Abstract: Managing contact groups entails receiving email header information for electronic messages sent during a certain period of time. Each header includes unique identifiers for the sender and each recipient. The set of these unique identifiers from each header forms a de facto group. For each group, the process computes a usage value based on the number of distinct messages corresponding to the group. The process also identifies a set of saved groups, where each saved group is a set of unique identifiers of people, and each saved group has a usage value. The usage value is 0 when the saved group does not equal any de facto group. The process compares the de facto groups and their associated usage values to the saved groups and their associated usage values, and provides a recommendation to modify the set of saved groups based on the comparisons.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments described herein are directed to systems and methods that estimate a user's affect and communication preferences from presence data. The exemplary embodiments use a small set of features derived from a user's recent high level presence states. Exemplary embodiments also use features from broader classes of presence data. Utilizing features from a combination of presence data and recent presence states may provide improvement over estimates that users are able to make themselves. The exemplary embodiments further consider cost, burden on the user, and privacy issues in estimating affect and communication preferences.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide for a symmetric homomorphic encryption based protocol supporting communication, storage, retrieval, and computation on encrypted data stored off-site. The system may include a private, trusted network which uses aggregators to encrypt raw data that is sent to a third party for storage and processing, including computations that can be performed on the encrypted data. A client on a private or public network may request computations on the encrypted data, and the results may then be sent to the client for decryption or further computations. The third party aids in computation of statistical information and logical queries on the encrypted data, but is not able to decrypt the data on its own. The protocol provides a means for a third party to aid in computations on sensitive data without learning anything about those data values.

Abstract: Managing contact groups entails receiving email header information for electronic messages sent during a certain period of time. Each header includes unique identifiers for the sender and each recipient. The set of these unique identifiers from each header forms a de facto group. For each group, the process computes a usage value based on the number of distinct messages corresponding to the group. The process also identifies a set of saved groups, where each saved group is a set of unique identifiers of people, and each saved group has a usage value. The usage value is 0 when the saved group does not equal any de facto group. The process compares the de facto groups and their associated usage values to the saved groups and their associated usage values, and provides a recommendation to modify the set of saved groups based on the comparisons.

Abstract: Systems and methods for repeat photography and difference extraction that help users take pictures from the same position and camera angle as earlier photos. The system automatically extracts differences between the photos. Camera poses are estimated and then indicators are rendered to show the desired camera angle, which guide the user to the same camera angle for repeat photography. Using 3D rendering techniques, photos are virtually projected onto a 3D model to adjust them and improve the match between the photos, and the difference between the two photos are detected and highlighted. Highlighting the detected differences helps users to notice the differences.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments described herein are directed to systems and methods that estimate a user's affect and communication preferences from presence data. The exemplary embodiments use a small set of features derived from a user's recent high level presence states. Exemplary embodiments also use features from broader classes of presence data. Utilizing features from a combination of presence data and recent presence states may provide improvement over estimates that users are able to make themselves. The exemplary embodiments further consider cost, burden on the user, and privacy issues in estimating affect and communication preferences.

Abstract: Gesture-based methods of managing communications of a user participating in communication sessions permit the user to easily manage the communications sessions by defining gestures, defining a meaning of the gesture, and outputting the meaning of the gesture to a communication session when the gesture is detected. The gestures may be contextually dependent, such that a single gesture may generate different output, and may be unconventional to eliminate confusion during gesturing during the communication sessions, and thereby the communications sessions may be more effectively managed.

Abstract: A method and system for defining a model by analyzing images of a physical space. In some embodiments the images of a physical space contain distinctive visual features with associated semantic information, and the model is defined using image feature detection techniques to identify distinctive visual features and a rich marker-based markup language to give meaning to the distinctive visual features. In some embodiments the distinctive visual features are predefined markers, and the markup language specifies model aspects and rules for combining semantic information from a plurality of markers to define the model.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide for gesture-based creation of interactive hotspots in a real world environment. A gesture made by a user in a three-dimensional space in the real world environment is detected by a motion capture device such as a camera, and the gesture is then identified and interpreted to create a “hotspot,” which is a region in three-dimensional space through which a user interacts with a computer system. The gesture may indicate that the hotspot is anchored to the real world environment or anchored to an object in the real world environment. The functionality of the hotspot is defined in order to identify the type of gesture which will initiate the hotspot and associate the activation of the hotspot with an activity in the system, such as control of an application on a computer or an electronic device connected with the system.

Abstract: Systems and methods for repeat photography and difference extraction that help users take pictures from the same position and camera angle as earlier photos. The system automatically extracts differences between the photos. Camera poses are estimated and then indicators are rendered to show the desired camera angle, which guide the user to the same camera angle for repeat photography. Using 3D rendering techniques, photos are virtually projected onto a 3D model to adjust them and improve the match between the photos, and the difference between the two photos are detected and highlighted. Highlighting the detected differences helps users to notice the differences.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide for a symmetric homomorphic encryption based protocol supporting communication, storage, retrieval, and computation on encrypted data stored off-site. The system may include a private, trusted network which uses aggregators to encrypt raw data that is sent to a third party for storage and processing, including computations that can be performed on the encrypted data. A client on a private or public network may request computations on the encrypted data, and the results may then be sent to the client for decryption or further computations. The third party aids in computation of statistical information and logical queries on the encrypted data, but is not able to decrypt the data on its own. The protocol provides a means for a third party to aid in computations on sensitive data without learning anything about those data values.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for creating virtual models, primarily through actions taken in actual 3D physical space. For many applications, such systems are more natural to users and may provide a greater sense of reality than can be achieved by editing a virtual model at a computer display, which requires the use of manipulations of a 2D display to effect 3D changes. Actions are taken (markup is drawn or laid out, etc.) in a physical workspace. Such physical workspaces may in fact be identical to the space being modeled, small physical scale models of the space, or even a whiteboard or set of papers or objects which get mapped onto the space being modeled.

Abstract: A system and a method for using ePaper as a light control media in lighting fixtures or other light enhanced applications to modify, dim or color-shift the light used for lighting the space. One system includes a light source, an ePaper reflector with controllable reflectivity for controlling the light reflected from the reflector and/or an ePaper baffle with controllable translucency for controlling the light through the baffle. The light incident on the ePaper media may include light from other sources such as natural light. One method compares desired lighting in a space to characteristics of the light source. Characteristics of the ePaper media are then adjusted to provide the desired amount of light to the objects under illumination. Reflectivity from walls and furniture may be controlled by applying ePaper to their surfaces. The light source and the ePaper media may be controlled simultaneously to control the lighting.

Abstract: A method and system for defining a model by analyzing images of a physical space. In some embodiments the images of a physical space contain distinctive visual features with associated semantic information, and the model is defined using image feature detection techniques to identify distinctive visual features and a rich marker-based markup language to give meaning to the distinctive visual features. In some embodiments the distinctive visual features are predefined markers, and the markup language specifies model aspects and rules for combining semantic information from a plurality of markers to define the model.

Abstract: A system and a method for using ePaper as a light control media in lighting fixtures or other light enhanced applications to modify, dim or color-shift the light used for lighting the space. One system includes a light source, an ePaper reflector with controllable reflectivity for controlling the light reflected from the reflector and/or an ePaper baffle with controllable translucency for controlling the light through the baffle. The light incident on the ePaper media may include light from other sources such as natural light. One method compares desired lighting in a space to characteristics of the light source. Characteristics of the ePaper media are then adjusted to provide the desired amount of light to the objects under illumination. Reflectivity from walls and furniture may be controlled by applying ePaper to their surfaces. The light source and the ePaper media may be controlled simultaneously to control the lighting.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for determining relevant information from a document based on document structure. A document is selected and structural elements within the document having a dominance relationship are determined. A first location within the document is selected. The structural element surrounding the first location is determined and the surrounding and non-surrounding structural elements are characterized. Additional documents are associated with the first location in the surrounding structural element based on the surrounding structural element characterization and the non-surrounding structural element characterization. Techniques for dynamically determining annotations for images based on document structure are also provided.

Abstract: A multi-function device that prints information images onto sheets of photo-addressable media is described. The multi-function device is comprised of an image acquisition component, an image generation component, optional image transformation components and an image projector to illuminate the photo-addressable medium with the optionally transformed information images. The effects of ambient light on the photo-addressable medium are reduced by tuning the response characteristics of the photo-addressable medium to respond to the wavelength of the projected light and/or to interpose band-pass filters that reduce non-projected light incident on the photo-addressable medium. Programmable characteristics of the photo-addressable medium are adjustable to compensate for ambient light. Registration marks on the photo-addressable medium allow the alignment of the projected image with the photo-addressable medium.

Abstract: Techniques for media segmentation are disclosed. A number of measures used to generate similarity values are compared. Two different approaches to calculate feature vectors based on pairwise frame similarity in combination with different kernel functions are disclosed. A supervised classification method is used with the feature vectors to assess segment boundaries.

Abstract: A method, information system, and computer-readable medium is provided for segmenting a plurality of data, such as multimedia data, and in particular an image document stream. Segment boundary points may be used for retrieving and/or browsing the plurality of data. Similarly, segment boundary points may be used to summarize the plurality of data. Examples of image document streams include video, PowerPoint slides, and NoteLook pages. A genetic method having a fitness or evaluation function using information retrieval concepts, such as importance and precedence, is used to obtain segment boundary points. The genetic method is able to evaluate a large amount of data in a cost effective manner. The genetic method is also able to run incrementally on streaming video and adapt to usage patterns by considering frequently accessed images.

Abstract: A method and computer-readable medium is provided for designing control software for a module in a self-reconfigurable robot. A genetic method randomly selects a plurality of module software functions for creating a plurality of module control software programs. The plurality of control software programs are then evaluated against a series of tasks and respective fitness functions. The module control software is selected based on the software program having the highest fitness function value for a particular task.