John M Pate Deceased14106 Fort Smith Trl, Austin, TX 78734

6578013, Jun 10, 2003

Nov 17, 1999

09/441982

Rose King Davis - Austin TX
Robert L. McMahan - Cedar Park TX
John Pate - Austin TX

Dell USA, L.P. - Round Rock TX

G06F 1760

705 26, 705 28

A system includes a computing device for storing criteria under which a customer is authorized to purchase a physical item. The computing device receives a request from the customer. In response to the request satisfying the stored criteria, the computing device outputs a signal for purchasing the physical item. The stored criteria may include a monetary budget for purchasing the physical item. The computing device is for modifying the stored criteria to reduce the monetary budget in response to the signal.

5893048, Apr 6, 1999

Jan 13, 1997

8/782226

John Pate - Austin TX
Robert L. McMahan - Cedar Park TX

Dell USA, L. P. - Roundrock TX

G01H 1700

702 56

The vibration level of a CD-ROM disc is determined in a computer system by installing the disc onto the disc drive. The disc is spun on the disc drive up to an identification speed. The table of contents on the disc is read to determine by disc serial number that the disc is a data disc. Also, the serial number is compared with a file stored in memory to determine that the data disc has been previously tested. The system memory also provides testing information indicating a speed for operating the identified disc without noticeable vibration. The disc drive then operates the identified disc at the indicated speed.

6029213, Feb 22, 2000

Apr 15, 1998

9/060735

Steve Belt - Pflugerville TX
John Pate - Austin TX
Greg Hudgins - Austin TX

Dell U.S.A. L.P. - Roundrock TX

G06F 1300

710 72

An automatic IR port detection device is provided in a portable computer including a first and a second transceiver data port. An external device is adjacent the computer and includes at least one external transceiver data port. An IR port detection and scanning program in the computer is actuated by an initiating key combination. A controller in the computer generates a systems management interrupt in response to the initiating key combination being actuated. An IR scan timer is initiated in response to the systems management interrupt being generated. A system BIOS in the computer actuates the first transceiver data port to scan for an external IR signal and sequentially actuates the second transceiver data port to scan for the external IR signal in response to the absence of the external IR signal received by the first transceiver data port. The IR scan timer is resettable in the absence of the IR signal being received from the external transceiver data port by either of the first and second transceiver data ports.

5944831, Aug 31, 1999

Jun 13, 1997

8/874493

John C. Pate - Austin TX
John J. Pearce - Del Valle TX

Dell USA, L.P. - Round Rock TX

G06F 100

713324

Communication interface PCCards are commonly attached, both physically and electrically, to a notebook computer whether the communication interface PCCards are connected to a communication channel or disconnected from the communication channel. It has further been discovered that communication interface PCCards consume power when attached to the notebook computer and that power consumption is advantageously reduced and battery life extended by detecting when the communication channel is disconnected from the communication interface PCCard and terminating power supplied to the communication interface PCCard when the communication channel is disconnected. A power management method in a computer system having a PCCard connected to a communication channel includes detecting a disconnection of the communication channel from the PCCard and terminating power supplied to the PCCard in response to the detection of the disconnection of the communication channel.

5832282, Nov 3, 1998

Jan 2, 1997

8/778408

John Pate - Austin TX
Robert L. McMahan - Cedar Park TX

Dell U.S.A., L.P. - Austin TX

G06F 126

39575001

Apparatus and method for insuring that a computer is in battery swap mode before a battery thereof is hot swapped by a user is described. A switch is located under the battery receptacle cover, which switch is actuated by the removal of the battery receptacle cover in an amount sufficient to expose the switch. Actuation of the switch generates a battery swap mode ("BSM") signal to the CPU, causing the computer to operate in battery swap mode, at which point the battery may be safely removed without risk of losing data stored in DRAM.