Author: claimsbot

1. A system, comprising:
a hardware platform, wherein the hardware platform is adapted to be communicably connected to an active object, wherein the active object is selected from the group consisting of a device comprising a sensor, a device comprising an actuator, and a device comprising both a sensor and an actuator;
a middleware module, wherein at least a portion of the middleware module resides in andor is executed on the hardware platform; and
at least one software service generated by the middleware module, wherein each of the at least one software service represents the active object.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the active object is a device comprising an actuator and wherein the middleware module is configured to:
receive commands from one or more applications written in a high level language via each of the at least one software service;
convert the commands into low-level commands that can be understood by the active object, and
transmit the low-level commands to the active object via the hardware platform,
wherein the low-level commands are capable of controlling the active object.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the active object is a device comprising a sensor and wherein the hardware platform is configured to receive raw data from the active object and pass the raw data to the middleware module, and the middleware module is configured to convert the raw data into useable data and pass the usable data to the at least one software service.
4. The system of claim 3, further comprising one or more applications written in a higher level language, wherein at least one of the one or more applications is configured to receive the useable data from one or more of the at least one software service.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the hardware platform is adapted to be communicably connected to at least one additional active object, wherein each of the at least one additional active object is selected from the group consisting of a device comprising a sensor, a device comprising an actuator, and a device comprising both a sensor and an actuator,
wherein the middleware module generates at least one additional software service,
wherein each of the at least one additional software service represents one or more of the at least one additional active object and wherein each of the at least one additional active object is represented by one or more of the at least one additional software service.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one additional active object comprises one or more devices comprising a sensor,
wherein the hardware platform is configured to receive raw data from each object of the one or more devices comprising a sensor and pass the raw data to the middleware module, and the middleware module is configured to convert the raw data into useable data and pass the usable data to the one or more of the at least one additional software service that represents the object, wherein the useable data can be used by one or more applications written in a higher level language.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one additional active object comprises one or more devices comprising an actuator,
wherein the middleware module is configured to:
receive commands from one or more applications written in a high level language via each of the at least one additional software service representing the one or more devices comprising an actuator;
convert the commands into low-level commands that can be understood by at least one of the one or more devices comprising an actuator; and
transmit the low-level commands to the at least one of the one or more devices comprising an actuator via the hardware platform, wherein the low-level commands are capable of controlling the at least one of the one or more devices comprising an actuator.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the middleware module is configured to generate each of the at least one software service after the active object is communicably connected to the hardware platform.
9. The system of claim 7, wherein all of the at least one software service and the at least one additional software service comply with a standard, uniform interface.
10. The system of claim 7, wherein the active object and each of the at least one additional active object are located in a pervasive space.
11. The system of claim 10, further comprising the active object and each of the at least one additional active object.
12. The system of claim 7, wherein the hardware platform comprises a plurality of layered boards.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of layered boards comprises a stack of layered boards, and a board may be added to or removed from the stack of layered boards.
14. The system of claim 7, wherein the hardware platform comprises an interface module, wherein the interface module is configured to communicable connect the active object and each of the at least one additional active object to the hardware platform.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the interface module is configured to communicably connect one or more of the at least one additional active object to the hardware platform via a wireless connection.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the interface module is configured to communicable connect one or more of the at least one additional active object to the hardware platform via a passively powered wireless connection.
17. The system of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the middleware module resides in andor is executed on a server connected to the hardware platform via a network.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein the hardware platform comprises a communication module, wherein the communication module is configured to communicably connect the hardware platform with the server via the network.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein the communication module is configured to communicably connect the hardware platform in with the server via the network via a wireless connection.
20. The system of claim 18, wherein the communication module supports an Internet Protocol (IP), an ad-hoc networking protocol, a mesh networking protocol, or a combination of said protocols.
21. A method for providing a software service to represent an active object, comprising:
receiving a driver, wherein the driver comprises information and behavioral components required to interact with an active object communicably connected to a hardware platform, wherein the active object is selected from the group consisting of a device comprising a sensor, a device comprising an actuator, and a device comprising both a sensor and an actuator; and
generating based on the driver a software service to represent the active object, wherein when raw data from the active object is received by the hardware platform the raw data is converted into usable data and passed to the software service, wherein the useable data can be used by an application written in a higher level language, wherein the application is configured to receive the useable data from the software service.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the software service is generated by a middleware module, wherein at least a portion of the middleware module resides in andor is executed on the hardware platform.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein at least a portion of the middleware module resides in andor is executed on a server connected to the hardware platform via a network.
24. The method of claim 22, wherein the raw data is converted to usable data via the middleware module.
25. The method of claim 22, further comprising passing the useable data from the software service to the application.
26. The method of claim 22, further comprising filtering the raw data before converting the raw data into usable data; andor filtering the usable data before passing the usable data to the software service.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein the filtering is performed by a processing agent on the hardware platform.
28. The method of claim 23, further comprising editing the software service.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein the editing the software service is performed remotely.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein the editing the software service comprises using an Integrated Development Environment (IDE).
31. The method of claim 23, further comprising:
decomposing a process into a first set of instructions to be performed by the hardware platform and a second set of instructions to be performed by the server; and
performing the process via the hardware platform and the server.
32. The method of claim 21, wherein the driver is received from the hardware platform.
33. The method of claim 23, wherein the driver comprises configuration information from the hardware platform, wherein the configuration information comprises indicia of the hardware platform andor indicia of an interface of the hardware platform to which the active object is communicably connected.
34. The method of claim 23, wherein the driver is stored on the hardware platform, the active object, the server, a local repository, or a remote repository.
35. The method of claim 34, wherein the driver is downloaded from the local repository or the remote repository by the middleware module based on resource location information received from the hardware platform or the active object.
36. The method of 35, wherein the resource location information comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for locating the driver via the Internet.
37. The method of claim 22, further comprising generating a second software service, wherein the second software service represents the active object.
38. The method of claim 37, wherein the second software service is generated based on the driver.
39. The method of claim 38, wherein the active object is a device comprising both a sensor and an actuator,
wherein when one or more commands are received by the second software service the one or more commands are converted into one or more low-level commands capable of controlling the operation of the actuator and transmitted to the active object via the hardware platform.
40. The method of claim 22, further comprising:
receiving an additional driver, wherein the additional driver comprises information and behavioral components required to interact with an additional active object communicably connected to the hardware platform, wherein the additional active object is selected from the group consisting of a device comprising a sensor, a device comprising an actuator, and a device comprising both a sensor and an actuator; and
generating based on the additional driver an additional software service to represent the additional active object.
41. The method of claim 40, wherein the additional active object is a device comprising an actuator, and wherein when one or more commands are received by the additional software service the one or more commands are converted into one or more low-level commands capable of controlling the operation of the actuator and transmitted to the additional active object via the hardware platform.
42. A media storage device having machine-readable instructions stored thereon for performing a method for providing a software service interface to an active object, the method comprising:
receiving a driver, wherein the driver comprises information and behavioral components required to interact with an active object communicably connected to a hardware platform, wherein the active object is selected from the group consisting of a device comprising a sensor, a device comprising an actuator, and a device comprising both a sensor and an actuator;
generating based on the driver a software service to represent the active object;
receiving via the software service one or more commands from an application written in a higher level language;
converting the one or more commands into one or more low-level commands capable of controlling the operation of the active object; and
transmitting the low-level commands to the active object via the hardware platform.
43. The media storage device of claim 42, wherein the software service is generated by a middleware module, wherein at least a portion of the middleware module resides in andor is executed on the hardware platform.
44. The media storage device of claim 43, the method further comprising generating a second software service, wherein the second software service represents the active object.
45. The media storage device of claim 44, wherein the second software service is generated based on the driver.
46. The media storage device of claim 45, wherein the active object is a device comprising both a sensor and an actuator and the method further comprises:
receiving raw data from the active object via the hardware platform;
converting the raw data into usable data; and
passing the usable data to the second software service, wherein the useable data can be used by a second application written in a higher level language, wherein the second application is configured to receive the useable data from the second software service.
47. The media storage device of claim 43, the method further comprising:
receiving an additional driver, wherein the additional driver comprises information and behavioral components required to interact with an additional active object communicably connected to the hardware platform, wherein the additional active object is selected from the group consisting of a device comprising a sensor, a device comprising an actuator, and a device comprising both a sensor and an actuator; and
generating based on the additional driver an additional software service to represent the additional active object.
48. The media storage device of claim 47, the method further comprising:
receiving via the additional software service one or more commands from a second application written in a higher level language;
converting the one or more commands into one or more low-level commands capable of controlling the operation of the additional active object; and
transmitting the low-level commands to the additional active object via the hardware platform.
49. The media storage device of claim 47, the method further comprising:
receiving second raw data from the additional active object via the hardware platform;
converting the second raw data into second usable data; and
passing the second usable data to the additional software service, wherein the second useable data can be used by a second application written in a higher level language, wherein the second application is configured to receive the second useable data from the additional software service.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1-24. (canceled)
25. A computerized system for placing and managing a telephone call, comprising:
an interactive preparation window wherein a user may enter call identifying information prior to making the call; and
a storage repository for storing a version of the call;
wherein the interactive preparation window allows entering third party recipients for a call in addition to the call destination, and the recorded call or a version of the call is sent as a message transaction to the third party recipients after the call is initiated.
26. The system of claim 25 wherein the system includes incubation functionality selectable through the preparation window, wherein a version of a call identified through the preparation window may be stored for a pre-specified time period, and revived at the end of the time period.
27. The system of claim 25 wherein the version of the call stored is one of an audio recording of the call or a text version of the call prepared from the audio.
28. The system of claim 26 wherein upon revival an alert is provided to a user of the system.
29. The system of claim 28 wherein the alert is one or both of an audio or a visual alert.
30. The system of claim 28 wherein, at the time of the alert, the recorded version of the call is retrieved and presented to the user.

1. A positioning device coupled to a network, comprising:
a receiver portion;
a transmitter portion;
a processor coupled to the receiver portion and transmitter portion; and
a memory coupled to the processor to store one or more instruction sequences, said instruction sequences to cause the positioning device to transmit communication signals between said positioning device and a second positioning device, wherein said memory further includes information representative of a topology said network, said information to be updated in response to network topology changes, said positioning device and second positioning device to be addressable by one or more parameters that are useable to selectively communicate data, wherein a master transmitter sets the basic frequency and phase of said network and said positioning device.
2. The positioning device of claim 1, wherein said positioning device and second positioning device transmit said communications signals wirelessly.
3. The positioning device of claim 2, wherein said one or more parameters comprise spatial parameters for said positioning device and second positioning device, said spatial parameters to include at least one of a position parameter and a velocity parameter.
4. The positioning device of claim 1, wherein said network is self-configuring in that a new device may join said network by protocol sharing, and said information representative of the topology will be automatically updated to reflect the addition of said new device to the network.
5. The positioning device of claim 1, wherein said communication signals include non-position data and relative position information.
6. The positioning device of claim 1, wherein relative position information is derived from said communication signals using triangulation techniques.
7. The positioning device of claim 1, wherein the network further comprising weak-position-signal devices and strong-position-signal devices, and wherein said communication signals are transmitted to said weak-position-signal nodes by being relayed through said strong-position-signal nodes.
8. The positioning device of claim 1, wherein the network further comprises a plurality of navigation beacons which transmit position signals to said positioning device and second positioning device.
9. The positioning device of claim 8, wherein said communication signals are synchronized to said position signals.
10. The positioning device of claim 8, wherein said communication signals are used as ranging signals for additional positioning devices, said additional positioning devices to determine signal propagation time using signal time tagging.
11. The positioning device of claim 8, wherein said position signals are usable for determining absolute positioning information for said positioning device and second positioning device.
12. The positioning device of claim 8, wherein said communication signals include non-position data and absolute position information.
13. The positioning device of claim 8, wherein said communication signals substitute for said position signals in determining position information.
14. The positioning device of claim 13, wherein said communication signals are used to provide frequency and signal phase assistance in the determination of position information.
15. The positioning device of claim 14, wherein said frequency and signal phase assistance is used by said positioning device to detect attenuated positioning signals from said plurality of navigation beacons.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A metallic effect pigment
wherein
the metallic effect pigment comprises at least three layers:
A) a layer A which comprises at least one metal MA and has an average oxygen content OA, based on the total amount of MA and OA in the layer A,
B) a layer B comprising at least one metal MB and having an average oxygen content OB of 0 to 77 atom %, based on the total amount of MB and OB in the layer B,
C) a layer C which comprises at least one metal MC and has an average oxygen content OC, based on the total amount of MC and OC in the layer C,
the average oxygen content OAC in layers A and C being determined in accordance with the formula (I)
O
AC

=
1
2

\ue89e

(
O
A
M
A

+

O
A
+
O
C
M
C

+

O
C
)
(
I
)
and being situated within a range from 2 to 77 atom %.
2. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
at least one of the layers A and C have a largely homogeneous chemical composition in terms of at least one of oxygen OA and OC and at least one of metal MA and MC, respectively.
3. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
layers A and C of the metallic effect pigment have an average oxygen content OAC of 30 to 57 atom %.
4. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
layers A and C of the metallic effect pigment have an average oxygen content OAC of 35 to 56 atom %.
5. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
in at least one of layers A and C of the metallic effect pigment, the total amount of MA and of OA is 90 to 100 atom %, based on all of the components of the layer A, and the total amount of MC and of OC is 90 to 100 atom %, based on all of the components of the layer C.
6. The metallic effect pigment of any of the preceding claims claim 1,
wherein
the average oxygen content OA, based on the total amount of MA and OA in the layer A, and the average oxygen content OC, based on the total amount of MC and OC in the layer C, are each situated independently of one another in a range from 25 to 58 atom %.
7. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
the at least one of at least one metal MA and MC is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, chromium, silver, copper, gold, zinc, tin, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, titanium, tantalum, molybdenum, mixtures thereof, and alloys thereof.
8. The metallic effect pigment of any of the preceding claims claim 1,
wherein
the at least one of layer A and C comprises different phases of metal and metal oxide in finely divided form.
9. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
the at least one of layer A and C independently of one another possess an average thickness of 10 to 250 nm.
10. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
the at least one metal MB is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, chromium, silver, copper, gold, zinc, tin, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, titanium, mixtures thereof, and alloys thereof.
11. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
the average oxygen content OB, based on the total amount of MB and OB in the layer B, is situated in a range from 0 to less than 25 atom %.
12. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
the average oxygen content OB, based on the total amount of MB and OB in the layer B, is situated at 25 to 58 atom %.
13. The metallic effect pigment of claim 11,
wherein
the layer B has a metallic character and possesses an average thickness of 10 to 200 nm.
14. The metallic effect pigment of claim 12,
wherein
the layer B has a largely metallic or oxidic character and possesses an average thickness of 50 to 2000 nm.
15. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
the overall metallic effect pigment possesses an average thickness of 30 to 550 nm.
16. The metallic effect pigment of claim 15,
wherein
the overall metallic effect pigment possesses an average thickness of 50 to 300 nm.
17. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
the metal MB is at least one of aluminum andor silver.
18. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
the metals MA and MC are the same.
19. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
the metals MA, MB, and MC are the same.
20. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
the average layer thicknesses of layers A and C are substantially the same.
21. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
at least one of said metal MA and MC is substantially chromium and in at least one of the layer A and C independently of one another the average oxygen content OA or OC is situated in the range from 35 to 48 atom %, based on the respectively total amount of chromium and oxygen in layer A and C, respectively.
22. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
at least one of said metal MA and MC is substantially aluminum and in at least one of said layer A and C independently of one another the average oxygen content OA or OC is situated in the range from 30 to 55 atom %, based on the respectively total amount of aluminum and oxygen in layer A and C, respectively.
23. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
layers A, B, and C are arranged immediately following one another.
24. The metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
the metallic effect pigment is coated with an anticorrosion layer.
25. The metallic effect pigment of claim 24,
wherein
the anticorrosion layer comprises SiO2.
26. A process for preparing a metallic effect pigment of claim 1,
wherein
the individual layers A, B, and C are arranged in succession by PVD techniques, by vapor deposition of MA, MB, and MC, with at least one of said layers A and C being vapor-deposited in the presence of at least one oxygen-donating oxygen source.
27. The process according to claim 26 for preparing a metallic effect pigment,
wherein
the process comprises the following steps:
a) coating a mobile substrate in a vacuum chamber by physical vapor deposition (PVD) with at least one metal MA in the presence of oxygen, to form the layer A on the substrate,
b) coating the layer A in a vacuum chamber by physical vapor deposition (PVD) with at least one metal MB in the presence or absence of oxygen, to form the layer B,
c) coating the layer B in a vacuum chamber by physical vapor deposition (PVD) with at least one metal MC in the presence of oxygen, to form the layer C,
d) detaching the metallic layer stack from the substrate,
e) comminuting the metallic layer stack to give metallic effect pigments, and
f) optionally converting the metallic effect pigments into a dispersion or paste.
28. The process according to claim 26 for preparing a metallic effect pigment of,
wherein
the process comprises the following steps:
a) coating a substrate, in a vacuum chamber with at least the metal MA from a vaporizer source VQA in the presence of an oxygen-donating oxygen source, to form the layer A,
b) coating the layer A on the substrate, in a vacuum chamber with at least the metal MB from a vaporizer source VQB in the presence or absence of an oxygen source, to form the layer B,
c) coating the layer B on the substrate, in a vacuum chamber with at least the metal MC from a vaporizer source VQC in the presence of an oxygen source, to form the layer C,
d) detaching the metallic layer stack from the substrate,
e) comminuting the metallic layer stack to form metallic effect pigments, and
f) optionally converting the metallic effect pigments into a dispersion or a paste.
29. The process according to claim 28 for preparing a metallic effect pigment,
wherein
the individual vaporizer sources VQA, VQB, and VQC are separate from one another or separate in each case in pairs from one another.
30. The process according to claim 26 for preparing a metallic effect pigment, wherein
MA, MB, and MC are identical, identical in pairs or different from one another, and, from at least one metal vaporizing source and wherein a mobile substrate is coated with metal in a vacuum chamber in the presence of one or more oxygen-donating oxygen sources, accompanied by formation, between the metal vaporizing source, the oxygen source, and the mobile substrate, of three-dimensional concentration regions of metal vapor and oxygen in the vacuum chamber, as a result of which, by physical vapor deposition, the at least three layers A, B, and C are deposited on the mobile substrate in succession with metal contents and oxygen contents that are distinguishable from one another.
31. The process according to claim 30 for preparing a metallic effect pigment,
wherein
at least one cover device is are arranged between a metal vaporization source, oxygen source, and mobile substrate, said at least one device suppressing the possible formation of transition layers between the layers A, B, and C, with the consequence that the at least three successive layers A, B, and C are deposited each with mutually distinguishable metal and oxygen contents.
32. The process according to claim 26 for preparing a metallic effect pigment,
wherein
the at least one oxygen source is disposed in the form of at least one of water, water-donating substances, oxygen-donating substances and oxygen gas in the vacuum chamber.
33. The process according to claim 26 for preparing a metallic effect pigment,
wherein
during step a) and step c), and optionally during step b), there is controlled metering of oxygen gas into the vacuum chamber.
34. A method of making a material selected from the group consisting of coatings, paints, automobile finishes, powder coatings, printing inks, digital-printing inks, plastics and cosmetic formulations, wherein the method comprises combining the material with a quantity of the metallic effect pigments of claim 1.
35. A coating composition
wherein
the coating composition comprises metallic effect pigments of claim 1.
36. The coating composition of claim 35,
wherein
the coating composition is selected from the group consisting of coatings, paints, automobile finishes, powder coatings, printing inks, digital-printing inks, plastics, and cosmetic formulations.
37. A coated article
wherein
the article is provided with the metallic effect pigments of claim 1.
38. The metallic effect pigment according to claim 1, wherein the layer B has an average oxygen content OB of 0 to 58 atom %.
39. The metallic effect pigment according to claim 1, wherein the average oxygen content OAC in layers A and C is situated within a range from 25 to 58 atom %.
40. The metallic effect pigment according to claim 6, wherein the average oxygen content OA, based on the total amount of MA and OA in the layer A, and the average oxygen content OC, based on the total amount of MC and OC in the layer C are each situated independently of one another in a range from 30 to 57 atom %.
41. The metallic effect pigment of claim 8, wherein said at least layer A and C comprises different phases of metal and metal oxide sized in the nanometer range.
42. The metallic effect pigment of claim 24, wherein the metallic effect pigment is envelopingly coated with an anticorrosion layer.
43. The metallic effect pigment of claim 25, wherein the anticorrosion layer consists of SiO2.
44. The process according to claim 28 for preparing a metallic effect pigment, wherein the substrate is a mobile substrate.
45. The process according to claim 44 for preparing a metallic effect pigment, wherein the mobile substrate is a circulating belt or a moving belt.
46. The process according to claim 30 for preparing a metallic effect pigment, wherein the mobile substrate is a rotating belt or a moving belt.
47. A coated article wherein the article is provided with a coating composition according to claim 35.