Abstract: A smart card comprises a microcontroller, a memory unit, a storage unit, and a communications unit. The smart card may be connected to a terminal, which is in turn may be connected to a host computer and/or a network. The smart card is configured to initiate communications with the terminal, which enables the smart card to control the terminal, host computer, or network and to access the resources connected to the terminal, host computer, or network. A communications protocol defines the commands that the smart card can send and allows the smart card to communicate using asynchronous or logical asynchronous communication.

Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for calibrating the longitudinal accuracy of marking devices by using a comparison of a pattern printed on the transverse scale to a pattern printed on the longitudinal scale to calibrate the longitudinal scale is disclosed. The marking device could be a strip chart recorder, a printer, a well log printer or any other marking device for which one scale is less subject to variations or error than another. The information used for the calibration may be retained for re-use.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system, apparatus and method for transmitting logging data from a primary location to a remote location in near real time. The logs can be viewed almost simultaneously at the primary and remote locations, as data is being acquired.

Abstract: A system for transactional taxation includes a secure stored data device, such as a smart card, having means for storing purchaser-specific data, an interface device for communicating with the secure stored data device and means for determining a tax rate on a purchase using the purchaser-specific data.

Abstract: A system for tracking continuing education includes a secure stored data device, such as a smart card, storing practitioner-specific data, and a read/write device for communicating with the secure stored data device and for writing course attendance information for the practitioner to the secure stored data device. A professional education server initiates the secure stored data device and the read/write device, accepts data from the secure stored data device and the read/write device, verifies compliance with education requirements and verifies consistency in the data sets.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system for handling and transmitting a file over a communication channel wherein the file may be adaptably compressed to improve throughput. The invention also provides for a method of recovery in the event of a communication failure. The file may be encrypted while it is being transmitted. The compression and transmission may occur while the file is being written, so that the receiving location receives the data in near real time.

Abstract: A speech system recognizes words from a spoken phrase that conform to checksum constraints. Grammar rules are applied to hypothesize words according to the checksum constraints. The checksum associated with the phrase is thus inherent in the grammar. Sentences which do not meet a predetermined checksum constraint are not valid under the grammar rules and are therefore inherently rejected. The checksum constraints result in increased recognition accuracy.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for verifying the identity of an unknown user of a telephone calling card service is disclosed which receives identification information corresponding to a valid user of the service, requests the unknown user to speak an authorization phrase without disclosing the authorization phrase to the unknown user, receives the unknown user's speech signal in response to the request, and verifies the identity of the unknown user based on the received speech signal. Other apparatus, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: A name recognition system (FIG. 1 )used to provide access to a database based on the voice recognition of a proper name spoken by a person who may not know the correct pronunciation of the name. During an enrollment phase (10), for each name-text entered (11) into a text database (12), text-derived recognition models (22) are created for each of a selected number of pronunciations of a name-text, with each recognition model being constructed from a respective sequence of phonetic features (15) generated by a Boltzmann machine (13). During a name recognition phase (20), the spoken input (24,25) of a name (by a person who may not know the correct pronunciation) is compared (26) with the recognition models (22) looking for a pattern match--selection of a corresponding name-text is made based on a decision rule (28).

Abstract: A method is provided for detecting drill bit wear. Vibratory data is collected during the drilling of a reference hole into a workpiece. An autoregressive model is applied to the vibratory data collected during the drilling of the reference hole to determine reference hole characteristic parameters for the drill bit. Vibratory data is then collected during the drilling of a subsequent hole into the workpiece. The autoregressive model is applied to the vibratory data, collected during the drilling of the subsequent hole to determine subsequent hole characteristic parameters for the drill bit. The reference hole characteristic parameters are compared with the subsequent hole characteristic parameters to detect drill bit wear between the time of drilling of the reference hole and the time of drilling of the subsequent hole.