Abstract: A multiple-function printing device provides for picking pages from a stack of sheets in an input feeder for roller-driven movement along a first path through a printing station to an output, and for picking pages from a stack of documents in an input feeder for roller-driven movement along a second path through a scanning station to an output, with at least a portion of the first and second paths being commonly shared, and with common mechanisms being used for various steps such as for picking, providing roller-driven movement through the processing stations, and for actuating a pressure plate in the input feeders. A document guide in a document scanning mode of operation is pivoted into a lowered position generally parallel to the print station platen to constrain and contain the top and bottom of any curled document exiting from the scan station into an output roller nip so as to prevent an incipient paper jam. Prior to a printing mode of operation on a paper sheet, the document guide is pivoted about 100.

Abstract: A whispering gallery resonator constructed from a ring of dielectric material that is enclosed in a conducting cylindrical enclosure having a top and bottom. The dimensions of the dielectric ring and the enclosure are chosen such that any additional resonant frequencies of the resonator are at frequencies sufficiently different from the first resonant frequency to allow the resonator to be used in a free-running oscillator. In one embodiment of the present invention, material is removed from the dielectric ring at locations spaced equally around the ring to move the frequency of one of two degenerate modes. In a second embodiment of the present invention, the dimensions are chosen such that the resonator has a second resonant frequency which is also far from any spurious modes. In this embodiment, the dielectric ring is constructed from a material having first and second dielectric constants depending on the direction of polarization of electromagnetic waves in the material.

Abstract: A separation column for chromatography, such as for liquid chromatography or supercritical fluid chromatography, comprises a separation tube made of a ceramic composite material and a stationary phase packed into the separation tube. The column has a high pressure stability and smooth inner surface leading to improved chromatographic properties.

Abstract: Watertight transducer for measuring the contraction of the uterus with a transducer casing, wich has on its underside a diaphragm made from a soft material, such as e.g. elastomeric plastic. The transfer of the uterine contractions takes place from the diaphragm for a ram to a dynamometer. The interior of the transducer is vented by means of a ventilating hose, whose opening to the external air is remote from the transducer, in order to avoid measuring errors as a result of temperature fluctuations.

Abstract: A cryptographic framework consists of four basic service elements that include a national flag card, a cryptographic unit, a host system, and a network security server. Three of the four service elements have a fundamentally hierarchical relationship. The National Flag Card (NFC) is installed into the Cryptographic Unit (CU) which, in turn, is installed into a Host System (HS). Cryptographic functions on the Host System cannot be executed without a Cryptographic Unit, which itself requires the presence of a valid National Flag Card before it's services are available. The fourth service element, a Network Security Server (NSS), can provide a range of different security services including verification of the other three service elements. The framework addresses national policies governing cryptography, where such policies can be independently developed and maintained using a such a framework.

Abstract: Method and system for increasing the effective resolution at which a lower resolution input pixel image is printed on a higher resolution dot matrix printer such an ink-jet or laser printer are described. Illustratively, a 300-dpi by 300-dpi input pixel image is prepared at the printer for printing at 600-dpi by 600-dpi, with otherwise jagged edges appropriately smoothed to produce high print quality. Each pixel and its predefined neighboring pixels in the input image are compared to stored image templates and when a match is found, the corresponding quad pixel, or super-pixel, to be output is altered from a mere replication of the input pixel, thereby to eliminate jagged edges. Memory space in the printer is reduced by storing templates that represent only a fraction of the problem patterns, the input pixel image being reoriented between comparisons in order to account for all possible cases.

Abstract: A computer-based system and method automatically determines a threshold level for each cell of a digital document having one or more cells. Each cell of the document has a plurality of pixels and each pixel has associated therewith a plurality of bits to represent a graylevel for that pixel. A co-occurrence matrix indicating a quantity of each pixel graylevel pair in the cell is constructed. From this matrix, a first histogram is constructed and used to determine a background and a foreground peak for the cell and the features for these peaks. The center of mass for the cell is determined based on these features and is used to determine the threshold level for the cell.

Abstract: An analytical system for analyzing a fluid sample is disclosed. The analytical system includes a microcolumn for conducting the fluid sample, a light source for delivering light through the microcolumnar wall into the microcolumn near the outlet end of that microcolumn, and an optical fiber aligned with the microcolumn to detect light that radiates from the fluid sample without passing through the microcolumnar wall. The microcolumn has an inlet end and an outlet end. A light-inlet end of the optical fiber is nonfixedly coupled to the outlet end of the microcolumn. As the fluid sample is driven from the inlet end to the outlet end of the microcolumn, a light of a suitable wavelength is directed at the microcolumn near its outlet end to cause light interaction with the fluid sample. As a result, light radiates from the fluid sample. This light is collected by the optical fiber to provide information on the presence or quantity of an analyte in the fluid sample.

Abstract: A hierarchic disk array data storage system has a disk array with multiple storage disks and a disk array controller which coordinates data transfer to and from the disks. The storage disks define a physical storage space. A RAID management system maps a RAID-level virtual storage space onto the physical storage space. The RAID-level virtual storage space presents the physical storage space as multiple RAID areas. The RAID areas include mirror RAID areas which contain mirror allocation blocks to store data according to mirror redundancy and parity RAID areas which contain parity allocation blocks to store data according to parity redundancy. The RAID management system dynamically migrates data between the mirror and parity RAID areas in a manner which optimizes performance and data reliability. As new storage requests are made, the RAID management system evaluates the existing storage conditions and computes a total virtual capacity that is available to the user given a disk array configuration.

Abstract: The present invention is accomplished by first initializing a plurality of individuals. A trie is constructed for each individual, where the trie represents the original data. The trie comprises a root node, a plurality of sub-nodes and sub-arrays in a hierarchical arrangement. The individual indicates the number of the sub-nodes, sub-arrays and number of entries in each sub-array. Within a trie, delete any sub-array which contains redundant data and remove any of sub-node which contains redundant data. Apply an overlapping reduction function to the trie. With the trie constructed, determine the size for the trie and associate the size to the individual. Select a mating population based on trie size. Choose and perform at least one operation for the mating population, where the operation is the operations of crossover or mutation. For crossover, create at least one new individual by recombining the "genes" of at least two individual from the mating population.

Abstract: An ink-jet printing system having a pressurized ink reservoir. Ink at elevated pressure is supplied to a back pressure regulator which reduces the pressure down for use by conventional ink-jet printhead. The ink reservoir can be either stationary and off-axis or movable and onboard with the printhead.

Abstract: A color ink-jet pen for printing different colors of ink while simultaneously minimizing or eliminating color bleed. The pen includes a printhead having a nozzle plate for ejecting ink from the printhead onto the print medium. The nozzle plate includes a plurality of groups of nozzles, with each nozzle group dispensing a different color of ink and with adjacent nozzles in each group being separated by an index length. Adjacent groups of nozzles are always separated from each other by a group spacing distance greater than the index length. The group spacing distance is equal to an integer multiple of the index length, yet less than the swath width for each group. The pen is used in an ink-jet printer wherein the swath advance distance by which the paper is advanced between each swath is equal to the number of nozzles within a color group times the index distance.

Abstract: A quadrilateral is divided into two triangles so that each of the two triangles may then be filled by a triangle fill scan converter. Additionally, the vertices of a triangle are sorted to generate inputs to a fill scan converter. A circuit combines the functions of dividing the quadrilateral into triangles and generating the plane equations for the triangle fill scan converter. Accordingly, similar operations which are performed for both triangles of the quadrilateral may be shared between the plane equations for the two triangles. A circuit also combines the functions of generating the plane equations for any one triangle with automatic sorting of the triangle vertices.

Abstract: A computer interconnection backplane bus. The interconnection backplane bus is formed by bus transmission lines and component connection transmission line sections that interconnect components of the computer. The characteristic impedance of the bus transmission lines is stepped so that the number of impedance mismatches on the interconnection bus is minimized. The components of the computer are connected to the bus at the interconnections nodes of the bus transmission lines through terminated component connection transmission line sections. The impedance mismatches that exist on the interconnection backplane bus are strategically placed so that the distortion to a transitioning voltage level edge is in the form of overshoot rather than under shoot or ringing.

Abstract: A color graphics pipeline has a separate encoder with a dither table for processing each color value in pixel data received from a host processor or rasterizer. The encoders modify color values and dither noise values and also combine both positive and negative dither noise values with the color values, for independent optimization of each color and for better edge detection in a color recovery filter within a decoder of the pipeline. Each encoder comprises the following elements. A comparator mechanism compares a color value with a predetermined cutoff value. A dither table provides dither noise values. An offset mechanism modifies the dither noise values to derive a modified dither noise value when the color value is greater than or equal to the predetermined cutoff value. An aliasing mechanism aliases the color value with other color values below the predetermined cutoff value to derive an aliased color value when the color value is less than the predetermined cutoff value.

Abstract: Data compression apparatus includes a current block of data bytes and a logic circuit for determining whether each byte in the current block is the same or different from a seed value. An encoding circuit produces a compressed version of the current block, which includes Command bytes and continuous literal data bytes from the current block. Each Command byte has an encoding identifier, an offset count and a data segment replacement count. Each offset count and data segment replacement count have, respectively, maximum bit sizes (and values). The encoding circuit responds to an indication that a data segment (1) differs from the seed value and (2) is followed by a series of contiguous data segments that are different from the seed value, by causing (a) a first Command byte to manifest a data segment replacement count of the maximum value and an offset count of 0 and to be followed by at least one of the contiguous data segments from the series.