Abstract: A window management mechanism allows a user to open a window as a drawer or, perhaps more appropriately named, a pop-up window. The drawer is an opened window that a user has dragged down to a drawer region at the bottom of the screen such that only the title bar or some drawer handle illustration is left showing. When the user does this, the window remains open but is kept offscreen. The user may momentarily pop the window back onto the screen by clicking on the window title bar or drawer handle, or by dragging the cursor into the window icon during a drag. The window stays onscreen as long as no other windows are selected. As soon as a user selects another window, or opens a file with a double click within the drawer, the window slides back offscreen. This allows the user to set up easy access windows. Another feature of a drawer window allows the user to open them during a drag. To do so, the user drags an object or the cursor into the drawer window that is desired to be opened.

Abstract: An object-oriented HTML based editor for creating Web documents to be published on the World Wide Web. Each HTML command is treated as a unique object having associated properties. A user using an input device, such as a mouse, clicks and drags representations of objects representing HTML commands from a palette window on an output display device. The objects are dropped into a representation of a collection of objects in a view window on the output display device. Each one of the objects in the collection of objects may be edited by way of a context sensitive object editor window to customize the Web document. An object is selected by an input device and dragged to the object editor window, where the properties associated with the object are displayed and may be directly manipulated.

Abstract: A computer system in which interrupt signals are serially transmitted from an input/output (I/O) controller is disclosed. The I/O controller initially receives the interrupt signals and then serially transmits them to an interrupt controller where the received interrupt signals are managed. According to the invention, the sequencing by which the interrupt signals are serially transmitted is controlled such that it largely conforms to the sequencing by which the received interrupt signals are processed at the interrupt controller, thereby controlling and reducing latency. The interrupt controller can be a separate integrated circuit chip or integral to another integrated circuit chip of the computer system.

Abstract: A system to manage network resources of a network so that network performance is predictable and manageable is disclosed. According to the system, network resource utilization is monitored and then computer systems seeking to transmit or receive data over the network as requested to do so at times that serve to more efficiently utilize the network resources. A method for managing network resources is also disclosed.

Abstract: Improved method and apparatus for remote execution of commands are disclosed. A local computer issues a command to be executed on a remote computer. The improved method and apparatus operate to synchronize a working directory on the remote computer to a working directory on the local computer. The improved method and apparatus can also convert, modify or otherwise reformat remote commands so that they operate correctly on the remote computer and return results which are appropriate for the local computer. Thereafter, the remote computer executes the command.

Abstract: A technique for dynamic addition or removal of buses to a computer system. The technique operates even though the computer system and its operating system are in use. As buses are added or removed from the operational computer system for each peripheral device added or removed, bus controller manipulators for each of the buses are registered with a system bus manager of the operating system. Thereafter, the operating system is able to communicate with the peripheral devices over the corresponding buses using the respective bus controller manipulators.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing a translucent image over a base image created on the display screen of a computer system by a selected first application program, and conducting image operations either on said base image created by the selected application program with reference to the translucent image produced, or conducting image operations on said translucent image with reference to said base image of the first application program. The first application program runs on a central processing unit (CPU) of a computer system to produce a base image, and another application program referred to as the overlay program is run to produce the translucent image such that portions of the base image which are overlapped by the overlay image are at least partially visible through the translucent image. There is also a mechanism for blending the first video data and the second video data to produce a blended image on the screen assembly.

Abstract: The invention comprises a battery coupled to a power bus, an external power connector coupled to the power bus for receiving an external power plug, and two switching devices for disconnecting the battery from the power bus when the external power plug is coupled to the connector. The battery supplies power to the camera unless the external power plug is coupled to the connector. Upon coupling of the external power plug to the connector, the two switching devices, which are positioned in series between the negative terminal of the battery and the system ground, are opened. The opening of the two switching devices disconnects the battery from the power bus and connector to prevent damage which could be caused by applying an externally supplied voltage from the external power plug across the positive and negative terminals of the battery.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for avoiding deadlock, in particular, a Read/Read deadlock, in a computer system in which a split-transaction bus is bridged to a single-envelope bus. In one embodiment, deadlock is avoided using a closely-coupled master and slave circuit on the split-response bus. The closely-coupled master and slave circuit operates to disallow a second deadlocking read transaction. While there is an outstanding read transaction in either the master or slave portions of the split-response bus interface, the other portion will refuse to accept, or retry, another potentially deadlocking read transaction. The invention has the advantage of being absolutely certain of avoiding the Read/Read deadlock condition with a minimum amount of circuit complexity.

Abstract: A method, and system for supporting a plurality of textual manipulations and inputs in a computer system transparently to application programs running on the computer system, with the computer system including a text services manager, are described. A method aspect includes receiving inputs to the computer system, providing at least one text service event handler through the text services manager in response to the received inputs, and processing the received inputs with the at least one text service event handler to provide appropriate textual outputs from the at least one application program.

Abstract: A system and method causes a computer to detect and perform actions on structures identified in computer data. The system provides an analyzer server, an application program interface, a user interface and an action processor. The analyzer server receives from an application running concurrently data having recognizable structures, uses a pattern analysis unit, such as a parser or fast string search function, to detect structures in the data, and links relevant actions to the detected structures. The application program interface communicates with the application running concurrently, and transmits relevant information to the user interface. Thus, the user interface can present and enable selection of the detected structures, and upon selection of a detected structure, present the linked candidate actions. Upon selection of an action, the action processor performs the action on the detected structure.

Abstract: A directional microphone intended for use in a computer visual display monitor, and methods for construction of same. The integral directional microphone assembly comprises a cardioid electret microphone capsule retained therein by acoustically transparent foam. The microphone housing is mounted internally within a display monitor housing facing the user and adjacent to the top surface of the monitor housing. The microphone housing comprises a frontal opening and a plurality of nonfrontally facing openings which together maximally preserve sound pressure gradient applied to the microphone capsule, resulting in a hypercardioid spatial response.

Abstract: A statistical classifier utilizes combined output values to determine posterior probabilities for certain output classes. In the field of handwriting recognition, compound characters are factored into classes of base letter forms and diacritical marks. A separate output activation value is produced for each base letter form and each diacritical mark. Pairs of output values, comprised of one value for a base letter form and one value for a diacritical mark, are combined to produce a posterior probability for every possible compound character, without requiring a network output for each possible class.

Abstract: A system and method for extending the functionality of a digital system is disclosed. The system includes a read-only memory (ROM) for storing an extendible control application, a processing unit for executing the code stored in ROM, an imaging device for capturing optical images and converting them to digital code, random-access memory (RAM) for providing working memory for the processing unit and storage for files and images, an input-output (I/O) device for receiving user input and communicating with a host computer to transfer images and files, and an optional removable memory for providing storage for images and a means for introducing extensions into the system. The ROM image includes a patch manager and function pointers which, together, permit the redirection of the program execution sequence. New pieces of code (extensions) can, through such redirection, be incorporated into the original, non-modifiable control application, to supplement or replace routines of the original control application.

Abstract: A data transfer mechanism for a serial interface is provided whereby data transfer may be precisely controlled, eliminating the need for significant buffering. The data transfer mechanism also provides for flexible data transfer in either a byte mode or a burst mode so as to accommodate any of various telecommunications devices having a range of capabilities and data rates, and minimizes host involvement in the data transfer operation.

Abstract: When a document imaging operation commences, a document is examined to detect each font, and each glyph of a font, appearing in the document. If all of the detected fonts are currently stored in an imaging device, the document is sent to the device. If one or more detected fonts is not stored in the device, the detected glyphs of that font are mapped to a sparse font set. The device is queried to determine whether it can store the sparse font set. If it can, the sparse font set is downloaded to the device. If the device cannot store the sparse font set, the document is converted into a bit-mapped image, which is then imaged.

Abstract: Apparatus for scanning an image comprising a manually-operated scanning device with a photoelectric source and having a light tunnel extending from the photoelectric source to a side of the manually-operated scanning device. The scanning device with light tunnels offers high contrast edges and encourages proper alignment of the image being scanned. In one embodiment, the scanning device has a light tunnel extending from each vertical side corresponding to and illuminating the horizontal axis to be scanned. In another embodiment, the scanning device has, in addition to light tunnels illuminating the horizontal axis, light tunnels extending from the front or horizontal side of the scanning device to illuminate the vertical boundary that is scanned by the scanning device. The light tunnels in the invention provide the user with a highly visible reference of exactly where the manually-operated scanning device's scan window is located at a particular instance.

Abstract: A computer system consists of a plurality of nodes, each with an associated local host, coupled together with a plurality of point-to-point links. An isochronous data channel is established within the computer system between a first subset of the plurality of nodes. The isochronous data channel includes a linked list of buffers which are used as temporary storage locations for data transmitted on the isochronous data channel. Each node which is part of the isochronous data channel is configured as a sender or a receiver and data transmissions are commenced. The presence of isochronous data in the channel generates an interrupt which signals a central processing unit (CPU) that data is available. The data is transferred to an associated location within the linked list of buffers and the CPU then moves on to other tasks. In other embodiments, data is transferred using DMA techniques rather than interrupt driven events. Buffers can also be used to transmit isochronous data.