Abstract: An embodiment of the invention is a method for automatic calibration of dental furnaces, there is made available a dental furnace comprising a control unit adapted to control the dental furnace for performing a firing process defined by firing process parameters such as e.g. the temperature and/or a temporal temperature curve and/or a temperature gradient and/or a vacuum in a firing chamber of the dental furnace. There is provided at least one calibration firing-object sample made of a dental material, where said dental material, after said calibration firing-object sample has been subjected to a calibration firing-object process with predetermined firing process parameters, has a defined desired color stored e.g. in the control unit. Further, a color measuring device is used which, for transmission of measurement signals and/or measurement results, is operatively connected to the control unit.

Abstract: Methods for encoding and validating a computer program are disclosed. A program is encoded by transforming the program using a canonical transform based at least in part on a partitioning algorithm, creating an encrypted hash value based at least on the transformed program and an encryption key, and embedding the encrypted hash value in the transformed program. A program embedded with the encrypted hash value is validated by receiving the program embedded with the encrypted hash value, transforming the program embedded with the encrypted hash value using a canonical transform based at least in part on a partitioning algorithm; comparing the received program and the transformed program to extract a first encrypted hash value, creating a second encrypted hash value-based at least on the transformed program and an encryption key, and validating the program responsive to the first and second encrypted hash values.