Abstract: An architecture and method for emulating guest instructions with host instructions, executable on a host computer, based on a translation scheme. The architecture includes a guest instruction memory and program counter and a RAM memory storing host instructions, in which an address word stored in the program counter is mapped to the RAM memory to access the host instructions. The method constitutes dynamically recompiling (DR) host instructions including providing one memory which stores host instructions, providing in other memory having line entries for storing a fixed number of dynamically recompiled host instructions, and copying a host instruction from the one memory into a line entry of the other memory.

Abstract: The present invention is a system and method by which changes in states of devices within a computer system are identified and understood by relevant parts of the system. The system responds to state changes in a well-defined and predictable way without requiring a reboot cycle of operation. The state changes can be classified as a "hard event" or a soft event." Each event may further classified as, among others, a "device removed" event or a "device added" event.

Abstract: A network printing system for enhancing two-way communication between host computers and printers connected to a network. More particularly, the network printing system provides an imaging device protocol (DP) which enables various network service protocol/ports for host computers to communicate with the printer by "seamless plug and play" connectivity. IDP operates independently of the network layers below and only requires that the transport protocol/port be bidirectional. IDP allows all of the incoming print job information to be placed in the print queue regardless of the protocol for a wide variety of heterogenous network protocols. As a result, the network printing system enables print jobs from host computers connected to the network by a wide variety of heterogenous network protocols to be fairly arbitrated at the printer.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to providing a computer system which arbitrates control of a shared bus among plural devices included in the computer system. In accordance with the present invention, at least one of the devices is afforded a higher priority than the remaining devices, yet none of the remaining devices are effectively denied system bus access or control for extended periods of time. The present invention can therefore increase operating efficiency even as the number of devices included in the computer system is increased to achieve enhanced processing power. In addition, the present invention can provide sophisticated multimedia features, including real time signal processing, without sacrificing overall operating efficiency.

Abstract: A system for correcting an output device for the effects reflected ambient illumination comprises an output device, a calibration memory, a reflectivity memory, a system memory, a processor, an input device, a video card, a color display memory, and a reflection device of known reflectivity. The color display memory stores a first graphical interface and a second graphical interface. The first graphical interface displays a range of intensities of outputs that the display device can generate. The second graphical interface displays a range of hues that the display device can generate. The reflection device defines an aperture. The reflection device is compared to the first graphical interface and the second graphical interface by viewing the interfaces through the aperture. The present invention includes a method for compensating an output device for reflected ambient illumination.

Abstract: A code conversion system that takes direction into consideration when converting characters from a source character encoding to a target character encoding is disclosed. The code conversion system is able to map a single source character or a sequence of characters to either a single target character or a sequence of target characters. By determining or resolving the direction of the characters being converted, the code conversion system can then utilize the determined or resolved direction of the characters to ensure that the correct mapping to the target character encoding is obtained.

Abstract: A system and method for conserving power within a backup battery device comprises a main battery for generating a main operating voltage and a secondary operating voltage, a switching device for connecting the main operating voltage to a secondary power bus which powers a memory device, and a power manager for sensing whenever the main battery drops to a first threshold voltage, whereupon the power manager connects the secondary operating voltage to the secondary power bus if the memory device contains data, and disconnects the main operating voltage from the secondary power bus. The backup battery generates the secondary operating voltage whenever the power manager senses that the main battery has reached a second threshold voltage.

Abstract: A system and method are described which take an arbitrarily assembled collection of nodes on a bus or network and imposes an optimized hierarchical tree structure where there is only one root node. Nodes having both parent and child nodes are considered branch nodes while nodes having only parent nodes are leaf nodes. Loops or cycles in the physical topology are resolved into a logical topology that is acyclic and directed. A signaling scheme is developed in which nodes, via on board communications hardware, signal all connected nodes and respond accordingly until hierarchical relationships are established. Cycles are resolved by intelligently breaking links to yield an acyclic graph. Direction is established by each node recognizing its parent/child status with respect to connected nodes until a single node is established as a root node.

Abstract: A notebook component of an extensible and replaceable network-oriented component system records locations of resources coupled to a computer network. The network-oriented system includes a novel application programming interface for the notebook 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 notebook component to be replaced, extended or modified by other notebook-type components, while ensuring that these latter components "seamlessly" interact with existing components and component editors of the system.

Abstract: An appliance such as a personal computer includes a metal chassis which comprises a main chassis section and a subchassis hingedly connected to the main chassis section for rotation about a horizontal axis between folded-in and folded-out positions. The subchassis carries operational components such as a power supply and a drive, and the main chassis section carries an operational component such as a motherboard. When the subchassis is in its folded-in position it overlies the motherboard and blocks access thereto, and when in its folded-out position the subchassis provides access to the motherboard. In its folded-in position the subchassis sits upon horizontal edges of the main chassis section.

Abstract: An electronic system comprises a plurality of components each having at least one communication node and being coupled together by communication links through the respective communication nodes so that the plurality of communication links and communication nodes form a bus which resembles an acyclic directed graph having established hierarchical parent-child relationships between adjacent nodes and a root node. Token passing style arbitration is implemented on the system, in one embodiment, in response to the root node sending out an unrequested bus grant, so that the node with the token has access to the bus.

Abstract: A code conversion system that takes context into consideration when converting characters from a source character encoding to a target character encoding. The code conversion system is able to map a single source character or a sequence of characters to either a single target character or a sequence of target characters. By determining the context of the characters, the code conversion system can then utilize the determined context of the characters to ensure that the correct mapping to the target encoding is obtained.

Abstract: A dynamic adaptive sampling process for providing performance analysis on a computer system; the sampling process comprising the steps of: generating a profile tree comprising a hierarchy of one or more nodes, each node in the hierarchy comprises an array of counters, with each counter mapped to an associated range of memory locations in the computer memory. The process then receives a program counter value and searches the profile tree according to the hierarchy of nodes to locate an associated counter. The associated counter maps to a corresponding memory range of the finest partition which includes the memory location identified by the program counter value. The sampling process then detects whether the located counter exceeds a threshold value, wherein if the located counter exceeds the threshold value, then the sampling process further comprises modifying the profile tree. Wherein if the located counter does not exceed the threshold value, then incrementing that located counter.

Abstract: Memory requirements for an emulation system are reduced by generating semantic routines on demand during emulation, rather than statically storing all routines in the body of a software emulation system. The static portion of the emulator code that is loaded into the memory of the computer comprises only one copy of each different type of semantic routine. For the emulated instruction that corresponds to the one routine stored in the emulator code, a dispatch table entry comprises a pointer to the stored semantic routine. The dispatch table entries for the other emulated instructions of the same type comprise pointers to a semantic routine generator for instructions that have the same number of operands. This semantic routine generator locates the statically stored semantic routine and makes a copy of it, substituting the appropriate operands for the desired instruction in place of those in the statically stored routine.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for improving the quality of images captured by inexpensive scanning devices is described. After an initial scan of the image to be captured is performed, at least two additional scans are performed, one at an exposure level much greater than that used in the first scan and one at an exposure level much lower than that used in the first scan. After all three scans are complete, a composite stored image is formed using the gray scale values generated by the overexposed scan for darker areas of the image, the gray scale level generated by the underexposed scan for the lighter portions of the image, and, for those areas between the extremes, using the gray scale levels produced by the first scan. An apparatus is also described for performing these scans and selecting and combining the requisite data.

Abstract: A housing and ejection mechanism for PCMCIA electronic "smart cards" is disclosed. The ejection mechanism comprises a pair of cooperating lever arms and springs. When a "smart card" is inserted into the housing, the two lever arms pivot into the housing, extending an ejection spring. As the spring is pulled back by means of the lever arms, insertion of the card requires only slightly more force than would be needed to connect a "smart card" with its socket were no spring present. Full insertion of the card leaves the two lever arms coupled, but with only one of the lever arms locked in position. When the user triggers the ejection process, the two levers are mechanically separated and one of them applies the full spring force to the "smart card", freeing it from its socket and starting to push it out of the housing. After the first arm frees the "smart card" from its socket, it frees the second lever arm from its latch. The two lever arms then cooperate to push the "smart card" further out of the housing.

Abstract: A user interface system and method for traversing a database. In one aspect the present invention includes providing a plurality of command options, each of the command options represented by a set of descriptive option index terms characterizing that command option. The set of descriptive option index terms characterizing the command options selected by a user are compared with sets of document index terms. Each set of document index terms being compared characterizes an electronic document in a hypertext-type database which is selectively linked in that database with the user's present position. The comparisons result in a ranked list of the selectively linked electronic documents. The electronic documents are ranked in accordance with the relevancy of each document with respect to the selected command option.

Abstract: A network-oriented component system facilitates development of customized user interfaces to computer networks by embedding entities that reference resources located on the networks into components of the system. The embedded entities are preferably manifested as visual objects displayed on a graphical user interface of a computer screen that a user may manipulate to effectuate the embedding process. The "container" components are preferably compound documents having contents that include different data types and formats.

Abstract: An input/output interface apparatus that allows a computer system to have less ports and greater safety with the connection of peripheral devices to the ports is disclosed. The input/output interface apparatus enables the computer system to supply multiple bus standards to a single flexible port of the computer system. The input/output interface apparatus permits safe connection of a peripheral device to a port of the computer system when the computer system is powered-on (so called hot-plugging or hot-docking).

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding distinct feed stock through a roller driven tray device to an information transfer device (i.e., scanning, facsimile, printing, copying) or a multipurpose information transfer device for processing feed stock, the roller driven tray device comprising a first tray and a second tray each tray capable of holding an item of feed stock for processing through the same port of an information transfer device from either tray without manual intervention. Also, an apparatus for maintaining alignment of feed stock in a roller driven tray device comprising a cam radially coupled to the first end of the roller shaft, a cam follower seated on the cam, a cam shaft with one end coupled to the cam follower and a second end slidably coupled to the tray housing, and a cantilever finger crank coupled to the cam shaft, and having a first position to not impede the path of the feed stock and a second position against the feed stock.