International Business Machines Corporation

Krishnamurthi Kannan

Frank P Novak

Kyriakos L Leontiades

Vikram Sharma

Christopher Dane Jones

Nathan J Lee

Thomas G Burket

Seraphin Bernard Calo

Gordon Wesley Braudaway

David P Lybrand

Suk Suet Soo

Clifford B Meltzer

Deborah J Kruesi

John W Wiley, Jr

This invention describes a set of methods and techniques that together address the deficiencies of the basic input/output system (BIOS) and the advanced basic input/output system (ABIOS) in the context of a pen-based portable computer while retaining much of its strengths in terms of providing an insulating layer between the hardware and the operating system such that the same operating system code body will execute in a variety of hardware platforms. In particular, the following deficiencies have been addressed. (a) A dual boot capability allowing the user to select, through a set-up procedure, either a conventional (DOS-style) booting procedure or a Penpoint-style booting procedure. (b) The capability to mast certain device characteristics from the operating system, defined as a callback mechanism. (c) A method for collecting and maintaining device state information of a device that could be disconnected or reconnected during the operating of the computer.

System and method for performing a continuous multi-stage function

A system and method for managing power in a portable, pen-based notebook computer. The system and method provides for minimizing power consumption by collecting and interpreting power related data of various processing elements while hiding many of the details from the end-user. The system monitors, collects, and acts upon power-related data in a portable computer to maximize the amount of time the portable computer can be used between battery re-charging with minimal user intervention. The system has a plurality of independently controllable power planes which are selectively powered so that the portable computer consumes the minimum power necessary to perform a particular function and a plurality of central processing units (CPUs) operating asynchronously with respect to each other. The present invention is further comprised of an on/off glue logic for monitoring battery condition, user invoked functions, and system state and power management for controlling the operation of each of the CPUs as a function of the conditions sensed.

System for distributed power management in portable computers

A provides a system and method for managing power in a portable, pen-based notebook computer. The system and method provides a means for minimizing power consumption by collecting and interpreting power related data of various processing elements while hiding many of the details from the end-user. The system monitors, collects, and acts, upon power-related data in a portable computer to maximize the amount of time the portable computer can be used between battery re-charging with minimal user intervention. The system has a plurality of independently controllable power planes and a plurality of central processing units (CPUs) operating asynchronously with respect to each other. The present invention is further comprised of an on/off glue logic means for monitoring battery condition, user invoked functions, and system state and a power management means for controlling the operation of each of the CPUs as a function of the conditions sensed by a sensing means.

A digitizer tablet computer has a host processor connected to a service processor which, in turn, is connected to a digitizer controller and to a power subsystem microcontroller whereby primary control of a keyboard, a digitizer, and a power subsystem is off loaded from the host processor to the service processor. The host processor communicates with the service processor through an interface comprising a status register, an input buffer and an output buffer through which host commands and data are transferred. The digitizer produces coordinate data that is initially processed in the service processor before being passed on to the host processor. The host processor is interrupted to receive the processed data and executes in a tight loop until a predetermined amount of processed data is received.

System to service processor interface for a tablet computer

An architecture for the implementation of an information utility for accessing information and executing transactions on an interactive basis between Videotex databases and individual end user terminals, some or all of which may be remotely located with respect to each other. The utility may be associated with a Videotex Application Network (VAN) and includes a combination of distributed, semiautonomous Operations Nodes (ONs), each characterized by (1) one or more affiliated users, (2) the inclusion of some form of database, and (3) one or more customized application programs, and each is also capable of 'standalone' operation. Each database comprises pages of control information and displayable data. Each node comprises a directory of databases at other nodes.

Electronic system for accessing graphical and textual information

A system or scheme for automatic detection of and recovery from transmission errors in the asynchronous communication mode at the data link level with complete transparency at the higher levels is disclosed wherein the transmissions are in the form of a sequence of data packets, and an improved combination of end-of-text (ETX) bytes along with checksums is used in each data packet to detect errors. The ETX character is dynamically selected for each packet after the data comprising the packet has been assembled. This character is coded differently from the remaining character codes in its respective packet and is made the second byte thereof following the start-of-text byte (STX). The third byte in each packet is made the complement of the preceding ETX byte, the latter of which is also made the last byte in the packet. Thus, the second and last bytes in each packet are identical, and different from all the other bytes, and the third byte is their complement. Other bytes in each packet include: one byte indicating the location of the packet in a set in a given transmission sequence; a byte distinguishing the packet's set from other transmission sequences; two bytes indicative of the number of data bytes in the packet; one byte operating as a control character indicating the functional nature of the packet; data bytes; and, two checksum bytes which precede the last ETX byte. Among the advantages of transmissions using packets containing the foregoing improved combination of bytes, is the fact that all transmission errors will be detected and upon detection of an error in a packet, the transmitter is immediately notified and retransmission is carried out only from the erroneous packet rather than from the beginning of the entire sequence as in the prior art.

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Yorktown Heights, NY, United States of America

Krishnamurthi Kannan