Abstract: Parallel operations on the amplitude envelope of a single-channel or multiple-channel electronic instrument or vocal signal may be used to control rich layered audio signal processing and/or audio synthesis environments. The controllable layered audio signal processing and audio synthesis environments may comprise dedicated or shared processor and synthesis elements, respectively, though use of pre-mixing and merging operations. Detection operations performed on the envelope of an applied audio signal may include level detection operations, rate sign (i.e., level increasing versus decreasing) detection operations, and rate magnitude detection operations. These operations may control rich layered audio signal processing environments and/or audio synthesis environments directly, while other embodiments may incorporate the use of state machines in the control chain.

Abstract: Image processing utilizing numerical calculation of fractional exponential powers of a diagonalizable numerical transform operator for use in an iterative or other larger computational environments. In one implementation, a computation involving a similarity transformation is partitioned so that one part remains fixed and may be reused in subsequent iterations. The numerical transform operator may be a discrete Fourier transform operator, discrete fractional Fourier transform operator, centered discrete fractional Fourier transform operator, and other operators, modeling propagation through physical media. Such iterative environments for these types of numerical calculations are useful in correcting the focus of misfocused images which may originate from optical processes involving light (for example, with a lens or lens system) or from particle beams (for example, in electron microscopy or ion lithography).

Abstract: Image processing utilizing numerical calculation of fractional exponential powers of a diagonalizable numerical transform operator for use in an iterative or other larger computational environments. In one implementation, one or more selected precomputed fractional powers of the transform operator are stored in memory. Computation is simplified by associating precomputed powers of the numerical transform operator with the binary values of individual digits in a binary fraction representation of the fractional exponent. The numerical transform operator may be a discrete Fourier transform operator, discrete fractional Fourier transform operator, and the like. This numerical calculation is useful in correcting the focus of misfocused images, which may originate from optical processes involving light (for example, with a lens or lens system) or particle beams (for example, in electron microscopy or ion lithography).

Abstract: A video storage environment for a networked multimedia system comprising a plurality of workstations, each with audio and video reproduction and capture capabilities. The video storage environmental comprises one or more storage servers. In one embodiment, each video storage server comprises at least one storage cell. Each storage cell internally comprises at least one storage disk, at least one converter, and at least one storage disk, at least one converter, and at least one storage cell manager. The invention provides for various methods of resource allocation under various conditions and policies where there are pluralities of like entities. The invention also provides for transfers of video files among storage disks anywhere in the storage environment, and provides for the same video file to be used simultaneously by multiple users and types of applications.