Abstract: A personal communication device which includes the ability to generate dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signals to provide automatic telephone dialing of a numbers received in messages. A message which includes a number is received, decoded, and displayed on a display device. The user may then select to have a number which is included as part of the message encoded into an audible DTMF, series of signals which can be coupled to a conventional “touch-tone” telephone (i.e. a telephone that supports tone dialing) through speaker in the personal communication device and the microphone of the conventional telephone. The user may select all or any part of the message to be encoded into DTMF signals. Accordingly, if the message includes other information in addition to a telephone number, the user can parse the message to indicate which portion of the message includes the number to be dialed.

Abstract: An option attach connector has a first indicator bit combination that alerts the device that a public switched telephone network connection has been made to it. The presence of the first indicator bit combination is a signal to the device that telephone, FAX, and E-MAIL communications applications are to be conducted over a PSTN link. The presence of the first indicator bit combination invokes a stored computer program to provide appropriate connections between the PSTN link and the telephone, FAX, and modem hardware in the device. The connections are made by an audio multiplexer that receives control signals from the system CPU, while executing the stored computer program. The program determines the communications application selected by the user and selectively configures the PSTN link to be connected to the either the ear piece and microphone for voice communications, or to the FAX/modem for FAX communications, or to the modem alone for E-MAIL communications.

Abstract: A system for determining the optimal circuit design simulator schedule for debugging a digital electronic circuit design. The system characterizes all available circuit design simulators in terms of several parameters reflecting simulator speed and the time required to discover, isolate and fix a design error (bug). A cutover point is established for any pair of available simulators on the basis of these parameters. One simulator is progressively more efficient than the other beyond this cutover point, which is the desired time for scheduling substitution of the more efficient simulator during the debugging process. The system also permits "what-if" evaluation of alternative debugging strategies in advance by creating alternative schedules in response to various characteristic parameters.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for dequeuing connection requests in a data communications system comprising a calling subsystem and a called subsystem connected by a serial simplex switch. The connection requests are made by the calling subsystem to the called subsystem by sending a connect request message to the switch and queuing the connect request message in a buffer therein. The switch establishes a connection between the calling subsystem and the called subsystem by thereafter queuing the connect request message in a buffer in the called subsystem. Concurrently, the switch sends a connect request acknowledge message to the calling subsystem while the calling subsystem sends a connect request dequeue message to the switch.

Abstract: A sequencing scheme is provided for prioritizing bus operations occurring in simplex switches which interconnect subsystems in a data communications system, thereby yielding improved aggregate system data throughput. The sequencing scheme provides procedures which simultaneously accommodate (i) concurrently pending requests to a first control bus which processes only circuit switched operations and (ii) concurrently pending requests to a second control bus which processes only packet switched operations, in an order which optimizes link level control message throughput of the simplex switch. The control messages which are coordinated by the sequencing scheme include connect and disconnect requests, connect and disconnect request acknowledgments, and data acknowledgments.

Abstract: A serial simplex switch design is provided which includes I/O ports each of which is configurable specifically for attachment to a data communications subsystem or, alternatively, for cascaded connection to a similarly configured I/O port on another switch. The switch provides a packet routing function including input and output buffers for each of its I/O ports wherein packets of control messages sent by one subsystem are temporarily stored prior to being delivered to the appropriate destination subsystem. When configured to be directly attached to a subsystem, the I/O ports separate control messages from incoming integrated data and control message strings. In a cascade configuration, however, a mechanism is provided wherein data and control messages are separated into two physical paths to eliminate the delays associated with integrated data and control message flow through the cascaded I/O port.

Abstract: A new database table obtained by transferring records from a conventional database table. Each database table has a pluralilty of rows and columns, and each record includes a plurality of data items. Each data item in the conventional table is transferred to a first column of the new database, and a second column of the new table identifies the columns of the conventional table from which the data items in the first column of the new table were taken. A third column of the new table identifies the records of the conventional table from which the data items in the first column of the new tables were taken. A method and system are also disclosed for searching the new database table for a given record.

Abstract: A knowledge system including an expert system and a complementary data base. The knowledge system is provided to answer requests, and each request has a record including a plurality of parameters and values for those parameters. The expert system is provided to process the record of a specific request to answer that request, and the complementary database stores a plurality of records of requests having known answers, and any request from a user is preprocessed by searching the complementary database for a record identical to the record of the request. If an identical record is found, the known answer to the request having that identical record is given to the user to answer his or her request; however if no identical record is found in the complementary database, the expert system is invoked to answer the request.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a relational data base system which is operating in a virtual machine environment. The invention provides a system that includes a disconnected virtual machine which is running in the same virtual machine environment as is the relational data base. Insert and Update requests to the system are generated by programs running in user controlled virtual machines. Other users issue select and view requests which lock out insert and update requests which relate to the same data domain. With the present invention Insert and Update requests go to the disconnected virtual machine which ques them and applies them against the relational data base in the order that the requests are received. In this way, while a select is being executed on data in a particular domain of the data base, update and insert request for the same domain will be held by the virtual machine and the operator will not be "locked out" of the system.