Abstract: A method and apparatus transcode an image. An encoded input bitstream of the image is analyzed to obtain a structure of the encoded input bitstream, in which the image includes a region-of-interest and a background region, and in which the encoded input bitstream is a stream of packets. A first quality value for the region-of-interest and a second quality value for the background region are determined. An encoded output bitstream is composed from a subset of the packets selected from the encoded input bitstream according to the structure, in which the subset of packets includes a first set of packets corresponding to the region-of-interest having the first quality value, a second set of packets corresponding to the background region and having second quality value, and empty packets.

Abstract: A method presents a rank-ordered result set for a probabilistic input query. Terms in the query are recognized and a probability is assigned to each term. The probability expresses a confidence in correctly recognizing the term. A database is searched for items corresponding to the probabilistic query using the terms and the assigned probabilities to produce a result set. The result set is then highlighted according to the probabilities and presented to a user.

Abstract: In a cellular network, a cell phone transmits a continuous voice signal over a voice channel to a server. The cell phone can also generate events, the events including on events and off events. The events can be time-stamped. The events are transmitted as a data signal over a data channel of the network to the server. In the server, only segments of the voice signal that substantially correspond to a particular on event and a following off event are converted by an automated speech recognition engine. The converted signal can be further processed by a dialog manager that generates speech signals for the cell phone in response to the converted signal.

Abstract: This disclosure is concerned with real-time high-speed inspection of objects involving storing digital signal mask information of optical scans of objects at different magnifications, but with substantially the same field of view, and comparing digital mask information obtained by run scans of objects-to-be-inspected, at different magnifications, with the stored mask information to identify known or unknown portions of the objects, with adaptability for rapid "teaching" of large sets of objects for storage and subsequent comparison with real objects under inspection.