Abstract: The present invention proposes a method and a device for improving the relevance of images shown to a user during an image search phase in an indexing engine. The method includes firstly a step of evaluation by a user of the method or the device of the relevance or the irrelevance followed by a step of associating a relevance value with each of the images declared relevant (or irrelevant), creating an influence zone (or influence field) around the image concerned, all these fields then being accumulated. The images finally shown to the user are those having the highest relevance values.

Abstract: An autonomous solenoid controller which in its broad aspect includes a microprocessor, a communication bus, and a solenoid driver. The microprocessor includes logic in order to control drivers for at least one solenoid. The communications bus is operably connected to the microprocessor so that the communications bus and the microprocessor communicate with one another. The communication bus communicates with an outside transmission control unit. The solenoid driver is electrically connected between the microprocessor and the solenoid, such that the microprocessor commands the solenoid driver to alter the position of the solenoid.

Abstract: A transmission system for a digital signal includes a transmitter and a receiver connected thereto by a transfer bus. The transmission system includes at least one conductive line capacitively coupled with the transfer bus.

Abstract: A method of processing seismic data comprises identifying the value of a first parameter associated with an event in a first set of seismic data. The value of a second parameter associated with a corresponding event in a second sent of seismic data is then obtained using at least one look-up table. The first parameter may be PP travel time with the first data set being a raw PP data set, and the second parameter may be PS travel time with the second data set being a raw PS data set or reflection depth. The invention makes it possible to identify pairs of corresponding PP and PS events in raw data traces. The look-up table(s) are obtained using an assumed model for the velocity of propagation of acoustic energy within the earth. The results of the method may be used in quality control, or to correct the velocity model.

Abstract: The electronic wallet system comprises a plurality of devices interconnected through a local network and capable of conducting electronic business transaction on an open network (40). Each device contains a smart card reader. A plurality of smart cards (31–3p) represent the electronic purses of the system. One of the devices comprises an entity called the server which contains a list of purses liable to receive tokens from others purses of the system. The tokens transferred between purses are stored temporally by said server. Application to a family wallet system allowing children to participate to electronic commerce. The system makes it possible to transfer tokens from one first purse to a second purse without having in hands the smart card corresponding to the second purse.

Abstract: Methods of preventing air-liquid interfaces on the surface of a wafer in order to prevent the formation of particle defects on a wafer are presented. The air-liquid interfaces may be prevented by covering the entire surface of the wafer with liquid at all times during a cleaning process while the surface of the wafer is hydrophobic. Methods of preventing the formation of silica agglomerates in a liquid during a pH transition from an alkaline pH to a neutral pH are also presented, including minimizing the turbulence in the liquid solution and reducing the temperature of the liquid solution during the transition.

Abstract: The invention related to a method for detection of points of interest in a source digital image, by means of a wavelet transformation associating a sub-sampled image, called a scaled image, with a source image and wavelet coefficients corresponding to at least one detail image, for at least one level of decomposition, a point of interest being a point associated with a region of the image with high frequencies. The method comprises the following steps:—application of said wavelet transformation to said source image, generation of a single tree structure from the wavelet coefficients of each of said detail images and selection of at least one point of interest by analysis of said tree structure.

Abstract: A method of processing seismic data comprises identifying the value of a first parameter associated with an event in a first set of seismic data. The value of a second parameter associated with a corresponding event in a second set of seismic data is then obtained using at least one look-up table. The first parameter may be, for example, PP travel time with the first data set being a raw PP data set, and the second parameter may be, for example, PS travel time with the second data set being a raw PS data set or reflection depth. The invention makes it possible to identify pairs of corresponding PP and PS events in raw data traces. The look-up table(s) are obtained using an assumed model for the velocity of propagation of acoustic energy within the earth. The results of the method may be used in quality control, or may be used to correct the velocity model.

Abstract: Pixels are classified as text; or “non-text” by responding to accumulated luminous brightness gradients within a predetermined pixel interior. Text and non-text image characteristics rest on estimating text-containing rectangles by determining a narrow width and a height of a peak in an interval of accumulated gradients around each pixel. The text characteristics also are inferred by detecting character corners by quantifying and smoothing gradient angles and by associating directional corner responses with each pixel.

Abstract: The processing device is intended to be connected to a network of the second domain so as to receive data encrypted according to an encryption method specific to the first domain. It comprises: a memory for containing a first secret specific to the first domain; means of decryption of the data encrypted with the aid of the first secret so as to obtain decrypted data; means of encryption of the data decrypted according to an encryption method specific to the second domain, so that the data encrypted by said means of encryption cannot be decrypted other than with the aid of a second secret specific to the second domain. The invention also relates to the method for transmitting data encrypted with the aid of the secret specific to the first domain in the network of the second domain.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of real-time on-line auction processing implemented by a bid server, comprising the following steps: reception of bid orders relating to at least one good or service put up for sale by auction, each bid order being associated with an amount; selection of a bid order, from among the bid orders received whose amount is equal to the highest amount of all the bid orders received. Furthermore, in this method a timeout is triggered whenever the server receives a bid order of an amount strictly greater than the highest amount of all the bid orders received previously and relating to the said good or service; and during the selection step, a bid order is selected randomly from among those received during the timeout period. The invention applies also to two other types of auction methods in which the price of the good or service put up for sale is fixed by the server.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for managing purchase of digital contents comprising steps which consist in: at a terminal level, a) receiving a digital content broadcast by broadcasting means; b) generating a content purchase order; c) transmitting the purchase order to means for processing the order; d) downloading the content from the processing means. The method further comprises, between steps c) and d) a content payment step at the end of which the terminal receives from the processing means a downloading ticket containing data used by the terminal for downloading the content at step d).

Abstract: This method for managing a game for betting on at least one winning combination, between a game management center (10) and at least one remote game terminal (16i) comprises a step (24) which involves choosing, from the game terminal (16i), a combination of elements from a first set of proposed elements.

Abstract: Methods of preventing air-liquid interfaces on the surface of a wafer in order to prevent the formation of particle defects on a wafer are presented. The air-liquid interfaces may be prevented by covering the entire surface of the wafer with liquid at all times during a cleaning process while the surface of the wafer is hydrophobic. Methods of preventing the formation of silica agglomerates in a liquid during a pH transition from an alkaline pH to a neutral pH are also presented, including minimizing the turbulence in the liquid solution and reducing the temperature of the liquid solution during the transition.

Abstract: The system for distributing a digital content, created by a content provider (301-304), to a requester (200) through a sharing network (110), comprises a central authority (201-204) working on behalf of the content provider and a responder (300), registered with the central authority. When the responder (300) receives a request (1) for a content corresponding to a file stored on his/her computer, content purchase information data (4) are sent to the requester. The requester then buys the content to the central authority and receives a proof of buying (11). In response to the sending of this proof of buying to the responder, the requester receives the file corresponding to the requested content. The responder then receives a compensation from the central authority for his/her participation in the distribution of the content.

Abstract: The invention relates in particular to a method of scrambling a video signal using an encryption key for controlling access to audiovisual information. The video signal is scrambled by applying a tattooing function to the video signal by using a marking key derived from the encryption key, the tattooing function including a parameter for regulating the amplitude of tattooing so as to enable the visibility of the tattooing in the video signal to be adjusted. The invention also provides a dual unscrambling method, and a system, an encoder, a decoder, a broadcast server, and a data medium for implementing said methods.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of controlling the quality of seismic data that has been migrated using the generalized Radon transform, the method serving to pass between a seismic data space and a migrated image space, in which method a parameter table is calculated giving, for a seismic wave going from a point of the image to a source or a sensor, its path length, its travel time, and the angles of incidence of the wave at the beginning and at the end of the path, and in which correspondence is established between at least one zone of a first one of said two spaces and at least one zone of the second space, by using said parameter table to fill in a correspondence table QCimage.

Abstract: The electronic wallet system comprises a plurality of devices interconnected through a local network and capable of conducting electronic business transaction on an open network (40). Each device contains a smart card reader. A plurality of smart cards (31-3p) represent the electronic purses of the system. One of the devices comprises an entity called the server which contains a list of purses liable to receive tokens from others purses of the system. The tokens transferred between purses are stored temporally by said server.