Abstract: A suspension bracket (10) holds a bound article (12, 86) in a suspension rail frame (14, 82). The suspension bracket has a structural arm (32) with an ear (24) on each end, adapted to hang from rails of the suspension rail frame, and a support arm (34), adapted to fit between pages of the bound article. The support arm and structural arm are attached at one end by a hinge (20) and at the other end by a latch (22) which removably attaches the support arm to the structural arm, to holds magazines, books and the like in the suspension rail frame.

Abstract: An improved data transfer system is provided to transfer game data over a telephone line with low delay even while a voice conversation is being transferred over the same telephone line. Voice data and game data are framed, in a modified HDLC framing scheme, with game data inserted, if necessary, into a frame which contains voice, so that the time needed to complete the frame is not added to the delay of the game data. The inserted game data need not be of a fixed length, as it is delimited within the voice data by an escape sequence not found in the voice data. The available bandwidth is efficiently used since frames of voice data are not necessarily sent during periods of silence and frames of game data or other data can be sent using the entire telephone line bandwidth. The data is framed at a point beyond the output of pre-existing games and data transfer programs, to allow for transparent insertion of voice into the frame stream.

Abstract: A simple method and apparatus for posting hypertext documents to a hypertext server so as to make the hypertext documents accessible to users of the hypertext document system while securing against unauthorized modification of the posted hypertext documents. The hypertext documents form a portion of the World Wide Web and a process for posting hypertext documents begins with an author authoring the hypertext pages on a client computer, sending an add request to a server computer, causing the generation of a unique identifier for the author of the hypertext document, obtaining a charge authorization from the author, and sending a database entry request from the client to the server comprising the unique identifier, the charge authorization and the hypertext files comprising the document.

Abstract: A substitute image is generated by dividing a full image into panels defined by a center (or focus) panel, for use in applications where the full image is not entirely displayable on a given display device at a necessary resolution. The full image is bounded by a bounding rectangle, the focus panel is a rectangle with sides parallel to the sides of the bounding rectangle, and the focus panel defines eight other panels, four side panels and four corner panels. The substitute image is the focus panel, with the side panels folded into a smaller cross section, but remaining continuous with the focus panel, and the corner panels folded and sheared to remain continuous with the side panels in a three-dimensional ("3D") space in which a viewpoint and a view plane representing the display surface is also located.

Abstract: A method for displaying an image on a display surface which preserves context and detail information when the image is compressed to fit onto a display surface. The image is transformed from a plane onto a truncated pyramid, and then a three-dimensional perspective projection of the pyramid is taken. This perspective provides a detailed view of portions of the image underlying an image lens panel, and context view of remaining portions of the image, which underlie side panels. The side panels are rotated and expanded to fill the remainder of the view after the detailed image under the image lens is expanded.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for converting multi-level raster shapes into bi-level raster shapes while preserving as much of the visual character of the shape is disclosed. The method and apparatus solve two main problems arising in the task: that of broken continuity (drop-outs) and that of large changes in the width of horizontal and vertical lines on the bi-level raster shape as a result of minute changes on the multi-level shape (stem width aliasing). Drop-outs are handled by identifying certain boundaries between pixels as drop-out warnings. Pixels adjacent to dropout warnings have their coverage values converted from multi-level to bi-level by a process that guarantees that at least one of them will be rounded up. Dropout warnings are found from the outline of the ideal shape used to generate the multi-level shape and represent an approximation to said outline.

Abstract: A support bracket spans framing members and is secured to two ceiling framing members, two studs, or between two tee-bars. The support bracket is wide enough to accommodate a device mount, which could be a junction box for electrified devices or a support bracket for non-electrified devices. The support bracket is open in the center to accommodate connections to the device mount from below, while still allowing access from above. The support bracket includes rails to accommodate junction box fastening screws. The support bracket is constructed with right angle flanges to add structural support and to allow for attachment of load-bearing support devices.

Abstract: An improved method and apparatus for correcting for splay is provided. A document distorted by the curvature of a page of text away from a platen is converted to a digital image. The digital image is the manipulated to remove the distortion by fitting the lines of text in an unsplayed portion to a skew line, which represents the deviation of lines of text in the digital image from horizontal. Then the splay is determined for each line of text. Once the skew and the splay are determined, an inverse transformation is done to straighten the lines of text. A horizontal stretching is also applied to the text to correct for the projection angle of the original document.

Abstract: A method of stitching beads into a flexible mesh fabric having evenly spaced and uniform square openings, more or less, with design printed thereon. The thread is attached to the mesh, so that beads of various color and finish to complete the design may be stitched in a way to secure them within the mesh. This is accomplished by the threaded needle being passed through a number of beads which will comprise all or part of a column of openings within the design. The beads are then individually pushed through the mesh openings and secured by the thread being brought through the mesh and carried back through the beads a second time, thereby trapping the mesh fabric between the two threads.

Abstract: A distributed intelligence network using time and frequency domain multiplexing. On power-up, each node determines its skew and requests downloading of program code and configuration data. A node claims timeslots by transmitting a packet into an apparently empty timeslot and verifying receipt of its own packet.