Abstract: Techniques for reducing or eliminating effects of noise on a wireless communication system are provided. In one aspect of the invention, the technique comprises monitoring noise attributable to an interference source that may affect one or more components of the wireless communication system. The interference source being monitored is distant from the wireless communication system to the degree that noise arrives at the wireless communication system within a substantially point source-like angular range. For example, the noise may be attributable to the sun or tropospheric ducting. The technique then comprises initiating one or more operations, as a function of the monitored noise, to reduce or eliminate the effects of the noise attributable to the distant interference source at one or more of the components of the wireless communication system that are determined to be affected by such noise.

Abstract: Content on the World Wide Web is made available for downloading by distributing it to cache providers. The content provider is a distinct entity from the cache providers and enters into contractual arrangements in order to benefit from the services provided by the cache providers. The contractual arrangements specify certain rights in cache resources that are bought and sold as commodities, exemplarily through a broker or exchange. An exemplary such right is the right to a stated amount of bandwidth, in a stated time interval, for servicing download requests. Responsive to such contractual arrangements, a redirective element such as a DNS server is programmed to redirect, to one or more cache providers, download requests initially addressed to the content provider.

Abstract: Techniques for reducing or eliminating effects of noise on a wireless communication system are provided. In one aspect of the invention, the technique comprises monitoring noise attributable to an interference source that may affect one or more components of the wireless communication system. The interference source being monitored is distant from the wireless communication system to the degree that noise arrives at the wireless communication system within a substantially point source-like angular range. For example, the noise may be attributable to the sun or tropospheric ducting. The technique then comprises initiating one or more operations, as a function of the monitored noise, to reduce or eliminate the effects of the noise attributable to the distant interference source at one or more of the components of the wireless communication system that are determined to be affected by such noise.

Abstract: A new mail transport protocol is proposed for use over a reliable byte-stream transport. This protocol is faster, simpler and more streaming than prior methods, and handles binary and unicode data more efficiently. The protocol requires fewer communication round trips between servers per message transferred than existing methods. It transmits and receives byte data as is without requiring further per-byte processing on advanced operating systems such as UNIX, and requires only new-line processing in text on legacy operating systems.

Abstract: Audio signals from any array of microphones are individually filtered, delayed, and scaled in order to form an acoustic beam that focuses the array on a particular region. Nonlinear robust signal estimation processing is applied to the resulting set of audio signals to generate an output signal for the array. The nonlinear robust signal estimation processing may involve dropping or otherwise reducing the magnitude of one or more of the highest and lowest data in each set of values from the resulting audio signals and then selecting the median from or generating an average of the remaining values to produce a representative, central value for the output audio signal. The nonlinear robust signal estimation processing effectively discriminates against noise originating at an unknown location outside of the focal region of the acoustic beam.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for location determination. A plurality of tags emitting radio frequency signals are dispersed throughout a region, such as a building, within which a user's location is to be determined. The radio frequency signals emitted by the tags include information that can be used to identify the location in which the tags axe placed, or simply to distinguish the tags from one another. A portable device receives signals from the tags and provides the signal information to a location server that computes the location of the portable device by comparing the signal information received from the portable device to a map of location venus stored signal information, and identifies the location of the portable device as the location for which the stored signal information best matches the signal information received from the portable device.

Abstract: Techniques are described for employing a set of tags to model phenomena which are smooth and subject to constraints. Tags may be used to model, for example, muscular movement producing speech. In one advantageous application, a set of tags defining prosodic characteristics is developed, and selected tags are placed in appropriate locations of a body of text. Each tag defines a constraint on the prosodic characteristics of speech produced by processing the text. Processing of the body of speech and the tags produces a set of equations which are solved to produce a curve defining prosodic characteristics over the scope of a phrase, and a further set of equations which are solved to produce a curve defining prosodic characteristics of individual words within a phrase. The data defined by the curves is used with the text to produce speech having the prosodic characteristics defined by the tags.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for synthesizing speech from text whereby the speech may be generated in a manner so as to effectively convey a particular, selectable style. Repeated patterns of one or more prosodic features—such as, for example, pitch, amplitude, spectral tilt, and/or duration—occurring at characteristic locations in the synthesized speech, are advantageously used to convey a particular chosen style. For example, one or more of such feature patterns may be used to define a particular speaking style, and an illustrative text-to-speech system then makes use of such a defined style to adjust the specified parameter or parameters of the synthesized speech in a non-uniform manner (i.e., in accordance with the defined feature pattern or patterns).

Abstract: E-mail which may be infected by a computer virus is advantageously filtered by incorporating a “Reverse Turing Test” to verify that the source of a potentially infected e-mail is human and not a machine, and that the message was intentionally transmitted by the apparent sender. Such a test may, for example, involve asking a question which will be easy for a human to answer correctly but quite difficult for a machine to do so. The e-mail may be deemed to be potentially infected based on an analysis of executable code which is attached to the e-mail, or merely based on the fact that executable code is attached. The e-mail may also be deemed to be potentially infected based on additional factors, such as, for example, the identity of the sender and past experiences therewith. Spam E-mail may also be advantageously filtered together with virus-containing e-mail with use of a single common filtering system.

Abstract: Content on the World Wide Web is made available for downloading by distributing it to cache providers. The content provider is a distinct entity from the cache providers and enters into contractual arrangements in order to benefit from the services provided by the cache providers. The contractual arrangements specify certain rights in cache resources that are bought and sold as commodities, exemplarily through a broker or exchange. An exemplary such right is the right to a stated amount of bandwidth, in a stated time interval, for servicing download requests. Responsive to such contractual arrangements, a redirective element such as a DNS server is programmed to redirect, to one or more cache providers, download requests initially addressed to the content provider.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing text-to-speech conversion in a client/server environment partitions an otherwise conventional text-to-speech conversion algorithm into two portions: a first “text analysis” portion, which generates from an original input text an intermediate representation thereof and a second “speech synthesis” portion, which synthesizes speech waveforms from the intermediate representation generated by the first portion (i.e., the text analysis portion) The text analysis portion of the algorithm is executed exclusively on a server while the speech synthesis portion is executed exclusively on a client which may be associated therewith. The client may comprise a hand-held device such as, for example, a cell phone, and the intermediate representation of the input text advantageously comprises at least a sequence of phonemes representative of the input text.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for synthesizing speech from text whereby the speech may be generated in a manner so as to effectively convey a particular, selectable style. Repeated patterns of one or more prosodic features—such as, for example, pitch, amplitude, spectral tilt, and/or duration—occurring at characteristic locations in the synthesized speech, are advantageously used to convey a particular chosen style. For example, one or more of such feature patterns may be used to define a particular speaking style, and an illustrative text-to-speech system then makes use of such a defined style to adjust the specified parameter or parameters of the synthesized speech in a non-uniform manner (i.e., in accordance with the defined feature pattern or patterns).

Abstract: Techniques are described for employing a set of tags to model phenomena which are smooth and subject to constraints. Tags may be used to model, for example, muscular movement producing speech. In one advantageous application, a set of tags defining prosodic characteristics is developed, and selected tags are placed in appropriate locations of a body of text. Each tag defines a constraint on the prosodic characteristics of speech produced by processing the text. Processing of the body of speech and the tags produces a set of equations which are solved to produce a curve defining prosodic characteristics over the scope of a phrase, and a further set of equations which are solved to produce a curve defining prosodic characteristics of individual words within a phrase. The data defined by the curves is used with the text to produce speech having the prosodic characteristics defined by the tags.

Abstract: Techniques for reducing or eliminating effects of noise on a wireless communication system are provided. In one aspect of the invention, the technique comprises monitoring noise attributable to an interference source that may affect one or more components of the wireless communication system. The interference source being monitored is distant from the wireless communication system to the degree that noise arrives at the wireless communication system within a substantially point source-like angular range. For example, the noise may be attributable to the sun or tropospheric ducting. The technique then comprises initiating one or more operations, as a function of the monitored noise, to reduce or eliminate the effects of the noise attributable to the distant interference source at one or more of the components of the wireless communication system that are determined to be affected by such noise.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing text-to-speech conversion in a client/server environment partitions an otherwise conventional text-to-speech conversion algorithm into two portions: a first “text analysis” portion, which generates from an original input text an intermediate representation thereof; and a second “speech synthesis” portion, which synthesizes speech waveforms from the intermediate representation generated by the first portion (i.e., the text analysis portion). The text analysis portion of the algorithm is executed exclusively on a server while the speech synthesis portion is executed exclusively on a client which may be associated therewith. The client may comprise a hand-held device such as, for example, a cell phone, and the intermediate representation of the input text advantageously comprises at least a sequence of phonemes representative of the input text.

Abstract: An improved process for making a structure using three dimensional printing techniques is disclosed. Briefly stated, the method can be summarized by the following steps: A first type of powder material is deposited in a defined area to form a first layer. Next, a binder material is applied to certain regions of the first type of powder to define a portion of the structure to be formed. And finally, a portion of the unbound powder is removed using a technique such as vacuuming. The foregoing steps are repeated a sufficient number of times to create the desired shape of the structure as defined by the regions held by the binder material.

Abstract: A new mail transport protocol is proposed for use over a reliable byte-stream transport. This protocol is faster, simpler and more streaming than prior methods, and handles binary and unicode data more efficiently. The protocol requires fewer communication round trips between servers per message transferred than existing methods. It transmits and receives byte data as is without requiring further per-byte processing on advanced operating systems such as UNIX, and requires only new-line processing in text on legacy operating systems.

Abstract: An improved gridded microwave tube is provided, the tube containing a cold cathode, an anode, and a grid located between the anode and cathode. In one embodiment, the cold cathode has a refractory metal substrate and carbon nanotube emitters, the emitters having a diameter of 1 to 300 nm and a length of 0.05 to 100 &mgr;m. The grid-cathode spacing is 1 to 100 &mgr;m, the grid contains apertures having a maximum dimension of 0.5 to 100 &mgr;m, and the grid thickness is 0.5 to 100 &mgr;m. Emission from the cathode directly onto the grid material itself, which undesirably heats the grid, is reduced by either (a) the presence of a shadow mask between the grid and the emitters or (b) selective formation of the emitters in locations that correspond to the grid apertures. The microwave tube operates at a frequency of greater than 0.5 GHz, advantageously greater than 2 GHz.

Abstract: A system and method identify objects, such as fruits, vegetables, and images through the recognition of unique surface features represented by signals from a scanner that pass over the objects. The scanner signals are processed by applying a modified wavelet transform to them and comparing the results to previously stored data. The system uses an optical scanner, a processor that transforms the data acquired by the scanner to extract a translation invariant feature vector, and a comparator which compares the transformed signal to a predetermined set of vectors for a corresponding identification based upon the comparison set.

Abstract: A shield region of metallization is formed in a first metallization layer of an integrated circuit so as to increase the metal density of the first metallization layer to at least a minimum density required for proper fabrication. The shield region is coupled via an amplifier or other suitable coupling mechanism to at least a portion of another metallization layer overlying or underlying the first metallization layer in the integrated circuit, such that the shield region acts to reduce parasitic capacitance associated with a circuit node in the other metallization layer. In an illustrative fingerprint sensor cell implementation, the shield region is in the form of a shield plate underlying a sensor plate in the sensor cell and serves to increase the metal density of a lower-level metallization layer in the cell.