Abstract: A computer system hating a digitizing tablet overlaying the display screen. The tablet serves as a user's primary input device. Various features of the system make it possible for the user to run and interact with standard programs designed for keystroke and mouse input and not designed for use with a tablet. In addition to the main processor, on which the user's programs are executed, there is an interface processor. In addition to a standard display buffer, there is an ink plane buffer for interface display data that is combined with the data from the standard display buffer on a pixel-by-pixel basis according to data from a mask plane buffer. The interface processor manages input from the tablet, presents feedback to the user by means of the ink and mask planes, and provides keystroke and mouse data to the main processor as if from a standard keyboard controller. The interface processor presents the user with a collection of simulated devices, including standard devices such as a keyboard and a mouse.

Abstract: A method, and circuitry that operates in accordance with the method, for generating an entry for a translation buffer in a data processor that employs virtual memory addressing. The method includes the first steps of storing a Faulted Virtual Address in a first register (96) and a Zone Table Address (ZTA) in a second register (94). In response to the execution of a micro-instruction, a next step forms an address in memory of a Zone Table Entry (ZTE) by selectively combining a first portion of the content of the first register with the content of the second register, while simultaneously testing the ZTA for physical address mapping. In response to an execution of a next micro-instruction, a next step accesses the ZTE with the formed address, and forms an address in memory of a Segment Table Entry (STE) by selectively combining a second portion the content of the first register with a content of the ZTE, while simultaneously testing the ZTE for a Zone fault.

Abstract: A circuit (10) for generating an output signal having a frequency that is a multiple of an input clock signal (CLKIN). The circuit includes a delay circuit (12) having an input port and a plurality of output ports (A,B,C). The input port is coupled during use to the input clock signal. Individual ones of the plurality of output ports output a signal that is delayed with respect to the input clock signal and also with respect to others of the plurality of output ports. The circuit further includes a logic network (20) having a first input for coupling to the input clock signal and a plurality of second inputs for coupling to the plurality of output ports. The logic network operates to logically combine signals emanating from the plurality of output ports with the input clock signal, and has an output port (OUTPUT) for outputting a signal having a frequency that is multiple of a frequency of the input clock signal.

Abstract: A stack of closure plates with slots are slipped over a cable passing through an aperture in a wall of a radiation containment enclosure and affixed to the enclosure wall. The slots of the plates are staggered with alternate plates bearing on opposite side of the cable to secure the cable and impede leakage of radiation through the aperture and along the cable.

Abstract: An authorization mechanism for providing authorization information for a client requesting access to a server resource in a server, including a directory server for storing client information required by the server in executing an operation call, including client access rights, and a generating a request for an authorization ticket to the server. The request for an authorization ticket includes an identification of the client and an identification of the client information required by the server and is in association with an operation call. The authorization mechanism generates an authorization ticket including the identified information and encrypted with an encryption key derived from the password of the server. The authorization ticket is sent to the server and the server decrypts the authorization ticket with the server password and obtains the client information directly, including the client access rights. Client information is stored in directory server fields identified by generic field tags.

Abstract: A data processing system provides a folder icon for holding representations of sheets of information in user desired order. The folder has a closed position in which a user generated label is viewable. The label is designed through a processor window activated through a tab portion of the closed folder icon. The folder also has an open position for viewing the sheets held in the folder. The folder is changed between its open and closed positions by activation of a main body portion of the closed icon and the tab portion of the open folder icon. The open folder icon provides addition or removal of representations of sheets of information from and to an area outside of the folder in a screen view.

Abstract: A Graphical Query Front End system for Querying a relational database displays the elements of a Query in graphical form. The graphical query consists of tables, shown as nodes on a display, used as input (i.e. connected) to operator nodes, which produce output tables by modifying the inputs based on information provided by the user. There are several operators, each of which represents a different piece of defining a query, e.g. selecting columns or selecting rows. These operator nodes may then be used as inputs to operator nodes which modify their inputs to produce output tables, and so on until the desired result is achieved.

Abstract: A computer system is provided which allows keyboard access in a hands-free environment. An orientation sensor is mounted on a headset and provides a cartesian positional input to an interface. The device functions in either a cursor control mode or a keyboard simulation mode. In keyboard simulation mode, positional inputs are converted to keyboard input codes which are input to a standard keyboard controller. The key codes generated are displayed to a user on an LED display. A microphone on the headset connects to voice control circuitry of the interface which allows input selections to be made through voice commands. A user locates the desired keyboard input by observing the LED display and selects the input with a vocal command. RAM memory storage of keyboard inputs allows the system to appear as a manual keyboard from the perspective of the keyboard controller.

Abstract: An object based data processing system including an extensible set of object types and a corresponding set of "object managers" wherein each object manager is a program for operating with the data stored in a corresponding type of object. The object managers in general support at least a standard set of operations. Any program can effect performance of these standard operations on objects of any type by making an "invocation" request. In response to an invocation request, object management services (which are available to all object managers) identifies and invokes an object manager that is suitable for performing the requested operation on the specified type of data. A mechanism is provided for linking data from one object into another object. A object catalog includes both information about objects and about links between objects. Data interchange services are provided for communicating data between objects of different types, using a set of standard data interchange formats.

Abstract: An interface between different file formats employs a table for parsing component parts of each file format. The table cross references or categorizes each of the different file formats according to file type from a predefined set of file types. For each file type, the table provides an indication and description of each component part of a file of that type. Each component part description of the table is in a common format. Thus, the present invention method and apparatus employs a table driven parser which utilizes a common form of representation for defining multiple file formats.

Abstract: An object based data processing system including an extensible set of object types and a corresponding set of "object managers" wherein each object manager is a program for operating with the data stored in a corresponding type of object. The object managers in general support at least a standard set of operations. Any program can effect performance of these standard operations on objects of any type by making an "invocation" request. In response to an invocation request, object management services (which are available to all object managers) identifies and invokes an object manager that is suitable for performing the requested operation on the specified type of data. A mechanism is provided for linking data from one object into another object. A object catalog includes both information about objects and about links between objects. Data interchange services are provided for communicating data between objects of different types, using a set of standard data interchange formats.

Abstract: A central processing unit (CPU) 10 comprises an external control memory for storing microinstructions which correspond to macroinstructions read from a system memory. The microinstructions are 56 bits in length and are read in 28-bit segments. CPU 10 also comprises an internal memory management unit (MMU) 18 which comprises a plurality of address translation entry (ATE) registers four of which are permanent and sixteen of which are temporary in that the storage of a new translation entry occurs in a least recently used temporary translation entry register. CPU 10 also comprises a plurality of status register bits, some of which are settable only by predefined microinstructions. All of the status register bits are branchable. CPU 10 further comprises a condition code register the state of which may be determined by input signal pins. CPU 10 also comprises address generation logic which may generate a 24, 31 or 32 bit address upon a 32-bit address bus.

Abstract: A prefetch unit includes a Branch history table for providing an indication of an occurrence of a Branch instruction having a Target Address that was previously taken. A plurality of Branch mark bits are stored in an instruction queue, on a half word basis, in conjunction with a double word of instruction data that is prefetched from an instruction cache. The Branch Target Address is employed to redirect instruction prefetching. The Branch Target Address is also pipelined and follows the associated Branch instruction through an instruction pipeline. The prefetch unit includes circuitry for automatically self-filling the instruction pipeline. During a Fetch stage a previously generated Virtual Effective Address is applied to a translation buffer to generate a physical address which is used to access a data cache. The translation buffer includes a first and a second translation buffer, with the first translation buffer being a reduced subset of the second.

Abstract: An Open Office Directory System stores information in the form of entries in a global database and views in a local database along with a time stamp indicating the date the view was originally written or last modified. Subsets of the selected global entries are stored as views in a local database with the time stamp of the last generation or modification of that view in the global database. The entries in the global database are queried periodically by the local site to compare the time stamps of the local views with the respective entries in the global database. The result of a non-comparison is to update the local view including its time stamp to agree with the global database entry(s).

Abstract: A memory control unit (MCU) 22 includes a first interface for interfacing the memory control unit to one or more memory units; a second interface for interfacing the memory control unit to a system bus, including a system data bus for expressing information units, including memory read and write requests, and a system address bus. The MCU further includes logic, responsive to a write request from the system bus, for storing one or more information units within a memory unit at an address specified by the system address bus. The storing logic includes write request receiving and buffer logic having a plurality of storage locations for storing received write requests and associated write addresses prior to the execution of the write requests. The MCU further includes logic, responsive to a read request from the system bus, for reading one or more information units from a memory unit at a location specified by the system address bus.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for interfacing a central processor (12) (CP) and an IO controller (30) (IOC) to a main memory (40). A CP and an IO write buffer each include a pair of memory input data registers, located in a pair of Memory Data Unit (MDU) integrated circuits (38a, 38b), and also two memory address registers, a previous memory address register, and an address comparator, located in a Memory Address Unit (MAU) (36). These registers, in conjunction with associated control logic, are used to buffer CP and IO write addresses and data to the main memory. If both address registers have a pending write, the last loaded address register is checked for a match against the current write address using the previous address register and the comparator. A match results in the combination of the previous write data and the current write data into one pending write, using write merge circuitry within the MDUs.

Abstract: An apparatus for searching a collection of words based upon an input word, the apparatus including means for generating a first set of words containing members that are lexically related to the input word, the first set of words including words that are other than regular inflectional nouns; and also including a search engine for searching the collection of words to detect the occurrence of any of the words from a group of search words, the group of search words including the input word and the first set of words.

Abstract: A data processing system based on an extensible set of typed data objects and a corresponding set of "object managers," each of which is a program for operating with the data stored in a corresponding type of object. The object managers in general support at least a standard set of operations. Any program can effect performance of these standard operations on objects of any type by making a particular request; in response to such a request, an object manager that is suitable for performing the requested operation on the specified type of data is identified and caused to perform the requested operation. A mechanism is provided for linking data from one object into another object. A catalog includes both information about objects and about links between objects. Data interchange services are provided for communicating data between objects of different types, using a set of standard data interchange formats.

Abstract: A hand-held device for controlling cursor movement on a data terminal having a display. An internal orientation sensor provides an electrical signal that is related to the orientation of the device without it being adjacent to any fixed surface. The orientation sensor includes a hollow spherical housing having at least one LED and one phototransistor mounted opposingly in the inner wall, along an axis extending through the center point of the housing. The housing is half-filled with a transparent liquid having a specified viscosity and index of refraction and half-filled with air. A light beam emitted from the LED is refracted upon passing through the boundary between the air and the liquid. As the orientation sensor rotates with respect to the vertical axis, the changing refraction angle of the light beam causes the phototransistor to detect changing intensities of light, which are representative of the angle of rotation.

Abstract: A data processing system provides a desk view which serves as a graphical user interface to the system. The desk view displays detailed miniaturized images of all documents possessed by the user. The compressed document images are user moveable and stackable in the desk view. The desk view also enables user selected operations including mailing, disposing, annotating, stapling, unstapling and printing of documents. User interaction with items of the desk view is communicated through an electronic-stylus. Different actions with the stylus provide naturally expected effects. The stylus and desk view provide a simulation of a common office desk and user interaction therewith.