Handwriting verification methods and related computer systems, and handwriting-based user authentication methods and related computer systems are disclosed. A handwriting verification method comprises obtaining a handwriting test sample containing a plurality of available parameters, extracting geometric parameters, deriving geometric features comprising an x-position value and a y-position value for each of a plurality of feature points in the test sample, performing feature matching between geometric features of the test sample and a reference sample, determining a handwriting verification result based at least in part on the feature matching, and outputting the handwriting verification result. Techniques and tools for generating and preserving electronic handwriting data also are disclosed. Raw handwriting data is converted to a streamed format that preserves the original content of the raw handwriting data. Techniques and tools for inserting electronic handwriting data into a digital image also are disclosed.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods for reliably transmitting data over voltage scaled links are disclosed. A computing system includes at least first and second devices connected via a link. In one implementation, if a data block can be compressed to less than or equal to half the original size of the data block, then the data block is compressed and sent on the link in a single clock cycle rather than two clock cycles. If the data block cannot be compressed to half the original size, but if the data block can be compressed enough to include error correction code (ECC) bits without exceeding the original size, then ECC bits are added to the compressed block which is sent on the link at a reduced voltage. The ECC bits help to correct for any errors that are generated as a result of operating the link at the reduced voltage.

An example method of compressing a data set includes determining whether individual values from a data set correspond to a first category or a second category of values. Based on one of the values corresponding to the first category, the value is added to a compressed data set. Based on one of the values corresponding to the second category, the value is excluded from the compressed data set, and a statistical distribution of values of the second category is updated based on the value. During a first phase, the determining is performed for a plurality of values from a first portion of the data set based on comparison of the values to criteria. During a second phase, the determining is performed for a plurality of values from a second portion of the data set based on the statistical distribution.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods for reliably transmitting data over voltage scaled links are disclosed. A computing system includes at least first and second devices connected via a link. In one implementation, if a data block can be compressed to less than or equal to half the original size of the data block, then the data block is compressed and sent on the link in a single clock cycle rather than two clock cycles. If the data block cannot be compressed to half the original size, but if the data block can be compressed enough to include error correction code (ECC) bits without exceeding the original size, then ECC bits are added to the compressed block which is sent on the link at a reduced voltage. The ECC bits help to correct for any errors that are generated as a result of operating the link at the reduced voltage.

A method of encoding print data performed by a host device is described in which a print request for a compound document is received; objects included in the compound document is classified into predetermined groups based on object attribute information; each of the predetermined groups is compressed according to a preset compression method; and the compressed groups is merged and the merged groups is transmitted to an image forming apparatus.

An electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) emulation (EEE) system includes a non-volatile memory arranged to have a plurality of sectors in which each sector is arranged to have a plurality of record locations. A new record of new data is programmed into a record location of an active sector of the plurality of sectors. After successfully completing the programming of the new record, a number of failure-to-program (FTP) occurrences during the programming is compared to a first threshold. When the number of FTP occurrences is greater than the first threshold, a determination is made as to whether compression is needed, and in response to determining that compression is needed, the method includes selectively performing compression based on a second threshold.

A method of compressing data is described in which the compressed data is generated by either or both of a primary compression unit or a reserve compression unit in order that a target compression threshold is satisfied. If a compressed data block generated by the primary compression unit satisfies the compression threshold, that block is output. However, if the compressed data block generated by the primary compression unit is too large, such that the compression threshold is not satisfied, a compressed data block generated by the reserve compression unit using a lossy compression technique, is output.

An apparatus comprises a first storage system comprising a plurality of storage devices. The first storage system is configured to participate in a replication process with a second storage system. The first storage system is further configured to identify data to be replicated to the second storage system as part of the replication process, to obtain information characterizing network behavior of at least one network connecting the first storage system to the second storage system, to select a compression method from a set of available compression methods based on the obtained information characterizing the network behavior of said at least one network, to compress the data to be replicated to the second storage system utilizing the selected compression method, and to provide the compressed data to the second storage system.

Aspects of the invention include identifying a first subsystem and a second subsystem of a plurality of subsystems respectively storing a first compressed data and a second compressed data, wherein the first compressed data and the second compressed data are fragments of a requested data. A compression method used to compress the first compressed data and second compressed data is identified. A first accelerator of first subsystem and a second accelerator of the second subsystem is identified. The first compressed data from a first local memory of the first subsystem is offloaded to the first accelerator, and the second compressed data from a second local memory of the second subsystem is offloaded to the second accelerator, wherein offloading comprises provided a decompression method for the first compressed data and the second compressed data.

Some techniques described herein relate to determining how to optimally store datasets in a multi-tiered storage device with compression. In one example, a method includes assigning, to a data partition of a dataset, a priority based on access patterns of the data partition. Compression data is accessed describing results of compressing a data sample associated with the data partition using multiple compression schemes. Based both on the priority of the data partition and the compression data, a storage tier is determined for storing the data partition in the multi-tiered storage device. Further, based both on the priority of the data partition and the compression data, a compression scheme is determined for compressing the data partition for storage in the multi-tiered storage device. The data partition is compressed using the compression scheme to produce a compressed data partition, and the compressed data partition is stored in the storage tier.