Abstract: A computer has a device driver and an operating system that call a consolidated buffer service routine to coordinate the transfer of data between a main memory and an external device. The consolidated buffer service routine includes a memory preparation service routine and a memory checking service routine. The memory preparation service routine coordinates data transfers between the external device and the memory with the operating system and a data cache, and with other data transfers. The memory preparation service routine ensures that the buffer remains assigned to the memory ranges until the memory checking service routine relinquishes the buffer. Before calling the memory preparation service routine, and I/O preparation table is set which defines the addresses and the type of addresses of the buffer, the size of the data to be transferred, the page size of the buffer, and flags defining data flow and type.

Abstract: An improved file service administration method is disclosed in a computer network having an administrator account and a user account. The administrator account has an administrator privilege, and the user account has a user privilege which is different from the administrator privilege. The computer network further includes at least one sharepoint that is selectively accessible through the user account. The includes the step of displaying, in accordance with the administrator privilege and through the administrator account, the sharepoint on the computer display screen. There is further included the step of modifying, through the administrator account, the access privilege for the user account. Furthermore, the method includes the step of displaying, in accordance with the user privilege and through the administrator account, the sharepoint and the access privilege for the user account.

Abstract: A system for correcting an output device for the effects of reflected ambient illumination comprises 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 has a target surface which defines an aperture. The ambient light reflecting from the target surface is compared to the first graphical interface and to the second graphical interface by viewing the interfaces through the aperture.

Abstract: A method and apparatus determine a specific position of a user-selectable region at a particular point in time within a sequence of display frames. The method and apparatus first interpolate between a first matrix representing the user-selectable region at a first point in time and a second matrix representing the user-selectable region at a second point in time. In one embodiment, the matrix generated by this interpolation is then applied to a region definition for the user-selectable region to determine the specific area occupied by the region at the particular point in time. According to one embodiment, the first matrix and the second matrix are both stored within the same sample of a container track. This sample corresponds to one or more frames of the sequence of display frames. In an alternate embodiment, the first matrix and the second matrix are stored in two separate samples of the container track.

Abstract: A method and system for accelerating graphics images in a computer system comprises encoding a first value information into an address signal from a CPU within the computer system and then encoding a second value information into the data signal from the CPU within the computer system. By encoding the information in this manner the location of the graphics data is unimportant. Hence, an address space of the memory can be utilized as the accelerator. In one aspect of the present invention, a span of a particular scan-line can be encoded in the address signal and the row and color information of the scan-line can be encoded in the data signal. In another embodiment, the span of a particular scan-line can be encoded in the address signal and the row, color information and intensity value information can be encoded into the data signal. The method and system uses to advantage that the main memory of the computer system has a large area which can be configured as an addressable space when rendering graphic images.

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: A connection dialog component of an extensible and replaceable network-oriented component system enables a user to specify address information of a particular resource coupled to a computer network. The network-oriented system includes novel application programming interfaces for the connection dialog 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 connection dialog component to be replaced, extended or modified by other connection dialog-type components, while ensuring that these latter components "seamlessly" interact with existing components and component editors of the system.

Abstract: An information access system stores items of information in an unstructured global database. When a user requests access to the system, the system delivers to that user an identification of only those items of information which are believed to be relevant to the user's interest. The determination as to the items of information that are relevant to a user is carried out by ranking each available item in accordance with any one or more techniques. In one approach, the content of each document is matched with an adaptive profile of a user's interest. In another approach, a feedback mechanism is provided to allow users to indicate their degree of interest in each item of information. These indications are used to determine whether other users, who have similar or dissimilar interests, will find a particular item to be relevant.

Abstract: A method and system for compressing and color transforming image data are presented. Color transformation is a process whereby perceptional differences between the expressions of images in color devices are compensated. By transforming a compressed version of the image data, the amount of time in which it takes to perform color transformation can be reduced. Selection of compression techniques which maintain color characteristics of the image data in its compressed form permits the usage of color transformation techniques which already exist for the image data in its uncompressed form. The inventive techniques can be applied either prior to, or after, storage of the image data in an intermediate media or transmission from one device to another.

Abstract: A supervisory control system for a networked multimedia computing system that addresses the foregoing limitations associated with currently existing systems provides a teacher or network administrator at a master workstation with the ability to open a specified document on selected remote workstations in the network. If the document is not already present on the various remote workstations, the teacher can first transmit it to each one that does not already have it. At the remote workstations, the document is stored at the same location as it is in the master workstation, to facilitate finding it on subsequent occasions. When a command is sent to open the document, it is identified by specific attributes that enable it to be distinguished from other documents that may have the same name. With this feature, a teacher can easily reset an entire computer lab so that each student will be at the same position for the beginning of a new class, for example.

Abstract: A system and method for enabling a file server to service a plurality of physical networks, wherein each of the networks has a network protocol of the same type. The system and method comprises a single instance of a filing protocol, and an object-oriented class for implementing a session protocol. The system and method further comprises means for invoking a plurality of session protocol instances, where each one of the plurality of session protocol instances corresponds to one of the plurality of physical networks. Each one of the plurality of session protocol instances services the corresponding physical network and communicates with the single instance of the filing protocol, which enables the single instance of the filing protocol to service the plurality of physical networks.

Abstract: A method for transferring data between a host computer and peripheral storage including the steps of: (a) receiving data from the host; (b) determining if an escape command is present in the data; (c) writing the data to the a peripheral storage medium if a escape command is not present in the data; and (d) performing as least one command relative to the peripheral storage if a escape command is present in the data. Also disclosed is a method for controlling a disk drive unit including the steps of: (a) determining on a host computer a current action to be performed with a disk drive unit; (b) formatting a track of a disk engaged with a disk drive unit based upon output data provided by the host computer if the current action is a formatting action; (c) writing a sector on the disk based upon the output data provided by the host computer if the current action is a writing action; and (d) reading a sector of the disk and transferring input information to the host computer if the action is a reading action.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for formulating and responding to an inquiry through an interface which is topically organized. The dialogue system interface is comprised of various topical objects wherein each domain object has a set of object values. Selection of a desired object value of a domain object yields a set of potential inquiries, corresponding to the selected value, for selection. A selected inquiry is transmitted to an underlying system for formulation of a response. The formulated response of the underlying system is then transmitted to the user through the dialogue system interface. The dialogue system generates and displays further domain objects, object values, and inquiries that are logically anticipated from the selected inquiry.

Abstract: A gear-driven docking apparatus for removable mass-storage drives comprises a guide rail, mounted inside a computer chassis, and a drive carrier, bearing a mass-storage drive. The drive carrier includes an alignment groove for slidingly receiving the guide rail and a gear train for engaging a rack profile formed at the proximal end of the guide rail, The rack profile and the gear train incorporate a mechanism that provides gear-and-rack synchronization under all operating conditions. Data and power connectors of the mass-storage drive are terminated to a printed circuit board that is movably attached to the drive carrier. The circuit board merges the separate power and data connectors into a single docking connector having registration pins.

Abstract: A signal processing system determines the characteristic of a signal for encoding or decoding by examining and classifying such signal, and then applies a transformation or inverse transformation to such signal. Depending on classification of the signal, various transforms or inverse transforms are applicable adaptively thereto.

Abstract: A method for generating an image having anti-aliasing effect for display on a display system is described. An outline of the image is first generated. The outline includes a plurality of outline points defining a plurality of horizontal and vertical edges of the outline. The outline is then grid-fitted onto a target grid with each of the outline points located at the center of one of a plurality of grid boxes of the target grid such that each of the horizontal and vertical edges of the outline extends through some of the grid boxes of the target grid. The anti-aliasing effect is provided to the grid-fitted outline by determining gray scale of each grid box of the target grid through which one of the horizontal and vertical edges extends. The image has a sharp display image on the display system while having minimized aliasing. An apparatus is also described for generating an image having anti-aliasing effect for display on a computer controlled display system.

Abstract: A DMA controller capable of conditional action under the control of a status register, prespecified parameters, and a condition field of the channel command, and a DMA controller which returns status information to command entry locations that are reserved for this purpose are disclosed. The prespecified parameters may be held in a register having a mask field and a value field, and a test for conditional action may be a masked comparison of the status register and the value field. The condition field determines how the test result is interpreted and allows suppressing or forcing the conditional action during a command.

Abstract: A text-to-speech system includes a memory storing a set of quantization vectors. A first processing module is responsive to the sound segment codes generated in response to text in the sequence to identify strings of noise compensated quantization vectors for respective sound segment codes in the sequence. A decoder generates a speech data sequence in response to the strings of quantization vectors. An audio transducer is coupled to the processing modules, and generates sound in response to the speech data sequence. The quantization vectors represent a quantization of a sound segment data having a pre-emphasis to de-correlate the sound samples used for quantization and the quantization noise. In decompressing the sound segment data, an inverse linear prediction filter is applied to the identified strings of quantization vectors to reverse the pre-emphasis. Also, the quantization vectors represent quantization of results of pitch filtering of sound segment data.