International Business Machines Corporation

John A Cook

Gregory Alan Flurry

Larry W Henson

Craig Henry Becker

James Irwin Knutson

Bruce R Wood

Troy Douglas Folger

John Martin Mullaly

Alan Richard Tannenbaum

Craig Ardner Swearingen

Murray Robert Cantor

Richard Lee Verburg

Jianming Dong

Linas L Vepstas

Gregory Louis Bondy

Stephanie L Jensen

Gary L Wiseman

James A Miller

A programming framework is provided for designing and implementing software state machines. A state machine initializer may be created that defines the states, conditions, actions, triggers, and state transitions for the software state machines. A set of user interfaces, may also be provided for creating initializers. An abstract state machine object may then be created that creates an instance of a particular state machine initializer. The state machine initializer acts as a helper to the state machine object, which uses the initializer to create an array of state transition objects. A set of programming interfaces may also be provided to define the programming framework. Events generated by one state machine may be used as triggers by another state machine. Furthermore, state values of one state machine may be used as inputs by other state machines. State machines may also share triggers and inputs.

Method, apparatus, and program for a state machine framework

A programming framework is provided for designing and implementing software state machines. A state machine initializer may be created that defines the states, conditions, actions, triggers, and state transitions for the software state machines. A set of user interfaces, such as graphical user interfaces, may also be provided for creating initializers. An abstract state machine object may then be created that creates an instance of a particular state machine initializer. The state machine initializer acts as a helper to the state machine object, which uses the initializer to create an array of state transition objects. Once the state machine objects creates the array of state transition objects, the state machine is ready to run. A set of programming interfaces may also be provided to define the programming framework.

A method and apparatus in a computer for processing voice messages. A voice message is recorded. Responsive to recording of the voice message, an identifying string is automatically inserted into a text message identifying a presence of a voice message. Responsive to recording the voice message, the voice message is automatically appended to a text message to form an appended voice message. The text message is sent with the appended voice message. When a message is received, the text in the received message is parsed to see if an identifying string is present indicating that the received message is a voice message. Responsive to a determination that the received message is a voice message, a graphical user interface including controls for presenting the voice message is displayed.

Method and apparatus for sending messages in a data processing system

A method and apparatus for a general container mechanism for storage of object-oriented Java Beans. A repository is created for a persistent collection of items called ManagedBeans. Each ManagedBean contains a structured collection of code and data that makes up a Java Bean. The structured collection consists of items called ManagedBean Elements (MBE) which correspond to different types of code and data. Each ManagedBean Element is a subclass of the generic ManagedBean Element class. Each subclass identifies the different kinds of Bean sub-elements and contains the data contained in the corresponding file, and method that works on this data.

Method and apparatus for a model data structure for accessing and manipulating java beans

A method and apparatus for extending a Java Beans Archive file. A key/value pair is added to the manifest file specification to allow an application to determine information about the sub-element composition of a Java Bean. The key provides a unique integer &ldquo;N&rdquo; which allows the specification of a Java Bean in the archive file. The value pair provides specification for a tag for indicating the type of a specific sub-element file in the archive file.

Method and apparatus for extending a java archive file

In a multitasking data processing apparatus including means for executing processes and including a display adapter for executing functions supporting a display, the display adapter including a first port means for receiving, from the means for executing processes, requests to execute selected functions having a first execution priority, a second port means for concurrently receiving, from the means for executing processes, requests to execute selected functions having a second execution priority lower than the first execution priority, and means, coupled to the first and second port means, for executing selected functions according to the execution priority. In addition, in a multitasking data processing apparatus including means for executing processes and including a display adapter for executing functions supporting a display, a method of executing processes including the steps of receiving from the means for executing processes in a first port means requests to execute selected functions, the requests having a first execution priority, concurrently receiving from the means for executing processes in a second port means requests to execute selected functions having a second execution priority lower than said first execution priority, and executing the selected functions according to the execution priority.

Display adapter supporting priority based functions

An apparatus for interfacing between a plurality of application programs and at least one display adapter having functions for supporting a display, the apparatus including first driver apparatus providing an interface from a first one of the application programs to functions of a display adapter, second driver apparatus providing an interface from a second one of the application programs to functions of the display adapter, and access apparatus, coupled to both driver apparatus and to the display adapter, for providing both driver apparatus common access to selected functions of said display adapter. In addition, a method of interfacing between a plurality of application programs and at least one display adapter having functions for supporting a display, the method including the steps of providing a first interface from a first one of the application programs to functions of a display adapter, providing a second interface from a second one of the application programs to functions of the display adapter, and providing common access from the first and second interfaces to selected functions of the display adapter.

Display adapter interface layer

A method and apparatus for supporting multiple command sets in a single rendering adapter. A device driver operating in tandem with a rendering adapter and its associated microcode interprets disparate command sets without separate control/interpretation sections being maintained in the rendering adapter. Rendering adapter microcode in the adapter for supporting a first command set is extending to support commands in a second command set not capable of being mapped in the first command set. The device driver receives the disparate data stream command sets generated by application programs and destined for the rendering adapter. If a first command set command is received by the device driver, it is passed on to the rendering adapter substantially unmodified. If a second command set command is received by the device driver, an attempt is made to map the command into a first command set command, and then transfer this mapped command to the rendering adapter. If no mapping is possible, the received command is reformatted to conform to the syntax of the first command set, and then sent to the rendering adapter. As the rendering adapter microcode has been extending beyond interpreting and executing the first command set, this reformatted second command set command can be processed by the same parser resident in the rendering adapter microcode.

Method and apparatus for providing multi-command support in a rendering

A programming interface is provided in a computer graphics system which allows plural hardware display adapters to be upgraded and enhanced without correspondingly upgrading and rewriting display specific device driver code for each separate program application using the graphics system. A resource library with a standard programming interface, but specific to each display adapter is included, as well as display driver code for each adapter. Functions necessary to service the graphics model embodied in the program application are configured as device driver models and also are included within the interface of the present invention. Initially, the functions provided in the resource library are dynamically bound to expose the functionality of the desired display adapter. A second level of dynamic binding is implemented to bind the program application with the display specific code and graphic models being utilized. In this manner, numerous combinations of program applications and display adapters can be used without providing an interface for each possible combination.

Display subsystem architecture for binding device independent drivers

An apparatus and a method of encoding a dirty bit within plural bit control data for controlling an operation by a computer graphics system to simultaneously indicate reset or clear of data for a pixel in the system to quickly update a frame on a screen in an animation application are disclosed. Flexibility of the encoding dirty bits and a trade-off among a relative size of a set of control data available for the system to control the operation are easily achieved by the apparatus and the method.

Apparatus and method of encoding control data in a computer graphics

A data processing system that includes several ongoing processes that provide input words to a buffer of an independently executing processor, a buffer manager that controls the process access to the buffer and controls the words input by the processes to the buffer that includes an apparatus for regulating the number of words from an executing first process for loading into the buffer, an apparatus for loading the number of words, an apparatus for loading a synchronization word when a second process is to be executed and an apparatus for halting the loading of the first process words and providing for loading of the second process words when the synchronization word is accessed by the independently executing processor.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

John A Cook