US PATENT CLASS 713
Class Notes


Current as of: June, 1999
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713 /   HD   ELECTRICAL COMPUTERS AND DIGITAL PROCESSING SYSTEMS: SUPPORT



DEFINITION

Classification: 713/

GENERAL STATEMENT OF THE CLASS SUBJECT MATTER

This class provides, within a computer or digital data processing system, for the following subject matter:

(A) Processes or apparatus for establishing original operating parameters or data for a computer or digital data processing system, such as, allocating extended or expanded memory, specifying device drivers, paths, files, buffers, disk management, etc.;

(B) Processes or apparatus for changing system settings or operational modes in a computer or digital data processing system after they have been set;

(C) Processes or apparatus for increasing a system's extension of protection of system hardware, software, or data from maliciously caused destruction, unauthorized modification, or unauthorized disclosure;

(D) Processes or apparatus for modifying or responding to the available power to a computer or digital data processing system or programmable calculator;

(E) Processes or apparatus wherein a clock or timing signals, timing pulses, or data associated with the control or regulation of any one or combination of processing components, memory components, and peripheral components are caused to operate in synchronization;

(F) Processes or apparatus for generation, division, or distribution of clock signals, pulse signals, and/or timing signals in a computer or digital data processing system from one or more sources into groups of continuous and successive time increments, and including event timing and counting, and the correction of the clock signals, pulse signals, and/or timing signals;

(G) Processes or apparatus wherein there is a significant temporal, incremental or sequencing control provided to one or more computers, digital data processing systems, processors, memory, or peripherals, or to data transmission between these systems or components. SCOPE OF THE CLASS

(1) Note. Together, A portion of a class directed to Database and File management, Data Structures or Document Processing, and a series of Electrical Computers and Data

Processing classes are the generic classes for electrical computers and digital data processing systems and corresponding data processing processes including processes and apparatus for controlling operations of computers and digital data processing system. See the SEE OR SEARCH CLASS note below.

(2) Note. Process and apparatus for facilitating or supporting the operation of processing, storing, and inputting/outputting in a computer or digital data processing system are classified herein.

(3) Note. Process and apparatus used for installation of software or version management of an executable program for a computer or digital data processing system are classified elsewhere. See the SEE OR SEARCH CLASS notes below.

(4) Note. The species of computer support directed to reliability and availability, fault recovery, or failure or error detection is classified elsewhere. See the SEE OR SEARCH CLASS notes below.

(5) Note. Process and apparatus for developing, managing, translating or compiling instruction data for a computer or digital data processing system are classified elsewhere. See the SEE SEARCH CLASS notes below.

(6) Note. Process and apparatus for analyzing or debugging instruction data for a computer or digital data processing system are classified elsewhere. See the SEE OR SEARCH CLASS notes below.

(7) Note. Process and apparatus used for managing or controlling of process, task, or job execution for a computer or digital data processing system are classified elsewhere. See the SEE OR SEARCH CLASS notes below.

(8) Note. Process and apparatus for exchanging data or messages between executing processes in a computer or digital data processing system are classified elsewhere. See the SEE OR SEARCH CLASS notes below.

(9) Note. Processes and apparatus for synchronizing clocks or timing operations of two or more processors are classified elsewhere. See the SEE OR SEARCH CLASS notes below.

II SEE OR SEARCH CLASS

235, Registers, various subclasses for basic machines and associated indicating mechanisms for ascertaining the number of movements of various devices and machines, plus machines made from these basic machines alone (e.g., cash registers, voting machines), and in combination with various perfecting features, such as printers and recording means, and also for various data bearing record controlled systems.

326, Electronic Digital Logic Circuitry,

30, for bus or line terminating circuitry, subclasses 62+ for generic digital logic, gate level interface circuitry, and subclasses 93+ for clocking or synchronization of logic stages or gates.

327, Miscellaneous Active Electrical Nonlinear Devices, Circuits, and Systems,

141+, for synchronizing electrical nonlinear devices, and particularly subclasses 142+ for miscellaneous synchronizing reset circuits which may be power supply responsive.

340, Communications: Electrical,

825+, for controlling one or more devices to obtain a plurality of results by transmission of a designated one of plural distinctive control signals over a smaller number of communication lines or channels, particularly subclass 825.02 for tree or cascade selective communication, subclasses 825.03+ for channel selection, subclass 825.05 for a plurality of controlled devices connected by a communication line in a closed series configuration, subclasses 825.06+ for communication systems where status of a controlled device is communicated, subclass 825.08 for selective communication address polling control, subclasses 825.2+ for synchronizing selective communication systems, subclasses 825.3+ for security by intelligence comparison (e.g., authorization, etc.,) in a selective communication system, subclasses 825.5+ for lockout or priority in a selective communication system, subclasses 825.52+ for addressing in selective system, and subclasses 825.57+ for pulse responsive actuation in selective system.

345, Computer Graphics Processing, Operator Interface Processing and Selective Visual Display Systems,

1+, for visual display systems with selective electrical control including display memory organization and structure for storing image data and manipulating image data between a display memory and display peripheral, subclasses 156+ for display peripheral interface input device, subclasses 204+ for display driving control circuitry, subclasses 326+ for computer operator interface, subclasses 418+ for computer graphics processing, and subclasses 501+ for computer graphic processing systems.

348, Television, 5.5, for use or access blocking, subclasses 500+ for synchronization.

358, Facsimile,

400+, (facsimile) for transmitting data from a facsimile

machine peripheral to a computer (e.g., by modem) for transmission over a telephone line to another computer (e.g., by modem) for transmission to another facsimile machine peripheral, subclasses 409+ for synchronization in a facsimile system, and subclasses 500+ for natural color facsimile.

360, Dynamic Magnetic Information Storage or Retrieval, for record carriers and systems wherein data are stored and retrieved by interaction with a medium and there is relative motion between a medium and a transducer, for example, magnetic disk drive devices and control thereof, per se, appropriate subclasses.

361, Electricity: Electrical Systems and Devices,

1+, for safety and protection of systems and devices, subclasses 236+ for electrical speed signal processing system.

364, Electrical Computers and Data Processing Systems,

130+, for data processing control systems, subclasses 400+ for specific applications.

365, Static Information Storage and Retrieval, appropriate subclasses, for addressable static singular storage elements or plural singular storage elements of the same type (i.e., the internal elements of memory, per se), particularly

226+, for powering including conservation of power and prevention of loss of stored information due to power interruption.

369, Dynamic Information Storage or Retrieval, appropriate subclasses for record carriers and systems wherein data are stored and retrieved by interaction with a medium and there is relative motion between a medium and a transducer. 370, Multiplex Communications, for the simultaneous transmission of two or more signals over a common medium, particularly

351+, for path finding or routing including packet switching, circuit switching, ATM switching, subclasses 254+ for network configuration determination, subclasses 324,350,503+ for synchronization over freespace or wire, subclass 465+ for adaptive communication protocol.

375, Pulse or Digital Communications, appropriate subclasses for generic pulse or digital communication systems and synchronization of clocking signals from input data, particularly

354+, for synchronizing the operation of the receiving and transmitting mechanism including synchronization fault prevention and self synchronization.

377, Electrical Pulse Counters, Pulse Dividers, and Shift Registers: Circuits and Systems, appropriate subclasses for generic circuits for pulse counting, particularly

32, for preventing inaccurate count due to power supply failure, subclasses 78 + for phase clocking or synchronizing in a shift register operation, subclass 80 for parallel clocking, subclasses 104+ for phased clocking.

379, Telephonic Communications, appropriate subclasses for two-way electrical communication of intelligible audio data of arbitrary content over a link including an electrical conductor, particularly

145, for fraud or interference prevention, subclasses 188+ for telephone call or terminal access alarm or control (e.g., access blocking equipment), subclasses 322+ for a power supply in a centralized switching system, subclasses 413+ for a power supply in a subscriber line or transmission line interface.

380, Cryptography,

3+, for stored data access or copy prevention (e.g., software program protection or computer virus detection) in combination with data encryption, subclass 4 for stored digital data access or copy prevention in combination with data encryption (e.g., software program protection or computer virus detection in combination with data encryption), and subclass 23+ for electrical signal modification (e.g., crumbling) with user or record actuated authentication in an electronic fund transfer or in a computer, subclass 48 for electronic signal modification with synchronization, subclasses 49+ electronic signal modification with digital signal handling (e.g., digital control, digital computer communication).

381, Electrical Audio Signal Processing Systems and Devices, appropriate subclasses for wired one-way audio systems, per se. 382, Image Analysis, appropriate subclasses for operations performed on image data with the aim of measuring a characteristic of an image, detecting variations, detecting structures, or transforming the image data, and for procedures for analyzing and categorizing patterns present in image data.

388, Electricity: Motor Control Systems, cross-reference art collection 907.5 for computer or processor control of motor acceleration or speed.

395, Information Processing System Organization,

701+, for software program development tools including systems and functions to develop, manage, translate, or

compile instruction data, to analyze or debug instruction data; and subclass 712 for software installation or version management of an operating system, application program or other executable program.

455, Telecommunications appropriate subclasses for modulated carrier wave communication, per se, and particularly

26.1, for subject matter which blocks access to a signal source or otherwise limits usage of modulated carrier equipment.

701, Data Processing: Vehicles, Navigation, and Relative Location,

1+, for vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication, subclasses 200+ for navigation, and subclasses 300+ for relative location determination.

702, Data Processing: Measuring, Calibrating, or Testing, appropriate subclasses, particularly

60+, for power parameter measuring system, subclass 125 for timing signal generation in a testing system, subclasses 176+ for time duration or rate measuring system, and subclass 186 for computer and peripheral benchmarking.

704, Data Processing: Speech Signal Processing, Linguistics, Language Translation, and Audio Compression/ Decompression, 1+, for linguistics; subclasses 200+ for speech processing, and subclasses 500 through 504 for audio signal time or bandwidth compression or expansion.

705, Data Processing: Financial, Business Practice, Management, or Cost/Price Determination,

18, for a point of sale terminal or an electronic cash register having security or user identification, subclass 44 for authentication or authorization in a credit or loan processing system.

706, Data Processing: Artificial Intelligence,

1+, for fuzzy logic hardware; subclass10 for plural processing intelligence systems, subclass 11 for artificial intelligence system having particular user interface; subclasses 12+ for machine learning system, subclass 14 for adaptive system; subclasses 15+ for neural network; and subclasses 45+ for knowledge processing system.

707, Data Processing: Data Base and File Management, Data Structures, or Document Processing, particularly

1+, database or file accessing, subclasses 100+ for database scheme or structure, subclasses 200+ for file or database management, and subclasses 500+ for document processing.

709, Electrical Computers and Digital Processing Systems: Multiple Computer or Process Coordinating, appropriate subclasses for transferring data between a plurality of computers even if the transferring employs peripherals (e.g., modems, line adapters, etc.).

708, Electrical Computers: Arithmetic Processing and Calculating, appropriate subclasses for specialized function or calculation operation performed by an electrical analog computer, an electric hybrid computer, or an electric digital calculating computer.

710, Electrical Computers and Digital Processing Systems, Input/Output, appropriate subclasses for interconnecting or transferring data among processors, memories, and peripherals of computers or digital data processing systems.

711, Electrical Computers and Digital Processing Systems: Memory, 1+, for addressing combined with specific memory configurations (e.g., extended, expanded, dynamic, etc.) in a computer, subclasses 100+ for accessing or controlling memories that are peripherals, for caching data, particularly subclass 164 for access limiting with password or key; and subclasses 200+ for generalized address forming in a computer.

712, Electrical Computers and Digital Processing Systems: Processing Architectures and Instruction Processing (e.g., Processors), appropriate subclasses for processing architectures including virtual processors; multiple-instruction-multiple-data (MIMD); vector and array processors; single-chip microprocessors; and for fetching, buffering, decoding, or executing instruction data for operations other than I/O (e.g., logic functions).

714, Electrical Computers and Digital Processing Systems: Error Detection/ Correction & Fault Detection /Recovery, particularly

707, for synchronization control using an error rate; subclass 731 for a reference timing function or a clock pulse generator in a scan path testing system; subclass 744 for clock or synchronization in digital logic testing using a test pattern generator; subclass 798 for error detection for synchronization control.

III GLOSSARY:

APPLICATION PROGRAM

A computer program design to perform a certain type of work, such as an application to manipulate text, numbers, graphics or a combination of these elements. An application differs from an operating system (which runs a computer), a utility

(which performs maintenance or general-purpose chores), and a language (with which computer programs are created).

BOOT

To start up a computer or the process of starting or resetting a computer.

BUS

A conductor used for transferring data, signals, or power. COMPUTER

A machine that inputs data, processes data, stores data, and outputs data.

DATA

Representation of information in a coded manner suitable for communication, interpretation, or processing.

Address data - Data that represent or identify a source or destination.

Instruction data - Data that represent an operation and identify its operands, if any.

Status data - Data that represent conditions of data, computers, peripherals, memory, etc.

User data - Data other than address data, instruction data, or status data.

DATA PROCESSING

See PROCESSING, below.

DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM

An arrangement of processor(s) in combination with either memory or peripherals, or both, performing data processing. ERROR

Manifestation of a fault as an undesired event that occurs when actual behavior deviates from the behavior that is required by initial specifications.

FAILURE

Manifestation of an error as a nonperformance of an expected system service as required by the initial specifications.

FAULT

A flaw in a functional unit (hardware or software).

INFORMATION

Meaning that a human being assigns to data by means of the conventions applied to that data.

MEMORY

A functional unit to which data can be stored and from which data can be retrieved.

OPERATING SYSTEM Software responsible for controlling the allocation and usage of hardware resources such as memory, central processing unit (CPU) time, disk space, and peripheral devices. The operating system is the foundation on which application programs are built.

PERIPHERAL

A functional unit that transmits data to or receives data from a computer to which it is coupled.

PROCESSING

Methods or apparatus performing systematic operations upon data or information exemplified by functions such as data or information transferring, merging, sorting, and calculating (i.e., arithmetic operations or logical operations).

(1) Note. In this class, the glossary term data is used to modify processing in the term data processing; whereas the term digital data processing system refers to a machine performing data processing.

(2) Note. In an effort to avoid redundant constructions, in this class, where appropriate, the term address data processing is used in place of address data processing.

PROCESSOR

A functional unit that interprets and executes instruction data.

pROGRAM

A sequence of instructions that can be executed by a computer. The term can refer to the original source code or to the executable (machine language) version.

RECOVERY Responding to a fault in a system by either returning a system to a previous level of correct operation, achieving a degraded level of correct operation, or safely shutting down the system.

SECURITY

Extent of protection for system hardware, software, or data from maliciously caused destruction, unauthorized modification, or unauthorized disclosure.