Abstract: A plurality of remote terminals (A) are each disposed in a physician's office and are connected by telephone lines or other electronic data communication with a central processing system (B). Each terminal includes a data entry key board (10) and a magnetic tape reader (12) for entering physician, patient, medical service, insurance, and other medically related data. The entered data is processed by a terminal processor (20) to incorporate previously stored data from an electronic data memory and to transfer and store entered medical transaction data to memory.

Abstract: A dipmeter signal processing method and system are disclosed, wherein portions of at least three are matched, utilizing correlation intervals, to derive a plurality of possible offsets. For each of the offsets, the spatial coordinates are defined of an associated vector parallel to an implicit bedding plane. The coordinates are utilized to combine nonparallel vectors to generate a plurality of dips. The dips that substantially repeat for a given depth or repeat from one depth level to the next within a given depth zone are retained to retain a single dip for each depth. A display is then outputted of each dip at each depth.

Abstract: A system and procedure is disclosed for evaluating published bid line data of commercial airlines and developing therefrom an ordered set of bid lines arranged according to the degree to which such bid lines tend to satisfy individually expressed preferences and priorities of an airline employee. A system subscriber enters his or her preferences and priorities, according to preestablished defined categories, into a computer database, preferably inputting the information through key entries on a touch tone telephone. Subsequently, when monthly bid lines are published by the employer airline, the various bid lines are computer analyzed, one by one, against the subscriber's recorded preferences and priorities, evaluating such data as credit hours, layovers, arrivals and departures, trips, days off, etc. The output of the syste is an ordered list of flight numbers, specific to a given subscriber, arranged in order of tendency to satisfy the subscriber's expressed preferences and priorities.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electronic funds transfer system that assures that funds to be electronically transferred are actually present to be transferred. This is accomplished by sending both the debit side and the credit side of the transaction as described in automated clearing house records to a payor's financial institution or data processor and comparing both records to assure the funds are present before releasing the funds to a payee. The release of funds to a payee is accomplished by the sending of a credit by an automated clearing house record to a payee's financial institution or data processor or by the printing and mailing of a check if the payee is not a member of the automated clearing house.

Abstract: A system and method for processing transactions in renewable options in stocks or other securities. The system provides means for entry of customer data and renewable option transaction data, means for processing the data, and means for storing the data. Included in the transaction data is data regarding the criteria under which the renewable option investment will be renewed, as well as data indicating the renewal premium for renewing the renewable option, which may be a fixed amount or an amount based on additional data. Through this system, the renewable option may be renewed periodically for a fixed period, until a designated event occurs, or perpetually. Means for storing criteria under which the renewable options are exercised, sold, or allowed to expire, and for processing the exercise, sale, or expiration of such renewable options, are also disclosed. Also disclosed is a method for processing transactions in such renewable options.

Abstract: A process for modeling a bounded volume having a given geologic stratigraphic pattern, other than a volume having layers of uniform thickness parallel to mean sea level. The process comprises the steps of constructing a separate grid for each critical surface bounding said volume and constructing layers of cells according to the stratigraphic pattern.

Abstract: An interactive writing skills instructional apparatus includes a display device, such as an LCD panel, for displaying single or multi-stroke characters and an input digitizer for accepting user-entered characters that are representative of the displayed character. A program controller microprocessor grades the user-entered stroke or strokes by scanning the digitized representation of the user-entered stroke for extreme points, dividing the user-entered stroked into segments and then analyzing each segment in terms of the position of its start and end extreme points, segment orientations, curvature, relative position, direction drawn, and size. Deduction points are then assigned for deviations from the ideal value to yield a `grade`. The user is provided with a indication of performance including both audio and visual indications as a function of the performance grade.

Abstract: A patient arrhythmia monitoring system having a plurality of bedside stations that can derive physiological data for a patient coupled thereto, a central station, a bus for providing communication between said bedside stations and said central station. A processor is provided for analyzing the data from each station. Criteria for the indication of an alarm for a bedside station can be set at that station and at the central station. When an alarm is indicated for a bedside station, the data causing it can be viewed at that station as well as at the central station. Selected alarm data is temporarily stored by said processor in such manner that the data for any bedside station can be recalled at the bedside station from which it came and at the central station, A printer is provided for printing the selected alarm data for any bedside station on a separate page.

Abstract: The image of microorganisms contained in a sludge of an aeration tank is picked up by an image pickup device having the function of magnifying and picking up microorganism images. Binarizing processing is then made to obtain a binarized image from the resulting gray image, and the binarized image is subjected to thinning processing. The number of pixels of the image left after often the thinning processing is counted to measure the amount of filamentous microorganisms. In this manner, the amount of the filamentous microorganisms can be measured accurately irrespective of their thickness.

Abstract: A student response system which centrally processes student response data received from a plurality of classrooms. The system includes a main controller coupled to an instructors's terminal in each of the classrooms. The system also includes a plurality of student response keypads in each of the classrooms as well as a plurality of student data controllers associated with each of the classrooms wherein each student data controller is coupled to a group of keypads to accumulate data therefrom. The main controller is responsive to commands from an instructor's terminal to control each of the student data controllers in the instructor's classroom to accumulate data from the keypads in a particular manner for transmission to the main controller which then processes the data. The student response system may be operated in a Sign-On mode, Test mode, Survey mode or Student Election mode and may further be used to generate seating charts for each of the classrooms.

Abstract: A path analyzer for determining if a specified path is blocked by a given obstacle. A programmable comparator simultaneously compares each of the coordinates of a specified point in N dimensional space with two coordinate ranges: (1) the range defined by the minimum and maximum values of the coordinate for a specified obstacle, and (2) the range of values of that coordinate which are outside and one one side of the obstacle. As a result, the programmable comparator generates a 2N bit map signal denoting, for each coordinate, whether the specified point is within each of the two ranges.The analyzer presents to the programmable comparator the coordinates of the starting point and the end point of a specified path, and the programmable comparator responds by generating a starting point map signal and an end point map signal. A decoder then uses these starting point and end point map signals to determine whether the specified path is blocked, not blocked, or may be blocked by the specified obstacle.