Abstract: The invention relates to a chip card reader (10) comprising a central processing unit (20) comprising means (MP2, MEM2, PG20, 23) for emitting and receiving, on a communication bus (60), binary messages with a first format determined by a communication protocol for contact chip card, a card receiving device (40) comprising a contact card connector (42) connected to the central processing unit (20) by means of the communication bus (60), and a read head (30) for contactless chip card (53) comprising a serial interface (31). According to the invention, the serial interface (31) of the contactless read head (30) is directly connected at least to a data wire (I/O) of the communication bus, and the contactless read head (30) is arranged in a hardware and/or software way so that it does not respond to a contact chip card activation command and responds to a specific activation command (ACTIV) different from a contact chip card activation command.

Abstract: The following system and procedure for specifying an extended configuration descriptor includes a USB device that responds to device requests from a host. In response to receiving a host-specific device request that specifies a predetermined index, the USB device returns an extended configuration descriptor to the requester. The extended configuration descriptor includes information that can be used by the requestor to control the USB device. When the USB device is a composite device, the extended configuration descriptor includes function information corresponding to a plurality of sub-devices. Each function comprises one or more interfaces.

Abstract: The present invention manages memory buffers in network device drivers in a flexible operating system (e.g., the Solaris operating system) that increase performance of the operating system at high throughputs with no detriment to the flexible nature of the operating system. Embodiments of the present invention reuse the (same) allocated and dma_binded memory buffers again and again, eliminating the repeated memory management of each data packet. In one embodiment, an rx-descriptor ring is treated as a true circular ring. A new data structure named rxbuffer_id is also defined along with a device-freemsg( ) function. In another embodiment, a device driver allocates and links a memory block (e.g., a rxbuffer_id data structure) with a message block at the time of allocating the message block for relocating incoming data packets. The memory block contains all the needed information for reuse of the message block.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising one or more drive portions and a controller. The one or more drive portions may each comprise one or more drives. The controller may be configured to map correctly correlating addresses to the one or more drives.

Abstract: A trace and debug support unit (120) that works in conjunction with a bus sniffer (112). The trace and debug support unit (120) maintains in memory one or more configurable filter rules which are used to define parameters of the trace history. A plurality of conditions or rules are provided, satisfaction of one or more of which causes a trace history to be filed. A transfer-specific signal may be issued, whereby all cells of the identified transfer are filed as part of the trace history. Alternatively, a connection-specific flag may be carried with each cell, whereby all cells of the specific connection are filed as part of the trace history.

Abstract: A printing capable device includes a printing mechanism for printing on a printable medium and an onboard user manual storage device communicating with the printing mechanism and storing an onboard user manual. The onboard user manual storage device sends the onboard user manual to the printing mechanism and the printing mechanism prints at least a portion of the onboard user manual upon a predetermined event.

Abstract: A system and methods are shown for accommodating high-speed data retention. Multimedia packetized stream data packets are received through a receiving hardware system. Program Specific Information and System Information data tables describing the programs and information in the packetized stream are sent as section packets within the packetized stream. Various fields are included with the section packets describing such information as the portion of the data table represented, the type of data table represented, and the version of the table represented. A host system configures the section parser to identify and pass only the section packets with the fields it specifies. The section parser then compares the fields to the configured values and determines whether to pass the packets to the host system or to discard the packets. Accordingly, processing overhead conventionally left to the host system is performed through the section parser.

Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically selecting digital sending functionality are provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving input of a character, determining the nature of the character, determining whether a digital sending trigger has been satisfied, and where a digital sending trigger has been satisfied, automatically selecting a digital sending functionality based upon the type of the trigger. In a preferred embodiment, the invention comprises a multi-function peripheral device capable of photocopying, e-mailing, and faxing documents. The device comprises a device operation module adapted to: evaluate characters received via the control panel, determine whether the user desires to photocopy, e-mail, or fax based upon the received characters, and automatically enable and initiate the desired functionality.

Abstract: A system and method uses grouped calendars, flow queues, pointers and stored rules to process information packets so that different flow control characteristics associated with the information units are maintained.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for a scheduling driver to implement a protocol using time estimates for use with a device that does not generate interrupts. An application calls the scheduling driver to start an Input/Output (I/O) request to a device. The scheduling driver determines if the device is busy. If the device is not busy, the scheduling driver provides an estimated processing time (EPT) for the I/O request to be completed to the application. In one embodiment, if the device is busy, the scheduling driver calculates an estimated amount of time left (EATL) until the device will be available to the application and provides this EATL to the application. When the device is not busy, the application sleeps for the estimated processing time (EPT) and calls the scheduling driver to obtain the I/O operation results. If the I/O request has been completed, the scheduling driver provides the I/O operation results to the application.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are described for processing an operation code (op-code) to be transmitted over a data path of a graphics pipeline. If the op-code comprises context state information for a first graphics context, then the context state information is transmitted to registers in the graphics pipeline over the graphics pipeline data path. If the op-code comprises a save state command, then context state information in the registers is retrieved and transmitted from the registers to a preallocated region of a frame buffer over the same graphics pipeline data path. If the op-code comprises a restore/load state command, then new context state information is loaded. Context state information for a second context can then be loaded on the graphics pipeline data path to restore or process a new context.

Abstract: A storage system includes a storage controller and storage media for reading data from or writing data to the storage media in response to SCSI, NFS, CIFS, or HTTP type read/write requests. The storage controller includes SCSI, NFS, CIFS, and HTTP interface adapters for receiving the read/write requests and effecting the reading of data to or the writing of data to the storage media.

Abstract: Techniques for indicating partial fullness levels of a FIFO comprising a plurality of stages using a partial fullness detector, such as a m-out-of-n detector. According to an embodiment, the m-out-of-n detector is coupled to “n” stages of the FIFO and configured to output a partial fullness indicator signal based on the full/empty states of the stages coupled to the m-out-of-n detector. The m-out-of-n detector may be configured to output the partial fullness indicator signal in a first state when “m” stages coupled to the m-out-of-n detector are full, and to output the partial fullness indicator signal in a second state when “m” stages coupled to the m-out-of-n detector are empty. The number of full stages of the FIFO lies in a first range when the m-out-of-n detector outputs the signal in the first state, and in a second range when the m-out-of-n detector outputs the signal in the second state.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for automatically assigning addresses to expanders in a computer I/O subsystem that is coupled to one or more host computers. The computer I/O subsystem includes one or more peripheral buses, a set of peripheral devices, and a set of expanders with each expander being arranged to couple a pair of peripheral buses. The peripheral devices are coupled to the peripheral buses. In this configuration, a host computer selects a peripheral device as a target device and writes an address data pattern to the selected target device. The host computer then selects the target device and reads the address data pattern from the target device. Unique addresses are then assigned to one or more expanders coupling the host computer and the target device starting from the address data pattern, preferably by incrementing the address data pattern.

Abstract: An entertainment apparatus includes a storage unit that stores outside a kernel a device driver for a peripheral device. To make the peripheral device operable, a CPU causes an I/O processor to execute the device driver using a remote procedure call. Data is transferred between the peripheral device and the CPU through a direct memory access using a communication protocol that is commonly used in the apparatus.

Abstract: The disclosed device, system and methods of data management facilitate the implementation of improved mirroring, back-up, volume remapping and extent relocation, among others. The disclosed intelligent I/O stream splitter may intercept and alter an I/O stream from a communications link. In the case of mirroring, the intelligent splitter may intercept write commands and associated data from a mainframe that target a specific storage location on a specific control unit. The splitter may then transmit the intercepted I/O stream to the targeted control unit and storage location over one link and transmit on another link an altered version of the intercepted I/O stream to another control unit, which is responsible for holding a mirrored version of the data. The altered version could have the same data as that on the one link, or may include new frame headers, changes to the control information, or changes to the data itself.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for transferring high speed asynchronous data using a DMA controller. By using a conventional Universal Serial Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (USART) with a small buffer, high speed asynchronous data can be manipulated by the DMA controller by use by other applications, such as wireless communication applications. The wireless communication applications includes Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), or Personal Digital Cellular (PDC). These wireless communication applications utilize high asynchronous data rates that would require more expensive USART with additional buffer capacity. In the receive mode, the high speed asynchronous data shifted into a DMA FIFO buffer from the USART. The data is then flushed into a host memory, such as a protocol stack by the DMA controller once the FIFO is full or if a timer expires. The data in the protocol stack is then manipulated by the wireless communication application.

Abstract: A protocol converter for use on board an aircraft with space limitations which converts navigation data from one format to another format for use by the aircraft's moving map display. The navigation data is supplied by an aircraft inertial navigation unit to the protocol converter in the ARINC-429 protocol which converts the data to the NMEA-0183 protocol. The converted data is then supplied to a moving map display on board the aircraft. An interface board receives ARINC navigational data from the aircraft navigation unit and stores the data prior to its transfer to a digital computer. The computer reads the data stored in the interface board including a status word which indicates the validity of the data. A computer software program within the computer converts the ARINC-429 navigational data to NMEA-0183 protocol data. The NMEA-0183 protocol data is transmitted through an RS-232 serial port to the moving map display.

Abstract: A system and method for serial bus budget development and maintenance. The present invention relates to a method for budgeting transactions under a Universal Serial Bus (USB) protocol, utilizing split transactions, such as USB 2.0. The present invention provides for budgeting transactions occurring across a high-speed to full/low-speed translation, accommodating the full/low speed transactions as well as high-speed splits and data overhead in accordance with USB protocol.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for detecting TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) bindings for Network Interface Cards (NICs) installed on Windows 95™ and Windows 98™ operating systems with a VPN (Virtual Private Network) client present. More particularly, the present invention provides a method for parsing the Windows™ system registry to detect TCP/IP bindings for network interface cards installed within a host computer system. In one embodiment, a function for detecting TCP/IP bindings of one network interface card implemented and repeated for all keys of the registry of a computer software for detecting the TCP/IP bindings for network interface cards installed on the host computer system.