Abstract: An optical waveguide device comprising a free space region, suitably provided by a slab waveguide, having optical signal ports for coupling to input and output waveguide sections and an optical waveguide grating including an array of grating waveguides coupling the free space region to a reflector surface to provide a folded structure. Dielectric waveguide structures are preferred. The grating includes tapered optical waveguide sections laterally spaced and optically isolated from each other which extend from the free space region, with the grating waveguides continuing as extensions of the tapered waveguide sections. Each of the grating waveguides differs in length from a neighboring grating waveguide by a constant increment, preferably an optical path length increment.

Abstract: A graphics processor uses a line draw facility to receive first and second values indicative of the coordinates of respective first and second end points of a line. The reception of the second value is sensed by the line draw facility and line data is generated responsive to the sensing of the second value.

Abstract: A display system for concurrently displaying stored display information and received information, having a display monitor, receiver for receiving television signals, and a sub-system having a storage unit and a processor, which sub-system can operate simultaneously with the receiver. The stored display information comprises application information portion and sponsor information portion which may be downloaded via a vertical blanking interval or a portion of the bandwidth associated with digital signals.

Abstract: An optical waveguide device comprising a free space region, suitably provided by a slab waveguide, having optical signal ports for coupling to input and output waveguide sections and an optical waveguide grating including an array of grating waveguides coupling the free space region to a reflector surface to provide a folded structure. Dielectric waveguide structures are preferred. The grating includes tapered optical waveguide sections laterally spaced and optically isolated from each other which extend from the free space region, with the grating waveguides continuing as extensions of the tapered waveguide sections. Each of the grating waveguides differs in length from a neighboring grating waveguide by a constant increment, preferably an optical path length increment.

Abstract: A system for seamless distributed job control between a multifunction peripheral and a host. A host, such as a personal computer, is linked with one or more multifunction peripherals. Each multifunction peripheral has at least scanning and printing capability. However, the peripherals do not require extensive memory or processing capability, because the processing and storage of data is accomplished by the host. A user potentially may operate the peripheral through a peripheral interface or through a user interface of the host.

Abstract: An in-band/out-of-band alert delivery system for a computer system manager includes an alert log which maintains a record of alerts to be delivered and the status of those alerts, an alert manager for making a first attempt to deliver each alert, and a retry manager for making subsequent attempts to deliver alerts as becomes necessary and appropriate. The alert delivery system may also include a bus master interface manager for making in-band alert deliveries and a communications manager for making out-of-band alert deliveries. Telephone numbers are provided to the communications manager by an alert destination list. Out-of-band alert deliveries may be made via a modem, a universal asynchronous receiver transmitter, or the like.

Abstract: A multi-threaded processor comprising a pipeline including a number of stages processing instructions belonging to a plurality of threads. A buffer stores instructions from different ones of the threads. Count logic stores count information relating to each of the threads to indicate the number of instructions in each of the corresponding threads that have a particular attribute. A selection logic circuit has an output coupled to the buffer to determine which instruction is to be read from the buffer based on the count information stored by the count logic. The count information may, for example, provide information relating to a likelihood that one or more instructions belonging to each of the threads will be cancelled; relating to a count of unresolved branch instructions; or relating to a count of outstanding data cache misses. In operation, a thread may be selected for execution based on a selected attribute to enhance processing performance.

Abstract: A storage device capable of performing diagnostics tests on itself to render an opinion of its health to a host computer is disclosed. Test commands are received over an industry-standard interface. The tests may be run in off-line or captive modes. Off-line tests are subject to interruption from the host computer whereas captive tests are not. Unless a command is received that instructs the storage device to stop testing or power-down, the storage device suspends the test, executes the host command and resumes testing. Power management is disabled while the tests are run to prevent the storage device from inadvertently powering down. A number of specific tests may be performed, including a general quick test and a comprehensive test. Failures detected during the tests are logged in a non-volatile memory of the storage device and include an indication of which component failed and at which point in the test that component failed.

Abstract: A system is provided for scanning batch-type documents containing indicia on either a single side or on two sides of each document sheet. Misfeeds through a scanning device are identified by comparison of an anticipated number of pages with an actual number of scanned pages. Similar misfeeds may be identified by comparison of first and second series of pages in two-sided documents. Automatic collating of scanned pages is then performed where desired. The automatic collating may be based upon simple interleaving of pages, or upon recognition of page identifiers, such as page numbers in common or anticipated regions of the page. The scanning, analysis and collating operations may be followed by other processing steps, including transmission of facsimiles, printing, copying, and so forth.

Abstract: A input device, such as a keyboard, having an array of unique rapid response keys for responding rapidly and conveniently to routine requests from software applications. Such routine requests include those requiring a “yes,” “no” or “cancel” response. Other routine tasks includes saving and closing files, which typically causes software to issue a save request. Instead of responding to such requests with input from a pointing device, the unique rapid response keys allow a user to respond to such routine requests without removing her hands from the keyboard. Four dedicated keys are preferably located above an escape key on the keyboard. A device driver receives scan codes from the keyboard and translates the scan codes corresponding to the response keys for providing a properly formatted response to the requesting software application.

Abstract: Described are preferred processes for conditioning semiconductor devices with deuterium to improve operating characteristics and decrease depassivation which occurs during the course of device operation. Also described are semiconductor devices which can be prepared by such processes.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer system for correcting errors and defects in a storage device. The storage device includes media for storing data. A periodic read scan is performed to test the data. If a repeatable error is found, the data is moved to a new sector from a pool of available sectors. Defects are counted and identified in a defect list for reporting to the host. The storage device is scannable is small segments to minimize impact on performance.

Abstract: A technique for reliable passage of handshaking information between a cellular modem and a land modem. Instead of bare transmission over a voice channel connection highly susceptible to signal fading and dropout, the initial modem handshaking exchange is instead FSK-encoded and broadcast using a network data signalling methodology already used to reliably pass signalling information between the base and registered mobiles. Automatic retransmission request signalling and transmission redundancy may be implemented to insure successful receipt at the receiving end of the radio link. Once received and verified, handshaking information is decoded and delivered to the destination modem in the appropriate format along cleaner fixed pathways. Reliable handshaking operations are contemplated whether the destination modem is a cellular modem registered in auto-answer mode (land-originated data call), or a land modem (mobile-originated data call).

Abstract: A system operable with a Digital Versatile/Video Disc source, provided with a scheme for preferably automatically pausing the playback of a DVD title when a user indicates that another activity is to be engaged. By automatically pausing the title playback, computational load on a processor subsystem associated with the system is minimized while graceful management of the additional video sources is effected. When the user switches to experiencing the DVD source as the primary source, the playback of the title is preferably automatically resumed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a monitor base that comprises a serial bus hub having a plurality of ports connected to the hub for interface with a plurality of peripheral devices. With the ports located on the monitor base hub, a computer system's peripheral devices, i.e., keyboard, mouse, printer, scanner, video camera, etc., are connected to the monitor base hub instead of on the rear of the central processing unit.

Abstract: A power management circuit for managing low power modes in a computer system, which implements four power modes, from highest power consumption to lowest power consumption: RUN mode, SLEEP mode, IDLE mode, and STANDBY mode. The computer system includes a PCI bus and an ISA bus, with a CPU-PCI bridge to connect the host bus and the PCI bus and a PCI-ISA bridge to connect the PCI bus and the ISA bus. The power management circuit transitions from SLEEP mode to IDLE mode by first determining if the CPU-PCI bridge is parked on the PCI bus and if it is in SLEEP mode. The power management circuit then waits for one refresh period and for all internal queues to empty before checking again to determine if the CPU-PCI bridge is still parked on the PCI bus and if it is still in SLEEP mode. If true, the CPU-PCI bridge transitions to IDLE mode. The power management circuit also performs low power refresh cycles when it is in IDLE or STANDBY mode.

Abstract: An improved MOSFET transistor is disclosed having a high dielectric constant gate dielectric and a metal gate electrode. With such a procedure, the known problems with polysilicon gate electrodes on very thin gate oxide transistors are greatly improved, resulting in improved gate threshold voltage control and improved transistor electrical properties, without loss of the benefit of self aligned source and drain electrodes available with polysilicon gates. Dual metal gate electrodes are also disclosed and exhibit improved CMOS transistor function compared to polysilicon gates, resulting in better and more controlled transistor properties. Thus the metal Damascene gate process results in faster and more consistent MOS and CMOS transistors and improved IC fabrication.

Abstract: A computer method and apparatus provide automatic generation of grapheme-to-phoneme rules, used in text-to-speech synthesis systems. The invention method and apparatus are based on a statistical analysis of a subject dictionary. The dictionary preferably contains words and their corresponding phonemic data representations, and is analyzed for subgraph patterns. The phoneme strings for words containing the subgraph patterns are then analyzed for common phoneme substrings (subphones) associated with each subgraph. The subphones associated with each subgraph are then checked for conditions such as the highest occurrence count, the proper length, and for compatibility with both ends of the subgraph to which they are associated. A subphone matching these conditions becomes paired with the subgraph to create a rule for text-to-speech processing. Separate prefix, infix, and suffix rule sets may be generated from the invention dictionary analysis.

Abstract: A computer system includes an apparatus which enables transactions directed to a particular target device such as one situated inside a bridge to be shunted directly to the device without requiring that the transaction actually proceed to the device through a bus on which the device is located. However, the transaction may, in fact, also be run on the bus on which the device is located, the ID select for the target device may be masked. In this way, it is possible to run transactions to a particularly critical device even when the bus on which it is located is, for one reason or another, not operating.

Abstract: A computer system has a processor bus under control of the microprocessor itself, and this bus communicates with main memory, providing high-performance access for most cache fill operations. In addition, the system includes one or more expansion buses, preferably of the PCI type in the example embodiment. A host-to-PCI bridge is used for coupling the processor bus to the expansion bus. Other buses may be coupled to the PCI bus via PCI-to-(E) ISA bridges, for example. The host-to-PCI bridge contains queues for posted writes and delayed read requests. All transactions are queued going through the bridge, upstream or downstream. The system bus is superpipelined, in that transactions overlap. A fast burst transactions are allowed between the bridge and main memory, i.e., requests which can be satisfied without deferring or retrying are applied to the system bus without waiting to get a response from the target. A range of addresses (e.g.