High performance spiral heat sink
Granted: August 26, 1997
Patent Number:
5661638
A thermally conductive heat sink unit. In the present invention, a thermally conductive heat sink has a first surface. A plurality of arc-shaped cooling fins are formed in the first surface. The arc-shaped cooling fins extend radially outward from a central region of the first surface. A second surface of the thermally conductive heat sink is adapted to thermally contact a heat generating device. By contacting the heat generating device, heat generated by the device is dissipated through…
Hierarchical display list processing in graphics data retrieval system
Granted: August 12, 1997
Patent Number:
5657479
A hierarchical display list system and efficient processing method for same. The system provides a display list having discontiguous display list segments and an information retrieval system for same (e.g. DMA controller in one embodiment). Each display list segment (DLS) contains a call to a next to be processed DLS or a return. The call includes a push (which indicates the address of the return DLS) and also a jump control data (which indicates the address of the next to be processed…
Single connector attachment drive sled assembly having light pipe coupled to a rail
Granted: August 5, 1997
Patent Number:
5654873
A drive sled assembly apparatus and method for readily installing and removing media drives. In one embodiment of the present invention, a drive sled is adapted to attach to a media drive. The sled consists of left and right rails that attach to the drive, and a lever that snaps on the front of the two rails. The attachment between the rails and the drive contain rubber grommets to dampen vibration and shock effects on the drive. The two rails and lever can be used to carry the drive…
System and method for piggybacking of read responses on a shared memory multiprocessor bus
Granted: August 5, 1997
Patent Number:
5655102
A system and method for piggybacking read responses on a shared memory, multiprocessor bus having a plurality of nodes coupled to the bus. The system determines whether a pending read request from a first node targets data required by a subsequent read request from a second node. The system then piggybacks a read response corresponding to the pending read request by permitting the first and second nodes to share the required data without transmitting the subsequent read request on the…
Computer-implemented method and an apparatus for inputting data structure characteristics
Granted: July 29, 1997
Patent Number:
5652874
A computer-implemented method and apparatus allowing a user to select a data transformation for converting input data to output data without having to perform complicated programming. An interactive graphic display provider menu display options which enable a user to generate input and output graphic display templates by selecting data items such as scalars, arrays, lattices, and sets from a data palette. The user then identifies a selected data transformation by making assignments…
Efficient method and apparatus for determining texture coordinates for lines and polygons
Granted: July 15, 1997
Patent Number:
5649082
A method of generating a pixel in a computer system. The computer system includes a processor and a memory. The memory includes a first polygon and a texture map. The method comprises the steps of: accessing a first point on a first polygon. A step of determining a first line segment having less than a predetermined error and determining whether a next line segment causes less than the predetermined error. The next line segment is longer than the first line segment in one direction. If…
System and method for a computer-based dynamic information clipping service
Granted: July 15, 1997
Patent Number:
5649186
A system and computer-based method providing a dynamic information clipping service. An end-user creates a template of topics of interest via a graphical user interface and the template is transmitted to a central site for processing. At the central site, information relating to a particular base of knowledge is collected, parsed and indexed. The parsed and indexed information is stored in an information repository. The template is processed by parsing and collecting command-strings…
Method for designing curved shapes for use by a computer
Granted: June 3, 1997
Patent Number:
5636338
Methods for forming computer models of curves, networks, or surfaces from user defined specifications of the shape to be modeled. Each specification includes a set of geometric constraints, such as positions, tangents curvatures, and torsions, and may also include discontinuity specifications. In the preferred embodiment, curves are computed so as to locally minimize a scale invariant functional of the geometry of the curve, such as a magnitude of variation in curvature of the curve…
Cache coherency using flexible directory bit vectors
Granted: May 27, 1997
Patent Number:
5634110
A memory controller in a computer system is described. The memory controller maintains a directory comprising a plurality of entries. Each entry is associated with a memory block. The memory controller maintains an entry of the directory in a modified fine bit vector format when a memory block associated with the entry is cached in one or more nodes all of which are within a single partition of the computer system. The entry when maintained in the modified fine bit vector format…
Method for preventing multi-level cache system deadlock in a multi-processor system
Granted: May 20, 1997
Patent Number:
5632025
A method for preventing deadlock due to the need for data exclusivity when performing forced atomic instructions in a multi-level cache in a multi-processor system. The system determines whether an aligned multi-byte word in which the data of a forced atomic instruction, such as an integer store operation, is exclusive in a first level cache. If so, the forced atomic instruction is allowed to enter a second level cache pipeline. If not, the forced atomic instruction is prevented from…
Method and apparatus for generating display identification information
Granted: April 15, 1997
Patent Number:
5621432
The present invention relates to the generation of display identification (ID) information in a computer display system. The display ID generator includes a memory which stores display ID information. A control logic device couples the information from the memory to a first FIFO. A state machine accesses the information held in the first FIFO and determines the duration information. Next, the state machine couples the information to a second FIFO. Last, the information in the second FIFO…
Method for sampling a uniform spatially-distributed sequence of pixels in a block
Granted: April 8, 1997
Patent Number:
5619597
A computer-implemented method of transmitting images from a transmitter to a receiver (e.g. in a teleconferencing application). A receiver maintains an image in a local storage (e.g. that from a previous frame in a sequence of frames) and the transmitter receives an updated image for a next temporal period (e.g. the next frame). The transmitter divides the updated image into blocks and comparing a rotating pixel sample(s) of each of the blocks from the updated image with a sampled pixel…
Precise translation lookaside buffer error detection and shutdown circuit
Granted: April 8, 1997
Patent Number:
5619672
A precise TLB error detection and shutdown circuit that detects for two or more matching tag entries in a TLB by providing an array of n units of error detection circuit unit <i>, wherein each error detection unit <i> comprises a first input B<i> coupled to an associated bit <i> of an input n-bit tag compare indicator. A second input A<i> is coupled to an output bit of an immediately preceding error detection unit <i-1>. A third input C<i> is…
System and method for enabling, without recompilation, modification of class definitions and implementations in an object-oriented computer program
Granted: March 18, 1997
Patent Number:
5613120
A system and method for compiling and linking a source file is described. A compiler generates class information pertaining to object-oriented classes referenced in the source file. The class information is sufficient to enable a linker to resolve class definitions and to perform class relocation operations. The compiler also generates an object file from the source file. The object file includes the class information. The compiler generates the object file such that resolution of class…
Programmable video frame detector
Granted: March 4, 1997
Patent Number:
5608461
A synchronizing device is described. The synchronizing device detects a video frame. The synchronizing device determines a duration of a first signal state of a video signal, determines a duration of a second signal state of the video signal and compares the duration of a first signal state with the duration of a second signal state.
Flow control system having a counter in transmitter for decrementing and incrementing based upon transmitting and received message size respectively for indicating free space in receiver
Granted: February 18, 1997
Patent Number:
5604866
A system and method for controlling the flow of messages transferred between modules of a computer system is disclosed. The system includes a receiver module comprising a buffer having a capacity to store a predetermined number of messages, and a transmitter module coupled to the receiver module. The transmitter module includes a counter for maintaining a count value representative of free space in the buffer. The transmitter module transmits a message to the buffer when the count value…
Apparatus for processing instructions in a computing system
Granted: February 18, 1997
Patent Number:
5604909
A computing system has first and second instruction storing circuits, each instruction storing circuit storing N instructions for parallel output. An instruction dispatch circuit, coupled to the first instruction storing circuit dispatches L instructions stored in the first instruction storing circuit, wherein L is less than or equal to N. An instruction loading circuit, coupled to the instruction dispatch circuit and to the first and second instruction storing circuits, loads L…
Overhead projector for flat panel display capability
Granted: January 14, 1997
Patent Number:
5593221
An overhead projector for use with a flat panel display assembly. The specialized overhead projector provides cooling for the LCD flat panel when used in an overhead projection configuration. The projector contains a rail on which the flat panel display is positioned for alignment and to provide air passage there through for cooling. A clamping mechanism is also described for securing the flat panel display to the projector. The flat panel display is a back-lit flat panel display…
Method and apparatus for retarting pipeline processing
Granted: December 31, 1996
Patent Number:
5590294
A method and apparatus for restarting an instruction processing pipeline after servicing one or more interlock processing faults. A pipeline architecture is defined in which processing interdependencies (such as instruction latencies, resource conflicts, cache accesses, virtual address translations and sign extend operations) are presumed not to be present so as to increase pipeline throughput. Interdependencies which actually occur appear as processing faults which then are serviced. At…
Graphics memory apparatus and method
Granted: December 17, 1996
Patent Number:
5585824
A graphics memory apparatus and methods for the organization, storage and playback of graphics data for display purposes. The image data and overlay data (and/or other graphics data) are organized and stored in the graphics memory in an interleaved fashion so that only one type of graphics data is stored at any one memory address (pixel data or overlay data or other graphics data) and so that preferably full memory capacity is utilized for the area of graphics memory employed. As an…
