Patents Issued in November 20, 2007
  • Patent number: 7298838
    Abstract: A method for reducing transmit echo in a DSL modem comprises selecting at least one cancellation device of a plurality of cancellation devices. An attenuation signal is generated using the selected cancellation device. At least a portion of transmit echo is removed from a receive signal using the attenuation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Sandeep K. Oswal, Prakash Easwaran, Arijit Raychowdhury, Fernando A. Mujica
  • Patent number: 7298839
    Abstract: Methods and apparati are provided for use in determining “Squared Weil pairings” and/or “Squared Tate Pairing” based on an elliptic curve, for example, and which are then used to support cryptographic processing of selected information. Significant improvements are provided in computing efficiency over the conventional implementation of the Weil and Tate pairings. The resulting Squared Weil and/or Tate pairings can be substituted for conventional Weil or Tate pairings in a variety of applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: MIcrosoft Corporation
    Inventors: Anne Kirsten Eisentraeger, Kristin E. Lauter, Peter L. Montgomery
  • Patent number: 7298840
    Abstract: A method of authenticating a message (111) received via a transmission channel (108) using a Message Authentication Code (MAC). The message comprises a message body (114) and a tag (116) and the method comprises the steps of generating a second tag (115) according to a MAC function (112) on the basis of the received message body and a secret key (113), calculating a distance (117) between the received tag and generated second tag, and comparing (118) the calculated distance with a predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Christian Gehrmann, Rolf Blom
  • Patent number: 7298841
    Abstract: The invention comprises an encoder for encoding a stegotext and a decoder for decoding the encoded stegotext, the stegotext being generated by modulating the log power spectrogram of a covertext signal with at least one key, the or each key having been added or subtracted in the log domain to the covertext power spectrogram in accordance with the data of the watermark code with which the stegotext was generated, and the modulated power spectrogram having been returned into the original domain of the covertext. The decoder carries out Fast Fourier Transformation and rectangular polar conversion of the stegotext signal so as to transform the stegotext signal into the log power spectrogram domain; subtracts in the log power domain positive and negative multiples of the key or keys from blocks of the log power spectrogram and evaluates the probability of the results of such subtractions representing an unmodified block of covertext in accordance with a predetermined statistical model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Activated Content Corporation
    Inventors: Roger Fane Sewell, Mark St. John Owen, Stephen John Barlow, Simon Paul Long
  • Patent number: 7298842
    Abstract: The invention provides an enciphering apparatus and method, a deciphering apparatus and method and an information processing apparatus and method by which illegal copying can be prevented with certainty. Data enciphered by a 1394 interface of a DVD player is transmitted to a personal computer and a magneto-optical disk apparatus through a 1394 bus. In the magneto-optical disk apparatus with which a change to a function is not open to a user, the received data is deciphered by a 1394 interface. In contrast, in the personal computer with which a change to a function is open to a user, the enciphered data is deciphered using a time variable key by a 1394 interface, and a result of the decipherment is further deciphered using a session key by an application section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Ryuji Ishiguro, Yoshitomo Osawa, Yoshio Osakabe, Makoto Sato, Hisato Shima, Tomoyuki Asano
  • Patent number: 7298843
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for seeding a random number generator, comprising retrieving a first data block from a memory; initially seeding the random number generator using the first data block as a seed; retrieving a number generated by the random number generator; mapping the number to a memory address in the memory using a mathematical function; retrieving a successive data block from the memory address; and successively seeding the random number generator with a combination of the seed and the successive data block such that the combination of the seed and the successive data block becomes a resulting seed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Sherry L Krell, Sergey V. Gerasimov
  • Patent number: 7298844
    Abstract: A recording/reproducing apparatus includes: a first storage section for storing data structure information which includes encrypted data; a special information holding section for holding special information associated with the data structure information; and a controller for controlling the first storage section and the special information holding section. The data structure information is associated with the special information such that the special information is updated in response to an update of the data structure information, or such that the data structure information is updated in response to an update of the special information. The controller controls movement of the encrypted data from the first storage section to a second storage section, and the controller updates the special information such that a mismatch occurs between the special information obtained before the movement of the encrypted data and the special information obtained after the movement of the encrypted data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Sugimoto, Hideshi Ishihara, Takahiro Nagai, Hirofumi Ide
  • Patent number: 7298845
    Abstract: The media inherent key storing unit 220 prestores an inherent key Ki, the conversion unit 230 generates an encrypted inherent key Ji from the inherent key read from the media inherent key storing unit 220, the random number generating unit 331 generates a random number R1, the encryption unit 252 generates an encrypted random number S1, the decryption unit 333 generates a random number R?1 from the encrypted random number R1, and the mutual authentication control unit 334 compares the random number R?1 with the random number R1 and, if the random number R?1 matches the random number R1, judges that the memory card 200 is an authorized device. If the memory card 200 and the memory card writer have successfully authenticated each other, the memory card writer encrypts a content using a decrypted inherent key. If the memory card 200 and the memory card reader have successfully authenticated each other, the memory card reader decrypts an encrypted content using the decrypted inherent key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Tatebayashi, Yutaka Nakamura, Shunji Harada, Masayuki Kozuka
  • Patent number: 7298846
    Abstract: In a subscriber television system with a host terminal, the present invention allows the identification of the individual packets from two separate MPEG transport streams that have been multiplexed together for decoding by a single external conditional access or point-of-deployment (POD) module. The decoding of individual packets from two separate MPEG transport streams supports the use of multiple tuner host terminals for such functions as picture-in-picture (PIP) program viewing and the viewing of one program while recording a second program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta, Inc.
    Inventors: Kinney Bacon, Maynard Hammond
  • Patent number: 7298847
    Abstract: A security key distribution and authentication protocol in AAA for Mobile IP has been described. In order to guarantee the secure protocol, messages between the MN, FA, AAAF, AAAH, and HA are encrypted and signed using public/private keys. IPSEC or PKI infrastructure is not required to support the AAA secure key distribution. This protocol enhances the security, flexible, scalability of AAA, and aids in protecting the Diffie-Hellman algorithm from man-in-the-middle attacks. Through this protocol, it is easy to set up a secure registration path in AAA for Mobile IP. This secure registration path provides a secretive and secure key distribution function for AAA.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Nokia Inc.
    Inventors: Dongfeng Jing, Charles E. Perkins
  • Patent number: 7298848
    Abstract: Quantum cryptography by polarization ambiguity is generally used but it involves polarization-maintained fibers. This invention proposes an alternative: quantum cryptography by ambiguity in time. It comprises the conversion of K bits to be transmitted into a train of K pulses of particle flows of time width ?T and whose frequency Tb, is predetermined knowing that each of the K pulses being shifted or not in time such that the kth pulse is shifted by a duration t0 respectively t1, with respect to the initial instant of the period depending on the value “0”, respectively “1” of the kth bit, where k is an integer such that 0?k<K and the shifts t0 and t1 are such that 0?t0,t1?Tb??T and 0<|t1?t0|<?T.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventor: Thierry Debuisschert
  • Patent number: 7298849
    Abstract: The present invention provides secure communication from one encryption domain to another using a trusted module. In one embodiment, the invention includes generating a cipher stream based on a first key for encrypted streamed content, and generating a second cipher stream based on a second key to re-encrypt the streamed content. The invention further includes receiving the encrypted streamed content, simultaneously decrypting and re-encrypting the encrypted content using a combination of the first and the second cipher streams and conveying the re-encrypted content to a sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Gary L. Graunke
  • Patent number: 7298850
    Abstract: An encrypting keypad module (30) comprising a keypad (40) and an encryption unit (42) is described. The encryption unit (42) includes an interpreter (56) for receiving a file (150) containing data and instructions for processing the data. The encryption unit (42) is operable to process the data in the file (150) by interpreting the instructions in the file (150). This enables a file (150) to be used to instruct the encryption unit (42) about the data that is to be operated on and the type of operations to be performed on the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventor: Alexander W. Whytock
  • Patent number: 7298851
    Abstract: The invention, electronic book security and copyright protection system, provides for secure distribution of electronic text and graphics to subscribers and secure storage. The method may be executed at a content provider's site, at an operations center, over a video distribution system or over a variety of alternative distribution systems, at a home subsystem, and at a billing and collection system. The content provider or operations center and/or other distribution points perform the functions of manipulation and secure storage of text data, security encryption and coding of text, cataloging of books, message center, and secure delivery functions. The home subsystem connects to a secure video distribution system or variety of alternative secure distribution systems, generates menus and stores text, and transacts through communicating mechanisms. A portable book-shaped viewer is used for secure viewing of the text.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Discovery Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: John S. Hendricks, Michael L. Asmussen, John S. McCoskey
  • Patent number: 7298852
    Abstract: A signal processing system for use in a multichannel audio system. The signal processing system includes a first channel having a first audio signal. A second channel is included that has at least a second audio signal. A processor is included that is responsive to a signal level threshold in the first channel, such that at the threshold and above the threshold, a portion of the first channel audio signal is mixed into the at least a second audio channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: American Technology Corporation
    Inventor: James J. Croft, III
  • Patent number: 7298853
    Abstract: A system for generating at least one remote virtual speaker location in connection with at least a partial reflective environment (12, 12, 14 or 15) in combination with an audio speaker for creating multiple sound effects including a virtual sound source from the reflective environment which is perceived by a listener (53) as an original sound source, by generating a primary direct audio output by emitting audio compression waves toward a listener, and generating a secondary indirect audio output from at least one virtual speaker (24, 25 or 26) remote from the audio speakers, by emitting ultrasonic sound from at least one parametric speaker (20, 21 or 22) associated with the audio speakers and oriented toward at least one reflective environment which is remote from the audio speakers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: American Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Elwood G. Norris, James J. Croft, III
  • Patent number: 7298854
    Abstract: Apparatus, methods and articles of manufacture are disclosed for modifying electromagnetic waves by reducing noise in those waves. A transfer function for a plurality of segments is derived through identifying a desired output parameter. That transfer function is then applied, via a plurality of filters or other devices, to a wave, in order to achieve said transfer function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: M/A-COM, Inc.
    Inventor: Walid K. M. Ahmed
  • Patent number: 7298855
    Abstract: A volume circuit contains resistive ladder circuits, from which a desired fractional voltage output (Vs) is extracted and supplied to an amplifier to provide an output voltage (Vout). The resistive ladder circuits comprise multiple lines of series resistances, wherein each line contains a resistance portion ‘nR’ (where ‘n’ denotes a division index, and ‘R’ denotes an element resistance) that is connected in parallel with a next line, so that an overall resistance of following lines is ‘(n?1)×n’ times larger than the element resistance. Secondary resistive ladder circuits can be additionally arranged in series in order to control a secondary amplifier that absorbs excessive currents flowing into the resistive ladder circuits. The secondary resistive ladder circuits are constituted symmetrically with the resistive ladder circuits, in which output terminals (t1-t12) are all set to the same potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuaki Tsuji, Hisatoshi Uchida
  • Patent number: 7298856
    Abstract: A chip microphone implemented as a single silicon-based chip includes a diaphragm which includes a vibration portion that vibrates in response to sound pressures, a support block which is formed on the diaphragm, excluding at least the vibration portion to provide a vibration space, and a back plate which is formed on the support block and over the vibration space, thereby facing the vibration portion of the diaphragm across the vibration space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Nippon Hoso Kyokai
    Inventors: Toshifumi Tajima, Toshiyuki Nishiguchi, Nobuo Saito, Akira Morita
  • Patent number: 7298857
    Abstract: An embodiment provides a continuous wear hearing device to be worn entirely within the ear canal, comprising a receiver assembly sized to be positioned in the bony portion of the canal, a battery assembly and a microphone assembly. The receiver assembly includes a receiver for supplying acoustic signals to the tympanic membrane. The battery assembly is coupled to the receiver assembly and includes a metal-air battery and a battery vent. The microphone assembly is coupled to the battery assembly and includes a microphone and a microphone sound port. The sound port faces a medial direction with respect to the canal. The orientation and position of the microphone in the canal are configured to reduce fouling of the port by cerumen. The positioning of the microphone assembly defines an air cavity disposed between the microphone assembly and the battery assembly with the port and the vent fluidically coupled to the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Insound Medical, Inc.
    Inventors: Adnan Shennib, Ian Michael Day, Timothy Cuongdung Huynh, Alex Tilson
  • Patent number: 7298858
    Abstract: An improved insert earphone for audiometric testing is provided, having a housing, a receiver located within the housing, a flexible eartip located externally to the housing, and a tube nipple acoustically coupled between the receiver and the flexible eartip. The flexible eartip has a flexible tube portion that is coupled to an output end of the tube nipple, which may be rigid. The housing and tube nipple are configured and arranged such that the angle between a longitudinal axis of the tube nipple and the vertical axis is obtuse, minimizing the stress on the ear canal when the flexible eartip is inserted therein. An acoustic damper may be located at or near the input end of the tube nipple to prevent ear wax from clogging the damper and minimize the need for damper replacement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Etymotic Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald L. Wilson, Steven J. Iseberg
  • Patent number: 7298859
    Abstract: The present invention provides a microphone apparatus. The microphone apparatus includes a housing with an outer surface and an interior chamber. A microphone element is disposed within the interior chamber. The outer surface includes a first substantially planar surface having at least one aperture leading to the interior chamber and a second substantially planar surface intersecting at an angle with the first planar surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Plantronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Billy J. Worley, Robert L. Doss, David G. Lashley
  • Patent number: 7298860
    Abstract: The invention provides a system for enabling the assembly and suspension of a plurality of loudspeakers in a line array where the splay angle between the adjacent speakers can be adjusted and rigidly maintained. The line array system utilizes rigging frames that allow for the coupling and supporting of the loudspeakers through the use of adjustable hinge bars. The rigging frames and adjustable hinge bars together form and rigidly maintain the splay angles between adjacent loudspeakers and correspondingly the curvature of the line array speaker assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventors: Mark Engebretson, Yoshiyuki Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 7298861
    Abstract: A loudspeaker includes a housing with front and rear sides, a diagram flexibly connected to the housing, and an actuator or displacing the diaphragm with respect to the housing along a translation axis. The housing extends around the translation axis and includes a conical forepart widening towards the forepart, a base part positioned at the rear side, and an intermediate housing part. The intermediate part extends between the forepart and the base part and includes transition areas connected to these parts. The transitions behave as hinges under the influence of an axial load above a certain value, whereby the intermediate housing portion turns towards the translation axis and the forepart turns towards the rear side under the influence of such a load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: PSS Belgium N.V.
    Inventor: Annick Simonne Irene Ermens
  • Patent number: 7298862
    Abstract: An embedded loudspeaker system is set forth incorporating at least two asymmetric enclosures having different but overlapping frequency responses in order to achieve a substantially flat frequency response. At least one of the speaker enclosures is preferably ported (bass-reflex system) to provide as much output as possible in the low-frequency range. By using a plurality of speakers at least one of which has a bass reflex enclosure, a monophonic system is provided with a flat frequency response. The dimensions of the speaker enclosures are chosen such that the anti-resonance of one loudspeaker enclosure is compensated for by the resonance of another speaker enclosure, without making use of damping, so that no “notch” appears in the frequency response of the combined system at the listening position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Mitel Networks Corporation
    Inventors: Stephane Dedieu, Philippe Moquin, Anders Fahrendorff
  • Patent number: 7298863
    Abstract: An in-vehicle speaker rotational mounting structure including a speaker unit having a claw portion provided thereon, and a panel member on which the speaker unit is mounted, wherein the claw portion is inserted into a slit formed in the panel member, so that the speaker unit is mounted on the panel member by being rotated in a circumferential direction. A jig inserting hole is provided in the speaker unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Mitsubishi Jidosha Engineering Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Karebu Kirihara, Taizo Nakamura
  • Patent number: 7298864
    Abstract: An electronic e-mail system where messages contain information carried by digital watermarks. The digital watermarks are used to control the transmission and/or receipt of documents transmitted over system. The invention can be used to prevent the accidental dissemination of information to unauthorized receivers. Furthermore, while no security system is fool-proof, the present invention helps guards against the intentional, but unauthorized, dissemination of confidential information to unauthorized receivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
    Inventor: Kevin C. Jones
  • Patent number: 7298865
    Abstract: For each small image region (in space and time), a measure of perceptual transparence of each of a set of possible watermark carrier modulations is used to choose a subset of such modulations, from which a secure random number generator selects, for each image region, a single carrier, modulations of which carry the watermark data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey Lubin, Jeffrey Adam Bloom
  • Patent number: 7298866
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a target detection process that acquires imagery from a target; compares the acquired imagery with image metric data; applies criteria to eliminate false detections and reduce clutter; applies morphological operators on the acquired imagery; probability rank orders the target imagery; divides the imagery into a series of detected target windows; and displays the detected target windows. The imagery undergoes light target detection, dark target detection or both. A morphological operator isolates targets rom their background. Two concatenated morphological filter patterns are used to screen imagery data. Spatial discontinuities at the pixel level can be detected. The detected target window images are presented to a user in a mosaic format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Henry C. Lee
  • Patent number: 7298867
    Abstract: A component association tracker is disclosed. The tracker detects, identifies and tracks a target or targets using components extracted from an image. The tracker extracts the components from a window in the image according to edge directions of connected pixels. The tracker associates the components with existing tracks from a track file. The tracks are updated according to information from the associated components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: James Slaski
  • Patent number: 7298868
    Abstract: A fusion estimator is determined as the location of the most significant mode of a density function, which takes into account the uncertainty of the estimates to be fused. A mode detection method relies on mode tracking across scales. The fusion estimator is consistent and conservative, while handling naturally outliers in the data and multiple source models. The new estimator is applied for multiple motion estimation. Numerous experiments validate the theory and provide very competitive results. Other applications include generic distributed fusion, robot localization, motion tracking, registration of medical data, fusion for automotive tasks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens Corporate Research, Inc.
    Inventor: Dorin Comaniciu
  • Patent number: 7298869
    Abstract: A portable multispectral data acquisition system for use on a vehicle such as an aircraft comprises a plurality of gyroscope-stabilized remote sensing devices synchronized to simultaneously capture images of a common spatial area in both visible and invisible bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, a computer and digital recorder to record and correlate the captured images with temporospatial reference information, image processing software to stack or layer the images and to extract and compare the images in order to identify and filter hidden or subsurface anomalies that are invisible to the naked eye, and additional image processing software to orthorectify the images to a three-dimensional digital terrain map and to stitch adjacent images together into a mosaic. Methods for using the portable multispectral data acquisition system are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Inventor: Donald A. Abernathy
  • Patent number: 7298870
    Abstract: A color sorting apparatus capable of displaying images of granules picked up by a CCD sensor on a panel and performing sensibility control of defective granules while observing the displayed images is provided. The color sorting apparatus comprises a contour processor for outputting contour binary data from the picked-up images and a contour threshold, a first defective determination circuit for outputting the defective part of the granule having a predetermined area or more of part exceeding a first threshold in the form of first defective pixel binary data, and a second defective determination circuit for outputting the defective part of the granule having a part exceeding a second threshold being greater than the first threshold in the form of second defective pixel binary data. The first defective pixel binary data are displayed on a monitor for thin coloration. The second defective pixel binary data are displayed on a monitor for partial coloration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Satake Corporation
    Inventors: Norimasa Ikeda, Nobuyoshi Ikeda
  • Patent number: 7298871
    Abstract: A system and method for automatically controlling systems and devices in a local environment, such as a home. The system comprises a control unit that receives images associated with one or more regions of the local environment. The one or more regions are each serviced by one or more servicing components. The control unit processes the images to identify, from a group of known persons associated with the local environment, any one or more known persons located in the regions. For the regions in which one or more known person is identified, the control unit automatically generates a control signal for at least one of the servicing components associated with the region, the control signal reflecting a preference of at least one of the known persons located in the respective region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Mi-Suen Lee, Hugo Strubbe
  • Patent number: 7298872
    Abstract: Disclosed is a secure system of authentication including a means for retrieving information about an authenticated individual (i.e., citizens, customers, employees, patients, and subjects). More specifically, the system allows a person to execute forms (i.e., agreements, authorizations, contracts, records, and transactions) at any location across the world by submitting to a positive identification test. In turn, authorized personnel can receive all pertinent information associated with the authenticated individual. Importantly, the autonomy and the privacy of the individual with respect to his or her information are always maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Inventor: Shawn Glisson
  • Patent number: 7298873
    Abstract: A multimodal biometric identification or authentication system includes a plurality of biometric clients. Each of the biometric clients may include devices for capturing biometric images of a plurality of types. The system includes a router in communication with the biometric clients. The router receives biometric images from, and returns biometric scores or results to, the biometric clients. The system includes a plurality of biometric matching engines in communication with the router. Each biometric matching engine includes multiple biometric processors. Each biometric processor is adapted to process biometric data of a particular type. The biometric matching engines transmit and receive biometric data to and from the router.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Imageware Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: S. James Miller, Jr., William Frederic Willis, Johann Herbert Lau, Daniel Dlab
  • Patent number: 7298874
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an iris recognition method which is one of biometric technologies. According to a non-contact-type human iris recognition method by correction of a rotated iris image of the present invention, the iris image is acquired by image acquisition equipment using an infrared illuminator. Inner and outer boundaries of the iris are detected by analyzing differences in pixels of a Canny edge detector and the image for the inputted iris image, so as to allow the boundaries of the iris to be more accurately detected from the eye image of a user. Thus, the iris image with a variety of deformation can be processed into a correct iris image, so that there is an advantage in that a false acceptance rate and a false rejection rate can be markedly reduce.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Senga Advisors, LLC
    Inventor: Seong-Won Cho
  • Patent number: 7298875
    Abstract: A capacitance-type fingerprint sensor. The capacitance-type fingerprint sensor includes a plurality of pixel groups, each of which electrically connects a plurality of sensing electrodes to a plurality of coupling electrodes, respectively; a plurality of first sensing-electrode switches for connecting the sensing electrodes to a voltage source; a plurality of second sensing-electrode switches for interconnecting the sensing electrodes contained in the pixel groups; a plurality of third sensing-electrode switches for interconnecting the pixel groups; and a plurality of coupling-electrode switches for interconnecting the coupling electrodes contained in all pixel groups. Therefore, the fingerprint sensor blocks or corrects capacitance generated by internal components of a fingerprint sensor, such that it acquires a high-quality fingerprint image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Seong-Jin Kim, Euisik Yoon
  • Patent number: 7298876
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing testing a computer aided diagnosis (CAD)-based system comprising receiving radiological image of a patient acquired using at least one piece of radiological equipment at least partially controlled by a technologist, the patient being controlled by the technologies relative to the radiological equipment in acquiring said radiological image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: R2 Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Julian Marshall, Keith W. Hartman
  • Patent number: 7298877
    Abstract: This invention provides an information fusion method for multiple indicators of cancers detected with multiple channels. Each channel consists of specifically tuned detectors, features, classifiers and Bayes networks. The outputs of the Bayes networks are probabilities of malignancy for the detections passing the corresponding classifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: ICad, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael J. Collins, Richard A. Mitchell, Steven W. Worrell
  • Patent number: 7298878
    Abstract: An image diagnosis supporting device operates, through digitizing, to apply predetermined image processing to a medical image and to generate a multi-valued image having discrete multiple values. At least one decision making processing routine is then executed on the multi-valued image and/or the medical image; and, from among shadows in the processed image, a focus candidate shadow which is likely to indicate a diseased site is extracted. The extracted focus candidate shadow is then displayed in the medical image so that it is easily identifiable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Goto
  • Patent number: 7298879
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for forming an image of body structures from an image data set, notably for highlighting potential nodular structures (KI; KA) in a lung. The problem to be solved by the invention is to achieve automatic highlighting of potential nodular structures in methods of this kind.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventor: Rafael Wiemker
  • Patent number: 7298880
    Abstract: A boundary 1 of a wall in an initial image of time-series images is decided automatically or manually. A boundary 2 is generated automatically or manually in a neighbor of the other boundary of the wall. A normalized image is generated on the basis of an image pattern of a region surrounded by the boundaries 1 and 2 and registered as a template image. In each of the time-series images, boundaries 1 and 2 that generate a normalized image most similar to the template image are calculated. In this manner, wall thickness change can be calculated automatically stably and accurately even in the case where luminance change in the boundaries of a wall is obscure. This method is useful for diagnosis of heart disease etc. in medical image diagnosis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Masahide Nishiura
  • Patent number: 7298881
    Abstract: A method, system, and computer software product for correlating medical images, comprising: obtaining first image data representative of a first medical image including a first abnormality; obtaining second image data representative of a second medical image including a second abnormality; determining at least one feature value for each of the first and second abnormalities using the first and second image data; calculating, based on the determined feature values, a likelihood value indicative of a likelihood that the first and second abnormalities are a same abnormality; and outputting the determined likelihood value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: University of Chicago
    Inventors: Maryellen L Giger, HuiHua Wen, Li Lan
  • Patent number: 7298882
    Abstract: A method for defining image quality characteristics of X-ray based medical projection imaging devices is provided. A spatial frequency-dependent signal-to-noise ratio function includes image quality parameters of spatial resolution, object contrast and noise. The detectability of an object embedded into a defined background, such as a cardiac guide wire in a patient is determined. An X-ray system may be defined and set up for obtaining an optimized image quality to determine the best object detectability for a given patient dose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Philipp Bernhardt, Lothar Bätz, Ernst-Peter Rührnschopf, Martin Hoheisel
  • Patent number: 7298883
    Abstract: A computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) scheme to aid in the detection, characterization, diagnosis, and/or assessment of normal and diseased states (including lesions and/or images). The scheme employs lesion features for characterizing the lesion and includes non-parametric classification, to aid in the development of CAD methods in a limited database scenario to distinguish between malignant and benign lesions. The non-parametric classification is robust to kernel size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: University of Chicago
    Inventors: Maryellen L Giger, Dacian Bonta
  • Patent number: 7298884
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for medical imaging, particularly for mammography, wherein a body organ, such as a breast, is exposed to X-rays and the X-rays are collected after attenuation through the object. The recorded attenuations are processed and displaying a result of this processing in the form of a representation of an image of the object. The processing of the recorded attenuations form includes automatic classification of zones of the breast into pathological or non-pathological classes. The automatic classification takes into account at least one classification input into the apparatus in advance in association with data that can be collected by the apparatus, and using this prior classification as a reference in order to produce a classification of the same type if there is similarity between the collected data and the data associated with this reference classification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Fanny Jeunehomme, Serge Muller, Razvan Iordache
  • Patent number: 7298885
    Abstract: A biological scanner provides automated selection of image processing profiles to scan different types of biological growth plates. The scanner automatically identifies the type of plate to be scanned by the scanner, and then selects one of the image processing profiles appropriate for the identified plate type. For example, the image processing profiles may apply different color, shape, size and proximity criteria in counting different types of bacterial colonies. The scanner may identify the plate type by reference to a variety of machine-readable indicators, such as optically or magnetically readable marks, carried on the plate. Accordingly, biological growth plates carrying particular indicators that permit plate type identification are also contemplated. The plates may be scanned in order to read or count different types of bacterial colonies, or the amount of a particular biological agent on the biological growth plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Kevin R. Green, Doyle T. Potter, Andrew D. Dubner
  • Patent number: 7298886
    Abstract: The invention is directed to counting techniques for counting biological agents on a biological growth plate or similar medium. In order to automate the counting of biological agents, a biological growth plate is inserted into a biological scanning unit. Upon insertion of the biological growth plate, the biological scanning unit generates an image of the plate. Then, the amount of biological agents that appear in the image, such as a number of bacteria colonies, can be counted or otherwise determined using image processing and analysis routines performed either by the scanning unit or an external computing device, such as a desktop computer, workstation or the like. A variety of counting rules are described herein that can be used to improve the accuracy of automated counts of biological agents on a biological growth plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Michael R. Plumb, Christine A. Binsfeld, Doyle T. Potter
  • Patent number: 7298887
    Abstract: A system for and a method of analyzing the surface condition of a PCB using RGB colors are disclosed. The analyzing method includes the steps of feeding a target PCB, to be measured, to an image pick-up position where a pick-up unit is disposed, by a feeding unit, picking up an image of a metal surface of the fed target PCB, extracting pixel data from the picked-up image for the target PCB, performing a mapping operation for RGB signals of the extracted pixel data in accordance with a mapping program, thereby determining relative RGB values, producing cumulative distribution data of the relative RGB values for the target PCB in accordance with an RGB-mapping process, and quantitatively determining the oxidation degree of the target PCB metal surface exhibited with the lapse of time, based on the cumulative distribution data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Hyo-Soo Lee, Young-Hwan Shin, Chong-Ho Kim