A fast modulated lapped transform (MLT) method and architecture for image compression and decompression systems minimizes blocking artifacts associated with JPEG based discrete cosine transform (DCT) image compression systems. The MLT method combines fast block processing capabilities of wavelet transforms and fast block processing of DCT image compression systems. The modular and pipeline MLT architecture is fast by block processing but avoids the visual blocking artifacts that can be seen in m...

A method and apparatus for encoding a sampled signal using a nonscalar vector quantizer. A lapping window operator is applied to blocks of signal samples of length greater than N to produce length-N transform vectors which are then encoded by a nonscalar vector quantizer. The method and apparatus may use or have a window operator that is identical to that of the modulated lapped transform, that is a 2N.times.N matrix operator, that is identical to that of the modulated lapped transform with asym...

A hardboard lapped siding panel of wet processed wood fibers with substantial variations in density to provide a desired combination of improved characteristics. The panel is molded from a mat of wet wood fibers between a pair of heated upper and lower contoured plates. The upper plate is contoured to form the desired configuration of the front surface of the siding panel. The lower plate is contoured to provide the desired variations in density other improved characteristics of the panel. Prefe...

A lapped steel tube which is improved in resistances to the repeated high-pressure fatigue and the cavitation erosion, in the vibration resistance and in the fitting properties to eliminate the clearances between its inner, outer and intermediate pipes and to lower the production cost. The lapped steel tube comprises an outer pipe, an intermediate pipe and an inner pipe. The outer pipe is made of an electroseamed pipe, the intermediate pipe is made of a duplex-wound pipe or an electroseamed pipe...

A digital media content (e.g., image, video, audio, etc.) encoder/decoder employs a spatially varying parameter to condition the application of an overlap pre-process and post-process to adjacent transform block edges for the spatial-domain lapped transform. This conditional application of the lapped transform to sub-blocks of the digital media can be signaled on an edge, block, macro-block or other granularity. Further, a restriction on use of the conditional lapped transform based on a frame-l...

A lapped seam can having a high safety characteristic used as containers of soft drinks or beer wherein the cut-burrs at the end of the inner end portion of the can blank are completely removed so that micro-leak passages apt to occur in the lapped seam can are shut off, thereby permitting a long term storage of the can content without deterioration by preventing metal from being dissolved out from said inner end portion.

The joinder of crossed members by the formation in at least one member of a notch established by the piercing and shearing of one flat wall and the bending of adjacent walls to a bottom plane displaced from the remaining flat wall, a second member being received in said notch, and advantageously employed by the formation of like notches in both crossed members and which are complementary, the crossed members thereby retaining their structural continuity without the production of scrap, and adapt...

A video encoder/decoder implements a lapped transform by applying an overlap filter in the spatial or transform domains to transform blocks. For interlace frames whose alternating scan lines are temporally displaced, the encoder/decoder imposes a limitation on application of the overlap filter to exclude horizontal block edges between adjacent transform blocks. This limitation can be imposed in both implementations where the overlap transform is applied across all blocks of an image, as well as ...

A single turn induction coil which provides uniform sealing of lids to plastic containers. A first end of the coil overlaps a second end of the coil with the ends being tapered to form a single complete ring. An electrical current is coupled to the overlapped portions of the first and second end of the coil so the electrical current flows for more than 360.degree. around the coil. This provides an induced electrical current around a container lid adjacent to the coil and provides heating of the ...

A valve assembly has an elongated body with an axial bore which is honed to a fine finish, axially apertured end caps sealed over opposite ends of the body, a pressure port, cylinder ports and exhaust ports with associated passages communicating with the bore. A valve spool assembly is reciprocally nested and sealed within the bore for controlling flow of pressure fluid through the respective ports and passages. The spool assembly is honed to a fine finish to match the bore with a minimal cleara...