Abstract: A real-time refractory control system includes a laser refractive surgery instrument for modifying the refraction of the eye, an objective diagnostic apparatus for measuring the refraction and aberrations of the eye, and an aperture-sharing element to inject a refractive surgery beam and a monitoring diagnostic beam. An associated method of adjusting a refraction of an eye, includes: performing a procedure to modify the refraction of the eye; while the procedure is being performed, measuring the refraction and/or an aberration of the eye; and terminating the procedure when a change in the measured refraction and/or the measured aberration reaches a desired value.

Abstract: A modular oven, such as a batch process oven, having a standardized set of self supporting, interconnectable panels which, when assembled, from a self-supporting heat containment shell, free of added structural support members. Also described are the self-supporting modular oven panels themselves having common roof, sidewall and end wall shell configuration and a method of assembling the panels such as in the expansion or conversion of a first modular oven assembly to a second assembly more conducive to current production requirements.

Abstract: A system for mapping a three-dimensional structure includes a projecting optical system adapted to project light onto an object, a correction system adapted to compensate the light for at least one aberration in the object, an imaging system adapted to collect light scattered by the object and a wavefront sensor adapted to receive the light collected by the imaging system and to sense a wavefront of the received light. For highly aberrated structures, a number of wavefront measurements are made which are valid over different portions of the structure, and the valid wavefront data is stitched together to yield a characterization of the total structure.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing customized ring pattern, volume or other notification, of an incoming communication, or other occurrence, directed toward a personal communication device, such as a cellular phone, according to data included in a profile. The profile data can include a predetermined schedule of events and also include reference to a source of a communication. The schedule of an event can include a description of a location for the event. Notification, which is customized according to the profile, can be contingent upon physical presence at the specified location. Customization can include modifying, delaying or negating a notification of an incoming communication according the profile, which considers the source of the communication and a schedule set forth by a user.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing windows in a foreground and a background in a data processing system. A buffer is monitored for user input in response to receiving a request to present a pop-up window in a foreground. A determination is made as to whether the application in the foreground is an interruptible application. The pop-up window is presented in the foreground if user input is absent and if the identified application is an interruptible application.

Abstract: A variable capacitance and control system used in a compensative manner to improve efficiency in power amplifier arrangements arranged to receive a power input which is voltage-modulated responsive to at least one control signal representative of the data signal. Also included are methods and software for controlling said power amplifier arrangements including the variable capacitance and control system. The data input to the power amplifier is pre-distorted and the resulting power amplification is substantially linear. The arrangement may be used in wireless base station transmitters, for example. Improved data transmission services are also provided which make use of such power amplifiers.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for preparing an environmentally degradable polymeric compound as well as to such a compound per se and to its use. A compound of the present invention includes a polycondensated lactic acid containing polymer, having a molecular weight (Mw) of from 500 to 50,000 g/mol, to which a flexibilizing aliphatic polyester having a molecular weight of from 500 to 50,000 g/mol is coupled. The amount of lactic acid including groups in the polymeric compound ranges from 50 to 99% and the amount of flexibilizing polyester groups ranges from 1 to 50%.

Abstract: A method, system, and program for controlling the recording of a media program are provided. In response to detecting a match between a selection of program preferences and a particular program from multiple scheduled media programs, a communication with a user at a communication device is initiated to notify the user about the particular program. In response to receiving a request to record the particular program from the communication device, a recording of the particular program is controlled, such that at a location remote from a media program display device the user is enabled to initiate recording of programs likely of interest to the user. The multiple scheduled media programs may include, for example, television broadcast programs and internet broadcast video.

Abstract: A real-time refractory control system includes a laser refractive surgery instrument for modifying the refraction of the eye, an objective diagnostic apparatus for measuring the refraction and aberrations of the eye, and an aperture-sharing element to inject a refractive surgery beam and a monitoring diagnostic beam. An associated method of adjusting a refraction of an eye, includes: performing a procedure to modify the refraction of the eye; while the procedure is being performed, measuring the refraction and/or an aberration of the eye; and terminating the procedure when a change in the measured refraction and/or the measured aberration reaches a desired value.

Abstract: A secure digital escrow account transaction system and method provides that when a customer pays for retail goods or services by credit card, only the retailer's charges for goods and services are transferred from the customer's bank to the retailer's account. The customer sales tax payments in connection with those purchases however are transferred from the customer's bank into an impound account managed by, in one embodiment, a system linkage. The system linkage could be managed by an outside company which, at the end of each payment period, is responsible for transferring the appropriate amount to the State taxing authority with the appropriate forms and reports required by the State on behalf of the retailer.

Abstract: A method of calculating trigram path probabilities for an input string of text containing a multi-word-entry (MWE) or a factoid includes tokenizing the input string to create a plurality of parse leaf units (PLUs). A PosColumn is constructed for each word, MWE, factoid and character in the input string of text which has a unique first (Ft) and last (Lt) token pair. TrigramColumns are constructed which define corresponding TrigramNodes each representing a trigram for three PosColumns. Forward and backward trigram path probabilities are calculated for each separate TrigramNode. The sums of all trigram path probabilities through each PLU are then calculated as a function of the forward and backward trigram path probabilities. Systems and computer-readable medium configured to implement the methods are also provided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for excluding recipients from a list of recipients are provided. The list may be a distribution list or may manually be entered in any or all of an addressee box, a carbon copy box and a blind copy box of a GUI of an e-mail software tool. The present invention uses an added box (i.e., an exclusion box) to exclude recipients from the list. Before actually sending a message to a list of recipients, the invention checks to see whether any one of the recipients should not receive the message. If a recipient is not to receive the message (indicated by an entry in the exclusion box), the invention extricates the address of the recipient from the list and then forwards the message to the rest of the recipients.

Abstract: A method and grammar checking system are provided that generate a stochastic score, or a statistical goodness measure, for each of an input string of text and one or more alternative strings of text. An alternative generator generates the alternative strings of text, and a ranking parser produces parse trees and corresponding statistical goodness measures for each of the strings. The string of text having the highest goodness measure is selected for recommendation to a user.

Abstract: A method of, and system for, generating a sentence from a semantic representation maps the semantic representation to an unordered set of syntactic nodes. Simplified generation grammar rules and statistical goodness measure values from a corresponding analysis grammar are then used to create a tree structure to order the syntactic nodes. The sentence is then generated from the tree structure. The generation grammar is a simplified (context free) version of a corresponding full (context sensitive) analysis grammar. In the generation grammar, conditions on each rule are ignored except those directly related to the semantic representation. The statistical goodness measure values, which are calculated through an analysis training phase in which a corpus of example sentences is processed using the full analysis grammar, are used to guide the generation choice to prefer substructures most commonly found in a particular syntactic/semantic context during analysis.

Abstract: A method and system provide an automated cleaning apparatus for cleaning various types of articles, wherein each type of article is detected and washed according to its own pre-determined combination. The cleaning apparatus has a storage device storing an array of pre-determined chemical combinations and cleaning parameters, including specifying cleaning chemicals to be used on the various identified article types. A transponder is provided with identifying information of the article type. A transceiver detects the type of article from the transponder and communicates that identifying information to a processor. Based on the detected identifier, the processor selects from the storage device the proper chemical combination and cleaning parameters for washing the identified type of article. A control device coupled to the processor delivers the chemicals specified by the selected chemical combination.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for socket-based design with reusable intellectual property (IP) includes a chip integration system (CIS) that provides designers with a convenient method to create and describe a system on a chip (SOC) design independent of design flow. A Chip Integration Description Language (CIDL) is also disclosed that provides a mechanism for defining interfaces between IP cores in a way that isolates a system designer from much of the connection information previously required is also disclosed. Using CIDL, a system designer is able to rapidly connect multiple blocks of intellectual property (IP) based upon the functionality of the blocks rather than traditional hardware-specific connection methods. The details pertaining to specific connections that may be needed are encapsulated within a CIDL-based file that is typically written by the IP core designer. The actual connection of signals between blocks of IP, however, is performed by a CIDL compiler that uses the CIDL file(s) as input.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for confining animals or livestock and preventing their traverse through a gate. Mats are provided having an insulated substrate holding an electrically conductive medium embedded therein. A power source supplies electrical current to the conductive medium. When the power source is activated, the mats may convey a shock to an animal. The mats are located in a gate passage so as to enable normal operation of the gate while preventing the traverse of livestock or animals within the gated area.

Abstract: The invention provides a knowledge management system particularly suited for use in the integrated circuit design environment. The system allows administrators to define standardized component types. Instantiated components versions comprise “deliverables” and “attributes.” Deliverables comprise a file or directory of files or groups of files or directories that perform a common function and are characterized by the system in a standardized manner. Attributes comprise metadata describe the component version. By the abstraction of design files into deliverables, the systems can work with design files originating from any source and having different structures and still make those design files available by other designers in a uniform manner for efficient reuse of pre-qualified components. Tasks in the design flow can be tracked in the system. The system may also include a communications application, an issue tracking application, and an audit trail application.

Abstract: A first and second integrated circuit contain respectively a first and second portion of a parallel port, the first portion includes control, configuration, data and status registers and the second portion includes parallel port input and output terminals. A bus couples the first and second integrated circuits and transfers parallel port control and data information between the first and second integrated circuits. The bus includes a clock line providing a clock signal. The bus also includes a data out line that serially transfers output control and data bits from the first to the second integrated circuit, the data and control bits to be provided to the parallel port output terminals on the second integrated circuit. The bus also includes a data in line providing input data and control information from the terminals of the parallel port to the first integrated circuit.

Abstract: A first and a second local interrupt controller are disposed on a single integrated circuit. The first and second local interrupt controllers are coupled to controllably provide at least one interrupt request signal, respectively, to a first and second processor. An input/output (I/O) interrupt controller is also on the integrated circuit and coupled to receive an interrupt request from at least one input/output device. A communication circuit on the integrated circuit is coupled to the input/output interrupt controller and the first and second local interrupt controllers. The communication circuit provides for transfer of interrupt information between the first local interrupt controller, the second local interrupt controller and the input/output interrupt controller.