Abstract: Methods of memory management in a run-time environment are described. A mechanism is provided for registering a routine to deinitialize or deallocate a large object at the end of a call (e.g. by setting it to null to unreference the object), which prevents the large object from being migrated into session memory, e.g. when live objects are migrated at the end of the call. This routine is called after the finalization of garbage collected objects that may use the large object. In a subsequent call, the large object is checked before use to determine if the object is deinitialized and re-initialized if the large object was deinitialized.

Abstract: A zipper is provided wherein at least one stringer has a row of coupling elements presenting a variable visual appearance along the coupled length of the zipper. The zipper has improved aural, tactile or visual aesthetics, and is more difficult to counterfeit.

Abstract: Objects that are managed within a run-time environment are stored on N-bit aligned addresses. Due to the alignment restriction, the N least significant bits of a reference to an object are available for storing information about the storage properties of the object. This information is extractable by fast register operations. The storage properties can include the lifetime, format, and contiguity of the object, or a combination of these properties. If the run-time environment implements a generational garbage collector, the reference tags are used to encode whether or not the object is recently allocated.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for referencing unshared memory in a run-time environment is provided. In one example of the invention, a method is provided for accessing a first object in unshared memory referenced by a second object in shared memory. Pages are allocated in a contiguous virtual address space. One of the pages is assigned to unshared memory. At least one of the other pages is assigned to shared memory, the second object having a reference to the first object, the reference being stored one of these other pages. A pointer is masked to the second object to produce a masked pointer. The first object is accessed based on the masked pointer.

Abstract: A compact push-pull exercise apparatus having a partial turn outer cam surface in contact with a random surface such as a floor, and one or more handles rotatably mounted to the cam rotational axis. The operator begins an exercise cycle in the kneeling position with hands on the handles and with arms generally near the vertical position. The operator pushes the apparatus forward to a stopping position with the operator nearly prone. During the first portion of the forward movement, gravitational energy is stored as the cam rotational axis is lifted. As the operator reverses the movement from the prone position to the kneeling position, gravitational energy is released during the first portion of the in-stroke to ease the return motion during the most difficult portion of the exercise cycle.

Abstract: A version control system is described for use in connection with a database management system to facilitate versioning of a database table, the system including a database table and a version control module. The database table comprises a plurality of records, each record including at least one data field for storing user data and at least some of the records including a version control field including version control information. The version control module is configured to, in response to a user query related to the database table and related to a version, generate an augmented query for processing by the data base management system, the augmented query relating to the user query and the version control information.

Abstract: A system and method for selectively viewing temporal row data in a consistent read-implemented database are described. Committed transactions effecting row data changes to a database are tracked and a stored system change number is assigned upon each committed transaction. Rollback segments for uncommitted transactions are stored. Each rollback segment stores a transaction identifier and transaction table entries containing ordered row data values reflecting the database changes. The database is transitioned into successive consistent versions responsive to each committed transaction at a journaled commit time. The transaction table entries are maintained for a user-definable retention period following the commit time of each committed transaction. A queried selection of row data values from the database is performed as of a query time occurring prior to the commit time of at least one committed transaction.

Abstract: A zipper including two stringers, each stringer having a row of coupling elements having a plurality of coupling element spacings, and at least one stringer having a plurality of coupling element widths.

Abstract: Methods for managing memory in a run-time environment are described, in which an object is activated by both initializing the object and registering a routine to deallocate or deactivate the object at the end of a call (e.g. by setting it to null to unreference the object), which prevents the object, which may be a large object, from being migrated into session memory. This deactivation routine is called after the finalization of garbage collected objects that may use the object. In a subsequent call, the object is checked before use to determine if the object is already activated and re-initialized if the object is not activated.

Abstract: A version control system is described for use in connection with a database management system to facilitate versioning of a database table, the system including a database table and a version control module. The database table comprises a plurality of records, each record including at least one data field for storing user data and at least some of the records including a version control field including version control information. The version control module is configured to, in response to a user query related to the database table and related to a version, generate an augmented query for processing by the data base management system, the augmented query relating to the user query and the version control information.

Abstract: A version control system is described for use in connection with a database management system to facilitate versioning of a database table, the system including a database table and a version control module. The database table comprises a plurality of records, each record including at least one data field for storing user data and at least some of the records including a version control field including version control information. The version control module is configured to, in response to a user query related to the database table and related to a version, generate an augmented query for processing by the data base management system, the augmented query relating to the user query and the version control information.

Abstract: Lazy evaluation is used for resolving references to recreatable external objects. A recreatable external object is an object whose state can easily be deallocated and later reconstituted or “activated” based on a much smaller sized descriptor. In one embodiment, a run-time external reference is used that specifies an index into a value array that holds the actual reference and a descriptor array. If the value array entry at the index is null, then the corresponding entry in the descriptor array is used to activate the external object and a reference to the activated external object is cached in the value array.

Abstract: A version control system is described for use in connection with a database management system to facilitate versioning of a database table, the system including a database table and a version control module. The database table comprises a plurality of records, each record including at least one data field for storing user data and at least some of the records including a version control field including version control information. The version control module is configured to, in response to a user query related to the database table and related to a version, generate an augmented query for processing by the database management system, the augmented query relating to the user query and the version control information.

Abstract: Replication for front office automation involves the use of snapshots that are instantiated on laptops, in which refreshing the snapshots is driven from a master site with a high-performance protocol. All of the necessary snapshot metadata for performing the snapshot refreshes is stored at the master site, so that the laptop only needs to send a single refresh request. In response to the refresh request, the master site reconciles the differences between the master tables and the laptop's snapshots and transmits the differences to the laptop, reducing the necessary network traffic for updating a snapshot to a single round trip.

Abstract: Mass deployment of snapshots is fostered by allowing collections of snapshots, called refresh groups, to be defined by a template. The template allows for a parameterized snapshot definition query or other DDL text to be defined, so that user-specific or site-specific values can be substituted into parameters to create different objects. Furthermore, off-line instantiation of snapshots is provided, so that the data for an entire suite of front office applications can be stored on a floppy disk, magnetic disk, CD ROM, or other transportable computer-readable medium.

Abstract: The various embodiments of the invention are directed to safety razor heads (120) having intrinsically fenced cutting blades (136, 138) oriented at a high slicing angle to the shaving direction. The razor comprises a plurality of short cutting edges (4) in a spaced relationship across the width of the cutting zone, bounded by leading (112) and trailing guards (104), and oriented at an angle greater than 30 degrees, resulting in enhanced cutting action, improved lubricant and debris flow, and longer life of the cutting edges. Lateral skin tensioning is achieved in one embodiment by the spreading action of left and right oriented cutting edges.

Abstract: An invariant numeric reference format is defined in a run-time environment for both run-time and storage use. A numeric reference to an object encodes the location of the object as an integral offset from an implicit machine pointer. In environments where the size of contiguous virtual memory segments is limited, objects are stored in a number of fixed-size contiguous chunks in virtual memory called pages. A page-offset numeric reference includes an offset and a page number, which is used to index a page map that contains a page pointer to the beginning of the page. Page-offset numeric references are dereferenced by adding the offset in the numeric reference to the page pointer obtained from the page map based on the page number in the numeric reference.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a sheath/core shoelace having enhanced knot retention and to the method of manufacture.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for implementing descending indexes in a database management system. A key value to be inserted within an index is decomposed into individual data bytes, such as an integer character value, that make up the key value and dictate the location where the key value will be inserted relative to other key values. A first function is applied to the data sequences in order to generate a reversed key value having reversed sorting properties. The reversed key values are then inserted into the index. The resulting index thus contains key values that are sorted in descending order. Additionally, indexes may be created on multiple key columns, with the sub_keys being independently sorted in either ascending or descending order. The present invention also discloses transformations that may be performed by a server in order to properly interpret statements that require the creation of standard or functional indexes in descending order.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and frictive fluid composition for application to a shoelace knot, whereby the shoelace becomes more resistant to untying. The frictive fluid contains a volatile solvent and a frictive powder.