Abstract: A method is provided for reliable real-time data streaming in a multimedia delivery system. The system is implemented using a real-time protocol that is based on the well-known Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) suite which provides a framework for implementing near real-time reliable data delivery over non real-time unreliable data link layer technologies (e.g., Ethernet). These protocols provide near real-time reliable or best feasible data streaming while utilizing best effort unreliable network services (e.g., Internet). Under the Reliable protocol, an entire data block, including any missing or lost data packets, is reconstructed from all of the individual data packets through the use of a selective negative acknowledgement (NACK) mechanism. In contrast, the Best Feasible protocol sacrifices some of the data packet's reliability by not retransmitting “late” packets.

Abstract: Supervised adaptation speech is supplied to the recognizer and the recognizer generates the N-best transcriptions of the adaptation speech. These transcriptions include the one transcription known to be correct, based on a priori knowledge of the adaptation speech, and the remaining transcriptions known to be incorrect. The system applies weights to each transcription: a positive weight to the correct transcription and negative weights to the incorrect transcriptions. These weights have the effect of moving the incorrect transcriptions away from the correct one, rendering the recognition system more discriminative for the new speaker's speaking characteristics. Weights applied to the incorrect solutions are based on the respective likelihood scores generated by the recognizer. The sum of all weights (positive and negative) are a positive number. This ensures that the system will converge.

Abstract: A compact optical waveguide employs a photonic band gap element as a reflector to enable a light beam to be reflected at angles greater than the critical angle. The photonic band gap device is a two-dimensional array of columnar holes formed in the substrate the holes are filled with air or another material having a different dielectric constant than the substrate. The optical waveguide forms a right angle bend and first and second photonic band gap devices are formed on both the inside and outside angles of the bend to deflect light which is incident on the waveguide at an angle greater than a critical angle defined by the materials that constitute the optical waveguide. The columnar holes of the photonic band gap element have a diameter of approximately one-half wavelength and are arranged in a triangular packing having an inter-column separation of approximately one-half wavelength of the light which is to be transmitted through the waveguide.

Abstract: Multi-media servers provide clients with streaming data requiring soft real-time guarantee and static data requiring a large amount of storage space. The servers use a pull-mode protocol to communicate with clients through a real-time network. Separate data and control channels enhance the soft real-time capability of the server. The data channel conforms to open standard protocol. A switched data link layer for the control channel permits separate intrahost control messages that may be multicast and broadcast. The distributed file system selects a specific data block size based upon the compression technique employed to enhance soft real-time guarantee. A hierarchal data structure combined with merging empty data blocks minimizes disk fragmentation. Data blocks are striped across multiple disks to improve disk utilization. A local buffer and a queue for both read and write requests provides support for simultaneous read and write data streams.

Abstract: A transport system allows delivery of MPEG video streams from a network server to a media client while avoiding network delays associated with transition between files contained in these streams. A buffering system, a transport controller, and a counter allow buffering and interim delivery of MPEG stream data. The transport controller can either deliver MPEG stream data directly to the media client, or route data through the buffering system. The buffering system includes a population buffer for storage of interim MPEG stream data, and a transport buffer for temporary storage of MPEG stream data during continuous delivery. During transitional delivery, the transport controller delivers interim data to the media client until the requested file is available and uses the counter to select the proper start location in the requested file.

Abstract: The distributed multimedia server employs modular server elements that connect with client systems through a high bandwidth network. The server elements are connected in interleaved fashion with the switching elements and the data representing different media selections are arranged in stripe groups distributed across the server elements. The server can be as small as a single server element or grown incrementally, as needed, by connecting additional server elements to the system. Multiple copies of hot media selections are stored across the distributed architecture within different stripe groups to minimize bottlenecks within the storage subsystem.

Abstract: A document marker, including first values dependent upon the layout and the contents of the document and assigned by generating or preprocessing software, is provided in machine-readable symbology on the face of a printed version of the document. The marker may include encoded document layout information and values assigned on sequences of the original text, including text-dependent decimation sequences, error correction codes or check-sums. Upon optical character recognition scanning, or other digitizing reproduction, the marker is also scanned. The scanning computer, having corresponding software, assigns second values dependent upon the layout and contents of the reproduced document. Upon comparison of the first and second decimation sequences, line and character errors can be detected and some errors corrected, thereby generating re-aligned candidate sequences.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus and computer program products for automated visual inspection of regions of interest of a product utilizing an automated visual inspection device having a constrained viewing area are provided according to the present invention. Particularly, inspection of regions of interest on a product utilizing a constrained viewing area characterized as a view minimization problem is minimized by translating the view minimization problem into a set-covering problem and a traveling salesman problem. Known heuristics are applied to the set-covering problem and the traveling salesman problem to minimize the number of views required to view the regions of interest and to minimize the distance of travel between the views. Apparatus and computer programs products are also provided which minimize inspection time in a like manner.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for receiving, organizing and presenting program information to a display device in a home from at least two outside sources such as CATV, telephone companies (TELCOs) and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) is disclosed. A distribution network is established within the home using, for example, a consumer electronics bus (CEBus). First, a plurality of signals each from a different outside source and each being associated with information for constructing a program information database for the respective source are received. Next, the separate streams of program information for each outside source are integrated into a single merged database, entries of which can be accessed as a function of user supplied criteria.

Abstract: A marker encoded and provided in the side channel of an analog rendering provides digital information about the analog rendering with which it is simultaneously provided. Perceptible non-intrusive, computer-interpretable encodings, incorporated into printed, handwritten, pictorial or video communication renderings, and audible, non-intrusive, computer-perceptible encodings in audio renderings, using available side channel bandwidth in those media, allow generating or preprocessing computer-to-recognizing computer communication of a wide range of information relating to the generation and reproduction of the main channel analog information, such as error correction encoding, scan order encoding, object identification and algorithms used in generating the analog information.

Abstract: The device detects the beginning and ending portions of speech contained within an input signal based on the variance of smoothed frequency band limited energy and the history of the smoothed frequency band limited energy within the signal. The use of the variance allows detection which is relatively independent of an absolute signal-to-noise ratio with the signal, and allows accurate detection within a wide variety of backgrounds such as music, motor noise, and background noise, such as other voices. The device can be easily implemented using off-the-shelf hardware along with a high-speed special purpose digital signal processor integrated circuit.

Abstract: A network configuration communication system and method comprising at least one brouter for automatically broadcasting its address and other network configuration information and at least one remote control device for receiving brouter broadcasts and automatically updating its network configuration storage locations. The remote control device may also be equipped to send requests for information for automatically transmitted response by proximate network brouters.

Abstract: A system and method for storage and retrieval of pictographic images as computer file names. Upon generation of an input image, the computer saves the image and extracted spatial and temporal information about the generation of the image. The extracted information can be accessed for comparison, ordering and retrieving of stored pictographic file names and subsequent display to the user. Final selection of the desired name is performed visually by the user while viewing a display of the ordered file names via a document browser.

Abstract: A system and method for reducing access latency to stable storage are described. A technique referred to as fault trickling is used to improve access latency to stable storage such as flash memory. In particular, data requests from a central processing unit are preferentially satisfied by a memory management unit providing access to a main memory. When the requested data does not reside in the main memory, however, the memory management unit satisfies the request by providing direct fine-grain access to the flash memory. In addition, concurrently with satisfying the data request directly from the flash memory, a block transfer is initiated from the flash memory to the main memory. Once the block transfer is completed, a memory map, such as an address translation table, is updated to indicate that the data now resides in the more convenient source of data--the main memory. Accordingly, subsequent data requests, for that or proximately located data, can be satisfied by accessing the main memory.

Abstract: A speaker adaptation technique based on the separation of speech spectra variation sources is developed for improving speaker-independent continuous speech recognition. The variation sources include speaker acoustic characteristics, and contextual dependency of allophones. Statistical methods are formulated to normalize speech spectra based on speaker acoustic characteristics and then adapt mixture Gaussian density phone models based on speaker phonologic characteristics. Adaptation experiments using short calibration speech (5 sec./speaker) have shown substantial performance improvement over the baseline recognition system.

Abstract: A marker encoded and provided in the side channel of an analog rendering provides digital information about the analog rendering with which it is simultaneously provided. Perceptible non-intrusive, computer-interpretable encodings, incorporated into printed, handwritten, pictorial or video communication renderings, and audible, non-intrusive, computer-perceptible encodings in audio renderings, using available side channel bandwidth in those media, allow generating or preprocessing computer-to-recognizing computer communication of a wide range of information relating to the generation and reproduction of the main channel analog information, such as error correction encoding, scan order encoding, object identification and algorithms used in generating the analog information.

Abstract: A method of treating a material by generating an ultraviolet wavelength laser beam having femtosecond pulses; splitting the ultraviolet wavelength laser beam into a plurality of separate laser beams having femtosecond pulses; directing the separate laser beams onto a target point within a sample such that the femtosecond pulses of the separate beams overlap to create an intensity sufficient to treat the sample. Apparatus for treating a material that includes an ultraviolet laser for generating an ultraviolet wavelength laser beam having femtosecond pulse and directing that ultraviolet wavelength laser beam onto a beam splitter; a beam splitter for splitting the ultraviolet wave length laser beam into a plurality of separate laser beams having femtosecond pulses; directing the separate laser beams onto a target point within a sample such that the femtosecond pulses of the separate beams overlap to create an intensity sufficient to treat the sample.

Abstract: A method of searching for one of a plurality of objects that matches an input sequence of handwritten objects is provided. The objects are modeled by concatenating members of a set of component objects. A Trie structure representing the plurality of objects is generated. Component objects of each object are assigned to the elements of respective nodes of the Trie structure. A respective hidden Markov model (HMM) is associated with each element of each non-leaf node. The HMMs represent the respective component object of the element. A maximum probability of any HMM accepting any of the set of component objects is estimated. The root node of the Trie structure is selected. A plurality of elements of the selected node are selected. A plurality of segments of the input sequence are applied to respective HMMs associated with the selected elements to generate respective acceptance values.

Abstract: Apparatus and a method for comparing an electronic handwritten pattern to a stored string are provided. The string includes a group of portions, each having at least one stroke. Movement of a stylus forms the pattern, and a sequence of strokes is generated. Each stroke represents a stylus movement within a predetermined alphabet. The sequence of strokes has a plurality of portions. A linear systolic array processor determines an edit distance between the string and the pattern. The processor compares a first portion of the string to a first portion of the pattern. A plurality of edit distance components are generated based on the comparison. Each component corresponds to a different set of operations that transforms the first portion of the stored string into the first portion of the pattern. The components are calculated based on a further comparison between additional portions of the stored string and the pattern. The component which has a minimum value is selected.

Abstract: An inventive page encoding, printing, retrieval and archiving system and method wherein document information designators are encoded for pages. The designator includes information regarding the location of the digital representation of the page and optionally includes page generation and reproduction information. An enhanced copier or facsimile machine scans the printed designator and retrieves the stored digital representation of the page and outputs a "subsequent original" of the page. In the alternative, when the copier cannot directly access the digital representation of the page, the enhanced copier can decode the page generation and reproduction information found in the designator and apply the information to production of a high quality photocopy.