Abstract: A modular enclosure for personal computer systems, and methods for assembly of an enclosure. The enclosure substantially comprises a base, a unitary internal frame, a front and a back panel, and a U-shaped top cover. Frame-mounting snaps and cruciform members located on forward and rear portions of the frame mate to complimentary receiving openings in the base. Front and rear panels are mounted to the base, frame, and top cover by a plurality of panel-mounting snaps and hooks. A base electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield at the periphery of the shield having a plurality of planar tabbed fingers with hemispherical domes formed therein is then fitted and secured to the base such that the lateral edges of the fingers are recessed below a peripherally extending rim on the base. Thereafter, the internal frame is snapped into place upon the base, and a rear panel having an EMI shield fitted and secured to the base and frame by panel-mounting snaps and hooks.

Abstract: A hidden, releasable latch for a molded plastic enclosure having a first panel abutting a second panel along a seam. The first panel has a pressure bump on its inside surface a first distance from the seam, and a projecting tang on its inside surface at a further distance from the seam. The second panel has a tab from its inside surface projecting inside, parallel and spaced from the inside surface of the first panel, the tab contacting the pressure bump, and capturing the projecting tang in a hole within the tab. The tab is flexible enough for slight deflection during the capturing of the tang by the hole during an assembly process, and the releasing of the tang by movement of the tab from pressure from the pressure bump during a disassembly process.

Abstract: A first embodiment of the present invention comprises a housing for a docking station for use with a portable computer. The docking station provides the portable computer with increased display and data storage capabilities. In use, a portable computer is inserted into the docking slot of the docking station. Additionally, a large cathode ray tube display is place on top of the housing for the docking station in typical user scenario. As docking and undocking must not be hindered by the presence of a large display on top of the housing for the docking station, the housing is provided with internally mounted cross beams that distribute the weight of the display around a computer supporting skeleton and through a set of support columns into the surface the housing for the docking station is resting upon. This reinforcing cross beams and columns structure allows the housing for the docking station to support without deformation relatively large displays without being excessive in weight of size.

Abstract: A digital encryption structure allows the varying of the computational overhead by selectively reusing, according to the desired level of security, a pseudorandom encoding sequence at the transmitter end and by storing and reusing pseudorandom decoding sequences, associated with one or more transmitters at the receiver end. A public initialization vector is combined with a secret key to produce a deterministic sequence from a pseudorandom number generator. This pseudorandom sequence in turn, is used to convert plaintext to ciphertext. The sequence may be selectively reused by storing the sequence to a transmitter memory cache and iteratively reading the sequence from memory according to a counter which controls the level of security of the encryption system. The ciphertext is decrypted on the receiver end by invertibly combining the ciphertext with the same pseudorandom sequence used by the transmitter to originally encode the plaintext.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for approximating a value distributed between two endpoints. The method and apparatus are embodied in a rendering device for calculating pixel shading values for the display of 3-D graphical images. The method approximates a function P(w)=(1-w)A+wB, where w is a provided interpolation weight between 0 and 1, A is a first endpoint value and B is a second endpoint value. The method causes exact evaluation for the cases where P(0)=A and P(1)=B.

Abstract: In a method for manipulating a selected object on a computer display of a computer system through the use of a pointing device and a screen based icon, the types of manipulation may include rotating and/or scaling the selected objects. The method includes the step of selecting a manipulating tool having a designated "axle" mark that serves as its center of rotation. The pointing device is directed towards a "handle" portion of the manipulating tool that is spaced apart from the axle to "grab" the handle. The pointing device is then used to rotate the handle about the axle. The computer system then manipulates the selected object by an amount that is a function of the angular distance that the handle is rotated about the axle user interface includes a screen based icon.

Abstract: A method for rapidly transferring serial data in a two conductor busing arrangement in which one conductor is utilized to transfer data and the other conductor is utilized to transfer clock signals, and in which a plurality of components are connected to the two conductors, at least one of which is capable of acting as a bus master including the steps of providing clock signals on the clock conductor which are active on both edges, placing a special signal on the data conductor to indicate the start of an operation, placing address data on the data conductor to indicate an address on the data conductor, placing data on the data conductor to indicate the type of transfer to be made, acknowledging the receipt of the address by a component being addressed, transferring data on the data conductor, placing a special signal on the data conductor to indicate the end of the data transfer, transferring a signal indicating a parity count, and placing another special signal on the data conductor to indicate the end of t

Abstract: An apparatus and method useful for the efficient display of images on a computer display screen a display area description language is provided for describing and manipulating portions of a raster display screen. The area description language is comprised of a set of instructions and masks that define the areas and manipulations for a particular display. The area description language is used to define the location, dimension and contents of areas within a logical display grid. Each area description command is comprised of three components. First, each command has an associated scan count. The scan count defines which scan line or lines will be operated upon by the command. Secondly, each command has at least one instruction. The command instruction is used to define the location and the dimension of the area being defined by the command. The third component that may or may not exist in each command is a mask.

Abstract: A user interface element having a plurality of user interface elements for marking, finding, organizing, and processing data within documents stored in an associated computer system are described. Each element typically has an appearance which is uniquely related to the data or the function the element is designed to represent or perform, respectively. In their simplest form, these elements are only used to mark data within a document. Each element, however, can also be programmed to cause the computer to perform some function in association with the marked data, such as printing the data or mailing the data to someone. A user can select particular data within a document using an element and have that data associated with the element in memory. Data marked with common elements can be found by searching for a particular representative element in memory. Users can create their own elements, program elements with their own desired functionality, and modify existing elements.

Abstract: A method for encoding compressed graphics video information and decoding such information. The method consists of enriching the video information in zeros through shifting and Exclusive ORing video image with itself. A number of methods are attempted in the shifting and Exclusive ORing process in order to determine the method which yields the optimum zero enriched image. The zero enriched image is then encoded and the encoded information stored. Upon retrieval, the information is decoded and an Exclusive OR and shifting process is done to obtain the original video information.

Abstract: An improved computer system ring interconnection comprising a plurality of nodes each such node being associated with at least one of a plurality of computer system components; transmission apparatus connecting each of said nodes to a node which is a source of information and to a node which is a recipient of information; each of such nodes comprising apparatus for distributing information received from a node which is a source of information, apparatus for receiving information from and transferring information to the associated one of the system components, apparatus for relaying between the transmission apparatus information to be transferred through the node directed to other such nodes, apparatus for placing a voucher signal on the transmission apparatus in response to the receipt of information from the associated one of such components to indicate that the component has information to be transmitted to another system component, apparatus responsive to the receipt of a voucher signal for determining whe

Abstract: A system that allows inductive connectors to be electrically coupled without having to mechanical align the same. The connectors have a primary coil coupled to a secondary coil. The primary coil transmits either power or digital signals to the secondary coil. The power induced onto the secondary coil is a function of the distance between coils. The farther apart the coils are, the less power is transmitted to the secondary coil. To insure that the proper level of power is received by the secondary coil, a feedback circuit is incorporated to vary the output of power on the primary coil as a function of the voltage induced onto the secondary connectors. If connectors are spaced apart beyond a predetermined distance, the feedback system increases the power on the primary coil.

Abstract: A method for manipulating the control points of a symbol image represented by an outline font to improve the appearance of the font on raster output devices which are under control of a computer. The method includes storing control points specifying the outlines of a symbol image, specifying the desired movement direction defined by a first unit vector in which the control point should move, and specifying a desired measurement direction defined by a second unit vector by which the movement of the control point should be measured. The desired measurement direction and the desired movement direction forming an angle of predetermined size. The method further includes moving the control points in the desired movement direction and measuring the control points against the predetermined angle with the desired measurement direction, this measurement producing a resulting movement direction and storing the results of the manipulation of the control points in a memory means.

Abstract: The present invention provides a bus transceiver incorporating a high speed, binary transfer mode for the half-duplex transfer of data signals with a ternary control transfer mode having a full duplex dominant logic transmission scheme for the full duplex transfer of control signals. In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-noted transfer modes are implemented in a bus architecture which includes at least a first communications node coupled to a second communications node via a twisted pair, serial bus. Each node comprises first transceiver and second transceivers having a differential driver for driving on the bus signal states comprising first and second signal states having equal current amplitudes opposite in sign and a third signal state having approximately a zero current amplitude, a high speed binary receiver for receiving high speed data signals during data transfer phases and a ternary receiver for receiving control signals during control transfer phases.

Abstract: An elasticity buffer for use in a data transmission system having a transmitter and a receiver and utilizing a data transfer protocol that periodically supplies an elasticity element that can be deleted or replicated by the elasticity buffer to maintain the synchronous transfer of data elements.