Abstract: A method for converting video from a first format into a second format, the method including decoding into a series of frames video that is encoded in a first format, mapping the colors represented in the frames into a palette having fewer colors than the number of colors represented in the frames, removing noise from the frames, selectably removing at least one frame from the sequence, and re-encoding the sequence using the fewer colors into a second video format.

Abstract: A method, system and device for measurement of a blood constituent level, including a light source, a light detector proximate an organ surface, adjustable gain amplifiers, and a processor/controller connected within a processing unit operative to separate AC and DC signal components. The device may determine the level of blood constituent, may use this level for monitoring and/or to activate an alarm when the level falls outside a predetermined range, may be applied to monitoring conditions of apnea, respiratory stress, and reduced blood flow in organ regions, heart rate, jaundice, and blood flow velocity, and may be incorporated within a monitoring system.

Abstract: A recognition system (20) for use in a vehicle or the like includes a handwriting recognizer (44) and a voice recognizer (38) for receiving handwriting and voice signals, where the signals are associated with commands used to operate with a variety of vehicle appliances. Such appliances may include, but are not limited to, car alarms (32), electric windows, personal computers (28), navigation systems (26), and audio (30) and telecommunications equipment (24).

Abstract: Methods and systems for determining the resonance frequency of a resonator, using the Doppler effect. An interrogating sonic beam including a carrier frequency and one or more resonator exciting frequencies is directed at a resonator disposed in a measurement environment. Resonator vibrations are excited by the resonator exciting frequencies. The carrier frequency is modulated by the vibrating part(s) of the resonator. The returning signal is received and analyzed to determine the amplitude of the Doppler shifted sideband frequencies. The resulting data is processed to determine the resonator's resonance frequency. Using calibrated resonating sensors having a resonance frequency that varies as a function of a physical parameter in a measurement environment, the method and systems allow determining the value of the physical variable from the sensor's resonance frequency.

Abstract: A recognition system for use in a vehicle or the like includes a handwriting recognizer and a voice recognizer for receiving handwriting and voice signals and a control unit to communicate a command signal associated with one, the other or a combination of both of the voice and handwritten inputs to at least one appliance. Such appliances may include, but are not limited to, car alarms, electronic windows, personal computers, navigation systems, and audio and telecommunications equipment.

Abstract: A visual perception threshold unit for image processing identifies a plurality of visual perception threshold levels to be associated with the pixels of a video frame, wherein the threshold levels define contrast levels above which a human eye can distinguish a pixel from among its neighboring pixels of the video frame. The present invention also includes a method of generating visual perception thresholds by analysis of the details of the video frames, estimating the parameters of the details, and defining a visual perception threshold for each detail in accordance with the estimated detail parameters. The present invention further includes a method of describing images by determining which details in the image can be distinguished by the human eye and which ones can only be detected by it.

Abstract: A method for topology discovery in an ATM network, the method including identifying an active VC between two ATM network device ports, and maintaining a link between the ATM network device ports in a topology graph where the active VC has the same VPI/VCI at both of the ports.

Abstract: A color bar code system includes a camera reader to read at least one color bar code having a subset of N bar code colors, a color association unit and an identifier. The color association unit associates each point in a color space with one of the bar code colors. The color association unit is calibratable to the range of colors that the camera reader is expected to produce given at least one environmental condition in which it operates. The identifier uses the color association unit to identify an item associated with the bar code from the output of the camera reader.

Abstract: A respiratory tract differential-pressure flow sensor, including a tube having a distal end that is insertable into a respiratory tract, an interfering body disposed within the tube proximal to the distal end and having a first edge facing one end of the tube and a second edge facing away from the end, the interfering body extending across the diameter of the tube, a first pressure sensing port operative to sense an air pressure, the first port being disposed in the first edge not abutting the wall of the tube, and a second pressure sensing port operative to sense an air pressure, the second port being disposed in the second edge not abutting the wall of the tube, where either of the edges is inclined inwardly towards the axis of the interfering body extending across the diameter of the tube.

Abstract: A method for conveying over telephone lines digitized voice signals simultaneously with digital data signals by means of a communication system, having a transmitter having a discrete multi-tone unit yielding a plurality of carriers of different frequency, several of which are assigned to the voice signals and others to the data signals. The carriers for transmitting voice are selected on the basis of their signal-to-noise ratio characteristics, which carriers can be reallocated dynamically to data transmission. A first tone ordering circuit assigns data streams to data carriers, and a second tone ordering circuit assigns voice streams to voice carriers. Each carrier is modulated by QAM modulation, the data carriers by a sequence of QAM symbols representing data and the voice carriers by a sequence of QAM symbols representing voice. QAM modulation is carried out by a first constellation encoder that modulates the data carriers and a second constellation encoder that modulates the voice carriers.

Abstract: A communication system is provided. It comprises a central office (CO) of a communication service provider and at least one subscriber premise (SP), each SP being linked to a CO by a subscriber-associated communication line comprising a twisted pair of telephone lines, and at least one xDSL modem in the CO coupled to said subscriber-associated communication line. Each SP has a plurality of communication devices, which comprises one or more telephone devices connected to the communication line and at least one network DSL (NDSL) modem associated with a computerized device, the NDSL modem being connected to said communication line; each of said modems having an upstream transmitter and a downstream receiver for communication with the CO and an upstream transmitter and an upstream receiver for communication with other NDSL modems within the SP. Provided is also a novel NDSL modem for use in the above system.

Abstract: A dual-instrument resectoscope which includes an outer sheath having a distal portion that is inserted into a body cavity, a proximal portion that remains outside the body, and a longitudinal axis, referenced X; an optical system, for viewing the body cavity from said proximal portion, said optical system including an optical tube, located within said outer sheath and extending throughout the length of said outer sheath, an eye piece and a light source at said proximal portion, in communication with said optical tube, and an endoscope at said distal portion, in communication with said optical tube; first and second surgical instruments, located at said distal portion, for performing surgery in the body cavity; a first transmission mechanism, in communication with said first surgical instrument, and a second transmission mechanism, in communication with said second surgical instrument, each of said first and second transmission mechanisms providing its respective surgical instrument with independent motion, sa

Abstract: An encoder includes a receiver and an encoder. The receiver receives frames of a video signal and the encoder pre-processes the video signal such that a video compression encoder can compress the video signal at least two times more than the video compression encoder can without the preprocessing operation.

Abstract: A method of determining the root cause of an event in a computer network having a distributed network management architecture including detecting an event at at least one device component (DC) in the network, for each source DC at which an event is detected, finding a data path within the network from the source DC's underlying network element to that of its acquaintance DC where present, identifying as the root cause any of the source DC and the subject DCs in the data path that have detected an event and either do not have an acquaintance or do not have a valid operational state with respect to its acquaintance whereas all other DCs along the data path at lower network layers than the source or subject DC have valid operational states with respect to their acquaintances.

Abstract: A multimodality imaging system including a plurality of imaging systems, and at least one rail upon which at least one of the imaging systems is slidingly mounted.

Abstract: A method for document processing including receiving availability profiles from a plurality of personnel operating a plurality of remote computers, receiving a work order from a remote customer's computer, said work order having a time frame within which said work order may be serviced, where any of said availability profiles indicates that any of said personnel are available to service said work order within said time frame, receiving within the context of said work order an image of a document from said remote customer's computer, decomposing said image into a plurality of data entry region sub-images, providing any of said plurality of data entry region sub-images to said available personnel at said remote computers, and receiving from each of said plurality of remote computers a data entry value associated with at least one of said data entry region sub-images.

Abstract: A methodology for tracking objects includes receiving a multiplicity of objects to be tracked at a known location. Each multiplicity of objects has at least one imagable identifier affixed to it. The method also includes imaging the multiplicity of objects together at the known location to provide at least a partial image of the multiplicity of objects. The method also includes employing the partial image to determine an identification code for a plurality of the multiplicity of objects, as well as associating each identification code with a known location code.

Abstract: A method for class-based per-flow queuing for use with multiple link-sharing hierarchies, where each one of multiple link-sharing hierarchies imposes a different resource allocation program at one or more levels of differentiation, extending from the link root node to each individual data flow. A new queuing decision layer is introduced that considers all hierarchies simultaneously and arrives at a single queuing solution.

Abstract: An encoder including a DCT transformator for receiving an image or video frame and performing DCT transformation upon a pixel block in a macroblock of the frame, thereby providing a matrix of DCT coefficients, a zig-zag matrix-to-vector converter for receiving the matrix of DCT coefficients from the DCT transformator and creating a one-dimensional vector of DCT coefficients, an analyzer for receiving the one-dimensional vector of DCT coefficients and classifying the macroblock according to a level of detail and edginess, a rate controller for receiving the classification information from the analyzer and selecting DCT filtering parameters, a DCT filter for receiving the DCT filtering parameters selection from the rate controller and implementing the DCT filtering parameters upon the frame, thereby providing a filtered DCT coefficient vector, a quantizer for quantizing the filtered DCT coefficient vector, and a compressor for compressing the quantized results.