Abstract: A digital camera has an integral flash and stores and displays a digital image. Under certain conditions, a flash photograph taken with the camera may result in a red-eye phenomenon due to a reflection within an eye of a subject of the photograph. A digital apparatus has a red-eye filter which analyzes the stored image for the red-eye phenomenon and modifies the stored image to eliminate the red-eye phenomenon by changing the red area to black. The modification of the image is enabled when a photograph is taken under conditions indicative of the red-eye phenomenon. The modification is subject to anti-falsing analysis which further examines the area around the red-eye area for indicia of the eye of the subject. The detection and correction can be optimized for performance and quality by operating on subsample versions of the image when appropriate.

Abstract: A digital camera has an integral flash and a means for storing and displaying a digital image. Under certain conditions, a flash photograph taken with the camera may result in a red-eye phenomenon due to a reflection within an eye of a subject of the photograph. The digital camera has a red-eye filter which analyzes the stored image for the red-eye phenomenon and modifies the stored image to eliminate the red-eye phenomenon by changing the red area to black. The modification of the image is enabled when a photograph is taken under conditions indicative of the red-eye phenomenon. The modification is subject to anti-falsing analysis which further examines the area around the red-eye area for indicia of the eye of the subject.

Abstract: The braking system of a vehicle is securely engaged in response to the operator of the vehicle causing the vehicle to stop. The braking system improves vehicle safety by remaining securely engaged upon detection of a fault such as a vehicle collision, an unintentional transmission shift, a vehicle malfunction or a problem with the operator or operation of the vehicle. In the event of a collision, securely engaged brakes can significantly reduce resulting vehicle acceleration, potentially avoiding a secondary collision and reducing injuries experienced by the vehicle operator and passengers. In the event that no fault is detected, the braking system is disengaged in response to the operator accelerating the vehicle, either by pressing the gas pedal or releasing the brake pedal, thereby making the securely engaged brakes virtually unperceivable under normal operating circumstances.

Abstract: A method of filtering a red-eye phenomenon from an acquired digital image including a multiplicity of pixels indicative of color, the pixels forming various shapes of the image, includes analyzing meta-data information, determining one or more regions within the digital image suspected as including red eye artifact, and determining, based at least in part on the meta-data analysis, whether the regions are actual red eye artifact. The meta-data information may include information describing conditions under which the image was acquired, captured and/or digitized, acquisition device-specific information, and/film information.

Abstract: A battery operated portable device, or “lockator” facilitates location of a parked automobile within having an unknown or forgotten location. The lockator locks, unlocks and locates the automobile with a simplified user interface. The locator has a combined automobile door lock and unlock transmitter and GPS locator. Pressing a lock button both transmits a lock signal and substantially determines the automobile location. Pressing the unlock button transmits the unlock signal and determines the direction back to the location where the lock button was pressed. Left and right icons on the lockator direct the driver back to the vehicle. The icons blink at a rate indicative of the distance to the automobile and indicate if the driver is heading away from the automobile. Measures are take to conserve power drawn from a battery powering the lockator.

Abstract: A virtual reality system (200-322) stereoscopically projects a virtual reality images including a three dimensional image (245) having an interface image (250′) in a space observable by a user (100). The display system includes a substantially transparent display means (200) which also allows real images of real objects (850) to be combined or superimposed with the virtual reality images. Selective areas or characteristics of the real images are obstructed by a selective real image obstructer (860) to enhance viewing of selected virtual reality images while providing for viewing or real images or virtual images combined with real images in other viewing areas. The display system includes either a stereoscopic headset display system or a heads-up display system. The selective real images obstructer is a gray scale liquid crystal display included with the display system providing for adjustment of the size, shape and/or transparency of the obstruction of real images.

Abstract: A battery operated portable device, or “lockator” facilitates location of a parked automobile within having an unknown or forgotten location. The lockator locks, unlocks and locates the automobile with a simplified user interface. The locator has a combined automobile door lock and unlock transmitter and GPS locator. Pressing a lock button both transmits a lock signal and substantially determines the automobile location. Pressing the unlock button transmits the unlock signal and determines the direction back to the location where the lock button was pressed. Left and right icons on the lockator direct the driver back to the vehicle. The icons blink at a rate indicative of the distance to the automobile and indicate if the driver is heading away from the automobile. Measures are take to conserve power drawn from a battery powering the lockator.

Abstract: A communication system has a 2-way wireless voice network such as a Bluetooth or cellular network and a 1-way wireless voice network such as the ClariCAST™ network. A wireless device has both a 2-way transceiver for completing voice calls and a 1-way receiver for receiving voicemail. If a 2-way call is truncated, then the caller is forwarded to a voicemail system. The voicemail is then transmitted to the wireless device over the 1-way network. If the wireless device connects to the voicemail server while the caller is connected to the voicemail system then the coupling between the caller and the wireless device is re-established.

Abstract: A portable receiver receives information on a network of FM SCA transmitters. Each transmitter may have a different cell size. A handoff is performed when the portable receiver travels from the coverage area of one network transmitter to another network transmitter. Fluctuations in signal quality could result in several handoffs as the portable receiver travels. Excessive handoff operations potentially reduce the battery life of the portable receiver. The portable receiver performs channel scanning and locking on a priority basis that reduces the likelihood of additional handoffs. Priority basis is assigned to a transmitter based upon indicia including its coverage area causing the portable to prefer locking on to transmitters on the basis of both signal quality and channel priority.

Abstract: A hybrid communication system communicates at least a portion of a massage from a message server to a portable device using a wide area communication system such as a one-way communication operating on an FM SCA spectrum. The message may be a digitized voice message. Upon hearing the message, a user of the portable device records an audio response which is stored as a digital reply. When the portable device travels in range of a local area node such as a short range node communicating on the ISM band. Communication is established and a bartering process allows the message to be relayed from the portable device through the local area node relay and back to the message server. The bartering operation requires an act or omission by the portable device and/or its user in exchange for the bandwidth used to relay the response.

Abstract: A system and apparatus for permitting a user of a selective call receiver (31) to receive a certain number of personal messages and information service updates without paying a fee for such services in return for reading advertisements wirelessly transmitted to the selective call receiver. The user is allowed to read the advertisements at any time prior to receiving the personal messages and information service updates. The certain number is proportional to the number of advertisements read. The certain number can be increased by the user responding to questions within advertisements using reverse channel messaging capabilities of a selective call transceiver (32), or by using a conventional telephone (22).

Abstract: A two dimensional display panel produces a time variable image composed of light emitting pixels. The pixels are generated by a light emitting phosphor distributed within the panel, the pixels radiate light in response to being excited by charging and triggering energy beams. The energy beams are relatively invisible and may be generated by lasers or solid state diode energy sources. Wave guides within the panel direct the energy beams to the pixels. The wave guides may be composed of fiber optic threads and the display panel comprised of a fabric of woven fiber optic threads wherein pixels are produced at intersections of the woven fiber optic threads. The brightness of the pixels are controlled by regulating the duty cycle of a column driver relative to the duty cycle of a row driver. The display energy beams are driven to facilitate interface with a pen-like pointing device. In one embodiment the pen receives relatively invisible energy beams and in another embodiment the pen receives visible pixel light.

Abstract: A magnetically communicative card (200) has a ferrite core (302) extending substantially the width (201) of the card body (203) and has a conductor (408) wound around the ferrite core for the entire length of the ferrite core. Embedded within the card body is a controller (208) that controls a varying magnetic field emanating from the conductor to mimic a varying magnetic field produced by a conventional magnetic stripe card. Optionally, the card includes a sensor to sense a signal intercepted by the conductor from a varying magnetic field emanating from another device. The controller reads the sensed signal to receive communication from the other device. A magnetically communicative card (400, 500) is alternatively flexibly attached and detachably coupled to an electronic wallet (402, 502) to produce an apparatus (405, 501).

Abstract: An electronic device has reduced radio frequency interference (RFI) emissions. The electronic device includes a signal generator that is coupled to a reference clock signal and a first digital circuit. The signal generator generates a random signal derived from the reference clock signal. The first digital circuit is coupled to the signal generator. The random signal governs pulse characteristics of the first digital circuit.

Abstract: A technique is used in a simulcast radio communication system (200) for providing improved local time information. The technique includes, in a fixed portion (300) of the simulcast radio communication system (200), alternatively transmitting in a radio signal a first local time and a second local time in a predetermined protocol position that occurs periodically in a signaling protocol, wherein the first local time and second local time differ by a time zone interval. A radio (500) that receives the radio signal presents local time to a user in manner that indicates the first and second local times.

Abstract: A two dimensional display panel produces a time variable image composed of light emitting pixels. The pixels are generated by a light emitting phosphor distributed within the panel, the pixels radiate light in response to being excited by charging and triggering energy beams. The energy beams are relatively invisible and may be generated by lasers or solid state diode energy sources. Wave guides within the panel direct the energy beams to the pixels. The wave guides may be composed of fiber optic threads and the display panel comprised of a fabric of woven fiber optic threads wherein pixels are produced at intersections of the woven fiber optic threads.

Abstract: An apparatus at a fixed portion (102) of a communication system controls utilization of software (398) in a portable communication device (122) that includes a transceiver (302) for communicating with the fixed portion. The portable communication device receives (604) a request for utilization of the software. In response, the portable communication device seeks (612) a usage authorization for utilizing the software by generating (614) an external authorization request (428) that includes at least one of a size (396) of the software, a software name (394), a secure checksum, and an address (313) identifying the portable communication device, and by communicating (616) the external authorization request to the fixed portion.

Abstract: A digital demodulator (100) for use in a communication device comprising a mixer (110) which samples a limited IF signal derived from a received radio frequency (RF) signal at a rate less than a Nyquist rate of the limited IF signal and generates a resulting IF signal. A continuous integrator (130) is connected to the mixer (110) and integrates the resulting IF signal over a predetermined number of samples thereof to generate a numerical value representative of a modulation frequency of a limited IF signal. An adaptive peak-valley bit slicer (150) is connected to the continuous integrator (130) and compares each numerical value with a peak threshold, a valley threshold and a mid threshold and generates most-significant-bit (MSB) and least-significant-bit (LSB) values for each sample. The adaptive peak-valley bit slicer (150) adjusts the peak and valley thresholds for use in determining a level of a current numerical value based on the LSB and MSB values determined for a prior sample of the numerical value.

Abstract: A selective call device (130) has a receiver (204) for receiving a selective call signal including an address (312) and a topic sub-address (504) indicative of a subscribed information, a processor (212, 214) for correlating the address (312) in the selective call signal to determine when the selective call signal is directed thereto, a decoder (212), in response to the processor (212, 214) determining that the selective call signal is directed thereto, for decoding the topic sub-address (504) to determine when the selective call signal includes the subscribed information, and a battery saver, coupled to the receiver (204), for initiating battery saving when the address (312) does not correlate with a predetermined address of the selective call device (130) and for initiating battery saving when the topic sub-address (504) is absent from the selective call signal.

Abstract: A radio communication device (100) for tracking peaks and valleys of a signal received by a receiver (110) includes tracking circuitry (115) for approximating the peaks and valleys by attacking and decaying values stored in peak and valley counters (124, 132). When the tracking circuitry (115) is in a fast track mode, a peak/valley controller (120) decays a stored value by a first amount when the stored value exceeds a sampled signal voltage and attacks the stored value by a second amount when the stored value does not exceed the sampled signal voltage. The first amount is greater than the second amount. Preferably, the counters (124, 132) are eight-bit counters, the first amount equals eight, and the second amount equals four.