Abstract: A system rewards users who offer to share the memory, storage, or bandwidth of their computing resource to third parties within a distributed network. Users share processing, storage, bandwidth or memory resources with third parties by permitting such third parties to access files stored in the memory of the users' computing devices. Users that offer files for upload are encouraged to register with a central authority, and receive value each time a third party accesses a resource from their computing devices. The value awarded to each such user is tracked by the central authority and is weighted.

Abstract: A computer based system, computer program product, and method for managing network status message data flow. A computer based system, computer program product, and method are provided for managing the flow rate of network status messages to a remote network operations console. Detailed network status is abstracted into hierarchical levels of detail so that an appropriate level of detail can be provided from a flow control daemon to the requesting network operations console without exceeding a predetermined allocation of bandwidth set aside for network status reporting.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for testing of LCD cells is disclosed. An LCD cell under test (14, 30) may be mounted to translatable table (40) between polarization state generator (10) and polarization state analyzer (16). For each location on cell (14, 30) to be tested, a variety of known polarization states (22) are launched through LCD cell (14, 30) and detected by polarization state analyzer (16). Electrical signals representative of polarization states are acquired by computer (18). Within computer (18), a model (58, 60) of polarization properties of LCD cell (14, 30) is developed based on estimations of what physical parameters of LCD cell (14, 30) are believed to be. RMS differences between simulated polarization properties and measured polarization properties are minimized by iteratively refining (60) modeled physical cell properties, at which point cell thickness and other physical parameters of the LCD cell may be deduced.

Abstract: A method and system for personalizing goods or services by including thereon a visible indication of the person or persons that are intended to utilize the goods and services. In one embodiment, based on computer processing, a series of parameters are calculated that can be used to generate a composite drawing (e.g., a line drawing) of the intended customer. Having created such a series of parameters, those parameters can be sent to the generator of the ticket or other personalized good. The generator can then use that series of parameters to print the composite drawing on the personalized good, either at the same time the good is originally printed or prior to providing the personalized good to the consumer. Alternatively, by receiving a customer number with the transaction confirmation from the credit card company, the merchant can download a full picture of the customer to be included on the personalized good.

Abstract: A video compression system is disclosed that is optimized to take advantage of the types of redundancies typically occurring on computer screens and the types of video loss acceptable to real time interactive computer users. It automatically adapts to a wide variety of changing network bandwidth conditions and can accommodate any video resolution and an unlimited number of colors. The disclosed video compression encoder can be implemented with either hardware or software and it compresses the source video into a series of data packets that are a fixed length of 8 bits or more. Sequences of one or more of these packets create unique encoding “commands” that can be sent over any network and easily decoded (decompressed) with either software or hardware. The commands include 3 dimensional copying (horizontal, vertical and time) and unique efficiencies for screen segments that are comprised of only two colors (such as text).

Abstract: A console of a tunnel for the passenger compartment of a vehicle has an outer structure that houses, in a fixed position, a glove compartment fitted with a hatch; the console has a wall, which is positioned outside of said compartment and is movable, in response to an action by the user, with respect to an upper surface of the structure, between a lowered position and a raised position, so as to project upwards with respect to this upper surface and define an outer compartment when located in the raised position.

Abstract: Access to and delivery of licensed content is controlled using content names that were determined based on the content. A name for a data item is obtained, the name having been determined based at least in part on the data which comprise the contents of the data item. Access to the data item is authorized based at least in part on the name. Once authorized, access may be granted from more than one computer. The name may have been determined using a hash or message digest function such as MD4, MD5 or SHA. The data item may comprise a file, a portion of a file, a page in memory, a digital message, a digital image, a video signal or an audio signal.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product through which address resolution is performed for nodes (101, 103) of a network that are behind a network address translator (NAT). A determination is made upon the initiation of a communication session as to whether one or more of the nodes (101, 103) included in the session are behind a NAT. Based on the determination, information is exchanged (L102, L103) from an independent application server (105) to the nodes (101, 103) included in the session so as to resolve the addressing problems introduced by the NAT. The invention is applicable in applications including, but not limited to, IP telephony, and applications complying with the session initiation protocol (SIP).

Abstract: A motor vehicle seat assembly has a longitudinally movable rear seat and a load floor, which is height-adjustable, can be placed in a boot and has a front portion coupled to a lever member in a rotational manner about a horizontal axis; the lever member can swing about a further horizontal axis, which is fixed with respect to the rear seat during the longitudinal movement of the rear seat; the load floor has a substantially flat rear panel, which is coupled in a sliding manner to the front portion so as to vary the length of the load floor depending on the longitudinal position of the rear seat.

Abstract: A diamond field emission tip and methods of forming such diamond field emission tips, for use with cathodes that will act as a source of and emit beams of charged particles.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for generating and sustaining a glow discharge plasma in a plasma discharge space comprising at least two spaced electrodes. The method and apparatus are arranged for performing the steps of introducing in the discharge space a gas or gas mixture under atmospheric pressure conditions, energizing the electrodes by applying an AC energizing voltage (Va) to the electrodes, and controlling the energizing voltage (Va) such that at plasma generation a sharp relative decrease of displacement current is provided.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for distributed, fault-tolerant clock pulse generation in hardware systems, wherein the system clock pulse is generated in distribution by a plurality of intercommunicating fault-tolerant clock pulse synchronization algorithms (TS-Algs), in which an arbitrary number of such TS-Algs exchange information between one another via a user-defined and permanent network (TS-Net) of clock pulse signals, susceptible to transient faults, and each TS-Alg is assigned to one or more functional units (Fu1, Fu2, . . . ), whose local clock pulses are generated by it, and further all local clock pulses are synchronized with respect to frequency in an assured manner, and a specified number of transient and/or permanent faults may occur in the TS-Algs or in the TS-Net, without adversely affecting the clock pulse generation and/or the synchronization accuracy, and the system clock pulse automatically achieves the maximum possible frequency. The invention further relates to such a hardware system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for modulating a beam of charged particles is described in which a beam of charged particles is produced by a particle source and a varying electric field is induced within an ultra-small resonant structure. The beam of charged particles is modulated by the interaction of the varying electric field with the beam of charged particles.

Abstract: Plasmon-enable devices such as ultra-small resonant devices produce electromagnetic radiation at frequencies in excess of microwave frequencies when induced to resonate by a passing electron beam. The resonant devices are surrounded by one or more depressed anodes to recover energy from the passing electron beam as/after the beam couples its energy into the ultra-small resonant devices.

Abstract: This relates to a modified turbine blade tip design using a fairing shaped design that increases the tip area efficiency of a kinetic hydropower turbine rotor blade while having a non-fouling characteristic and a tip design with the ability to shed weeds, debris, or other submerged materials that might have fouling potential.

Abstract: There are disclosed compounds for assisting triplet absorption in a laser, such as a pulsed-dye laser, the compounds comprising at least one molecule chosen from nitroxides and nitrones. In one embodiment, the disclosed compounds may be mixed with the dye of a dye laser in an amount sufficient to assist in triplet absorption. In one embodiment, the nitroxide compound comprises tempol[4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidinyloxy, free radical]. Also disclosed are methods of using the disclosed compounds to control the triplet absorption of a dye laser or improve the performance or life span of a gaseous or solid laser.

Abstract: A video compression system compresses video frames comprising pixels defined by n-bit color values. Encoder of video compression system determines the difference between a current pixel value and a plurality reference pixel values. Encoder sends difference value to decoder. Decoder determines current pixel value by adjusting a reference pixel color value by delta value.

Abstract: A network interface is described in which a single computer bus is split over a long distance into two or more intercommunicating buses. On one bus, processing and applications are provided and on the other remote bus, peripheral and local controllers are provided. The buses communicate through a series of: bridge, a first communications controller, a second communications controller, and bridge. Between the communications controllers, a communication path provides long distance communication via a packet-switched network.

Abstract: A method for humanizing a music sequence (S), the music sequence (S) comprising a multitude of sounds (s1, . . . , sn) occurring on times (t1, . . . , tn) comprises the steps generating, for each time (ti) a random offset (oi), adding the random offset (oi) to the time (ti) in order to obtain a modified time (ti+oi); and outputting a humanized music sequence (S?) wherein each sound (si) occurs on the modified time (ti+oi). According to the invention, the power spectral density of the random offsets has the form 1 f ? . wherein 0<?<2.