Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosed technology comprise a gripping spoon or other utensil with an electrode on each of the working portion and the handle. Upon making contact with each electrode, a positive reward is given in the form of a light or sound (such as music) either on the spoon itself or on a separate device which receives a transmission indicating that the circuit has been completed. As such, the utensil, such as a fork or spoon, may comprise a transmitter therein. Further, the working end of the utensil, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, has insulation or a non-conductive portion on the edges of the working end. In a spoon, this is in the form of insulation near the edges, on both the top and bottom sides. In a fork, this may involve insulation of the entire outer prongs and tips of the prongs. This forces the child or other user of the utensil to place the utensil in his or her mouth, rather than just touch the tip.

Abstract: A method for confirming delivery of an electronic message from a sender computer to a recipient over a computer network includes: converting by a server at least part of the content of the message to a dynamic image, and saving it on the server; generating a link to the dynamic image with a unique tracking key; generating a secondary electronic message transmitted to the recipient computer, the secondary electronic message including the link to the dynamic image and recipient details; transmitting the secondary electronic message to the recipient computer; updating the server to reflect that the dynamic image has been viewed by the recipient when the recipient opened the secondary electronic message and the link to the dynamic image to view the dynamic image; and informing the sender that the dynamic image has been viewed by the recipient, thereby confirming the delivery of the original electronic message;

Abstract: A personal digital assistant (PDA) system that comprises a housing including: a housing transceiver configured to wirelessly transmit a text message to a PDA; a voice recognition module (VRM) connected to the housing transceiver and configured to convert an auditory message from a user into a text message; a Text to speech module (TTM) configured to convert test into speech; and a microphone connected to the VRM and configured to receive an auditory message from the user. The system additionally includes a PDA located a distance from the housing, the PDA being configured to wirelessly receive a text message from the housing transceiver and transmit the text message to a recipient via a public switched telephone network (PSTN), such that the PDA is operable in a hands-free mode by the user.

Abstract: Apparatus (28) for applying a delay to an input signal (50) includes a plurality of delay devices (40), each having an input and an output, coupled in series such that the output of each of the delay devices, except for a final delay device (51) in the series, is coupled to the input of a succeeding one of the delay devices in the series. A switching unit (34) is adapted to receive a delay selection signal indicative of a desired time delay and, responsive thereto, to couple the input signal to the input of a designated one of the delay devices, so as to generate an output signal (100) at the output of the final delay device which is delayed with respect to the input signal by the desired time delay.

Abstract: A method and apparatus (20) for adjusting a duty cycle of a binary signal (36) having a high phase and a low phase. The method includes applying a delay to the binary signal to create a delayed signal, and performing a Boolean logical operation on the binary signal and the delayed signal, so as to generate an output signal (40, 52) having a duty cycle different from the duty cycle of the binary signal.

Abstract: A method for sampling a data stream (22) includes receiving a segment of the data stream containing a sequence of known data, together with a source-synchronous clock signal (20), and generating a series of trial sampling clocks (60) by applying a corresponding series of different trial delays to the received clock signal The received segment of the data stream is sampled using each of the trial sampling clocks in turn to generate sampled data. The known data are compared to the sampled data to find comparison results for each of the trial sampling clocks. Responsive to the comparison results, a final delay is set, to be applied to the received clock signal so as to generate a final sampling clock for use in sampling the data stream subsequent to the segment.