Abstract: A system and method for detecting parallel marketing of an item, include forming at least one of a coating and a code on the item, interrogating the at least one of the coating and said code, and determining from the interrogating whether the item has been transferred from an authorized merchant to an unauthorized merchant.

Abstract: A method for converting a signal from analog-to-digital domain. Upon receipt of an ith with triggering signal, where 1≦i≦N, the method includes initiating at least a partial AD operation. Upon completion of the at least partial operation, the method may includes generating and transmitting an ith+1 triggering signal. The ith+1 triggering signal may be adapted to initiate an ith+1 at least partial operation, thereby creating an asynchronous process. The method further includes repeating the above operations until completion of the analog to digital conversion. In some embodiments of the present invention, upon completion of the conversion, i=N and the ith+1 operation is a power-down function.

Abstract: An electronic event recorder for attachment to a vehicle is provided which can broadcast encrypted signature and data, thereby leaving behind an electronic version of a “fingerprint” in the event of an accident or traffic violation. The fingerprint, captured by an external data acquisition system or another vehicle so equipped, provides a history of events related to the vehicle. The event recorder is preferably integrated on a smart card and housed in a tamper proof casing. In a first mode of operation, monitoring stations along the roadways periodically send an interrogation signal, such as when radar detects that the vehicle is speeding. Upon receiving the interrogation signal the smart card transmits the vehicle's signature information to the monitoring station where it is time and date stamped along with the speed of the vehicle.

Abstract: A semi-digital printer includes a print head assembly that prints an image on a sheet of paper that has been mounted onto a turntable, and a rotating means which rotates the turntable so that the print head assembly ejects ink or toner onto the sheet of paper at one or more predetermined angles. The printing may be halftone or color. If the print head assembly includes more than one print head, the rotating means rotates the turntable to a different angle for each print head. By rotating the turntable in this manner, the printer records an image at any angle (0° to 360°) precisely (i.e., without having to perform the angular approximations required by conventional digital printers). As a result, a printed image of improved quality is produced. Alternatively, the semi-digital printer may be configured so that the print head assembly rotates relative to the paper.

Abstract: An apparatus with one or more dimensions conforming to a wafer storage cassette used in semiconductor manufacturing which contains all or part of a sensor designed to measure a parameter of a wafer placed into the cassette. The intended use of the apparatus is in a process tool location normally occupied by a standard wafer cassette. By integrating all or part of the sensor into standard wafer storage cassette, a solution is provided whereby the same cassette and metrology system can be mechanically integrated into many process tools.

Abstract: A software framework provides building blocks for developing event handlers (typically XML-based or data object based) and a mechanism for dynamically deploying and managing them within an online community having roles and places defined for users and groups. The complex data to be sent/received among users and applications can be described in XML or actual Java™ objects. The software framework is composed of the following principal components: Awarelet base, Awarelet Container, Awarelet Application Adapter, Awarelet Event, Awarelet Configuration, and Awarelet Repository. Awarelet Technology is designed to enhanced the prior art of Instant Messaging in order to facilitate more robust interactions between members of the online community. This invention considers not only users as members, but in addition, business applications and processes as well.

Abstract: High resolution details of an image can be accessed through manipulation of a cursor (or data points) on a reduced resolution display. The coordinates of the cursor on the reduced resolution image reference coordinates of a stored high resolution image. As the cursor moves about the reduced resolution image a portion of the high resolution image can be constantly displayed. The portion displayed depends upon cursor coordinates. The portion displayed may also be zoomed in or out.

Abstract: A computer method for enhancing distribution centers management. The method includes the steps of providing a demand database comprising a compendium of individual demand history; providing a distribution database comprising a compendium of at least one of distribution centers management solutions, distribution centers information, and distribution centers diagnostics; and, employing a data mining technique for interrogating the demand and distribution databases for generating an output data stream, the output data stream correlating a demand problem with a distribution solution.

Abstract: A computer method for providing optimization for manufacturing processes for situations wherein there is defined a functional form y=f(x,b), where x comprises a set of independent controllable variables x={x1, . . . xn}, b comprises a set of functional parameters b={b1, . . . bm}, and y comprises a dependent uncontrollable manufacturing variable, f(x,b) subject to constraints on the dependent uncontrollable manufacturing variable y. The method comprises the steps of converting the constraints on y to constraints on b by using a functional estimate of y and its manufacturing variables (parameters) b; optimizing the function f(x,b) subject to the converted constraints on its manufacturing variables (parameters) b; and generating from step (ii) a set of optimized values of b which can optimize the dependent manufacturing variable y.

Abstract: A system and a method for developing and dynamically constructing multi-tiered distributed computing applications using a framework which allows the major elements involved in enterprise software applications, namely, the user interface, the data access, and the processing logic, to be independently developed. Moreover, the applications are dynamically created at time of use with pre-built software components or objects. The specifics of the applications such as functions, capabilities, user interface (UI) characteristics, etc., may depend on, for example, the user identity, the user preferences, and the terminal capability. Software development cost and turn-around time are reduced, promoting consistent UI design thus reducing user training cost, and allowing the applications to be dynamically created according to the user profile.

Abstract: A method in an imaging system organizes and compresses into segments of limited size the image collection needed for the application of image based rendering to walkthroughs of large objects. For views from a limited range of positions only a corresponding limited segment of data needs to be transmitted, decompressed, and processed. A savings is thereby obtained in the startup time and memory required for execution of a walkthrough.

Abstract: A smart filing system and method of use. The filing system includes a sanding or filing surface and a sensor for sensing the filed or sanded surface. An analyzing module analyzing the information obtained from the sensor and is capable of directing the system to modify the sanding. This modification may include changing the size of grains used for sanding or using a different sanding pattern and the like. A method for using the system is also provided.

Abstract: A color clustering and segmentation method retains edge. A sigma filter is applied to an input image to generate a smoothed image. The filtered image is divided into a plurality of non-overlapping windows. A sequential clustering algorithm is applied to filtered pixels of each window to generate potential clusters. Generated potential clusters are validated while clusters representing pixels on boundaries are rejected. The result is a generated list of cluster centroids in a chosen color space.

Abstract: The invention discloses in one embodiment a parallel probe array (N×M) incorporating thermal near-field heaters (or writers) as well as magnetic sensors (or readers), which can be moved en bloc as well as independently of each other. To this end, the present invention uses a suitable controlling electronics for coordinating a parallel or quasi-parallel reading/writing, as well as controlling the positioning of an individual probe in an array. The control electronics enables the addressing of an individual or preselected set of probes, for controlling reading and/or writing, thereby securing the considerable advantage of versatility and efficiency of reading/writing in a parallel operation mode.

Abstract: The method of the present invention determines the voltage, current, and/or power distribution in a power supply or other resistive network containing holes or contacts having non-rectangular boundaries. The method includes applying a grid over the resistive network. Because the holes and contacts have non-rectangular boundaries, the grid lines are not always coincident with these boundaries. A set of modified finite difference equations are then solved to derive a voltage distribution. Unlike conventional methods, these equations have been specifically adapted to the non-rectangular boundaries of the holes and contacts.

Abstract: A system, method, apparatus, and computer program code for using physical characteristic information obtained from two or more subjects to help evaluate subjects or to determine a course of action to take with the subjects includes receiving data indicative of one or more physical characteristics from two or more subjects, determining an evaluation of the data, and providing a notification to a device of the evaluation. A physical characteristic of a subject might be or include the subject's heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar level, posture, temperature, respiration rate, facial response or position, weight, height, galvanic skin response, pheromone emission, brain wave pattern or rhythm, odor, motion, etc., or a change in any one or more of them.

Abstract: A method of automatically labeling of unlabeled text data can be practiced independent of human intervention, but that does not preclude manual intervention. The method can be used to extract relevant features of unlabeled text data for a keyword search. The method of automated labeling of unlabeled text data uses a document collection as a reference answer set. Members of the answer set are converted to vectors representing centroids of unknown groups of unlabeled text data. Unlabeled text data are clustered relative to the centroids by a nearest neighbor algorithm and the ID of the relevant answer is assigned to all documents in the cluster. At this point in the process, a supervised machine learning algorithm is trained on labeled data, and a classifier for assigning labels to new text data is output. Alternatively, a feature extraction algorithm may be run on classes generated by the step of clustering, and search features output which index the unlabeled text data.

Abstract: A system (and method) includes a sound monitoring system, a detector for identifying a source of the sound, a computing system for processing the sound to trigger a notification event, and a user interface system for notifying at least one individual responsible for the sound.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for depicting programming state of programming objects through a combination of associating semantic stat space with programming objects, updating semantic state through affiliated state updates with each programming action, and resolving the alternative programming states with a convergence operator defined on the semantic state space of the programming object type. The state reflection process is further defined in cases where the visual programming object participates in multiple execution paths, as would be the case in, for example, an IF statement wherein the variable is used on both the Left and Right sides. More particularly, this technique resolves these differing states back into a single state representation for the programming object.

Abstract: A one-dimensional algorithm for perform the merging of complementary portions from two independent overlapped images on the same 8×8 grid without the computational expense of conversion to and from the real domain is extended to a two-dimensional procedure. The merging process is performed exclusively in the frequency domain. The extension to two dimensions is done by shifting and/or merging rows of side-by-side two-dimensional transformed data blocks using the one-dimensional algorithm. Then a vertical shifting and/or merging can be performed on the horizontally shifted and/or merged blocks again using the one-dimensional algorithm with an independent shift/merge parameter.