Abstract: In various embodiments of the present invention, a noisy signal denoiser is tuned and optimized by selecting denoiser parameters that provide relatively highly compressible denoiser output. When the original signal can be compared to the output of a denoiser, the denoiser can be accurately tuned and adjusted in order to produce a denoised signal that resembles as closely as possible the clear signal originally transmitted through a noise-introducing channel. However, when the clear signal is not available, as in many communications applications, other methods are needed. By adjusting the parameters to provide a denoised signal that is globally or locally maximally compressible, the denoiser can be optimized despite inaccessibility of the original, clear signal.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention relate to a discrete denoiser that replaces all of one type of symbol in a received, noisy signal with a replacement symbol in order to produce a recovered signal less distorted with respect to an originally transmitted, clean signal than the received, noisy signal. Certain, initially developed discrete denoisers employ an analysis of the number of occurrences of metasymbols within the received, noisy signal in order to select symbols for replacement, and to select the replacement symbols for the symbols that are replaced. Embodiments of the present invention use blended counts that are combinations of the occurrences of metasymbol families within a noisy signal, rather than counts of individual, single metasymbols, to determine the symbols to be replaced and the replacement symbols corresponding to them.

Abstract: Embedding a watermark includes receiving a datastream of repeated values, determining if an end of run mode permits embedding a first or second binary value, transmitting a shortened version of the datastream when the next bit is a first binary value, appending to the datastream a redundant codeword indicating when the next bit is a first binary value and transmitting an unshortened version of the repeated data values to indicate the next bit is a second binary value and appending a conventional codeword from the codespace indicating the end of run mode and second binary value. Extracting a watermark bit-sequence includes determining if an end of run mode could have embedded either binary value, indicating a first binary value when the end of run mode uses a redundant codeword from the codespace and indicating a second binary value when the end of run mode uses a conventional codeword.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive solid-state storage device (MRAM) employs error correction coding (ECC) to form ECC encoded stored data. ECC encoded data is read and decoded to identify failed symbols. A failure history table is then updated to indicate columns 14 of an array of storage cells 16 which are suspected to be affected by physical failures. Advantageously, erasure information is formed with reference to the failure history table, and the ability of a decoder 22 to perform ECC decoding is substantially enhanced.

Abstract: A method of and system for generating reliability information for a noisy signal received through a noise-introducing channel. In one embodiment, symbol-transition probabilities are determined for the noise-introducing channel. Occurrences of metasymbols in the noisy signal are counted, each metasymbol providing a context for a symbol of the metasymbol. For each metasymbol occurring in the noisy signal, reliability information for each possible value of the symbol of the metasymbol is determined, the reliability information representing a probability that the value in the original signal corresponding to the symbol of the metasymbol assumed each of the possible values. In another embodiment, error correction coding may be performed by adding redundant data to an original signal prior to transmission by the noise-introducing channel and performing error correction decoding after transmission.

Abstract: A method of and system for denoising and decoding a noisy error correction coded signal received through a noise-introducing channel to produce a recovered signal. In one embodiment, noisy message blocks are separated from noisy check blocks in the noisy error correction coded signal. The noisy message blocks are denoised. Error correction decoding is performed on the denoised message blocks using the noisy check blocks to produce the recovered signal.

Abstract: A magnetoresistive solid-state storage device (MRAM) performs error correction coding (ECC) of stored information. Since currently available MRAM devices are subject to physical failures, data storage arrangements are described to minimize the affect of those failures on the stored ECC encoded data, including storing all bits of each symbol in storage cells 16 in one row 12 (FIG. 3), or in at least two rows 12 but using storage cells 16 in the same columns 14 (FIG. 4). Sets of bits taken from each row 12 are allocated to different codewords 204 (FIG. 5) and the order of allocation can be rotated (FIG. 6). A second level of error checking can be applied by adding a parity bit 226 to each symbol 206 (FIG. 7).

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a demultiplexer implemented as a nanowire crossbar or a hybrid nanowire/microscale-signal-line crossbar with resistor-like nanowire junctions. The demultiplexer of one embodiment provides demultiplexing of signals input on k microscale address lines to 2k or fewer nanowires, employing supplemental, internal address lines to map 2k nanowire addresses to a larger, internal, n-bit address space, where n>k. A second demultiplexer embodiment of the present invention provides demultiplexing of signals input on n microscale address lines to 2k nanowires, with n>k, using 2k, well-distributed, n-bit external addresses to access the 2k nanowires.

Abstract: A method for encoding and decoding a sequence is provided. The method comprises searching a set of candidate trees varying in size for a tree T having a plurality of states. Tree T provides a structure that relatively minimizes code length of the sequence from among all the candidate trees. The method further comprises encoding data conditioned on the tree T, which may be a generalized context tree (GCT), using a sequential probability assignment conditioned on the states of the tree T. This encoding may use finite state machine (FSM) closure of the tree. Also provided are methods for decoding an encoded binary string when the encoded string includes a full tree or generalized context tree, as well as decoding an encoded string using incomplete FSM closure, incremental FSM, and suffix tree construction concepts.

Abstract: Use of Generalized Context Trees, a means for assigning a unique state from a finite set to any string, is provided. The method optionally refines the generalized context tree into a refined generalized context tree having a finite state machine (FSM) property. Refining occurs whenever the generalized context tree does not have the finite state machine property. Alternately, a method for constructing a representation of a source usable within an FSM is provided, comprising evaluating a node comprising a suffix tail and verifying the suffix tail is included in the representation, and inserting at least one node to the representation when the suffix tail is not in the representation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing a received digital signal that has been corrupted by a channel is disclosed. The method includes storing the received digital signal and receiving a partially corrected sequence of symbols that includes an output of a preliminary denoising system operating on the received digital signal. Information specifying a signal degradation function that measures the signal degradation that occurs if a symbol having the value I is replaced by a symbol having the value J is utilized to generate a processed digital signal by replacing each symbol having a value I in a context of that symbol in the received digital signal with a symbol having a value J if replacement reduces a measure of overall signal degradation in the processed digital signal relative to the received digital signal as measured by the degradation function and the partially corrected sequence of symbols.

Abstract: A memory card comprising an magnetic random access memory (MRAM) array that comprises a plurality of magnetic memory cells and a controller coupled to the MRAM array. The controller is configured to communicate with a host device, and the controller is configured perform an error correction function associated with at least one of the plurality of magnetic memory cells.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing a received signal that has been corrupted by a channel to generate a processed signal having less signal corruption than the received signal is disclosed. The apparatus stores the received signal, information specifying the probability that a symbol having a value I will be converted to a symbol having a value J by the channel, and information specifying a signal degradation function that measures the signal degradation that occurs if a symbol having the value I is replaced by symbol having a value J. The controller replaces each symbol having a value I in a context of that symbol in the received signal with a symbol having a value J that minimizes the overall signal degradation in the processed signal relative to the underlying noise-free signal as estimated via the observed statistics within that context.

Abstract: Methods for increasing defect tolerance and fault tolerance in systems containing interconnected components, in which a signal level is classified as belonging to one of a plurality of different, distinguishable classes based on one or more thresholds separating the signal-level classes, and defect-and-fault tolerant systems embodying the methods. An electronic-device embodiment including an array of nanowire crossbars, the nanoscale memory elements within the nanowire crossbars addressed through conventional microelectronic address lines, and a method embodiment for providing fault-tolerant interconnection interfaces with electrically distinguishable signal levels are described.

Abstract: A method and apparatus embeds and extracts a watermark bit-sequence in a data stream of symbols compressed using dictionary-based compression scheme with variable length indices. The embedding transmits an index value from a set of m-bit index values used to compress symbols in the data stream, identifies divisions and unused bits in the set of m-bit index values, determines a watermark bit value as either a zero-bit value or a one-bit value, transmits the index value in a one-bit watermark value range when the watermark bit value is determined to be a one-bit value and transmits the index value in a zero-bit watermark value range when the watermark bit value is determined to be a zero-bit value. Extracting the watermark reverses these operations and classifies the indices as being in either the zero-bit watermark value range or the one-bit watermark value range until the watermark is recreated.

Abstract: A security system based on a tamper resistant badge that becomes deactivated if the badge is removed from the person authorized to wear the badge. The badge has a volatile memory for storing the security clearance information associated with the wearer and a processor having sufficient power to perform encrypted communications. The badge also has an attachment sensor that resets the security clearance information if the badge is removed from the wearer. A secure data processing system utilizing the badges includes an administrative computer, A, and a client computer, C. Computer A has an identity verification system for authenticating the identity of individuals having badges and loading the clearance information into the volatile memory after the badge is attached to the wearer. The C computers access the information in the badge's volatile memory to provide access to the wearer at the access level specified in the volatile memory.

Abstract: A number of methods and systems for efficiently storing defective-memory-location tables. A asymmetrical-distortion-model vector quantization method and a run-length quantization method for compressing a defective-memory-location bit map that identifies defective memory locations within a memory are provided. In addition, because various different compression/decompression methods may be suitable for different types of defect distributions within a memory, a method is provided to select the most appropriate compression/decompression method from among a number of compression/decompression methods as most appropriate for a particular defect probability distribution. Finally, bit-map compression and the figure-of-merit metric for selecting an appropriate compression technique may enable global optimization of error-correcting codes and defective memory-location identification.

Abstract: A method and system for space-efficient error-control coding for encoding data into a 3-dimensional data-storage medium. The method and system enables the detection and correction of a bounded number of certain types of errors corresponding to the known failure modes of a class of 3-dimensional data-storage media.

Abstract: An image is compressed by selectively performing at least one of palettization and interframe coding on certain regions of the image. The regions are adaptively determined.

Abstract: Compression and reconstruction of a digital image are both performed by accessing a plurality of color caches corresponding to different chromatic contexts, selecting a color cache for a pixel value being processed, and using information in the selected color cache to predict a value for the pixel being processed.