International Business Machines Corporation

Tohru Mori

Peter R MacFarlane

Graham R Alderson

Toshiroh Tabata

Shigeru Matsubara

A data processing network in which a plurality of workstations such as personal computers (PC) (12) are connected to a host processor (11) and contain PC programs at particular levels for controlling tasks on the personal computers. The personal computers send a signal to the host when they are about to conduct a task indicating which data files they have and at what level. The host has an object library containing a copy of each disk file for each version of PC program. The host determines if the personal computer has the latest level data file for the version of program at that personal computer and, if it does not, sends a copy of the latest level data file to the personal computer to replace the down-level data file. Preferably, the host checks if the personal computer has all the data files it needs for the particular task and, if it does not and if it should because of the version of PC program stored at the PC, the host can load a copy of the missing file to the personal computer. The host does not have to contain a record of all the levels of all the programs of all the personal computers connected to it. However, by updating the object library in the host, this arrangement ensures that all personal computers connected to it are automatically brought to the latest authorized level of data files as are required by the personal computer.

Data processing network with upgrading of files

An area fill technique for graphic images is disclosed wherein the contour lines constituting an image are given in a series of line segments or a series of vectors, and horizontal line segments are ignored. Each line segment other than the horizontal ones is specified by the coordinate addresses for the start and end points in one direction, that is, from top to bottom or from bottom to top. Each is then converted into approximate pixels in the X-Y coordinate system, and stored in a random access work memory. The pixels of each line segment are stored in the work memory according to a rule whereby each line segment is represented by one pixel per horizontal line, and is written by taking exclusive OR of its pixels, excluding the start point, with read pixel data at corresponding coordinate addresses in the work memory. Thus, an even number of contour line pixels exist in each horizontal line in the work memory, and, area fill can be realized by scanning each horizontal line in the work memory and turning on pixel memory cells from an odd numbered contour line pixel to an even numbered contour line pixel. This technique makes it possible to easily perform area fill even for complicated images.

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Fujisawa, Japan

Tohru Mori