Abstract: A printer is provided with a small scanner located upstream along a paper path from a printing device such as a print head. A form is loaded into the printer and is advanced incrementally along the paper path. A segment of the form is scanned by the scanner. The scanned segment is displayed on a user interface. A user may provide information in selected blank spaces of the displayed segment with a keyboard. The user may then command the printer to print, wherein the information is printed in the selected blank spaces of the segment by the print head. The next segment of the form is scanned and displayed to the user.

Abstract: A security enhancement for laptop computers comprises the use of a moving visible area and an obscured area for the laptop screen. The visible area may be defined by the user to comprise a single word, a single line, or a plurality of lines of data. The obscured area may comprise all remaining space on the laptop screen not defined as the visible area, A user may specify that the obscured area be completely hidden from view (i.e.., such as by blackening or whiting out the area) or difficult to view by others. The present invention is particularly useful with a laptop computer in a crowded environment such as while travelling on an airplane. The present invention will reduce the likelihood of unauthorized viewing of possibly sensitive computer data by others.

Abstract: In a retention management scheme, an object, such as a document or folder, is provided with an expiration time in the form of a time stamp attribute. The identification of the security subject providing the expiration time is also an attribute of the object. When the expiration time occurs, the authorization of the security subject is checked. If the security subject lacks authority to delete the expiration time, then the object is maintained on the data processing system and the expiration time is ignored. If the security subject has the authority to delete at the expiration time, then the object is deleted.

Abstract: An object having several components, such as functions, is located on a data processing system. Every time a user uses any of the components, the use of the component is measured. Information about the use of the components is provided to a user of the system. Selected components and constituents of these components are deleted from the system based on the user's command. Each component may have one or more constituents, which are either used exclusively by the component or are shared by several components. These constituents that are related to the deleted components are either deleted or updated to reflect deletion of the components from the system.

Abstract: Access by a security subject to an object on a data processing system is automatically controlled in accordance with a time based schedule. In accordance with times contained in the schedule, an access control list of an object is modified by either adding, to invoke access, or deleting, to revoke access, a security subject. The schedule is made up of one or more requests for single access or cyclical accesses that are stored in a request queue. The request queue is periodically polled to determine if any requests qualify for further processing. A request is processed if the time for changing the status of the security subject on the access control list, as specified by the request, is either the same as or less than the current time of the data processing system. Processing the request modifies the access control list by either adding or deleting the security subject to or from the access control list.

Abstract: The present invention divides a video frame into a series of smaller and smaller quadrants until reaching a single pixel size. By issuing a series of commands, a logical cursor moves within the quadrants to evaluate the frame for changes from the previous frame. Upon detecting a color change, the exact location (identified by a level and a quadrant thereof) is encoded along with a value for the change. As a result of the novel approach disclosed herein, there may be significant storage savings over the prior art.

Abstract: The present invention improves the comprehensibility of a document being read on a computer system. Rather than requiring a reader to stop and look up the meaning of a word, either on-line or with a printed copy, the present invention will automatically translate unknown words into words known to the reader. By checking each word in a document against a known word list maintained on the computer, the present invention improves the readers comprehension of a document as well as simplifies the reading thereof.

Abstract: A method and system for creating and maintaining multiple document versions in a data processing system implemented library. Selected documents within a data processing system implemented library are uniquely identified as root documents and a version-root identifier for each successor version of a particular root document is established. Thereafter, a selected version-root identifier is automatically associated with each created successor version of a root document. Upon the creation of a successor version of a root document and a second predecessor document, the version-root identifier associated with the root document is automatically associated with the successor version and the second predecessor document. Upon the creation of a successor version base upon multiple non-root predecessor documents a particular non-root predecessor document is automatically selected as a root document and a version-root identifier is established and associated therewith.

Abstract: A method and system for controlling access by groups of users to multiple objects stored within a data processing system implemented library wherein each object has an access list associated therewith explicitly listing individual users permitted access to that object. A group identification is established which encompasses all users within the data processing system, a selected subset of users with the data processing system, or a single selected user and his or her designated affinity users or proxies. The group identification is then listed within an associated access list for a particular object and upon an attempted access of the particular object by a user not listed explicitly within the associated access list, a determination is made as to whether or not that user is listed within a group identification which is permitted access.