Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a note on an application program includes noticing a note anchor object associated with a data file displayed by an application program on a computer screen and displaying a note slip image over the displayed data and images of the application program. Many anchor objects and note slips may be displayed on the screen at once, and a single anchor object is preferably associated with a single note slip. The note slip is preferably receptive to pen-based inputs, and may be resized or moved on the screen. The anchor object includes a visual picture data portion and a picture comment data portion that descibes the note slip associated with that anchor object. The anchor object preferably exists as a standard graphical picture in the application program and can be manipulated as such. The present invention thus allows note slips to be displayed in existing application programs, either pen-compatible or non-pen-compatible.

Abstract: A computer system for system recovery from power loss includes a central processing unit and an activation means for starting up the computer. The computer system also has a cold boot circuit, a system controller, volatile read/write memory, and non-volatile read/write memory. The controller includes a protection register whose value indicates the manner in which the computer system was previously shut-down. One aspect of the present invention is a method for an orderly shut-down which includes the steps of compressing all critical data stored in volatile read/write memory, transferring the compressed critical data into non-volatile read/write memory, writing memory validity data to indicate a successful store and the time and date stored, and shutting down the system.

Abstract: A power system fault handling mechanism for portable electronic devices having multiple power supplies. A safety-net circuit is triggered when a power fault condition is detected. The safety-net circuit is a diode-based bridging circuit which couples all available power supplies to the power load, yet avoids feeding power back from any of the supplies to one another. This ensures that the load continues to receive power after a fault condition occurs without interruption. A microcontroller may then implement routines to switch to a working power supply so that the device may resume normal operation. The power system fault detection mechanism thus allows for the switching between system power supplies without disrupting a running process.

Abstract: The present invention has application to dedicated multimedia game systems and computer game programs executed by personal computers. A central processing unit (CPU) is coupled to a mass storage device, such as for example, a read-only memory game cartridge, CD-ROM, floppy disk or hard disk drive. The mass storage device stores an application game program which is executed by the CPU and further stores a library of sound data. A sound synthesizer circuit is coupled to the CPU for generating digital audio signals from the sound data stored in said mass storage device. Under program control the CPU selectively provides sound data for a player of the game program to the sound synthesizer circuit. A digital to audio converter (DAC) is coupled to receive the digital audio signals from the sound synthesizer circuit and convert the digital audio signals into analog audio signals.

Abstract: In a bus system including a bus, a plurality of nodes including a primary node, and a bus access coordinator, bus utilization efficiency is improved by operating the coordinator at the same clock frequency as the primary node. The primary node is the node in the bus system which accesses the bus most frequently. By running the coordinator synchronous with the primary node, the need for synchronization events between the two components is eliminated. Since the primary node accesses the bus most frequently, eliminating synchronization events with the primary node eliminates most of the synchronization events in the bus system. Thus, synchronization events are minimized which, in turn, improves bus utilization efficiency.

Abstract: A system and method are provided which ensure that the required number of refreshes are executed by the memory after powering on. A counter of a refresh processor is initialized to a reset value after completing a reset interval so that the required number of refreshes correspond to high priority requests to ensure that the required number of refreshes will be executed before any other requests. As a result, the system and method ensure that the wake-up period performs the required refreshes after powering on the memory in a simplified and reliable manner.

Abstract: A refresh controller and method are provided which issue refresh requests to a memory as high and low priority requests based on the number of pending refresh requests to the memory. The refresh request is determined to be a high priority request when the number of pending refresh requests to the memory is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold number and the refresh requests are issued to the memory as low priority requests when the number of pending refresh requests to the memory is less than the predetermined threshold number. As a result, the refresh controller and method ensure that the refresh requests are executed by the memory within the required refresh period while reducing the read latency to the memory.

Abstract: A method of smoothing a color lookup table minimizes inappropriate shifts away from gray, at the same time reducing the effect of measurement errors and enabling interpolation between the lookup table data points to be performed efficiently. More particularly, data in a preliminary lookup table, comprising a three-dimensional data array in which a location of each data point is designated by a unique tuple, is smoothed so as to satisfy predetermined constraints. A resulting three-dimensional lookup table relates source device colors and destination device colors in a computer graphics system in which a color image source device and a color image destination device have non-coincident color gamuts.

Abstract: An enclosure for an electrical apparatus includes a housing having top and bottom surfaces and a plurality of side surfaces, and an electrical apparatus, such as a pen-based computer, disposed within the housing such that the housing and the apparatus present a user interface region proximate to the top surface. A cover coupled to the housing by a compound hinge can be moved between a closed position substantially overlaying the user interface region and an open position substantially overlaying a portion of the bottom surface of the housing. The cover protects the user interface region when in the closed position and exposes the user interface region for use when in the open position. A cover catch member coupled to the cover engages a top-surface housing catch member when the cover is in the closed position, and the cover catch member engages a bottom-surface housing catch member at the open position.

Abstract: A development environment and method is provided in which a first computer system is used to develop an application for execution in a second computer system--such as a pen-based computer--having a graphical user interface. The first computer system also has a graphical user interface that can display (1) a palette containing lists and/or buttons of "components" representing graphical interface elements such as slide bars, dialog boxes, buttons, check boxes, icons, menus, etc., (2) a layout window corresponding a display screen of the second computer and containing "views" of selected palette components and (3) a browser allowing the views to be edited graphically. To develop an application, the user creates views on the layout window by (1) selecting a component from the palette and (2) drawing a border for the view in the layout window. Each view so created represents a "template" which is a frame object having a plurality of "slots" which may be edited in a slot editor area of the browser.

Abstract: A system for producing a set of dither matrix signals having local correlation comprises a processor, an input device, a display device, a hard output device, an incremental threshold generator, a pattern generator, an optimizer, a dither matrix storage, and a pixel activator. The incremental threshold generator determines a maximum tolerable error and generates an incremental threshold signal. The maximum tolerable error is the greatest tolerable variation between dither matrices for adjacent gray levels. The incremental threshold signal controls the transition of cells of dither matrices for adjacent gray levels. The pattern generator receives the incremental threshold signal and a dither matrix signal for the previous gray level and generates the possible pattern signals based on a dither matrix signal for an adjacent gray level and the incremental threshold signal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for setting the case of text in a pen-aware computer system is described. In general, the case of one or more letters of a designated text object can be changed with a convenient and simple input gesture. The case resetting gesture takes the form of a substantially vertically extending line that overlies a textual object that includes a character or characters that are intended to have their case reset. The direction and position of the case setting gesture are used to determine which characters are to be affected and whether the designated case is upper or lower case.

Abstract: A polycyclic timing system and an apparatus for pipelined computer operation comprises a master state machine and a slave state machine. The master state marine produces a plurality of control signals in response to a clock signal. The master state machine comprises an oscillator, a plurality of data storage elements, and a next state feedback network. The oscillator is used to produce a clock signal that triggers the storage elements. The next state feedback network determines the control signals to output based on the current output data storage elements using logic in the next state feedback network. The slave state machine receives the control signals and uses them to produce several asynchronous pulse streams. The slave state machine preferably comprises a plurality of pulse forming state machines and a plurality of pulse transmission amplifiers.

Abstract: A statically operated dynamic CMOS logic gate that includes an FET logic network for performing a predefined logic function with respect to its logic inputs, an output node, a precharge transistor, and in some embodiments an evaluate transistor. During operation, the precharge transistor is first turned on by a clock signal during a precharge phase to precharge an output node of the dynamic logic gate to a first voltage state. During the precharge phase, the evaluate transistor is turned off by the clock signal. An evaluate phase typically follows the precharge phase, and during the evaluation phase, the evaluate transistor is turned on by the control signal to allow the logic network to perform the predefined logic function with respect to its inputs, and the logic network selectively charges or discharges the output node to a second voltage state via the evaluate transistor in accordance with the predefined logic function given to the logic inputs to the logic gate.

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. To assist the user, visual cues in the form of coach marks are generated for identifying features on the display. The coach marks are rendered such that they appear animated as if drawn by hand and appear to approximate a geometric object, such as an arrow, a circle, an X, and the like. The coach marks encircle, point to, and/or underline objects, features, icons, folders and other display elements to assist the user in operating the computer system.

Abstract: A personal computer or workstation on a network includes a quick-choice cache into which are collected the names and aliases of networked devices or services that are expected to be most routinely used by a particular user. The cache is initialized to contain the names and aliases of devices within a network zone assigned to the workstation. This collection of names/aliases is expanded each time the user makes a connection to a device not previously listed. The cache drives a graphic user interface (GUI) that shows the user what service categories are available within the cache, and then when a service category is selected, what specific devices are included within the cache under that service category. The GUI permits quick logical connection to devices whose aliases are stored in the user's cache. A connection map later graphically shows the user what connections he or she has made.

Abstract: A semaphore method establishes exclusive access transactions between source and destination nodes in a multiple bus computer system, independent of the bus locking architectures of the component buses. An atomic transaction is selected for each bus protocol to mediate exclusive access transactions involving the corresponding bus, and bridges coupling different pairs of buses monitor these buses for the selected atomic transactions. A source node on one bus (the source bus) initiates an exclusive access transaction to a destination node by launching the selected atomic transaction appropriate for the source bus to the destination node. When the path between the source and the destination nodes requires transit of more than one bus, each bridge that couples a pair of buses in the path detects an incoming atomic transaction on one of these buses and launches an outgoing atomic transactions appropriate for the other bus to the destination node.

Abstract: A graphics system for use with a computer in a gray-scale mode. The graphics system utilizes a lookup table having index values to be stored in a frame buffer. The lookup table is addressed by converting color information such as RGB color information, to a luminance value, which is then used to access the table. The index values may be used to index a second lookup table for providing luminance information. The present invention further discloses methods of insuring index values provided by the lookup table closely approximate the desired luminance value within the available gray-scale space. Further, the present invention provides methods for performing arithmetic transfer operations on gray-scales represented by indices in the frame buffer.