Abstract: A stack position determination circuit in a stackable repeater is disclosed that includes an input connector, an output connector, an initial pin driving circuit, and a pin rotating circuit. The input connector includes a plurality of input connector repeater stack position pins arranged in an hierarchical order so that each input connector repeater stack position pin corresponds to a possible physical position of the repeater in a stack of repeaters. An output connector includes a plurality of output connector repeater stack position pins arranged in an hierarchical order so that each output connector repeater stack position pin corresponds to a possible position of the repeater in a stack of repeaters. An initial pin driving circuit is connected to an initial pin in the input connector repeater stack position pin hierarchical order. The initial pin corresponds to a first position in the stack of repeaters and the initial pin driving circuit is responsive to an initial repeater signal.

Abstract: A method for forming an adaptive phased array transmission beam pattern at a base station without any knowledge of array geometry or mobile feedback is described. The approach is immune to the problems which plague methods which attempt to identify received angles of arrival from the mobile and map this information to an optimum transmit beam pattern. In addition, this approach does not suffer the capacity penalty and mobile handset complexity increase associated with mobile feedback. Estimates of the receive vector propagation channels are used to estimate transmit vector channel covariance matrices which form objectives and constraints in quadratic optimization problems leading to optimum beam former solutions for the single user case, and multiple user case. The new invention in capable of substantial frequency re-use capacity improvement in a multiple user cellular network.

Abstract: Provided is a redundant network management system. Several network management modules (NMMs), preferably one for each repeater unit, are provided in a single repeater stack. The NMMs of the repeater stack communicate using a management bus. The modules communicate on the management bus by sending small messages, referred to as "frames." In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is preferably used in conjunction with a relatively simple and economical 8-bit management bus. This low cost implementation allows only one NMM to access the bus at any given time, and makes use of protocols by which multiple NMMs may use the management bus to communicate while ensuring that no two modules attempt to use the bus at the same time. Moreover, according to the present invention, only one NMM (referred to as the "master") will perform all of the network management functions for the stack at any one time. The remaining modules operate in "slave" mode.

Abstract: A real time billing system for accounts that locks out transaction events when the billing process is underway is provided. When a transaction event is received that should be posted to an account during the billing process, the account is locked. It is determined if the next bill time is in the past for the account and if it is, close billing of the account is performed on the account without billing the transaction event. After close billing of the account is finished, the transaction event may be posted to the account and the account unlocked.

Abstract: Systems and methods for aligning scanned images are provided. A pattern is included in the scanned image so that when the image is convolved with a filter, a recognizable pattern is generated in the convolved image. The scanned image may then be aligned according to the position of the recognizable pattern in the convolved image. The filter may also act to remove the portions of the scanned image that do not correspond to the pattern in the scanned image.

Abstract: A three-dimensional virtual audio display method is described which includes generating a set of transfer function parameters in response to a spatial location or direction signal. An audio signal is filtered in response to the set of transfer function parameters. The set of transfer function parameters are selected from or interpolated among parameters derived by smoothing frequency components of a known transfer function over a bandwidth which is a non-constant function of frequency. The smoothing includes for each frequency component in at least part of the audio band of the display, applying a mean function to the amplitude of the frequency components within the bandwidth containing the frequency component, and noting the parameters of the resulting compressed transfer function.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for handling a plurality of connection requests made for a plurality of virtual machines with a single physical machine. A system and method are disclosed for distributing virtual connections among a plurality of physical machines some or all of which are configured to handle connections for more than one virtual machine. In one embodiment, a packet translation system for handling connections from clients on an external network to a plurality of IP addresses with a server having a server IP address and a server port number includes a client interface to the external network. The client interface is operative to receive and send packets to and from a remote client. A server interface is operative to receive and send packets to and from the server and the server is operative to establish a connection with the remote client.

Abstract: A system and method for providing enhancements to a video image is disclosed. The method includes displaying a sequence of video images on a video display. A set of glyphs is provided in connection with the display. The glyphs include predefined graphical images suitable for enhancing the video display. A glyph is selected that is to be combined with the sequence of video images and an insertion point for the glyph on the video display is defined. A video output is generated that contains graphical output information determined by the selected glyph. The relative screen location of the graphical output information is determined by the insertion point of the glyph so that the video output is generated according to the glyphs which are inserted in connection with the sequence of video images.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for emulating a frequency modulation sound chip with minimal hardware and utilizing the excess capacity of current computer systems. In one embodiment, the frequency modulation emulation apparatus includes a frequency modulation emulator suitable to communicate with a computer system. The frequency modulation emulator provides an addressable memory space, substantially similar to an emulated addressable memory space of the emulated frequency modulation sound chip, such that a frequency modulation application implemented on the computer system can communicate with the frequency modulation emulator. The emulator chip receives audio data through the addressable memory space from the frequency modulation application and, the frequency modulation application is unaware that the frequency modulation emulator is receiving the audio data rather than the emulated frequency modulation sound chip. A frequency modulation generator is implemented on the computer system.

Abstract: An object code expansion profiler equips a program for execution profiling by preprocessing the object code files of the program so as to add profiling monitoring code to the beginning of all or substantially all functions. The preprocessing includes, for each function, the steps of grouping the function's instructions into basic blocks, counting the number of cycles required to execute the instructions of the basic block, and inserting special monitoring code with the basic block. The special monitoring code is executed each time the basic block is executed, and updates the profiling information to reflect the number of cycles required to execute the basic block. Special handling is provided for profiling calls to the Operating System (OS). The resultant profiling information is converted into a call graph image most useful for human users.

Abstract: Disclosed is a container object that allows a user to define new payment resources without requiring the user to redesign a relational database system used for persistent storage of transaction information. An object server maps data that is represented in transient memory according to an object-oriented scheme to data that is represented in persistent memory according to a relational database scheme. The object server generates appropriate tables and columns for a relational database scheme automatically so that the object-oriented scheme generated by a user may be efficiently stored and searched in persistent memory. Preferably, array elements are represented as rows in a table, not as columns so that storage space is not wasted with place holder data. In certain embodiments, a rating engine is provided that searches available rates and creates a rate stack for the purpose of authorizing transactions and adjusting payment source balances when authorization events or payment events occur.

Abstract: Systems and methods for accessing a relational database through an object-oriented querying interface are provided. A class of objects that are to be stored in the relational database are defined. One or more relational database tables are created and a mapping is produced that maps each data member of an object to one or more columns in a relational database table. Additionally, object-oriented paradigms like inheritance may be supported and the allocation of storage for array elements may be deferred until necessary.

Abstract: A system and method are described for avoiding catastrophic error sequences in a media code sequence of symbols for data storage on a storage medium according to EPRML. The system and method includes modulation encoding user data which is to be stored on the storage medium using a modulation encoder. The modulation encoder outputs a channel code modulation output symbol sequence. The modulation code is defined according to a modulation criteria wherein the set of all possible modulation output symbol sequences is constrained in a manner which excludes certain excluded modulation output symbol sequences. A precoder precodes the channel code modulation output symbol sequence according to a precoding transfer function.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for gathering information relating to a loading time experienced by a user of information over a network. A browser agent is sent to a user machine in response to a user request to access a Web page. The browser agent initiates the sending of a user HTTP GET request and the browser agent is operable to log a first time corresponding to the sending of the user HTTP GET request. The browser agent measures a download time interval that is determined according to the difference between the first time and a second time corresponding to the loading of the web page. The browser agent is operative to cause the user machine to send a modified HTTP GET request, wherein the modified HTTP GET request contains a performance parameter indicative of the measured download time interval. Thus, the download time interval experienced by the user is measured and a parameter indicative of the measured download time interval is sent as part of the modified HTTP GET request.

Abstract: An adaptive reception and transmission technique according to one embodiment of the invention offers the advantages of adaptive reception transmission using feedback without the associated mobile radio complexity increase and information capacity penalty. The technique has been developed to exploit structured variation which occurs in the multipath fading present in the wireless antenna array channel. Thus, multipath propagation effects are explicitly accounted for in the problem approach. The technique is blind in that the antenna beam is formed in the absence of explicit knowledge of the array geometry, and without the necessity of array calibration or mobile feedback. The basic approach is to estimate the optimum receive and transmit antenna beam pattern based on certain statistical properties of the received antenna array signals. The optimum receive and transmit beam pattern is found by solving an optimization equation.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for bypassing a participating application that receives data from a client connection between a proxy and a client and receives data from a server connection between a proxy and a server is disclosed. The method includes deriving a client originated packet sequence synchronization factor. The client originated packet sequence synchronization factor is derived from the difference between a last data sequence number sent by the participating application to the server and a last data acknowledgment number sent by the participating application to the client. A server originated packet sequence synchronization factor is derived from the difference between a last data sequence number sent by the participating application to the client and a last data acknowledgment number sent by the participating application to the server.

Abstract: A broadband partial fan cone direction finding antenna and array disclosed. The antenna includes a radiator having a partial cone shape. The radiator substantially occupies a spatial area defined by a portion of a cone and the cone is defined by a cone axis, a cone height, and a cone angle. The cone has a base and an apex, and the portion of the cone is defined by a cone sweep angle. The cone sweep angle is determined as the angle subtended by a projection of the portion of the cone projected onto a plane that is perpendicular to the cone axis. The cone sweep angle is less than 360.degree. so that the portion of the cone is bounded on its sides by edges which extend radially from the apex of the cone outward to the base of the cone.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for utilizing switches on the back of the neck of a musical instrument are provided. Multiple switches may be positioned along the length of the back of the neck of a musical instrument to produce tones to accompany the musical instrument. The pitch of the tones generated by activation of the switches may vary depending upon the position of the switches along the back of the neck of the musical instrument. With embodiments of the invention, a musician is able to play both music for an electric guitar and music for a bass guitar at the same time.

Abstract: A computer system (1) for analyzing nucleic acid sequences is provided. The computer system is used to perform multiple methods for determining unknown bases by analyzing the fluorescence intensities of hybridized nucleic acid probes. The results of individual experiments may be improved by processing nucleic acid sequences together. Comparative analysis of multiple experiments is also provided by displaying reference sequences in one area (814) and sample sequences in another area (816) on a display device (3).

Abstract: An automatically activated bus termination circuit in a repeater which is suitable for inclusion in a repeater stack including an end unit determination circuit. The end unit determination circuit includes a local input connector having an input sense pin. The input sense pin is configured to be connected to an input sense potential when the local input connector is connected to a remote output connector having an output sense pin. The output sense pin is configured to be connected to an output sense potential when the local output connector is connected to a remote input connector. The bus termination circuit is configured to be active when either the input sense pin is not connected to the input sense potential or the output sense pin is not connected to the output sense potential.