Abstract: Recommending an automated assistant action for inclusion in an existing automated assistant routine of a user, where the existing automated assistant routine includes a plurality of preexisting automated assistant actions. If the user confirms the recommendation through affirmative user interface input, the automated assistant action can be automatically added to the existing automated assistant routine. Thereafter, when the automated assistant routine is initialized, the preexisting automated assistant actions of the routine will be performed, as well as the automated assistant action that was automatically added to the routine in response to affirmative user interface input received in response to the recommendation.

Abstract: A method of providing a personalized audio briefing to a user is performed at an electronic device. The device receives identification of information sources associated with the user. Each of the information sources is associated with a content type. The device receives an authorization to access the identified information sources and a preferred order of content types for presentation within the audio briefing. It transmits to a remote system the identification, the authorization, and the preferred order. Following the transmitting, the device receives a verbal input from the user requesting the audio briefing. In response to the verbal input, the device receives a response generated by the remote system, including content from the information sources and information inserted by the remote system based on the authorization to access received from the user. The device outputs an audible response according to the preferred order.

Abstract: A method at an electronic device with an audio input device and an audio output device includes: receiving through the audio input device a verbal input from a user; transmitting information corresponding to the verbal input to a remote system; receiving from the remote system a response responsive to the verbal input, the response including information in accordance with one or more criteria; and outputting the response through the audio output device.

Abstract: A method includes determining, by an assistant executing at one or more processors, a default group of actions that the assistant is configured to execute in response to receiving a particular audible command. The method includes determining, by the assistant, based on the default group of actions and a user profile associated with a particular user, a custom group of actions that the assistant is configured to execute in response to receiving the particular audible command from the particular user. The method also includes receiving, by the assistant, an indication of the particular audible command, and determining, by the assistant, whether the indication of particular audible command originated from the particular user. The method further includes, responsive to determining that the indication of particular audible command originated from the particular user, executing, by the assistant, each action from the custom group of actions.

Abstract: A method at an electronic device with an audio input device and an audio output device includes: receiving through the audio input device a verbal input from a user; transmitting information corresponding to the verbal input to a remote system; receiving from the remote system a response responsive to the verbal input, the response including information in accordance with one or more criteria; and outputting the response through the audio output device.

Abstract: The present invention encompasses cultured collections of a gut microbial community, models comprising such cultures, and methods of use thereof.

Abstract: In a conditional access system, a headend transmits content to one or more receivers in encrypted transport streams. The system provides a multi-layer security architecture, rendering the system resistant to key replay attacks; if one layer is circumvented, subsequent layers remain intact. A first layer prevents unencrypted keys from being recorded by shielding the unencrypted keys from users and encrypting the path from the receiver's conditional access module to the transport decryption module; a second layer prevents a key recorded on one receiver from being played back to the transport decryption module on a second receiver; a third layer prevents a user from decrypting transport streams without the encryption module by encrypting the stream a second time prior to being passed through any user-accessible memory or processor. Event tables are transmitted with the transport stream, either unencrypted for immediate use or encrypted, to prevent unauthorized use.

Abstract: In a conditional access system, a headend transmits content to one or more receivers in encrypted transport streams. The system provides a multi-layer security architecture, rendering the system resistant to key replay attacks; if one layer is circumvented, subsequent layers remain intact. A first layer prevents unencrypted keys from being recorded by shielding the unencrypted keys from users and encrypting the path from the receiver's conditional access module to the transport decryption module; a second layer prevents a key recorded on one receiver from being played back to the transport decryption module on a second receiver; a third layer prevents a user from decrypting transport streams without the encryption module by encrypting the stream a second time prior to being passed through any user-accessible memory or processor. Events tables are transmitted with the transport stream, either unencrypted for immediate use or encrypted, to prevent unauthorized use.

Abstract: A method is provided for the continuous casting, cutting, and continued heat treatment of steel slabs, particularly those having cracking-prone alloy formulations, without requiring the use of water spray quench cooling equipment.

Abstract: A method for providing insurance includes providing a bundle of products and services to a crop producer, the bundle of products and services comprising seed products and insurance. The insurance provides a benefit to the crop producer if grain grown from the seed products does not meet or exceed a crop quality threshold. The method further includes determining if crop grown from the seed products meets or exceeds the crop quality threshold and if the crop does not meet or exceed the crop quality threshold, providing the benefit to the crop producer according to the insurance. The benefit may be a cash benefit or a seed credit. The crop quality may be related to a particular end use for the grain such as ethanol production, food production, or use as a livestock feed.

Abstract: A multimedia time warping system allows a user to store selected multimedia data streams while the user is simultaneously watching or reviewing other multimedia data. Data streams are converted to digital streams for internal transfer and manipulation. A parser and event buffer decouple the CPU from having to parse the digital stream. Video segments are stored on a storage device and when data is requested for display, its video segments are extracted from the storage device and sent to a decoder that converts them into display output signals and delivers the display output signals to a display.

Abstract: A digital security surveillance system allows a user to store selected security surveillance feeds while the user is simultaneously watching or reviewing another feed. User control commands are accepted and sent through the system. The system parses the resulting digital stream and generates identifying information associated with at least one video segment of the digital stream. The video segments are stored on a storage device. When a security surveillance feed is requested for display, a corresponding stored digital stream is found and its video segments are extracted from the storage device and sent to a decoder that converts the digital stream into display output signals. The security surveillance feeds can be simultaneously sent to an external storage device such as a DVD recorder or VCR.

Abstract: An agricultural input supplier can provide seed products by tying the compensation received for the seed products to an evaluation of the land base on which the seed products are to be planted and/or the performance of the seed products on the land base. The evaluation of the land base may be based on environmental classification and/or genotype-by-environment data. In addition to tying the compensation to the land quality and the seed performance, this approach to providing seed allows for recommendations to be made to the producer regarding which seed products should be used on the land base. The performance of the seed product on the land base may also be verified.

Abstract: A system for providing trickplay functionality—such as pause, instant replay, rewind, fast forward, etc—for very highly compressed video/audio data stream. Depending on the trickplay functionality, the system configures the duration of playback before a jump, the decoding speed required, the number of pictures to display per second, and the distance between jumps. The system may comprise a decoder, a picture rate controller and a display.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for ablating tissue is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a source of microwave radiation (1), a probe (5) for directing the microwave radiation into tissue, one or more detectors for detecting the power and phase of the microwave radiation and an impedance adjuster (50) for adjusting impedance so as to minimize the amount of microwave radiation which reflected back through the probe. The detector or detectors use a local oscillator (230) to derive the phase information. A modulator for modulating the microwave radiation to a cutting frequency is also disclosed.

Abstract: A coiler drum of a reversing rolling mill includes a work portion that engages a strip of metal being processed in the reversing rolling mill. The work portion includes an inner base surface and engaging strips that extend radially outward from the base surface. When the metal strip is engaged by the work portion, the metal strip does not contact the inner base surface, which has a surface area greater than 35 percent of the work surface. The engaging strips can be formed on the coiler drum by using weld overlays, inserts into slots, or by casting the engaging strips onto the coiler drum at the time the coiler drum is cast. The engaging strips may be laterally offset from one another and have a length less than 50 percent of the axial length of the work portion. The engaging strips may also be formed from a different material than the material of the work surface of the coiler drum.

Abstract: A multimedia mobile personalization system provides a remote control that detects a user's electronic tag, e.g. an RFID tag. The remote control notifies a multimedia device of the user's identity. The multimedia devices tailors it operations to the user's preferences stored locally. Multimedia content such as broadcast or recorded television programs, music play lists, and the like could be sorted, displayed, or restricted, depending on the user identifier.

Abstract: In its several embodiments, this invention discloses novel processes to prepare the compounds of formula II and formula IV:

Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention discloses a process to directly prepare an unequal ratio of rotamers of an acid salt from a basic compound, by creative choice of a solvent medium. The process is particularly useful in preparing specific rotamers of pharmaceutically useful salts in desired preponderance.

Abstract: A multimedia time warping system allows the user to store selected television broadcast programs while the user is simultaneously watching or reviewing another program. The system accepts television (TV) input streams in a multitude of forms that are converted to an encoded formatted stream for internal transfer and manipulation and are parsed. Events are recorded that indicate the type of component that has been found, where it is located, and when it occurred. The program logic is notified that an event has occurred and the data is extracted from the buffers. The encoded streams are stored on a storage device and a decoder converts the encoded stream into TV output signals. User control commands affect the flow of the encoded stream.