Abstract: Priority levels and bump values are assigned to requestors for access to a system resource. When access requests are received, arbitration of the requests is made in accordance with the assigned priorities, bump values, and the received access requests. If a high priority level access request is granted, then the same request will be held off for a successive number of requests as set by the bump values. In cases where the access is required for more than one request/grant cycle, the priority level access can be retained as long as required.

Abstract: A tool and process for electroetching metal films or layers on a substrate employs a linear electrode and a linear jet of electrolyte squirted from the electrode. The electrode is slowly scanned over the film by a drive mechanism. The current is preferably intermittent. In one embodiment a single wafer surface (substrate) is inverted and the jet is scanned underneath. In another embodiment wafers are held vertically on opposite sides of a holder and two linear electrodes, oriented horizontally and on opposite sides of the holder, are scanned vertically upward at a rate such that the metal layers are completely removed in one pass. The process is especially adapted for fabricating C4 solder balls with triple seed layers of Ti-W (titanium-tungsten alloy) on a substrate, phased Cr-Cu consisting of 50% chromium (Cr) and 50% copper (Cu), and substantially pure Cu. Solder alloys are through-mask electrodeposited on the Cu layer. The seed layers conduct the plating current.

Abstract: Accordingly, a digital logic circuit in the form of a finite state machine (FSM) is implemented in a semiconductor structure such as complementary metal oxide silicon (CMOS) with reduced power dissipation by determining transition probabilities for transitions between states in the FSM, producing a constraint matrix to identify constraints to producing a minimum area implementation consistent with minimum power dissipation, constructing one or more state chains having transitions with highest probability and implementing each of these state chains in order of probability to achieve the implementation of the FSM having minimum power dissipation.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for monitoring network performance in a network controlled by a communication access method. The communication access method is modified to communicate with a network performance monitor so that the communication access method will monitor its internal processing for information units for a predetermined resource upon request of the network performance monitor. The communication access method time stamps each inbound and outbound information unit for the predetermined resource and sends formatted data regarding each information unit, including the time stamp data, to a predetermined exit from the communication access method. The network performance monitor obtains the formatted data from the performance exit and processes the formatted data to determine network performance in relation to the predetermined resource.

Abstract: A method and apparatus provide a direct manipulation protocol to allow a user, while dragging a source object to a target object, to pass the source object through one or more intervening processor objects, causing an appropriate action to occur to the source object when it is dropped on the target object. If the source object is passed across a processor object for which no appropriate action occurs, the source object remains unchanged in appearance and content. If the source object undergoes modification, its graphical representation to the user changes, giving the user feedback that the source object has been modified.

Abstract: An aluminum nitride ceramic having desired properties suitable for electronic packaging applications can be prepared from a novel aluminum nitride powder/sintering aid mixture. The sintering aid comprises a glassy component formed from alumina, calcia and boria, and a non-vitreous component comprising an element or compound of a metal of Group IIa, IIIa, or the lanthanides, preferably crystalline oxides, reactible with the crystallized glass component and the alumina from the AlN grains. Alternatively, the sintering aid comprises a multi-component glass composition capable of forming the above components upon melting and thereafter crystallizing upon reaction.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for converting data representation of an image between a first color space and a second color space. The quality of images must be preserved in situations where further processing of the image is required. The advance made in the art is the properties directly associated with the development of tuned round-trip tables. Degradation of the image quality from the conversion process is minimal and continued conversions of the image between color spaces does not propagate a further degradation of the image quality.

Abstract: Disclosed is a high solidus temperature, high service temperature, high strength ternary solder alloy. The components of the alloy are a major portion of Sn and lesser portions of Bi, and In.

Abstract: Disclosed is a Musical Instrument Digital Interface emulator for testing the THRU port echo of a Musical Instrument Digital Interface device. The emulator has input devices for taking bitstream data from the THRU and OUT ports of the Musical Instrument Digital Interface device, comparing the THRU port bitstream data to the OUT port bitstream data, and generating a result of the comparison. Also disclosed is a method of testing the THRU port echo of a Musical Instrument Digital Interface device by reading the THRU bitstream and OUT bitstream of the Musical Digital Interface Device, bitwise comparing the two bit streams; and reporting the results of the comparison to an output means.

Abstract: The functions of two virtual operating systems (e. S/370 VM, VSE or IX370 and S/88 OS) are merged into one physical system. Partner pairs of S/88 processors run the S/88 OS and handle the fault tolerant and single system image aspects of the system. One or more partner pairs of S/370 processors are coupled to corresponding S/88 processors directly and through the S/88 bus. Each S/370 processor is allocated from 1 to 16 megabytes of contiguous storage from the S/88 main storage. Each S/370 virtual operating system thinks its memory allocation starts at address 0, and it manages its memory through normal S/370 dynamic memory allocation and paging techniques. The S/370 is limit checked to prevent the S/370 from accessing S/88 memory space. The S/88 Operating System is the master over all system hardware and I/O devices.

Abstract: The present invention divides a video frame into a series of smaller and smaller quadrants until reaching a single pixel size. By issuing a series of commands, a logical cursor moves within the quadrants to evaluate the frame for changes from the previous frame. Upon detecting a color change, the exact location (identified by a level and a quadrant thereof) is encoded along with a value for the change. As a result of the novel approach disclosed herein, there may be significant storage savings over the prior art.

Abstract: A method for update writing in an array of DASDs in a reduced number of DASD track cycles. The method involves distributing data and parity blocks for each parity group across the array in failure independent form and reserving unused space. During a first cycle, the old data and parity blocks are read. The new parity is calculated and shadow written into reserved unused space located before the old parity block recurs. The amended data is either written in place during a second cycle or shadow written into reserved space during a subsequent portion of the first cycle.

Abstract: The functions of two virtual operating systems (e.g., S/370 VM, VSE or IX370 and S/88 OS) are merged into one physical system. Partner pairs of S/88 processors run the S/88 OS and handle the fault tolerant and single system image aspects of the system. One or more partner pairs of S/370 processors are coupled to corresponding S/88 processors directly and through the S/88 bus. Each S/370 processor is allocated from 1 to 16 megabytes of contiguous storage from the S/88 main storage. Each S/370 virtual operating system thinks its memory allocation starts at address 0, and it manages its memory through normal S/370 dynamic memory allocation and paging techniques. The S/370 is limit checked to prevent the S/370 from accessing S/88 memory space. The S/88 Operating System is the master over all system hardware and I/O devices.

Abstract: The functions of two virtual operating systems (e.g., S/370 VM, VSE or IX370 and S/88 OS) are merged into one physical system. Partner pairs of S/88 processors run the S/88 OS and handle the fault tolerant and single system image aspects of the system. One or more partner pairs of S/370 processors are coupled to corresponding S/88 processors directly and through the S/88 bus. Each S/370 processor is allocated from 1 to 16 megabytes of contiguous storage from the S/88 main storage. Each S/370 virtual operating system thinks its memory allocation starts at address 0, and it manages its memory through normal S/370 dynamic memory allocation and paging techniques, The S/370 is limit checked prevent the S/370 from accessing S/88 memory space. The S/88 Operating System is the master over all system hardware and I/O devices.

Abstract: Clipping individual rows or columns of pels from patterns stored as pels is accomplished by passing quads of pels through a clipper before rotation is effected. Integral numbers of quads are clipped by skipping their address when reading from the pattern store or inhibiting their transfer. This permits more detailed pages to be composed for printing.

Abstract: A copolymer of (a) an unsubstituted 4-hydroxystyrene monomer and (b) a substituted 4-hydroxystyrene monomer of the formula ##STR1## wherein A, B, C, and D are independently H or C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 alkyl and wherein at least one of B and D is C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 alkyl; and wherein said copolymer has a molecular weight of from about 800 to about 100,000; and wherein the mol ratio of monomer (a) to monomer (b) ranges from about 3:1 to about 1:3.

Abstract: A system and method for overwriteable magento-optical recording comprises a medium having a data layer and a reference layer. The medium is heated with a laser pulse of short duration which causes a temperature gradient between the data layer and the reference layer. The temperature of the data layer becomes greater than the Curie temperature of the data layer, but the reference layer remains at a temperature below the Curie temperature of the data layer. The magnetic orientation of the reference layer thus remains unchanged and the data layer will orient itself in the same direction as the reference layer. It is therefore not necessary that the Curie temperature of the reference layer be greater than that of the data layer.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a personal computer apparatus and a device for removing a direct access storage device from a personal computer. More particularly, this disclosure describes a tool for easily removing an electromechanical storage device such as hard disk drive which is directly attached to the bus structure provided by a planar board or motherboard of a personal computer system.

Abstract: A high performance integrated circuit chip package includes a support substrate having conductors extending from one face to the opposite face thereof and a multilayer wiring substrate on the opposite face of the support substrate for connecting chips mounted thereon to one another and to the conductors. A heat sink includes microchannels at one face thereof, with thermally conductive cushions connecting the one face of the heat sink with the exposed back sides of the chips, to provide a high density chip package with high heat dissipation. The support substrate and heat sink may be formed of blocks of material having thermal expansion matching silicon. The cushions are a low melting point solder, preferably pure indium, and are sufficiently thick to absorb thermal stresses, but sufficiently thin to efficiently conduct heat from the chips to the heat sink.

Abstract: A controller device interfacing method and a low level device interface are provided for use between at least one controller and a plurality of devices in a direct access storage device. Message and command and data information are received and transmitted between the controller and the device. Responsive to a received predetermined read data command, read data function hardware transmits the requested data to the controller. Responsive to a received predetermined write data command, write data function hardware writes the received data from the controller to a device. Received message information is blocked from received data information so that message information is transmitted at any time within and between data information transmissions. The low level device interface supports two wire serial data transfer and provides improved data rate performance.