Abstract: A high quality stereophonic sound enclosure system high resolution intended for computer visual display monitors employing cathode ray tubes (CRTs) having a vertical aperture grill, and methods for construction of same. The aperture grill has a natural frequency centered within the musical scale. The stereo speaker system comprises a ported speaker enclosure within which are mounted two conventional cone speaker assemblies. A stereo audio amplifier and control unit for controlling the audio signals delivered to the speakers is mounted within the speaker enclosure. The speaker enclosure is internally mounted within the monitor with a minimum number of attachment members incorporating vibration isolation material to remove vibration components near the natural frequency of the aperture grill. The speaker enclosure is internally reinforced to reduce structural deformations which contribute to airborne transmitted vibration within the monitor housing when the speaker system is operating.

Abstract: A method and system for matching color displayed by source and destination display devices and particularly for providing color matching between a computer monitor and an ink printer. The technique of the present invention initially determines the combination and color value ratios of single destination color components that will cause the destination device to display a color that essentially matches each of fully saturated single and dual colors of a source display device. These combinations of single destination color components and their corresponding color value ratios determine the best available blends of destination device color components for printing source device colors. A color matching algorithm is employed to derive the color value ratios—one for each of the single destination color components.

Abstract: In a printing system having multiple printers, separate print spoolers are launched for each different printer to which a print job is directed. When a document file is sent to a print manager and a spool file is created, the spool file is moved to the specific spooler associated with the printer on which the document is to be printed. Each spooler communicates directly with its associated printer, with respect to all jobs designated for that printer. The various spoolers operate in parallel, and independently of one another. As a result, if one printer is unable to complete a job, the print jobs destined for other printers are not affected, and can be completed.

Abstract: Aspects for ensuring the integrity of a cache file utilized by an application program interface of a computer system are provided. A method aspect includes forming a checksum with a modification date value of each of a plurality of files, storing the checksum in the cache file, and utilizing the checksum to validate data in the cache file.

Abstract: Objects in an image are rendered in a manner which dynamically avoids the rendering of obscured objects. Data pertaining to one object is stored in a designated memory location, such as a cache memory. Data for a subsequent object is compared with the stored data, and the area of intersection between the two objects is determined. This area of intersection is subtracted from the first object, and the data for the second object is added to the memory. As the memory is filled, the data for the oldest object is removed and the object is rendered. After all objects in the list have been processed in this manner, those which remain in the memory are also rendered, and removed from the memory. At each step of the process, the portions of an object which are obscured by later-generated objects are eliminated, and thereby unnecessary rendering of obscured objects is avoided.

Abstract: Three-dimensional computer graphics systems and methods and more particularly to structure and method for a three-dimensional graphics processor and having other enhanced graphics processing features. In one embodiment the graphics processor is a Deferred Shading Graphics Processor (DSGP) comprising an AGP interface, a command fetch & decode (2000), a geometry unit (3000), a mode extraction (4000) and polygon memory (5000), a sort unit (6000) and sort memory (7000), a setup unit (8000), a cull unit (9000), a mode injection (10000), a fragment unit (11000), a texture (12000) and texture memory (13000) a phong shading (14000), a pixel unit (15000), a backend unit (1600) coupled to a frame buffer (17000). Other embodiments need not include all of these functional units, and the structures and methods of these units are applicable to other computational processes and systems as well as deferred and non-deferred shading graphical processors.

Abstract: A clipboard manager which employs preemptive scheduling for access to contents of a clipboard region of memory in a computer remains backwardly compatible with application programs designed for cooperative scheduling, through the use of a locking mechanism. When an application which is designed for use with a preemptive scheduling interface desires access to the clipboard, it requests a key from a clipboard manager. As long as the application possesses the key, no other application can gain access to the clipboard. When an application which is designed for cooperative scheduling becomes the foreground program on the computer, the clipboard manager retains the key for itself. As long as this application is active, the clipboard manager prevents any other application running in the background from gaining access to the clipboard, and thereby avoids potential conflicts.

Abstract: A printer driver, for example a QuickDraw printer driver, keeps track of changes in a drawing environment (specified by a GrafPort) by saving State records. Rather than filling up the State with the contents of each pattern and clip region, references to each of these members are stored in the State. This referencing allows each component of a State to be saved separately while still allowing the State to be reproduced precisely when it is time to draw. Referencing can greatly reduce disk accesses and file size, thereby accelerating printing. Referencing also allows significant time to be saved during state comparison. Whereas previous drivers have required a State to GrafPort comparison at translation (drawing) time, in the present method, each reference in the current state may be compared with references from the previous state to see which fields have changed. Comparing references, which may be stored in four bytes, is much faster than comparing large patterns and regions.

Abstract: The present invention includes a portable computer having improved resistance to scratching, marring and general abuses that include shock and vibration. The computer has a computer housing that includes a display housing and a main housing. A portion integral to one side of the display housing and that portion being proximal to an operating user has an integral layer of translucent elastomer having elastic properties of materials such that of natural rubber. One side of the main housing includes a location for keyboard placement, a palm rest and a cursor-pointing device. Another side of the main housing makes contact with a generally flat surface when the computer is in use. A portion integral to that side of the main housing also includes a layer of translucent elastomer. The configuration of the translucent elastomers on the computer housing is such they cover at least the corners of the portable computer that are proximal to the operating user.

Abstract: A virtual memory for a computer system is provided that is portable between different central processing unit (CPU) types. The system includes a high level virtual memory (HLVM) having high level program codes that are independent of a specific CPU type, a low memory vector table (LMVT) coupled to the HLVM that dispatches a call in response to a high level program code received from the HLVM, and a low level virtual memory (LLVM) coupled to the LMVT having low level program codes that depend on a specific CPU type. The method of operating the virtual memory system includes the steps of generating a high level virtual memory (HLVM) instruction from high level program codes that are independent of specific CPU characteristics and receiving the HLVM instruction in a low memory vector table (LMVT).

Abstract: A graphical user interface (GUI) and accompanying functionality for binding Web page definitional elements to a back-end state (e.g., client- or server-side back-end state) and custom logic is provided. In one embodiment, a template containing definitional elements, custom logic, and bindings are generated that define all or a portion of a Web page based on input received and functionality provided by the invention.

Abstract: A system and method for preventing damage to media files within a digital camera comprise a power manager for detecting power failures, an interrupt handler for responsively incrementing a counter device and a removable memory driver for performing memory access operations, evaluating the counter device to determine whether a power failure has occurred during the memory access operation and for repeating the memory access operation whenever a power failure has occurred during the memory access operation.

Abstract: A user interface and methods for using a user interface for controlling processing of time-based media files. In one exemplary method, a graphical representation of a time line for a time-based media is displayed along with a graphical representation of a current time along the graphical representation of the time line. A start graphical indicator and a stop graphical indicator is also displayed along the graphical representation of the time line. A portion of the time-based media may be selected for presentation by dragging or positioning at least one of the start graphical indicator and the stop graphical indicator along the graphical representation of the time line. In another aspect of the invention, an exemplary method allows for the adaptive control of a portion of the interface which indicates time relating to a time-based media. An input speed is determined where this input is to change the portion and the rate at which the change to this portion occurs is dependent upon the input speed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus perform optimizations for interface dispatching in an object-oriented programming environment. Specifically, section of code that dispatches an interface method on a particular object is determined. A table of interfaces associated with the class is examined to locate the interface specified by the dispatch. An offset for a location of the interface is determined, and the offset is cached in a class cache. The class cache is then examined when a next dispatch is received to determine whether the interface associated with the offset in the class cache matches the interface specified by the next dispatch.

Abstract: A power-up switch circuit in a peripheral device such as a keyboard is coupled to the main processing portion of a computer via an interface bus. The switch circuit together with bias and detection circuitry in the main processing portion allow non-intrusive use of a data communication line of the interface for controlling the supply of power to the main processing portion, without requiring a dedicated power-on wire between the peripheral device and the processing portion. A repeater circuit between the keyboard and the main processing portion causes a second signal to be sent through an upstream portion of the interface bus in response to receiving a first signal through a downstream portion of the bus, while the main processing portion is in low power mode. The repeater is also configured to not affect the interface bus when the main processing portion is in high power mode.

Abstract: Cache memory is managed to update the data stored in the cache regardless of whether the address being operated upon is designated as cache inhibited. In this way, the contents of the cache are coherent with main memory so that when the processor redesignates a noncacheable range of addresses to be cacheable, the cache does not need to be flushed. Read operations follow cache inhibit faithfully.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for configuring a computer. One embodiment of the invention combines all of the prior art control panels related to networking into a consolidated Network Setup Control Panel. In addition, the invention provides for computer configuration by scripting. The configuration may be for a type of system setting or for network configurations and protocols. Through scripting, a computer may be configured locally or remotely on a network. One embodiment of the invention provides for a centralized database or Configuration Library consisting of collected data relating to available configuration settings. This database is not limited to configuration information and can be used as a general database containing information the user desires to store. To modify a configuration by scripting, the invention provides for a Scripting Interface consisting of a Scripting Server and Scripting Plug-In.

Abstract: A single file, such as an HTML document, is logically divided into multiple articles that can be individually recognized and ranked by search engines. The segmentation of a document into separate articles is based upon tokens that are used in document mark-up languages. In addition to the tokens which delineate articles from one another, additional tokens, or tags, are used to create a named location for each article, so that a browser can immediately display an article within a document that is relevant to a search query.