138results about How to "Improve system flexibility" patented technology

A satellite-based communications network employing at least one satellite and a plurality of user terminals adapted for use with the communications network. The network includes a transmitter for transmitting data to the plurality of user terminals, where the data includes a plurality of broadcast modes and / or services. The transmitter transmits data in a packetized format in which a predetermined number of data packets are transmitted in a frame, where the frame is defined as a predetermined period of time. Further, the transmitter transmits each of the plurality of broadcast modes utilizing a single carrier frequency. Each of the plurality of user terminals includes a receiver for receiving the transmitted data and for regenerating the data so that the data is made available to a device coupled to the user terminal.

A graphics system including a custom graphics and audio processor produces exciting 2D and 3D graphics and surround sound. The system includes a graphics and audio processor including a 3D graphics pipeline and an audio digital signal processor. The graphics processor includes an embedded frame buffer for storing frame data prior to sending the frame data to an external location, such as main memory. A copy pipeline is provided which converts the data from one format to another format prior to writing the data to the external location. The conversion may be from one RGB color format to another RGB color format, from one YUV format to another YUV format, from an RGB color format to a YUV color format, or from a YUV color format to an RGB color format. The formatted data is either transferred to a display buffer, for use by the video interface, or to a texture buffer, for use as a texture by the graphics pipeline in a subsequent rendering process.

The present invention relates to a method and a network element 3 for marking data packets to be transmitted in a packet switched network 10 with a priority information I, said packets being treated in said network 10 according to said priority information I. The priority information I is determined depending on a nominal bit rate NBR allocated to a certain service connection and a momentary bit rate MBR of said connection that is calculated depending on an importance marking IU contained in a received data packet indicating an importance level of said data packet. Thus, the nominal bit rate NBR allocated to an end-user can be shared between a plurality of applications with different characteristics in order to give certain applications a higher priority than other applications. The present invention relates to a corresponding terminal device 9 to be used with such a network element 3.

A virtual communication space is constructed, in which people that actually see, hear or experience the same thing in the real world can exchange impressions or opinions in real-time. A user carrying a user terminal 20 moves in the real world and enters a predetermined space of the real world that is controlled and supervised by a virtual communication space providing portion 30. The virtual communication space providing portion 30 sends communication channel identification information with a communication channel identification information notifying means 32, and a communication channel identification information sensing means 21 of the user terminal 20 senses the communication channel identification information. Login into that communication channel is performed with a channel login / logout means 22. By logging in, the virtual communication space provided by the virtual communication space providing portion 30 is shared, and applications such as an electronic bulletin board and chat can be used. The supervisor terminal collects / analyzes a log of the conversation.

Memory address space is divided into domains and instruction access control circuitry is used to detect when the memory address from which an instruction to be executed is fetched has crossed a domain boundary and changed and in such cases to conduct a check to ensure that the instruction within the new domain is a permitted instruction of a permitted form. The permitted instruction can be arranged to be a no operation instruction other than in respect of the instruction access control circuitry, in order to assist backward compatibility.

A domain object stores a business rule, and an object management is provided with an interface for data access. A service object executes a service requested by other objects. A control object controls the collaboration relationship among these objects according to the process request from a client, and notifies the client of the process result.

A risk analysis apparatus and method are provided. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the risk analysis apparatus includes: at least one processor configured to: a risk factor collector configured to collect risk factors related to one or more authentication processes for authentication of a user of a client device in an authentication system; a risk analyzer configured to calculate a current risk score for the user based on the collected risk factors and calculate a total risk score based on a risk score history of the user and the current risk score based on the one or more authentication processes being successful; and an additional authentication requester configured to determine whether additional authentication of the user is required based on the current risk score and the total risk score and, request the client device for the additional authentication of the user based on the additional authentication being required.

A system provides via multiple communications channels flexible nutritional counseling that encourages users to adhere to a sensible diet. The system may recommend a compliant meal having nutritional content that is within certain dietary parameters applicable to the user. However, the system may also recommend a non-compliant meal having nutritional content that is not within the dietary parameters, but is a sensible choice in view of constraints that make it impossible or infeasible to select a compliant meal. Thus, the system may recommend a meal that is not an optimal selection, but that is a best selection from among a set of non-compliant options. Accordingly, the user has flexibility to deviate from optimal choices as practically necessary or desirable. The user confirms meals actually consumed, and the system can account for an indulgence when recommending a next meal, and / or send a motivational message to the user encouraging compliant behavior.

Improved methods and devices for performing an endoscopic surgery including a system for performing minimally invasive procedures including a flexible catheter having a first lumen, a first flexible tube positioned in the first lumen, and a second flexible tube positioned in the first lumen. The first lumen defines a first space configured and dimensioned to receive an endoscope. The first flexible tube and second flexible tube are fixed at a proximal portion and configured to float within the first lumen of the catheter. First and second flexible guides are slidably positioned within the first and second flexible tubes and dimensioned to receive a first instrument for axial movement therein, the first and second flexible guides movable to an angled position with respect to a longitudinal axis. A working space expanding system positioned at a distal portion of the flexible catheter, the working space expanding system movable from a non-expanded insertion position to an expanded position forming an expanded region to expand the working space within the body lumen.

A peripheral card having a Personal Computer (“PC”) card form factor and removably coupled externally to a host system is further partitioned into a mother card portion and a daughter card portion. The daughter card is removably coupled to the mother card. In the preferred embodiment, a low cost flash “floppy” is accomplished with the daughter card containing only flash EEPROM chips and being controlled by a memory controller residing on the mother card. Other aspects of the invention includes a comprehensive controller on the mother card able to control a predefined set of peripherals on daughter cards connectable to the mother card; relocation of some host resident hardware to the mother card to allow for a minimal host system; a mother card that can accommodate multiple daughter cards; daughter cards that also operates directly with hosts having embedded controllers; daughter cards carrying encoded data and information for decoding it; and daughter cards with security features.

Systems and methods of the invention relate to managing an inventory of items within a storage container. A storage container can house one or more items for distribution among one or more users such as, for instance, employees. The storage container discussed herein provides authentication of a user, tracking of the inventory each user removes or returns, video / image capture of user during access of the storage container, wireless tracking of items housed within the storage container, among others.

A graphics system including a custom graphics and audio processor produces exciting 2D and 3D graphics and surround sound. The system includes a graphics and audio processor including a 3D graphics pipeline and an audio digital signal processor. The graphics system has a graphics processor includes an embedded frame buffer for storing frame data prior to sending the frame data to an external location, such as main memory. The embedded frame buffer is selectively configurable to store the following pixel formats: point sampled RGB color and depth, super-sampled RGB color and depth, and YUV (luma / chroma). Graphics commands are provided which enable the programmer to configure the embedded frame buffer for any of the pixel formats on a frame-by-frame basis.

System flexibility and ease-of-design is greatly enhanced in a network wireless / RFID switching device by using a multicore abstraction layer (MCAL) to interface between a multicore hardware platform, a device operating system and the packet transfer functions of the system. Such an architecture may be particularly useful in constructing switches capable of switching wireless networking (e.g. IEEE 802.11, 802.16), RFID or other network protocols, particularly using multi-core processors. A classification handler initially classifies the data packet. A plurality of protocol handlers each associated with a data protocol processes the data packet if the classification of the data packet matches the data protocol associated with the protocol handler, and one of several application handlers each associated with a user applications processes the data packet if the classification of the data packet matches the user application associated with the application handler. The MCAL is configured to send the data packet to the classification handler after the packet is initially received, and to subsequently direct the packet toward one of the protocol or application handlers in response to the classification of the data packet. MCAL further contains a set of the containers for handlers. Real application, protocol and classification handlers register with MCAL and are modules developed outside of the MCAL.

A single method and apparatus for producing many of the most common types of hologram from digital data is disclosed. The data are generated entirely by a computer as a 3-D (animated) model or from multiple 2-D camera images taken of a real 3-D (moving) object or scene from a plurality of different camera positions. The data are digitally processed and displayed on a small high resolution spatial light modulator (SLM). A compact low energy pulsed laser, is used to record composite holograms. The present invention permits the creation of restricted or full parallax master transmission or reflection type composite holograms, known as H1 holograms, that can be copied using traditional methods. Alternatively the same invention and apparatus permits the direct writing of hologram without the need to pass through the intermediate stage of the H1 transmission hologram.

The present invention relates to a mobile water purification system employing crossflow filtration, such as reverse osmosis filtration. One embodiment of the invention discloses a mobile water purification system comprising a housing, a pump unit and a piping system for providing fluid communication between a water inlet, a pre-filtration unit, a crossflow filtration unit, a disinfection unit and an outlet for supply of purified water, wherein the pre-filtration unit comprises sediment / cartridge filtrations means and dechlorination means, the cross-flow filtration unit comprises a plurality of parallel and / or sequentially arranged membrane filters, and the piping system is reconfigurable such that the crossflow filtration unit can be bypassed. The present water purification system is adapted to be deployed in remote areas substantially anywhere in the world.

A communication system, such as a computer system, with a plurality of processing nodes coupled by communication links stores a database of abstract topologies that provides a node adjacency matrix and abstract routing between nodes. A breadth-first discovery of the actual communication fabric is performed starting from an arbitrary root node to discover the actual topography. A graph isomorphism algorithm finds a match between the discovered topology and one of the stored abstract topologies. The graph isomorphism algorithm provides a mapping between the ‘abstract’ node numbers and the discovered node numbers. That mapping may be used to rework the stored routing tables into the specific format needed. The computed routing tables are loaded into the fabric starting at the leaf nodes, working back towards the root node (i.e., start loading from the highest node number and work back to the lowest numbered node).

The present invention provides a liquid handling system capable of automated dispensing and reformatting operations by virtue of a quick-release cannula array mounting system that permits cannula arrays to be changed automatically by the system or manually by a user. Automated changing of the cannula array is carried out by relative movement of the dispensing head and the sample support surface to deliver the attached cannula array to a storage location, releasing the array from the dispensing head, and attaching a new cannula array. Relative movement between the dispensing head and sample support surface in at least two dimensions increases flexibility of the system and makes self-loading of the cannula array practical. The system provides advantages in time and accuracy of cannula array changeover procedures. The automated cannula array changeover capability permits automated wellplate reformatting procedures, which can be performed quickly and accurately.

A method using a frame structure which supports relay for wireless transmission, which divides the time slots of a sub-frame into some zones, in which the data is transmitted using the manner of TDD, wherein further including that at least one time slot in a sub-frame is set as a hybrid zone; the transmission of the data is realized through frequency division multiplexing the access link and relay link in the hybrid zone of the sub-frame; and also the multi-hop relay is supported under the two work manners of relay in sub-frame and relay in frame.

A peripheral card having a Personal Computer (“PC”) card form factor and removably coupled externally to a host system is further partitioned into a mother card portion and a daughter card portion. The daughter card is removably coupled to the mother card. In the preferred embodiment, a low cost flash “floppy” is accomplished with the daughter card containing only flash EEPROM chips and being controlled by a memory controller residing on the mother card. Other aspects of the invention includes a comprehensive controller on the mother card able to control a predefined set of peripherals on daughter cards connectable to the mother card; relocation of some host resident hardware to the mother card to allow for a minimal host system; a mother card that can accommodate multiple daughter cards; daughter cards that also operates directly with hosts having embedded controllers; daughter cards carrying encoded data and information for decoding it; and daughter cards with security features.

A flexible media transport system includes a director element having articulating tips that provide access to selected media paths. The director element(s) can be incorporated into a director module. Multiple director modules can then be combined into a highly flexible and reconfigurable media transport system. By implementing the joints between the articulating tips and the body of the director element such that a continuous surface is provided in the path of the flexible media, stubbing of the moving media can be avoided. The continuous-surface joint interface can be provided via flexible skins, monolithic articulating tip-director element structures, and preconfigured resilient plate structures, among others.

Easily implemented randomization within a flash memory EEPROM reduces the NAND string resistance effect, program disturbs, user read disturbs, and floating gate to floating gate coupling that result from repeated and long term storage of specific data patterns. The randomization may be code generated pseudo randomization or user driven randomization in different embodiments. User driven commands, the timing of which cannot be predicted may be used to trigger and achieve a high level of randomization. Randomly altering the encoding scheme of the data prevents repeated and long term storage of specific data patterns. Even if a user wishes to store the same information for long periods, or to repeatedly store it, it will be randomly encoded with different encoding schemes, and the data pattern will therefore be varied.

A method and system for assigning logical partitions to multiple named processor pools. Sets of physical processors are assigned to predefined processor sets. Named processor pools with unique pool names are defined. The processor sets are assigned to the named processor pools so that each processor set is assigned to a unique named processor pool. A first set of logical partitions is assigned to a first named processor pool and a second set of logical partitions is assigned to a second named processor pool. A first processor set is assigned to the first named processor pool and a first set of physical processors is assigned to the first processor set. Similarly, a second processor set is assigned to the second named processor pool and a second set of physical processors is assigned to the second processor set.

An optical system may include an objective having at least four mirrors including an outermost mirror with aspect ratio <20:1 and focusing optics including a refractive optical element. The objective provides imaging at numerical aperture >0.7, central obscuration <35% in pupil. An objective may have two or more mirrors, one with a refractive module that seals off an outermost mirror's central opening. A broad band imaging system may include one objective and two or more imaging paths that provide imaging at numerical aperture >0.7 and field of view >0.8 mm. An optical imaging system may comprise an objective and two or more imaging paths. The imaging paths may provide two or more simultaneous broadband images of a sample in two or more modes. The modes may have different illumination and / or collection pupil apertures or different pixel sizes at the sample.

A method of implementing dynamic channel allocation in a cellular radio system. The cellular radio system includes, in each cell, at least one base station communicating with subscriber terminals within its area. The system includes, in one cell, at least two subeeils, which include an anrenna unit and in which all available frequencies are dynamically used. All antenna units listen to control channels that subscriber terminals use for connection set-up and a base station measures the power level of the control channels through the antenna units, on the basis of which an antenna unit providing the strongest sigxzal is selected for conricction set-up. The base station measures through the antenna units the interference level of all available traffic channels, on the basis of which that traffic channel in an antenna unit selected for connection set-up which has the least interference is selected for communication. The base station measures through the antenna units the power level of the signals of subscriber terminals having a uaffic connection.

Methods for producing optical fibers along nonlinear paths include incorporating fluid bearings. An optical fiber is drawn from a preform along a first pathway, contacted with a region of fluid cushion of a fluid bearing, and redirected along a second pathway as the fiber is drawn across said region of fluid cushion.

In an exemplary embodiment, an active vector generator is configured to generate a composite vector with controlled phase and amplitude, where the active vector generator generates the composite vector with independent variable phase control and independent variable amplitude control. Furthermore, in another exemplary embodiment, an active vector generator is configured to generate a unique number of phase states and configured to generate a unique number of amplitude states. Specifically, an exemplary active vector generator comprises a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to set the phase of the composite vector, a current multiplying switch network configured to control the amplitude of the composite vector, a variable current multiplier configured to adjust the amplitude of the composite vector, and a differential adder configured to control the quadrant of the composite vector and generate the composite vector.

Methods for producing optical fibers along nonlinear paths include incorporating fluid bearings. An optical fiber is drawn from a preform along a first pathway, contacted with a region of fluid cushion of a fluid bearing, and redirected along a second pathway as the fiber is drawn across said region of fluid cushion.