Abstract: Heating a wet colloidal gel body in an autoclave above its 1-atmosphere boiling point, under rigorously defined conditions, avoids shrinkage during subsequent drying. As a consequence, drying rates may be increased, and handling care becomes less critical.

Abstract: A novel group of optimized variable word-length codes for intra coded pictures is disclosed. Hardware complexity and implementation cost is minimized by only optimizing the variable word-length codes for intra coded pictures for a small, but frequently occurring number of discrete cosine transform events. A table of variable word-length codes conforming to the Motion Pictures Expert Group Phase 1 ("MPEG-1") standard may be used for the remaining number of less frequently occurring events. In an illustrative example of the invention, the MPEG-1 variable word-length code table is also used to code non-intra pictures which advantageously allows for totally compatible operation with the MPEG-1 standard.

Abstract: A library of C++ classes for use in writing data visualization programs. The library embodies a general design principle for class libraries: that the classes are partitioned into entity classes and functionality classes. Entity classes in the library specify properties of areas in a display and the functionality classes specify functionalities which the areas may have, for example, being responsive to the mouse or the keyboard or being capable of executing drawing commands. The classes are narrowly defined, and when the C++ programmer specifies a class for an object, he or she can give the object exactly the desired properties by selecting from among the area classes and the functionality classes. Because properties are acquired by inheritance, code generated using the libraries is shorter and faster than code generated using conventional class libraries.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a data converter is disclosed employing at least one minimum phase FIR filter. The data converter includes an analog-to-digital converter for converting an incoming analog signal into a plurality of digital signal samples, followed by a minimum phase FIR filter to filter the digital signal samples. Alternatively, the data converter includes a digital-to-analog converter preceded by a minimum phase FIR filter to filter a plurality of digital signal samples that are converted into an analog signal by the digital-to-analog converter. The data converter may include both analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion. In a preferred embodiment, the minimum phase FIR filter is an optimum minimum phase FIR filter. A method for precisely calculating the filter coefficients of an optimum minimum phase FIR filter is also disclosed.

Abstract: A voice-actuated switching system connects one or more microphones to an audio line in accordance with the output signal levels from each of the microphones. To reduce the effects of degradation of speech signals due to reverberation and noise pickup, the switching system uses directional microphones housed in a circular enclosure and arranged in a conference array configuration with response patterns aimed outwardly from the center of the enclosure. The switching system also uses a voting algorithm to select for activation the appropriate microphones indicative of the position of one or more people speaking and a variable weighting factor for gradually turning on or off the signal from each activated microphone that is coupled to the audio line. Typically one microphone will be selected to monitor a person speaking. Since its response pattern is normally pointed in the direction of the person speaking, it is less sensitive to speaker echo due to reverberation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for forming a glass preform which can be directly drawn into a single or multi-mode optical fiber. Single or multi-mode fibers drawn from the preforms described herein have high quality core-clad interfaces since the core and cladding materials are not exposed to crystallization temperatures upon the addition of the core material to cladding material.

Abstract: A Si IC includes an Al-based layer which is deposited as a composite of sublayers of different composition Al-based materials. In one embodiment a first sublayer comprises an Al-Si-based alloy disposed so as to prevent substantial Si migration into the first sublayer, and a second sublayer, above the first, comprises an Al-based alloy with substantially no Si to alleviate precipitation-induced problems. The selection of the thickness of the second sublayer to be a major portion and the inclusion of barrier layers are also described.

Abstract: Metals useful in the formation of hydrides for applications such as batteries are advantageously activated by hydriding/dehydriding process. This process involves repeatedly stepping the potential of metal/metal hydride electrodes in electrochemical cells. The process activates hydrogen-storing materials that are difficult to activate by conventional means.

Abstract: The present invention is directed at both a method and an apparatus for executing a distributed algorithm or server in a Simple Network Management Protocol Version 1 (SNMPv1) based computer network. The invention involves configuring a peer arrangement of agent/manager nodes and encapsulating the algorithm or server into SNMPv1. In a peer configuration, each node acts as a manager node, the manager node sends a Get message to an agent node to read a certain location in an agent node's managed information base (MIB) and sends a Set message to an agent node to write to a certain location in an agent node's MIB. This peer configuration also provides that each node act as an agent node, the agent node sends a GetResponse message to a manager node in response to a Get message and sends a Trap message to a manager node in response to an event.

Abstract: A field emission display includes corrugated insulating support pillars (96) disposed between the phosphorous layer (95) and the substrate (50) for reducing arcing between the cathode (92) and the anode (93) along the surface of the pillar. The corrugation of the insulating support pillars provides for a substantially increased operating voltage between the cathode and the anodes thereby increasing the operating life and efficiency of the field emission display.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method and apparatus of projection lithography in which the contrast introduced into a radiation sensitive material caused by the proximity effect is effectively removed in a single exposure. Patterned radiation is transmitted through a lens system with at least one lens and a back focal plane filter. The back focal plane filter has at least two apertures, an image aperture and a proximity effect correction aperture. Patterned radiation is transmitted through the image aperture and introduces the desired image into the energy sensitive resist material. A portion of the inverse pattern radiation is transmitted through the proximity effect correction aperture and onto the energy sensitive resist material to effectively remove the contrast therein caused by the proximity effect.

Abstract: The present invention involves a method of deriving the height and width of a graphic image from raw graphical image data stored in a computer system. It includes commencing execution of a height-width derivation program in the computer system and, at least once, operating the height-width derivation program to perform a series of steps. These include calculating the area of the image size, e.g. using the total number of bytes, and calculating the square root of the area to obtain a first value, and then determining by assumption a first assumed width and a first assumed height. For example, these assumptions may be achieved by calculating one half of the first value to obtain a first assumed width value and dividing the area by the first assumed width value to obtain a first assumed height value.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, a technique for efficiently utilizing memory in determining which next state accumulated cost to retain, such as in a communication system or a Viterbi decoder. The system includes a memory having a portion of registers allocated to a first array and a portion of registers allocated to a second array. The technique includes retrieving a present state accumulated cost from a storage register of the first array and calculating a next state accumulated cost based on the present state accumulated cost. The next state accumulated cost is stored in a storage register of the second array. The second array is designated as containing present state accumulated costs. A present state accumulated cost is retrieved from a storage register of the second array and used in calculating a subsequent next state accumulated cost. The subsequent next state accumulated cost is stored in a storage register of the first array.

Abstract: In a system that uses a dither signal in the production of a transmitted signal, the recoverability of an original trellis code is maintained while forming the dither signal using a modulo value that is equal to the distance between two adjacent symbols. This is accomplished by forming individual modulo counts for each of the orthogonal components produced by the transmitter's 3-tap FIR filter. The modulo counts and the bits from the trellis encoder are used to substitute the constellation subset identified by the trellis encoder with another constellation subset. The substituted subset is used for transmission and results in recovery of the original trellis code by the trellis decoder in the receiver.

Abstract: Methods and systems for performing handwriting recognition which include, in part, application of stochastic modeling techniques in conjunction with language modeling. Handwriting recognition is performed on a received data set, which is representative of a handwriting sample comprised of one or more symbols. Recognition is performed by representing the data set as a sequence of features and then processing the features utilizing stochastic modeling in conjunction with an evolutional grammer for performing stroke identification, to identify the handwriting sample.

Abstract: A compliant layer metallization for relieving thermal and mechanical stress developed between a semiconductor and a semiconductor submount. The compliant layer metallization includes a compliant layer, a wetting layer and a barrier layer. The compliant layer provides thermal and mechanical stress relief. The wetting layer ensures adequate wetting during soldering. The barrier layer prevents diffusion of bonding material into the compliant layer and/or into the semiconductor during solder-bonding. The compliant layer metallization design promotes ease of manufacturing.

Abstract: An HDTV transmission system includes a Tomlinson precoder in the transmitter in order to compensate for forced intersymbol interference introduced by an NTSC rejection filter used in the receiver. The system employs one of a family of four-dimensional coded modulation schemes based on a six-signal-point, one-dimensional base constellation. The various schemes exhibit different amounts of so-called shaping gain and support respective different payload data rates. The characteristics of the Tomlinson precoder are such as to preserve the substantial portion of the shaping gain. The system may switch its operation among the various coded modulation schemes to account for changes in channel conditions and/or to accommodate different source signal bit rates.