Abstract: Various computer-implemented methods are provided. One method for signature recognition includes identifying a vertical element of a signature and determining a tilt angle of the vertical element. Tilt angle is defined by a line that is approximately parallel to the vertical element. In addition, the method includes determining a tilt factor. Tilt factor is defined as a horizontal offset between the tilt angle and a reference tilt as a function of distance from a signature baseline. The method further includes altering the signature using the tilt factor and comparing the altered signature to known signature(s) to determine if the altered signature matches one of the known signature(s). Another method includes altering the signature using a predetermined tilt factor and comparing the altered signature to known signature(s). If the altered signature does not match one of the known signature(s), these steps may be repeated with different predetermined tilt factors.

Abstract: A palette for a pen tablet computer that facilitates secure gripping of the computer by the user and operation thereof. One edge of the palette includes a palm swell on one side, function buttons on the opposing side, and a thumb hole extending between the two sides. A support arm engagement region extends from the one edge diagonally to the opposite, parallel edge. In one form, the computer can be selectively attached and detached from the palette.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and system for securely providing material to a licensee of the material are described. In each, at least one license key is provided, preferably along with a license including usage rights for requested content or material to the licensee. The material requested and licensed by the licensee is provided to the licensee encrypted with at least one content key. To achieve a second-level of security, the at least one content key is provided to the licensee encrypted with the at least one license key so that both the at least one content key and the at least one license key are necessary for the licensee to decrypt and use the encrypted material.

Abstract: An aparatus and for accessing material using an entity-locked secure registry is described. A host includes material encrypted with at least one content key, a secure registry encrypted with a registry key and storing access and other information for the encrypted material, and a control module configured to decrypt the secure registry for retrieval of the access and other information if a correct entity identification is received.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and system for securely providing material to a licensee of the material are described. In each, at least one license key is provided, preferably along with a license including usage rights for requested content or material to the licensee. The material requested and licensed by the licensee is provided to the licensee encrypted with at least one content key. To achieve a second-level of security, the at least one content key is provided to the licensee encrypted with the at least one license key so that both the at least one content key and the at least one license key are necessary for the licensee to decrypt and use the encrypted material.

Abstract: Methods and devices for detecting a watermark in a watermarked video stream, the watermark having been scaled by an unknown scale among a predetermined finite number of scales and shifted by an unknown number of pixels. For each of the predetermined number of scales, the video stream is divided into a plurality of equally sized scaled watermark blocks; and the plurality of scaled watermark blocks are read into a plurality of read blocks. Each of the read blocks are accumulated into one of a predetermined number of read block bins. The accumulated read blocks are then re-scaled and combined into a single video accumulated block. A predetermined quantity, such as the power of a DCT, is then evaluated within the video accumulated block. This evaluation yields information relative to presence of the watermark in the video stream, the scale applied to the watermarked video and the shift of the watermark, if any, within the watermark blocks.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing broadcast operations that enables a programmer to schedule broadcast constituents, such as programs, schedules, commercials, etc. according to relative sequential orderings indicative of the sequence the constituents are played. The corresponding material which manifests select of the constituents and the media which manifests the material are also identified such that to play the broadcast, the structure is accessed to identify the sequence of play and the media to be played.

Abstract: The method and apparatus of the present invention enables scheduled broadcast elements to be represented by a material indicative of the signal and media indicative of where the signal is coming from. For each element, at least one corresponding material that represents the broadcast element and at least one corresponding media that represents the material are specified. Thus, for a particular broadcast element, the media that manifests the broadcast element based upon the material and media specified is easily determined.

Abstract: The system and method creates a broadcast tree comprising a hierarchy of broadcast constituents, each constituent represented as a node in the tree. The tree includes at least two nodes representing at least two of the following constituents arranged in accordance with the following hierarchical order; channel, schedule, program, pod and element, wherein the channel is the highest order constituent and the element is the lowest order constituent and wherein each higher order constituent can be composed of one or more constituents of the same or lower order. Associations are provided between constituents to be used to identify the sequence the constituents are played in order to generate a broadcast. These associations identify the paths to be taken from a higher order node to a lower order node.

Abstract: A method and system for compressing video in a manner characteristic of photographic film compression. One embodiment of the invention is a video camera including circuitry for compressing the raw video signals generated thereby to introduce film-like compression characteristics thereto. Such video camera preferably includes controls allowing smooth, gradual, film-like compression of video image data recorded thereby, in response to user variation of no more than a small number of compression parameters. In other embodiments, the invention is a video post-production editing system which performs film-like compression on an analog or digital video signal. Such compression can be performed to match the dynamic range of a first, film-derived video segment to that of a second, non-film-derived video segment. Preferably, the invention implements film-like compression digitally, by employing digital circuitry.

Abstract: An operator input subsystem and an image signal processing subsystem are provided to a digital image processing system. The operator input subsystem comprises a CPU, a display device and an input device, whereas the image signal processing subsystem comprises a digital signal processor having a number of digitized signal correctors. For cases where the output results are expressible as smoothly differentiable continuous functions of the digitized input signal values and the processing parameters, the CPU receives the specified output results from the input device and the digitized input signal values and the current processing parameters from the digitized signal correctors. In response, the CPU determines the most optimal processing parameters for the digitized signal correctors to achieve the specified output results. The CPU provides the determined optimal processing parameters to the digitized signal correctors, which in turn use the parameters to correct the digitized signals.

Abstract: A computerized interactive menu-driven video signal processing apparatus and method for selectively converting and processing color video signals from a color film scanner includes and provides a method for using a film scanner, a video color signal processor, a video signal storage device (e.g. high definition video tape recorder) and a computer with an interactive menu-driven operator control interface. The operator interface includes an alphanumeric keypad, a computer "mouse," a graphics display and a video monitor. While viewing analytical data (e.g. film masking coefficients, model film dye characteristic curves) on the graphics display and video images on the video monitor, the operator enters data and commands into the computer via the alphanumeric keypad or mouse to control the film scanner, the video color signal processor and the video signal storage device.

Abstract: A subject image being electronically transferred from a first medium to a second medium is accomplished through tone scale tracking. Three monochromatic channels representing the subject image are generated from the first medium. In a preferred embodiment, an image processing system provides color correction for each channel by compensating for film and video characteristics that cause a degradation of color from the original subject image. Calibration of the system is provided by means for an operator to specify tone densities for the second medium that correlate to signal levels derived from the first medium for each channel. The image processing system tracks the tone densities calibrated to provide enhanced film masking. The image processing system also performs characteristic curve processing in accordance with a Hurter-Driffield (HD) curve.

Abstract: A digital color correction system and method provide for color correction in a film-to-video signal conversion system. Film color correction is done by correcting incoming digitized film color signals (e.g. red, green and blue) according to film color correction parameters which represent film characteristics, such as film speed, gamma, and minimum and maximum film dye density. The film color correction parameters are used to sensitometrically convert the film color signals to video color signals according to a sensitometric film model, such as the Hurter-Driffield ("HD") characteristic curve. Video color correction is then performed upon the corrected film color signals according to video color correction parameters which represent video signal characteristics, such as hue and saturation, as well as a video color standard model, such as SMPTE 240M.