Abstract: A portable computer input device includes a housing capable of accommodating a plurality of types of pointing devices. A pointing device partially housed in the housing produces a cursor control signal that controls the movement of a cursor on a display device coupled to a computer, and the pointing device is one of the plurality of types of pointing devices. A memory housed in the housing stores user preferences such as pointing device preferences and display device preferences. A data port attached to the housing communicatively couples the computer input device to the computer.

Abstract: A packet memory interface. The interface includes an input mechanism which receives related data. The interface includes an output mechanism which transmits the data. The interface includes a mechanism for transferring at least a plurality of bytes of the data in each burst of a plurality of bursts from the input mechanism to the output mechanism without fragmentation loss in each burst. A method for transferring data through a packet memory interface. The method includes the steps of receiving data of the packet at an input mechanism of the interface. Then there is the step of transferring at least a plurality of bytes of data of the packet to an output mechanism in bursts without any fragmentation loss in the bursts.

Abstract: Digital communication devices and digital communication methods are provided. In one aspect of the invention, a digital communication device includes storage circuitry; communication circuitry coupled with the storage circuitry and configured to communicate digital data and a plurality of digital formats externally of the digital communication device; and processing circuitry coupled with the communication circuitry and configured to operate in a receive mode and a send mode, wherein in the receive mode the processing circuitry is configured to select one of the data formats and in the send mode the processing circuitry is configured to send data formats which correspond to digital data stored within the storage circuitry.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for automatically selecting an input device from a plurality of input devices coupled to an information handling system via a plurality of inputs, each corresponding to one of the plurality of inputs are disclosed. The plurality of inputs are scanned by a signal detector for the presence of a signal provided by one of the input devices to determine whether a signal is present on one of the inputs provided by the corresponding input device. When a signal is detected, the automatic video multiplexer selects the input on which a signal is detected according to a predefined hierarchy such that the information handling system receives the input signal provided by the corresponding input device. If a signal from a new input device is detected, the input corresponding to the new input device is selected, and the input device is configured to operate in conjunction with the information handling system.

Abstract: Provided is a method, a computer program product, and a computer system each of which features queuing data transfers between a data port and a system memory to minimize the latency between queuing a data transfer and effectuating the transfer of the same and to remove the chance of more than one device trying to talk to the OS at the same time through the same port. This facilitates backwards compatibility of non-USB compatible computer resources, such as applications, operating systems (O/S) and the like, with USB compatible peripheral devices.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining position using a handheld personal computer. A cradle is disclosed that that is adapted to couple to a handheld personal computer. In one embodiment, the cradle includes projecting members that capture the handheld personal computer and hold it securely in place. The cradle includes a position determining system that is adapted to determine position. Upon coupling the cradle to a handheld personal computer, the cradle is operable to determine position. Once position is determined, the determined position is displayed on the display of the handheld personal computer. The display can include a display of a moving map and an icon indicating the current position relative to the map. All required hardware and software for storing the map database and for determining position are included within the cradle.

Abstract: An emulation system functions to translate instructions comprising a target application of a target system into corresponding instructions native to a host system and executes the instructions on the host system. During execution, the emulation system encounters target disk read/write operations. As the memory architectures of the host and target computer systems differ, the data in host memory is conformed to a target memory format when data in keyboard memory buffer is processed. Also, the host and target disk controllers cause storage of data on diskettes in differing byte orders. However, the emulation system performs disk/read write operations without byte-reversal prior to disk-write or subsequent to disk read operations. Thus, the host does not produce storage media having data conforming to that of target storage media.

Abstract: Disclosed is a codec (coder/decoder) system with shadow buffers and method of performing a Power Down/Suspend mode operation on this codec system, which allows all the codecs in the codec system to know the operating status of each other so that system crash can be prevented during a power down/suspend operation. The codec system includes two or more codecs and associated codec controllers, with each codec controller including a status data buffer and a shadow buffer; and each codec controller utilizes the status data buffer therein for registering the operating status thereof and meanwhile utilizes the shadow buffer therein for storing a copy of the operating status data stored in the status data buffer of the other codec controller. The provision of the shallow buffers allows all the codecs in the codec system to be capable of knowing the operating status of each other. This feature can help prevent system crash during power down/suspend operation.

Abstract: To provide an NC controlling system that is superior in practical use and workability and that may perform an administration of inputting, compiling and storing a control program of a NC machine tool and a control program of an appended equipment together as one program in a NC controlling apparatus, an NC controlling system having an NC machine tool provided with a control program and appended equipment used together with the machine tool to be numerically controlled, wherein a control program of the appended equipment is written in an annotation part of the control program of the NC machine tool, and a reading unit is provided for identifying and reading the control program of the appended equipment written in the annotation part of the control program of the NC machine tool.

Abstract: In a technique for restoring data damaged by a computer virus on a magnetic information recording disk in a hard disk drive, booting information required to boot the hard disk drive and file position information indicating the position of a file when data is stored in a file unit are backed up in a predetermined portion of a maintenance area on the disk. The booting information or the file position information is restored based on the backed up information when the booting information or the file position information is infected with the computer virus.

Abstract: A command filter selectively forwards received commands to a command queue for in-order execution. If the received command is a probe response command or if probe response information is extracted.from other commands, the probe response is stored in a storage location other than the command queue and executed out-of-order. Data movements specified by memory modifying commands already in the command queue and affecting the cache line in question are also performed out-of-order and the memory modifying command is discarded when it is removed in-order from the command queue.

Abstract: A method that allows a called procedure to determine a “safe” upper bound value representing the amount of data that can be written to a stack allocated array/buffer without overwriting any stack-defined data stored in reserved memory blocks in the stack (i.e., any region in memory that is preserved by a calling sequence). More specifically, when a called procedure is passed a stack allocated array/buffer as an argument, the method of the present invention allows the called procedure to call a “bounds checking” procedure that calculates and returns the “safe” upper bound value, thereby allowing the called procedure to prevent, e.g., potentially overwriting a procedure return value due to array overflow when writing data to the array. Advantageously, the “bounds checking” procedure may readily be implemented in any operating system/library to provide secure implementations of library functions that provide buffer overflow vulnerabilities.

Abstract: Embodiments of a method and apparatus are described which provide for a consistent, continuous and/or repeating signal. Such a repeating signal may be used to set the controls for a processor. For example, an embodiment of a preview sampler described herein allows a user to repeatedly output a data segment into a processor so that the processor can be adjusted to achieve a desired effect. Such a method and apparatus provides improved results when compared to an individual attempting to repeatedly generate a data signal (e.g., a note or chord on a musical instrument).

Abstract: A queuing system that avoids live-locking is provided. A representative implementation of this system 1) selects a first queue item pointed to by a rotating pointer if the first queue item is ready to be serviced, 2) selects a second queue item pointed to by a find-first-pointer if the first queue item is not ready to be serviced, and 3) updates the rotating pointer so that the rotating pointer points to a third queue item.

Abstract: This specification discloses a method for using a smart card on an HPC, which, through the combination of the HPC and a smart card reader and a driver, controls the smart card reader. This also provides application programs a public interface for the user to manipulate the smart card reader for data transmission with the HPC.

Abstract: An method for creating an image on a photosensitive material with enhanced inside corner resolution using a raster scan exposure system. The photosensitive material may comprise a layer of an unexposed photomask. An energy beam scan is extended by one or more addressable locations beyond the boundaries of the desire pattern at inside corner locations in both X and Y axes. Thus, the image formed in the photosensitive material and, in turn, the attenuator material more accurately reflects the desired image as defined in a data file.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus to provide multifunction to a device. A selector selects one of first and second functionalities based on a control setting. The selected one of the first and second functionalities is accessible at a pin of the device. A configuration mechanism is coupled to the selector to provide the control setting.

Abstract: A special BIOS includes a program application manager (PAM) and a file system structure (FSS) that points to addresses on a mass storage device (MSD) for an application and at least one presentation playable by the application. The BIOS calls the PAM on startup, and the PAM checks for an application, and finding same loads and executes the application before loading the operating system (OS). In a preferred embodiment the FSS is programmable, and the system after OS boot is started checks MSD devices for new FSS parameters, and finding same loads the parameters to the programmable FSS of the BIOS. In some embodiments parameters may cause presentations and associated applications to be accessed and executed in a rotating or serial order. In other embodiments the BIOS represents its own address space in RAM to the OS at OS boot to include the application, enabling the application to continue to execute during OS boot.

Abstract: A computer system includes a read ahead buffer coupled to a memory controller and an input/output controller coupled to an input/output channel. An I/O device provides an initial read request over the input/output channel which specifies an address in system memory. The memory controller retrieves an amount of data from system memory larger than specified by the read request and provides the requested data to the input/output channel and thus the I/O device. At least a portion of the data retrieved from system memory is stored in the read ahead buffer. The read ahead buffer is marked as valid and identified by at least a portion of the address specified in the read request. When the same I/O device performs a subsequent read access, the I/O request circuit determines whether at least a portion of the address of the subsequent read request matches the portion of the address identifying the read ahead buffer and provides a tag match signal as an indication thereof.

Abstract: A special BIOS includes a program application manager (PAM) and a file system structure (FSS) that points to addresses on a mass storage device (MSD) for an application and at least one presentation playable by the application. The BIOS calls the PAM on startup, and the PAM checks for an application and presentation, and finding same loads the application and plays the presentation before loading the operating system (OS). In a preferred embodiment the FSS is programmable, and the system after OS boot is started checks MSD devices for new FSS parameters, and finding same loads the parameters to the programmable FSS of the BIOS. In some embodiments parameters may cause presentations and associated applications to be accessed and executed in a rotating or serial order.