Abstract: An electronic device can include a housing including a sidewall having an interior surface defining a first aperture and an internal volume. The device can also include a microphone port disposed in the internal volume. The microphone port can include a structure having a cylindrical sidewall and a shelf extending radially inward from the cylindrical sidewall. The microphone port can also include a mesh fixed to the shelf.

Abstract: A method for modifying knowledge documents, includes: retrieving an authored document per a client request; wiki-fying a copy of the retrieved authored document; accepting client comments into the wiki-fied authored document, while maintaining the integrity of the authored documents; notifying one or more authors of the authored document of the client comments in the wiki-fied copy of the authored document; modifying the authored document based on the determination of the one or more authors to the validity of the client comments; and replacing the authored document with the modified authored document.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for converting a binary MPEG-4 (mp4) binary file into an Extensible MPEG-4 Textual (XMT) file. The invention includes generating at least one intermediary structured document representing the mp4 binary file. A translator is configured to input the intermediate document and generate an XMT structured document. An XMT serializer is then used to create the XMT file based on the XMT structured document.

Abstract: A method for scheduling the delivery of multimedia data packets over a communications medium with a limited bandwidth. The packets may contain data representing images, sounds, or other media which are to be delivered from a source or server to a recipient or client. The 6 method described here minimizes the delay between the point in time when a client requests the multimedia data and the point in time when the client may start presenting the data without risk of interruption, for a given communications bandwidth. This method also determines the minimum buffer sizes needed by the client in order to present this multimedia data subject to the specified bandwidth limit.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for converting an Extensible MPEG-4 Textual (XMT) document into a binary MPEG-4 (mp4) file. The XMT document may comprise of zero or more associated media data files. The invention includes generating an intermediate document representing the mp4 file and creating the mp4 file based on the intermediate document and the associated media data files. A first converter is configured to input the XMT document and to generate at least one intermediate document representing the structure of the mp4 file. A second converter is configured to input the intermediate document and any associated media files and to generate the mp4 file.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for converting a binary MPEG-4 (mp4) binary file into an Extensible MPEG-4 Textual (XMT) file. The invention includes generating at least one intermediary structured document representing the mp4 binary file. A translator is configured to input the intermediate document and generate an XMT structured document. An XMT serializer is then used to create the XMT file based on the XMT structured document.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, a program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for creating anti-aliased images and/or a method for creating anti-aliased images includes the steps of providing a subject to be rendered, defining an output resolution of a complete image to be generated by rendering the subject, dividing the complete image into a number of image portions, the number of image portions being determined by an anti-aliasing quality, each image portion having a number of pixels determined by the output resolution of the complete image and the number of image portions, processing the complete image by traversing the subject multiple times to create an intermediate image for each image portion, the intermediate image having a greater number of pixels than the image portion, determining each pixel within the image portion by averaging over blocks of pixels in the intermediate image and combining the i

Abstract: A system and method for seamlessly combining client-only rendering techniques with server-only rendering techniques. The approach uses a composite stream containing three distinct streams. One stream is available to send geometry from the server to the client. Another stream contains video with transparent pixels that allow the client-rendered object to appear in the context of the server rendered objects. The third stream contains camera information. The invention can satisfy a number of viewing applications. For example, initially the most relevant geometry can stream to the client for high quality local rendering while the server delivers renderings of less relevant geometry at lower resolutions. After the most relevant geometry has been delivered to the client, the less important geometry can be optionally streamed to the client to increase the fidelity of the entire scene.

Abstract: A system and method for seamlessly combining client-only rendering techniques with server-only rendering techniques. The approach uses a composite stream containing three distinct streams. Two of the streams are synchronized and transmit camera definition, video of server-rendered objects, and a time dependent depth map for the server-rendered object. The third stream is available to send geometry from the server to the client, for local rendering if appropriate. The invention can satisfy a number of viewing applications. For example, initially the most relevant geometry can stream to the client for high quality local rendering while the server delivers renderings of less relevant geometry at lower resolutions. After the most relevant geometry has been delivered to the client, the less important geometry can be optionally streamed to the client to increase the fidelity of the entire scene.

Abstract: A computer graphics system reduces the number of lighting calculations required to render a scene having objects illuminated by light sources by classifying each primitive for objects in an illuminated scene as either hidden or visible using a z-buffer. In a first approach, only one pass is made through the display list of primitives for the scene, and lighting calculations are performed only for primitives classified as visible. In a second approach, two passes are made through the display list. In the first pass, the display list is fully traversed to set-up the z-buffer, and no lighting calculations are performed. When the second pass of the display list is performed, each primitive is classified as hidden or visible, and lighting calculations are performed for each primitive classified as visible as the display list is traversed. Lighting calculations may be performed using either Gouraud or Phong shading.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for rendering a trimmed NURBS surface representing a mapping from U and V parametric coordinates to X, Y and Z geometric coordinates and having a trimming region bound by a trim polyline. The UV parametric surface is divided into contiguous V and V intervals intersecting to form UV rectangles, the trim polyline intersecting a subset of the UV rectangles to divide each of the UV rectangles of the subset into at least one polygon lying within the region and at least one polygon lying outside of the trimming region. For each UV rectangle intersected by the trim polyline, the vertices of each polygon within the trimming region formed by the intersection of the trim polyline and the UV rectangle is determined, and vertex data for the vertices so determined is provided to a concave polygon processor to render the polygon.

Abstract: Shading values are generated for the vertices of a polygon clipped by a view volume without performing unnecessary lighting calculations for polygons lying entirely outside the view volume. Each polygon vertex is transformed and tested to determine whether it is within the view volume. If a tested vertex lies within the view volume, lighting calculations are performed for that vertex. If the polygon lies entirely outside the view volume, no lighting calculations are performed for any of the vertices of the polygon, and only a subset of the coordinate transformation calculation is performed. Complete transformation and lighting calculations are performed for vertices lying outside the view volume only if necessary for determining by interpolation the values for new vertices formed by clipping.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for evaluating and rendering parametric curves such as non-uniform rational b-spline (NURBS) curves. NURBS data consisting of control point data, knot values and other data defining a curve is stored in system memory as a sequence of records such that successive spans of the curve are defined by successive individual data records in conjunction with a predetermined number of immediately preceding data records of the sequence. A graphics control processor transforms the control point data from modelling coordinates to view coordinates, converts the transformed control point data to homogeneous coordinates, and generates parameter points along the curve. Parallel floating point processors simultaneously evaluate the homogeneous coordinates of the curve at each parameter point along the curve using the Cox-de Boor procedure. A further floating point processor converts the homogeneous coordinates to geometric coordinates for subsequent rendering and display of the curve.

Abstract: In a computer graphics display system, a method and processor are disclosed for drawing one of a concave polygon, self-intersecting polygon and polygon with polygonal hole. Pursuant to the method, a mask buffer organized into an M.times.N plurality of addressable constituent pixels is used. The method includes the steps of: masking the pixels of the mask buffer corresponding to the boundary of the polygon and drawing the pixels in the frame buffer of the display system corresponding to the boundary of the polygon; masking the pixels in the mask buffer corresponding to the interior of the polygon while preserving the masked pixels in the mask buffer corresponding to the polygon boundary; and drawing the pixels in the frame buffer corresponding to the interior of the polygon with reference to the masked polygon interior pixels in the mask buffer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for evaluating and rendering parametric surfaces. The apparatus includes a system memory connected to a graphics control processor, which is connected to local memory, and then connected in a pipelined arrangement to a plurality of parallel floating point processors, another floating point processor, a clipping processor and a frame buffer.