Abstract:
A cellular telephone transmitter is provided, including a selectable gain microphone amplifier, to transmit vocal signals to the receiver of a communicating telephone. The telephone transmitter including a variable gain amplifier to amplify the vocal signal picked up by the microphone, a gain controller to vary the gain of the amplifier, and a selector associated with the gain controller which allows the telephone user to choose the gain of the amplifier. The telephone user intermittently activates the selector, while speaking, to choose an amplifier gain level appropriate to the volume of the input vocal signal. In particular, the user can elect to temporarily boost the gain while whispering into the phone. A method is also disclosed.
Abstract:
A board game based on golf comprises a board, a chart representing distances allied to different golf clubs, a distance and direction indicator, counters, markers representative of golf balls, and parts representative of arbitrary features of a hole on a golf course. The board includes first section devoted to the construction of a golf hole using said parts, and a second section which includes a grid comprising rows and columns of cavities referenced, respectively, in conformity with said chart and with an arcuate scale on said indicator, and spaned from said grid a target with concentric circles about a central cavity and from which counters can be flipped into cavities of said grid.
Abstract:
Systems and methods are described for determining device positions in a video surveillance system. A method described herein includes generating a reference sound; emitting, at a first device, the reference sound; detecting, at the first device, a responsive reference sound from one or more second devices in response to the emitted reference sound; identifying a position of each of the one or more second devices; obtaining information relating to latency of the one or more second devices; computing a round trip time associated with each of the one or more second devices based on at least a timing of detecting the one or more responsive reference sounds and the latency of each of the one or more second devices; and estimating the position of the first device according to the round trip time and the position associated with each of the one or more second devices.
Abstract:
Systems and methods are described for determining device positions in a video surveillance system. A method described herein includes generating a reference sound; emitting, at a first device, the reference sound; detecting, at the first device, a responsive reference sound from one or more second devices in response to the emitted reference sound; identifying a position of each of the one or more second devices; obtaining information relating to latency of the one or more second devices; computing a round trip time associated with each of the one or more second devices based on at least a timing of detecting the one or more responsive reference sounds and the latency of each of the one or more second devices; and estimating the position of the first device according to the round trip time and the position associated with each of the one or more second devices.
Abstract:
A non-thermal plasma or corona discharge is generated at multiple points and distributed to decontaminate surfaces and objects contaminated with chemical or biological agents. The corona discharge can be generated using very short high voltage pulses. The pulsed corona discharge can be directed at a contaminated surface through the unbraided strands at an end of a dielectric covered conductor. Another pulsed discharge embodiment incorporates a primary coil surrounding a chamber having a void filled with a plurality of secondary coils. A silent corona discharge can be generated using a variety of different configurations of a dielectric coated electrode and a bare electrode. The silent discharge is produced at all intersections between the dielectric covered electrode and the bare electrode. In one embodiment the apparatus comprises a blanket-like structure that is useful for decontaminating surfaces or decontaminating a fluid passing between spaced-apart bare electrodes.
Abstract:
A radio transceiver is provided for wireless communications, having an interface connection that is selectable between either an antenna or a cable interface. The radio transceiver is engaged to the antenna through an impedance matching network which translates the antenna impedance to match that of the radio transceiver. The radio transceiver can, alternately, be connected to external test equipment or performance enhancement equipment through the cable interface. Since the radio transceiver has the same impedance as most external test equipment, the antenna matching network is not required or used when test equipment is connected to the cable interface. In the present invention the cable interface at least partially disconnects the matching network whenever the cable interface is in use. Once the antenna has been disconnected, the impedance of the cable interface matches that of the radio transceiver. Thus, the radio transceiver provides a convenient cable interface that matches the impedance of most test equipment, yet is easily switched to normal transmit/receive operation.