Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for robotic system camera calibration and localization using robot-mounted registered patterns. In one embodiment, an example robotic system may include a robotic manipulator, and a picking assembly coupled to the robotic manipulator, where the picking assembly is configured to grasp and release items, and where the picking assembly includes a housing having a first flat surface. Example robotic systems may include a first calibration pattern disposed on the first flat surface of the housing, a first camera configured to image the first calibration pattern, and a controller configured to calibrate the robotic system.

Abstract: A method comprising issuing, buying and/or selling pass-through certificates issued by an issuer. The pass-though rate payments on the certificates may be funded by payments to the issuer by one or more borrowers on a mortgage loan. The certificates may have a legal maturity and an expected maturity that is before the legal maturity. The payments owed by the borrowers on the mortgage loan may be interest only until the expected maturity. The one or more borrowers have a revolving credit facility with a liquidity provider, pursuant to which the liquidity provider commits to make advances to the one or more borrowers from time to time as necessary in order for the one or more borrowers to make timely payments of interest on the mortgage. The mortgaged property may comprise timberlands.

Abstract: A securitization structure for raising capital, where notes issued under the structure are backed by a plurality of real property assets. The structure includes one or more asset holders that hold a plurality of real property assets. The structure also includes one or more issuers that issue notes to noteholders, wherein the notes are supported by the real property assets including cash flows therefrom, but where the noteholders do not have the benefit of a material amount of security interests in the plurality of real property assets, wherein at least one title insurance policy exists for the benefit of noteholders with respect to one or more of the plurality of real property assets that are not subject to a security interest for the benefit of the noteholders, and wherein the noteholders have the benefit of a security interest in the equity interests of the one or more asset holders that are pledged as security for the notes.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for designing traffic distribution in a multiple-service packetized network using such multicommodity flows and well-linked terminals. Arbitrary multicommodity flows f are transformed to sets of well-linked terminals. The multicommodity flows are represented in a graph G having a set of k node-pairs s1t1, . . . ,sktk, each having a positive integer demand di and a positive weight wi. The graph G is partitioned into a collection of node-disjoint subgraphs wherein each sub-graph H contains a set of terminals, where {right arrow over (?)} is a non-negative weight function on a set X of nodes in the graph G; and then the set of terminals are clustered to a subset of terminals that is at least ¼-flow-linked or ¼-cut-linked.

Abstract: An exemplary method for making a transparent composite includes steps of combining a refractive index modifier with a precursor solution, combining glass with the precursor solution, and curing the precursor solution to create a transparent glass reinforced polymer composite. An exemplary transparent composite comprises a glass reinforced thermosetting polymer composite layer sandwiched between glass layers.

Abstract: Techniques for watermarking structured data, such as map data are addressed. These techniques advantageously allow the detection of an unauthorized copy of the original data and to track the source of the unauthorized copy based upon a variety of opportunities to access the unauthorized copy. For example, in an Internet context, an unauthorized copy of a map may be provided to online customers so that they can make queries such as the distance between two driving destinations. Having such access, copies can be detected and traced to the original purchaser of the map.

Abstract: In accordance with the principles of the invention, a method and system of multiprocessor scheduling for load sharing among multiple multiprocessors to within any given error criteria, &egr;>0, is disclosed. The method comprises guessing a value for an optimal load on the processors, partitioning a plurality of multi-dimensional tasks into a set of large tasks and a set of small tasks, guessing the invention of the set of small tasks and among the set of larger tasks processors which are represented as multi-dimensional bins, packing a discretized the set of large tasks, in the guessed invention space of the multi-dimensional bins determining if the small tasks can be allocated into unallocated space of the multi-dimensional bins after packing of the discretized large tasks, and iteratively repeating the guessing steps until all the tasks can be allocated within the gussed load.

Abstract: A paging method for information retrieval from broadcast disk systems is described. In response to a page request (e.g., a request for an item of data), the method selectively stores and evicts, in and from a fast memory, pages of data broadcasted by the broadcast disk system. The methods proceeds using a three-“color” labelling scheme, wherein the label assigned to a broadcasted page is based on how recently a given page was last requested. If a requested page is stored in fast memory, then the request is immediately served. If the requested page is not stored in fast memory, the request cannot be served until the requested page is broadcasted. While waiting for the requested page to be broadcasted, certain “somewhat-recently” requested pages are “prefetched,” wherein they are stored in fast memory even though there is no pending request for such pages.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining an approximated solution to the partitioning of a two or greater dimensional array in an amount of time on the order of O(1). Given a desired maximum weight or a maximum number of partitions, an array of data is partitioned by determining a temporary division of the array of blocks such that each block has a weight of at least two times the desired maximum weight. Within each block, rectangles are determined which contain array elements greater than or equal to an arbitrary value corresponding to a guess at a maximum weight. From among these rectangles, a largest set of independent rectangles is determined, and partitions are defined based on the sides of the largest set of independent rectangles determined for each block. Select ones of the partitions may be deleted until a total number of defined partitions is equal to or less than a desired maximum number of partitions.

Abstract: In some embodiments, the present invention provides a method for scheduling an indexed data broadcast such that both mean access time and mean tuning time are reduced to a practical minimum. In one embodiment of such a method, data items are first scheduled for broadcast. Such data items are advantageously scheduled such that: (1) all data items to be broadcasted are equally spaced; and (2) when indexed with appropriate “indexing keys,” the indexing information can be efficiently stored and broadcasted. In one embodiment, a schedule having a mean access time about 1.5× that of the theoretical minimum is provided. The indexing information is advantageously arranged in a way that allows for efficient delivery thereof to clients to apprise them of the broadcast schedule of the data items. The indexing information is advantageously arranged in a tree structure referred to herein as an “indexing tree.

Abstract: A method for operating a wireless telecommunications system whereby communication channels are efficiently allocated to cells of the system is provided. In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present method, call demand information is obtained for each cell in the wireless system and converted to a channel demand. Once the channel demand for each cell is known, a tentative channel allocation is performed. Call demand information can be obtained as frequently as desired to update channel allocation throughout the wireless system. In some embodiments, the method for channel allocation described herein can be used alone to allocate channels. In other embodiments, the present method for channel allocation can be used on an hourly, daily, or other temporal basis, as appropriate, to provide a channel allocation which is then updated on a substantially continuous basis by any conventional dynamic channel allocation scheme.

Abstract: A method for designing a wireless telecommunications system having a plurality of cells is provided. In one embodiment of such a method, a call demand per cell is estimated, and a channel demand based thereon is determined on a cell-by-cell basis. The cell-by-cell channel demand is used to provide a reasonably tight upper bound on the number of communication channels required to satisfy the system-wide call demand. It is implicit in the procedure for estimating the upper bound that no mutually "interfering" base stations use the same channel (i.e., frequency). "Cliques" of mutually-interfering base stations or cells are defined. A channel demand is determined for each clique by adding up the channel demand for each cell in the clique. The greatest channel demand of all cliques determines a "maximum clique demand" .omega..sup.d. The upper bound on the number of channels required to satisfy the system-wide call demand is given by the expression: .chi..sup.d .ltoreq.17/12.multidot..omega..sup.