Author: claimsbot

1. A prosthetic wrist implant comprising:
a radial implant component comprising a tray having a distal bearing surface and a proximal surface having an elongated radial stem extending therefrom adapted for attachment to a radius bone, the tray comprising radial and ulnar sides and volar and dorsal sides; and
wherein the distal bearing surface of the radial implant component has a flexionextension radius of curvature that varies along the radialulnar direction.
2. The prosthetic wrist implant of claim 1, wherein the flexionextension radius of curvature on the ulnar side is larger than the flexionextension radius of curvature on the radial side.
3. The prosthetic wrist implant of claim 1, wherein the flexionextension radius of curvature increases from the radial side to the ulnar side.
4. The prosthetic wrist implant of claim 1, wherein a radialulnar deviation radius of curvature is constant.
5. The prosthetic wrist implant of claim 1, wherein the tray is wider on the ulnar side than the radial side.
6. The prosthetic wrist implant of claim 1, wherein the width of the tray generally increases from the radial side to the ulnar side.
7. The prosthetic wrist implant of claim 1, wherein the radial tray is rotated with respect to the radial stem.
8. The prosthetic wrist implant of claim 7, wherein the radial tray is rotated with respect to the radial stem by about 3\xb0 to about 20\xb0.
9. The prosthetic wrist implant of claim 1, further comprising a carpal implant component comprising a carpal plate having a distal surface adapted for attachment to one or more carpal bones, and a proximal surface coupled with a bearing member, the bearing member having a proximal bearing surface for articulation with the distal bearing surface of the radial component.
10. A prosthetic wrist implant comprising:
a radial implant component comprising a tray having a distal bearing surface and a proximal surface having an elongated radial stem extending therefrom adapted for fixation to a radius bone, the tray having radial and ulnar sides and volar and dorsal sides; and
wherein the tray has a width that is wider on the ulnar side than the radial side.
11. The prosthetic wrist implant of claim 10, wherein the width of the tray increases from the radial side to the ulnar side.
12. The prosthetic wrist implant of claim 10, further comprising a carpal implant component comprising a carpal plate having a distal surface adapted for attachment to one or more carpal bones, and a proximal surface coupled with a bearing member, the bearing member having a proximal bearing surface for articulation with the distal bearing surface of the radial component.
13. A prosthetic wrist implant comprising:
a radial implant component comprising a radial tray having a distal bearing surface and a proximal surface having an elongated radial stem extending therefrom for fixation to a radius bone, the radial tray having radial and ulnar sides and volar and dorsal sides; and
wherein the radial tray is rotated with respect to the radial stem.
14. The prosthetic wrist implant of claim 13, wherein the radial try is rotated with respect to the radial stem by about 3\xb0 to about 20\xb0.
15. The prosthetic wrist implant of claim 13, further comprising a carpal implant component comprising a carpal plate having a distal surface adapted for attachment to one or more carpal bones, and a proximal surface coupled with a bearing member, the bearing member having a proximal bearing surface for articulation with the distal bearing surface of the radial component.

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 method for processing a voice message, comprising:
storing one or more voice representations, wherein each voice representation corresponds to a word or phrase and is associated with a value;
storing one or more actions;
receiving a voice message;
receiving a one of: a user-specified word and a user-specified phrase from a user, the received user-specified word or phrase corresponding to a word or phrase having a corresponding stored voice representation;
analyzing the voice message to determine if one or more of the stored voice representations corresponding to the received user-specified word or phrase occur in the voice message and to generate a final criteria measurement value associated with the voice message, the final criteria measurement value based on the value associated with each determined stored voice representation occurring in the voice message; and
performing one or more of the stored actions based on the final criteria measurement value if one or more of the stored voice representations are found to occur in the voice message.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the stored voice representations is a phoneme representation of a word or phrase.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the received voice message is an analog voice message, the method further comprising:
converting the analog voice message from analog to digital; and
processing the digitized voice message into phonemes;
wherein analyzing the voice message to determine if one or more of the stored voice representations are used includes comparing the phonemes from the voice message with one or more of the stored voice representations.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
the user specifying one or more actions, wherein the actions are to be performed in the event one or more of the voice representations are found in the voice message;
storing the user specified one or more actions; and
wherein in performing one or more of the stored actions, the stored actions include the user specified actions.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored one or more actions include marking the message as urgent.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored one or more actions include calling a pager.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored one or more actions include forwarding the voice message.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the voice message is received over a telephone line.
9. A method for analyzing voice information received from a person over a communications line, comprising:
storing one or more voice representations, where each voice representation corresponds to a word or phrase and is associated with a value;
storing one or more actions;
receiving voice information from a person over a communications line;
receiving a one of: a user-specified word and a user-specified phrase from a user, the received user-specified word or phrase corresponding to a word or phrase having a corresponding stored voice representation;
analyzing the voice information from the person to determine if one or more of the stored voice representations corresponding to the received user-specified word or phrase occur in the voice information received from the person and to generate a final criteria measurement value associated with the voice information, the final criteria measurement value based on the value associated with each determined stored voice representation occurring in the voice information; and
performing one or more of the stored actions based on the final criteria measurement value if the voice information is found to include one or more of the stored voice representations.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the stored voice representations is a phoneme representation of a word or phrase.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the received voice information is analog voice information, the method further comprising:
converting the analog voice information from analog to digital; and
processing the digitized voice information in phonemes;
wherein analyzing the voice information to determine if one or more of the stored voice representations are used includes comparing the phonemes from the voice information with one or more of the stored voice representations.
12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
the user specifying one or more actions, wherein the actions are to be performed in the event one or more of the stored voice representations are found in the voice information;
storing the user specified actions; and
wherein in performing one or more of the stored actions, the stored actions include the user specified actions.
13. The method of claim 9, wherein:
receiving voice information comprises receiving voice information during a call; and
the one or more actions include compiling statistics on the call.
14. The method of claim 9, wherein the communications line is a telephone line.
15. An apparatus for processing a voice message, comprising:
a storage device for storing one or more voice representations where each voice representation corresponds to a word or phrase and is associated with a criteria measurement value, and for storing one or more actions;
an interface for receiving from a user a one of: a user-specified word and a user-specified phrase; and
a processor for receiving a voice message, analyzing the voice message to determine if one or more of the stored voice representations corresponding to the received user-specified word or phrase occur in the voice message and to generate a final criteria measurement value associated with the voice message, and performing one or more of the stored actions based on the final criteria measurement value if one or more of the stored voice representations are found to occur in the voice message, the final criteria measurement value based on the value associated with each determined stored voice representation occurring in the voice message.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the voice representations is a phoneme representation of a word or phrase.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:
an analog to digital converter for converting an analog voice message from analog to digital; and
wherein the processor is further for processing the digitized voice message into phonemes and comparing the phonemes from the voice message with one or more of the stored voice representations.
18. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:
a user interface for receiving user specified actions, wherein the actions are to be performed in the event one or more of the stored voice representations are found in the voice message; and
wherein the storage device is further for storing the user specified actions.
19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is connected to a telephone line, and the processor is capable of receiving the voice message over the telephone line.
20. An apparatus for analyzing voice information received from a person over a communications line, comprising:
a storage device for storing one or more voice representations, where each voice representation corresponds to a word or phrase and is associated with a value, and for storing one or more actions;
an interface for receiving a one of: a user-specified word and a user-specified phrase; and
a processor for receiving voice information from a person over a communications line, analyzing the voice information to determine if one or more of the stored voice representations corresponding to the received user-specified word or phrase occur in the voice information received from the person and to generate a final criteria measurement value associated with the voice information, and performing one or more of the stored actions based on the final criteria measurement value if the voice information is found to include one or more of the stored voice representations, the final criteria measurement value based on the value associated with each determined stored voice representation occurring in the voice information.
21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein each of the voice representations is a phoneme representation of a word or phrase.
22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the received voice information is analog voice information, further comprising:
an analog to digital converter for converting the analog voice information from analog to digital; and
wherein the processor is further for processing the digitized voice information into phonemes and comparing the phonemes from the voice information with one or more of the stored voice representations.
23. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:
a user interface for receiving information regarding user specified actions, wherein the actions are to be performed in the event one or more of the voice representations are found in the voice information; and
wherein the storage device is further for storing the user specified actions.
24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein:
the voice information is received during a call; and
the one or more actions include compiling statistics on the call.
25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processor is capable of receiving the voice information over a telephone line.
26. An apparatus for processing a voice message, comprising:
means for storing one or more voice representations, wherein each voice representation corresponds to a word or phrase and is associated with a value, and for storing one or more actions;
means for receiving a voice message;
means for receiving a one of: a user-specified word and a user-specified phrase from a user, the received user-specified word or phrase corresponding to a word or phrase having a corresponding stored voice representation; and
means for analyzing the voice message to determine if one or more of the stored voice representations corresponding to the received user-specified word or phrase occur in the voice message and to generate a final criteria measurement value associated with the voice message, and performing one or more of the stored actions based on the final criteria measurement value, if one or more of the stored voice representations are found to occur in the voice message, the final criteria measurement value based on the value associated with each determined stored voice representation occurring in the voice message.
27. An apparatus for analyzing voice information received from a person over a communications line, comprising:
means for storing one or more voice representations, where each voice representation corresponds to a word or phrase and is associated with a value, and for storing one or more actions;
means for receiving voice information from a person over a communications line;
means for receiving a one of: a user-specified word and a user-specified phrase from a user, the received user-specified word or phrase corresponding to a word or phrase having a corresponding stored voice representation; and
means for analyzing the voice information from the person to determine if one or more of the stored voice representations corresponding to the received user-specified word or phrase occur in the voice information received from the person and to generate a final criteria measurement value associated with the voice information, and performing one or more of the stored actions based on the final criteria measurement value if the voice information is found to include one or more of the voice representations, the final criteria measurement value based on the value associated with each determined stored voice representation occurring in the voice information.
28. A non-transitory computer readable medium whose contents cause a computer to perform a procedure for processing a voice message comprising:
receiving a voice message;
receiving a one of: a user-specified word and a user-specified phrase from a user, the received user-specified word or phrase corresponding to a word or phrase having a corresponding stored voice representation;
analyzing to voice message to determine if one or more stored voice representations corresponding to the received user-specified word or phrase occur in the voice message, wherein each voice representation corresponds to a word or phrase and is associated with a value, wherein analyzing the voice message comprises generating a final criteria measurement value associated with the voice message; and
performing one or more stored actions based on the final criteria measurement value if one or more of the stored voice representations are determined to occur in the voice message.
29. A non-transitory computer readable medium whose contents cause a computer to perform a procedure for processing voice information comprising:
receiving voice information from a person over a communications line;
receiving a one of: a user-specified word and a user-specified phrase from a user, the received user-specified word or phrase corresponding to a word or phrase having a corresponding stored voice representation;
analyzing the voice information from the person to determine if one or more stored voice representations corresponding to the received user-specified word or phrase occur in the voice information, wherein each voice representation corresponds to a word or phrase and is associated with a value, wherein analyzing the voice information comprises generating a final criteria measurement value associated with the voice information; and
performing one or more stored actions based on the final criteria measurement value if one or more of the stored voice representations are determined to occur in the voice information.

1. A network node within a packet-switched network, comprising:
a program input port coupled to receive a multicast television program;
a commercial input port coupled to receive commercial programs;
a controller that operates to identify one or more subscribers to said multicast television program and to identify a targeted one of said commercial programs for each of said subscribers;
a commercial inserter operating to insert said respective targeted commercial program for each of said subscribers into said multicast television program to produce respective customized programs; and
a subscriber output port coupled to transmit said customized programs towards said respective subscribers.
2. The network node of claim 1, further comprising:
a subscriber input port coupled to receive a subscribe message from a subscribing one of said subscribers; and wherein said controller operates to determine from said subscribe message a program source address identifying a program source of said multicast television program to which said subscribing one of said subscribers is subscribing and a commercial source address identifying a commercial source of one of said commercial programs to insert into said multicast television program to produce said customized program for said subscribing one of said subscribers.
3. The network node of claim 2, wherein said controller further operates to generate from said subscribe message a television program subscribe message addressed to said program source by said program source address and a commercial program subscribe message addressed to said commercial source by said commercial source address; and further comprising:
a program output port coupled to transmit said program subscribe message towards said program source; and
a commercial output port coupled to transmit said commercial subscribe message towards said commercial source.
4. The network node of claim 3, wherein said subscribe message includes a combined address that identifies said program source address and said commercial source address; and further comprising:
a table mapping said combined address to said program source address and said commercial source address.
5. The network node of claim 3, wherein said subscribe message is sent within a packet containing said program source address that is encapsulated in a different layer packet containing said commercial source address.
6. The network node of claim 3, wherein said subscribe message includes said program source address and said commercial source address.
7. The network node of claim 6, wherein said subscribe message is a modified subscribe message modified by an address modification node to include said commercial source address.
8. The network node of claim 2, further comprising:
a schedule input port coupled to receive a commercial schedule including a multicast stream of commercials for insertion into a respective one of said customized programs associated with said subscribing one of said subscribers; and wherein said controller operates to determine a current timing parameter associated with said multicast television program and access said commercial schedule to identify a current commercial from said multicast stream of commercials associated with said current timing parameter; and wherein said commercial inserter operates to insert said current commercial into said respective one of said customized programs associated with said subscribing one of said subscribers.
9. The network node of claim 8, wherein said schedule input port is coupled to receive said commercial schedule from one of said commercial source and said program source.
10. The network node of claim 8, wherein said subscribe message further includes a commercial schedule identifier identifying said commercial schedule and said controller uses said commercial schedule identifier to retrieve said commercial schedule.
11. The network node of claim 10, wherein said controller operates to retrieve said commercial schedule from a database of commercial schedules using said commercial schedule identifier.
12. The network node of claim 8, wherein said subscribe message further includes a demographic identifier associated with said subscribing one of said subscribers and said controller uses said demographic identifier to retrieve said commercial schedule.
13. The network node of claim 12, wherein said controller operates to retrieve said commercial schedule from a commercial policy server using said demographic identifier.
14. The network node of claim 1, wherein said network node is a DSLAM at an end office coupled to said subscribing one of said subscribers.
15. The network node of claim 1, wherein said network node is dynamically selected from intermediate nodes between a program source node multicasting said television program and a Set-Top Box associated with said subscribing one of said subscribers.
16. The network node of claim 1, further comprising:
a television queue containing a stream of program packets forming said multicast television program; and
a commercial queue containing a stream of commercial packets forming a selected one of said commercial programs;
wherein said commercial inserter operates to select either a next one of said program packets from said television queue or a next one of said commercial packets from said commercial queue for insertion into one of said customized programs
17. The network node of claim 16, wherein:
said controller is further operable to receive a program splice mark indicator within a multicast layer 2 or layer 3 protocol stack carrying said multicast television program, said program splice mark indicator identifying a program splice mark point between two of said program packets within said program queue;
said commercial inserter operates to select next ones of said program packets from said program queue for insertion into said one of said customized programs until said program splice mark point is reached; and
said commercial inserter operates to select ones of said commercial packets from said commercial queue for insertion into said one of said customized programs after said program splice mark point is reached.
18. The network node of claim 17, wherein:
said controller is further operable to receive a commercial splice mark indicator within a multicast layer 2 or layer 3 protocol stack carrying said one of said commercial programs, said commercial splice mark indicator identifying a commercial splice mark point between two of said commercial packets within said commercial queue; and
said commercial inserter operates to discard next ones of said commercial packets from said commercial queue until said commercial splice mark point is reached.
19. The network node of claim 17, wherein said program splice mark indicator and said commercial splice mark indicator are received either in-band or out-of-band.
20. A method for dynamically inserting commercials into multicast television programs to produce customized programs for television subscribers, comprising the steps of:
receiving a multicast television program and one or more commercial programs via a packet-switched network;
identifying one or more subscribers to said multicast television program;
determining a targeted one of said commercial programs for each of said subscribers;
inserting said respective targeted commercial program for each of said subscribers into said multicast television program to produce respective customized programs; and
transmitting each of said customized programs over said packet-switched network towards said respective subscribers.
21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:
receiving a subscribe message from a subscribing one of said subscribers; and
determining from said subscribe message a program source address identifying a program source of said multicast television program to which said subscribing one of said subscribers is subscribing and a commercial source address identifying a commercial source of one of said commercial programs to insert into said multicast television program to produce said customized program for said subscribing one of said subscribers.
22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:
generating from said subscribe message a television program subscribe message addressed to said program source by said program source address and a commercial program subscribe message addressed to said commercial source by said commercial source address;
transmitting said program subscribe message to said program source; and
transmitting said commercial subscribe message to said commercial source.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of generating said television program subscribe message and said commercial program subscribe message further comprises the steps of:
retrieving a combined address that identifies said program source address and said commercial source address from said subscribe message; and
accessing a table mapping said combined address to said program source address and said commercial source address.
24. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of generating said television program subscribe message and said commercial program subscribe message further comprises the step of:
decapsulating an outer layer packet containing said commercial source address to retrieve another packet containing said subscribe message with said program source address.
25. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of:
receiving a commercial schedule including a multicast stream of commercials for insertion into a respective one of said customized programs associated with said subscribing one of said subscribers;
determining a current timing parameter associated with said multicast television program;
accessing said commercial schedule to identify a current commercial from said multicast stream of commercials associated with said current timing parameter; and
inserting said current commercial into said respective one of said customized programs associated with said subscribing one of said subscribers.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein said step of receiving said subscribe message further includes the step of:
receiving said subscribe message including a commercial schedule identifier identifying said commercial schedule for use in retrieving said commercial schedule associated with said commercial schedule identifier.
27. The method of claim 25, wherein said step of receiving said subscribe message further includes the step of:
receiving said subscribe message including a demographic identifier associated with said subscribing one of said subscribers for use in retrieving said commercial schedule associated with said demographic identifier.
28. The method of claim 20, wherein said step of inserting further comprises the steps of:
maintaining a television queue containing a stream of program packets forming said multicast television program;
maintaining a commercial queue containing a stream of commercial packets forming a selected one of said commercial programs; and
selecting either a next one of said program packets from said television queue or a next one of said commercial packets from said commercial queue for insertion into one of said customized programs.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein said step of selecting further comprises the steps of:
receiving a commercial splice mark indicator within a multicast layer 2 or layer 3 protocol stack carrying said commercial packets of said one of said commercial programs, said commercial splice mark indicator identifying a commercial splice mark point between two of said commercial packets within said commercial queue;
discarding next ones of said commercial packets from said commercial queue until said commercial splice mark point is reached;
receiving a program splice mark indicator within a multicast layer 2 or layer 3 protocol stack carrying said program packets of said multicast television program, said program splice mark indicator identifying a program splice mark point between two of said program packets within said program queue;
selecting next ones of said program packets from said program queue for insertion into said one of said customized programs until said program splice mark point is reached; and
selecting ones of said commercial packets after said commercial splice mark point from said commercial queue for insertion into said one of said customized programs after said program splice mark point is reached.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein said step of receiving said program splice mark indicator further comprises the step of:
receiving said program splice mark indicator in-band with said multicast television program.
31. The method of claim 30, wherein said step of receiving said program splice mark indicator further comprises the step of:
receiving said program splice mark indicator within a program packet immediately adjacent to said program splice mark point within said program packets.
32. The method of claim 30, wherein said step of receiving said program splice mark indicator further comprises the step of:
receiving said program splice mark indicator within a program packet prior to said program splice mark point within said program packets.
33. The method of claim 30, wherein each of said program packets are audiovisual packets; and wherein said step of receiving said program splice mark indicator further comprises the step of:
receiving said program splice mark indicator within a non-audiovisual packet that is in-band with said program packets.
34. The method of claim 29, wherein each of said program packets includes a packet identifier; and wherein said step of receiving said program splice mark indicator further comprises the step of:
receiving said program splice mark indicator out-of-band from said multicast television program, said program splice mark indicator including said packet identifier of said program packet adjacent to said program splice mark point.
35. The method of claim 29, wherein said step of receiving said program splice mark indicator further comprises the step of:
receiving said program splice mark indicator within a protocol layer above layer 2 or layer 3 that encapsulates said program packets.
36. The method of claim 29, wherein said step of receiving said program splice mark indicator further comprises the step of:
receiving said program splice mark indicator within a protocol sub-layer of layer 2 or layer 3 that encapsulates said program packets.
37. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of:
placing said program splice mark indicator within said multicast layer 2 or layer 3 protocol stack via an application program interface between an application layer associated with an encoding codec and layer 2 or layer 3.
38. The method of claim 29, further comprising the step of:
placing said program splice mark indicator within said multicast layer 2 or layer 3 protocol stack via multiple application program interfaces between an application layer associated with an encoding codec and layer 2 or layer 3.

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 method for altering a pattern in index-of-refraction in an optical material of a planar optical structure, the method comprising irradiating with light at least a portion of an optical material of a planar optical structure wherein the at least a portion of optical material comprises a composition variation along the plane of the planar optical structure resulting in a spatial pattern of photosensitive optical material and wherein absorption of the light shifts the index-of-refraction of the irradiated photosensitive optical material to produce an altered pattern of index-of-refraction in the optical material horizontally along the plane of the planar optical structure.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the irradiating of the portion of the optical material comprises simultaneously irradiating a portion of the optical material with no segment connecting two points on the perimeter of the area passing through the geometric center being less than about 0.1 millimeters in length.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the irradiating of the portion of the optical material comprises moving the light relative to the optical material to irradiate the desired portions of the optical material.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the pattern of photosensitive optical material is patterned in the form of one or more light paths through the optical material.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least a portion of the optical material subjected to the irradiating with light is a fraction of the optical material wherein the remaining portion of the optical material not subjected to irradiating with light comprises photosensitive optical material.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the remaining portion of the optical material comprises a pattern of photosensitive optical material.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the light is patterned.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the irradiating of the photosensitive material results in the formation of an optical core material surrounding a cladding material that is effective to transmit optical light within the optical core.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least a portion of the optical material subjected to the irradiating with light is a fraction of the optical material, wherein the remaining portion of the optical material not subjected to irradiating with light comprises photosensitive optical material.
10. The method of claim 8 wherein the irradiating of the photosensitive material results in the selection of optical pathways within the optical material.