Abstract: Reception of digital multimedia data signals from multiple sources in a stream over a fixed bandwidth communications path may be accomplished by subscribing to a base layer of a first source and a base layer of a second source, and subscribing to an enhancement layer of the first source. Data signals corresponding to the subscribed layers of the first and second sources may be received in a stream over the fixed bandwidth communications path, output signals may be produced which correspond to the received data signals for the first source, and output signals may be produced corresponding to the received data signals for the second source. The output signals for the first source may be displayed in a first portion or window of a display, and output signals for the second source may be simultaneously displayed in a second portion or window of the display, thereby providing a picture-in-picture (PIP) display for streaming digital video.

Abstract: Conveying a relationship between two objects in a scene is accomplished by selecting source and destination ends of an imaginary line between the objects in the scene, a source object being located at the source end, a destination object being located at the destination end. An image representing the destination object may be displayed near the source end of the imaginary line. The image may be animated to the location of the destination object along the imaginary line. A relationship indicator, such as a line, may also be displayed between the source object and the image as the image is animated to the destination end.

Abstract: Management of files infected by computer viruses is accomplished by creating a first file in a directory, copying a virus infected file to the first file, scrambling contents of the first file, and deleting the virus infected file. A system for managing computer virus infected files includes scrambler logic to scramble the contents of a virus infected file to produce a scrambled virus infected file, a virus bin to safely store the scrambled virus infected file, and unscrambler logic to unscramble the scrambled virus infected file to reproduce the virus infected file for further analysis or cleaning.

Abstract: An image sensor array for capturing a sequence of video frames has a plurality of pixels, wherein each one of the pixels has a set of intrapixel logic including a previous register to store a pixel value of a previous frame and a current register to store a pixel value of a current frame, the current registers corresponding to the previous registers. An intrapixel subtractor coupled to the previous and current registers produces a difference between the previous and current registers for all pixels in the video frames in parallel. The differences are accumulated for each block of the image sensor array to form a total divergence for each block. The total divergences, associated motion vectors, and pixel values are used in motion estimation processing by a processor coupled to the image sensor array.

Abstract: Controlling the usage of a software component by an application program in an end user computer system includes obtaining an identifier of the application program by a controller computer system and generating a first password from the received application program identifier and an identifier of the component. The component, the component's identifier and the first password are communicated to the end user computer system. The component is registered with the application program as a “snap-in” or “plug-in” component. The application program generates a second password from the application program identifier and the received component identifier, compares the first password and the second password, and allows use of the “snapped-in” component by the application program on the end user computer system when the first password matches the second password.

Abstract: Morphing between two-dimensional or three-dimensional computer graphic models is accomplished by reducing given models from full resolution to low resolution ones between which the morph can be constructed either trivially or with simple user interaction, and then refining the morph using local searches as the two models are progressively refined back to full resolution.

Abstract: A transparent layer of display data may be provided over the top of another layer of display data on a display so that the user may see both layers clearly and simultaneously. This capability may be provided without employing modifications to the application program generating the data to be displayed transparently. That is, transparency effects may be provided for the display output data of application programs that do not have native transparency support. Embodiments of the present invention provide a generalized interface for accessing transparent display features by an application program.

Abstract: Representing display objects, such as windows, in a graphical user interface in such a way as to indicate which display object should be focused on by a user as a currently active display object. The method includes modifying appearance characteristics of a first display object, the first display object transitioning from an active to an inactive state, to make the first display object appear farther from a user than at least one other display object. The method further includes modifying appearance characteristics of a second display object, the second display object transitioning from the inactive state to the active state, to make the second display object appear closer to the user than at least the first display object. The user intuitively recognizes the nearer display object as the currently active display object.

Abstract: Providing input signals to a system having a display, the system being coupled to a source of video data signals, such as a video camera, is accomplished by analyzing the video data signals to detect an object in the scene over or at least partially coinciding with a location of at least one transparent user interface element, inserting at least one transparent user interface element into the captured video data signals, rendering the scene represented by the video data signals on the display such that the scene is transparently visible on the display, and generating an input signal for the system in response to detecting the object over or at least partially coinciding with the at least one transparent user interface element.

Abstract: Coordination of the display of an incoming signal stream (such as broadcast TV content or streaming web content) on a display with web browsing. The method includes storing a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the incoming signal stream being displayed, receiving a first signal to display web content associated with the URL, pausing display of the incoming signal stream while storing the incoming signal stream on a storage device, and obtaining and displaying the web content associated with the URL. The method further includes receiving a second signal to resume display of the incoming signal stream, removing the web content from the display, and resuming display of the incoming signal stream at the point that the pause occurred by obtaining the incoming signal stream from the storage device.

Abstract: A cipher system having a cipher core to encrypt plaintext data into ciphertext data, and a bus interface coupled to the cipher core to transfer the ciphertext data to a bus. In one embodiment, the cipher core comprises a block assembler to receive words of data and to assemble the words into a block, an encryption function to encrypt the block based on an encryption function key, a block transmitter to receive the encrypted block and to disassemble the encrypted block into encrypted data words, and a controller to control multiple rounds of encryption by the encryption function for the block. In another embodiment, the encryption function is duplicated and the controller is replaced by two controllers, the first controller controlling the first five rounds of encryption of the block and the second controller controlling the second five rounds of encryption of the block.

Abstract: An apparatus within a device, such as an integrated circuit, for controlling available capabilities of the device. The apparatus includes an EEPROM storing a configuration control word having at least one bit, a configuration control mask having at least one bit, and logic to select a first operating mode of the device when the configuration control word does not match the configuration control mask and to select a second operating mode of the device when the configuration control word matches the configuration control mask. The first operating mode may indicate full capabilities of the device and the second operating mode may indicate a set of reduced capabilities of the device. Additional logic in the device implements a “write once” feature for irrevocably setting the configuration control word to match the configuration control mask, thereby permanently selecting the second operating mode (e.g., reduced capabilities).

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 hierarchical 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.

Abstract: Managing windows in a graphical user interface by receiving a signal indicating a gesture from a user, capturing pixels of a window, applying the captured pixels as a texture to a display object in a three dimensional window, and animating the display object to a first location in the three dimensional window corresponding to the window, when the gesture indicates deactivating the window. Further actions include moving the display object to a second location in the three dimensional window, displaying the window over the display object, and hiding the display object, when the gesture indicates activating the window.

Abstract: Sketch and cartoon images are automatically generated from video or still images captured in real-time from a digital camera or obtained from a stored file. Steps of the method include calculating luma values for each pixel in a captured or retrieved image, applying noise reduction techniques to the captured or retrieved image to improve its quality, performing an adaptive luma chroma difference computation to find and mark edges of objects in a captured or retrieved image as lines forming objects in a sketch image, and applying noise reduction to the sketch image. The process may be repeated for each frame in a video sequence. Temporal smoothing is applied to the video sequence of frames. Generated sketch images may be colored to produce cartoon images.

Abstract: Generating a multi-resolution mesh from an original mesh representing a scene or object is achieved by collapsing edges of the original mesh in a first order defined by a surface area error metric to produce a modified mesh, and collapsing edges of the modified mesh in a second order defined by a combination quadric and surface area error metric to produce a multi-resolution mesh. The transition from using the surface area error metric to the combination of the surface area error metric and the quadric error metric occurs when a cost for removing one of the edges from the mesh as determined by the surface area error metric exceeds a threshold. A volume error metric may be used in conjunction with the surface area error metric in collapsing edges of the mesh to allow an edge collapse only when the volume error metric for the edge indicates collapsing the edge will not substantially alter the shape of the mesh.

Abstract: Synthesizing of video frames that have been dropped by a video encoder is achieved by interpolating between decoded frames at a decoder. The method consists of successive refinement stages that increase in computational complexity. Starting with a spatio-temporal median filtering approach, each stage uses information that improves the quality of the interpolated frames, such as bit stream motion information, decoder-based motion estimation and motion-based state segmentation of regions. By using more computational resources, each of these stages results in an improved quality of interpolated video. The motion compensation techniques are based on block-based motion estimation of the kind used by block-transform based video encoders. More accurate motion estimates are obtained by using a combination of forward and backward block motion estimation.

Abstract: Missing color values for pixels in a color filter array created by a digital camera and having a Bayer pattern are generated by determining values for all missing green color values for pixels in the color filter array by interpolation of known green color values adjacent along diagonal lines and determining values for all missing red and blue color values for the pixels from the sum of an interpolation term and a luminance correction term based on differences between green color values of adjacent pixels. The missing green color values are determined by computing temporary values for green which lie at the corners of pixels having known green color values using cubic B-spline filters oriented along diagonally adjacent green color pixels, determining final values for green at the centers of pixels having known red and blue values by using cubic B-spline filters oriented along diagonally adjacent red and blue color pixels, and by sampling the temporary green values.

Abstract: A method of creating transparent graphics for display in a computer system. A first frame buffer is provided to store display components to be displayed transparently on a computer monitor, the display components having a plurality of pixels. A second frame buffer is provided as a new output frame buffer. Pixels of the first frame buffer are color mixed with pixels of the computer system's original output frame buffer to produce color mixed pixels. The pixels of the output frame buffer are interleaved with the color mixed pixels, the interleaved pixels are stored in the second frame buffer, and the pixels of the second frame buffer are displayed. The color mixing is accomplished by a weighted average of the color components of the pixels of the first frame buffer and the output frame buffer.

Abstract: An I/O device driver is shared between a number of processes within a computer system while security and protection for system memory is maintained. Controlled access to the I/O device is provided by managing an authorized list in an I/O processor which is used to keep track of users of the I/O device according to types of claims for access to the I/O device. Claim types include primary, authorized, secondary, and management.