All The Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring phase retardation, comprising a monochromatic light source, being capable of radiating a pulsed light beam;
a photodetector, deposed on a side of said monochromatic light source;
a polarizer, deposed between said monochromatic light source and said photodetector; and
a beam splitting apparatus, deposed between said polarizer and said photodetector.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said monochromatic light source is selected from the group consisting of a pulsed laser beam and a light chopping apparatus.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said light chopping apparatus comprises a continuous monochromatic light source and a chopper.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said polarizer is selected from the group consisting of a linear polarizer, a circular polarizer and an elliptical polarizer.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said beam splitting apparatus is a polarizing beam splitter.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said beam splitting apparatus further comprises a beam splitter and at least two polarizers that receive the light split from said beam splitter.
7. A method for measuring phase retardation, comprising the following steps:
providing an apparatus of measuring phase retardation comprising a monochromatic light source being capable of radiating a pulsed light beam; a photodetector deposed on a side of said monochromatic light source; a polarizer deposed between said monochromatic light source and said photodetector; and a beam splitting apparatus, deposed between said polarizer and said photodetector;
interposing an object between said polarizer and said beam splitting apparatus;
generating a polarized light beam by transmitting said pulsed light beam through said polarizer;
generating a phase retarded light beam by transmitting said polarized light beam through said object;
dividing said phase retarded light beam into a first polarized ray and a second polarized ray by transmitting said phase retarded light beam into said beam splitting apparatus;
detecting a time difference between pulse peak of said first polarized ray and pulse peak of said second polarized ray; and
calculating a phase retardation value according to said time difference.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said object is substantially a liquid crystal material.
9. The method according to claim 7, wherein said monochromatic light source is selected from the group consisting of a pulsed laser beam and a light chopping apparatus.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said light chopping apparatus comprises a continuous monochromatic light source and a chopper.
11. The method according to claim 7, wherein said polarizer is selected from the group consisting of a linear polarizer, a circular polarizer and an elliptical polarizer.
12. The method according to claim 7, wherein said beam splitting apparatus is substantially a polarizing beam splitter.
13. The method according to claim 7, wherein said beam splitting apparatus further comprises a beam splitter and at least two polarizers that receive the light split from said beam splitter.

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 process comprising
receiving a first representation of a video stream that includes video frames, the representation expressing the video frames at a relatively high pixel resolution,
detecting that at least one of the video frames includes a region of interest,
providing to a video playing device a second representation of the video stream that expresses the video frames at a relatively low pixel resolution, and
including with the second representation, additional information that represents at least a portion of the region of interest at a resolution level that is higher than the relatively low pixel resolution.
2. The process of claim 1 in which the region of interest contains text.
3. The process of claim 1 in which the region of interest is expressed by the additional information at the same relatively high pixel resolution as the first representation.
4. The process of claim 1 in which the additional information includes information about characteristics of the region of interest relative to the video frames.
5. The process of claim 1 in which the characteristics include location in the frame.
6. The process of claim 1 in which the characteristics include size of the region of interest.
7. The process of claim 1 in which the characteristics include duration of appearance of the region of interest.
8. The process of claim 1 in which the video playing device comprises a cellular telephone.
9. The process of claim 1 in which the video playing device comprises a PDA.
10. The process of claim 1 in which the video playing device comprises a wristwatch.
11. The process of claim 1 in which the video playing device comprises a portable video game console.
12. The process of claim 1 in which the video playing device comprises a portable media player.
13. The process of claim 1 in which the additional information is provided to the video playing device as part of the video stream.
14. A process comprising
including with a video stream to be provided to a video playing device, a stored image, information that describes a location of the image within a frame of the video stream and enables a display of the stored image to be synchronized with the frame.
15. The process of claim 14 in which the image contains text.
16. The process of claim 14 in which the image is expressed at a higher pixel resolution than the frame.
17. The process of claim 14 in which the information includes size of the image.
18. The process of claim 14 in which the video playing device comprises at least one of a cellular telephone, a PDA, a wristwatch, a portable video game console, and a portable media player.
19. A computer-readable medium containing data representing a video stream, the data including representations of a portion of a frame of the video stream at two different resolutions.
20. The medium of claim 19 in which the one of the representations of a portion of the frame is as part of a representation of the entire frame at a lower resolution, and another of the representations of a portion of the frame is of less than the entire frame and is at a higher resolution.
21. A process comprising
receiving a video stream that includes frames and additional data that includes (a) images of one or more regions of interest in the frames and (b) information that synchronizes the images with the frames,
displaying the video stream, and
based on the synchronization information, providing an indication to a viewer that the images of the one or more regions of interest exist.
22. The process of claim 21 in which the indication to the viewer comprises a graphical element displayed with the frames.
23. The process of claim 22 in which the indication is provided in the vicinity of the one or more regions of interest.
24. The process of claim 21 also including
enabling the viewer to select one or more of the regions for display in a higher resolution.
25. A process comprising
displaying a video stream to a viewer,
indicating to the viewer that an additional image of a portion of at least one of the frames of the stream exists, and
in response to an request of the viewer, displaying the image.
26. The process of claim 25 in which the image comprises a higher resolution version of a portion of at least one of the frames.
27. The process of claim 25 in which the image is displayed as an overlay on the frame.
28. The process of claim 25 in which the image is displayed in place of the frame.
29. The process of claim 25 in which the image is displayed at the same time as but not overlaid on the frame.
30. The process of claim 29 in which the image is displayed side by side or above and below with respect to the frames.
31. The process of claim 25 in which the image is displayed continuously in synchronism with the frames of which it is a portion.
32. The process of claim 25 in which the image comprises text.
33. A process comprising
displaying a video stream comprising frames at a first resolution, in response to a viewer request, displaying a portion of a frame of the video stream as an image at a second, different resolution.
34. A process comprising
receiving at a cell phone or other handheld device, a video stream of frames, at least one image of a region of interest that contains text and is part of at least some of the frames of the stream, and information about the location of the region of interest in the frame and the timing of the frames of which the region of interest is a part,
the image having a higher resolution than the frames
while the video stream is being displayed, highlighting the region of interest within the frames to which the region of interest belongs, and
in response to an action by the viewer, displaying the image at the higher resolution.

1. A method to control the level of addition of a chemical treatment to a main flow of a fluid wastestream being treated thereby, for a particular purpose, comprising:
a. forming a side stream from said main flow at a diverting point;
b. determining the flow rate of said main flow;
c. adding said chemical treatment at a first addition point of said side stream, at a level of addition based principally on proportionality to said wastestream’s main flow flow rate;
d. measuring, at a first measuring point downstream from said first addition point, the concentration of said chemical treatment in said side stream;
e. adding said chemical treatment at a second addition point of said side stream, at a level of addition based principally on the difference between the level of addition at said first addition point and the concentration measured in step \u2018d;\u2019 and
f. returning said side stream to said main flow of said wastestream downstream of said diverting point;
whereby said wastestream thereby is provided with a desired level of chemical treatment additions to achieve said particular purpose.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said chemical treatment comprises chlorine dioxide.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said measuring is conducted between said first addition point and said second addition point.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said measuring is conducted downstream of said first addition point and said second addition point.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein said adding at said first point is determined by an algorithm that has, as its principal variable, a parameter change indicative of the flow rate of said main stream.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said adding at said second point is determined by an algorithm that has, as its principal variable, a parameter change indicative of reaction of said chemical treatment with one or more components in said side stream.
7. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising sending data signals of said measuring, step d, to a computational control device, and sending control signals from said computational control device to a second addition point control device that controls the rate of said adding of said chemical treatment at said second addition point.
8. The method of claim 7, additionally comprising sending data signals of said determining, step b, to said computational control device, and sending control signals from said computational control device to a first addition point control device that controls the rate of said adding of said chemical treatment at said first addition point.
9. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising sending data signals of said determining, step b, to a computational control device, and sending control signals from said computational control device to a first addition point control device that controls the rate of said adding of said chemical treatment at said first addition point.
10. The method of claim 9, additionally comprising sending data signals of said measuring, step d, to said computational control device, and sending control signals from said computational control device to said second addition point control device that controls the rate of said adding of said chemical treatment at said second addition point.
11. A system for dosing a main flow of a liquid in need of chlorine dioxide treatment with chlorine dioxide, comprising:
a. a side stream diverting from said main flow of said liquid, comprising:
1. a diverting point that provides an intake for liquid into said side stream from said main flow;
2. a first addition point at which a first addition of chlorine dioxide is added to said side stream, said first addition principally proportional to the flow rate of said main flow;
3. a second point at which a second addition of chlorine dioxide is added to said side stream, said second addition principally adjusted based on data signals from a primary measuring device, wherein said device measures a parameter in said liquid indicative of a reaction between said chlorine dioxide and component(s) in said liquid; and
4. a returning point positioned downstream of said diverting point, through which liquid in said side stream returns to said main stream;

b. said primary measurement analyzer, positioned downstream of said first addition point, and providing data of said measurement of said change, said data being used to set said second addition; and
c. at least one computational control device, receiving signals indicating said flow rate of the main stream and using said signals to control the first addition according to a first algorithm, and receiving data from said primary measurement analyzer, and using said data to adjust the second addition according to a second algorithm,

wherein said side stream controller provides sufficient chlorine dioxide addition to achieve a desired purpose in the fluid in the main stream.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the sample point of said primary measurement analyzer is positioned along the side stream after the first and the second addition points.
13. The system of claim 12, additionally comprising a secondary point of measurement, wherein the sample point of said secondary point of measurement is positioned in the main stream after the returning point.
14. The system of claim 11, wherein said primary measurement analyzer measures the level of chlorine dioxide.
15. The system of claim 11, wherein said first algorithm is P1DR=(a)ODR, where:
P1DR is a dose rate at said first addition point; a is the nominal fraction of the total chlorine dioxide addition that is provided at said first addition point, and ODR is a predetermined target dose rate, and wherein the dose rate P1DR at said first addition point is added based on dilution into the main flow as determined by periodic, semi-continuous, or continuous measurement of said main flow.
16. The system of claim 11, wherein said second algorithm is P2DR=(b)ODR+(P1DR\u2212X)(F), where P1DR is a dose rate at said first addition point, ODR is a predetermined target dose rate, b is the nominal fraction of the total addition of chlorine dioxide at said first and second addition points, where a+b=1.0, X is data output from primary measurement analyzer, P2DR is dose rate at said first addition point; and F is a selected adjustment factor, and wherein the dose rate P2DR at said second addition point is added based on dilution into the main flow as determined by periodic, semi-continuous, or continuous measurement of said main flow.

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 computer-implemented method for processing a request to place a call, the method comprising:
receiving, by a mobile device, a request to call a phone number, the mobile device including a plurality of subscriber identification module (SIM) cards, each of the plurality of SIM cards including information for accessing a network of a different service provider;
automatically selecting, by the mobile device prior to placing a call to the phone number based on the request, a SIM card from the plurality of SIM cards that includes information for accessing a network of a service provider of the phone number, the service provider of the phone number determined based on service provider information received from a service mapping server for the phone number; and
placing, by the mobile device, a call to the phone number using the information stored on the selected SIM card to directly access the network of the service provider of the phone number.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the SIM card is automatically selected responsive to an automatic SIM card selection feature being enabled.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the SIM card is automatically selected responsive to an automatic SIM card selection feature being activated for the phone number being called.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a request to add the phone number for a contact;
communicating with the service mapping server to obtain the service provider information of the phone number, the service provider information indicating the service provider of the phone number; and
storing the phone number and the service provider information.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the service provider information is obtained from the service mapping server for the phone number responsive to receiving the request to call the phone number.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein placing the call comprises:
retrieving from the selected SIM card identifying information of a subscriber of the service provider; and
calling the phone number using the identifying information.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the identifying information allows the mobile device to access the network of the service provider of the phone number.
8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for processing a request to place a call, the computer-executable instructions configured to control a mobile device to perform operations comprising:
receiving, by the mobile device, a request to call a phone number, the mobile device including a plurality of subscriber identification module (SIM) cards, each of the plurality of SIM cards including information for accessing a network of a different service provider;
automatically selecting, by the mobile device prior to placing a call to the phone number based on the request, a SIM card from the plurality of SIM cards that includes information for accessing a network of a service provider of the phone number, the service provider of the phone number determined based on service provider information received from a service mapping server for the phone number; and
placing, by the mobile device, a call to the phone number using the selected SIM card to directly access the network of the service provider of the phone number.
9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the SIM card is automatically selected responsive to an automatic SIM card selection feature being enabled.
10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the SIM card is automatically selected responsive to an automatic SIM card selection feature being activated for the phone number being called.
11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising:
receiving a request to add the phone number for a contact;
communicating with the service mapping server to obtain the service provider information of the phone number, the service provider information indicating the service provider of the phone number;
storing the phone number and the service provider information.
12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the service provider information is obtained from the service mapping server for the phone number responsive to receiving the request to call the phone number.
13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein placing the call comprises:
retrieving from the selected SIM card identifying information of a subscriber of the service provider; and
calling the phone number using the identifying information.
14. The computer program product computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the identifying information allows the mobile device to access the network of the service provider of the phone number.
15. A mobile device for processing a request to place a call, the mobile device comprising:
a plurality of subscriber identification module (SIM) cards, each of the plurality of SIM cards including information for accessing a network of a different service provider;
one or more processors; and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by the one or more processor are configured to cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising:
receiving a request to call a phone number;
automatically selecting, prior to placing a call to the phone number based on the request, a SIM card from the plurality of SIM cards that includes information for accessing a network of a service provider of the phone number, the service provider of the phone number determined based on service provider information received from a service mapping server for the phone number; and
placing the call to the phone number using the selected SIM card to directly access the network of the service provider of the phone number.
16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the SIM card is automatically selected responsive to an automatic SIM card selection feature being enabled.
17. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the SIM card is automatically selected responsive to an automatic SIM card selection feature being activated for the phone number being called.
18. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further configured to cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising:
receiving a request to add the phone number for a contact;
communicating with the service mapping server to obtain the service provider information of the phone number, the service provider information indicating the service provider of the phone number; and
storing the phone number and the service provider information.
19. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the service provider information is obtained from the service mapping server for the phone number responsive to receiving the request to call the phone number.
20. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein placing the call comprises:
retrieving from the selected SIM card identifying information of a subscriber of the service provider; and
calling the phone number using the identifying information.