Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and method which has automatic enabling and disabling capabilities for prefetching and transferring sequentially located data from system memory to a First In First Out (FIFO) queue. When a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) initiator signals for a data read, a minimum unit of data will be transferred from system memory to the FIFO queue. Only after seeing a certain number of consecutive data read requests from the same PCI initiator will the system begin to sequentially prefetch data from system memory and to transfer the prefetched data to the FIFO queue.

Abstract: Hereby is achieved a remote-control system which will allow any delay time in the transmission between the controlling unit and the controlled unit. The communication protocol is retained, the actual response is subjected to the delay in the transmission system, but the pseudo-response message is generated in advanced to satisfy the needs of the controlling unit. A typical area of use for the system is professional audio and video production.

Abstract: A signal transfer method for transmitting and receiving signals between a control apparatus and a plurality of controlled apparatuses.

Abstract: Disclosed is a networked multimedia information system which may be utilized to record, store and distribute multimedia presentations together with any supplemental materials that may be referenced during the presentation. The recorded presentation, together with the associated supplemental materials, may be simultaneously presented on a display containing two separate viewing windows. The effects of network congestion are minimized by prefetching audio and video data for storage in audio and video buffers. An adaptive control algorithm compensates for network congestion by dynamically varying the rate at which video frames are retrieved over the network, in response to network traffic conditions. The audio playback speed is reduced if the audio data does not arrive fast enough over the network to maintain the desired size of the audio buffer after the amount of video data transmitted across the network has been reduced to a minimum value.

Abstract: A data communication method provides management and control functions to allow access to a shared radio frequency communication device by multiple concurrently executing software applications. A predetermined set of commands common to all of the software applications enable a consistent, high-level software interface to the communication device. A single computer program controls the communication device and permits simultaneous independent interface to each of the software applications.

Abstract: When one message data is transmitted dividedly at plural times to the same reception terminal, in the first transmission, a code specifying the terminal is transmitted, and then message data in a head portion of the message and a code indicating that succeeding data is present are transmitted, in the second transmission and thereafter, the code specifying the terminal is transmitted, and then data succeeding to the transmitted message data and a code indicating that the previously transmitted message data is continued from message data received at this time, and, unless the second transmission and thereafter is the last transmission, the message data having a code indicating that succeeding data is present are transmitted. The reception terminal receives transmitted data, and connects message data transmitted dividedly at plural times as one message data based on the code attached to the received message data.

Abstract: A communications adapter receives and transmits simultaneously packet and/or isochronous data between two interfaces; a network and a host bus system. The adapter stores the isochronous and packet data in receive and transmit queues configured in a FDDI RAM buffer. A controller manages the transfers of the data into and out of the queues. A local bus interacts with the system to provide descriptors of addresses in the system for transfers of data out of the queues to the system or the network. The controller is programmable to provide a variable threshold for the transfer of data between the queues and the system or the network. A systems interface unit handles the transfer of data to/from the system and allows data to bypass the queues and directly access the system or the network.

Abstract: An IC Card includes an image input device and an acoustic input device. A transmission controller transmits electrical signals received from the image input device or the acoustic input device to a telephone or communication line, or transmits signals received from the communication line through a first connector to a terminal such as a personal computer. A frame supports the image input device, and the acoustic input device, the transmission controller, while a panel fixed to the frame encloses the image input device, the acoustic input device and the transmission controller. Another type of IC card has a frame with a main body and an extension connected thereto. The extension encloses the image input device and the acoustic input device. In a modified IC card, at least one of the image input device and the acoustic input device includes a rotatable connecting member so that the direction of the device can be set in a wide range.

Abstract: A pipelined alignment shifter allows transfer of strings of bytes between memories which are non-aligned in computer systems or serial communications and networking with the memories arranged in N fields of B bits, where N and B are integers. The shifter has B copies of N-1 storage elements connected to N copies of N to 1 (N:1) multiplexers. An enable signal E is commonly transmitted to each copy of N-1 storage elements to cause each N-1 storage element, e.g., a latch or a register, to output a previously stored input and to store a corresponding input. A selection signal S indicative of the offset difference between the memories is commonly transmitted to each copy of N:1 multiplexer for realignment of non-aligned boundaries in data transfer mechanisms such as Direct Memory Access (DMA) controllers.

Abstract: A multimedia collaboration system that integrates separate real-time and asynchronous networks--the former for real-time audio and video, and the latter for control signals and textual, graphical and other data--in a manner that is interoperable across different computer and network operating system platforms and which closely approximates the experience of face-to-face collaboration, while liberating the participants from the limitations of time and distance. These capabilities are achieved by exploiting a variety of hardware, software and networking technologies in a manner that preserves the quality and integrity of audio/video/data and other multimedia information, even after wide area transmission, and at a significantly reduced networking cost as compared to what would be required by presently known approaches. The system architecture is readily scalable to the largest enterprise network environments.