Abstract: A telephone location system where a consumer can ask a service bureau to find the location of a particular mobile telephone possibly for a fee. The service bureau contacts the correct mobile service provider who locates the mobile telephone if possible using assisted GPS or any other location method and returns the location to the service bureau possibly for an access charge. The service bureau can return the telephone location to the consumer in a relational form or in terms of absolute coordinates (such as longitude and latitude). A total or partial privacy feature allows the mobile telephone to turn-off location to all but emergency services or people possessing an identification such as a PIN.

Abstract: A lighter-than-air ship using hydrogen or other gas as a lift gas with at least one hydrogen fuel cell aboard. The fuel cell can draw hydrogen fuel from the lift gas reservoir to produce electricity both for the ship's use and optionally for propulsion. The waste product of the fuel cell is water which can be used for the needs of a crew on the ship. The hydrogen lift gas chamber, which can be compartmentalized for lift control, can be surrounded by a safety jacket filled with an inert gas and contain optional hydrogen and/or oxygen sensors.

Abstract: A system and method for identifying who sent a particular piece of mail or parcel. A positive identification is made of anybody trying to mail a letter or parcel (or send something by any other means) using digital techniques such as fingerprint scan, retinal scan, face scan, DNA or any other positive ID technique. An optional photo can be taken of the sender. The positive identification information and photo is then attached to the item to be sent after the item is out of the control of the sender. The data can be attached by microdot, magnetic strip, ink spray, barcode, or by any other means of attaching digital data to an item. The sidewalk mailbox is replaces with a remote mail station. Positive ID would be a prerequisite for mailing any letter.

Abstract: A method of determining remote gas concentration values from remote gas sensors. The method is particularly applicable to heated metal oxide sensors; however, it is not restricted to this type of sensor. A polynomial fit is made of a sensor's gas response curve for each sensor in the system. Usually this is a third order polynomial; however, any other order can be used. The sensors response at zero concentration is a zero or root of the polynomial. This root is factored out of the polynomial reducing it one degree. It is possible to factor out more than one real root if such a root is known further reducing the order of the polynomial. The coefficients of the reduced polynomial are scaled and stored as absolute values in binary words at the remote. At least one additional word is used to store exponents and signs. These words are transmitted to a central location on demand so that the gas response curve can be recreated.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for raster-scanned video graphics systems where clocked digital video words from a plurality of sources are combined so that, at each video clock time, a word is chosen from one of the ports to light the current pixel on a display. There is an input port for each video source and a gate associated with each input port for passing or inhibiting a binary word. A decision at each video clock time chooses a word from one of the ports and passes it to an output port which leads to a video display or palette device. This decision is based on the data content of the current digital video words at the input ports.

Abstract: A high-speed burst digital time multiplexed data system has N parallel input data paths that are multiplexed onto a serial data path for transmission from a transmitter to a receiver. Serial transmission takes place in a short burst upon command at the transmitter. Data from the serial data path is demultiplexed back into N parallel data paths at the receiver. The entire process is accomplished asynchronously without the aid of a clock or framing signal. In the preferred embodiment, a train of N sampling pulses is generated by two tapped delay lines, one at the transmitter and one at the receiver. The length of each sequential sampling pulse is determined by the tap spacing of the delay line, and the duration of the entire burst process is equal to the total delay of the delay line. A new burst may be initiated at any time after the completion of the previous burst. Thus bursts may follow each other immediately or be arbitrarily spaced to occur whenever data transmission is required.

Abstract: The invention is a Method and Apparatus for detecting the application of a liquid drop into a transparent reaction chamber or other reflecting surface in the presence of ambient light and transient motion of the chamber. A light source is modulated into two or more discrete levels at a fixed or variable modulation rate. These levels include an off level where there is no light from the optical source. Light from the source is specularly reflected into an optical detector which is sampled at least once for each modulated light level. Differences between modulated levels and the off level represent the amount of reflectivity of the surface or chamber. When liquid enters the chamber or is applied to the surface, the reflectivity changes. This leads to detectable changes between the modulated levels and the off level. Ambient light simply shifts the absolute values of the levels.

Abstract: An error correction circuit wherein the coefficients of the error-location polynomial .sigma.(x) of any three-error correcting binary BCH code over the Galois Field GF(2.sup.m) are found from the first three odd components S.sub.1, S.sub.3, and S.sub.5 of the syndrome vector. The circuit traverses a binary decision tree to find the polynomial coefficients and can be realized totally with combinational logic. The correct equation for the final polynomial coefficients is found at the termination of the tree. The descent through this tree and the computation of the coefficients can be performed by parallel combinational logic. Addition over the Galois Field is performed in the standard representation with exclusive OR gates. Multiplication can be performed by converting the standard representation into a special representation that is passed through a pair of binary adders to form the product. Translation can then be made back to the standard representation.