Abstract: Triaging electronic communications in a computing system environment can mitigate issues related to large volumes of incoming electronic communications. This can include an analysis of user-specific electronic communication data and associated behaviors to predict which communications a user is likely to deem important or unimportant. Client-side application features are exposed based on the evaluation of communication importance to enable the user to process arbitrarily large volumes of incoming communications.

Abstract: There is a need to provide simple, accurate, fast and computationally inexpensive methods of object and hand pose recognition for many applications. For example, to enable a user to make use of his or her hands to drive an application either displayed on a tablet screen or projected onto a table top. There is also a need to be able to discriminate accurately between events when a user's hand or digit touches such a display from events when a user's hand or digit hovers just above that display. A random decision forest is trained to enable recognition of hand poses and objects and optionally also whether those hand poses are touching or not touching a display surface. The random decision forest uses image features such as appearance, shape and optionally stereo image features. In some cases, the training process is cost aware. The resulting recognition system is operable in real-time.

Abstract: A compiler for probabilistic programs is described. The inputs to the compiler are a definition of a model and a set of inference queries. The model definition is written as a probabilistic program which describes a system of interest. The compiler transforms statements in the probabilistic program to generate source code which performs the specified queries on the model. The source code may subsequently be compiled into a compiled algorithm and executed using data about the system. The execution of the compiled algorithm can be repeated with different data or parameter settings without requiring any recompiling of the algorithm.

Abstract: There is a need to provide simple, accurate, fast and computationally inexpensive methods of object and hand pose recognition for many applications. For example, to enable a user to make use of his or her hands to drive an application either displayed on a tablet screen or projected onto a table top. There is also a need to be able to discriminate accurately between events when a user's hand or digit touches such a display from events when a user's hand or digit hovers just above that display. A random decision forest is trained to enable recognition of hand poses and objects and optionally also whether those hand poses are touching or not touching a display surface. The random decision forest uses image features such as appearance, shape and optionally stereo image features. In some cases, the training process is cost aware. The resulting recognition system is operable in real-time.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting and tracking targets including body parts and props is described. In one aspect, the disclosed technology acquires one or more depth images, generates one or more classification maps associated with one or more body parts and one or more props, tracks the one or more body parts using a skeletal tracking system, tracks the one or more props using a prop tracking system, and reports metrics regarding the one or more body parts and the one or more props. In some embodiments, feedback may occur between the skeletal tracking system and the prop tracking system.

Abstract: During a training phase we learn parts of images which assist in the object detection and recognition task. A part is a densely represented area of an image of an object to which we assign a unique label. Parts contiguously cover an image of an object to give a part label map for that object. The parts do not necessarily correspond to semantic object parts. During the training phase a classifier is learnt which can be used to estimate belief distributions over parts for each image element of a test image. A conditional random field is used to force a global part labeling which is substantially layout-consistent and a part label map is inferred from this. By recognizing parts we enable object detection and recognition even for partially occluded objects, for multiple-objects of different classes in the same scene, for unstructured and structured objects and allowing for object deformation.

Abstract: Given an image of structured and/or unstructured objects, semantically meaningful areas are automatically partitioned from the image, each area labeled with a specific object class. Shape filters are used to enable capturing of some or all of the shape, texture, and/or appearance context information. A shape filter comprises one or more regions of arbitrary shape, size, and/or position within a bounding area of an image, paired with a specified texton. A texton comprises information describing the texture of a patch of surface of an object. In a training process a sub-set of possible shape filters is selected and incorporated into a conditional random field model of object classes. The conditional random field model is then used for object detection and recognition.

Abstract: Image processing using masked restricted Boltzmann machines is described. In an embodiment restricted Boltzmann machines based on beta distributions are described which are implemented in an image processing system. In an embodiment a plurality of fields of masked RBMs are connected in series. An image is input into a masked appearance RBM and decomposed into superpixel elements. The superpixel elements output from one appearance RBM are used as input to a further appearance RBM. The outputs from each of the series of fields of RBMs are used in an intelligent image processing system. Embodiments describe training a plurality of RBMs. Embodiments describe using the image processing system for applications such as object recognition and image editing.

Abstract: Given an image of structured and/or unstructured objects we automatically partition it into semantically meaningful areas each labeled with a specific object class. We use a novel type of feature which we refer to as a shape filter. Shape filters enable us to capture some or all of shape, texture and appearance context information. A shape filter comprises one or more regions of arbitrary shape, size and position within a bounding area of an image, paired with a specified texton. A texton comprises information describing the texture of a patch of surface of an object. In a training process we select a sub-set of possible shape filters and incorporate those into a conditional random field model of object classes. That model is then used for object detection and recognition.

Abstract: Data processing using restricted Boltzmann machines is described, for example, to pre-process continuous data and provide binary outputs. In embodiments, restricted Boltzmann machines based on either Gaussian distributions or Beta distributions are described which are able to learn and model both the mean and variance of data. In some embodiments, a stack of restricted Boltzmann machines are connected in series with outputs of one restricted Boltzmann machine providing input to the next in the stack and so on. Embodiments describe how training for each machine in the stack may be carried out efficiently and the combined system used for one of a variety of applications such as data compression, object recognition, image processing, information retrieval, data analysis and the like.

Abstract: Many problems in the fields of image processing and computer vision relate to creating good representations of information in images of objects in scenes. We provide a system for learning repeated-structure elements from one or more input images. The repeated-structure elements are patches that may be single pixels or coherent groups of pixels of varying shape, size and appearance (where those shapes and sizes are not pre-specified). Input images are mapped to a single output image using offset maps to specify the mapping. A joint probability distribution on the offset maps, output image and input images is specified and an unsupervised learning process is used to learn the offset maps and output image. The learnt output image comprises repeated-structure elements. This shape and appearance information captured in the learnt repeated-structure elements may be used for object recognition and many other tasks.

Abstract: A compiler for probabilistic programs is described. The inputs to the compiler are a definition of a model and a set of inference queries. The model definition is written as a probabilistic program which describes a system of interest. The compiler transforms statements in the probabilistic program to generate source code which performs the specified queries on the model. The source code may subsequently be compiled into a compiled algorithm and executed using data about the system. The execution of the compiled algorithm can be repeated with different data or parameter settings without requiring any recompiling of the algorithm.

Abstract: Systems and methods for editing digital images using information about objects in those images are described. For example, the information about objects comprises depth ordering information and/or information about the class each object is a member of. Examples of classes include sky, building, aeroplane, grass and person. This object-level information is used to provide new and/or improved editing functions such as cut and paste, filling-in image regions using tiles or patchworks, digital tapestry, alpha matte generation, super resolution, auto cropping, auto colour balance, object selection, depth of field manipulation, and object replacement. In addition improvements to user interfaces for image editing systems are described which use object-level information.

Abstract: There is a need to provide simple, accurate, fast and computationally inexpensive methods of object and hand pose recognition for many applications. For example, to enable a user to make use of his or her hands to drive an application either displayed on a tablet screen or projected onto a table top. There is also a need to be able to discriminate accurately between events when a user's hand or digit touches such a display from events when a user's hand or digit hovers just above that display. A random decision forest is trained to enable recognition of hand poses and objects and optionally also whether those hand poses are touching or not touching a display surface. The random decision forest uses image features such as appearance, shape and optionally stereo image features. In some cases, the training process is cost aware. The resulting recognition system is operable in real-time.

Abstract: During a training phase we learn parts of images which assist in the object detection and recognition task. A part is a densely represented area of an image of an object to which we assign a unique label. Parts contiguously cover an image of an object to give a part label map for that object. The parts do not necessarily correspond to semantic object parts. During the training phase a classifier is learnt which can be used to estimate belief distributions over parts for each image element of a test image. A conditional random field is used to force a global part labeling which is substantially layout-consistent and a part label map is inferred from this. By recognizing parts we enable object detection and recognition even for partially occluded objects, for multiple-objects of different classes in the same scene, for unstructured and structured objects and allowing for object deformation.

Abstract: Given an image of structured and/or unstructured objects we automatically partition it into semantically meaningful areas each labeled with a specific object class. We use a novel type of feature which we refer to as a shape filter. Shape filters enable us to capture some or all of shape, texture and appearance context information. A shape filter comprises one or more regions of arbitrary shape, size and position within a bounding area of an image, paired with a specified texton. A texton comprises information describing the texture of a patch of surface of an object. In a training process we select a sub-set of possible shape filters and incorporate those into a conditional random field model of object classes. That model is then used for object detection and recognition.

Abstract: Many problems in the fields of image processing and computer vision relate to creating good representations of information in images of objects in scenes. We provide a system for learning repeated-structure elements from one or more input images. The repeated-structure elements are patches that may be single pixels or coherent groups of pixels of varying shape, size and appearance (where those shapes and sizes are not pre-specified). Input images are mapped to a single output image using offset maps to specify the mapping. A joint probability distribution on the offset maps, output image and input images is specified and an unsupervised learning process is used to learn the offset maps and output image. The learnt output image comprises repeated-structure elements. This shape and appearance information captured in the learnt repeated-structure elements may be used for object recognition and many other tasks.

Abstract: Strand for use in forming concrete panels is typically supplied in a wound pack which may unravel improperly. The invention employs a despooler consisting of a base on which the strand is positioned. A central post with a rotating side bar is employed to despool the strand pack in a controlled manner.

Abstract: A beacon is placed at a specific location, such as a bus stop and has a local communicator which transmits a code to a mobile telephone. The code identifies a predetermined item of information stored on a remote server, such as a bus timetable document. This information is retrieved by the mobile telephone using its network communicator. The mobile telephone then transmits a copy of the information to the beacon which stores it in its cache and also displays the document to its user. A PDA, which lacks a network communicator, is then able to retrieve the cached information directly from the beacon using only its local communicator. The PDA then displays the bus timetable document to its user.

Abstract: A variational inference engine for probabilistic graphical models is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes inputting a specification for a model that has observable variables and unobservable variables. The specification includes a functional form for the conditional distributions of the model, and a structure for a graph of model that has nodes for each of the variables. The method determines a distribution for the unobservable variables that approximates the exact posterior distribution, based on the graph's structure and the functional form for the model's conditional distributions. The engine thus allows a user to design, implement and solve models without mathematical analysis or computer coding.