Abstract: Decoding variable length codes having regular bit pattern prefixes enables faster decoding of variable length codes, especially in systems that provide bit or bit mask search capabilities. An embodiment of the present invention determines a code prefix type, and calculates a length of the code prefix. A first data structure may be provided to associate the maximal number of bits in a variable length code with the length of the code prefix, and to locate further decoding data in accordance with the prefix length and type. A bit stream may be read according to the maximal length obtained. An additional data structure may be provided to retrieve a decoded value and the actual length of a variable length code being decoded. This data structure may be indexed with the value of the bit combination read from the bit stream. In case the actual length of the variable length code is less than the maximal length, the excess bits may be returned to the bit stream.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a dedication from a first user via a network and applying the dedication to a play list of a second user.

Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of using reputation to establish trust between strangers in a person-to-person transaction in an electronic commerce system without the drawbacks of subjective reputation feedback systems. The present invention generates objective feedback for transaction participants by monitoring their actual behavior at a variety of well-defined points in the transaction, such as payment and shipping. An objective reputation characterization system for use in a person-to-person electronic commerce system is disclosed. The system includes a data capture component to receive a first notification of a deadline relating to a transaction event and to receive a second notification of the transaction event occurring corresponding to the deadline, and an analysis component to build an objective reputation profile of a transaction participant based at least in part on the notifications.

Abstract: Limiting propagation of requests for a file in a peer to peer media sharing system may be accomplished by sharing index information associated with the file from a first network node to a second network node in the peer to peer system, updating a distance counter in the index information by the second network node to denote the sharing of the index information about the file, and setting a request propagation limit in a request packet for requesting the file by the second network node to the distance counter.

Abstract: Dual still image and video mode features are provided for a digital camera whereby the digital camera and an associated computer system support the concurrent capture of still images and video streaming operations. Capture and retrieval of a still image during video streaming operations of a digital camera tethered to a computer system includes pausing video streaming operations, capturing a still image by the digital camera, transferring the still image from the digital camera to the computer system, and resuming video streaming operations. Transfer of the captured still image is performed by camera device driver and bus interface software executing on the computer system. In one embodiment the digital camera is tethered to the computer system by a Universal Serial Bus (USB) and the camera device driver and bus interface software control access and usage of the USB.

Abstract: A private key may be securely distributed to a user of a remote client computer over an insecure channel. The user's private key is transmitted to the client from a remote server in an encrypted format. A first hash of the user's password is transmitted to the remote server and is used to authenticate the user. A second hash of the user's password remains with the client computer and is used to decrypt the user's private key. The user only has to remember one login name and a single associated password. Thus, the private key can be securely distributed from the remote server to the client computer system. The distribution does not require the user to carry any special hardware devices and only requires a single password. Because the private key is not permanently stored at the client computers, even if an unauthorized user has access to the client computers, they are not likely to be able to obtain the private key.

Abstract: A block cipher supporting a selectable block size of bit granularity includes a recursive Feistal network structure having a plurality of substitution boxes (S-boxes), each S-box being generated by a message digest function used as a pseudo-random number generator and one of a plurality of keys. Rather than use message digest functions as dynamic S-boxes (as in the well-known Luby-Rackoff cipher), in the present invention S-boxes may be constructed from a key at cipher build time. For larger S-boxes, a subordinate Feistal network composed of S-boxes half the size of the desired S-box may be used. Once the S-box size, N, is sufficiently small (e.g., less than 16 input bits), a permutation of integers 0 . . . 2N−1 may be computed using the message digest as a cryptographic strength pseudo-random number generator (RNG) and the key. The generated integers may be used within the S-box as part of a look-up table for shuffling the input data to the S-box into encrypted output data.

Abstract: Improved enhanced TV programming provides the capability for event driven recording of TV programs and program segments. Recording a selected program segment of a digital TV program includes receiving a digital TV stream including the digital TV program, automatically starting recording of the selected program segment of the digital TV program when a first event notification is received, and automatically stopping recording of the selected program segment when a second event notification is received.

Abstract: Generating a modified mesh by simplifying an original mesh representing a scene or object is achieved by collapsing edges of the original mesh in an order defined by an error metric to produce the modified mesh. Determining the error metric includes selecting an edge of the mesh, performing an edge collapse operation for the selected edge, computing at least one distance from a plane of each updated face of the mesh to a position of a vertex removed during the edge collapse operation, selecting a maximum distance of the computed distances as the error metric for the edge collapse operation for the selected edge, and restoring the collapsed edge to the mesh.

Abstract: A method of scene simplification includes concurrently simplifying a plurality of objects in a scene represented by a hierarchical scene graph. The objects are represented as polygonal meshes and the hierachical scene graph includes a plurality of nodes, each node storing a mesh. The scene is a three dimensional scene and the objects are representations of three dimensional objects. Concurrently simplifying the plurality of objects includes determining an initial least level of detail polygon reduction ratio (LPPR) for at least one mesh, generating levels of detail variables for at least one mesh using the LPRR, and generating a simplified version of at least one mesh by using the levels of detail variables. The total number of polygons in a rendered scene may be set to correspond to a predetermined polygon budget.

Abstract: Processing a scene graph includes applying view frustrum culling to sort models of the scene graph into first and second lists of models, the first list comprising models at least one of within a view frustrum and intersecting with the view frustrum, the second list comprising models outside of the view frustrum, and applying a first selected collision detection process to pairs of models of the first list. The method further includes applying a second selected collision detection process to pairs of models of the second list. In some embodiments, the first collision detection process is more computationally intensive than the second collision detection process.

Abstract: Playback of digital multimedia content by a player application may be modified according to title specific parameters. The method includes accessing the digital multimedia content, accessing title specific parameters associated with the digital multimedia content, and processing the digital multimedia content to render the content to a user according to the title specific parameters. The title specific parameters may be stored with the digital multimedia content on a removable storage medium such as a digital versatile disk (DVD) or received from a source over a computer network, satellite, or cable. The title specific parameters may be used to modify at least one of the decoding, decompressing, and downsampling of at least one track or title of the content. In one embodiment, the content is digital audio data in the DVD-Audio format.

Abstract: A system for writing data to and reading data from a magnetic medium utilizing a spin polarized electron beam. One embodiment of the disclosed subject matter may include an array of magnetic locations, each magnetic location including a hard magnetic material sandwiched in between a first and a second layer of a spin-mirror material and a layer of semi-conductor material.

Abstract: A method includes querying a plurality of search engines for properties to identify for which content categories the search engines are suited. A query to locate content is communicated to those of the plurality of search engines suited to service the query to locate content, based on at least one content category of the query to locate content.

Abstract: A processor has at least two sets of registers. The first set stores a matrix of data, and the second set stores a transposed copy of the matrix of data. When any portion of any row of the first set is modified, the corresponding portion of the column of the transposed copy in the second set is also automatically modified. A method of using two sets of registers for matrix processing by a processor includes storing a matrix of data into a first set of registers, the first set of registers having a first number of registers, each register comprising a first number of storage units, each storage unit storing an element of the matrix, and transposing the matrix of data into a second set of registers, the second set of registers having a second number of registers, each register comprising a second number of storage units.

Abstract: Extending network capabilities for a network with a policy-based network management (PBNM) architecture. The method includes sending a first message from a policy enforcement point (PEP) to a policy decision point (PDP) in response to an external action, and sending a Java object in a second message from the PDP to the PEP in response to receiving the first message. The Java object may be executed on the PEP to implement a policy.

Abstract: Passively tracking a user's eye gaze while the user is browsing a web page and modifying the presentation of the web page to the user based on the tracked gaze. By combining historical information about a user's direction of gaze on individual cached web pages, a browser may be enabled to represent regions of a web page that have been previously glanced at by the user in a modified manner. For example, sections of a web page that a user has previously read or viewed may be represented in a changed form, such as in a different color, brightness, or contrast, for example. In one embodiment, the portions of the web page previously viewed by the user may be represented as “grayed out” so as to be unobtrusive.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the invention involves a method including segmenting an utterance into at least a first segment and a second segment, wherein a boundary between the first and second segments corresponds to a break in the utterance. The method further includes selecting potential hypothetical paths of potential words in the first and second segments that cross the boundary. The method also includes applying a language model to the potential hypothetical paths crossing to determine whether to merge the first and second segments and to apply decoding to the merged segments.

Abstract: A system having a display device and a processor connected to the display device to read data from and write data to the display device. The display device, such as a matrix addressable display, communicates directly with a processor via a bus, without the need for an intermediate display memory device such as video random access memory (VRAM) or a graphics controller circuit. Information communicated from the processor to the display device is directly presented in a visual fashion. The processor may read the visual information stored in the display device. The display device is able to retain the visual information without the need for continuous refresh operations. Individual pixels of the display may be selectively written by the processor. Since individual pixels may be selectively written, pixels may be written only when their corresponding values have changed, thereby providing better display update performance.

Abstract: Using a non-coherent optical bundle having a plurality of fibers for image transmission. The fibers of the non-coherent optical bundle may be calibrated to generate a mapping function. Image data at a sending end of the non-coherent optical bundle may be obtained and transmitted over the non-coherent optical bundle, the image data being scrambled during transmission to produce scrambled image data at a receiving end of the non-coherent optical bundle. The mapping function may be applied to the scrambled image data to reproduce the image data for use in an imaging system.