Abstract: A reclosable pouch includes an elongated closure mechanism, at a top portion of the pouch, capable of closing an opening of the pouch. The closure mechanism includes a male closure element having a base, a stem, and an engagement end, and a female closure element that has first and second spaced legs. The male closure element is constructed and arranged to engage the legs of the female closure element in order to close the opening of the pouch. The closure mechanism further includes a plurality of normal segments and a plurality of deformed segments, such that at least one of the male and female closure elements comprises an asymmetric deformation in each of the deformed segments. The asymmetric deformation creates at feast one of a clicking feel and a clicking sound when the male closure element engages the female closure element to close the opening of the pouch.

Abstract: A money gun shoots out paper currency and includes a receptacle for placing money and an exit slot from which the money is shot. The money gun may be used, for example, in clubs to allow customers to spend money faster while tipping dancers. By putting money into the money gun, it frees up the customer from using their hands and keeps count of all the money he or she is spending.

Abstract: A scene-aware auto-exposure control process stabilizes changes in a camera's auto-exposure settings so as to reduce lighting and color flicker during image capture operations. A metric, referred to as the Modified Adjusted Luminance (MAL) metric, is defined to remain relatively constant as long as the lighting of the scene being captured remains relatively constant. Thus, scene changes such as an object moving into, out of, or around in a scene do not significantly affect the MAL metric's value and do not, therefore, trigger an exposure adjustment. Once the MAL metric indicates a scene's lighting is stable, the camera's auto-exposure operation may be suppressed. As long as incoming frames indicate a stable lighting condition (based on the MAL metric), auto-exposure operation may remain suppressed. When incoming frames result in a substantially different MAL over a specified number of frames, auto-exposure operation may be restored.

Abstract: The invention describes a method for evaluating educational programs which, firstly, develops criteria which will address the strengths and weaknesses of the educational program. The second step of the method is to observe the criteria, chosen in step one, in the educational program. The third step is to assign a numerical value to each of the criteria observed in step two. The next step is to assign an overall rating to the educational program based on the numerically valued criteria. The personnel involved in the educational program can then decide what steps in addition to the assessment can be done to improve or maintain the educational program.

Abstract: In a video coder/decoder system using variable resolution adaptation, decoder techniques provide a mechanism to changing resolution of coded lower-resolution video to a higher resolution for rendering. Coded video data of a low resolution frame may be decoded. A motion estimation search may be performed between the decoded low resolution frame and a cache of previously-stored high resolution video frames. If the motion estimation search generates one or more matches, high resolution video data of the decoded frame may generated as a derivation of matching data from the cached video frames.

Abstract: The invention describes a method for evaluating educational programs which, firstly, develops criteria which will address the strengths and weaknesses of the educational program. The second step of the method is to observe the criteria, chosen in step one, in the educational program. The third step is to assign a numerical value to each of the criteria observed in step two. The next step is to assign an overall rating to the educational program based on the numerically valued criteria. The personnel involved in the educational program can then decide what steps in addition to the assessment can be done to improve or maintain the educational program.

Abstract: The invention describes a method for evaluating educational programs which, firstly, develops criteria which will address the strengths and weaknesses of the educational program. The second step of the method is to observe the criteria, chosen in step one, in the educational program. The third step is to assign a numerical value to each of the criteria observed in step two. The next step is to assign an overall rating to the educational program based on the numerically valued criteria. The personnel involved in the educational program can then decide what steps in addition to the assessment can be done to improve or maintain the educational program.

Abstract: A scene-aware auto-exposure control process stabilizes changes in a camera's auto-exposure settings so as to reduce lighting and color flicker during image capture operations. A metric, referred to as the Modified Adjusted Luminance (MAL) metric, is defined to remain relatively constant as long as the lighting of the scene being captured remains relatively constant. Thus, scene changes such as an object moving into, out of, or around in a scene do not significantly affect the MAL metric's value and do not, therefore, trigger an exposure adjustment. Once the MAL metric indicates a scene's lighting is stable, the camera's auto-exposure operation may be suppressed. As long as incoming frames indicate a stable lighting condition (based on the MAL metric), auto-exposure operation may remain suppressed. When incoming frames result in a substantially different MAL over a specified number of frames, auto-exposure operation may be restored.

Abstract: A scene-aware auto-exposure control process stabilizes changes in a camera's auto-exposure settings so as to reduce lighting and color flicker during image capture operations. A metric, referred to as the Modified Adjusted Luminance (MAL) metric, is defined to remain relatively constant as long as the lighting of the scene being captured remains relatively constant. Thus, scene changes such as an object moving into, out of, or around in a scene do not significantly affect the MAL metric's value and do not, therefore, trigger an exposure adjustment. Once the MAL metric indicates a scene's lighting is stable, the camera's auto-exposure operation may be suppressed. As long as incoming frames indicate a stable lighting condition (based on the MAL metric), auto-exposure operation may remain suppressed. When incoming frames result in a substantially different MAL over a specified number of frames, auto-exposure operation may be restored.

Abstract: A scene-aware auto-exposure control process stabilizes changes in a camera's auto-exposure settings so as to reduce lighting and color flicker during image capture operations. A metric, referred to as the Modified Adjusted Luminance (MAL) metric, is defined to remain relatively constant as long as the lighting of the scene being captured remains relatively constant. Thus, scene changes such as an object moving into, out of, or around in a scene do not significantly affect the MAL metric's value and do not, therefore, trigger an exposure adjustment. Once the MAL metric indicates a scene's lighting is stable, the camera's auto-exposure operation may be suppressed. As long as incoming frames indicate a stable lighting condition (based on the MAL metric), auto-exposure operation may remain suppressed. When incoming frames result in a substantially different MAL over a specified number of frames, auto-exposure operation may be restored.

Abstract: A video coding system includes a coding engine operable to code source video according to motion compensated prediction techniques, a reference picture cache to store decoded picture data of previously-coded reference pictures, and a programmable filter to apply selected filtering operation(s) to picture data retrieved from the reference picture cache and provided to the coding engine. A video decoding system includes a decoding engine operable to decode coded video data, a reference picture cache to store decoded picture data of previously-decoded reference pictures, and a programmable filter to apply a filtering operation to picture data retrieved from the reference picture cache and provided to the decoding engine as determined by the coded video data.

Abstract: The invention describes a method for evaluating educational programs which, firstly, develops criteria which will address the strengths and weaknesses of the educational program. The second step of the method is to observe the criteria, chosen in step one, in the educational program. The third step is to assign a numerical value to each of the criteria observed in step two. The next step is to assign an overall rating to the educational program based on the numerically valued criteria. The personnel involved in the educational program can then decide what steps in addition to the assessment can be done to improve or maintain the educational program.

Abstract: The invention describes a method for evaluating educational programs which, firstly, develops criteria which will address the strengths and weaknesses of the educational program. The second step of the method is to observe the criteria, chosen in step one, in the educational program. The third step is to assign a numerical value to each of the criteria observed in step two. The next step is to assign an overall rating to the educational program based on the numerically valued criteria. The personnel involved in the educational program can then decide what steps in addition to the assessment can be done to improve or maintain the educational program.

Abstract: A single communication apparatus for alarm system control boxes that include the combination of a digital communicator and a remote communicating device. The communicating apparatus transmits status reports and events to a remote location. Remote login is permitted to access the control box through a external port or through the remote communication device.

Abstract: The invention describes a method for evaluating educational programs which, firstly, develops criteria which will address the strengths and weaknesses of the educational program. The second step of the method is to observe the criteria, chosen in step one, in the educational program. The third step is to assign a numerical value to each of the criteria observed in step two. The next step is to assign an overall rating to the educational program based on the numerically valued criteria. The personnel involved in the educational program can then decide what steps in addition to the assessment can be done to improve or maintain the educational program.

Abstract: The invention describes a method for evaluating educational programs which, firstly, develops criteria which will address the strengths and weaknesses of the educational program. The second step of the method is to observe the criteria, chosen in step one, in the educational program. The third step is to assign a numerical value to each of the criteria observed in step two. The next step is to assign an overall rating to the educational program based on the numerically valued criteria. The personnel involved in the educational program can then decide what steps in addition to the assessment can be done to improve or maintain the educational program.

Abstract: A single communication apparatus for alarm system control boxes that include the combination of a digital communicator and a remote communicating device. The communicating apparatus transmits status reports and events to a remote location. Remote login is permitted to access the control box through a external port or through the remote communication device.

Abstract: There is provided an alarm system for detecting and warning of the presence of alarm and trouble conditions in a plurality of zones. The system comprises a control panel having a central processing unit and a plurality of alarm devices, each having a microprocessor, that are electrically coupled to the control panel. In particular, the present invention is a two-tier monitoring system such that each alarm device monitors its zone for a shorter rolling time period and the control panel monitors the same zone of the alarm device for a longer rolling time period. An electronic circuit of the alarm device, including the microprocessor, reads and processes data received from various sensors of the alarm device. Periodically, the alarm device updates a first reference value stored in its memory based on the data received from the sensors during the shorter rolling time period.

Abstract: Curable compositions comprising blends of active hydrogen-containing polymers and curing agents therefor are disclosed. The blends comprise 5 to 60 percent by weight of a free radical initiated addition polymer prepared from a mixture of monomers comprising:1) an epoxy monomer represented by the formula: ##STR1## where R stands for tertiary aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 4 to 26 carbon atoms,2) a polymerizable alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, and3) optionally at least one other polymerizable alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated monomer.Also present in the blend is 10 to 50 percent by weight of an acrylic copolymer different than the addition polymer mentioned above prepared from a mixture of monomers comprising:1) a monomer of the formula: ##STR2## where R.sub.2 is a polymerizable unsaturated hydrocarbon group, R.sub.3 is hydrogen or C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 alkyl, n=2 to 4 and2) at least one other unsaturated monomer copolymerizable therewith.

Abstract: A holding device for holding a workpiece in an adjustable position while one or more operations are carried out thereon comprises a base having an annular flange which is received in arcuate recesses provided for such purpose in a pair of mutually spaced and mutually opposed support arms. At their opposite ends, such support arms are provided with opposed concave recesses receiving a generally spherical member carrying a workpiece attachment plate on which a workpiece can be supported. A shaft extends through the support arms intermediate their ends and spring means associated with that shaft bias the support arms toward each other to retain the annular flange within the arcuate recesses and the generally spherical member within the concave recesses.