Abstract: Improved techniques for controlling multiple media bays (expansion bays) of a computer system are disclosed. Status information (and possibly one or more control operations) for devices in media bays of a computer system can be displayed, for example, to identify devices that occupy the media bays and to indicate the removability of those devices. Software locks discourage a user from improper removal of media bay devices in a multiple media bay computer system. The software locks work not only during hot removal of locked media bay devices but also removal of locked media devices during a sleep state of the computer system. Also, a centralized media bay data storage area can be provided as well as a media bay driver for each media bay to permits easy access to information pertaining to the one or more media bays of the computer system.

Abstract: The present invention improves upon electronic speech synthesis using pre-recorded segments of speech to fill in for other missing segments of speech. The formalized aliasing approach of the present invention overcomes the ad hoc aliasing approach of the prior art which oftentimes generated less than satisfactory speech synthesis sound output. By formalizing the relationship between missing speech sound samples and available speech sound samples, the present invention provides a structured approach to aliasing which results in improved synthetic speech sound quality. Further, the formalized aliasing approach of the present invention can be used to lessen storage requirements for speech sound samples by only storing as many sound samples as memory capacity can support.

Abstract: A log component of an extensible and replaceable network-oriented component system maintains a list of locations explored by a user when navigating a computer network, in addition to organizing various "views" of the list to provide a mental "routing map" relationship between the explored locations. The network-oriented system includes a novel application programming interface for the log component that facilitates integration with an underlying software component architecture. Such a highly-modular cooperating layered-arrangement between the network component system and the component architecture allows the log component to be replaced, extended or modified by other log-type components, while ensuring that these latter components "seamlessly" interact with existing components and component editors of the system.

Abstract: A method, system and program for creating an overview image display of an environment or series of images and a detail window into the overview image display. The detail window consists of a single frame of the overview image or some corresponding image to present additional detail of the selected portion of the overview image . Additional features include the ability to interactively reposition a pointer to select another detail window corresponding to another area of the overview image . Further capabilities are provided to store selective reference points as a user interactively selects the reference points and play them back at some user initiated later time. To aid the user, the interactive selections are identified by a series of area indicias left on the display.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for compressing and decompressing multiple data sets (e.g., multiple color planes in a color image) in which interdependencies between the data sets, as well as spacial correlation within each data set, are used to create a plurality of compressed output data sets wherein one of the compressed output data sets includes data relating to all of the original uncompressed data sets and wherein each of the remaining output data sets includes data relating only to a particular one of the original uncompressed data sets. Advantageously, the disclosed techniques provide compression ratios approaching those of known vector compression algorithms while simultaneously providing decompression memory usage characteristics analogous to those found in planar compression systems. Thus, exemplary embodiments of the invention simultaneously provide relatively low peak and average memory requirements, corresponding to relatively low memory cost and relatively high data throughput, respectively.

Abstract: In a computer, a system and a method handle requests from a client for accessing metadata attributes from at least one file system having an associated format containing specific metadata attributes. A format agent manages the file system. A client's request is received at an interface and forwarded to a dispatcher. The dispatcher routes the request to the format agent. The format agent fulfills the portions of the client's request regarding metadata attributes included in the associated format of the file system. If the client's request contains a metadata attribute that is not part of the file system's associated format, the format agent accesses a metadata attribute store to retrieve the metadata attribute data needed to fulfill the request. The requested metadata attribute data is then returned to the client. Multiple instances of the metadata attribute data are accessible by the client, the instances selected and/or assigned by the client and/or the system.

Abstract: A memory manager for a virtual memory system maintains three lists of virtual addresses: those which are free to be mapped to a program, those which are currently mapped but no longer being used, and those which are being removed from a page table, i.e. unmapped. The allocation of free addresses to programs proceeds in parallel with the removal of old entries from the page table, such that new free addresses are guaranteed to be available at all times. Each time that a new address is allocated to a program, a limited number of entries in the page table are examined, to determine whether the addresses associated with those entries are no longer in use, and the entries can be removed from the page table. By the time that all of the available addresses in the free list have been allocated, the entire page table will have been examined and all addresses which are no longer in use will have had their corresponding page table entries removed, so that they are available as free addresses.

Abstract: The present invention is an improved system and method of antialiasing which generates a coverage mask which is retained long enough to achieve geometric precision. The coverage mask information is retained throughout the compositing stage of the image generation. A system for antialiasing an image according to the present invention is comprised of a means for compositing an image, wherein the image is composited using coverage mask data of a pixel, and means for storage of data during image compositing, the storage means coupled to the compositing means.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and methods for compressing image data while at the same time, the speed of compression, the compression ratio (that is, reduced memory requirements) and the perceptibility of the decompressed image, even when the image data is compressed without segregation into its scanned and non-scanned components. Exemplary embodiments achieve such improved perceptibility regardless of whether the images are monochrome (having varying grey scale values) or color. In addition, improved perceptibility is realized in a manner which permits image data including scanned and/or unscanned images to be compressed in real-time.

Abstract: Electronic paper which has two sides, reverse of one another, which can be flipped over in response to user generated flip commands is described. When a piece of electronic paper is flipped over, a number of transition views of the paper are generated to give the user the impression that the paper is actually being turned over to reveal a reverse side. Different information can be stored on either side, and the composition of either side can be linked so that changes made to the graphic information on one side affects the graphic information on the other side. In addition, when the amount of graphic information on the reverse side of the paper exceeds the amount of available space normally available on the reverse side when the paper is flipped over, approximately the same amount of space available on the top side, the reverse side is expanded to fit the quantity of information to be displayed on the reverse side.

Abstract: In a general computer system or computer network, the ability to transfer (i.e., copy and/or move) files from a source location to a destination location within the computer system or computer network can be accomplished more efficiently by employing a file transfer operation that includes a read and write processes which can be executed concurrently or in parallel as two distinct and independent processes. The file transfer operation can be made even more efficient by transferring the file information in relatively large data blocks called "chunks", rather than one file at a time. Finally, the computer system's ability to respond to user initiated tasks during the execution of a file transfer operation is enhanced by employing a cooperative task scheduling technique, wherein a file transfer operation shares the computer system's resources (e.g., the CPU) with other concurrent user initiated operations.

Abstract: A system and method for avoiding starvation and deadlocks in a split-response-bus multiprocessor computer system. The multiprocessor computer system includes a first node and a second node coupled to the a split-response bus, wherein the first and second nodes communicate by passing request packets over the split-response bus. The method and system includes providing precedence information in the request packets, and then using the precedence information when receiving the request packets to determine which request packets to process and which request packets to reject when a conflict occurs.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a user with increased flexibility and control over the appearance and behavior of objects on a user interface are disclosed. Sets of objects can be grouped into themes to provide a user with a distinct overall impression of the interface. These themes can be switched dynamically by switching pointers to drawing procedures or switching data being supplied to these procedures. To buffer applications from the switchable nature of graphical user interfaces, colors and patterns used to implement the interface objects are abstracted from the interface by, for example, pattern look-up tables.

Abstract: Power management techniques for external cache memories of computers are disclosed. The power management techniques operate to reduce power consumption of an external cache memory of a computer system by intelligently placing the external cache memory in a low power mode. In one embodiment of the invention, a computer operates using event loop and an idle loop. The computer generally remains in the event loop while there is activity that requires processing, but enters the idle loop when there is no activity so that power consumption is lowered. The power management techniques according to the invention reduce power consumption of the computer by placing the external cache memory in the low power state upon entering the idle loop, and then awakening the external cache memory as the microprocessor awakens or upon exiting the idle loop. The power savings provided by the invention are particularly suitable for use with battery powered computing devices.

Abstract: An object comprising a Web document is transferred by a server to a client over a client-server data communications network. Alternatively, the object comprising the Web document can be executed by the server. The object, in turn, causes each object contained therein to execute and output a representation of the object in whatever format is requested by the client. For example, a client can send a request to the server over the data communications network. The requests specifies a particular Web document. The server searches its collection of objects in its object space for the object requested. The server, upon finding the object, and depending upon the nature of the client's request, will transmit the object as is to the client, or execute the object. The object outputs a representation of each object contained within the object in a format specified by the client.

Abstract: A technique for displaying information from related tables of a database in different display windows on a display screen associated with a computer system is disclosed. The different display windows are interlinked such that a selection of one or more entries in one of the display windows causes the other of the display windows to distinguishably and orderly display those entries that are related to the selection. A graphical user interface (GUI) in which a main screen is produced having the interlinked display windows is also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for creating anti-aliasing effects in slanted or curved edge portions of a bit-mapped image while avoiding such effects at horizontal and vertical edge portions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating composite icon images for a foreground icon and background icon is disclosed. An icon reference tag is used to retrieve icon image data and icon mask data for each icon. An icon override mechanism allows replacement of a particular icon for a particular application or document with another icon, to facilitate changes in the appearances of a graphical user interface.