Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for measuring transaction response times. The method and apparatus can identify service request sequences corresponding to a transaction and the start and stop times for the transaction. The invention can be applied non-intrusively/non-invasively to the service packets communicated between a source and destination node.

Abstract: When conference conditions are set by a conference sponsor, a conference sponsor agent inquires of schedule management agents of requested attendants about available time within a range of set dates, determines an optimum conference schedule on the basis of the available time of the individual requested attendants, sends to the conference sponsor the conference schedule for confirmation thereof, and sends a conference notification to the requested attendants. In order to permit an input value set by a user to have a range in accordance with the kind of parameter requiring the input value and conditions at that time, an input value acquiring element acquires an input value of a parameter necessary for a processing realized by an application element, the input value being set by the user by an input element.

Abstract: A kinetic model for a catalytic cracking riser reactor is stored in a computer for simulating a hydrocarbon cracking reaction. The stored model describes a reactants, an intermediate, and a product species, which are lumped according to boiling range. Reaction rate constants for cracking the individual components of the lumping scheme are functions of a statistical technique known as "principal components," which are in turn linear combinations of bulk properties characterizing both catalyst and oil and are based on historical operating data for the riser reaction.

Abstract: MPEG compressed data is decompressed in a computer system by sharing computational decompression tasks between the computer system host microprocessor, the graphics accelerator, and a dedicated MPEG processor in order to make best use of resources in the computer system. Thus the dedicated MPEG processor is of minimum capability and hence advantageously minimum cost. The host microprocessor is used to decompress the MPEG upper data layers. The more powerful the host microprocessor, the more upper data layers it decompresses. The remainder of the decompression (lower data layers) is performed by the MPEG dedicated processor and/or the graphics accelerator.

Abstract: A moving picture is encoded into groups of video image pictures with each frame composed of fields of different field polarities including a predetermined field polarity. The polarity of the first field of a series of frames to be encoded into a respective group of image pictures is set to the predetermined field polarity. Alternatively, the polarity of the first field of the series of frames may be identified by data transmitted with the encoded moving picture. The encoded moving picture is decoded at a decode start time designated when the first field in each respective group of image pictures is of the predetermined field polarity. Alternatively, the decode start time is generated on the basis of the data designating the field polarity of the first field.

Abstract: A system and a method for a multiple state, multiple case counter circuit are disclosed. The counter circuit has a n position register, n being any integer. Each of the n position counts from 1 to 9. In one embodiment of the present invention, the register takes 9 states (state 1 to state 9). In another embodiment of the present invention, the register has 10 states (state 0 to state 9). Furthermore, the register takes n cases in each state. The counter circuit uses one of the n positions of the register to indicate a state of the register and uses the remaining (n-1) positions to count the NEs. The counter circuit counts 9.times.n.times.(1.sup.n-1 -1) NEs when the register has 9 states. Likewise, the counter circuit counts 10.times.n.times.(10.sup.n-1 -1) NEs when the register has 10 states.

Abstract: A communications system uses a World Wide Web (Web) server to provide multimedia messaging functions over the Internet. Multimedia workstations are interconnected via the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Parties are provided with multimedia mailboxes on message servers that are connected to the PSTN and the Internet. In order to identify the message server on which a called party's mailbox is located, the Web server provides the multimedia number of the called party's message server when a call is made. In addition, the Web server provides the multimedia number of the called party. When a multimedia call is unanswered, the system uses the multimedia number of the message server and the called party multimedia number provided by the Web server to record and store a message for the called party in the called party's mailbox.

Abstract: A data compression device having a decorrelation circuit (10), a circuit (12) for quantizing the decorrelated data and a control circuit (13) acting on the quantization step. The device includes is a circuit for calculating a histogram of the decorrelated data and for calculating the quantization step on the basis of this histogram (11) in order to force, in accordance with the coherence of the histogram, this quantization step. The latter is calculated on the basis of the distances between the local maximum values of the histogram.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and storage medium for processing data streams of a data conference between a local user of a data conferencing system and at least one remote user of the data conferencing system, the data conference comprising at least one remote video source associated with the at least one remote user and a local video source associated with the local user. A dialog window is displayed for the local user, the dialog window having a record control. One of the at least one remote video sources and the local video source is selected for recording. The record control is activated, and the selected video source is recorded into a file in response to the activation of the record control.

Abstract: A field device such as a transmitter in a process control system includes conversion circuitry coupled between Fieldbus interface circuitry and transmitter interface circuitry. The transmitter includes a transducer for sensing a process variable and providing a transducer output. Measurement circuitry couples to the transducer output, processes the transducer output and provides a measurement output. The transmitter interface circuitry couples to the measurement circuitry and provides an interface output representative of the measurement output. Further, the transmitter interface circuitry receives a transmitter command and responds in accordance with the transmitter command. The Fieldbus interface circuitry is adapted to couple to a process control loop which operates in accordance with the Fieldbus standard.

Abstract: In a network comprising a plurality of terminals which share application programs, when an event occurs in an application of a terminal, the application generates a message of a predetermined format in response to the event. The message includes application identifying information, procedure identifying information and parameter information required for executing the procedure. The message is broadcasted from the terminal to all the terminals through the network. The message may be directly transferred from the transmitter to the receiver within the terminal itself. On receipt of the message, each terminal identifies the procedure based on the message, and executes the procedure on the application using the parameter information.

Abstract: For optimized reply, when sending a reply (902) in a first embodiment a remote communication unit's controller (206) generates a delta between a preceding message and the reply message, and forms an optimized reply (904) using the delta and an identifier of the preceding message. On receiving the optimized reply, the communication server uses the data unit identifier to retrieve (910) the preceding message from a further server (e.g., the post office mailbox of the user associated with the remote unit), reconstructs (914) the full reply from the retrieved message and the delta, and forwards (916) the full reply to the addressee. When receiving a reply for the remote unit (918), an index is preferably maintained by both units of mail stored at the remote unit. From this index a preceding message forming part of the reply is identified (920). An optimized reply is then similarly formed (922) and sent to the remote unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for measuring transaction response times. The method and apparatus can identify service request sequences corresponding to a transaction and the start and stop times for the transaction. The invention can be applied non-intrusively/non-invasively to the service packets communicated between a source and destination node.

Abstract: A personal computer (PC) incorporates a speaker/microphone peripheral, which includes a digital-signal-processor (DSP) based acoustic echo canceler and supports a plurality of modes of operation. One mode is a video/telecommunications mode. In this mode, the acoustic echo canceler is enabled and the speaker/microphone peripheral provides a monaural dual speaker and microphone for use in video, internet telephony, etc., communications. Another mode of operation is a multi-media, or wide-band stereo, mode. In this multi-media mode, the acoustic echo canceler is disabled and the stereo loudspeakers provides high fidelity stereo output signals. In addition, in this latter arrangement an optional sub-woofer may be additionally coupled to the stereo loudspeakers. The speaker/microphone peripheral switches between the operating modes by detecting a predefined sequence of dual-tone-multi-frequency (DTMF) digits. The DTMF sequences are played from wave-type files stored on the PC.

Abstract: An order persistent timer is provided in each station on a network to control the timing of transmission of each isochronous data packet from a station, and to also control the timing of transmission of asynchronous data packets that include reservation requests. The OP timer at each station monitors traffic on the network from other stations to detect whether the network is active or idle. In an active state, the OP timer times a set interval of time sufficient to indicate the successful transmission of a packet on the frame. In the idle state (no packet on the network from another station), the OP timer times a number of deferral time intervals that are used with a network interrupt handler at the station to control the transmission of isochronous data packets without collision, and asynchronous data packets thereafter.

Abstract: The present invention has solved the collision problems in a CSMA network protocol and at the same time optimized performance of the network. This is accomplished by giving control of the size of the reserved portion and the size of the reservation portion of the communication frame to stations in the network. Further, the reserved portion is allotted to isochronous data packets each of whose length is variable. Also, only those packets that have a reservation are in the frame, and they are placed in the frame in order in accordance with there position of the permission or reservation list.The network timing is controlled by one of the stations acting as a conductor for the network. This conductor station receives the reservation requests from the other stations and builds a beat packet. The beat packet is transmitted from the conductor station to all stations of the network, and provides the timing or beat of the network that all stations are synchronized with.

Abstract: In mail terminal equipment for receiving and reproducing a mail which has been produced using multi-media data containing a plurality of continuous audio data and a plurality of drawing data synchronized with at least a part of the audio data and has been transmitted thereto. Where reproduction of the drawing data is later than that if the audio data, the drawing data is synchronized with the audio data without interrupting reproduction of the audio data. When the drawing data still remains which at certain timing (e.g., timing when supplementing the audio data to a audio buffer for storing the audio data waiting for reproduction), should be reproduced until that time point, but is not reproduced resulting from the delay of reproduction of the drawing data due to the drawing processing, the loading situation and the like, the drawing data of interest is skipped so as not to be reproduced, and the next drawing data is reproduced.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing from frames of video the effects of automatic gain control (AGC), preferably to prevent the AGC effects from adversely affecting a video codec architecture using motion estimation. Video images are processed by first characterizing the luminance of first and second frames of video data. Any difference in the characterized luminance values is determined. The luminance of the second frame is adjusted based on the determined difference between the luminance of the first frame and the luminance of the second frame, to generate an adjusted second frame. The adjusted second frame is encoded to generate encoded video signals for the second frame.

Abstract: The frame reconstruction (FR) portion of an MPEG decompression circuit includes a horizontal interpolation element, a vertical interpolation element, and a selector (post processing) element. The horizontal and vertical interpolation elements are each digital filters averaging respectively two horizontal and two vertical adjacent pixels in an MPEG pixel block. Logic is included for constructing B, I, and P-type MPEG pictures. Also included is an error/warning handling mechanism.

Abstract: A high speed device and method for estimating the yield of semiconductor chips without requiring a large data storage area. The noise particles which adhere to a number of semiconductor chips are generated in a particle generating unit 12 and an identification number indicating the semiconductor chip on which the noise particles adhere is given. All the noise particles are driven in driving unit 13 on one mask stored in circuit storage unit 15. The mask pattern near the driven noise particle is checked and whether or not the noise particle causes a defect is checked in a defect detecting unit 16. Semiconductor chips with defects are detected in a semiconductor chip defect detecting unit 17 based on the semiconductor chip identification number of each noise particle. Then a computing unit 18 calculates the chip yield from the total number of semiconductor chips and the number of semiconductor chips without defects.