Abstract: A payment system for spending accounts is provided. The payment system includes a qualified vendor system, such as a point of sale system at a doctor's office, that generates purchase data and point of sale data, such as a co-pay amount, a credit card number, and a point of sale device identifier. An account management system receives the purchase data and point of sale data and generates authorized purchase data, such as by determining whether payment of co-pay can be automatically authorized based on pre-qualification of the doctor's office as an authorized source.

Abstract: Reconfigurable distributed active transformers are provided. The exemplary embodiments provided allow changing of the effective number and configuration of the primary and secondary windings, where the distributed active transformer structures can be reconfigured dynamically to control the output power levels, allow operation at multiple frequency bands, maintain a high performance across multiple channels, and sustain desired characteristics across process, temperature and other environmental variations. Integration of the distributed active transformer power amplifiers and a low noise amplifier on a semiconductor substrate can also be provided.

Abstract: A system for processing radar data from two or more areas of interest is provided, such as for simultaneously processing vehicle speeds in the opposite lane in front of the patrol vehicle and in the opposite lane behind the patrol vehicle. The system includes an antenna signal processor that receives radar data from one or more radar antennae and generates speed data for a first vehicle travelling in a first direction relative to a radar observation point and a second vehicle travelling in a second direction relative to the radar observation point. A display generator system receives the speed data and user-entered display control data, and generates user-readable display data based on the speed data and the user-entered display control data.

Abstract: A cable modem having a programmable media access controller (MAC). A single cable modem device includes all necessary MAC functions. The invention allows programmable MAC functions to support evolving standards (e.g., DOCSIS) without requiring expensive hardware upgrades. Bifurcated microprocessor architecture, in which first processing circuitry is programmed to implement MAC functionality for processing information flowing to and from cable media interface circuitry, and second embedded processor core or host system processor provides operating system functionality are used. Alternatively, separate processor cores provide MAC functionality for downstream and upstream data paths, respectively. Cable media interface circuitry, and other peripheral circuitry, are coupled to a peripheral bus that is linked by a bridge circuit to a system bus. The processing circuitry MAC is communicatively coupled to the system bus.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a distributed power amplifier topology and device that efficiently and economically enhances the power output of an RF signal to be amplified. The power amplifier comprises a plurality of push-pull amplifiers interconnected in a novel circular geometry that preferably function as a first winding of an active transformer having signal inputs of adjacent amplification devices driven with an input signal of equal magnitude and opposite phase. The topology also discloses the use of a secondary winding that matches the geometry of primary winding and variations thereof that serve to efficiently combine the power of the individual power amplifiers. The novel architecture enables the design of low-cost, fully-integrated, high-power amplifiers in the RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave frequencies.

Abstract: The invention describes a non-real time fax transmission and reception system, in which fax emulation or “spoofer” software resides between application software and a fax/modem device. The fax/modem device may be comprised of hardware or software in any proportion. The fax spoofer software uses a fax/modem emulator to interface between requesting application software to have the application software believe that it is communicating with an actual, as opposed to virtual, fax/modem device. The emulator creates a class 1 or class 2 fax/modem session of the transmission request, which may be transmitted to a fax/modem device at a later point in time. Additionally, the fax spoofer software may be used to buffer, queue, or process incoming facsimiles, which can either be stored in the local memory of a fax/modem device or in the memory portion of the fax spoofer software.

Abstract: A full duplex speaker-phone that performs adaptive filtering to provide increased loop stability between users of the speaker-phone. The invention employs a sliding filter that performs adaptive frequency dependent attenuation of the speech signals within a speaker-phone. By detecting the mode of operation of the speaker-phone in real time, the speaker-phone performs adaptive filtering to ensure a high perceptual quality for the users of the speaker-phone. The sliding filtering is performed using a sliding low pass filter (LPF) in certain embodiments of the invention. Perceptually, the speaker-phone does not surrender the appearance of a full duplex speaker-phone from the perspective of the users. In addition, by performing frequency dependent filtering of the speech signals, the speaker-phone offers improved stability in the speaker-phone loop and reduces residual echoes significantly over conventional technology employed in speaker-phones.

Abstract: An implementation of an iterative decoding system within a Trellis Coded Modulation communications environment. In a disclosed embodiment of the present invention, a communication system is described wherein the transmitter uses a channel encoder (consisting of either a convolutional encoder or a block encoder) as an outer encoder. The channel encoded signal is then passed through an interleaver and provided to a Trellis Coded Modulation encoder which acts as an inner encoder. The encoded signal may then be transmitted over the channel. On the decoding side, the disclosed embodiment of the present invention advantageously applies iterative decoding steps to decode the received Trellis Coded Modulated signals, resulting in improved coding gains and a decrease in BER as compared with a conventional non-iterative approach.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a new family of switching amplifier classes called “class E/F amplifiers.” These amplifiers are generally characterized by their use of the zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) phase correction technique to eliminate of the loss normally associated with the inherent capacitance of the switching device as utilized in class-E amplifiers, together with a load network for improved voltage and current wave-shaping by presenting class-F−1 impedances at selected overtones and class-E impedances at the remaining overtones. The present invention discloses a several topologies and specific circuit implementations for achieving such performance.

Abstract: A full-duplex speakerphone that is coupled to a network such as the public switched telephone network. The full-duplex speakerphone includes a base station, which has a network connection and receives a network signal from the network. The base station also includes a speaker for audibly outputting a signal derived from the network signal into a room in which the speakerphone is located. The base station also includes a wireless receiver for receiving signals transmitted over the air from a wireless remote microphone equipped with a wireless transmitter, the received signals being sent by the base station over the network.

Abstract: Packet-Based Direct Memory Access. The present invention overcomes the oftentimes hardware consumptive and complex implementation of conventional direct memory access (DMA) that employs descriptors. The descriptors that must are employed by conventional DMA must be set up by software, and the handshaking between the hardware and software is typically very cumbersome. The packet-based DMA performed in accordance with the present invention is operable and adaptable to various types of cell-based DMA modes. A flow control regulator, or flow control state machine, is used to control the packet-based DMA performed in accordance with the present invention. Two different multiplexors (MUXs) are employed, one for each of the transmit and the receive packet-based DMA transfers, to select the various cases of packet-based DMA. The present invention is operable within various modes including asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cell-based asynchronous digital subscriber loop (ADSL) applications.

Abstract: A system for inspecting a component, such as a die formed on a silicon wafer, is provided. The system includes a two dimensional inspection system that can locate one or more features, such as bump contacts on the die, and which can also generate feature coordinate data. The system also includes a three dimensional inspection system that is connected to the two dimensional inspection system, such as through an operating system of a processor. The three dimensional inspection system receives the feature coordinate data and generates inspection control data.

Abstract: A system and method for removing contaminants from water that has a relatively low oxygen content with naturally occurring chemoautotrophic bacteria, ferrous iron, manganese, sulfide, and other contaminants. The system comprises an oxygenation vessel for oxygenating the water and a filtration vessel having bio-filtration media with surfaces that are exposed to the oxygenated water. The chemoautotrophic bacteria propagate in the presence of the oxygenated water and deposit certain of the contaminants on the bio-filtration media as by-products. The contaminants are also precipitated in the presence of the oxygenated water and settle on the bio-filtration media in at least the filtration vessel. A secondary filtration stage can further remove contaminants from the water that were not sufficiently removed by the first filtration stage.

Abstract: A system that provides packaging for a surface acoustic wave filter in such a way that the surface acoustic wave filter is capable of integration with a number of additional electronic devices on an integrated substrate. The surface acoustic wave filter is mounted in a “flip chip” configuration that enables the surface of the surface acoustic wave filter to be protected from a molding compound during and after the encapsulation of the surface acoustic wave filter and other circuitry contained on the integrated substrate. The manner in which the surface acoustic wave filter is packaged provides a great reduction in cost and occupied real estate on the integrated substrate, in that, the surface acoustic wave filter is mounted in such as way as not to require conventionally used ceramic packaging that encases the surface acoustic wave filter. An air gap is preserved between the surface acoustic wave filter side of the surface acoustic wave filter and the integrated substrate on which it is mounted.

Abstract: A speaker-phone that is operable to perform system change detection, double-talk detection and if desired, optimal step-size control. The invention differentiates between system change and double-talk and is operable to these two situations differently. The invention does not rely solely on the energy measurements that are employed by conventional speaker-phones. Highly reliable system change detection is offered when compared to conventional speaker-phones. The direction and the amplitude of the system change is measured with very good detection probability in the invention. For double-talk detection, the invention does not rely on assumptions that the far-end echoes are of lower amplitude that the near-end signal in performing double-talk detection. The invention performs double-talk detection within a large diversity of echo-paths and background noise levels. A designer may tune the speaker-phone system to ensure proper double-talk detection near low levels of the near-end signal.

Abstract: Adaptive analog equalization. The present invention provides an analog equalization solution that is assured to converge irrespective of the initial conditions of the adaptation. For very high frequency communication applications, including DS3 or E3 line code applications operating at frequencies approaching 45 MHz, the analog adaptive equalization employs double sampling. One of the samples is used to make the decision if a transition actually goes to zero, and the other of the samples is used to drive the adaptation loop to converge. The present invention employs a high pass network and an adaptable gain to control an adaptive analog equalizer structure. There are two different feedback paths to ensure convergence of the present invention. In one embodiment, one feedback path is the gain control feedback path that is provided to the adaptive analog equalizer structure. The other feedback path is provided to a variable gain amplifier.

Abstract: A system for locating features in image data is provided. The system includes a first component system. The first component system compares first component data, which can be pixel data of a first user-selected component of the feature, to first test image data, which can be selected by scanning image data of a device, such as a die cut from a silicon wafer. The system also includes second component system that is connected to the first component system, such as through data memory locations of a processor. The second component system compares second component data to second test image data if the first component system finds a match between the first component data and the first test image data. The second test image data is selected based upon the first test image data, such as by using a known coordinate relationship between pixels of the first component data and the second component data.

Abstract: A system for displaying radar data from two or more areas of interest is provided, such as for simultaneously showing vehicle speeds in the opposite lane in front of the patrol vehicle and in the same lane behind the patrol vehicley. The system includes a first display that shows the speed of vehicles in the first area, such as the opposite lane in front of the patrol vehicle, and a second display that shows the speed of vehicles in the second area, such as the same lane behind the patrol vehicle.

Abstract: A system for determining a leak rate of a device during an adiabatic cooling phase is provided. The system includes a leak rate training system receiving leak rate calibration data, such as pressure data or mass flow data for a device having a known leakage rate. The leak rate training system generates an adiabatic cooling model from the leak rate calibration data, such as by solving a finite difference equation for one or more unknown process variables that are dependent on the adiabatic cooling parameters of the device. The system further includes a leak rate detection system receiving the adiabatic cooling model and leak rate data and determining a leak rate component of the leak rate data using the adiabatic cooling model, such as by using the variable values determined through solving the finite difference model to interpolate between the leak rate calibration data that was gathered using known leakage rates.

Abstract: A matching network hybrid electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC) absorber. A substrate of any number of materials serves as the frame on which partial coatings are placed. Design parameters governing the substrate and other parameters governing the coating control the electrical properties of the matching network hybrid EMC absorber. By performing partial and/or full coating, the physical shape and mechanical properties of the matching network hybrid EMC absorber may be de-coupled from the electrical properties. A designer modifies and controls the electrical performance of an electro-magnetic test system by special-tailoring a matching network hybrid EMC absorber. An electro-magnetic wave to ensure that a majority of the electro-magnetic wave is absorbed into a lossy, absorber material mounted on the walls of a test chamber in the frequency range from 20-500 MHz.