Abstract: A data pattern cache stores data patterns in units (i.e., a sector). A given data pattern is associated with one or more physical device address ranges which store such data pattern (e.g., sectors). Thus, although the same data pattern may occur as 10 redundant sectors for different files on different parts of a hard disk, the data pattern is stored in the data pattern cache once. One or more physical device sectors are linked to the data pattern.

Abstract: A user views search results and subjectively determines if a document is desirable or undesirable. Only documents categorized by the user are analyzed for deriving a list of prospective keywords. The frequency of occurrence of each word of each document is derived. Keywords that occur only in desirable documents are good keywords. Keywords that occur only in undesirable documents are bad keywords. Keywords that occurs in both types are dirty keywords. The best keywords are the good keywords with the highest frequency of occurrence. The worst keywords are the bad keywords with the highest frequency of occurrence. A new query phrase includes the highest ranked good keywords and performs filtering using the highest ranked bad keywords. Key phrases are derived to clean dirty keywords into good key phrases. A key phrase also is derived from a good keyword and replaces the good keyword to narrow a search.

Abstract: A piezoelectric circuit drives mirror movement along a scan path. The scanner includes a support, a reflective surface and a piezoelectric circuit. The support alternately rotates about an axis of rotation in a first direction and a second direction. The reflective surface moves with the support. The piezoelectric circuit is mechanically coupled to the support, and includes a first piezoelectric volume and a second piezoelectric volume. During a first portion of a drive cycle drive signals of opposite polarity cause the volumes to deform in opposing manner. The deformation causes the support to rotate in the first direction. During a second portion of the drive cycle the polarity of the drive signals switches again causing the volumes to deform, but in opposite manner than during the first portion of the drive cycle. The deformation causes the support to rotate in the second direction.

Abstract: Light emitted from a virtual retinal display light source passes through a beamsplitter to a scanning subsystem and on to an eyepiece and the viewer's eye. Some of the light is reflected from the viewer's eye passing back along the same path. Such light however is deflected at the beamsplitter toward a photodetector. The reflected light is detected and correlated to the display scanner's position. The content of the reflected light and the scanner position for such sample is used to generate a map of the viewer's retina. Such map includes `landmarks` such as the viewer's optic nerve, fovea, and blood vessels. The map of the viewer's retina is stored and used for purposes of viewer identification.

Abstract: A display device is achieved using a simplified optical system which generates an expanded exit pupil without compromising magnification or resolution. Modulated light from a source is converged toward a focal point by an optics subsystem. A scanning subsystem deflects the converging light, and thus the focal point, along a raster pattern to define an intermediate image plane. A lens array defines a surface which coincides with the image plane. The lens array includes a plurality of lenses and a polymer dispersed liquid crystal film. The film serves to spread incident light and thus form an expanded exit pupil.

Abstract: Launch time for a computer program is reduced by logging hard disk accesses during an initial launch, then processing the log file to accelerate subsequent launches. The log file is processed by identifying all the file portions accessed during the launch, eliminating any duplicate cluster accesses, then sorting the remaining accesses. The disk access log entries are sorted by physical address or are grouped by file, then organized by logical address within each group. The processed log file is stored with the application program. When the application program is launched thereafter, the processed log file is accessed first. All the disk accesses in the log file are performed moving all the data into RAM cache. When the program launch resumes, the launch occurs faster because all the data is already in cache.

Abstract: An augmented display includes an image display source and a silhouette display source. The image display source generates a virtual image to be perceived by a viewer. The silhouette display source occurs in the path of the background light. The silhouette display source generates a mask corresponding to the image content of the image display. The mask is a darkened area reducing or blocking background light. As the light from the virtual image is overlaid onto the background, there is less background light in the portion where the image appears.

Abstract: A method for generating color Doppler images is implemented in real time using digital processing steps implemented on multi-purpose microprocessors. Processing is reduced by estimating velocity only when a tissue threshold decision for a given sample indicates that the sample is not tissue. Arc tangent calculations in the velocity estimation are performed using simplified look-up tables without sacrificing accuracy. One look-up table is lineraly quantized. A second is nonlinearly quantized.

Abstract: An augmented retinal scanning display device includes a multi-functional eyepiece. One function is to direct an image beam onto a viewer's eye. Another function is to correct the vision of the viewer's eye. The display is worn by a viewing person. The eyepiece includes a reflective surface and a transmissive surface. An image beam reflects off the reflective surface onto the viewer's retina enabling the viewer to perceive a virtual image. Background light, such as from the ambient environment or another display device, enters the eyepiece at the transmissive surface and passes through the eyepiece toward the viewer's eye. While passing through the eyepiece, the background light is refracted to correct the viewer's vision.

Abstract: A computer program's launch time is reduced by reorganizing physical address storage of the program on a secondary storage device. Launch of the program is detected, then file access during the launch is monitored. A log file entry is created for each access to the secondary storage device. After launch is complete, the portions of the computer program accesses during the launch are moved into a contiguous area of the secondary storage device. Placement within the area corresponds to the access order during launch. Subsequent launches are faster because the launch portions of the program are contiguously located. Only the first access to a given memory block is considered in ordering the portions within the contiguous area The cluster size is used to estimate whether differing log entries correspond to the same address block.

Abstract: Disk I/O average access time is improved by estimating access time for pending I/O requests and selecting the request with the lowest estimated access time as the next request to be processed. To provide fast run-time estimation, disk characteristics are derived off-line and stored in files/tables for access during run-time estimation. A time (RT) to rotate the disk from a reference sector to each physical sector on the hard drive is derived and stored for each logical block address (LBA). A time (HT) for the heads to move an incremental number of cylinders also is derived. Access time of a destination LBA after completing access to a source LBA is estimated using estimated rotational times for the source and destination looked up in an RT table, and a head movement time estimate looked up in an HT table, based on a run-time calculated cylinder increment between the source and destination LBAs.

Abstract: An ultrasound system automatically measures fetal head size from ultrasound images. An ultrasound image of the fetal head is detected. A radial maxima point is identified on each of a plurality of radii extending from a substantially common vertex point within the fetal head image. Each radial maxima point corresponds to an ultrasound sample along its corresponding radius, and has a maximum ultrasound echo strength. Outlier points are removed and the curve filtered to derive an initial fetal head boundary. An inner fetal head boundary and outer fetal head boundary are derived from the initial fetal head boundary and a predetermined fetal skull thickness, and fetal head size is computed from the inner fetal head boundary and the outer fetal head boundary. Processing is allocated among multiprocessors and performed in pipeline fashion to enable real-time interactive imaging and measuring.

Abstract: An arc spray bead for uniformly distributing molten metal. The head includes a pair of contact tips, a primary nozzle and a plurality of side nozzles. Wire is fed through the contact tips into an arc zone where the wire tips are melted. The plurality of side nozzles are located adjacent to the contact tips downstream from the primary nozzle. The primary nozzle blows the molten metal into the stream of the side nozzles. The nozzles atomize, cool and uniformly distribute the molten metal into a desired spray pattern. During spraying the feed wires are moved forward. Initially upon discontinuing the spraying, the feed wires are retracted in part to prevent fusing of the wire leads.

Abstract: A 3D image is generated in real-time on an ultrasound medical imaging system which performs acquisition, volume reconstruction, and image visualization tasks using multiple processors. The acquisition task includes deriving position and orientation indicators for each gathered image frame. Volume reconstruction includes defining a reference coordinate system within which each image frame in a sequence of image frames is registered. The reference coordinate system is the coordinate system for a 3D volume encompassing the image planes to be used in the 3D image. The first image frame is used to define the reference coordinate system. As each image plane is registered, a 2D projection of the incremental volume is displayed. A shear-warp factorization process is used to derive a 2D projection for a rotated volume. A viewing transformation matrix is factorized into a 3D shear which is parallel to slices of the reference volume. A 2D warp then is implemented to produce the projection of the rotated volume.

Abstract: A reflective photomask is fabricated enabling photolithographic processes at wavelengths as low as 100 nm, with preferred embodiments enabling processes at wavelengths of 150-200 nm. Reflective photomask defects of the type where material is missing are repaired by locally depositing material over the defective area. The deposit area is then trimmed, if needed, to remove excess material. The deposited material has substantially the same reflectivity and phase as the adjacent mask area. Chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) or another planarizing process is used to smooth the defect area with the deposited material. The planarizing process prevents height differentials or border variations on the mask surface between the region where the material is deposited and the surrounding regions.

Abstract: A cache for improving access to optical media includes a primary cache comprising RAM and a secondary cache comprising a portion of hard disk memory. Multiple aspects of the invention are defined: (1) Cache data discrimination: Discrimination methodology is implemented for determining when data should not be cached. Under certain conditions, caching of data is less likely to improve access time. (e.g., when the transfer rate is already exceeding a critical sustained throughput rate; when an estimated time to complete a CD-ROM data request is within a specific percentage of the estimated time to complete a hard drive disk request). (2) Secondary cache fragmentation avoidance: To keep the access time to secondary cache faster than the access time to the optical media, fragmentation of the secondary cache (i.e., hard disk) is minimized.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer having a first layer and overlying insulating layer receives a photoresist layer. A first photoresist area is exposed to light having a first dosage, while a second, adjacent photoresist area is concurrently exposed to light having a second dosage. The first area and second area then are concurrently developed to partially expose the photoresist layer. The partial exposure removes photoresist within the first area to one depth and within the second area to a second depth. The second depth differs from the first depth. In one embodiment the second depth extends through the photoresist down to the insulating layer. After subsequently performing a contact and/or trench etch through the exposed insulating layer and removing excess photoresist above the insulating layer, conductive material is deposited in the contact/trench opening and over the insulating layer. The result is an upper conductive layer coupled to the first layer via a contact or other conductive connection.

Abstract: A pressure point device is formed by an end piece attached to a baton or flashlight. The end piece defines two pressure point surfaces. A first pressure point surface is defined by a bulbous tip of the end piece. The tip extends longitudinally along the axis of the baton or flashlight. A second pressure point surface is defined by a shoulder of the end piece. The shoulder has a larger diameter than the baton or flashlight in the region where attached. Thus, the shoulder protrudes radially defining an effective pressure point surface. The presence of shoulder with the bulbous tip increases the range of positions for holding the baton or flashlight while applying force to a pressure point.

Abstract: A discrimination method and apparatus for determining when data should not be cached. Under certain conditions, caching of data is less likely to improve access time, (e.g., when the transfer rate is already exceeding a critical sustained throughput rate; when an estimated time to complete a CD-ROM data request is within a specific percentage of the estimated time to complete a hard drive disk request).

Abstract: A walk behind tractor with a power take-off is combined with a blade assembly support assembly and lift assembly. The blade assembly allows a blade to be set at an adjustable angle. The support assembly supports added weight for increasing the force on the blade. Rollers are provided at points of contact between the support assembly and blade assembly to allow movable points of contact. A rolling movement accommodates the downward force of applied weight without tearing at the blade assembly along a transverse direction during oscillation. The lift assembly raises the tractor front end moving the blade out of contact with the floor and floor covering.