Abstract: A document generation system which employs a definition-based expert system and an editor to produce an output document from a template document and expert system responses. The knowledge base of the expert system consists of a hierarchy of terms and their definitions. To produce an expert response, an inference engine component of the expert system evaluates a term by evaluating all of the definitions for the terms which are in that term's hierarchy of definitions. In the document generation system, the terms include fragment terms which are defined as portions of the template document.

Abstract: Apparatus for executing a conditional branch instruction in a pipelined processing unit which has an instruction queue for storing an instruction stream, address generating apparatus connected to the head of the instruction queue for generating and retaining an address defined in the portion of the instruction stream presently at the head of the instruction queue, and instruction interpretation apparatus which is also connected to the head of the instruction queue for receiving and interpreting an instruction at the head of the instruction queue. A conditional branch instruction which is presently at the head of the instruction queue is executed by first performing a dispatch operation in a first cycle which is the last cycle of execution of the instruction preceding the conditional branch instruction in the instruction queue. The dispatch operation sets up the execution of the instruction at the head of the instruction queue.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for the exchange of data between files having different types. The apparatus includes means for reading a logical record from a source file and using the data contained therein in the production of a generic form in which data is represented as an arrangement of displayable characters and means for using the data represented in the generic form to produce a logical record for a destination file. The means for producing the generic form may further include means for inserting a user-defined code in the generic form to mark fields of the source file logical record. The means for producing the destination file logical record may then employ the user-defined code to produce corresponding fields in the destination file logical record. The apparatus may further include data viewing means which permits the user to view the generic form and interactively define fields therein.

Abstract: A control mouse has two opposed outward facing digit-engaging portions on a flexible vertical wall and is sized and shaped to be grasped and moved by squeezing force applied by one hand of an operator with a digit engaging each of the digit-engaging portions. The mouse has a pressure operated switch installed so as to be switched to a first state by squeezing force below a threshold force applied between two digits positioned respectively at the digit-engaging portions and switched to a second state by squeezing force above the threshold force. The switch thus controlled by the operator is used to provide signals to the associated computer.

Abstract: An information processing system comprises a high speed noninterlocked system bus 12 which couples together a plurality of system units including a main memory and a system bus interface (SBI) unit 34. The system bus interface unit is further coupled to an I/O bus 42 having a plurallity of I/O Processors 44, 46 coupled thereto. The system bus interface includes read and write buffer storage for buffering information units being transferred between the system bus and the I/O bus. The I/O bus includes two signal lines which differentiate the condition of an I/O bus SBI BUSY signal line. One of these two signal lines indicates when the SBI read buffer is full while the other signal line indicates when the SBI write buffer is full. The SBI Busy signal line indicates when either of these conditions exist. I/O processors are enabled to differentiate between read and write buffer full conditions, thereby effectively increasing the bandwidth of the I/O bus.

Abstract: A document processing system including a control structure having separated supervisory and document functions. The document functions, including a document buffer and document access control means are the sole means for accessing documents and the document function routines are selected from predetermined library of such routines. The system includes a flexible, expandable document structure incorporating information item blocks and indexing blocks related through pointers and means for applying visual and informational attributes to document text.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for distributing data from a central digital data processing system to remote digital data processing systems and apparatus for storing data in digital data processing systems. The central digital data system creates a data descriptor which describes the data and its source location. The central system provides the data descriptor to the remote systems. The remote systems employ the data descriptor to retrieve the data to be distributed and place it in a destination. A given digital data processing system may function as both a central system and a remote system. The data descriptor may be provided to the remote systems by means of magnetic media or a network and the data may be retrieved from magnetic media or via a network. When retrieval is via a network, the source of the data is an inventory library. The inventory library may be part of the central system or may be part of a different host system. The destination includes a live library and a run library.

Abstract: In a computer system, an application program is able to specify the location of an object to be displayed relative to another object to be displayed by means of alignment points selected for each of the objects. The alignments points include the intersections of vertical lines through the left and right edges and center of an object and horizontal lines through top and bottom edges, center and baseline of a first line of text. An offset between the selected alignment points may be specified. The alignment points are defined independent of the content of the objects, and the operating system, in displaying the contents of each object, positions the object as specified by the alignments points and offset. Where an object is aligned relative to two anchor objects, the operating system may adjust the size of the aligned object.

Abstract: An adapter support holds a desktop computer enclosure securely in a vertical position on a floor installation. The adapter engages the enclosures footpads and may be alternatively assembled to stabilize the enclosure in the center of a floor, or may be configured to permit installing close to a wall.

Abstract: A definition-based expert system and expert system shell. The expert system shell creates a knowledge base consisting of terms and their definitions, the definitions making up a hierarchy of definitions in which each definition depends only on terms defined at lower levels in the hierarchy or on term-independent values. Expert responses are obtained from the system by evaluating the terms. When a term is evaluated, all of the term-independent values and the values of all of the terms in its definition are obtained. The definitions include operators specifying operations which are to be performed when the defined term is evaluated. The operators include causing other systems operable in the digital computer system in which the expert system is operating to operate. The definitions further include table operators. Base table operators define terms representing tables and columns in the tables and permit loading of the tables.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for communicating between two or more cable interface units on a local area network such that each cable interface unit supports the International Standard Organization's 802.3 standard with the exception that two communication channels or paths are connected between the cable interface units. Only data is transferred on the first communication channel while a signal indicating usage of the first communication medium is broadcast on the second communication channel. Each cable interface unit on the network monitors the second communication channel while transmitting on the first. If it is determined that two cable interface units are transmitting simultaneously both cable interface units notify their respective communicating devices to cease transmission. Retransmission will be attempted at a later time.

Abstract: A document processing system including a document structure and a library of routines for manipulating the document structure. The components of the document structure are made up of individually-locatable blocks. The components include a chain of text blocks which contains at least one document page and includes at least one block, one or more chains of reference blocks, each chain containing a reference and including at least one reference block, information attributes in the text blocks which relate locations in the text of the document to item numbers referring to references, a page index which relates page numbers to the text blocks at which the pages begin, and a reference index which relates each item number to the first reference block in the chain containing the reference. The document structure may only be manipulated by means of routines in the document manager library. The routines in the library are accessible to programs such as editor programs and printing programs which manipulate documents.

Abstract: In a dumb terminal to which an auxiliary device may be attached, improvements in display definitions. In the transfer of data between a host computer and the terminal or an auxiliary device, and in character generation memory. In the area of display definition, pages may be mapped onto the terminal's display memory and viewports may be mapped onto pages. Page and viewport definition are independent of each other and settable modes permit a viewport to follow the active position. In the area of transfer of data, the source of data for the host computer and the destination of data from the host computer may be specified independently. Improvements in flow control ensure that the host computer can always change the destination of data and gain control of the terminal. Improvements in access control ensure that neither the terminal nor the auxiliary device can monopolize transfer between it and the host.

Abstract: A system console 30 is enabled to read registers from memory boards 12 and 14 and to set registers within the memory boards which control the disabling of one or more memory arrays 16-22. The information read from the memory boards is indicative at least of which of the memory arrays has malfunctioned. The registers are within a memory logic array 40, one of which is disposed upon each of the memory boards 12 and 14 and also upon a memory controlling unit 26, the memory logic arrays being coupled together by a bit serial scan bus 42. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the memory logic arrays 40 are comprised of a highly integrated gate array semiconductor device, each of which is identical. Each memory logic array is provided with a base address input from a preceding memory logic array and computes a base address for a subsequent memory logic array.

Abstract: A pattern recognition system has both coarse and fine levels of analysis in which a coarse array representation of a workpiece pattern is formed and used to identify the workpiece pattern as either a reference character or as a member of an ambiguous set of reference characters which are represented by identical coarse array representations. At least portions of a fine array representation of a workpiece pattern which has been classified as a member of a set of reference characters are compared to corresponding portions of fine array representations of reference characters in the set identified by the classification. The pattern recognition system has a learning system through which reference characters may be introduced into the recognition system and through which a representation of a workpiece pattern which was not identified may be incorporated into an existing set of reference characters of the recognition system.