Abstract: This disclosure provides for a method and system for operating a hybrid card reader that is operable to read magnetic stripe cards and that, upon the receipt of one or more signals, becomes operable to read integrated circuit cards. The hybrid card reader receives one or more signals from one or more remote devices. Such signals may be transmitted wirelessly or over one or more communication lines. When the one or more signals reach the hybrid card reader, they are used to enable a latching mechanism and an integrated circuit card reading function. This permits an integrated circuit card that is inserted into the hybrid card reader to be latched into place so that the data on the card can be read by the integrated circuit card reading function.

Abstract: This disclosure provides various embodiments of systems and methods for secure communications. In one aspect, the system for secure communications in a retail environment comprises a first display for presenting content to a customer, a first secure payment module comprising a first data entry device and a first secure processor, and a first controller. In some instances, the first controller is communicably coupled to the first display and the first secure payment module. Additionally, the first controller may be adapted to authenticate the first secure payment module, establish a secure communications link between the first controller and the first secure payment module, receive a first source of content, provide a portion of the content to the first display, and selectively enable or disable the first data entry device.

Abstract: This disclosure provides various embodiments of systems and methods for secure communications. In one aspect, the system includes a secure payment module (SPM) in a fuel dispenser and a point-of-sate (POS) system. The POS system stores a public key certificate uniquely identifying the SPM and is configured to dynamically generate a first session key. The POS system encrypts the first session key with a public key associated with the public key certificate, and transmits the encrypted first session key to the SPM. The SPM, which stores a private key associated with the public key certificate, is configured to receive and decrypt the first session key. The SPM is further configured to receive a set of magnetic card data from a card reader, encrypt the set of magnetic card data with the first session key, and transmit the encrypted set of magnetic card data to the POS system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for interpolation of images, and in a particular example to de-interlacing of video signals using spatial interpolation. The present invention discloses a method for measuring the slope of a picture portion in which picture gradients are calculated from said selected pixel values and the slope measurement being derived from said gradient values. The invention also discloses a method of spatial interpolation of an array of pixel values, in which interpolated values are dependent upon the measurement of the slope associated with said array. Non-integer slopes can easily be accommodated with the method of the invention.

Abstract: Fuel dispensing transactions may be accomplished by a variety of systems and techniques. A fuel dispensing device may include a payment module, a data entry device, and a customer display. The payment module may receive a first communication from a point of sale device requesting an encrypted response and receive a second communication from the point of sale device requesting an unencrypted response. The module may match the first communication to a first corresponding library entry, match the second communication to a second corresponding library entry, determine a user response based on one of the first corresponding library entry or the second corresponding library entry, where the user response defines one of the encrypted response based on the first corresponding library entry or the unencrypted response based on the second corresponding library entry, and use the corresponding library entry to generate a visual customer display requesting the user response.

Abstract: A device for entering information securely in a customer transaction is described. The device may include a keypad comprising a set of full travel keys for transmitting a first set of data and a set of minimal travel keys for transmitting a second set of data. A subset of the full travel keys may be operable to receive numerical entries, and a subset of the minimal travel keys may be customized to perform one or more nonnumeric functions. A controller is connected to and receives data from one or more components of the keypad. The device may be used in a fuel dispenser system or another environment where a customer transaction occurs.

Abstract: A method of generating an orthogonally sampled video signal based on a line phase measure. In a first aspect the input signal is sampled by a clock locked to the average line frequency of a video input and the resulting samples are time shifted, optionally with or without interpolation, to an orthogonal sampling grid. In a second aspect input samples are taken and shifted to an orthogonal sampling grid according to a line phase measure. The line phase measure can be derived from a number of measurements or interpolated. In one embodiment a delay is employed so that a measure of a later sample is used to shift an earlier sample.

Abstract: A method of image segmentation using graph-theory techniques, in which pixels of an image are represented by the vertices of a graph. A minimum spanning tree is generated and edges of the tree are successively removed according to a morphological property to leave a spanning forest, trees of which correspond to segments of the image. Selection of edges for removal may depend on an energy function of a tree and on the energy function of trees created by removal of that edge.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for image analysis for picture loss detection in fields or frames in video or film content makes use of different correlation characteristics of picture images and non-picture images to detect picture loss. A measure of self correlation of a plurality of image data samples, and a measure of the correlation of the plurality of image data samples with a mean value are determined, and a positive detection of picture loss is based on a comparison between the two correlation measures.

Abstract: A method of de-interlacing a video signal by conducting three linear filtering operations on the input to produce three filtered signals, each linear filtering operation comprising the taking of a weighted sum of pixels; and multiplying together the three filtered signals to produce an output video signal.

Abstract: This invention concerns a system for the distribution of films by electronic means, and in particular, for ensuring a director's intended rendition of the images is attained in differing viewing conditions and technologies. Thus master data enabling the luminance and chromaticity of every part of every frame as previously displayed in a first display environment to be determined may be modified to achieve a similar subjective effect in a second display environment, the modification depending for example on data characterising the said second display environment.

Abstract: In motion compensated video processing, a method of combining a plurality of pictures from an input sequence to form an output picture temporarily intermediate two of the input pictures by projecting input pixels to locations on the output picture according to motion vectors assigned to the input pixels, in which the mix of input pixels used to form an output pixel takes into account the number and nature of vectors which point to a given output pixel location from each input picture. In the case where there are a plurality of vectors from one input image pointing to the output pixel location the method may assign a lower weight to input pixels from that input picture, or may make a statistical analysis of the plurality of vectors in determining the output pixel. Alternatively increase weighting may be assigned to input pixels the respective vectors of which form conjugate pairs.

Abstract: A method of composite decoding in which the input signal is converted into the frequency domain, and the symmetry of frequency components with respect to the subcarrier frequency is compared. The comparison is varied in dependence upon the frequency being processed. In this way, the separation can be adapted to suit known characteristics of different portions on the input spectrum. This is particularly useful for processing NTSC signals. The allocation of a particular component to chrominance may be biased in dependence upon a measure of the luminance information of the composite signal at a corresponding spatial frequency.

Abstract: A video noise reducer divides a signal into spatial frequency bands and derives both recursively and non-recursively filtered signals for each band. Both signals are processed non-linearly. These signals are combined in ways that vary between the bands to provide a noise signal and a detail signal. A clean video signal with all noise removed is used in the recursive loop. The output signal includes detail enhancement and may have a subjectively pleasant amount of noise added back.

Abstract: Video data is segmented by representing the pixel location, RGB values and other features such as motion vectors, as points in a multidimensional segmentation space. Initialized segments are represented as locations in the segmentation space and segment membership then determined by the distance in segmentation space from the data point representing the pixel to the location of the segment. The distance measure takes into consideration the covariance of the data, for the segment or for the picture.

Abstract: A method of generating an orthogonally sampled video signal based on a line phase measure. In a first aspect the input signal is sampled by a clock locked to the average line frequency of a video input and the resulting samples are time shifted, optionally with or without interpolation, to an orthogonal sampling grid. In a second aspect input samples are taken and shifted to an orthogonal sampling grid according to a line phase measure. The line phase measure can be derived from a number of measurements or interpolated. In one embodiment a delay is employed so that a measure of a later sample is used to shift an earlier sample.

Abstract: In video scratch repair, scratches are treated as additive pedestals which are constant or slowly changing along the scratch. For a given picture, these pedestals are estimated and subtracted from the video input to reveal original picture detail. The pedestal can be estimated by heavily filtering along the direction of the presumed scratch, the output of a prior art scratch detector.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for decimating or sub-sampling image data which uses fixed delay intervals to accumulate a weighted sum of input samples. The accumulated sum is output at selected intervals, the interval determining the degree of decimation. The apparatus can take the form of a Finite Impulse Response (FIR) decimation filter. Decimation can be horizontal, vertical or temporal, and the decimation factor can be made non-integral.

Abstract: In video signal processing, diagonal lines or slopes are detected in the input material, and an adaptive spatial filter having positive, negative and linear filter apertures is employed. The positive filter aperture is employed upon detection of any positive slopes in excess of a defined positive threshold; the negative filter upon detection of negative slopes, and the linear filter otherwise.

Abstract: Motion between adjacent fields of an interlaced video signal is analyzed by vertically interpolating the current field to produce a line signal which corresponds in vertical position with lines from the succeeding and preceding fields; and subtracting the signals to provide a field difference. The effect of vertical detail is reduced by comparing two field differences or by subtracting a local or global detail signal from the field difference.