Abstract: A volume control device including a digitally adjustable resistor. The digitally adjustable resistor causes a volume transition to be made in a series of incremental steps of small magnitude resulting in a smooth transition between volume levels, and, hence, no incidental noise.

Abstract: The invention dynamically compensates for differences in data rates. In one embodiment, the status of an input buffer is monitored and used to change the number of oversamples within a frame. In another embodiment, a high frequency clock in the system is used to stall the codec for one clock. In both ways, distortion due to differences in data rates is reduced.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for detecting the presence of wood destroying subterranean termites. The apparatus includes a housing having a hollow chamber with a closed upper portion (top) and an open lower portion (bottom) that is secured to a monitor stick to be inserted in the ground. The hollow chamber top has a peripheral flange that overhangs or extends beyond the perimeter of the chamber. A monitor stick is inserted into and secured in the chamber interior and in the ground. The top is provided with an aperture having a penetrable seal such that a combustible gas detector can be inserted into the chamber to measure the combustible gas in the chamber. When wood destroying termites are present and attacking the monitor stick, they generate combustible gas that becomes trapped in the closed hollow chamber and can be detected by the combustible gas detector. A second material also can be used, e.g., cardboard wrapped around the monitor stick to attract the pests.

Abstract: Esters of 1-oxo-2-diazo-naphthalene sulfonic acid wherein the sulfonic acid group is at either the 4 or the 5 position of a hydroxymethyl-tricyclo [5.2.1.0.sup.2,6 ] decane wherein the hydroxy group is either at the 3 or 4 position and useful as sensitizers for positive resists, particularly relatively thick resists at 365 nm.

Abstract: A method of creating a decision tree to enable a character recognition device to recognize characters in a new unknown font includes scanning a document printed in the unknown font to generate an array of pixels, with each pixel having a neighborhood state based on the colors of the surrounding pixels. A plurality of clusters of pixels, each representing a printed character, are identified. A pixel in one cluster is selected, and its neighborhood state determined. The neighborhood state is used to address a memory that has stored in it a probability table providing the probability, in a second font different from the new font being taught, that a pixel is black as a function of its neighborhood state. The stored probability of black associated with the neighborhood state of the select pixel is read from the memory and assigned as the probability of the selected pixel. The decision tree for the new font is generated using that assigned probability of black.

Abstract: A method for removing noise in the form of small black spots in a black and white raster picture, which includes the following steps: Generating a moving window of 5.times.5 picture elements having an inner window (R1) of nine and a surrounding outer window (R2) of sixteen picture elements; detecting for each such window whether there are more black picture elements in the inner window than a given threshold, or whether there is any connection between black picture elements in the inner window and the outer window; if this is true, leaving the inner window unchanged; otherwise, i.e. if there are less black picture elements in the inner window than the threshold, and if they are not connected to black picture elements in the outer window, making the inner window all white. Thus, isolated small black spots are eliminated without eroding edges or erasing very thin lines.

Abstract: A brightfield/darkfield microscope illuminator has two axicon mirrors and a third plane mirror for use with two light beams from different sources. An open shutter positioned in the path of one beam provides brightfield illumination. An open shutter positioned in the path of the other beam provides darkfield illumination. This illuminator easily switches between operation in the darkfield and brightfield modes, uses substantially all the light in one beam for darkfield illumination and easily balances the illumination between the two light sources.

Abstract: This invention describes an automatic sorter which consists of a linear array of n modules called permuters. Each permuter contains an upper-lower pair of registers, a comparison mechanism and gating arrangement to the permuters immediately above and immediately below. A sequence of N records, N being no larger than 2n, can be loaded, one at a time, into the sorter from the top during the "down mode": at the same time each of the permuters function to save the lower-ordered record in the lower register, to expel the higher ordered record to the permuter below, and to receive a record from above into the upper register.As soon as all records are loaded, the sorter enters the "up mode" of operation, in which each permuter keeps the higher ordered record in the upper register, expels the lower-ordered record through the top, and receives a record into the lower register. The uppermost permuter thus ejects one record at a time, in sorted order.