Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Apple Inc.

Telecom Medical, Inc.

Other

Gary F Feierbach

John Bates

Mukesh K Patel

Serjan D Nikolic

Norman M Hayes

Miriam G Blatt

Yanhua Sun

Saed Muhssin

Marcel Dignum

Mechanisms for displaying text or image over a background such as a video display frame that automatically improve legibility of text or image displayed against a background by increasing the contrast between text or image and background. The display frame may be a single image, but may also be an image within a dynamic sequence of recorded images such as a movie or other video media, or sequence of images captured in real-time by a camera or other device. In one embodiment, color component values are selected, and complementing and filtering applied to achieve contrast. In another embodiment, selecting a minimally used value for color components in the frame achieves contrast. In some cases both text or image, and background, may be altered to achieve contrast. Another embodiment provides background intensity modulation to achieve varying contrast within altered backgrounds, and smoothing over many frames in dynamic material.

Methods and apparatus for displaying a frame with contrasting text

The present invention is a cooling device for removing heat from an integrated circuit. In one embodiment, the cooling device includes a conduit and a flexible channel having a first open end and a second closed end. The flexible channel's first open end has an internal width and is coupled with the conduit. The flexible channel is comprised of a resilient material having spring-like characteristics. In one embodiment, this material provides a spring-like restoring force when compressed. The cooling device also includes an interconnect mechanism between the conduit and the flexible channel to allow a gas or a fluid introduced within the conduit to move between the conduit and the flexible channel.

Cooling method for ICS

Techniques for reducing power consumption in pipelined processors are described. As a method, one embodiment of the present invention reduces power requirements in a piplelined processor by evaluating instructions to be executed to determine the operation type of the instructions, producing activity indicators based upon the operation types of the instructions, and controlling the supply of current to each of the stages such that only selected stages draw current from a power supply.

Method and apparatus for saving power in pipelined processors

An area within a frame is defined in which text or an image is to be generated. The text or image may also include an optional border surrounding and adjacent to the text or image. In accordance with one embodiment, in order to increase the contrast between the text or image and the background area of the frame, one or more color component values are selected for use in generating the text/image (or associated border). Specifically, a complement of one or more color component values associated with one or more pixels of the frame are determined. The complement may, for example, be obtained from an average color component value over a set of pixels. Alternatively, the complement may be obtained directly for each of a set of pixels in the frame from which an average value may then be obtained. The complemented-averaged color component value(s) may then be used to generate the text/image and/or associated border.

A cursor image on a display is altered in size as a function of the speed (or distance) the cursor is moved across the display to aid a user in locating the cursor on the display. The cursor image may also be altered to further indicate the direction of movement. In one embodiment, the cursor image may grow in size with increasing speed of cursor image movement. In other embodiments, the cursor image may also be additionally altered in form and/or color, flash, or otherwise to thereby visibly indicate its location on the display.

Method and apparatus for dynamic cursor configuration

An adaptive memory control determines optimal values for the refresh period and row and column address strobe signal frequency of an associated DRAM. A binary test pattern is written to the DRAM array, read during a subsequent read operation, and then compared to the original test pattern. If a match, the 1's complement of the test pattern is written to the array and then compared as described above with the original 1's complement pattern. If a match, the process is repeated using a more aggressive value for the desired parameter, i.e., refresh period, strobe frequency, etc. If at any point the comparison does not result in a match, a more conservative parameter value is used for the subsequent write, read, and compare sequence. This process continues until an optimal value for each desired parameter is determined.

Adaptive memory control

A microprocessor capable of performing multimedia and non-multimedia operations provided a plurality of stack based instructions is provided. The microprocessor includes a stack processor coupled to a stack capable of storing values, a register processor coupled to a register file capable of storing values, and a copy-unit having a first port coupled to the stack and a second port coupled to the register file being configured to copy data between the register file and the stack. The microprocessor also includes logic coupled to receive the plurality of stack based instructions from memory, cache, or other storage devices coupled to the microprocessor. The logic is configured to determine which of the plurality of stack based instructions are regular stack instructions and which of the plurality of stack based instructions are extended stack instructions. A stack decoder having a first port coupled to the logic and a second port coupled to the stack processor is configured to decode the regular stack instructions and provide control signals to the stack processor. A copy-unit decoder having a first port coupled to the logic and a second port coupled to the copy-unit is configured to decode extended stack instructions and provide control signals to the copy-unit. Further, a register processor decoder having a first port coupled to the logic and a second port coupled to the register processor is configured to decode extended stack instructions and provide the decoded extended stack instructions to the register processor.

Method and system for coupling a stack based processor to register based

A bi-directional galvanic conduction transdermal communication system is disclosed. The system includes an internal communication device implanted inside the body of a patient and an external communication device. The external communication device includes an external transmitter which transmits a carrier signal into the body of the patient during communication from the internal communication device to the external communication device. The carrier signal causes galvanic conduction to occur through the skin of the patient. The internal communication device includes an internal modulator that modulates the carrier signal with information stored in the internal communication device by selectively controlling the level of galvanic conduction that occurs through the skin of the patient. During external to internal communication, an external modulator modulates the carrier signal with information contained in the external communication device. Accordingly, the majority of the energy required for communication between the external and internal communication devices, regardless of the direction, is provided by the external communication device.

Galvanic transdermal conduction communication system and method

A computer system includes a central processing unit with an internal memory controller. The internal memory controller interacts with an external cache and a primary memory through a single unified memory bus. The internal memory controller generates a shared row address that is applied to the unified memory bus during an address fetching operation to simultaneously access a row in primary memory and an address in external cache. The internal memory controller may also generate a shared column address that is applied to the unified memory bus during a data return operation to simultaneously specify a column in primary memory and an address in external cache.

Apparatus and method for sharing a unified memory bus between external

A transdermal communication system is disclosed. The system includes an internal communication device implanted inside the body of a patient and an external communication device. The external communication device includes an external transmitter which transmits a carrier signal into the body of the patient during communication from the internal communication device to the external communication device. The internal communication device includes an internal modulator which modulates the carrier signal with information by selectively reflecting the carrier signal or not reflecting the carrier signal. The external communication device demodulates the carrier signal by detecting when the carrier signal is reflected and when the carrier signal is not reflected through the skin of the patient. When the reflected carrier signal is detected, it is interpreted as data of a first state, and when the reflected carrier signal is not detected, it is interpreted as data of a second state. Accordingly, the internal communication device consumes relatively little power because the carrier signal used to carry the information is derived from the external communication device. Further, transfer of data is also very efficient because the period needed to modulate information of either the first state or the second state onto the carrier signal is the same.

Transdermal communication system and method

A system for communicating through the skin of a patient, the system including an internal communication device implanted inside the body of a patient and an external communication device. The external communication device includes an external transmitter which transmits a carrier signal into the body of the patient during communication from the internal communication device to the external communication device. The internal communication device includes an internal modulator which modulates the carrier signal with information by selectively reflecting the carrier signal or not reflecting the carrier signal. The external communication device demodulates the carrier signal by detecting when the carrier signal is reflected and when the carrier signal is not reflected through the skin of the patient. When the reflected carrier signal is detected, it is interpreted as data of a first state, and when the reelected carrier signal is not detected, it is interpreted as data of a second state. Accordingly, the internal communication device consumes relatively little power because the carrier signal used to carry the information is derived from the external communication device. Further, transfer of data is also very efficient because the period needed to modulate information of either the first state or the second state onto the carrier signal is the same. In one embodiment, the carrier signal operates in the ultrasound frequency range.

Ultrasound transdermal communication system and method

A circuit to reduce the power consumption of a microprocessor includes activity monitor circuitry to generate an activity signal in response to a low activity operational state of the microprocessor. A clock controller connected to the activity monitor circuitry produces a periodic clock gating signal from the activity signal. Clock gating circuits intermittently apply the internal clock signal to the microprocessor logic circuitry in response to the periodic clock gating signal.

Apparatus and method for reducing power consumption in microprocessors

A system and method for monitoring a physiological attribute of a patient is disclosed. The system includes a measuring device to measure an absolute physiological attribute of a patient and to generate an absolute physiological attribute signal. The present invention also includes a processing element to receive the measured absolute physiological attribute signal. The processing element then generates a filtered physiological attribute signal by substantially removing the effects of certain bodily functions from the absolute physiological attribute signal and other artifacts of measurement. The processor also generates a set of parameters derived from the filtered physiological attribute signal which are indicative of the health and condition of the patient.

System and method to monitor the heart of a patient

An apparatus and method for customizing the shape of a computer mouse to an individual's hand uses a pliable body, typically a pliable body with an elastomer skin enclosing a pliable material. The pliable body is shaped into a customized configuration. A bonding agent may be used with the pliable material to form a hardened, customized configuration. The pliable body is connected to an electronic base assembly, which includes electronic circuitry to generate a mouse output signal for application to a computer.

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Belmont, CA, United States of America

Gary F Feierbach