a serial port, and a PCMCIA port.

Abstract: A support bracket supportable on the upper surface of a television monitor or computer monitor which includes a pair of parallel support arms, the first ends of the arms supported on the forward edge of the monitor surface, and extending rearward to a second end. The arms would be held in spaced apart relation with a transverse support arm, secured to each principal support arms; further is included a pair of rear leg members, extending between the second end of the arms and having lower ends resting on the rear of the upper surface of the monitor; the rear leg members having the ability to be height adjustable so that when the lower ends of the leg members are resting on the rear of the monitor the principal support arms are in a horizontal position in order to support the VCR or other item in a horizontal position on the monitor.

Abstract: A polymerizable grade of ethylene is recovered from an olefin-containing composition, prepared by the conversion of a methoxy compound to olefins, by a process which significantly reduces the requirements of the demethanizer distillation column through which hydrogen and methane are eliminated as impurities from the ethylene product without suffering economically unacceptable losses of ethylene to the hydrogen-methane fraction that is separated. The invention also provides for a C-2 splitter column of simplified requirements.

Abstract: An apparatus for placing geophones beneath the surface of the earth includes a machine frame that supports an elongated probe rod. The probe rod is dimensioned to reach a selected subterranean earth layer. The rod has upper and lower end portions. A geophone holder is positioned at the lower end of the rod for holding a geophone and its cable. A plurality of drive wheels carried by the frame transport the rod between the upper and lower positions. The drive rollers include at least an opposed pair of upper wheels and an opposed pair of lower wheels. The wheels are loaded with an adjustable spring pusher so that extensive pressure can be applied from the drive wheels to the pipe for gripping and driving the pipe even when muddy. A gear train interconnects all of the driving wheels so that all of the wheels rotate at the same rotational speed. A gear train preferably includes six gears including a pair of upper gears, a pair of lower gears, and a pair of intermediate drive gears.

Abstract: A computer system which includes a DMA controller on the local I/O unit which can be programmed by either the host processor or the local processor. Semaphore flags and lock bits are provided to allow determination of control of the local DMA controller and for passing information. Additionally, data alignment and padding circuitry is provided. The circuitry is informed of the logical data arrangement desired or utilized by the host processor or other devices and knows the data arrangement of the local processor. The circuitry properly obtains and realigns the data based on the transfer direction and data arrangement. The circuitry further properly zero pads the data when realignment is such that padding is necessary.

Abstract: A method and circuit for operating two fluorescent lamps having a starter with power supplied by a battery by generating an alternating current from energy supplied by the battery, supplying the alternating current as a starting current to the lamps for a selected period of time, and at the end of the selected period of time, generating a direct current from the alternating current and supplying the direct current to the lamps in place of the alternating current.

Abstract: A circuit for placing an external or L2 cache memory into low power mode in response to certain special cycles executed by the microprocessor. In particular, the special cycles are the stop grant acknowledge special cycle and the halt special cycle. The microprocessor executes the stop grant acknowledge special cycle in response to a request by the computer system to slow down its clock. This request is asserted by the computer system if the system has been idle for a predetermined period of time. The halt special cycle is generated by the microprocessor when a HALT instruction is executed. The stop grant acknowledge and halt special cycles place the microprocessor into a low power state. Since the microprocessor is in low power mode, the L2 cache memory is also placed into low power mode for further power conservation. The L2 cache memory is implemented either with synchronous or asynchronous static random access memories (SRAMs).

Abstract: A device that holds a personal communication device in an manner such that it can have the alpha numeric display easily read by positioning the display in the line of site of pager attendant. An angular planar surface allows the pager to be clipped on so the pager will not fall if bumped, and will hold stationary while the attendant actuates the function buttons on the pager, which can be quickly done with only one hand. The plurality of rigid surfaces will easily hold a personal communication device in other positions, but also provides a dedicated easy-to-find location of a plurality of personal communication device.

Abstract: A hair styling tool is provided for wrapping hair around and into a hair tail. The hair styling tool includes a U-shaped hook and an arm each attached to and extending outwardly from a handle.

Abstract: A computer system determines the presence of a device attached to a system bus that responds to I/O or memory reads by driving the data lines of that bus to values normally present on an undriven bus. The data bus is first driven to a value other than its undriven value, such as to 00h. Then, circuitry measures the time it takes on an I/O or memory read for the data bus to return to its normally undriven value. If the response time is less than the time it takes for an undriven data bus to return to its undriven state, then an expansion board is driving the data bus to its normally undriven value. This indicates that the expansion board is responding to an I/O or memory read on the data bus, even though it is responding by driving that bus to its normally undriven value. Further, by determining the maximum response time of a device, system performance is then improved by tuning cycle time to correspond to that maximum response time.

Abstract: An adaptive read ahead cache is provided with a real cache and a virtual cache. The real cache has a data buffer, an address buffer, and a status buffer. The virtual cache contains only an address buffer and a status buffer. Upon receiving an address associated with the consumer's request, the cache stores the address in the virtual cache address buffer if the address is not found in the real cache address buffer and the virtual cache address buffer. Further, the cache fills the real cache data buffer with data responsive to the address from said memory if the address is found only in the virtual cache address buffer. The invention thus loads data into the cache only when sequential accesses are occurring and minimizes the overhead of unnecessarily filling the real cache when the host is accessing data in a random access mode.

Abstract: A system for performing on-line reconfiguration of a disk array in which a source logical volume is reconfigured to a destination logical volume. Disk array configuration is invoked if a new physical drive is inserted, or a drive is removed. Reconfiguration can also be performed if the user desires to change the configuration of a particular logical volume, such as its stripe size. The disk array reconfiguration is run as a background task by firmware on a disk controller board. The reconfigure task first moves data from the source logical volume to a posting memory such as RAM memory. The reconfigure task operates one stripe at a time, with the stripe size being that of the destination logical volume. Once a stripe of data is moved into the posting memory, it is written back to corresponding locations in the destination logical volume. The reconfigure task continues until all data in the source logical volume have been moved into the destination logical volume.

Abstract: A lean-to well protector apparatus for use on offshore wells having a generally vertical upstanding conductor pipe extending between the sea bed and the water surface includes a pair of jacket legs defining a plane that is angularly oriented with respect to the conductor pipe forming an acute angle therewith. A first plurality of structural chord members interconnects the jacket legs and can occupy the plane defined by the jacket legs. The first plurality of chord members and the jacket legs form a truss that leans towards the conductor pipe during operation of the offshore well. A first clamp connector is positioned at the middle portion of the conductor pipe and a second clamp connector is positioned at the upper portion of the conductor pipe generally near the water surface area. A second plurality of structural chord members interconnects the conductor pipe with the truss at the clamp connectors.