Abstract: The inventions relate to the delivery, transfer of content, and return of uniquely customized physical digital media. Digital content is specifically encrypted for use on a target player associated with a specific customer account. After use, the media is returned to a receiving location where use information is read from the media. Attention is given to cost of delivery, security of content, user experience in selecting, choosing, paying for, viewing or utilizing the content, and usage information created as a result of the content being utilized, rented, purchased, loaded or deleted.

Abstract: A method of controlling free phone calls placed from within a secured premises through an institutional phone system generally includes assigning a unique access identifier to an individual caller upon entry into the secured premises; receiving a destination number from the individual caller within the secured premises, the destination number being associated with a telephone located outside the secured premises; determining if the destination number is a per se free number, and, if the destination number is not determined to be a per se free number: receiving the unique access identifier from the individual caller; validating the unique access identifier; and, if the unique access identifier is valid, processing a telephone call to the destination number.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and methods for reducing the distortion of power amplifiers. In particular, methods and systems are described that enable a determination of a pre-distortion correction signal to be determined, which when added to the nominal signal, a reduction in the distortion of the power amplifier results. In addition, methods and systems are described that enable calibration of individual power amplifiers to be accomplished for use with the above described approach. More specifically, the methods and systems are described for use in a MIMO application. These approaches may be applied to on-chip power amplifiers, off-chip power amplifiers, or any combination thereof.

Abstract: In a scatterometric method, different targets with different sensitivities to a parameter of interest are printed in a calibration matrix and different spectra obtained. Principal component analysis is applied to the different spectra to obtain a calibration function that is less sensitive to variation in the underlying structure than a calibration function obtained from spectra obtained from a single target.

Abstract: Aspects of a method and system for redundancy-based decoding of video content are provided. A bit sequence comprising video content may be decoded in a multilayer process based on a decoding algorithm and at least one physical constraint. The decoding algorithm may be based on the Viterbi algorithm. Whether the bit sequence comprises video content may be determined based on information provided by a portion of a packet header or by packet priority information necessary for enabling quality of service applications. The physical constraint may be based on border, DC component, and/or low frequency continuity between neighboring discrete cosine transform (DCT) blocks. The physical constraint may also be based on the consistency of video data coded by a variable length coding (VLC) operation. At least one physical constraint test may be performed on selected estimated video bit sequences to select a decoded output video bit sequence.

Abstract: A valve for a ball includes a casing and a core. The core is arranged at least partially inside the casing. The core comprises a first sealing area with a plurality of sections which have alternating concave and convex curvatures.

Abstract: This invention relates to a novel microorganism that efficiently produces a dodecahydro-3a,6,6,9a-tetramethylnaphtho[2,1-b]furan intermediate using sclareol as a substrate. As a result of concentrated studies, a plurality of novel microorganisms having properties of interest that are not classified as conventional microorganisms were isolated and identified. The novel microorganism of the present invention belongs to Ascomycetes and has the ability of producing a dodecahydro-3a,6,6,9a-tetramethylnaphtho[2,1-b]furan intermediate using sclareol as a substrate. Such microorganism of Ascomycetes represents a new finding and it can be effective for producing dodecahydro-3a,6,6,9a-tetramethylnaphtho[2,1-b]furan and an intermediate thereof.

Abstract: A recombinant microorganism is provided that has increased productivity of a protein or polypeptide of interest. A method for producing a protein of interest using the microorganism is also provided. The microorganism is prepared by inserting, in its genome, a transcription initiation regulatory region or both a transcription initiation regulatory region and a ribosome-binding site, upstream of a Bacillus subtilis prsA gene and by deleting or inactivating one or more of the abrB gene, dltA gene, dltB gene, dltC gene, dltD gene, dltE gene, or a gene (genes) corresponding thereto.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for administering a sales transaction, including: receiving consumer transaction requirements and seller transaction requirements within one or more established transaction parameters; filtering the consumer transaction requirements based on the seller transaction requirements and producing a subset of consumer transaction requirements based on the filtering; receiving bids from potential sellers, wherein the bids are limited to a predefined number and type of variables; displaying the bids to potential sellers and receiving subsequent bids; displaying a plurality of the bids and the identities of the potential sellers that correspond to the displayed bids to one or more potential consumers; and receiving from the one or more potential consumers an acceptance or rejection of one or more of the displayed bids.

Abstract: An earth moving device for a working vehicle, in which earth and sand flowing rearward over an earth moving blade does not enter through a gap between a bush and a piston rod into an angle cylinder tube. An angle cylinder is formed by including an angle cylinder rod and an angle cylinder tube. The angle cylinder rod is pivotably supported on a vertically movable frame, and the angle cylinder tube is pivotably supported on the earth moving blade.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of determining a hand-off metric is disclosed. One method includes a subscriber receiving identifications of a neighboring set of base stations from a serving base station. From the neighboring set, the subscriber determines an active set of base stations. The active set is determined by the subscriber measuring received signal power from each of the base stations of the neighboring set at first discrete points in time, averaging the received signal power for each of the base stations of the neighboring set, and selecting the active set based on the average received signal power of the base stations of the neighboring set. Determining the at least one hand-off metric further includes the subscriber measuring at second discrete points in time an excess received signal power for each base station of the active set, wherein the excess received signal power includes signal power received by the subscriber in excess of power received from the base station.

Abstract: An input device with an integrated security module communicates with a processing component over an insecure medium. The insecure medium may be a wireless network, software stack, or the like. According to one embodiment, the security module is integrated into an existing chip of the input device. Data generated by the input device is encoded and/or authenticated by the security module prior its transmission to the processing device. The processing device receives the input data and processes it within its own security boundary for providing selected services or information to a user or application associated with the input device.

Abstract: Methods and systems for enabling robust routing between protected enclaves over an unsecured network are provided herein. In one aspect, the present invention provides methods and systems for enabling routing among a plurality of protected enclaves, each supported by one or more secure gateways, over an unsecured network. Methods and systems according to the present invention achieve key routing requirements while presenting solutions that can be readily scaled to large network environments. In another aspect, the present invention provides methods and systems for implementing a Prefix Discovery Server (PDS) that enables the mapping of Plain Text (PT) networks to secure gateways, maintains current network routing information, and assists VPN gateways in determining routes to remote protected enclaves.

Abstract: A global navigation satellite system (GNSS) enabled mobile device may be operable to assert one of autoblank signals when RF interference is detected in received GNSS signals for one of consecutive first time windows. The asserted autoblank signals are monitored by the GNSS enabled mobile device over time intervals corresponding to consecutive second time windows and a rate at which the autoblank signals are asserted for each of the consecutive second time windows is determined by the GNSS enabled mobile device based on the monitoring. The GNSS enabled mobile device may be operable to determine whether to blank processing of the received GNSS signals based on the determined rate. The autoblank signals may be asserted by the GNSS enabled mobile device based on a number of the received GNSS signals whose absolute signal levels exceed a signal level threshold for the first time window.

Abstract: A system that detects incorrectly translated text in a document. During operation, the system determines a target language for the document. The system then identifies one or more terms in the document that are invalid terms for the language. Next, the system analyzes correlations between these invalid terms, and, based on these correlations, determines whether one or more of the invalid terms comprise incorrectly translated text.

Abstract: Unified management of time related information presents a user with a single interface by which the data in different ERP systems can be browsed and modified. Each of the ERP systems can contain data specific to a data group such as the address data group in a human resources ERP system, sales data in a sales ERP system, and project data in a project planning ERP system. A view management module obtains records from the ERP systems. The view manager also obtains journaling information that can be kept in the ERP systems or kept separately. The view manager creates a history view and data group views that can be presented to a user. The user interacts with the presentation to sort, browse, analyze, and edit the view and data. Data changed in a data group view can be forwarded to produce changes in the ERP and journaling systems.