Abstract: One aspect of the invention involves a computer-implemented method in which a portable communications device with a click wheel and a display detects a plurality of finger contacts with the click wheel. Each finger contact includes an angular displacement of the finger contact on the click wheel between an initial location and a final location of the finger contact. The device displays an image that includes digits arranged in a circle. The image rotates, in response to each finger contact, by an amount determined in accordance with the angular displacement of the finger contact. For each finger contact, the device determines a digit. The determined digit is independent of the initial location of the finger contact on the click wheel. The device performs a task using the determined digits. Exemplary tasks include dialing a telephone number and sending numeric input to a remote computer.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to an interactive packaging system for monitoring the usage of personal hygiene products, personal hygiene product packages, and restroom facilities. The interactive packaging system may include a plurality of usage monitoring devices each configured to detect physical stimulus associated with the usage of the product, package or facility with which the usage monitoring device is associate, and to transmit usage messages containing information relating to the detected physical stimulus. The interactive packaging system may further include a base station configured to receive the usage messages transmitted by the plurality of usage monitoring devices and to generate sensory perceptible outputs corresponding to the information contained in the usage messages. Either the usage monitoring devices or the base station may be configured to determine whether the products, packages or facilities are used appropriately based on the detected physical stimulus.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for text entry includes receiving entered text from a user, selecting a set of candidate sequences for completing or continuing the sequence, and presenting the candidate sequences to the user, wherein the candidate sequences include partial words. The candidate sequences are identified based on usage frequency weights stored in a tree data structure. A graphical user interface for text entry includes displaying a current input sequence of characters and the identified partial words.

Abstract: An optical transmitter system supplies a plurality of different wavelength optical radiation components to a transmission element which, in operation, is connected to the transmitter system for conveying the different wavelength radiation components to a respective receiver. The transmitter system detects a loss of a wavelength radiation component at the respective receiver. The supply of the wavelength component is interrupted in response to a detection of loss of the wavelength component at the receiver. A timing circuit provides respective restart times which differ one to another for the wavelength radiation components. The supply of the wavelength component is restarted, following an interruption, at the restart time provided by the timing circuit.

Abstract: A flexible container including a flexible pouch having a dispensing aperture through which an interior space is accessible from outside the flexible pouch, a flexible sealing member releasably attached to the flexible pouch and covering the dispensing aperture, and a rigid closure element surrounding the dispensing aperture. The flexible sealing member has at least two lifting tabs for lifting the flexible sealing member and thereby exposing the dispensing aperture. The rigid closure element has a base permanently attached to the flexible pouch and lid connected to the base by a hinge. At least one of the lifting tabs is likely to not be obstructed by the rigid closure element when the lid is in an open condition, thereby remaining usable for lifting the flexible sealing member to expose the dispensing aperture, even if another lifting tab is obstructed by the rigid closure element.

Abstract: Rendering glyphs is disclosed. A set of glyphs to be flowed along a nonlinear path are received. A first glyph included in the set is placed at a corresponding location along the nonlinear path such that the first glyph is spaced from a second glyph, at a point nearest the second glyph, by at least a prescribed distance.

Abstract: A cleaning wipe container includes a bottom panel, a front panel, a rear panel, a pair of side panels and a lid. The cleaning wipe container may be filled with a plurality of cleaning wipes that are contained in a cartridge. The container also includes a slidably engaged window that cooperatively interacts with the cartridge to display a message on or through a portion of a panel of the container. The message is based on the wipes in the cartridge and may include a type of wipe, a list of ingredients of the wipes, and/or instructions for using the wipes.

Abstract: A cleaning wipes container having one or more panels and a lid that covers an opening. The opening provides access to an interior storage space defined by the one or more panels. The interior storage space is configured to receive a wipes cartridge. The container also has a viewing area on at least a portion of one panel. The viewing area provides a target surface to join a transferable label. The transferable label includes indicia that relate to a characteristic of a type of cleaning wipes in the wipes cartridge. The indicia are viewable from outside the container.

Abstract: A data sequence may be encoded in a plurality of layers of multiple description coding. The layers of multiple description coding may include a first and a second layer of multiple description coding. The first layer of multiple description coding may include an initial part of a data sequence as well as forward error correction code for the initial part. The second layer of multiple description coding may include a next part of the data sequence as well as forward error correction code for the next part. A first set of data sequence breakpoints may be determined for the first layer of multiple description coding. A second set of data sequence breakpoints may be determined for the second layer. The data sequence may be encoded in the plurality of layers of multiple description coding as a function of the first and second sets of data sequence breakpoints.

Abstract: A method for developing a questionnaire, the method comprising the steps of developing a database of “n” questions and answers relating to skin or health conditions; correlating the answeres to the “n” questions to actual skin or health conditions; and selecting from the “n” questions a set of “m” key question, wherein “m” is less than “n”, and wherein the “m” questions provides within a predetermined statistical probability a population of people having a particular skin or health condition. In one embodiment, the method can be used for determining among a population of people a subset of people who are likely to have atopic skin dermatitis. In one embodiment, the correlating step can be achieved by use of a computer running a statistical analysis program.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to an interactive packaging system for monitoring the usage of personal hygiene products, personal hygiene product packages, and restroom facilities. The interactive packaging system may include a plurality of usage monitoring devices each configured to detect physical stimulus associated with the usage of the product, package or facility with which the usage monitoring device is associate, and to transmit usage messages containing information relating to the detected physical stimulus. The interactive packaging system may further include a base station configured to receive the usage messages transmitted by the plurality of usage monitoring devices and to generate sensory perceptible outputs corresponding to the information contained in the usage messages. Either the usage monitoring devices or the base station may be configured to determine whether the products, packages or facilities are used appropriately based on the detected physical stimulus.

Abstract: A subscriber link to a central office which employs data compression, forward error correction, and advanced modulation techniques and to connect subscribers to multiple communications networks to provide an array of services. A device provides normal telephone service in the event of an equipment failure. At the subscriber end, a server called an intelligent services director (ISD) provides multiple independent connections for telephones which ordinarily connect to multiple access virtual circuits generated on the subscriber link over a twisted pair. A device called a facilities management platform (FMP) at the central office end of the link, among other things, provides interfacing of the subscriber link to various networks including a digital subscriber loop (DLC) and packet switched networks. Ordinarily telephones connected to the ISD require power and correctly functioning modems and controllers in the ISD and the FMP to have access to the outside world.

Abstract: A Hybrid Compressor (304) and method (500) of compressing a tile (2200) of pixels within an image are disclosed. An Edge Processor (404) of the Hybrid Compressor (304) analyses pixel runs (403) of the tile (2200) and generates boundary data defining one or more regions comprising pixels of substantially identical colour. A Palette Processor (411) of the Hybrid Compressor (304) generates data defining a colour value for each region. An Image Processor (416) of the Hybrid Compressor (304) generates a representation of pixels not included in the one or more regions.

Abstract: A charge storage device comprising: a first electrode; a second electrode being opposed to and spaced apart from the first electrode; a porous separator disposed between the electrodes; a sealed package for containing the electrodes, the separator and an electrolyte in which the electrodes are immersed; and a first terminal and a second terminal being electrically connected to the first electrode and the second electrode respectively and both extending from the package to allow external electrical connect to the respective electrodes, wherein the gravimetric FOM of the device is greater than about 2.1 Watts/gram.

Abstract: A method (100), an apparatus, and a computer program product for automatically producing a compact representation of a colour document are disclosed. In the method, a digital image of a colour-document page is segmented (110) into connected components in one-pass, block raster order. The digital image of the page is partitioned into foreground and background images using layout analysis (120) based on compact, connected-component statistics of the whole page. At least one portion of the background image where at least one portion of the foreground image obscures the background image is inpainting (520) in one-pass block raster order. The foreground and background images are combined (130) to form a compact document. A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for segmenting a digital image comprising a plurality of pixels are also disclosed.

Abstract: A multi-layered nonwoven having a printed layer comprises a pair of outer layers, with each of the outer layers comprising a carded web. An inner layer is disposed between the outer layers and includes printed indicia, which may be in the form of text, graphics, colors, or other suitable indicia. The inner layer is bonded to each of the outer layers by hydroentanglement. A method of making such a nonwoven may include the steps of providing a pair of outer layers comprising carded webs, providing a pulp inner layer having printed indicia, positioning the inner layer between the outer layers, passing the outer layers and the inner layer together through a hydroentangling system to secure the inner layer to each of the outer layers to form a web, and drying the web.

Abstract: A method (300) of encoding an image into an image code-stream. The method (300) generates a reduced resolution representation of the image and encodes the reduced resolution representation in accordance with a multi-resolution format to form an encoded reduced resolution representation of the image. The encoded reduced resolution representation is embedded into a first portion of the image code-stream and a compressed representation of the image is encoded into a further portion of the image code-stream.

Abstract: A process is described for producing olefins from a vapor product stream from an oxygenate to olefin conversion reaction, the vapor product stream comprising C2 to C4 olefins, C5+ hydrocarbons, at least one oxygenate and water. In the process, the vapor product stream is cooled to remove water therefrom and produce a first vapor effluent stream. The first vapor effluent stream is then cooled and compressed to produce a condensed liquid effluent stream comprising C5+ hydrocarbons and at least one oxygenate, and a residual vapor effluent stream comprising C2 to C4 olefins. At least part of the condensed liquid effluent stream is contacted with a liquid water-containing stream in a liquid-liquid contacting device to at least partly separate said condensed liquid effluent stream, or portion thereof, into an aqueous phase rich in said at least one oxygenate and an organic phase rich in said C5+ hydrocarbons.

Abstract: A cleansing wipe container includes a bottom panel, a front panel, a rear panel, a pair of side panels and a lid. The cleansing wipe container may be filled with a plurality of cleansing wipes that are contained in a cartridge. The cartridge and container interact such that a message is displayed on or through a panel of the container. The message is based on the cartridge of wipes and may include a type of wipe, a list of ingredients of the wipes, and/or instructions for using the wipes.

Abstract: A configurable electronic system provides a software based system by which researchers set up self-monitoring field protocols in a common computer format and deploy the protocols to computer devices to research participants. The system includes electronic software modules of tasks useful in generating of questionnaires for recording research data. By selecting, modifying and sequencing the modules, a researcher generates a sequence of questionnaires to be displayed on the computer devices operated by the research participants. The participants' computer devices include alert queues to stage questionnaires to be presented to a participant and resolve conflicts between questionnaires staged at substantially the same time.