Abstract: A signaling circuit may be implemented with a connection comprised of signal lines having predefined signals and/or functions. The predefined signals and/or functions may be defined by an individual entity or standards organization. The signaling circuit transmits information not included in the predefined signals and/or functions. The information may be transmitted from a second device, such as a visual display screen, to a first device, such as a computing device, using at least one signal line in the connection. The information may include information about the state or status of the second device. The signaling circuit may, for example, activate, or turn on, the first device when a switch associated with the second device is depressed. Once the first device is activated, the signaling circuit may be disabled in order to allow the at least one signal line to be used for its predefined function.

Abstract: A control element for use in a graphical user interface, which combines the display features of the list box element and the pop-up menu element into a single GUI control element. The combined menu list control element is capable of displaying data in multiple states thereby allowing to it to optimally use the available display space for presenting data to the user. By allowing menu list control element to display data as either a list or a menu, it combines the advantages of lists and menus while avoiding their disadvantages.

Abstract: An interface includes an encoder to receive a stream of input symbols and, in response, to output a corresponding stream of output symbols of substantially equal weight via multiple signal lines, which can improve noise/speed performance. The encoder outputs the stream of output symbols so that no output symbol is consecutively repeated. A repeat symbol is used to indicate that the current symbol is identical to the immediately preceding symbol. This encoding allows an interface receiving the stream of output symbols can extract a clock signal from the stream.

Abstract: A low-level portion of the operating system of a computer system is separated from an intermediate-level portion of the operating system. The low-level portion, including hardware-specific code, is stored in a relatively small read-only memory (ROM), while at least part of the intermediate-level portion is stored as a compressed ROM image on a disk or other mass storage device, which may be located remotely from the computer system. Upon power-up or reset of the computer system, the code in the ROM is executed to read the compressed ROM image into random access memory (RAM) of the computer system. The compressed image is then decompressed and executed as part of the boot sequence. Once decompressed, the portion of RAM storing the intermediate-level code is write-protected in the memory map, and the code in boot ROM is deleted from the memory map. Memory space in RAM that is allocated to the intermediate-level code but not used is returned to the operating system for use as part of system RAM.

Abstract: Operations that involve denormalized numbers are handled by restructuring the input values for an operation as normalized numbers, and performing calculations on the normalized numbers. As a first step in the process of performing an operation, a determination is made whether input values for the operation contain one or more denormalized numbers. For certain types of operations, a determination is made whether the input values are such that the output value from the operation will be a denormalized number. For each operation in which either the input values or output values comprise a denormalized number, the input values are scaled to produce values that are not denormalized. Once the appropriate factoring has been carried out, the requested operation is performed, using normalized numbers, to produce an intermediate result which is then adjusted to account for the initial scaling.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a user with increased flexibility and control over the appearance and behavior of objects on a user interface. Sets of objects can be grouped into themes to provide a user with a distinct overall impression of the interface. These themes can be switched dynamically by switching pointers to drawing procedures or switching data being supplied to these procedures. To buffer applications from the switchable nature of graphical user interfaces, colors and patterns used to implement the interface objects are abstracted from the interface by, for example, pattern look-up tables.

Abstract: A computer readable medium contains media player application code which implements the procedures of generating in a user interface an application window having a window frame and a plurality of stiles to define a plurality of panes within said frame, displaying in a first one of said panes a user selectable index of a plurality of media files, displaying in a second one of said first selected information for said media files, and displaying in a third one of said panes second selected information for said media files.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for accessing media across networks. The present invention generally allows for media to be provided across a network. A client requests media information from a server so the client can create a local representation of the server's database. The client is then able to manage the media information locally. When the client selects the desired media, it requests the selection from across the network. The server then delivers the selected media.

Abstract: Internet location objects are created and displayed as icons in a graphical user interface (GUI) environment. Internet location objects may be manipulated by the user in similar fashion as other GUI objects, e.g., files, folders, aliases, etc. When an object is dragged from within an application into a system window, a drag object describing what is being dragged in passed from the application to the operating system. An application may be aware of Internet location objects and, when an object is dragged from within the application into the system window, may specify that the object being dragged is a URL. Alternatively, the application may be unaware of or not support Internet locations but support generic text drag-and-drop, in which case the application, instead of specifying a “URL drag flavor,” specifies a “text drag flavor” as part of the drag object.

Abstract: Unused space in a storage medium such as a read only memory is used to store additional fonts, thereby increasing the total number of fonts stored in an apparatus. A portion of the fonts stored in the apparatus are made available to a user using traditional methods. If a key is present or has been added to the apparatus, the additional fonts are made available to the user. Examples of a key include software code, a hardware jumper or a card with a hardware identification or jumper.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing motion estimation in a digital video system is disclosed. Specifically, the present invention discloses a system that quickly calculates estimated motion vectors in a very efficient manner. In one embodiment, a first multiplicand is determined by multiplying a first display time difference between a first video picture and a second video picture by a power of two scale value. This step scales up a numerator for a ratio. Next, the system determines a scaled ratio by dividing that scaled numerator by a second first display time difference between said second video picture and a third video picture. The scaled ratio is then stored calculating motion vector estimations. By storing the scaled ratio, all the estimated motion vectors can be calculated quickly with good precision since the scaled ratio saves significant bits and reducing the scale is performed by simple shifts.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for performing synchronization of a time clock maintained by a computer system based on the network connection modes of the computer system. The technique allows the time clock of the computer system to be synchronized at the earliest opportunity that will not result in a disruption or inconvenience to the user. When synchronization of the time clock is required, and the computer system does not already have an active network connection, the computer system queries a configuration database to determine its default network connection mode. If the default connection mode is potentially user disruptive (e.g., use of a dial out modem is required), synchronization of the time clock is not performed until an active network connection has been established. If the default connection mode is not likely to be user-disruptive (e.g., doesn't require a modem connection), then a network connection is immediately established to synchronize the time clock.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for compressing and decompressing small amounts of image data, such as icon image data, is disclosed. The image data is transformed from RGB color space data to luminance and chrominance data. The chrominance data is then reduced by means of a thinning or averaging process. Run length encoding is performed on the luminance data and reduced chrominance data to compress for storage. The invention allows accurate and efficient storage and use of a small amount of compressed image data, particularly for continuous tone icons.

Abstract: In a first embodiment, multi-speed concatenated packet strings are transmitted by a first node on a serial bus. To accommodate multi-speed packets, a speed signal is transmitted immediately prior to the packet. In a second embodiment, ACK-concatenation is used to allow a node to transmit a data packet immediately after transmitting an acknowledge signal on the bus. The data packet need not be related to the ACK packet. In a third embodiment, a node which receives a first data packet followed by a data end signal on a child port, concatenates a second data packet onto the first data packet during retransmission. The second data packet is also transmitted down the bus in the direction of the node which originally transmitted the first data packet.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for processing media data for transmission in a data communication medium. A set of data indicates how to transmit a time related sequence of media data according to a transmission protocol. The set of data, includes a time related sequence of data which is associated with the time related sequence of media data. The set of data may be utilized by a digital processing system to transmit the time related sequence of media data (e.g., by packets generated according to the transmission protocol and the set of data).

Abstract: A deferred shading graphics pipeline processor and method are provided encompassing numerous substructures. Embodiments of the processor and method may include one or more of deferred shading, a tiled frame buffer, and multiple-stage hidden surface removal processing. In the deferred shading graphics pipeline, hidden surface removal is completed before pixel coloring is done. The pipeline processor comprises a command fetch and decode unit, a geometry unit, a mode extraction unit, a sort unit, a setup unit, a cull unit, a mode injection unit, a fragment unit, a texture unit, a Phong lighting unit, a pixel unit, and a backend unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for generating random jitter test patterns by generating a sequence of maximum-size asynchronous packets according to the P1394b standard and transmitting the sequence to the device under test. The present invention provides a method for generating jitter test patterns by disabling the transmitter data scrambler of the second device; clearing the port_error register of the device under test; and sending a test pattern to said device under test. The present invention provides for a method for generating supply noise test patterns comprising: transmitting a test pattern to the DUT comprising a maximum length asynchronous packet containing alternate 0016 and FF16 bytes.

Abstract: A user interface and methods for controlling and presenting information concerning scrolling of an on-screen document are described. In one aspect of the invention, an exemplary method of the invention generates a graphical user interface to provide functionality of controlling a scroll amount for an on-screen document. In this method, a graphical representation of a scroll activator is displayed to enable the user to activate the scroll function using a cursor control device. In addition, a graphical representation of multiple scroll amount indicators is also displayed along with the graphical representation of the scroll activator. The multiple scroll amount indicators graphically illustrate various magnitudes of scrolling. According to another aspect of the present invention, an exemplary method of the invention provides a coasting function when an on-screen document scrolls.

Abstract: A system for controlling memory accesses in a memory device in a multi-processor computer system comprises a memory controller and a data storage. The data storage comprises a plurality of memory lines. Each memory line has a check field for storing a GONE code that indicates that the data is held in a cache, a g bit field for storing a G bit for confirming the code in the check field, a tag field for storing an identification of the processor in whose cache the data is held, and a d bit field for storing the true value of the G bit in rare situations. The memory controller comprises a data buffer, an address buffer, and a memory sequencer. The memory sequencer is a state machine for controlling the functions of the memory device.