Nortel Networks Corporation

Zw Company, LLC

Guillaume Comeau

Francois J Blouin

Colin Donald Smith

Brian Finlay Beaton

Arthur Julian Patterson Craddock

A method of providing Java application layer access to hardware peripheral memory mapped registers is provided together with a processor adapted to implement such a method. A fixed memory address space for a hardware peripheral's memory mapped registers is identified, and a Java object is constructed having elements which occupy this fixed memory address space. This allows a Java application to be provided with access to the hardware peripheral's memory mapped registers directly through the Java object. A new Java class is defined having base address and length parameters and in some cases also having a type parameter. This is used in constructing the Java object. When a Java object has an object descriptor which is effectively an object header and a pointer to where the object data is located, constructing the Java object may be done by creating an object descriptor, and then creating an object handle for the Java object which points to the object descriptor. Alternatively, a level of indirection may be removed, and the object handle created to point directly to the object created so as to exist in memory mapped register space.

Methods and systems for applications to interact with hardware

The system and method consistent with the present invention provides a contextual gesture interface for electronic devices. The contextual gesture interface activates a function corresponding to the characteristics of an object making contact with a display. The system may determine the time period of the contact as well as the size of the contact. The functions may include a wide array of navigation tools or editing tools. The contextual gesture interface of the present invention may be especially useful in portable electronic devices with small displays.

Contextual gesture interface

The system and method consistent with the present invention provides a touch-responsive graphical user interface for electronic devices. The graphical user interface determines a pointer size of the object making contact with a display and activates a function corresponding to the pointer size. The graphical user interface may invoke a wide array of functions such as a navigation tool, draw function, an erase function, or a drag function. The graphical user interface of the present invention may be especially useful in portable electronic devices with small displays.

Intelligent touch display

A reduced-power method of updating an LCD display. LCD displays are refreshed line by line. Lines of the display which do not need to be updated, i.e. which are blank, are refreshed with less power than lines which require updating. This is achieved by latching display data to the blank lines for only a very short period of time.

Low power refreshing (smart display multiplexing)

A system and method for automatically recalibrating a resistive touch screen. The resistance of a resistive touch screen layer is subject to change over time, while the resistance of silver bus bars connecting the resistive touch screen layer to analog-to-digital converter (ADC) elements is not. Calibration tables are used to convert an ADC count representing a voltage across the entire touch screen to an ADC count representing a percentage drop across the touch screen layer only. A new calibration table is generated periodically by measuring the current through the touch screen and using this to determine a new voltage drop across the touch screen layer only.

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Hull, Canada

Guillaume Comeau