Abstract: A virus and malware cleaner is generated for a personal computer. Scanning software determines the presence of suspicious attributes resident to the computer. When automated detection of the need for a Custom Cleaner occurs, specific system information, along with information about the suspicious attributes, is included in a Custom Cleaner Request. The request is automatically generated and transmitted to a server for processing. In response a Custom Cleaner may be automatically created from a database of parameterized instructions, then downloaded to the user's computer for execution. Automatic verification of the Custom Cleaner success in removing infected files may be sent to the server. In the event that a Custom Cleaner cannot be generated automatically, an escalation occurs in which a support technician becomes involved in preparing the Custom Cleaner. Escalation data accessed by the support technician may include automatically generated diagnostic hints.

Abstract: Files are tested for presence of a predefined data pattern, such as a virus definition. For each one file of a first plurality of files, physical address data is derived from logical address information. Also, an entry is made in a first data structure. The entry includes file information and the derived physical address data. For each one cylinder of a hard drive, the first data structure is tested to identify any files having file contents stored in the cylinder. When the testing determines that the first data structure includes an entry having physical address data corresponding to the one cylinder, a read operation I requested to read the cylinder. Such testing and reading is repeated to read in multiple cylinders in a generally sequential order. The cylinder content is stored in a buffer. File content is read from the buffer for each one file of a second plurality of files. The read file content is tested for the presence of the predefined data pattern.

Abstract: In a scanning display apparatus an image signal source produces an image signal. A light emitter is coupled to the image signal source and responsive to the image signal to emit light. A lensing system receives light from the light emitter and passes exiting light. A scanner scans the image light. A light sensor detects intensity of background light. A controller adjusts intensity of the image light in response to the detected background light intensity.

Abstract: Adaptive noise filtering is applied to an image frame of HSI data to reduce and more uniformly distribute noise while preserving image feature edges. An adaptive spatial filter includes a plurality of averaging kernels. An appropriate kernel is selected for each pixel for each of the hue and saturation components. A set of thresholds are defined for selecting the kernel for the hue component. Another set of thresholds are defined for selecting the kernel for the saturation component. The kernel for the saturation component is selected by comparing the intensity component to the saturation component thresholds. The kernel for the hue component is selected by comparing the product of intensity component and the saturation component to the hue component thresholds. A color gradient operation is applied to the filtered HSI data to aid in detecting image object boundaries. Object segmentation and other image processing techniques may be performed on the filtered HSI data.

Abstract: A file among equivalent files identified during a search of a global computer network is selected to be downloaded to a local computer. Equivalent files are found frequently where different copies of the same song are stored many times on a global computer network. A portion of all or a subset of the equivalent files are screened during a brief trial download period. Because the files are expected to be located at different sites, the bandwidth of the pathways to the respective files may vary. Amongst other criteria, the file with the best download performance during the trial time period is selected to be downloaded in its entirety.

Abstract: A plurality of vendors include a prescribed hyperlink protocol in their web pages to be participating web pages. The protocol included is the same for everyone, although the function and appearance of a resulting hyperlink varies. For a non-participating end user, the prescribed hyperlink forwards access to a sign-up site. For a participating end user, the function varies according whether the current web page is the referral web site start page, a referral web site non-start page, the privileged web site start page, a privileged web site non-start page, or another participating web page. For the referral start page, the hyperlink redirects access to the privileged web site start page. For the privileged start page, the hyperlink redirects access to the referral start page. For other participating web pages, the function may rotate to redirect access to the referral site or the privileged domain.

Abstract: The functionality of software is contingent upon the home page setting for a user. Each time a user logs onto the World Wide Web, a home page manager program checks the home page setting. If the setting is the predetermined home page, then normal operation of contingent software ensues. If the setting is not the predetermined home page, then access to the contingent software is limited or disabled. The predetermined home page is any one of a prescribed set of home pages listed at a control site. In rotational mode a plurality of prescribed home pages are rotated as the predetermined home page. In long term mode the user selects one home page from the plurality of prescribed home pages as the predetermined home page. The home page manager software also allows (i) access to a user's alternative home page, and (ii) monitoring the level of activity of software.

Abstract: Portions of the internet are embedded onto a transportable media, then delivered periodically to subscribing clients. The contents are indexed to relate a given document to a URL and a time stamp. During on-line access to the internet, the transportable media serves as a read only cache. After issuing a command to view a document at a given URL, a test is performed to see if the document stored on the media is up to date. A command is sent over the internet to identify the date for the most recent update of the document. If the identified date is more recent then the corresponding time stamp, the media version is out of date. So the document is downloaded and displayed. If, however, the time stamp is the same or more recent then the identified date, the document as stored on the media is displayed.

Abstract: An augmented display includes an image display source and a silhouette display source. The image display source generates a virtual image to be perceived by a viewer. The silhouette display source occurs in the path of the background light. The silhouette display source generates a mask corresponding to the image content of the image display. The mask is a darkened area reducing or blocking background light. As the light from the virtual image is overlaid onto the background, there is less background light in the portion where the image appears.

Abstract: The scanner includes a first spring plate and a second spring plate of common size and shape symmetrically aligned and spaced. A first reflective surface is located at an end of first spring plate. A counter balance mass is located at a corresponding end of the second spring plate. The first spring plate and counter balance mass have common mass and volume and are symmetrically aligned about an axis of symmetry. During a drive cycle, the first spring plate and second spring plate are deflected equally in opposite directions. The first reflective surface and counter balance mass move equally in opposite directions causing the respective movement of the first reflective surface to be counter balanced by the movement of the counter balance mass. The motion is driven by electromagnetic circuits or piezoelectric circuits.

Abstract: WAN documents are stored locally in cache with a document expiration date. Ideally, content is unchanged prior to the expiration date and has changed after the expiration date. When requesting to view a WAN document while on-line, the document first is displayed from cache for display and verify mode. The web browser then sends a request to the web server to verify whether the document has been modified. If still valid, then the document is already displayed and time has been saved. If invalid, then the document is downloaded from the web server, stored in cache, and optionally or automatically displayed in place of the invalid document. A signal is communicated to the user, for example, to give the option to reload the document. Because document expiration times may be absent or unreliable, a soft and a hard expiration time are derived and adjusted dynamically based upon their reliability.

Abstract: Light emitted from a virtual retinal display light source passes through a beamsplitter to a scanning subsystem and on to an eyepiece and the viewer's eye. Some of the light is reflected from the viewer's eye passing back along the same path. Such light however is deflected at the beamsplitter toward a photodetector. The reflected light is detected and correlated to the display scanner's position. The content of the reflected light and the scanner position for such sample is used to generate a map of the viewer's retina. Such map includes `landmarks` such as the viewer's optic nerve, fovea, and blood vessels. The map of the viewer's retina is stored and used for purposes of viewer identification. The viewer's fovea position is monitored to track where the viewer is looking.

Abstract: A scanned beam tracking system is included in a virtual retinal display. An infrared light source generates light for scanning the viewer's environment in the direction the viewer is looking. A visible light source generates visible light which is scanned on a viewer's retina to generate a virtual image. A common scanning system is used to scan both the non-visible light and the visible light. The visible light is directed into the viewer's eye. The non-visible light is directed away from the viewer's eye into the environment. Infrared reflectors are positioned in the environment. When the infrared light from the virtual retinal display scans over a reflector the reflector directs the infrared light back toward the virtual retinal display. The current pixel of the scanning cycle when the infrared return light is detected corresponds to the position of the reflector.

Abstract: A data pattern cache stores data patterns in units (i.e., a sector). A given data pattern is associated with one or more physical device address ranges which store such data pattern (e.g., sectors). Thus, although the same data pattern may occur as 10 redundant sectors for different files on different parts of a hard disk, the data pattern is stored in the data pattern cache once. One or more physical device sectors are linked to the data pattern.

Abstract: A user views search results and subjectively determines if a document is desirable or undesirable. Only documents categorized by the user are analyzed for deriving a list of prospective keywords. The frequency of occurrence of each word of each document is derived. Keywords that occur only in desirable documents are good keywords. Keywords that occur only in undesirable documents are bad keywords. Keywords that occurs in both types are dirty keywords. The best keywords are the good keywords with the highest frequency of occurrence. The worst keywords are the bad keywords with the highest frequency of occurrence. A new query phrase includes the highest ranked good keywords and performs filtering using the highest ranked bad keywords. Key phrases are derived to clean dirty keywords into good key phrases. A key phrase also is derived from a good keyword and replaces the good keyword to narrow a search.

Abstract: A display device is achieved using a simplified optical system which generates an expanded exit pupil without compromising magnification or resolution. Modulated light from a source is converged toward a focal point by an optics subsystem. A scanning subsystem deflects the converging light, and thus the focal point, along a raster pattern to define a curved intermediate image plane. An exit pupil expanding apparatus defines a curved surface which coincides with the curved image plane. Impinging light rays at a given instant in time span a given incidence angle. Exiting light rays span a larger angle. As a result, the exiting light spans a larger surface area of an ensuing eyepiece. In turn an expanded exit pupil occurs beyond the eyepiece. Embodiments of the expanding apparatus include a curved diffractive optical element, fiber optic face plate, lens array and diffuser. The diffractive optical element generates multiple exit pupils, while the other embodiments generate enlarged exit pupils.

Abstract: Two piezoelectric sensors are mounted on the back of a spring-plate of a mechanical resonance scanner on respective sides of a center line coinciding with an axis of rotation. As the scanner mirror rotates back and forth the two sensors are accelerated and decelerated at a 180.degree. phase difference. Each sensor's output voltage crosses a zero level when the acceleration is unchanging. A differential amplifier detects the zero crossings for motion along the axis of rotation. Common mode rejection eliminates the non-rotational accelerations associated with external vibrations and shocks, and prevents masking the mirror's zero-crossings.