Abstract: A surgical instrument including a surgical end effector and a threaded rotary input shaft. An actuator member is in operable engagement with the surgical end effector and is in selective threaded engagement with the threaded rotary input shaft such that when the actuator member is in an engaged configuration, rotation of said threaded rotary input shaft causes the actuator member to move axially to impart an actuation motion to the surgical end effector and when the actuator member is in a disengaged configuration, rotation of the threaded rotary input shaft will not be imparted to the actuator member. A switch may be employed for selectively moving the actuator between the engaged and disengaged configurations. A locking system may be employed for preventing axial movement of the actuator member when the actuator member is in the disengaged configuration.

Abstract: Sampling in the process of trans-raster distortion correction is described. The distortion parameterization is analyzed to determine the maximum inflation and deflation (magnification and minification) over the image. The maximum inflation is then used to determine the optimal resolution (dimensions in pixels) of the linear-projected image such that it is not undersampled by the output image. The maximum deflation, coupled with the optimal resolution determined in the inflation step, is then used to configure the filter used in the resampling process such that aliasing due to undersampling is minimized, while simultaneously controlling the computational burden of the filter.

Abstract: A wireless networked device incorporating a display, a video camera and a geo-location system receives geo-located data messages from a server system. Messages can be viewed by panning the device, revealing the message's real world location as icons and text overlaid on top of the camera input on the display. The user can reply to the message from her location, add data to an existing message at its original location, send new messages to other users of the system or place a message at a location for other users. World Wide Web geo-located data can be explored using the system's user interface as a browser. The server system uses the physical location of the receiving device to limit messages and data sent to each device according to range and filtering criteria, and can determine line of sight between the device and each actual message to simulate occlusion effects.

Abstract: Programming is provided to a user. The programming includes content that the user wishes to play, and may also contain advertising. More specifically, the user controls various aspects of the advertising and earns value in return for agreeing to or allowing certain advertising actions. For example, in one embodiment, the programming contains blocks of advertising that separate blocks of streaming content, similar to current television advertising. The user pays a subscription fee for the streaming content. The user also has the power to determine which advertisements (or blocks of advertisements) that the user wishes to view. For example, the user may have a remote control with a “skip advertisement” button. Each advertisement has a value associated with it, and by viewing that advertisement, the user earns credits against the user's subscription fee.

Abstract: User-defined shaders are constructed from fragments. The shaders are identified by tags. At run-time, the tag is used to determine whether the user-defined shader has been previously compiled. If it has, the compiled version is executed. If it has not, the fragments are assembled to form the shader and the shader is run-time compiled. The compiled shader can be stored for subsequent reuse, with the tag serving as an index to the compiled version.

Abstract: A data aware clustered system architecture is described for an image generation system. The architecture leverages commodity personal computers to provide the processing capability of the image generator such as may be used in a flight simulator. The architecture supports a data pipeline for processing stages of a progressive data structure for the transformation of data from abstract data to a more concrete form for the generation of an image. The architecture provides a multi-staged data flow that extends transparently from a single node system to multiple CPUs in a single node system, to multiple nodes in a clustered system or to multiple CPUs on each node of a clustered system.

Abstract: Object in a scene are antialiased individually in an object-specific manner, according to the type of object in question. One type of object is antialiased using a multipass screen-space jitter technique, where multiple instances of each antialiased object are render and blended together, with a small displacement in screen space coordinates for each copys. Another type of object is antialiased using a single-pass growth antialasiang technique, where the actual rendered geometry is changed in real time in accordance with distance and angle to minimize aliasing artifacts.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for filtering textures applied to a surface of a computer generated object permits an application program running on a computer system to significantly increase the graphics capabilities and performance of the computer. Rendering data for a pixel of the object is received from the application program, and a first and second set of texture coordinates is generated. Next, the first and second sets of texture coordinates are used to obtain a first and second texture sample from a texture image. The first and second texture samples are then blended together to produce a texture sample having a greater degree of filtering. This produced texture sample having a higher degree of filtering is stored in a frame buffer for subsequent display.

Abstract: Terrain is rendered in a three-dimensional computing environment by attaching a number of fixed terrain layers to the viewer, in a configuration such that each layer resembles a “magic carpet” on which the viewer flies. Each concentric layer covers a successively larger area of the visual database, and the vertex density and texture resolution of each layer is independent of other layers. Each layer may feature a fading band around its circumference, which can facilitate fading between consecutive layers. This approach achieves optimal vertex density/range distribution, which enables both very far horizons (exceeding 100 nmi) and very high elevation detail in the foreground, while maintaining strict performance requirements. High texture resolution and sparsely populated terrain texture are also achieved without the use of specialized hardware because each layer is textured independently.

Abstract: A data aware clustered system architecture is described for an image generation system. The architecture leverages commodity personal computers to provide the processing capability of the image generator such as may be used in a flight simulator. The architecture supports a data pipeline for processing stages of a progressive data structure for the transformation of data from abstract data to a more concrete form for the generation of an image. The architecture provides a multi-staged data flow that extends transparently from a single node system to multiple CPUs in a single node system, to multiple nodes in a clustered system or to multiple CPUs on each node of a clustered system.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and a device for generating texture coordinates for a selected pixel within a triangle for a texture wrapping operation. The selected pixel is defined within the triangle by a plurality of barycentric coordinates. The method includes receiving a set of texture coordinates for each of the vertices of the triangle and receiving a plurality of barycentric coordinates associated with the selected pixel. The method further includes determining a plurality of barycentric coefficients for the selected pixel from the texture coordinates of the vertices of the triangle. The barycentric coefficients are optimized to obtain a specified degree of precision, which is adapted to distinguish between neighboring texture coordinates. In addition, the method includes computing the texture coordinates based on the barycentric coefficients and the barycentric coordinates, wherein the texture coordinates are substantially distinct from neighboring texture coordinates.