Abstract: A method and apparatus is described for receiving a first data stream comprising a graphic image having an aspect ratio of 16:9 into a computer system, capturing the image within a storage device of the computer system, and displaying the image on a graphical user interface of the computer system in a 16:9 aspect ratio format.

Abstract: A method and system for providing menu tools directly from an operating system includes a computer system having a user interface including a display, a cursor, and a cursor control device, and an operating system. Menu tools are provided to one or more application windows. A menu item associated with a menu tool represents an available operating system function and an interactive icon associated with the menu item may be placed in a toolbar region in one of the application windows for access to the function. A special operating mode is activated for selecting menu items for use in the toolbar and making the function associated with the menu item available to the application by moving the menu item to the toolbar region. The menu item is represented as an interactive icon once the special operating mode is activated. The operating system function associated with the menu item is made available to the application window directly from the operating system by interaction with the icon.

Abstract: Improved techniques for rendering a peripheral device removable (e.g., unpluggable) are disclosed. According to one aspect of the invention, the peripheral device is rendered removable from a host computer without preparatory user actions. In effect, the peripheral device can be automatically prepared for removal in the event that its user removes (unplugs) it from its host computer. According to another aspect of the invention, the peripheral device includes a data storage device that is mounted to a file system of the host computer when the host computer desires access to the data storage device. Otherwise, the data storage device is normally unmounted so that if the peripheral device were to be removed (e.g., unplugged) no harm or damage to data stored therein would occur. These aspects of the invention can be utilized alone or in combination with one another.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for improved duration modeling of phonemes in a speech synthesis system are provided. According to one aspect, text is received into a processor of a speech synthesis system. The received text is processed using a sum-of-products phoneme duration model that is used in either the formant method or the concatenative method of speech generation. The phoneme duration model, which is used along with a phoneme pitch model, is produced by developing a non-exponential functional transformation form for use with a generalized additive model. The non-exponential functional transformation form comprises a root sinusoidal transformation that is controlled in response to a minimum phoneme duration and a maximum phoneme duration. The minimum and maximum phoneme durations are observed in training data. The received text is processed by specifying at least one of a number of contextual factors for the generalized additive model.

Abstract: A method and system to provide a color palette which facilitates user selection of web-safe colors. In laying out the color palette, the extent of achromatic colors located within the color palette is determined. The achromatic colors are then arranged in one group on the palette, for instance in order of lightest to darkest. The non web-safe chromatic colors are then grouped together. From this grouping blends of the colors are created. Finally, the web-safe chromatic colors are grouped together. Blends with respect to the web-safe chromatic colors are created and then grouped on the color palette.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for run length encoding using a vector processing unit. In one aspect of the invention, a method for execution by a microprocessor in response to the microprocessor receiving a single instruction includes: receiving a first list of a plurality of elements from a first vector register; generating a plurality of run values respectively for the first list of elements, at least one of the plurality of run values indicating the number of consecutive elements of a first value immediately preceding the corresponding element in the first list; and outputting the plurality of run values into a second vector register; where the above operations are performed in response to the microprocessor receiving the single instruction.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for variable length encoding using a vector processing unit. In one aspect of the invention, a method for execution by a microprocessor to perform variable length encoding includes: receiving a plurality of parameters, each of the plurality of parameters corresponding to one of a plurality of symbols to be variable length encoded; generating concurrently a plurality of first codewords from the plurality of parameters to represent respectively the plurality of symbols; generating a plurality of lengths representing respectively bit lengths of the plurality of first codewords; and outputting the plurality of first codewords and the plurality of lengths; where the above operations are performed in response to the microprocessor receiving a single instruction.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a calibrated variable phase offset timing between synchronous clock subdomains is described. In one embodiment, the invention is an apparatus. The apparatus includes a first subsystem and a second subsystem coupled to the first subsystem. The apparatus also includes a clock signal generator coupled to the first subsystem and coupled to the second subsystem. The clock signal generator is to supply a first clock to the first subsystem and to supply a second clock to the first subsystem and to supply a third clock to the second subsystem. Each of the first clock, the second clock and the third clock are derived from a common clock, the first clock having a first predetermined phase offset relative to the third clock, and the second clock having a second predetermined phase offset relative to the third clock.

Abstract: A method and system for dynamic language modeling of a document are described. In one embodiment, a number of local probabilities of a current document are computed and a vector representation of the current document in a latent semantic analysis (LSA) space is determined. In addition, a number of global probabilities based upon the vector representation of the current document in an LSA space is computed. Further, the local probabilities and the global probabilities are combined to produce the language modeling.

Abstract: A method and device for accessing a broad data field having a fine resolution. The user selects a scale which can be varied. The scale controls a range within the data field. By moving the range to encompass different portions of the data field, the user can scan that portion of the data field. The present invention allows the user to simultaneously select the scale while moving the range over different portions of the data field. Thus, the user can “zoom in” and “zoom out” of different portions of the data field. In one embodiment of the present invention, a particular piece of data within the broad data field can be accessed. First, the scale is selectively varied, thereby controlling a range within the data field. Then, the range is moved to encompass portions of the data field in which the piece of data resides. Next, the scale is successively decreased while, simultaneously, points successively closer to the location are kept with the range. The scale is decreased (i.e.

Abstract: An illumination system for a computer system. In one exemplary embodiment, a light guide panel has a first end and a second end, wherein lights from a light source enter the light guide panel from the first end and exit through the second end. A light guide tube is coupled to the second end of the light guide panel. The light guide tube captures the lights that exit the second end and reflecting the lights downward illuminating at least a portion of a keyboard of the computer system. The chassis that houses the display assembly includes a plurality of holes created along the top edge of the chassis wherein the lights captured and reflected by the light guide tube exit through the plurality of holes.

Abstract: A computing device is disclosed. The computing device includes a housing having an illuminable portion. The computing device also includes a light device disposed inside the housing. The light device is configured to illuminate the illuminable portion.

Abstract: A system and method for performing tangent space lighting in a deferred shading graphics processor (DSGP) encompasses blocks of the DSGP that preprocess data and a Phong shader that executes only after all fragments have been preprocessed. A preprocessor block receives texture maps specified in a variety of formats and converts those texture maps to a common format for use by the Phong shader. The preprocessor blocks provide the Phong shader with interpolated surface basis vectors (vs, vt, n), a vector Tb that represents in tangen/object space the texture/bump data from the texture maps, light data, material data, eye coordinates and other information used by the Phong shader to perform the lighting and bump mapping computations. The data from the preprocessor is provided for each fragment for which lighting effects need to be computed. The Phong shader computes the color of a fragment using the information provided by the preprocessor.

Abstract: A data processing system including a data storage device having data stored on a data storage medium. Within said data processing system, a system electronics is operatively coupled to a sensor and to said data storage device. When the sensor senses a change in gravitational or inertial acceleration of said data processing system, it alerts system electronics to temporarily park a read/write head in a safe position.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing visibility of damping wire artifacts in aperture grill display tubes comprises a sensor device for locating the artifacts and responsively generating amplitude values, a processor for receiving the generated amplitude values and responsively calculating correction values, and a compensator device coupled to the processor for utilizing the correction values to correct said artifacts.