Abstract: A system for reconstructing the surface geometry of an object includes a three-view optic head, a mechanical manipulator, a local 3D surface geometry reconstruction unit and a surface geometry stitching unit. The three-view optic head is operative to generate at least three views of at least a portion of the object. The mechanical manipulator is operative to vary the relative orientation of the object and the optic head, at a precision less than the a predetermined degree of precision, from a first relative orientation in which a first portion of the object is visible to at least one second relative orientation in which a second portion of the object, which overlaps the first portion, is visible. The local 3D surface geometry reconstruction unit is operative to generate local reconstructions of the surface geometries of the first and second portions of the object, based on at least two of three views of the first and second portions generated by the optic head.

Abstract: A digital data processing system comprises a host information generating device, a mass storage subsystem, and a back-up information storage subsystem. The host information generating device generates information and provides it to the mass storage subsystem for storage. The mass storage subsystem receives the generated information from the host information generating device and transfers the generated information to the storage element for storage, and further transfers the generated information to the back-up information storage subsystem. The back-up information storage subsystem receives and stores the generated information from the mass storage subsystem's control element. The back-up information storage subsystem includes a filter/buffer module, a tape log module and a reconstruction module. The filter/buffer module filters and buffers the information received from the mass storage subsystem and provides the buffered information to the tape log module for storage.

Abstract: A code generating system generates, from code in a program, native code that is executable by a computer system. The code generating system may be included in a just-in-time compiler used to generate native code that is executable by a computer system, from a program in Java Byte Code form, and specifically generates, in response to Java Byte Code representative of a synchronization statement that synchronizes access by multiple threads of execution to at least one variable contained in the Java Byte code, one or more native code instructions that implements a wait-free synchronization methodology to synchronization access to the at least one variable. Since the instructions which implement the wait-free synchronization methodology do not require calls to the operating system, they can generally be processed more rapidly than other synchronization techniques which do require operating system calls.

Abstract: Interconnection subsystems having diverse topologies, for interconnecting small numbers of nodes having a predetermined maximum degree in a multiprocessor computer system, include subsystems broadly classified into a number of general classes based on their topologies, including a "polygonal" class, a "ladder" class and a "tiled" class. In topologies of the polygonal class, a majority of the nodes in the multiprocessor computer system are connected in a ring and the remaining nodes are connected to the nodes in the ring, and in some cases also to each other. In topologies of the ladder class, the nodes are interconnected in a "ladder" topology comprising a series of nodes connected in a ring, the ring corresponding to one standard of a ladder topology folded on itself. Each node in the ring is connected to another node in a second series, effectively forming rungs of the ladder topology.

Abstract: Interconnection subsystems having diverse topologies, for interconnecting small numbers of nodes having a predetermined maximum degree in a multiprocessor computer system, include subsystems broadly classified into a number of general classes based on their topologies, including a "polygonal" class, a "ladder" class and a "tiled" class. In topologies of the polygonal class, a majority of the nodes in the multiprocessor computer system are connected in a ring and the remaining nodes are connected to the nodes in the ring, and in some cases also to each other. In topologies of the ladder class, the nodes are interconnected in a "ladder" topology comprising a series of nodes connected in a ring, the ring corresponding to one standard of a ladder topology folded on itself. Each node in the ring is connected to another node in a second series, effectively forming rungs of the ladder topology.

Abstract: A digital data transfer system transfers digital data along a path in a ring topology. The digital data transfer system comprising a host controller and a digital data transfer subsystem. The host controller generates and receiving digital data and the digital data transfer subsystem receives the digital data from the host controller and transferring the digital data to one or more devices connectable thereto, and further receives digital data from the last of the devices connectable thereto for provision to the host controller, thereby to define the ring data transfer topology. The digital data transfer subsystem comprises an upstream port, a plurality of input/output ports and a port control. The upstream port transfers digital data from an external source to the input of the first input/output port in the series and transfers digital data received from the last input/output port in the series to the host controller.

Abstract: In a digital data network, a plurality of devices interconnected by a communication link organize themselves into a tree structure. Each of the devices has an associated suitability value that generally relates to the device's suitability for becoming a node in the tree structure. The devices organize themselves into a tree structure in one or more iterations, each iteration comprising two general steps, namely, a node election step and a tree establishment step. In the node election step, the devices whose suitability values are such that they can become nodes in the tree broadcast over the communication link node election messages including their respective suitability values. These devices also receive the node election messages that are broadcast by other devices. Each device determines whether it is elected a node in the tree structure in connection with a comparison between its suitability value and suitability values of node election messages received thereby.

Abstract: Floating point numbers and other values are represented in a "delimited" representation in which all numbers, including those which would in the IEEE Std. 754 representation, be in the de-normalized format, are in a format which is normalized with an implicit most significant digit having the value "one." For numbers which would, in the IEEE Std.

Abstract: A digital computer includes an efficient mechanism by which an exception handler can traverse the instruction stream in a reverse direction to identify the instruction which gave rise to the exception condition after a discontinuity in an instruction stream. The digital computer is provided with both a program counter and an "old program counter." For points in an instruction sequence at which a discontinuity may occur, the "branch taken" portion of the instruction stream is provided with a predetermined type of instruction to enable the old program counter to be saved in a predetermined location. When the instruction is executed, the old program counter will contain a pointer to the "branch not taken" portion of the instruction sequence.

Abstract: Arrangements are disclosed for use in a network of digital data processing systems for rapidly encoding information signals for transmission over communication links in the network, and for rapidly decoding information received thereover, thereby to facilitate higher-bandwidth communications over the network. In addition, network command and control information transmitted along in the data transmitted over the network is rapidly decoded and verified by a command decoder and command verifier.

Abstract: A mass storage subsystem is used with a digital data processing system, the digital data processing system also including at least one host computer for generating access requests. The mass storage subsystem includes a data storage subsystem, a cache memory and a host adapter. The data storage subsystem includes at least one data storage device, the data storage device including a plurality of logical data store, each for storing a plurality of data items. Each data storage device is associated with a respective device lock used regulate access thereto. The cache memory includes a plurality of cache slots each caching data items from respective logical data stores. Each cache slot is associated with a slot lock for use in regulating access thereto.

Abstract: An arrangement for generating reconstructon information to facilitate reconstruction of three-dimensional features of objects in a scene based on two-dimensional images of the scene taken from a plurality of locations. The arrangement includes a plurality of elements including an epipole generating means, a homography generating means and a depth value generating means. The epipole generating means identifies the location of epipoles, that is, the coordinates in each image plane, in which the images were recorded, of the point of intersection of the line interconnecting the centers of projection of the image recorders that record the images. The homography generating means uses the epipoles and the coordinates in the respective images of selected reference points to generate a homography that relates the coordinates of all points in the images.

Abstract: A computer object processing system for, during selected iterations, generating an object, such as an expression defining an image. During an initial iteration, a predetermined number of seed objects are generated, each seed object defining an object for the initial iteration. During each successive iteration, a predetermined number of mutated objects are generated (i) in response to an operator selected one of the seed objects during the initial iteration and (ii) in response to a an operator selected object during each iteration after the initial iteration. During each iteration one of the seed objects or one of the mutated objects is selected for use in generating a mutated object during a subsequent iteration.

Abstract: A network includes one or more client computers which can retrieve Web pages and supplemental content items, such as advertisements, from one or more server computers, for display or other processing. Each Web page can have fixed content, one or more fixed URL's identifying supplemental content items to be, for example, displayed at particular locations on the Web page, and one or more sets of conditional items, with each conditional item set comprising content item(s) or content item identifier(s), such as URL's, and personal selection criteria to be used in selecting one of the content item(s) or identifier(s) to be, for example, displayed at a respective location on the Web page. When a client computer receives a Web page from a server computer, it (that is, the client computer) will, for example, display the fixed Web page content and, obtain supplemental content items identified by the fixed URL's to be displayed along with the fixed content.

Abstract: A computer system includes a host computer, a mass storage subsystem and a backup subsystem for backing up information stored on the mass storage subsystem. The mass storage subsystem stores information on a series of tracks. A backup bit map includes a plurality of bits each associated with a respective one of the tracks and indicates the backup status of the track during a backup operation. Initially, during a backup operation, the bits associated with the tracks to be backed up will be set. Generally, the mass storage subsystem transfers information from the track to be backed up in order of the bits in the bit map, and after each track is backed up, it will clear the track's bit. However, when the host is to store information in the mass storage subsystem, it will determine whether the bit associated with the track in which the information is to be stored is set and, if so, enable the mass storage subsystem to back up the track out of turn, and to re-set the track's bit.

Abstract: A system for avoiding exceptional conditions during execution of a program comprises an execution enviornment for executing the program and a fix-up code generation subsystem. The program comprises an instruction stream comprising a series of instructions, and the execution environment includes an exceptional condition detector for detecting at least one predetermined type of exceptional condition in connection with execution of each instruction in the instruction stream. The fix-up code generation subsystem is responsive to detection by the execution environment of an exceptional condition of the predetermined type in connection with execution of an instruction in the instruction stream for generating fix-up code which, when processed, would avoid the exceptional condition of that predetermined type, and substitutes the fix-up code in the instruction stream for the instruction in the instruction stream for which the at least one exceptional condition was detected.

Abstract: A configuration parameter value access system used in connection with a computer system performs an access operation in connection with a configuration parameter in response to a configuration parameter access request from an applications program. Each configuration parameter access request includes a parameter class identifier, a filename and a parameter identifier. The configuration parameter value access system includes a plurality of configuration file path class lists, each of which has at least one entry, each entry defining a storage subsystem path in the computer system's storage subsystem. A file identifier generator tests successive entries of the configuration file path class list identified by the parameter class identifier to determine whether the storage subsystem contains a file which has the filename provided in the configuration parameter access request along a path defined by an entry.

Abstract: A secure communications arrangement is disclosed including a source device and a destination device interconnected by a network. The source device generates message packets for transfer to the destination device, each message packet including information in ciphertext form. The source device generates the ciphertext from plaintext in accordance with the cipher block chaining mode, using an initialization vector that is generated using a hash function selected so that small changes in an input result in large changes in the initialization vector. As a result values such as sequence numbers or time stamps can be used in generating the initialization vector, while still providing for cryptographic security for the ciphertext as against cryptanalytic attack. The destination device receives the message packet and decrypts the ciphertext to generate plaintext in accordance with the cipher block chaining mode, using an initialization vector that is generated using the corresponding hash function.

Abstract: A scene reconstruction system generates a reconstruction of at least one feature of at least one three-dimensional object in a scene from three two-dimensional views as recorded from a plurality of diverse locations. The scene reconstruction system includes a motion parameter generator, a dense depth map generator, and a scene reconstructor. The motion parameter generator generates in response to gradients in image intensity values at respective points in a first view and temporal derivatives of image intensity values as between second and third views and the first view values for motion parameters representing as between a first view recordation location for the first view, and view recordation locations for the second and third views.