Abstract: There is disclosed a data processing system for receiving at least one of a user data file and an application program wirelessly transmitted from a central server. The data processing system comprises an RF transceiver for receiving in a forward channel blocks of data transmitted by the central server and transmitting to the central server in a reverse channel at least one of user input data and user commands. The blocks of data comprise the user data file and the application program. The data processing system further comprises a download controller for monitoring the received blocks of data and detecting therein corrupted data associated with a first block of data. The download controller, in response to the detection of the corrupted data, transmits to the central server via a wireline network a retransmission request capable of causing the central server to retransmit the first block of data.

Abstract: Briefly, an alarm system monitors conditions of an independent person, yet one requiring some supervision, such as an elderly person living alone at home. The system monitors a variety of independent signals and combines them to recognize subtle cues that may indicate there will be a need for intervention by a supervisor.

Abstract: A remote control device includes a motion detection circuit operative to generate signals indicative of a direction of movement of the device. A processor receives the signals from the motion detection circuit and generates corresponding control signals suitable for transmission to a receiver. A user is thereby able to indicate entry of particular commands by moving the remote control device in a certain way. For example, movement of the remote control device in a particular direction in a first plane may correspond to an up command for a first controlled parameter, e.g., receiver volume, while movement of the remote control device in an opposite direction in the first plane corresponds to a down command for the first controlled parameter. Similarly, movement of the remote control in a particular direction in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane may correspond to an up command for a second controlled parameter, e.g.

Abstract: The position of a target lying on a plane is indicated by inputting a pointing direction which is computationally projected onto a plane. If the target is known to lie on a contour, the position is specified unambiguously. Alternatively, the position of a target can be specified by inputting its axial coordinates in successive steps. In another alternative approach, the image containing the target is translated and/or rotated and the target indicated again. The two direction projections are then used to determine the position of the target in 2-space. The direction indications may be input by a camera or other method, such as one or more radio transmitters.

Abstract: A sliding electrical switch (10) for use in a garment (32) has two spaced elongate flexible surfaces (16, 18), at least one electrical contact on each surface (22a, b, c, d, e, f), and a slider (20) slidable along the surfaces to cause electrical connection between the contacts. There may be a number of spaced contacts (22a, b, c, d, e, f), the slider (20) acting as a selector switch; or there may be two continuous spaced contacts (96, 98), movement of the slider (90) providing a variation in resistance. The slider can be a bead (20) running on cords (16, 18) attached to the edges of spaced pieces of fabric (14, 18); or a buckle (42) sliding on a strip (50); or a zip fastener traveller (66), adjacent teeth (64) of the zip being electrically connected (68); or a bead (90) running on lengths (82, 84) of flexible tubing with internally conductive strips (96, 98).

Abstract: A security monitoring system including one or more cameras for monitoring a path of an individual, a recorder for recording the monitoring of the individual, trajectory analyzer for computing a trajectory of the path of the individual from the recorded monitoring, comparator for comparing the trajectory against known trajectories, and an alarm system for transmitting an alarm signal if the trajectory does not match one of the known trajectories. Further, the system may include a database for storing image data for each authorized individual of the structure and a recognition system for comparing images of the individual from the one or more cameras with the stored image data in the database. The alarm system transmits the alarm signal if the trajectory does not match one of the known trajectories and the individual is an authorized individual or if the individual is not an authorized individual.

Abstract: There is disclosed an image retrieval system for analyzing an image in a first color model format and detecting and retrieving from the image a selected image portion. The image retrieval system comprises an image processor for converting pixels in the image from the first color model format to a (Yr&thgr;) color model format, where Y is an intensity component indicating a total amount of light, r is a saturation component indicating an amount of white light mixed with a color of each pixel, and &thgr; is a hue component indicating the color of each pixel. The image processor groups spatially adjacent pixels into image regions according to hue components of the adjacent pixels and performs a merging process wherein a first image region and an adjacent second image region are merged into a composite region if a hue difference between the first and second image regions is less than a predetermined hue difference threshold.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device containing an automatic zoom lens, and more particularly to a zoom lens that is controlled by a processor that is linked to a gaze tracking system. As a user looks onto an object through the device, the gaze tracking system collects data relating to the position of each eye of the user. This eye position data is input into the processor where the focal point of the user is determined. The processor then adjusts the zoom lens to zoom in or out onto the object based on either a predetermined or user input zoom factor.

Abstract: A reflective liquid crystal display (1) is provided with a front illumination unit. The front illumination unit comprises a flat waveguide (2), at least one surface of which is provided with a diffraction grating (7). A period of the diffraction grating (7) is of the order of the wavelength of the light. A light source (4) generates light of one or more colors, and the colors of light are sequentially coupled into the flat waveguide (2). The diffraction grating (7) is divided into separate areas (10, 11, 12). Each of these separate areas (10, 11, 12) is tuned to one particular wavelength of the light generated by the light source (4). Each separate area (10, 11, 12) is subdivided into various small areas so that the surface of the flat waveguide is subdivided into a large number of small areas (10-1, 11-1, 12-1, . . . 10-11, . . . 12-41). Each small area (10-1, 11-1, 12-1, . . . 10-11, . . . 12-41) is bounded by small areas (10-1, 11-1, 12-1, . . . 10-11, . . . 12-41) tuned to other light wavelengths.

Abstract: A circuit arrangement and display apparatus are described for use in 3-D graphics, where 2-D texture mass stored at different resolutions in a pyramidal array are indexed by a pair of texture coordinates and an associated level coordinate (L). In order to introduce depth cues to the 2-D transformed image of the 3-D environment, a focus depth (F) for the image is specified and those image components having a depth (z) other than the focus depth have their texture blurred to direct the viewer's eye to the depth of interest. The texture blurring is introduced by applying an offset (FS) to the level coordinate (L) indexing the pyramidal array in an amount determined by the distance to the focus depth.

Abstract: A method and device for the manufacture of a hollow cone (37) with a cone tip (31) whereby a parison of viscous material (35) is moulded into the shape of the hollow cone. An escape space (11) becomes accessible to the material in the vicinity of a cone tip to be formed. The moment the pressure present in the material in the vicinity of the cone tip to be formed exceeds a previously defined value. Breaking-off of the cone tip during or after moulding is prevented by this. The hollow cone is suitable inter alia for use in a cathode ray tube.

Abstract: In a garment 10, 12 incorporating an electronic device such as a radio 16, a variable of the device, such as volume, is varied by the use of two cords 22, 24, the electrical resistance of each cord decreasing in accordance with an increase in tension applied to the cord; pulling one cord increases the volume of the radio and pulling the other cord decreases the volume. The stronger the pull, the faster the change in volume. The ends of the cords lie outside the garment and carry toggles 26, 28 for easy operation by a gloved hand. Alternatively the ends of the cord outside the garment may be connected to opposite ends of a manual grip 48.

Abstract: Briefly, an alarm system monitors the entry and exit of a fitting room. Various devices, including cameras for imaging, are used to scan customers as they enter and leave. Using image analysis, analysis of the audio signature of footfalls, and other criteria, the system attempts to match the images of customers leaving with stored images of customers entering. If no match can be found, an alarm signal is generated.

Abstract: A method of scheduling instructions to be executed concurrently by a processor, the processor being capable of executing a predetermined number of instructions concurrently. Instructions from a first process and a second process are interleaved according to a predetermined rule to give a third process. Instructions from the third process are then scheduled for execution at a first time point by the processor. Instructions of the first process generate data structures comprising data objects linked by identifying pointers in a memory heap. The second process comprises a garbage collection process for traversing the memory heap and reclaiming memory allocated to data structures unused by the first process.

Abstract: An improved method and arrangement for detecting a watermark in an information (e.g. image or video) signal are disclosed. The detection is more reliable and less vulnerable to image processing by subjecting the suspect image (q) and the watermark to be detected (w) to Symmetrical Phase Only Matched Filtering (24-28,16) prior to detecting (29) the amount of correlation (d) between said signals.

Abstract: A user interface for querying and displaying records from a database employs a physical metaphor for the process of constructing queries and viewing results. In one embodiment, the search criteria are displayed as strings of beads in a three-dimensional scene, each bead representing a criterion and each string representing a different category. For example the criteria, drama, action, suspense, and horror may be included in a category of genre. Criteria are selected to form a query by moving corresponding beads to a query string. In general, a three-dimensional scene is constructed in which objects may be manipulated to change their physical relationships to other objects in the scene. These changes may indicate changes in a current query being defined or edited, a current profile being defined or edited, a goodness of fit of results to a given search, etc.

Abstract: The system disclosed herein builds a database of image-related data by inputting a plurality of images, and for each image: dividing the image into N1 (N1≧1) regions which are substantially homogenous with respect to at least one attribute of the image, generating a graph based on M1 (M1≧1) of the N1 regions, and storing data for the graph in the database. The database may then be used to determine whether a query image is similar to one or more of the plurality of images. To this end, the system inputs the query image, and divides the query image into N2 (N2≧1) regions which are substantially homogenous with respect to at least one attribute of the query image. The system then generates a graph based on M2 (M2≧1) of the N2 regions, and compares the generated graph to other graphs in the database that correspond to the plurality of images. Thereafter, an image is retrieved from memory that has a graph that is substantially similar to the generated graph.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reclaiming memory space allocated to data structures comprising data objects linked by identifying pointers. The memory allocated to data objects is reclaimed using two systems. In the first system (240), the data structures are traversed to identify those objects to which no references are made by the pointers of other objects, and the memory allocated to those objects to which no references are made is reclaimed. In the second system (210), objects which are not descendants of root objects are determined and the memory allocated to those objects is reclaimed. Cycles of the first system are interleaved with cycles of the second system.

Abstract: A user interface for querying and displaying records from a database employs a physical metaphor for the process of constructing queries and viewing results. The criteria are represented in displays as symbols that can be included in a query. The display of the symbols are ranked in terms of their respective utility, where the utility is inferred from the commands received to generate the queries. In one embodiment, the ranking is based on frequency of use. The ranking may be indicated by various display effects. For example, in an embodiment, the search criteria are indicated as strings of beads in a three-dimensional scene, each bead representing a criterion and each string representing a different category. For example the criteria, drama, action, suspense, and horror may be included in a category of genre. Criteria are selected to form a query by moving corresponding beads to a query string which is then submitted to perform the search.

Abstract: A portable location alarm device is provided which allows a user to preset an alarm event to occur when the device arrives at a pre-determined location. The alarm event alerts the user by audible, visual or vibrating means. The alarm device determines it's actual location using GPS data. In one embodiment the user bookmarks particular locations while physically present at a given location. Part of the bookmarking process involves the device simultaneously receiving GPS data that describes the physical location. The user can subsequently set an alarm event for any bookmarked location without the need for the device to carry large databases, for example of the type cross-referencing place names to mapping co-ordinates.