Abstract: There is disclosed a camera which detects a face portion of a subject from a shot image to determine whether a shot image is a good shot candidate image from the features of the face portion and a face portion-related image portion. As examples, the features include, but not be limited to, (1) the shape and variation in contour ranging from the vicinity of the face portion, (2) the position of a hand or leg to be determined by similarity to the skin tone of the face portion, and (3) determination made from the detection result of the face portion as to whether the subject is a half-length or full-length figure.

Abstract: Antennas with steerable antenna patterns and techniques for using such antennas are described. In accordance with the invention, antenna patterns with one or more NULLs are used. Through the use of digital control signals the antenna pattern is steered so that a source of signal interference, e.g., a multipath signal, will be located in a NULL. In this manner the received signal's S/N ratio can be maximized thereby facilitating demodulation. The techniques of the invention can be applied to television, computer devices, mobile devices and a wide range of other systems. Digital commands to control an antenna may include multiple information fields, e.g., a direction field, a channel field, a gain field and a polarity field. Antennas incapable of supporting the specified fields disregard information in fields which are not supported. Information in each supported field is decoded and used to adjust the corresponding antenna characteristic.

Abstract: An image display apparatus includes a display which displays an image based on an image signal. An ambient light measuring unit measures the intensity of ambient light around the display. A brightness distribution measuring unit measures a brightness distribution in a scene when the image signal is obtained. A parameter calculator calculates a correction parameter for correcting a partial contrast of the image based on the ambient light intensity and brightness distribution in the scene. A contrast correction unit corrects a partial contrast of the image by correcting the image signal by using the calculated correction parameter.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus obtains color image data by performing an interpolation processing for an image signal output from a color image pickup element having color filters arranged like a mosaic, by using a filter. The apparatus includes an interpolation processing unit which selectively modifies an interpolation processing according to a kind of layout pattern of a spatial center position of gravity of each color component signal included the image signal in an image area to be interpolated, so that the spatial center position of gravity of each color component signal after the interpolation processing becomes identical in any layout pattern, if there are a plurality of kinds of layout pattern of a spatial center position of gravity of each color component signal included the image signal in an image area to be interpolated.

Abstract: In a decoding method for decoding coded light ray information, coded first image information and coded second image information different from the first image information are decoded. The first image information and the second image information are obtained in taking a subject. The light ray information is generated based on the decoded first and second image information. Image information corresponding to a first focus value is generated and stored in a storage medium, based on the generated light ray information. An image is displayed based on the image information corresponding to the first focus value. Image information corresponding to a second focus value different from the first focus value is generated and stored in the storage medium, based on the generated light ray information. The image information corresponding to the second focus value is generated and stored, while the image is displayed or before the image is displayed.

Abstract: In a method of coding light ray information including information about a position on a predetermined surface and information about an incident angle to the surface when a ray of light from a subject enters the surface, the light ray information is divided into two or more processing unit blocks. In a first coding process, coding are executed for each of the two or more processing unit blocks, and first block unit information composing first image information about the subject is obtained. In a second coding process, coding are executed for each of the two or more processing unit block, and second block unit information composing second image information different types from the first image information is obtained.

Abstract: Wireless protocols that employ a helper node are adapted so that they may take advantage of authentication security (and perhaps encryption security). Thus, such protocols may be used with security protocols such as 802.11i protocol (or the like) for example.

Abstract: Ambiguities with respect to a user topic interest may be resolved so that useful topic-relevant ads can be presented. Such ambiguities may be resolved by monitoring user behavior, determining a user topic interest (e.g., from a plurality of different candidate topics) based on the monitored behavior, and serving ads relevant to the determined user topic interest.

Abstract: A client-side application (such as a browser, a browser plug-in, a browser toolbar plug-in, etc. on an end user's computer) is used to support the serving of content-relevant ads to the client device. The client-side application may provide such support by sending document information (such as a document identifier, document content, content relevance information, etc.) to a content ad server. The client-side application may also be used to combine content of the document and the content-relevant ads. For example, the client-side application may combine content of the document and the ads in a window (e.g., in a browser window), may provide the ads in a window above, below, adjacent to a document window, may provide the ads in “chrome” of the browser, etc.

Abstract: The usefulness, and consequently the performance, of advertisements are improved by allowing businesses to better target their ads to a responsive audience. Location information is determined (or simply accepted) and used. For example, location information may be used in a relevancy determination of an ad. As another example, location information may be used in an attribute (e.g., position) arbitration. Such location information may be associated with price information, such as a maximum price bid. Such location information may be associated with ad performance information. Ad performance information may be tracked on the basis of location information. The content of an ad creative, and/or of a landing page may be selected and/or modified using location information. Finally, tools, such as user interfaces, may be provided to allow a business to enter and/or modify location information, such as location information used for targeting and location-dependent price information.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes: an image pickup element having a plurality of pixels; a drive unit moving the image pickup element; a defective position storage unit storing position data on the image pickup element about a defective pixel contained in the plurality of pixels; an image extraction unit extracting a moving picture regeneration area depending on the position of the image pickup element during capturing an image from a captured image obtained by the image pickup element; and a defect correction unit complementing a defective pixel of a captured image obtained by the image pickup element using image data of captured image obtained by the image pickup element in another position. Moving pictures are formed by continuously outputting captured images in the moving picture regeneration area for which the defect correction unit has complemented the defective pixel.

Abstract: Any content provider, such as a Website that generates pageviews, with available ad spots can sell such ad spots with fine granularity such as on a per pageview basis, or even on a per ad spot basis. One or more ad spots can be sold for the highest compensation for that pageview. These sales, such as via arbitrated offers, may be dynamic, because many pageviews are not determined until a user request is received, and because the winning ad provider(s) for a pageview might not selected until the page request is known. This may be done by (a) accepting ad spot availability information from a first party, (b) multicasting ad spot requests for offers using the accepted ad spot availability information to at least two second parties, (c) receiving offers, (d) determining at least one winning ad using the offers, and (e) providing information concerning at least one of the at least one winning ad to the first party.

Abstract: An ordering of advertisements requested by an ad consumer is based on scores generated for the ads. In each case, a score may be a function of at least one performance parameter associated with the ad and/or a price parameter associated with the ad. The ad consumer may generate presentation information (e.g., a Web page) including advertisements and non-advertisement content (e.g., search results) by (i) accepting the non-advertisement content and advertisements, each of the advertisements including a score, and (ii) combining the non-advertisement content and the advertisements such that relative placements of the advertisements are based on their associated scores.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes an imaging section which images a subject to obtain imaging data. An image quality information acquiring section acquires a plurality of sets of information concerning image quality. An image quality information converting section converts the plurality of sets of information concerning the image quality acquired in the image quality information acquiring section into image processing parameters used in image processing of the imaging data. An image processing section performs image processing with respect to the imaging data based on the image processing parameters converted by the image quality information converting section. A recording section records in a recording medium the imaging data subjected to image processing in the image processing section, or records in the recording medium the imaging data which is not yet subjected to image processing in the image processing section and the plurality of sets of information concerning the image quality.

Abstract: A feature area extracting section extracts an area having a unique feature in an image input to an image selection support apparatus. A specific area feature collating and determining section determines whether or not the area having a feature and extracted by the feature area extracting section is a specific area. A specific area image reading section decides a rectangular area including the specific area, and reads image information of the rectangular area. The specific area image reading section has at least one of an enlargement displaying section which enlarges and displays the image information read by the specific area image reading section, a thumbnail display section which reduces and displays the input image, and an original image displaying section which enlarges and displays the input image.

Abstract: A connection between network nodes in a communication network is backed up. A failover label-switched path (LSP) is created starting at a first network node of a connection and ending 5 at the second node of the connection, while bypassing the protected connection. In the event of connection failure, data is transmitted through the failover LSP. A network operator can selectively protect different types of data by using filters that bind one or more types of traffic received over one or more interfaces to different failover LSPs.

Abstract: Arranged are an optical element, a piezoelectric element arranged on the optical element, and an oscillation circuit for causing the piezoelectric element to vibrate so as to generate vibrational waves, wherein the volume of the piezoelectric element is determined based on density of the piezoelectric element, mass of the optical element, and vibration speed of the optical element, and made a size such that there is no wasteful consumption of energy.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for generating a vapor to be injected into a flue gas stream are described. The apparatus includes a fluid vaporization and injection assembly including an input for receiving a non-flue gas, e.g., clean, fluid heat transfer medium, e.g., air; a first sealed coil having an input and an output through which a fluid, such as ammonia, to be vaporized is passed; and a second sealed coil having an input and an output through which a heated second fluid, such as water or steam, is passed. The second sealed coil is arranged to transfer heat from the heated second fluid to the non-flue gas fluid heat transfer medium. The first sealed coil is arranged to absorb heat from the non-flue gas fluid heat transfer medium. An injection unit is coupled to an output of the first sealed coil for injecting the vaporized fluid into a flue gas stream.

Abstract: A system and method for automatically targeting Web-based advertisements is described. Advertisements are identified relative to a query, wherein identified advertisements describe characteristics relative to at least one of a product and a service. The advertisements are scored according to match between the query and the characteristics of the identified advertisements. At least some of the advertisements are provided as Web-based content.

Abstract: The camera according to this invention comprises an L-shaped frame that is capable of changing the size or aspect ratio of the viewfinder by relative movement, a back-face image-pickup device for photographing an image of the eye of the photographer, and a photographing optical system for forming the image of the subject image to the internal CCD, analyzes the image captured by the back-face image-pickup device and calculates the distance and direction to the eye of the photographer from the center of the viewfinder, and based on the calculated information and the size or aspect ratio information of the viewfinder, the photographer performs optical zooming or shifting of the photographing optical system, or performs electronic zooming or shifting by cropping the taken image by use of the CCD, in order for the range that the photographer observed via the viewfinder to become the photographing range.