Abstract: A system and method for effectively performing isochronous data transfers comprises a network device including an input/output (I/O) bus that is coupled to an input/output (I/O) node and an isochronous-capable network interface. The network interface and the I/O node may send requests to an arbiter for control of the I/O bus to perform a data transfer operation. In accordance with the present invention, an arbiter filter is interposed between the arbiter and both the network interface and the I/O node to filter respective requests for control of the I/O bus. The network interface advantageously provides an isochronous request to the arbiter filter to thereby de-assert conflicting requests so that the network interface may effectively perform a time-sensitive isochronous data transfer.

Abstract: A system and method for effectively performing physical direct memory access operations comprises a target device with a direct memory access engine that analyzes headers of transfer packets to determine how to successfully perform the physical direct memory access operations. The direct memory access engine includes a notifier module that analyzes notification enable fields from the headers to determine when to provide notifications regarding the occurrence of physical direct memory access operations to device software of the target device.

Abstract: A method for implementing scheduling mechanisms with selectable resource modes comprises at least one resource characterization set that includes a plurality of resource characterizations that each have resource requirements for executing a requested process. The plurality of resource characterizations may include a most mode, a best mode, and a worst mode. An allocation manager may then select a resource mode, and compare the corresponding resource requirements for the requested process to the currently-available device resources. The allocation manager may then authorize or deny the requested process depending upon whether the currently-available resources are sufficient to adequately service the resource requirements of the requested process.

Abstract: A system for providing deterministic performance from a non-deterministic device comprises one or more nodes that perform isochronous and/or non-isochronous data transfer operations onto an input/output bus of an electronic device. A bandwidth manager preferably programs a deterministic interface with a maximum data value that is selected to prevent non-isochronous conflicts for control of the input/output bus to thereby permit successfully execution of deterministically-scheduled isochronous data transfers. The deterministic interface preferably may interrupt a non-isochronous data transfer operation whenever a data-unit total from transferred data equals the corresponding programmed maximum data value. An interrupted node may then attempt to complete the non-isochronous data transfer operation in subsequent isochronous cycles.

Abstract: The invention comprises an efficient system and method for performing the modified discrete cosine transform (MDCT) in support of time-domain aliasing cancellation (TDAC) perceptive encoding compression of digital audio. In one embodiment, an AC-3 encoder performs a required time-domain to frequency-domain transformation via a MDCT. The AC-3 specification presents a non-optimized equation for calculating the MDCT. In one embodiment of the present invention, an MDCT transformer is utilized which produces the same results as carrying out the calculations directly as in the AC-3 equation, but requires substantially lower computational resources. Because the TDAC scheme requires MDCT calculations on differing block sizes, called the long and short blocks, one embodiment of the present invention utilizes complex-valued premultiplication and postmultiplication steps which prepare and arrange the data samples so that both the long and short block transforms may be computed with a computationally efficient FFT.

Abstract: A system and method for encoding read-only information comprises a storage medium, a plurality of position marks disposed on the storage medium, and a light beam directed towards the position marks to produce a reflection of the light beam from the position marks. The position marks are configured such that the reflection of the light beam is not responsive to a plane of polarization of the light beam. In one embodiment, the position marks comprise rows of substantially circular pits. The dimensions of the substantially circular pits depend on a wavelength of the light beam and a numerical aperture of a lens that directs the light beam towards the position marks.

Abstract: A system and method for effectively implementing fixed masking thresholds in an audio encoder device comprises a filter bank for filtering source audio data to produce frequency sub-bands, a lookup table for storing masking threshold corresponding to the frequency sub-bands, and a bit allocator for using the masking thresholds to identify and discard masked audio data to thereby reduce the total amount of audio data that requires processing.

Abstract: A system and method for delivering data packets in an electronic interconnect comprises a talker device that transmits one or more data packets over a transmission path to a listener device through one or more bus bridges that each couple adjacent busses in the electronic interconnect. Each data packet includes a time stamp that indicates when the corresponding data packet is scheduled for presentation to the listener device. An initial bus bridge preferably creates a marker packet that is propagated through the transmission path to record delay information corresponding to delay elements such as the intervening bus bridges. A final bus bridge may then utilize the delay information from the marker packet to update the time stamps of the data packets to thereby incorporate the total propagation delay of the transmission path.

Abstract: A magneto-optical flying head utilizes a steerable mirror in combination with a light source and a lens to write and read data onto a magneto-optical storage disk. A beam of laser light transmitted from the light source to the optical head is reflected onto a steerable micro-machined folding mirror. The reflected light from the folding mirror is directed through an embedded micro-objective GRIN lens. Fine tracking and short seeks to adjacent tracks are performed by rotating the mirror about an axis of rotation. In this way a focus spot is scanned back and forth in a direction which is approximately parallel to the radial direction of the storage disk.

Abstract: A system and method for using a substitute directory to automatically install an update program preferably comprises a plurality of computer systems that are connected to a distributed network such as the Internet. Download modules on the computer systems automatically access and download update programs from the distributed network. Install modules then automatically create a unique substitute directory and install the downloaded update programs into the substitute directory to complete the software installation procedure, in accordance with the present invention.

Abstract: A detector layer for an optics module includes at least one diode having at least one sloped sidewall. At least one isolation region may be formed adjacent to the at least one sloped sidewall to isolate the at least one diode. Conducting material is disposed on at least a portion of the top surface of the diode. An insulating material is disposed on at least a portion of the diode and extends to the conducting material. A metal is disposed on at least a portion of the insulating material and at least a portion of the conducting material such that the metal is coupled to the conducting material.

Abstract: A system comprises a refined psycho-acoustic modeler for efficient perceptive encoding compression of digital audio. Perceptive encoding uses experimentally derived knowledge of human hearing to compress audio by deleting data corresponding to sounds which will not be perceived by the human ear. A psycho-acoustic modeler produces masking information that is used in the perceptive encoding system to specify which amplitudes and frequencies may be safely ignored without compromising sound fidelity. The present invention includes a system and method for efficiently implementing a masking function in a psycho-acoustic modeler in digital audio perceptive encoding. In the preferred embodiment, the present invention comprises a non-logarithmically based representation of individual masking functions utilizing minimally-sized look-up tables.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for processing signals in a magneto-optical computer memory device to detect mispositioning of a head with respect to a track centerline. A light beam is scanned over a first and a second set of radially offset optically-detectable position marks formed in the rotating medium surface. A detector receives the reflected light beam and responsively generates a position signal having a plurality of pulses corresponding to the position marks. The position signal is then passed through a differentiator circuit. The differentiated position signal may then be applied to low pass filter and resonator circuits, and is subsequently conveyed to a finite time integrator for rectification and detection of the areas of the pulses associated with the first and second set of position marks. Mispositioning of the head is detected by comparing the pulse areas of the first and second set of position marks.

Abstract: A system and method for encoding servo sector information in a nonvolatile data storage and retrieval system using rotating recording disks. Servo sectors are angularly-spaced approximately radial regions reserved for position reference and tracking adjustment information. Servo timing marks including means for detecting defects on the recording surface, encoded track address and sector address data, and position error signal blocks are permanently fabricated into a number of servo sectors. The present invention helps the storage system controller locate, certify, and follow any particular track and sector while maximizing the amount of disk surface area available for data storage and retrieval.

Abstract: A system and method to compensate for data defects within a magneto-optical computer memory device comprises a data channel coupled to the memory device for receiving and processing data signals, and a detector channel coupled to the data channel for detecting the data defects and then generating corresponding defect-skipping pulses. The data channel responsively uses the defect-skipping pulses to compensate for the data defects and thus maintain reliability of the data signals.

Abstract: The present invention comprises an efficient system and method for computing and encoding error detection sequences in digital audio encoding. In one embodiment, an AC-3 encoder appends a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) frame check sequence at the front of each data frame. Furthermore, this frame check sequence may be evaluated in the same kind of circuitry that is used to evaluate the CRC frame check sequence appended at the end of each data frame. In one embodiment of the present invention, a shift register contains feedback elements located in reference to a generating polynomial derived from the given generating polynomial for the CRC frame check sequence appended at the end of each data frame. The data bits are sent through the shift register in reverse time order, and, upon sending the last data bit in reverse time order, the shift register contains the required CRC frame check sequence.

Abstract: The present invention comprises an efficient system and method for reading and writing data from memory that is organized to represent either field or frame video data in a wide-word configured memory. A memory controller is configured to read or write either sequential wide-words or alternate wide-words in a DMA transfer as directed by software. After the DMA transfer is initiated, the memory read or write operations proceed automatically until the DMA transfer is completed. The ability to read or write either sequential or alternate wide-words beneficially supports operations to convert between field video data for interlaced video displays and frame video data for progressive-scan displays.

Abstract: In a mixed-protocol multiple-processor cache coherence computer system one processor may support read-only and read-write lists while another processor may support only read-write lists. Data copied to a cache is called a cache line while a copy of the same data remaining in memory is called a memory line. A memory line is stale when its associated cache line has been modified. The main memory of the system always points to the processor at the head of each list and includes indications of fresh and stale memory line states. The present invention deletes the head entry of a read-only cache-sharing list where the head entry supports read-only operations and the next-list entry supports only read-write operations. The head of the list informs the next-list entry that the next-list entry is about to become the head of the list. The main memory then repositions its head-pointer to the next-list entry and changes the memory state from fresh to stale.

Abstract: A system and method for determining processing capabilities of devices in an electronic network comprises a host device that creates and locally registers one or more processor FCMs that include self-describing data from corresponding remote hosted devices in the electronic network. A device application from the host device may then query the self-describing data to determine relative processing capabilities of the hosted devices in order to perform a first-level load-balancing procedure. The device application may also utilize the various processor FCMs to determine current processing-load levels for the various hosted devices to thereby perform a second-level load-balancing procedure. In addition, the device application may utilize the processor FCM to perform one or more sniplet procedures in which hosted devices may advantageously download and execute segments of software code from the device application to assist in a particular task.

Abstract: A system and method for creating a substitute registry when automatically installing an update program preferably comprises a plurality of computer systems that are connected to a distributed network such as the Internet. Download modules on the computer systems automatically access and download update programs from the distributed network. Install modules then automatically create unique substitute registries that correspond to the downloaded update programs. Finally, the install module loads the update programs onto the computer systems to complete the software installation procedure, in accordance with the present invention.