Abstract: The display system includes at least one central processing unit (CPU) which is coupled through appropriate input/output (I/O) circuitry to input devices, such as a keyboard, digital pad, mouse and/or trackball. The CPU is coupled to a hard disk drive for the storage of programs and data, and may also be coupled to a network through which the CPU may communicate with a variety of other system resources and devices. The CPU is further coupled to a display device such as a CRT or liquid crystal display, on which the present invention is displayed. The windows include defined areas having window features such as menu bars, command options, text, icons and/or button functions to be executed by the CPU. The help system includes an access window having topics, index and look for button functions for selection by a user. Through the use of the topics, index or look for functions, a help inquiry is defined which results in the CPU generating and displaying a presentation window on the display.

Abstract: The present invention provides method and apparatus for inputting data to an active application of a computer system. A method of the present invention comprises the steps of creating an input image on a screen of a computer system, detecting the engagement of the input image by a pointer, analyzing the engagement to determine input data, and sending the input data to the active application program. Another method of the present invention comprises the steps of initializing a computer implemented process for intercepting input request calls made by the active application program, creating an input image on the computer system's screen, detecting an engagement of a pointer with the input image, analyzing the engagement to determine potential input data, and sending the input data to the application program. The present invention preferably includes an organizational image including a palette and a number of icons representing input utilities.

Abstract: A system and method for modeling smooth free-form shapes using B-splines over irregular meshes, in a simple and efficient manner, to generate a display of aesthetically pleasing shapes is disclosed. A low degree parametric polynomial representation is generated. As a result, techniques for surface-surface or ray-surface intersection are faster and more robust than possible with existing techniques. In accordance with the present invention, an input mesh M.sup.0 is initially simplified by isolating irregularities and constraining geometry. First, the input mesh M.sup.0 is subjected to general refinement, whereby a new mesh M.sup.1 is constructed, which in turn is subjected to constrained refinement, whereby another new mesh M.sup.2 is constructed. After the general and constrained refinement steps, the mesh M.sup.2 is broken up into a set of "quad-nets" corresponding to each of its vertices. Finally, these quad nets are used as local geometry, over which, 4 cubic Bezier triangles are constructed.

Abstract: Circuit arrangements and methods are disclosed for upgrading an 040-based personal computer system using an optional, peripheral add-in card. In one embodiment, the present invention comprises a PowerPC-based microprocessor, such as the MPC601, having one megabyte of on-board direct mapped level 2 external cache memory arranged as tag and data blocks. The PowerPC-based board is inserted into a processor-direct data path sharing the data and address bus with the 040 microprocessor. System random access memory (RAM), I/O, and other functional blocks are present on the main board comprising the 040-based computer. The MPC601 is coupled via address and data buses to the tag cache, a bus translation unit (BTU), a read only memory (ROM) storing the operating system code for the PowerPC microprocessor, the data cache, a dual frequency clock buffer, and other interface components such as a processor-direct data path including address and data latches.

Abstract: A speech recognition system for continuous Mandarin Chinese speech comprises a microphone, an A/D converter, a syllable recognition system, an integrated tone classifier, and a confidence score augmentor. The syllable recognition system generates N-best theories with initial confidence scores. The integrated tone classifier has a pitch estimator to estimate the pitch of the input once and a long-term tone analyzer to segment the estimated pitch according to the syllables of each of the N-best theories. The long-term tone analyzer performs long-term tonal analysis on the segmented, estimated pitch and generates a long-term tonal confidence signal. The confidence score augmentor receives the initial confidence scores and the long-term tonal confidence signals, modifies each initial confidence score according to the corresponding long-term tonal confidence signal, re-ranks the N-best theories according to the augmented confidence scores, and outputs the N-best theories.

Abstract: A graphical interface for visually specifying the behavior of combinations of finite-state and continuous-state actors. The state of an actor may be controlled by the states of other actors. The motion of continuous-state actors is constrained by functions represented as, and analogous to, grooves, sockets, pins, glue, springs, and boxes. These functions may be represented graphically on the actor so that the system of constraints is readily ascertainable to the user.

Abstract: A personal computer includes a housing to which decorative panels are removably attached. The housing is formed of metal and includes a removable top for exposing an interior chamber of the housing. Removably mounted in that chamber are two independently removable sub-chassis. Each sub-chassis forms compartments and other mounting sites for receiving electrical components of the computer. The computer can be functionally reconfigured to a substantial extent by replacing or removing some of the electrical components horizontally from the housing, once the respective decorative panels have been removed. An aesthetic reconfiguring of the computer can be effected by replacing the exterior decorative panels with different decorative panels.

Abstract: A hardware design verification system has a hardware simulator, a test script, and a dispatcher, each preferably running as concurrent processes on a computer. The test script language is independent of the hardware simulator language. The hardware simulator simulates a hardware environment having a circuit under test coupled to a master model. To manipulate the hardware environment, the test script transmits a first packet to the dispatcher, the first packet being encoded in accordance with a predetermined encryption technique and designating a desired manipulation of the simulated hardware environment. The dispatcher, in response to receipt of the first packet, transmits the first packet to the master model, which in response decodes the first packet in accordance with the predetermined encryption technique and manipulates the hardware environment in accordance with the desired manipulation.

Abstract: A low power consumption oscillator circuit. The oscillator circuit comprises a capacitor coupled to a first resistor that is capable of delaying discharge of the capacitor. The oscillator circuit further comprises a first inverter coupled to the capacitor and having a first input. The first inverter is capable of applying charge to the capacitor when a first voltage potential on the first input is above a first threshold voltage of the first inverter. The first inverter is capable of removing charge from the capacitor when a second voltage potential on the first input is below a second threshold voltage of the first inverter. The oscillator circuit further comprises threshold detection circuitry having a second circuitry is coupled to the first input of the first inverter, and the second input is coupled to the capacitor.

Abstract: An antialiased rendering algorithm that guarantees that each pixel of the output image is within a user-specified error tolerance of the filtered underlying continuous image wherein an object-space octree is used to cull hidden geometry rapidly, and a quadtree data structure is used to test visibility through image-space regions. When regions are too complex, quadtree subdivision is employed to simplify the geometry. Subdivision stops when the algorithm can either analytically filter the required region or bound the convolution integral appropriately with interval methods.

Abstract: Circuit arrangements and methods are disclosed for upgrading an 040-based personal computer system using an optional, peripheral add-in card. In one embodiment, the present invention comprises a PowerPC-based microprocessor, such as the MPC601, having one megabyte of on-board direct mapped level 2 external cache memory arranged as tag and data blocks. The PowerPC-based board is inserted into a processor-direct data path sharing the data and address bus with the 040 microprocessor. System random access memory (RAM), I/O, and other functional blocks are present on the main board comprising the 040-based computer. The MPC601 is coupled via address and data buses to the tag cache, a bus translation unit (BTU), a read only memory (ROM) storing the operating system code for the PowerPC microprocessor, the data cache, a dual frequency clock buffer, and other interface components such as a processor-direct data path including address and data latches.

Abstract: A method, system, and apparatus for controlling the supply of power to an I/O device attached to a General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) circuit in a personal digital assistant (PDA) is described. The GPIO circuit, which is responsible for supplying power to the attached I/O device, includes a pin enable circuit coupled to the power pin of the I/O device, where the pin enable circuit includes a contingency register holding a contingency bit and a power register which controls the power supply to the I/O device power pin. The contingency bit is reflective of a power supply priority of the I/O device, where the priority is determined by the type of the I/O device and whether or not the I/O device is recognized.

Abstract: This invention provides a method and apparatus for displaying on a computer display device both a portion of a sorted list of unknown length having a plurality of items and an indicator which is a corresponding approximation of a location of the portion within the list. For a sorted list, keys pertaining to a characteristic used to sort the list are assigned key order values which are indicator values corresponding to a current position within the list. The first key and last key in the list are used to determine a range of values for the indicator. Keys may be arranged in groupings. In that case the keys within a particular grouping are mapped to the same key order value. Preferably, groupings are defined according to a statistical probability of occurrence of the members of the grouping such that each grouping has substantially the same statistical probability of occurring.

Abstract: A user interface includes an object oriented graphic user interface having overlapping windows and provides an access window having topics, index and look for button functions for selection by a user. Through the use of the topics, index or look for functions, a help inquiry is defined. The selection of one of the button functions results in the generation and display of entries in a predefined area of the access window. Upon the selection of one of the entries by a user, phrases related to the selected entry are displayed in a working area of the access window. The selection of one of the phrases results in the display of a presentation window containing help instruction data to guide the user in the particular help task specified by the entry and phrase selection. To further assist the user, visual cues in the form of coach marks are generated for identifying features on the display which relate to the information disposed within the presentation window, but may identify any feature on the display.

Abstract: In an image generating device, descriptions of objects which constitute an image are stored in an intermediate form in a display list. The data which describes the objects is stored in an plurality of lists, where each list is related to a region of the image. To create each list, objects that appear in a given region of the image which are of the same type and which have the same appearance state are collected in buffers. A collection of objects is stored as a single entry in the display list upon change of the appearance state. As a result, the amount of overhead required to store the identifications of the objects is reduced.

Abstract: A method for correcting cepstral vectors representative of speech generated in a test environment by use of a vector quantization (VQ) system with a codebook of vectors that was generated using speech and acoustic data from a different (training) environment. The method uses a two-step correction to produce test environment cepstral vectors with reduced non-speech acoustic content. The first correction step subtracts, from the test vector, a coarse correction vector that is computed from an average of test environment cepstral vectors. The second step involves a VQ of the coarsely corrected test vector at each node of the VQ tree. The third step is the addition of a fine correction vector to the coarsely corrected test vector that is generated by subtracting a running (moving) average of the coarsely corrected test vectors associated with the deepest VQ tree node from the VQ vector closest to the coarsely corrected test vector.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for allowing selecting within a window on a computer system display within a first application program and moving that item to a second position on a display controlled by a file system manager. A file is created by the file system manager which is representative of the discrete data item selected and dragged. A representation of the data is provided on the computer system display, such as an icon specified by the application program from which the data originated and identifying file name.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for combining a multiple-bit digital audio signal with a single bit audio signal is provided. A host computer receives a single-bit audio signal from one or more PCMCIA cards plugged into the host computer. The single-bit audio signal may be a simple beep, or may be a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal that encodes more sophisticated audio. The program audio generated in response to software executing on the host computer is typically encoded in a multiple-bit pulse code modulated (PCM) audio signal. The apparatus upsamples the multiple-bit PCM audio signal generated by circuitry on the host computer to produce a first upsampled PCM signal. The apparatus converts the PWM signal from the PCMCIA card(s) to produce a second upsampled PCM signal. The first and second upsampled PCM signals are merged in an interpolation circuit to produce a composite digital signal that encodes both the program audio and the sound carried on the PWM signal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for routing information with a pointer-based computer such as a pen-based computer. The routing actions may be faxing, printing, mailing (electronically), and beaming (by infrared light). The routed information may be document or other item produced by or associated with a particular application running on the computer. Routing actions that send items out of the computer system preferably are processed according to the following steps. First one or more menus or windows associated with the application of the document being routed are displayed on a display screen of the computer. At least one of these menus or windows contains a list of routing actions available to the application. The user selects one of these routing actions and, in some cases, provides additional information pertaining to the destination, format, etc. of the document being routed.

Abstract: A method characterized by the steps of: a) determining an action to be taken on an object on a computer screen which changes the status of the object; b) modifying the visual appearance of the object through animation to reflect the change in status; and c) automatically moving the modified object on the screen to indicate the disposition of the object. With a delete or "trashing" action, an object is crumpled on screen to indicate that the object has become trash, and the crumpled object is moved across the screen and into a trash can icon to indicate its final disposition. The apparatus of the present invention preferably includes a pen-based computer system, where a stylus may be used to select and activate the object on the screen.