Abstract: A window may be made insulative through the addition of sealed, properly suited coverings. Window coverings are commonly considered blinds, but they are no longer restricted to only blocking the passage of light into a room. Blocking heat passage with a movable item (open/close), such as a window covering, allows a home or business owner to reap the benefits of high efficiency (insulative) windows without the expense. Multiple layers can be integrated into the system to give immense flexibility to the user; allowing solar light to fill a room while restricting heat (reducing summer air conditioning and lighting loads), restricting light and heat passage (dark room or theater conditions) or restricting light passage while allowing heat passage (dark room with comfortable outside temperature). The remaining option (free light and heat passage) is accomplished by any or all layers to expose the glass surface.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for providing an address format compatible with different addressing formats used for addressing different sized address spaces. An address format is used in an operating system to address storage space in a storage device comprising a first region and a second region of storage space. A first group of applications uses the address format to only address the storage space in the first region and is not coded to use the address format to access the second region and a second group of applications uses the address format to address the storage space in the first and second regions.

Abstract: The present invention provides fast read performance for accessing a file from a multiplicity of files when its corresponding Block ID is unavailable, by furnishing new file-positioning commands, allowing access to data based on File Number, at the same fast locate speed as with Block Ids, thereby expanding the range of applications that can use certain tape drive systems effectively. The present invention includes both a device architecture for supporting the file oriented positioning and the appending, as well as a software system that can permit easy application access to the device facilities and system components which permit the advantages to accrue without any software application or operator changes, including a robust architecture for navigating residual data, e.g., for data recovery. The present invention comprises several device command innovations, a relative positioning command, an absolute positioning command, and other commands, e.g., for sensing current position.