Abstract: A state-based remote control system for providing efficient and simple operation of a plurality of electronic devices as a coordinated system based upon an overall task. The state-based remote control system includes a housing, a keypad in communication with an electronic system contained within the housing, and a communication device in communication with the electronic system for communicating with external electronic devices. The electronic system monitors the buttons selected by a user to determine the state of all external electronic devices that are to be controlled. When the user selects a task (e.g. watch television), the electronic system automatically determines the actions required to achieve the desired task based upon the current state of the external electronic devices. After the task has been fulfilled, the electronic system updates the data to reflect the modified state of the external electronic devices.

Abstract: An online remote control configuration system for efficiently programming a remote control to recognize a plurality of external electronic devices. The online remote control configuration system includes a remote control having a housing, a keypad, and an electronic system for receiving configuration data from a control station via a global computer network (e.g. Internet). The user preferably “samples” one or more signals from a remote control into the electronic system and then uploads the samples to the control station. The control station analyzes the uploaded samples and transmits the appropriate configuration data to properly configure the electronic system. The user may also access a web site of the control station and manually select each of the external electronic devices that the remote control is to operate after which the control station sends the appropriate configuration data to the electronic system.

Abstract: A state-based remote control system for providing efficient and simple operation of a plurality of electronic devices as a coordinated system based upon an overall task. The state-based remote control system includes a housing, a keypad in communication with an electronic system contained within the housing, and a communication device in communication with the electronic system for communicating with external electronic devices. The electronic system monitors the buttons selected by a user to determine the state of all external electronic devices that are to be controlled. When the user selects a task (e.g. watch television), the electronic system automatically determines the actions required to achieve the desired task based upon the current state of the external electronic devices. After the task has been fulfilled, the electronic system updates the data to reflect the modified state of the external electronic devices.

Abstract: A computer processor (110) automatically generates block-size operand references during execution of standard instructions. As such a standard instruction is executed, the processor (110) continually examines the number of bytes to be moved (342) and the relative alignment of the operand address (352). At any time during instruction execution, if the operand address is zero modulo the block size, and at least a block sized number of bytes remain to be moved (354), the operand transfer is marked as a block-sized reference.This provides a convenient method for generating block-sized memory references to/from the targeted address space, independent of cache modes such as copyback, write-through, or non-cacheable. This may produce burst accesses, maximizing performance of the data transfer. Additionally, cache memory writes can be optimized to avoid cache line fill reads.

Abstract: A cache locking mechanism is implemented so that portions of the cache may be locked to protect critical instructions or data residing within the cache. Such a cache may be associated with a processor chip, coupled to a data processing system. The cache locking mechanism forces de-allocation of cache entries to the unlocked section of the cache. However, allocation of cache entries is performed regardless of whether or not an entry resides within the locked portion, provided that there exists invalid entries within the locked portion.

Abstract: After a portion of a cache line has been zone written from a processor core (102) to a cache array (105), a read access received from the processor core (102) for one or more bytes within the cache line corresponding to the zone written data can be satisfied before a cache fill operation initiated by the zone written operation is completed. If the read access is for one or more bytes of the cache line which was not previously zone written, then the requested data is passed directly from the filling bus (113) to the processor core (102) as soon as it becomes valid on the filling bus (113). If the read access is for one or more bytes of the zone written data, then those one or more bytes are read from the cache array (105) to the processor core (102) regardless of the progress of the cache fill. All read accesses to filling cache lines are serviced in the minimum amount of time by satisfying the access immediately upon availability of only the exact portion requested.