Dynamically adapting the layout of a document to a particular output device. The layout of a document can be adapted to a particular output device so that the document fully utilizes the capabilities of the output device. A layout generator interrogates the output device to determine the capabilities of the output device. Based upon the capabilities of the output device, the layout generator selects a style sheet to accommodate the particular output device. The style sheet assigns values to format properties such as font properties, color and background properties, and text properties. The layout of the document is adapted to the particular output device by rendering the document on the output device using the values defined in the style sheet.

Method and system for dynamically adapting the layout of a document to an output device

There is disclosed in a communications system having an origination storage device and a destination storage device, a data transfer pipeline apparatus for transferring data in a sequence of N stages, where N is a positive integer grater than 1, from the origination to the destination device. The data transfer apparatus comprises dedicated memory means having a predetermined number of buffers dedicated for carrying data associated with the transfer of data from the origination storage device to the destination device; and master control means for registering and controlling processes associated with the data transfer apparatus for participation in the N stage data transfer sequence. The processes include at least a first stage process for initiating the data transfer and a last Nth stage process for completing data transfer. The first stage process is operative to allocate a buffer from the predetermined number of buffers available within the dedicated memory means for collection, processing, and sending of the data from the origination device to a next stage process. The Nth stage process is operative to receive a buffer allocated to the first stage process from the (N−1)th stage process in the data transfer sequence and to free the buffer upon processing completion and storage in the destination device to permit reallocation of the buffer. The master control means further includes monitor means for monitoring the number of buffers from the pool of buffers allocated or assigned to particular processes in the pipeline, in order to prevent allocation of further buffers to a particular process when the number of buffers currently allocated exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Pipelined high speed data transfer mechanism

A dynamic file access control and management system and method in accordance with the present invention may be a proxy file management system (10) that includes one or more file system proxy servers that provide selective access and usage management to files available from one or more file systems or sources (210, 220). The present invention may embody a secure transport protocol that tunnels distributed file systems, application independent usage controls connected to files on end-user computers (150), dynamically merging secondary content to a requested file, and applying bandwidth management to any of the foregoing. Embodied in the various implementations of the present invention is enhanced file security. Preferably, the proxy file management system is transparent to an end-user. A dynamic content management system may also be included that selectively adds content to requested files.

Dynamic file access control and management

An audio-on-demand communication system provides real-time playback of audio data transferred via telephone lines or other communication links. One or more audio servers include memory banks which store compressed audio data. At the request of a user at a subscriber PC, an audio server transmits the compressed audio data over the communication link to the subscriber PC. The subscriber PC receives and decompresses the transmitted audio data in less than real-time using only the processing power of the CPU within the subscriber PC. According to one aspect of the present invention, high quality audio data compressed according to lossless compression techniques is transmitted together with normal quality audio data. According to another aspect of the present invention, metadata, or extra data, such as text, captions, still images, etc., is transmitted with audio data and is simultaneously displayed with corresponding audio data. The audio-on-demand system also provides a table of contents indicating significant divisions in the audio clip to be played and allows the user immediate access to audio data at the listed divisions. According to a further aspect of the present invention, servers and subscriber PCs are dynamically allocated based upon geographic location to provide the highest possible quality in the communication link.

Audio-on-demand communication system

Performing data management operations on replicated data in a computer network. Log entries are generated for data management operations of an application executing on a source system. Consistency point entries are used to indicate a time of a known good, or recoverable, state of the application. A destination system is configured to process a copy of the log and consistency point entries to replicate data in a replication volume, the replicated data being a copy of the application data on the source system. When the replicated data represents a known good state of the application, as determined by the consistency point entries, the destination system(s) may perform a storage operation (e.g., snapshot, backup) to copy the replicated data and to logically associate the copied data with a time information (e.g., time stamp) indicative of the source system time when the application was in the known good state.

Systems and methods for performing data replication

A computer-based media data processor for controlling transmission of digitized media data in a packet switching network. When the processor receives a request from a network client node for presentation of specified media data stream presentation unit sequences the processor in response retrieves media data from a corresponding media access location, determines the media data type of each presentation unit in the retrieved media data, and designates each retrieved presentation unit to a specific media data presentation unit sequence based on the media data type determination for that presentation unit. The processor then assembles a sequence of presentation descriptors for each of the specific presentation unit sequences, all presentation descriptors in an assembled sequence being of a common media data type, and then assembles transmission presentation unit packets each composed of at least a portion of a presentation descriptor and its media data, all presentation descriptors and media data in an assembled packet being of a common media data type. The assembled packets are then released for transmission via the network to the client processing node requesting presentation of the specified presentation unit sequences.

Digital media data stream network management system

A computer-based media data processor for controlling transmission of digitized media data in a packet switching network. When the processor receives a request from a network client node for presentation of specified media data stream presentation unit sequences the processor in response retrieves media data from a corresponding media access location, determines the media data type of each presentation unit in the retrieved media data, and designates each retrieved presentation unit to a specified media data presentation unit sequence based on the media data type determination for that presentation unit. The processor then assembles a sequence of presentation descriptors for each of the specified presentation unit sequences, all presentation descriptors in an assembled sequence being of a common media data type, and then assembles transmission presentation unit packets each composed of at least a portion of a presentation descriptor and its media data, all presentation descriptors and media data in an assembled packet being of a common media data type. The assembled packets are then released for transmission via the network to the client processing node requesting presentation of the specified presentation unit sequences.

Multimedia distribution system

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a media data processor with a computer as the base. SOLUTION: This media data processor is provided with a reference clock for showing time to start presenting processing of a media data presentation unit and maintaining the presentation time, in the case of processing a media data presentation unit sequence for presentation; a counter for maintaining presentation unit counting, by counting the number of respective presentation units within the presentation unit sequence and a comparator, which is connected to the reference clock and the counter and programmed; and the comparator uses the prescribed presentation time, for comparing the product of a presentation unit period the presentation unit count with the presentation time, releasing the next following sequential presentation unit to be processed for presentation, on the basis of comparison when the product is matched with the presentation time, and deleting the next following sequential presentation unit within the sequence, when the presentation time exceeds the product.

David L. Nelson

Papers

Digital media data stream network management system

Multimedia distribution system

Media data processor