Apparatus for downloading videotex information via a host computer includes a group of local terminals installed at a variety of locations. The terminals receive and store macro programs from the host computer. The local terminal then activates the macro programs via a set of function input devices, which generate macro program activating signals.
This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 06/942,095, filed on Dec. 15, 1986, now abandoned, which was a continuation of prior application Ser. No. 06/545/128, filed on Oct. 25, 1983, now abandoned.
A new data communications architecture is disclosed in which high level communications services provided to a host processor are arranged into independent horizontal functions that are processed in parallel. Any conditional dependencies among the horizontal functions are resolved by a connector that interfaces the horizontal functions to an application layer of the host processor. Additionally, communication performance is enhanced by allowing adaptive specifications of a high-level protocol employed in the architecture for providing the high-level services. This adaptive specification may be initiated in response to changing user requirements or varying network parameters. Then, a high-level protocol specification is obtained by choosing appropriate values for parameters of the horizontal functions which are parametrically programmable.
The method is for non-erasable or non-alterable storage of data records in a device, initialization establishing the format of the data records and determining those data fields by way of which summation is permissible. An initialization character sequence is transmitted that has at least a number and length of the data fields to be stored. The valid initialization character sequence is accepted and executed only once. After acceptance only data records whose coding satisfies the information is accepted.
A novel electronic information transport component can be incorporated in a wide range of electronic information products, for example magazine collections, to automate the mass distribution of updates, such as current issues, from a remote server to a wide user base having a diversity of computer stations. Advantages of economy, immediacy and ease of use are provided. Extensions of the invention permit automated electronic catalog shopping with order placement and, optionally, order confirmation. A server-based update distribution service is also provided.
An improved method and system for reducing the number of segment register loads that occur during the transfer of control from an application program to an operating system routine is provided. In preferred embodiments on an Intel 80386 processor, an application program and operating system kernel share a code segment address space and a data segment address space from 0 to 4G. During the execution of the application program, which executes in user mode, a page table is defined to prevent the application program from accessing pages which correspond to the address space of 2G to 4G. When the application program invokes a system routine, the system routine does not need to load the data segment register since the application program and the kernel share the same data segment. If an application program does load the data segment register with a selector other than the selector for the shared data segment, then when the kernel tries to access memory using the data segment register, an exception is generated. The exception handler restores the selector for the shared data segment into the data segment register and resumes execution of the instruction which caused the exception.
In a data processing and transmission digital network wherein users have been individually assigned a virtual machine including a memory zone and a capability for sharing hardware and software facilities for entering processing and mailing data to one another using terminal keyboards attached to the network, a mail follow-up system is provided for monitoring and processing selected mail items. The system includes a facility for generating mail tags including predefined fields; a facility for tracking the mail and deriving therefrom mail characteristic data; a facility for storing said characteristic data into tag fields; a facility for storing the filled-in tags into a file and for accessing and processing predefined mail fields, whereby processed tags are automatically transferred to different tag files. The system further includes an administrator system for centrally administrating the tagged mail on a departmental basis.
