Abstract: A compact disk holder includes first and second sides structured to accommodate a compact disk. The first side rotates relative to the second side to define a closed and open position. The second side includes a disk securing member to engage a compact disk. The disk securing member has spokes extending radially from the disk securing member to the second side to define cut-out areas between the spokes, the spokes being discontinuous around a perimeter of the second side. The compact disk holder may be used as a method of distributing marketing materials to an intended recipient by obtaining a compact disk on which marketing materials are stored as data, installing the compact disk into the compact disk holder and delivering the holder containing the compact disk to the intended recipient.

Abstract: Responding to an account reactivation request includes receiving an account reactivation request from a former subscriber having a deactivated account and automatically accessing stored account information related to the deactivated account based on the account reactivation request. The stored account information is compared with a reactivation standard to produce a comparison result. Based on the comparison result a response to the reactivation request is provided. The receiving, accessing, comparing, and responding may be performed by a computer without interaction between the former subscriber and a service representative.

Abstract: This invention relates to a pallet having a cradle which centers cylindrical articles or materials wound in rolls on the pallet and which allows the rolls to be transported while in a rollingly oriented manner, such that the cradle cooperates with retaining bands extending from a cylindrical core of the article or rolls to notches in runners which are attached to and extend the entire length of the pallet, thereby, securing the rolls in place during transport and storage.

Abstract: A resampling application specific integrated circuit (RSA) supports image interpolation or decimation by any arbitrary factor in order to provide flexibility, and utilizes a neighborhood of up to 9.times.9 pixels to produce image data of high quality. The RSA contains a separate vertical and horizontal filter units for vertical resizing and horizontal resizing operations, vertical and horizontal position accumulator units, a configuration register unit for loading the vertical and horizontal position accumulator units, and a memory management unit to interface the RSA to external memory banks. The vertical and horizontal filter units contain nine multipliers and nine corresponding coefficient memories, with each memory preferably containing storage space for thirty-two coefficients. The coefficients are addressed on a pixel by pixel basis in response to the outputs of the vertical and horizontal position accumulator units.

Abstract: A system for preventing permanent loss of work product from a volatile memory (30) of an information processing device (12) when such work is temporarily lost, erased, or corrupted owing to power failure, equipment malfunction, operator error, or other misadventure. When the information processing device (12) is turned on, the system is automatically loaded from a non-volatile memory (44) into a volatile memory (14) where it then resides (block 32). The system thereafter causes every substantive input (including data, positional information, and data formatting and manipulating instructions, but not ancillary inputs such as a view directory or print command) to the information processing device (12) to be stored immediately, and essentially quantum by quantum, in the non-volatile memory (44) concurrently with its initial processing in the volatile memory (14). When work is lost from the volatile memory (14), the system reconstructs it either automatically or semi-automatically, as selected by the operator.