System, method and computer program product for page sharing between fault-isolated cells in a distributed shared memory system
Granted: November 14, 2000
Patent Number:
6148379
A system, method and computer program product for sharing memory between fault-isolated cells of a computer system. A page of memory is exported from an exporting cell to an importing cell by selectively opening a hole in a fire-wall that otherwise fault-isolates the exporting cell and the importing cell. The fire-wall opening permits the importing cell to access a specific page of memory in the exporting cell. Access to other memory cells is still prevented by the fire-wall. When a page…
System and method for color space conversion using an extended color space
Granted: November 14, 2000
Patent Number:
6147772
A system and method for converting a color uses an extended color space to convert a color from a first color space to a second color space. The extended color space is extended from the second color space. In other words, the extended color space has increased valid component ranges compared with the second color space to accommodate the conversion of any valid colors from the first color space. Subsequent operations on the converted color in the extended color space occur without the…
Demateable, compliant, area array interconnect
Granted: November 7, 2000
Patent Number:
6142789
An interconnection device has a multiplicity of individual arms attached to a carrier board. The carrier board includes vias which go through the board and have a pad on the top and bottom of the board near the via. Attached to each via pad is an arm. The arm is attached so that its free end extends out over the clearance hole in the carrier board. The free end of the arm positioned over the clearance hole includes a surface treatment which allows the free end to make good electrical…
Flat panel display system having direct monitoring and overhead projection monitoring capability
Granted: November 7, 2000
Patent Number:
6144360
A light distributing removable door assembly (and elements thereof) for a back-lit flat panel display subsystem wherein the subsystem is for direct viewing as a monitor and having overhead projection capability. The removable door assembly provides for back-lighting via a light pipe for direct viewing when installed in the subassembly. When the door assembly is removed, the active matrix LCD is semi-transparent and can be placed over the imaging screen (viewing side down) of an overhead…
Method, system, and computer program product for visualizing data using partial hierarchies
Granted: October 24, 2000
Patent Number:
6137499
A method, system, and computer program product provides data visualization which optimizes visualization of and navigation through hierarchies. A partial hierarchy is generated and displayed. The partial hierarchy consists of a number levels at least equal to a predetermined depth and less than a total number of levels included in a corresponding complete hierarchy. Parent nodes in the bottom level of the partial hierarchy have segments of connection lines extending toward child nodes…
Door assembly for a computer
Granted: October 17, 2000
Patent Number:
6132019
A door assembly that includes a door that is operable to alternatively expose and cover an opening in the bezel of a computer. The door assembly includes a carriage that slides up and down that pivotally couples to the door. Upon pressing against the lower portion of the door, the door pivots and the carriage and the door automatically slide down such that the door no longer covers the opening in the bezel. When an upward force is applied to the door, the door and the carriage move…
Method and system for width independent antialiasing
Granted: October 17, 2000
Patent Number:
6133901
An efficient method for width independent antialiasing of point primitives and line primitives in a frame buffer of a graphics computer system. The graphics computer system calculates an integral of an impulse response of a low pass filter. A plurality of values representative of the integral of the impulse response are stored in a look-up table. The plurality of values are indexed with respect to distance. A primitive is rasterized into the frame buffer, wherein the primitive is either…
Editing a surface
Granted: October 10, 2000
Patent Number:
6130673
A computer implemented method edits a surface by displaying a surface rendered from a polygonal mesh defined by mesh elements, selecting, as an edit mesh element, a mesh element displayed in the surface, determining a set of affected mesh elements from the polygonal mesh wherein each affected mesh element is within a specified vicinity of the edit mesh element, editing the edit mesh element in response to user input, and editing the affected mesh elements based on the edited edit mesh…
System and method to efficiently represent aliases and indirect memory operations in static single assignment form during compilation
Granted: October 10, 2000
Patent Number:
6131189
A system and method for an optimizer of a compilation suite for representing aliases and indirect memory operations in static single assignment (SSA) during compilation of a program having one or more basic blocks of source code. The optimizer converts all scalar variables of said program to SSA form, wherein said SSA form includes a plurality of variable versions, zero or more occurrences of a .chi. function, zero or more occurences of a .phi. function, and zero or more occurrences of a…
Advanced boot sequence for an +86 computer system that maintains expansion card device compatibility
Granted: October 3, 2000
Patent Number:
6128731
An .times.86 based computer system that implements a firmware based boot process without an .times.86 BIOS that supports expansion devices coupled to the computer system, wherein the expansion devices include their own respective BIOS extensions. The computer system includes an .times.86 processor coupled to a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory via a bus. The non-volatile memory includes firmware which when executed by the processor cause the computer system to implement the boot…
Method, system, and computer program product for performing register promotion via load and store placement optimization within an optimizing compiler
Granted: October 3, 2000
Patent Number:
6128775
A method, system, and computer program product for performing register promotion, that optimizes placement of load and store operations of a computer program within a compiler. Based on the observation that the circumstances for promoting a memory location's value to register coincide with situations where the program exhibits partial redundancy between accesses to the memory location, the system is an approach to register promotion that models the optimization as two separate problems:…
Method and apparatus for calculating X to the Exponent of Y
Granted: October 3, 2000
Patent Number:
6128638
A hardware implementation solves for the value of X.sup.Y, where X and Y are real (fixed point or floating point) numbers by using the formula X.sup.Y =exp (log.sub.e (X.sup.Y))=exp(ln(X.sup.Y))=exp(Y*ln(X)). A fixed point representation of X, output from a flip-flop, is used to address a floating point data output from an ln(X) ROM lookup table. The floating point data output is output from a second flip-flop and multiplied by Y in a multiplier to yield a product. The product is output…
Computer housing
Granted: September 26, 2000
Patent Number:
D431242
Graphical user interface with optimal transparency thresholds for maximizing user performance and system efficiency
Granted: September 12, 2000
Patent Number:
6118427
A system and method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) for maximized user performance and system efficiency. The GUI utilizes variable-transparency to merge images (or layers) of objects onto a graphical display. For example, "see through" objects (such as menus, tool palettes, windows, dialogue boxes, or screens) are superimposed over similar objects or different background content (such as text, wire-frame or line art images, or solid images). A critical factor in the…
System for maintaining orientation of a user interface as a display changes orientation
Granted: September 5, 2000
Patent Number:
6115025
A system that includes a flat panel display that can change three-dimensional orientation in a continuous way, such as when the display is horizontally rotated on a turntable. Position or orientation of the display relative to a reference orientation is sensed by orientation sensors coupled to the display. A computer compares the orientation of the display to a fixed reference orientation. When the orientation of the display has changed from the reference, the computer maps the…
Three dimensional input system using tilt
Granted: September 5, 2000
Patent Number:
6115028
An input system for controlling the position or motion of a cursor, three dimensions that uses x, z position for inputting two coordinates and tilt in a plane (x-y or z-y) to input a third (and possibly a fourth coordinate). The invention is moved about on a surface for inputting two of the dimensions and tilted to input the third. The amount or degree of tilt and the direction of tilt controls the input of the third dimension. The base of the hand held device is curved so that the…
Memory system with switching for data isolation
Granted: September 5, 2000
Patent Number:
6115278
A memory system that includes switches for controlling data transfer that are disposed on the motherboard. The switches are selectively coupled to a controller and to connector receptacles that are adapted to receive a memory module. The memory system also includes resistors that are disposed on the motherboard for terminating data signals. In one embodiment, memory modules are accessed in pairs. That is, the data switches are used to control the flow of data signals such that data…
System, method and computer program product for organizing page caches
Granted: September 5, 2000
Patent Number:
6115790
A system, method and computer program product for distributing page caches among memory objects and, in a DSM system, among memories in the DSM system. The system, method and computer program product provides a separate page cache for each memory object. Each separate page cache associates page frame data structures that represent pages of memory that store a portion of an associated memory object. A separate mutual exclusion mechanism is provided for each page cache for protecting the…
Method, system and computer program product for navigating through partial hierarchies
Granted: August 29, 2000
Patent Number:
6111578
A method, system, and computer program product provides data visualization which optimizes visualization of and navigation through hierarchies. A partial hierarchy is generated and displayed. The partial hierarchy consists of a number levels at least equal to a predetermined depth and less than a total number of levels included in a corresponding complete hierarchy. Parent nodes in the bottom level of the partial hierarchy have segments of connection lines extending toward child nodes…
Method, system and computer program product for virtual memory support for managing translation look aside buffers with multiple page size support
Granted: August 29, 2000
Patent Number:
6112285
A system, method and computer program product for virtual memory support for TLBs with multiple page sizes that require only minor revisions to existing operating system code and remains compatible with existing applications. The virtual memory support provided herein is transparent to many existing operating system procedures and application programs. Various page sizes such as 4 KB, 64 KB, 256 KB, 1 MB, 4 MB and 16 MB page sizes can be used by application programs and each process can…
