Abstract: A method for obtaining a service in an offline mode and later completing the service in an online mode. The method includes obtaining a service in an offline mode at a communications device, wherein the service would have required at least two transactions with a first server in an online mode. The method then includes associating with the service a pointer to a sequence of at least one operation to be performed at a first server, and sending in an online mode the pointer.

Abstract: A communications system for executing distributed processes on garbage collecting virtual machines. More particularly, distributed applications are providing using garbage collection delivered as a function of certain timing variables such as the time until a process will require its next garbage collection cycle, process hibernation time, and the actual total garbage collection time per process. Advantageously, distributed application programs are executed on garbage collecting virtual machines without any adverse processing impact resulting from the garbage collection process.

Abstract: A method for minimally identifying at least one component in a document. The method includes selecting a minimal signature for the at least one component that contains fewer components than a canonical signature.

Abstract: A method for providing service to a communications device that has contacted a service provider that is unable to provide service directly. The method includes examining a service request from a communications device at a first service provider having a first address to determine whether the communications device is to be redirected to a second service provider having a second address, and sending to the communications device from the first service provider the second address when the communications device is to be redirected to the second service provider.

Abstract: A method is provided for converting two-dimensional data, particularly information in HTML format, into a canonical representation for rendering in aural or other visual forms wherein each element of interest is selected based on it being part of a mathematically regular expression, namely any expression that can be parsed in a tree. To perform the selection, the container of the element is located, and then the local route of the element within the parsed tree is followed, such that a signature of the element built upon this identification can be constructed and stored for later use in retrieving and rendering the value of the element of interest. The element of interest can thereafter be rendered through an appropriate language translator of interest to the querier. As a further refinement of the invention. the method searches for repeated elements and then stores only one of the selected repeated elements, such as the first repeated element.

Abstract: A method is provided for converting two-dimensional data, particularly information in HTML format, into a canonical representation for rendering in aural or other visual forms wherein each element of interest is selected based on it being part of a mathematically regular expression, namely any expression that can be parsed in a tree. To perform the selection, the container of the element is located, and then the local route of the element within the parsed tree is followed, such that a signature of the element built upon this identification can be constructed and stored for later use in retrieving and rendering the value of the element of interest. The element of interest can thereafter be rendered through an appropriate language translator of interest to the querier. As a further refinement of the invention, the method searches for repeated elements and then stores only one of the selected repeated elements, such as the first repeated element.

Abstract: A method is provided for converting two-dimensional data, particularly information in HTML format, into a canonical representation for rendering in aural or other visual forms wherein each element of interest is selected based on it being part of a mathematically regular expression, namely any expression that can be parsed in a tree. To perform the selection, the container of the element is located, and then the local route of the element within the parsed tree is followed, such that a signature of the element built upon this identification can be constructed and stored for later use in retrieving and rendering the value of the element of interest. The element of interest can thereafter be rendered through an appropriate language translator of interest to the querier. As a further refinement of the invention. the method searches for repeated elements and then stores only one of the selected repeated elements, such as the first repeated element.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for allocating video bandwidth of a channel that carries both video and audio information. The quality of an audio signal received over the channel is determined, and the video bandwidth of the channel is changed based upon the quality of the received audio signal. The quality of the audio signal can be determined by measuring factors including audio latency, the extent to which audio packets that are sent are not received, the sampling rate at which audio information in the audio signal is digitized, and detecting a period of audio silence.

Abstract: A system and method of by pipelining the flow of data in a bus mastered network controller. The concept of successful completion on copy is used. The bus mastering network controller indicates to the CPU that a frame has been successfully transmitted as soon as the data from main memory is copied across system bus to buffer memory in the controller. The driver layer of the network operating system upon receiving the successful completion on copy signal from bus mastering network controller 16 releases its own transmit frame descriptors and buffers associated with the copied frame which enables the lower protocol layer to initiate a new frame transmission while the previous one is still being transmitted. The CPU and bus mastering network controller do not contend for system bus during the setup of the new frame since bus mastering network controller continues transmission from buffer memory.

Abstract: A system and method of pipelining the flow of data in a bus mastered network controller. The concept of successful completion on copy is used. The bus mastering network controller indicates to the CPU that a frame has been successfully transmitted as soon as the data from main memory is copied across system bus to buffer memory in the controller. The driver layer of the network operating system upon receiving the successful completion on copy signal from bus mastering network controller 16 releases its own transmit frame descriptors and buffers associated with the copied frame which enables the lower protocol layer to initiate a new frame transmission while the previous one is still being transmitted. The CPU and bus mastering network controller do not contend for system bus during the setup of the new frame since bus mastering network controller continues transmission from buffer memory. The bus mastering network controller does not wait for a complete indication to transfer the next frame to buffer memory.

Abstract: The basic invention is to define the TBD data structure in the driver layer to be exactly the same as the pointer structure in the TCB fragment structure and to have the TBD pointer in the TxCB point to the TCB fragment structure which is in protocol space. Also, the driver must specify at initialization that physical addresses be loaded into the TCB fragment pointers. This structure then allows the elimination of the TBDs in driver space. They are replaced by the TCB fragment structure. The advantages are that many cpu instructions formerly needed to set up the TBD's and to manage them in memory are eliminated. Also, it is faster to send the fragment structure to the controller than to send the TBDs. This is because the fragment structure is a contiguous array and can therefore go to the controller in burst mode.

Abstract: The basic invention is to define the TBD data structure in the driver layer to be exactly the same as the pointer structure in the TCB fragment structure and to have the TBD pointer in the TxCB point to the TCB fragment structure which is in protocol space. Also, the driver must specify at initialization that physical addresses be loaded into the TCB fragment pointers. This structure then allows the elimination of the TBDs in driver space. They are replaced by the TCB fragment structure. The advantages are that many cpu instructions formerly needed to set up the TBD's and to manage them in memory are eliminated. Also, it is faster to send the fragment structure to the controller than to send the TBDs. This is because the fragment structure is a contiguous array and can therefore go to the controller in burst mode.