Showing papers on "Personal computer published in 1999"

The use of active breathing control (ABC) to reduce margin for breathing motion

Abstract: Purpose: For tumors in the thorax and abdomen, reducing the treatment margin for organ motion due to breathing reduces the volume of normal tissues that will be irradiated. A higher dose can be delivered to the target, provided that the risk of marginal misses is not increased. To ensure safe margin reduction, we investigated the feasibility of using active breathing control (ABC) to temporarily immobilize the patient’s breathing. Treatment planning and delivery can then be performed at identical ABC conditions with minimal margin for breathing motion. Methods and Materials: An ABC apparatus is constructed consisting of 2 pairs of flow monitor and scissor valve, 1 each to control the inspiration and expiration paths to the patient. The patient breathes through a mouth-piece connected to the ABC apparatus. The respiratory signal is processed continuously, using a personal computer that displays the changing lung volume in real-time. After the patient’s breathing pattern becomes stable, the operator activates ABC at a preselected phase in the breathing cycle. Both valves are then closed to immobilize breathing motion. Breathing motion of 12 patients were held with ABC to examine their acceptance of the procedure. The feasibility of applying ABC for treatment was tested in 5 patients by acquiring volumetric scans with a spiral computed tomography (CT) scanner during active breath-hold. Two patients had Hodgkin’s disease, 2 had metastatic liver cancer, and 1 had lung cancer. Two intrafraction ABC scans were acquired at the same respiratory phase near the end of normal or deep inspiration. An additional ABC scan near the end of normal expiration was acquired for 2 patients. The ABC scans were also repeated 1 week later for a Hodgkin’s patient. In 1 liver patient, ABC scans were acquired at 7 different phases of the breathing cycle to facilitate examination of the liver motion associated with ventilation. Contours of the lungs and livers were outlined when applicable. The variation of the organ positions and volumes for the different scans were quantified and compared. Results: The ABC procedure was well tolerated in the 12 patients. When ABC was applied near the end of normal expiration, the minimal duration of active breath-hold was 15 s for 1 patient with lung cancer, and 20 s or more for all other patients. The duration was greater than 40 s for 2 patients with Hodgkin’s disease when ABC was applied during deep inspiration. Scan artifacts associated with normal breathing motion were not observed in the ABC scans. The analysis of the small set of intrafraction scan data indicated that with ABC, the liver volumes were reproducible at about 1%, and lung volumes to within 6%. The excursions of a “center of target” parameter for the livers were less than 1 mm at the same respiratory phase, but were larger than 4 mm at the extremes of the breathing cycle. The inter-fraction scan study indicated that daily setup variation contributed to the uncertainty in assessing the reproducibility of organ immobilization with ABC between treatment fractions. Conclusion: The results were encouraging; ABC provides a simple means to minimize breathing motion. When applied for CT scanning and treatment, the ABC procedure requires no more than standard operation of the CT scanner or the medical accelerator. The ABC scans are void of motion artifacts commonly seen on fast spiral CT scans. When acquired at different points in the breathing cycle, these ABC scans show organ motion in three-dimension (3D) that can be used to enhance treatment planning. Reproducibility of organ immobilization with ABC throughout the course of treatment must be quantified before the procedure can be applied to reduce margin for conformal treatment.

Development of a compact computed tomographic apparatus for dental use.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE To describe a compact computed tomographic apparatus (Ortho-CT) for use in dental practice. METHODS Ortho-CT is a cone-beam-type of CT apparatus consisting of a multifunctional maxillofacial imaging machine (Scanora, Soredex, Helsinki, Finland) in which the film is replaced with an X-ray imaging intensifier (Hamamatsu Photonics, Hamamatsu, Japan). The region of image reconstruction is a cylinder 32 mm in height and 38 mm in diameter and the voxel is a 0.136-mm cube. Scanning is at 85 kV and 10 mA with a 1 mm Cu filter. The scan time is 17 s comparable with that required for rotational panoramic radiography. A single scan collects 512 sets of projection data through 360 degrees and the image is reconstructed by a personal computer. The time required for image reconstruction is about 10 min. RESULTS The resolution limit was about 2.0 lp mm-1 and the skin entrance dose 0.62 mGy. Excellent image quality was obtained with a tissue-equivalent skull phantom: roots, periodontal ligament space, lamina du...

Athlete's gps-based performance monitor

Abstract: This invention is a Global Positioning System (GPS) based personal athletic performance monitor for providing an athlete with real time athletic performance feedback data such as elapsed exercise time, distance covered, average pace, elevation difference, distance to go, and/or advice for reaching preset targets. The monitor is integrated with an AM/FM/TV personal radio (607), and the athletic performance feedback is provided through a set of audio headphones (202) using an audio module (606). The monitor can be connected to an external personal computer (701) via a serial (118) or infrared port (124) for further data storage, for long term trend analysis, or to a remote computer via modem (613), where historical performance data is collected, and logically compiled from participating athletes worldwide. Results are then transferred to an Internet web site which displays comparison data representing the relative performances of two or more athletes, provides customized individual training advice, virtual competitions, and an opportunity for advertisers to reach highly well defined potential customers.

Low-order scaling local electron correlation methods. I. Linear scaling local MP2

Abstract: A new implementation of local second-order Mo/ller-Plesset perturbation theory (LMP2) is presented for which asymptotically all computational resources (CPU, memory, and disk) scale only linearly with the molecular size. This is achieved by (i) using orbital domains for each electron pair that are independent of molecular size; (ii) classifying the pairs according to a distance criterion and neglecting very distant pairs; (iii) treating distant pairs by a multipole approximation, and (iv) using efficient prescreening algorithms in the integral transformation. The errors caused by the various approximations are negligible. LMP2 calculations on molecules including up to 500 correlated electrons and over 1500 basis functions in C1 symmetry are reported, all carried out on a single low-cost personal computer.

Device, system and methods of conducting paperless transactions

Abstract: The invention also includes methods of issuing an account authorization to a UET card, a method of transferring transactional and account information between a UET card and a personal computer or a mainframe computer, a method of using the UET card as a remote terminal for a mainframe computer, and a method of conducting an electronic transaction.

Depth Discontinuities by Pixel-to-Pixel Stereo

Abstract: An algorithm to detect depth discontinuities from a stereo pair of images is presented. The algorithm matches individual pixels in corresponding scanline pairs, while allowing occluded pixels to remain unmatched, then propagates the information between scanlines by means of a fast postprocessor. The algorithm handles large untextured regions, uses a measure of pixel dissimilarity that is insensitive to image sampling, and prunes bad search nodes to increase the speed of dynamic programming. The computation is relatively fast, taking about 600 nanoseconds per pixel per disparity on a personal computer. Approximate disparity maps and precise depth discontinuities (along both horizontal and vertical boundaries) are shown for several stereo image pairs containing textured, untextured, fronto-parallel, and slanted objects in indoor and outdoor scenes.

Networked system for interactive communication and remote monitoring of drug delivery

Abstract: A networked system for communicating information to a patient and for remotely monitoring the patient. The system includes a server and a remote interface for entering in the server a set of queries to be answered by the patient. The server may be a web server and the remote interface may be a personal computer or remote terminal connected to the server via the Internet. The system also includes a measurement apparatus for providing measurement data related to a patient's condition and treatment, and a remotely programmable apparatus connected to the server via a communication network, such as the Internet. The remotely programmable apparatus interacts with the patient in accordance with a script program received from the server. The server includes a script generator for generating the script program from the set of queries entered through the remote interface. The script program is received and executed by the remotely programmable apparatus to communicate the queries to the patient, to receive responses to the queries, and to transmit the responses from the apparatus to the server. The measurement data provided by the measurement apparatus may include physiological condition data and drug delivery measurement data for paperless recordation at a remote location.

Fast Monte Carlo dose calculation for photon beams based on the VMC electron algorithm.

Abstract: A new Monte Carlo algorithm for 3D photondose calculation in radiation therapy is presented, which is based on the previously developed Voxel Monte Carlo (VMC) for electron beams. The main result is that this new version of VMC (now called XVMC) is more efficient than EGS4/PRESTA photondose calculation by a factor of 15–20. Therefore, a standard treatment plan for photons can be calculated by Monte Carlo in about 20 min. on a “normal” personal computer. The improvement is caused mainly by the fast electron transport algorithm and ray tracing technique, and an initial ray tracing method to calculate the number of electrons created in each voxel by the primary photon beam. The model was tested in comparison to calculations by EGS4 using several fictive phantoms. In most cases a good coincidence has been found between both codes. Only within lung substitute dose differences have been observed.

Remote psychological diagnosis and monitoring system

Abstract: A networked system for remotely assessing and monitoring psychological conditions. The system includes a server and a remote interface for entering in the server prompts, such as queries and instructions, to be responded to by the individual. The server is preferably a web server and the remote clinician interface is preferably a personal computer connected to the server via the Internet. The system also includes a remotely programmable patient apparatus connected to the server via a communication link, preferably the Internet. The patient apparatus interacts with the individual in accordance with a script received from the server. The server includes a script generator for generating the script from the set of prompts entered through the remote interface. The script is received and executed by the patient apparatus to communicate the prompts to the individual, to receive responses to the prompts, and to transmit the responses from the patient apparatus to the server. In accordance with the invention, the patient apparatus is programmed to prompt a patient to interactively operate one or more switches. Information recorded during an interactive diagnostic assessment procedure is analyzed to provide a health care professional with information that is helpful to determine whether clinical therapy and/or medication may be required. The preferred embodiment of the invention relates to diagnostic assessment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder with a game-like video display being used to obtain a measure of various neuropsychologic indicia of attention.

Home computers and school performance

Abstract: This article assesses the effects of home computers on school performance, and examines inequalities in educational payoff among those children who have home computers. We find that having a home computer is associated with higher test scores in mathematics and reading, even after controlling for family income and for cultural and social capital. However, children from high socioeconomic status (SES) homes achieve larger educational gains from home computers than do lower SES children. Boys' performance advantage is larger than girls'. Ethnic minorities gain far less of a performance boost than whites. Home computing may generate another ''Sesame Street effect'' whereby an innovation that held great promise for poorer children to catch up educationally with more affluent children is in practice increasing the educational gap between affluent and poor, between boys and girls, and between ethnic minorities and whites, even among those with access to the technology.

Anticipating epileptic seizures in real time by a non-linear analysis of similarity between EEG recordings.

Abstract: In a previous publication we showed that non-linear analysis can extract spatio-temporal changes of brain electrical activity prior to epileptic seizures. Here we describe a new method to analyze this long-term non-stationarity in the EEG by a measure of dynamical similarity between different parts of the time series. We apply this method to the study of a group of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy recorded intracranially during transitions to seizure. We show that the method, which can be implemented on a personal computer, can track in real time spatio-temporal changes in brain dynamics several minutes prior to seizure.

Printer unit for PC disk drive bay

Abstract: A printer unit having a pagewidth full color ink jet printhead; a detachable print roll cartridge including ink and paper, wherein the printer unit is formed within the disk drive bay of a personal computer type system. The printer unit includes a rotatable mount enabling the printed paper to be ejected from the front of the disk drive bay in an operational position, and the cartridge to be loaded longitudinally from the front when the printer is rotated through 90° to a loading position.

Product Proliferation: An Empirical Analysis of Product Line Determinants and Market Outcomes

Abstract: Considering the number of new product introductions and available product varieties today, the practice of product proliferation is visibly evident in many diverse industries. Given its prevalence in practice, understanding the determinants and implications of firm proliferation strategies clearly has important managerial relevance. Previous theoretical research has identified three primary effects of a proliferation strategy: (1) a broad product line can increase the overall demand faced by the firm, (2) a broad product line can affect supply by increasing costs, and (3) broad product lines can have strategic consequences (e.g., long product lines can deter entry, thereby allowing an incumbent firm to raise prices). However, despite the theoretical interest in this common business practice, there has been very little empirical research on this topic. Moreover, no empirical study has simultaneously considered all three of the possible effects associated with a proliferation strategy. Consequently, in this paper we propose a three-equation simultaneous system that captures both the determinants and market outcomes of a firm's product line decisions. In particular, we specify market share, price, and product line length equations, which are estimated by three stage least squares. Using this structure, we empirically study the personal computer industry over the period 1981-1992. Our empirical results demonstrate that proliferation strategies do not have a unidimensional explanation. We find that product proliferation decisions have both demand (market share) and supply (price) implications. Our empirical results also suggest that the firm-level net market share impact of product proliferation in the personal computer industry is negative (i.e., the cost increases associated with a broader product line dominate any potential demand increases). Asexpected, we find that structural competitive factors play an important role in the determinants and market outcomes ofa firm's product line decisions. However, we do not find evidence of firms using proliferation strategies to deter entry in this industry. Finally, we also demonstrate that some of the empirical conclusions from previous research are reversed once product line length is specified as endogenous in the share and price specifications.

User Interfaces for All

Abstract: For the acceptance of future network-based media services the technical advancement of the man-machine interface is of great importance. The Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) in Karlsruhe has conducted an expert survey on different acceptance factors, on the future development of media usage behavior, on network infrastructure and terminal devices as well as on the expected market development. Drawing on the results we point out perspectives in the light of today’s user needs and the technical possibilities. Over the last two decades progress in software engineering and hardware miniaturization have turned the computer from a large device that could only be operated by specialists into a common consumer good that can be found in almost all areas of private and business life. The IBM Personal Computer (1981) and the Apple Macintosh (1984) were important early milestones on the way to the computer as a useful product for everyone. Today it is much more than a simple calculating machine or tool. With the establishment and commercialization of computer networks since the early 1990’s the computer became a new medium fulfilling information and communication needs [Friedewald 1999]. According to expert opinion online media services will lead to a substantial expansion of financial and time expenditure of private households for the use of media. Network-bound media offerings like Internet or online services enable easy access to conventional media contents, for example newspaper articles, music titles, and video sequences at each time of day. The most important progress however is the possible integration of different types of media as well as their linkage to additional services. This includes communication with other users, the handling of transactions, e.g. electronic shopping, and even interactive television. Supported by the German Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology and in co-operation with a research association focussing on media education (Medienpadagogischer Forschungsverbund Sudwest) the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) in Karlsruhe has conducted a survey on the expected future development of media usage behavior, on network technology and terminal devices, as well as on market development in Germany. 13 The survey is part of the research project “Development of Media Services“ (DeMeS) about the future media use in the private sector [Harnischfeger et al. 1999]. 281 experts have participated, 40 % of whom belonged to the German industrial sector (media industries, information and communication technology). In addition, experts were chosen from German Institutions, who either have a scientific interest in media or who are concerned with the shaping of the media sector and its social, political and economic conditions (politics, churches and unions, as well as professional organizations). The survey was conducted by mailing questionnaires. Most of the questions were closed, showing a variety of possible answers to be ticked. The experts were not asked to justify their estimates. However several questions focusing on related topics allowed a check for consistency. Furthermore comparison of estimates by experts from different professional backgrounds showed no significant difference concerning the results discussed below. In combination with the 1998 Delphi study questioning more than 2,000 experts on the global development of science and technology [Cuhls et al. 1998], this data allows a thorough view on what users require from future terminal equipment, and what technical developments can be expected. 1 Diffusion of Terminal Devices While in the middle of the 1970 there were no more than 165,000 computers world-wide, this number grew up to 200 million devices in 1997 [Phister et al. 1983, Kelly 1997]. Today a personal computer is available in more than 40 % of the US-American and in approximately 30 % of the Western European households. It is expected that in Europe this number will increase by further 10 % up to the year 2001 [Zerdick et al. 1999, EITO 1999]. Until recently stationary PCs were the only devices for using online services. In the future a multiplicity of new devices will appear: e. g. Network PCs that receive their software via network connection, television sets with computer functions or enhanced mobile phones. Because of particular features, such as the small display of mobile phones, the mode of interaction has to be adjusted for a number of new terminal devices [Oliphant 1999]. Media services based on the Internet Protocol Suite offer new application perspectives even for those users, who in the past did not see a reason for buying a PC with its stand-alone applications. Altogether the experts expect that the share of households with terminal devices for the use of online services will rise from 9 % today to more than 40 % in 2015. The growth will be even faster with mobile devices, which at present constitute a share of less than 1 %. It is expected that in 2015 almost 17 % of the households will be using mobile equipment (Fig. 1) [Harnischfeger et al. 1999]. The crucial point for this development is the users acceptance. Before discussing the technical factors with respect to acceptance it is worth mentioning that the social environment and the user competence are central as well. More than 80 % of the experts regard vocational practice with multimedia technologies, the integration of multimedia into the educational context, a highquality and reasonable priced customer service as well as personal non-commercial help in case of problems as important or very important for the acceptance. These findings illustrate that the formation of user competence by self-instruction or “trial and error” that is still often practiced today will not be sufficient for a broad acceptance and future diffusion in the view of the experts. 14 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 1995 200

Remote reminder of scheduled events

Abstract: A modification to a scheduling program is disclosed that allows event reminders to be sent via the telephone network. If a reminder is required, a telephone session is initiated between the computer in which the scheduling program is operating and the user's telephone station. Next, an event reminder is converted from a text format to an audible format with use of a text-to-voice converter and sent to the user's telephone station in order to be heard by the user. This allows for the event reminders to be received by the user whether he/she is local to his/her personal computer or not. A further modification to a scheduling program is disclosed that allows event reminders to be sent in series using a variety of different reminder techniques. If a first attempt to send a reminder to the user fails, a second attempt using a different technique, such as a different telephone directory number, is initiated.

Mobile information terminal equipment and portable electronic apparatus

Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to have a desired screen displayed with shortened waiting time in using functions for the electronic note, etc., while engaging in telephone talk. Another prime objective of the present invention is to achieve an easy-to-use mobile information terminal equipment which also functions as an electronic note, word processor, personal computer, and so on. In transitting from telephone mode (cover closed status) to information terminal mode (cover opened status), the screen to be displayed is determined to be either a historical information, talk log information, or user setting screen. This enables the user to obtain the desired screen with fewer number of operations and with less waiting time.

Methods and systems for providing television related services via a networked personal computer

Abstract: A set top box is provided that interfaces a television and a personal computer that is connected to the Internet. The set top box includes a wireless remote control receiver that receives user commands from a wireless remote control unit. A radio frequency transceiver that transmits computer commands to the personal computer that is connected to the Internet in response to the user commands and that receives data that is generated from the Internet via the personal computer in response to the computer commands. A video processing system that processes the received data for display on a television and a television interface that displays the processed received data on the television.

Method and system for providing interactive media VCR control

Abstract: A method and system for providing flexible subscriber VCR control of an interactive media system that limits the consumption of bandwidth capacity, the method comprising establishing a viewing time window during which a subscriber can watch an ordered program, enabling the subscriber to freely pause, rewind, and fast-forward the program so long as the end of the program does not exceed the end of the window, automatically tracking the remaining program running time against the time remaining in the window, deactivating the pause and rewind features if the remaining program running time equals the time remaining in the window, and reactivating the pause and rewind features if the program is fast-forwarded such that the time remaining in the window exceeds the remaining program running time. The system of the present invention is any interactive media system that delivers video streams such as an interactive television system that supports services such as pay-per-view and video-on-demand, or an internet-based interactive media system that downloads video streams through the internet to be played on a subscriber's personal computer or other viewing device.

Estimating multiple-discrete choice models: An application to computerization returns

Abstract: Buyers in many markets face multiple-discrete choices: they can purchase multiple-units as well as multiple-brands at the same time. This paper presents a multiple-discrete choice model for the analysis of differentiated products demand. Users maximize profits by choosing the number of units of each brand they purchase. I estimate the model using micro-level data on the demand for personal computers. I use the estimated demand structure to assess the welfare gains from computerization and technological innovation in peripherals. The estimated return on investment in personal computers is 92%. Moreover, a 10% increase in the performance-to-price ratio of microprocessors leads to a 2.2% gain in the estimated user surplus. The personal computer (PC) market is of interest to industrial organization economists because of its size, the continual technological change, and above all, because of the farreaching implications of PCs on the economy as a whole. Several distinct features make PC demand difficult to model. PCs are a differentiated durable good in constant technological evolution. Moreover, buyers make multiple-discrete choices. Firms, according to our data, spread their purchases of PCs over different brands. At the same time they buy PCs in blocks, several units of each brand that they have chosen. The aim of the paper is to present a model that captures these features and to use this model to estimate the welfare gains from computerization. Classical discrete choice models allow one choice among mutually exclusive alternatives. In contrast, the proposed framework allows users to demand multiple units and multiple brands. The model can be applied to other cases of multiple-discrete choices. e.g. the composition of airline fleets, car holdings per household, the fields of the faculty in economics departments, household cereals consumption, or any other good consumed in more than one variety during a relevant time period. Although pervasive, multiple-discrete choice problems have received little attention because of their complexity. A central issue regarding the PC market is the current controversy in the economics literature about the "computerization puzzle". This puzzle stems from the empirical finding that computerization has had no effect on firm productivity (Griliches and Siegel (1991) and Morrison and Berndt (1990)). Contrary to those results, Hendel (1994) and Lichtenberg (1995), using more disaggregate data than most previous studies, report excess returns to computerization. This indicates that data aggregation may have created the computerization puzzle. In this paper, I present a model consistent with the basic

Digital McLuhan: A Guide to the Information Millennium

Abstract: Marshall McLuhan died on the last day of 1980, on the doorstep of the personal computer revolution. Yet McLuhan's ideas anticipated a world of media in motion, and its impact on our lives on the dawn of the new millennium. Paul Levinson examines why McLuhan's theories about media are more important to us today than when they were first written, and why the Wired generation is now turning to McLuhan's work to understand the global village in the digital age.

Framework for adaptive content delivery in heterogeneous network environments

Abstract: The explosive growth of the Internet has come with increasing diversity and heterogeneity in terms of client device capability, network bandwidth, and user preferences. To date, most Web content has been designed with desktop computers in mind, and often contains rich media such as images, audio, and video. In many cases, this content is not suitable for devices like netTVs, handheld computers, personal digital assistants, and smart phones with relatively limited display capability, storage, processing power, and network access. Thus, Internet access is still constrained on these devices and there is a need to develop alternative approaches for information delivery. In this paper, we propose a framework for adaptive content delivery in heterogeneous environments. The goal is to improve content accessibility and perceived quality of service for information access under changing network and viewer conditions. The framework includes content adaptation algorithms, client capability and network bandwidth discovery methods, and a Decision Engine for determining when and how to adapt content. We describe this framework, initial system implementations based upon this framework, and the issues associated with the deployment of such systems based on different architectures.

Method and system for co-branding an electronic payment platform such as an electronic wallet

Abstract: A method and system of co-branding an electronic payment platform, such as an electronic wallet, makes use of computer hardware and software including, for example, one or more electronic wallet related servers controlled by a financial institution, which can be coupled over the Internet to a user's personal computer and merchant's website server. The electronic wallet is co-branded, for example, with the brand of the financial institution and the brand or brands of one or more cooperating merchants. The co-branded electronic payment platform makes use of a payment mechanism related, for example, to a credit card account of the user or digital payment tokens pre-allocated for the user. The user is given an incentive award for use of the co-branded electronic payment platform which is stored for the user and redeemable on one or more of the cooperating merchants.

Playing Hide and Seek with Stored Keys

Abstract: In this paper we consider the problem of efficiently locating cryptographic keys hidden in gigabytes of data, such as the complete file system of a typical PC. We describe efficient algebraic attacks which can locate secret RSA keys in long bit strings, and more general statistical attacks which can find arbitrary cryptographic keys embedded in large programs. These techniques can be used to apply \lunchtime attacks" on signature keys used by financial institutes, or to defeat \authenticode" type mechanisms in software packages.

Compatible version module loading

Abstract: A system and method for loading software identifies versions of software modules to be loaded. The version identification allows a loader to request, access and load any level or version of a program that the application interacts with. Thus, the loader selects only specific versions of software that are known to be compatible with other software currently loaded or being loaded. The software includes specific compatibility information that is used to determine whether it should be selected or passed over for another version of the same software. In this manner, a “version aware” loader ensures that loaded software modules are compatible with one another and will therefore execute properly. The version aware loader may be implemented in an operating system or other loading software running on a personal computer or network router.

Communications module mounting for domestic appliance

Abstract: A domestic appliance is described having the ability to connect to the Internet. An appliance, such as a microwave oven, is equipped with a touch-screen display on its door. The display connects to a communication system, such as a miniature personal computer having a modem and a web browser. The display is mounted on the door of the appliance through mounting hardware and an adaptor.

Doomed from the start: what is the value of selecting a future dominant design?

Abstract: This study investigates how important it is for a firm to select what turns out to be a dominant design in a technology-driven industry. Using the personal computer industry as a case study, this research shows that firms are not doomed when their entry design choices turn out to be ‘wrong.’ For early entrants, we found that switching to the dominant design is associated with increased chances of survival and market share. Contrary to our expectations, we found that even later entrants that switched to the dominant design also enjoyed higher survival rates and greater market position. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age

Abstract: From the Publisher: Dealers of Lightning is the riveting story of the legendary Xerox PARC — a collection of eccentric young inventors brought together by Xerox Corporation at a facility in Palo Alto, California, during the mind-blowing intellectual ferment of the seventies and eighties. Here for the first time Michael Hiltzik, a correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, reveals in piercing detail the true story of the extraordinary group that aimed to bring about a technological dawn that would change the world — and succeeded. Based on extensive interviews with the scientists, engineers, administrators, and corporate executives who lived the story, Dealers of Lightning takes the read on a journey from PARC's beginnings in a dusty, abandoned building at the edge of the Stanford University campus to its triumph as a hothouse of ideas that spawned not only the first personal computer, but the windows-style graphical user interface, the laser printer, much of the indispensable technology of the Internet, and a great deal more. It shows how and why Xerox, despite its willingness to grant PARC unlimited funding and the responsibility for developing breakthroughs to keep the corporation on the cutting edge of office technology, remained forever unable to grasp (and, consequently, exploit) the innovations that PARC delivered — and it details the increasing frustration of the original PARC scientists, many of whom would go on to build their fortunes upon the very ideas Xerox so rashly discarded. More than just a riveting historical narrative, Dealers of Lightning brings to life an unforgettable cast of characters. Among them: Bob Taylor — the preacher's son from rural Texas who would be considered a prophet by some and a cantankerous egomaniac by others, whose fearless (and feared) leadership of a team of computer renegades made them the heroes of the embryonic Silicon Valley; Jack Goldman — the Xerox chief scientist who convinced the stolid corporation to stake tens of millions of dollars on PARC while warning that the investment might not pay off for years — if it paid off at all; Alan Kay — PARC's creative and philosophical soul, who suffered years of ridicule for envisioning a computer that could be tucked under the arm yet would contain the power to store books, symphonies, letters, poems, and drawings — until he arrived at Palo Alto and met the people who would build it; and Steve Jobs — who, aided by Xerox's indifference to PARC's most momentous inventions, staged a daring raid to obtain the technology that would end up at the heart of the Macintosh: the machine that for a time helped Apple dominate an explosive new market. Dealers of Lightning is an unprecedented look at the ideas, the inventions, and the individuals that propelled Xerox PARC to the frontier of technohistory — and the corporate machinations that almost prevented it from achieving greatness.

Method and system for displaying graphical objects on a display screen

Abstract: A control program or operating system ( 28 ) manages a graphical user interface ( 21 ) of an electronic device ( 27 ) in such a way that substantially all of the screen of data ( 25 ) remains visible irrespective of whether toolbars or graphical objects ( 39 ) are displayed or hidden. The program or operating system rescales or resizes the data screen ( 25 ) to fit in whatever size display region ( 37 ) is available, such region ( 37 ) being generally smaller when graphical objects ( 39 ) are displayed on the display screen ( 31 ) and generally larger when the graphical objects ( 39 ) are hidden therefrom. The user displays graphical objects ( 39 ) in a corresponding tool area ( 55 ) defined in the display screen ( 31 ) by moving a cursor or other pointing device ( 33 ) into a control region ( 35 ) defined in the display screen ( 31 ). The control program or operating system ( 28 ) is useful not only with personal computer systems, but also with so-called “advanced” televisions, PC/TVs, and on manufacturing tools, office equipment, consumer electronic devices, and other devices having display screens and associated graphical user interfaces.