US07725943B2

An administration system for use within a server system is provided. The server system having a server that provides host management functions and the server system being able to accept computer cards inserted therein. The administration system comprises a computing system that is inserted in the server system, the computing system having a controller that assumes control over the communications bus.
US07725935B1

Detecting a network worm is disclosed. Network traffic between a plurality of network nodes is monitored to determine if the traffic exhibits a characteristic associated with worm propagation. Responsive action is taken if it is determined that a portion of the network traffic does exhibit the characteristic associated with worm propagation. The characteristic associated with worm propagation comprises a data communication or a variant thereof arriving at a first node and propagating from the first node to a second node within a prescribed interval after arriving at the first node.
US07725931B2

A secure data communications system with an enhanced function of preventing information leakage. The system includes a user terminal and a router. The router has a security condition definition unit and a storage unit to receive and store a set of security conditions. A packet parser identifies and parses a packet produced by a file transfer application protocol and extracts from that packet a destination address and a security condition ID that the sending user has specified for a file in the packet. The packet parser discards the packet to prevent information leakage if the extracted destination address does not satisfy the security condition corresponding to the user-specified security condition ID. The user terminal has a security condition user interface that requests the router to provide information about security conditions and gives a security condition ID to each file to indicate which security condition the sending user has specified.
US07725930B2

Described herein is a technique of protecting users against certain types of Internet attacks. The technique involves obtaining certificates from visited web sites and qualifying communications with those web sites based on the content of the certificates.
US07725928B2

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for establishing temporary and permanent credentials for secure remote data access. The system includes a temporary smart card configured to provide a temporary credential for a first device, thereby providing the first device with temporary secure access to a remote data source when the temporary smart card is used with the first device. Additionally, the system includes an enrollment smart card configured to provide a permanent credential for a second device, thereby providing the second device with permanent secure access to the remote data source without presence of the enrollment smart card or the temporary smart card.
US07725927B2

Apparatus and method for conducting secured communications with a client device in a network are disclosed. The method includes receiving at the server a request message from the client device, wherein the request message comprises a nonce, a nonce count and an encrypted request, determining whether the client device has permission to access the server using the nonce and the nonce count, forming an encrypted server response message in response to the encrypted request and the client device has permission to access the server, and issuing the encrypted server response message from the server to the client device.
US07725924B2

A network system including a network device and an authentication device is disclosed. The authentication device includes a storing unit for storing identification information items indicating users, and a transmitting unit for transmitting, upon receiving the identification information item indicating one of the users from the network device, a group information item indicating the group to which the user belongs. The network device includes a storing unit for storing use permission information items on a per-group basis, each item indicating which function of the network device is permitted to be used, a transmitting unit for transmitting the identification information item indicating the user trying to use the network device to the authentication device, and a determining unit for receiving the group information item from the authentication server so as to determine which function of the device the user is permitted to use based on the received the group information item.
US07725922B2

The present invention allows shell program to be managed with security policies and enforced using sandboxes enforced by the security manager of a managed environment. The additional security policies may come from shell tool specific security policies, application specific security policies, resource based security policies, shell based policies, owner based policies, user based policies and/or other types of policies. Security policies may be merged to provide a managed shell more permission granularity in addition to existing machine policies.
US07725905B1

A method of interfacing with a media accelerator which includes providing a commands layer, providing a capabilities layer, and providing a discontinuity layer. The commands layer sends commands to the media accelerator. The capabilities layer obtains application capabilities from an application. The discontinuity layer provides discontinuity commands to the media accelerator.
US07725895B2

Writing a control flag in a processor control register by a guest virtual machine. Determine whether the control flag is owned by the guest virtual machine. Write the control flag to the processor control register if the control flag is owned by the guest virtual machine. Write the control flag to a shadow location if the control flag is not owned by the guest virtual machine.
US07725892B2

A method for use in a computer system includes a first revision compatibility descriptor identifying a first plurality of compatible combinations of field-programmable unit codes. The method includes steps of: (A) determining whether the first revision compatibility descriptor identifies first field-programmable unit code for use in a first field-programmable unit as being compatible with the computer system; and (B) if the first revision compatibility descriptor does not identify the first field-programmable unit code as being compatible with the computer system, performing a step of updating the first revision compatibility descriptor to identify the first field-programmable unit code as being compatible with the computer system.
US07725890B2

An image forming apparatus includes a storage section that stores programs for carrying out processes, an updating data selection section that selects an updating data for at least one of programs from an updating data group, based on a program that is started or is startable, and an updating section that updates at least one arbitrary program stored in the storage section based on the selected updating data.
US07725887B2

In a method for reducing code size, replaceable subsets of instructions at first locations in areas of infrequently executed instructions in a set of instructions and target subsets of instructions at second locations in the set of instructions are identified, wherein each replaceable subset matches at least one target subset. If multiple target subsets of instructions match one replaceable subset of instructions, one of the multiple matching target subsets is chosen as the matching target subset for the one replaceable subset based on whether the multiple target subsets are located in regions of frequently executed code. For each of at least some of the replaceable subsets of instructions, the replaceable subset of instructions is replaced with an instruction to cause the matching target subset of instructions at the second location to be executed.
US07725881B2

Code coupling metrics are extracted from compiled code rather than from source code or software specifications. Examples of compiled code include binary machine code and machine-independent intermediate code that is convertible into binary machine code by a just-in-time compiler. The compiled code may be compiled from source code written in an object-oriented programming language, or from source code written in a procedural programming language, or from any combination thereof. A coupling metrics system includes a reader to access compiled code and its symbol table information, and a coupling metrics extraction component to calculate coupling metrics from the compiled code and its symbol table information. The coupling metrics system may be part of an integrated development environment (IDE) system.
US07725875B2

Storage mediums and a computer-implemented method for automating web navigation and content extraction are provided. In particular, a storage medium with program components which are executable through a common application program interface and are utilizable by a developer to write programming instructions is provided. In some cases, the storage medium may include a program component for adaptively navigating through one or more websites and another program component for extracting scripted content from the one or more websites. In addition or alternatively, the storage medium may include a program component for standardizing content on a web page. In some cases, the storage medium may be configured to allow a user to include XPath query language in program instructions written from the storage medium. A storage medium comprising program instructions executable using a processor for performing such functions and a computer-implemented method employing such processes are also provided herein.
US07725867B2

Some Gate Arrays and in particular Filed Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), realize combinatorial logic by utilizing so-called “Look Up Tables” (LUTs). Unfortunaltely the circuit expenditure for a LUT is exponentially increasing with the number of inputs. The invention overcomes this problem by using a set of gates as AND, NAND, OR, NOR, XOR, XNOR, AND/OR combination gate, AND/NOR combination gate, OR/AND combination gate, OR/NAND combination gate, identity comparator between two vectors, multiplexer and adder.In addition, conventional GAs and FPGAs utilize routing structures and channels that allow a so-called Manhattan routing. This has the disadvantage that the signal delay on such a connection is highly dependent on the number of serially linked sections. Consequently, the delay time fluctuates significantly on different connections. The invention overcomes this problem by using a X/Y routing structure with a fixed number of connection points and a fixed local routing.
US07725865B2

A method for a computer setting up a terminal layer of a semiconductor circuit having plural wiring layers including obtaining various kinds of information such as placement information relating to a plurality of cells or macros of the semiconductor circuit and being mounted onto a circuit board from a storage unit of the computer; comparing a driving capacity of a subject cell or macro, which is contained in the obtained information, and a resistance of wiring for connecting the subject cell or macro with the cell or macro at a connecting destination; and setting up a terminal layer based on a result of the comparing.
US07725864B2

Three-dimensional structures are provided which improve manufacturing yield for certain structures in semiconductor devices. The three-dimensional structures take into account the interaction between an upper layer and a lower layer where the lower layer has a tendency to form a non-planar surface due to its design. Accordingly, design changes are performed to make structures more likely to function, either by forming a more planar surface on the lower layer or by compensating in the upper layer for the lack of planarity. The changes to improve manufacturing yield are made at the design stage rather than at the fabrication stage.
US07725862B2

A method of routing signals within a semiconductor memory device includes providing a semiconductor wafer having a top surface with a center portion, an edge portion and wafer bond pads at the center portion. A redistribution layer is provided on the top surface of the semiconductor wafer. The method includes redistributing signals from the wafer bond pads to redistribution edge pads utilizing the redistribution layer, and routing signals from the semiconductor wafer up to the redistribution layer and routing these signals back down to the semiconductor wafer.
US07725855B1

A computer-implemented method of improving timing of a circuit design for a programmable logic device can include identifying a timing critical wire of the circuit design and determining a fanout free cone coupled to a plurality of leaf nodes, wherein the critical wire links a critical leaf node of the plurality of leaf nodes with the fanout free cone. At least one leaf node set can be selected, wherein the leaf node set includes a plurality of symmetric leaf nodes including the critical leaf node and at least one non-critical leaf node. At least two leaf nodes of a leaf node set can be swapped in the circuit design. The circuit design can be output.
US07725852B2

In one embodiment, a method includes accessing a description of a chip including multiple sequential elements and a clock mesh, information for modeling the sequential elements and interconnections, and a set of parameters of the clock mesh. The method also includes, using the description of the chip, the information for modeling the sequential elements and interconnections, and the set of parameters of the clock mesh, determining multiple window locations covering the clock mesh. Each window location includes one or more of the sequential elements on the chip. The method also includes, for each window location, generating a mesh simulation model including a detailed model inside the window location and an approximate model outside the window location, simulating the mesh simulation model, and measuring clock timing for the sequential elements in the window location based on the mesh simulation model. The method also includes collecting timing information on the sequential elements on the chip based on the measured clock timing for the sequential elements in the window locations.
US07725850B2

Methods of treating via obstructions during design rule checking. The method comprises examining the size of the via obstruction with respect to a minimum size and a minimum spacing constraint of a design rule. Based upon the comparison, a neighboring via count for a number of via shapes neighboring the via obstruction may be initialized to equal a positive integer. Based upon the comparison, the via obstruction may be represented with a plurality of smaller via shapes during design rule checking.
US07725848B2

A method of designing a low power circuit that implements specified functionality, the method including: analyzing code for an algorithmic description of the specified functionality to generate a design representation of the circuit at the algorithmic level; instrumenting the code for the algorithmic description so as to capture data streams during execution/simulation of the algorithmic description; executing/simulating the instrumented code to generate an activity profile for the algorithmic description, wherein said activity profile includes at least portions of data traces of at least a portion of the executed algorithmic description; using the design representation to generate an initial hardware design that is an estimate of hardware resources necessary to implement at least some of the specified functionality; and computing power consumption for the initial hardware design based on the activity profile and power models for the hardware resources.
US07725837B2

The present subject matter describes a browser for efficiently presenting and browsing a large digital photograph collection. The browser includes a graphical interface—referred to as a time quilt—that combines a wrappable timeline with a space filling layout. Thumbnails representing individual images or clusters of images are laid out chronologically in columns, from top to bottom. When the bottom of a column is reached, a new column is started to the right of the existing column(s). Semantic zooming is used wherein zooming in on a thumbnail image that represents a cluster renders thumbnails of images in the cluster when the thumbnails of the images can be rendered in a legible size. Tiered zooming is also described, which is semantic zooming on multiple levels—representative thumbnails give way to clusters of representative thumbnails that each represent an image or a cluster of images.
US07725836B2

A method for navigating within a multi-level hierarchical collapsing menu structure is disclosed. Each level in the menu structure contains plural items, each item being at least one of a function, a pointer to a location, and a pointer to another level. The method of the present invention includes a step of providing a graphical user menu system displaying the items of a given level and enabling selection thereof, wherein access of the given level requires sequential access of each of the levels preceding the given level in the hierarchy. An Active Path is dynamically constructed as a sequence of active links as items are selected using the graphical user menu system, with one active link corresponding to each of the items selected. The active links provide direct access to a function corresponding level or menu item without the need to navigate using the graphical user menu system.
US07725832B2

The system and method of the present invention provides peripheral awareness of information to a user. The information to be provided is either determined automatically, or specified by the user. Once the information to be provided is determined or specified, it is automatically tracked or watched via at least one conventional communications interface for accessing one or more conventional communications sources. Current information is then automatically dynamically provided in an interactive peripheral display which minimizes any potential distraction to the user. Determining or specifying, tracking or watching, and providing the information is accomplished using at least one customizable dynamic encapsulated object, a “ticket,” that when paired with a “viewer,” provides peripheral awareness of information to the user. Further, in one embodiment, the tickets are sharable among users, and may be copied, cut, pasted, saved, transmitted, dragged and dropped from web pages, etc., like any other electronic file using conventional techniques.
US07725824B2

An action transmission system, terminal apparatus, action transmission method, and action transmission program are provided. The present invention provides an action transmission system including a first terminal apparatus for detecting a physical variation applied by a first user and a second terminal apparatus for outputting information to a second user as the physical variation. The first terminal apparatus transmits, to the second terminal apparatus, variation information indicative of a variation in physical quantity and intensity information subjectively set by the first user for the physical quantity by use of the physical variation applied by the first user. The second terminal apparatus receives the variation information and the intensity information from the first terminal apparatus, amplifies the received variation information by an amplification factor subjectively set by the second user to the intensity information, and outputs the amplified variation information as a physical variation.
US07725818B1

A method for automatic parallel processing of the steps involved in composing electronic responses to structured electronic requests where the request and the response contain some common fields of information. The process starts subsequent processing steps before the validation of the request is complete. A structurally complete, but partial response to a request is prepared as soon as it is possible to construct that response structure. The response structure is determined from personalization factors for the requestor, and a response template is created. The personalized response document is a skeleton created with known data from the minimum validation of the request, and with placeholders for data that has not yet been determined. The response is selectively populated with data from the request when the format of the response is determined. As additional information becomes available during the processing of the request, that additional data is placed into the response structure.
US07725814B2

A form merging system for merging a primary form and a secondary form includes a relationship determination module adapted to determine a relationship between a primary form element on the primary form and a secondary form element on the secondary form and a form element addition module adapted to add the secondary form element to the primary form based on the relationship between the primary form element and a secondary form element. The form merging system allows the primary form customized by a user to be merged with various fields from a newly updated secondary form in an automatic manner.
US07725812B1

An authoring tool has a graphical user interface enabling interactive authoring of a multimedia presentation including temporal and nontemporal media. The graphical user interface enables specification of the temporal and spatial relationships among the media and playback of the presentation with the specified temporal and spatial relationships. The spatial and temporal relationships among the media may be changed independently of each other. The presentation may be viewed interactively under the control of the author during the authoring process without encoding the audio and video data into a streaming media data file for combination with the other media, simulating behavior of a browser that would receive a streaming media data file. The multimedia presentation may include elements that initiate playback of the presentation from a specified point in time. After authoring of the presentation is completed, the authoring tool assists in encoding and transferring the presentation for distribution. Information about the distribution format and location may be stored as user-defined profiles. Communication with the distribution location may be tested and presentation and the distribution information may be audited prior to encoding and transfer to reduce errors. A presentation is encoded according to the defined temporal and spatial relationships and the distribution format and location information to produce and encoded presentation. The encoded presentation and any supporting media data are transferred to the distribution location, such as a server. A streaming media server may be used for streaming media, whereas other data may be stored on a conventional data server. Accounts may be provided for a streaming media server for authors to publish their presentations. The authoring tool may be associated with a service that uses the streaming media server. Such streaming media servers also may be a source of stock footage for use by authors.
US07725805B2

Reliability of data that is stored in a disk drive by a storage system is enhanced. An information apparatus has a processor, a memory, an interface control unit, and a system control unit, which controls communications between the processor, the memory, and the interface control unit. The system control unit judges whether to attach, to data that is transferred between the memory and the system control unit, an error detecting code for protecting the data based on an address in the memory at which the data to be transferred is read or written.
US07725804B2

A method, wireless receiver, and wireless communication system manage error correction of received wirelessly transmitted messages. A High Level network layer component identifies unique values within a message type associated with a communication link. The High Level network layer component determines a message signature associated with the message type. Decoding rules associated with the message type are generated by the High Level network layer component. The decoding rules include a set of acceptable/unacceptable errors associated with the message type. The decoding rules are sent via the High Level network layer component, to a component at a network layer that is lower than the High Level network layer component. The Low Level network layer component decodes, based on the decoding rules, at least a portion of a wirelessly transmitted message that has been received.
US07725800B2

Two levels of error correction decoding are performed using first and second level decoders. A composite code formed by combining an inner component code and an outer component code can be used to decode the data and correct any errors. Performing two level decoding using a composite code allows the size of the inner parity block to be reduced to a single Reed-Solomon symbol while keeping a good code rate. The first level decoder generates soft information. The soft information can indicate a most likely error event for each possible syndrome value of the inner component code. The soft information can also include error metric values for each of the most likely error events. The second level decoder generates corrected syndrome values based on the soft information using the outer component code. The most likely trellis path that corresponds to the corrected syndrome values is then selected.
US07725794B2

There is provided a test apparatus that tests a device under test. The test apparatus includes a main memory that stores a test instruction stream determining a test sequence for testing the device under test, a sequence cache memory that caches the test instruction stream, a transfer section that reads the test instruction stream stored on the main memory and writes the read stream into the sequence cache memory in accordance with a described sequence, a pattern generating section that sequentially reads and executes instructions from the test instruction stream cached on the sequence cache memory and outputs a test pattern corresponding to the executed instruction, and a test signal output section that generates a test signal according to the test pattern and supplies the generated signal to the device under test, in which the transfer section overwrites the instruction read from the main memory on a space area on the sequence cache memory or an area on which executed instructions are stored and prohibits overwriting the read instruction on an area on which instructions in a predetermined range is stored, the instructions being located in the predetermined range forward from a final instruction among the executed instructions according to the described sequence.
US07725791B2

A process and apparatus provide a JTAG TAP controller (302) to access a JTAG TAP domain (106) of a device using a reduced pin count, high speed DDR interface (202). The access is accomplished by combining the separate TDI and TMS signals from the TAP controller into a single signal and communicating the TDI and TMS signals of the single signal on the rising and falling edges of the TCK driving the DDR interface. The TAP domain may be coupled to the TAP controller in a point to point fashion or in an addressable bus fashion. The access to the TAP domain may be used for JTAG based device testing, debugging, programming, or other type of JTAG based operation.
US07725781B2

In one aspect, the present invention features techniques for generating a repair solution for a memory having a set of IOs including a plurality of main IOs and a plurality of redundant IOs. For example, techniques are provided for selecting a mapping between input/output ports of the memory and a subset of the memory's IOs. In particular, techniques are provided for configuring a plurality of multiplexors to implement the selected mapping by establishing electrical connections between the subset of IOs and the memory input/output ports. The subset of IOs may include one or more of the plurality of redundant IOs which effectively replace one or more defective ones of the main IOs. The plurality of multiplexors may be configured by generating one or more thermometer codes which encode the identities of any defective main IOs and which serve as selection inputs to the plurality of multiplexors.
US07725766B2

A system for synchronizing replicas of a database. The system detects a failure of update data from a first replica to be applied to a second replica and determines a cause of the failure. The system also resolves the cause of the failure. According to the system disclosed herein, the present invention synchronizes the replicas of the database without requiring manual intervention.
US07725764B2

One aspect of the present invention provides a system for failover comprising at least one client selectively connectable to one of at least two interconnected servers via a network connection. In a normal state, one of the servers is designated a primary server when connected to the client and a remainder of the servers are designated as backup servers when not connected to the client. The at least one client is configured to send messages to the primary server. The servers are configured to process the messages using at least one service that is identical in each of the servers. The services are unaware of whether a server respective to the service is operating as the primary server or the backup server. The servers are further configured to maintain a library, or the like, that indicates whether a server is the primary server or a server is the backup server. The services within each server are to make external calls via its respective library. The library in the primary server is configured to complete the external calls and return results of the external calls to the service in the primary server and to forward results of the external calls to the service in the backup server. The library in the secondary server does not make external calls but simply forwards the results of the external calls, as received from the primary server, to the service in the secondary server when requested to do so by the service in the secondary server.
US07725761B2

The present invention provides a high reliability fault tolerant computer system capable of constructing a redundant configuration employing PnP software. In duplexing systems, entities of IO bridges (actual IO bridges) which are connected to virtual bus and correspond each other is integrated into the systems as pseudo IO bridges, so that if the systems are physically disconnected each other, by emulating the actual IO bridge in another system, the pseudo-IO bridge can act as if a so-called PnP event in the IO bridge itself does not occur.
US07725756B2

A method for generating a wide range of clock rates from a single clock. A delta is generated from a first clock signal and a second clock signal. An accumulative offset is generated from adding the delta to a previous accumulative offset for each clock period of the first clock signal. Whenever an overflow is encountered, the value of the accumulative offset is truncated. The second clock signal is interpolated between adjacent values.
US07725749B2

An information processing device of the present invention comprises a main CPU capable of taking at least two states which are an operating state and a sleeping state, a sub-CPU having power consumption lower than that of the main CPU and capable of taking at least two states which are an operating state and a sleeping state, and a process request determining section for determining which of the main CPU and the sub-CPU is caused to execute a process related to a request from a peripheral device. The process request determining section determines whether the main CPU is in the sleeping state or the operating state, and when the main CPU is in the sleeping state, determines whether or not the sub-CPU can be caused to execute the process, and when the main CPU is in the operating state, determines whether or not the main CPU can be caused to execute the process, and depending on a result of the determination, causes the main CPU or the sub-CPU to execute the process.
US07725747B2

Methods of performing power management of a processor are disclosed. One example method includes obtaining a plurality of operating parameters related to the processor, determining potential power states by fitting a curve to the plurality of operating parameters, and selecting at least some of the potential power states as power states used to manage power consumption by the processor. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07725743B2

A mobile device includes a file storage portion, a file reading portion, an index creating portion, an electric storage portion, an electric energy input/output portion, and an index creation determining portion. The file storage portion stores files. The file reading portion is capable of reading the contents of the files stored in the file storage portion. The index creating portion controls the file reading portion so as to read the contents of the files stored in the file storage portion and creates index data that can be used for searching of the contents of the files read by the file reading portion. The electric storage portion is capable of being charged/discharged. The electric energy input/output portion is capable of acquiring electric energy input from the electric storage portion and an external power source, and is capable of outputting electric energy to the electric storage portion, the file reading portion, and the index creating portion. The index creation determining portion permits the index creating portion to create the index data when an index creation condition that the electric energy input/output portion can acquire electric energy input from the external power source is satisfied, and does not permit the index creating portion to create the index data when the index creation condition is not satisfied.
US07725742B2

A remote monitor module for power initialization of a computer system includes a monitor logic and a BMC (Baseboard Management Controller). The monitor logic is in circuit connection with a power-up sequence controller and several basic voltage domains on a system board of the computer system. The monitor logic also defines a monitor power-up sequence to perform a basic power-up sequence defined in the power-up sequence controller and allow system changes in power initialization. Extra voltage domain(s) may be enabled and monitored according to the monitor power-up sequence. Eventually, multiple power initialization event/state signals are transmitted by the monitor logic to a remote management host through the BMC.
US07725736B2

A method, system and computer program product for digesting data in storage of a computing environment. The digesting computes a condensed representation of a message or data stored in the computer storage. A COMPUTE INTERMEDIATE MESSAGE DIGEST (KIMD) and a COMPUTE LAST MESSAGE DIGEST (KLMD) instruction are disclosed which specify a unit of storage to be digested by a secure hashing algorithm.
US07725732B1

A system employing enrollment information and the quality of the enrollment information. The enrollment information includes data unique to the identification of a person. The system also stores biometric sensor quality information. When a person seeks to authenticate his/her identity, the sensor transmits the sensor quality data along with the biometric attribute data to the system. The transmitted data is correlated with the enrollment data, and quality of the enrollment data, to produce a score indicative of the probability of a correct identification.
US07725722B2

The invention relates to a method for triggering re-negotiation of a session when an Access Terminal moves from one access network (source AN) to another access network (target AN) having different capabilities in high rate packet data system. According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the source AN is allowed to store all the protocol subtypes, protocols and applications that AT is capable of and also allowing the AT to send this information in priority order during session negotiation and hence facilitating the transfer of this information from source AN to target AN during session transfer when AT moves from one AN to another AN. An alternate embodiment is to let the AT send the protocol subtypes, protocols and applications and other AT capable information to target AN after it moves to a new AN or by letting the Rev-A capable AN query the AT's capability information and then the AT providing this information. In another exemplary embodiment, the invention includes re-negotiation by introducing a revision (like Protocol revision) information in overhead information messages that an AN broadcasts to all ATs.
US07725720B2

The present invention relates to a method for creating and managing a local area network including at least one device for reproducing an encrypted data flow and a device for transmitting and re-encrypting all or part of said encrypted data, which devices include security modules. The method includes the steps of connecting a so-called master security module in one of the devices connected to the local area network, causing the master security module to generate a network key, securely transmitting the network key to one or more so-called user security modules, decrypting the data encrypted by the transmission and re-encryption device, re-encrypting the data with said device by means of a local key, transmitting the re-encrypted data to the reproduction device, and holding the reproduction device to perform decryption using the user security module associated therewith and provided with means for locating the local key.
US07725704B1

Described are techniques for performing a restoration operation of data to a device of a system. Using a driver, the boot blocks used in connection with booting said system a first time are determined as said boot blocks are accessed during said booting. A first portion of data is restored to the device in accordance with said boot blocks used in connection with booting said system said first time. The system is booted a second time using said first portion of data. Remaining portions of data are restored to said device after booting said system the second time.
US07725700B2

An embedded system, automatic loading system and method capable of automatically loading a root file system. The method includes turning on the embedded system to execute a boot code; utilizing the boot code for executing a kernel, utilizing the kernel for activating a root file system auto initial program to retrieve a root file system image file stored in an external device external to the embedded system, and loading the root file system according to the root file system image file.
US07725695B2

A processor incorporates a branch prediction mechanism which acts to predict branch outcomes for predicted type branch instructions. The processor also supports non-predicted type branch instructions which are ignored by the branch prediction mechanism and are not subject to prediction. The impact of mispredictions degrading overall performance of the prediction mechanism is reduced by employing non-prediction type branch program instructions to represent/control branch operations when it is known that misprediction is likely for those branch operations.
US07725694B2

A microcomputer includes a CPU capable of performing a plurality of tasks in a parallel time-sharing operation. The tasks include at least one special task having a fixed loop program with a constant increase of an instruction address. When the CPU performs a conditional judgment instruction in the special task, the CPU prohibits reflecting an execution result of the conditional judgment instruction to both of the CPU and a periphery circuit in a case where it is no need to perform an instruction described in the special task after the conditional judgment instruction.
US07725693B2

Embodiments include a device and a method. In an embodiment, a device provides a resource manager operable to select a resource management policy likely to provide a substantially optimum execution of an instruction group by comparing an execution of the instruction group pursuant to a first resource management policy applied to a hardware resource and an execution of the instruction group pursuant to a second resource management policy applied to the hardware resource.
US07725690B2

In one embodiment, a processor comprises an instruction buffer and a pick unit. The instruction buffer is coupled to receive instructions fetched from an instruction cache. The pick unit is configured to select up to N instructions from the instruction buffer for concurrent transmission to respective slots of a plurality of slots, where N is an integer greater than one. Additionally, the pick unit is configured to transmit an oldest instruction of the selected instructions to any of the plurality of slots even if a number of the selected instructions is greater than one. The pick unit is configured to concurrently transmit other ones of the selected instructions to other slots of the plurality of slots based on the slot to which the oldest instruction is transmitted. Some embodiments comprise a computer system including the processor and a communication device configured to communicate with another computer system.
US07725684B2

A method for optimizing throughput in a microprocessor that is capable of processing multiple threads of instructions simultaneously. Instruction issue logic is provided between the input buffers and the pipeline of the microprocessor. The instruction issue logic speculatively issues instructions from a given thread based on the probability that the required operands will be available when the instruction reaches the stage in the pipeline where they are required. Issue of an instruction is blocked if the current pipeline conditions indicate that there is a significant probability that the instruction will need to stall in a shared resource to wait for operands. Once the probability that the instruction will stall is below a certain threshold, based on current pipeline conditions, the instruction is allowed to issue.
US07725683B2

A method and apparatus for power optimized replay. In one embodiment, the method includes the issuance of an instruction selected from a queue. Once issued, the instruction may be enqueued within a recirculation queue if completion of the instruction is blocked by a detected blocking condition. Once enqueued, instructions contained within the recirculation queue may be reissued once a blocking condition of an instruction within the recirculation queue is satisfied. Accordingly, a power optimized replay scheme as described herein optimizes power while retaining the advantages provided by selectively replaying of blocked instructions to improve power efficiency.
US07725682B2

Methods and apparatus are provided for sharing storage and execution resources between architectural units in a microprocessor using a polymorphic function unit. A method for executing instructions in a processor having a polymorphic execution unit includes the steps of reloading a state associated with a first instruction class and reconfiguring the polymorphic execution unit to operate in accordance with the first instruction class, when an instruction of the first instruction class is encountered and the polymorphic execution unit is configured to operate in accordance with a second instruction class. The method also includes the steps of reloading a state associated with a second instruction class and reconfiguring the polymorphic execution unit to operate in accordance with the second instruction class, when an instruction of the second instruction class is encountered and the polymorphic execution unit is configured to operate in accordance with the first instruction class.
US07725680B1

An application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) comprises a first bus that communicates with inputs and outputs of N processing modules, where N is an integer greater than 1. A control module communicates with the first bus and a second bus that is different than the first bus, and that generates first control signals. A routing module communicates with the first bus, receives data via the second bus from a first memory, selectively routes the data to a first of the inputs, and selectively routes one of the outputs to a second of the inputs. The routing module selects the first and second of the inputs based on the first control signals.
US07725679B1

The present invention provides a method and system to implement a distributed array using the distributed property as an attribute attachable to an array. The present invention maintains the top level array implementation so as to avoid making the top level users to learn how to use a brand new class for creating and manipulating distributed arrays.
US07725674B2

Systems, apparatuses and methods for erasing hard drives. A system, which can be configured as a stand alone and portable apparatus, includes a control device configured to support an erase module. The erase module is configured to erase a hard drive such that data erased from the hard drive is forensically unrecoverable. The system further includes a user interface and at least one drive bay configured to provide communication between a hard drive and the control device.
US07725672B1

This invention is a system and method related to restoring data in a data storage environment and includes program logic.
US07725667B2

A method for identifying a time at which first data was written to a data store. A data store is configured to respond to data requests made to the data store with the data in the data store at a first time in the past. The method can be used to identify a time, for example, at which a data store was corrupted.
US07725663B2

A shared memory controller is provided for controlling access to a shared memory by a plurality of processors. At least one device includes a storage area for storing a respective address range for each of a plurality of memory regions. The at least one device further includes a permission table containing, for each of the plurality of memory regions, read and write permission data for each of the plurality of processors. A memory fault detector is coupled to the at least one device and has an input for receiving a memory access request including a memory address, a processor identification and a read/write indicator. The memory fault detector includes logic for determining whether a memory access according to the memory access request would conflict with the read and write permission data in the permission table.
US07725654B2

A storage system includes plural storage units having respective storage controllers and associated caches. A first one of the storage units further includes an internal workload generator to initiate a data operation with respect to at least one destination storage unit, where the data operation is associated with tag information to affect a caching algorithm used by the cache of the at least one destination storage unit. The at least one destination storage unit includes at least one of the plural storage units.
US07725650B2

A storage system where storage areas are provided to host systems using a conventional AOU technique, the storage system being able to reduce power consumption by the storage resources allocated to pools and prevent the shortening of the life expectancy of the storage resources. In the storage system, data storage devices defined as belonging to the pools are allocated to virtual volumes. Allocation is performed in accordance with access by the hosts. The data storage devices are powered off before being allocated to the virtual volumes and powered on after being allocated.
US07725640B2

An adapter card for directing an information handling system (or another device) device to copy one or more data packets buffered in its memory may include an interface core. The interface core may comprise an electric circuit including electronic components and control logic for interfacing with the information handling system device. The adapter card may include a front end data channel coupled with the interface core for transmitting a data packet between the electronic components and the information handling system device. The adapter card may buffer a data packet according to a particular interface format and/or may include a buffer for storing the data packet. The adapter card may include control logic configured to direct the information handling system device to copy the data packets buffered in the memory of the adapter card.
US07725631B2

Provided is an information system for preserving data of a storage device in a computer that repeats the connection to and disconnection from a communication network. The computer acquires data to be written into the storage device and manages the update status of the storage device, transfers the data written into the storage device to the storage controller independent from the writing of data into the storage device when the computer is in a communicable state with the storage controller, and discontinues the transfer of data written into the storage device to the storage controller and manages the transfer status when the computer is not in a communicable state with the storage controller.
US07725627B2

System and method for performing distributed input/output (I/O). A distributed I/O device (the device) coupled to a controller may read data from a serial port, may determine if the data are framed by time, and if so, may handle the data according to a time-based protocol. If the data are not framed by time, the device may determine if the data are framed by delimiters, and if so, may determine an appropriate delimiter-based protocol for the data from a plurality of delimiter-based protocols, and handle the data according to the appropriate delimiter-based protocol. This process may be repeated in an iterative manner to read a stream of data from the serial port. The device may include or be coupled to one or more I/O modules (e.g., for DAQ, motion control, etc.), which themselves may be coupled to a unit under test or other external device or phenomenon via additional devices.
US07725622B2

The transmission of data is distributed evenly and predictably over a given number of communication channels using a hash function.
US07725621B2

A semiconductor device and data transfer method capable of efficient DMA transfer processing. The device comprises: a sector buffer which temporarily stores data during transfer, the buffer having an I/O port used for DMA transfer with a system bus and having an I/O port used for data transfer with the I/O controller; a switching section which switches whether to connect between the system bus and the I/O controller, or to connect between the sector buffer and the I/O controller or the system bus; and a sector buffer controller which separately starts data transfer through the I/O ports and which, when detecting completion of the data transfer of a transfer unit between the sector buffer and the I/O controller, transmits to the switching section a control signal for cutting off data transfer between the sector buffer and the I/O controller and for connecting the system bus and the I/O controller.
US07725617B2

The invention relates to a data output method and to a data output system comprising: a printing device; a database device, in which corresponding reference data and/or control data are stored for a plurality of data output system users; and a data output control device that delivers, at points in time determined by the data output control device, output data sets allocated to corresponding users to the printing device, wherein a predefined subset of the output data sets is—for performing a test printing—delivered to the printing device in advance already.
US07725615B1

Communicating via a network using a universal network driver interface is disclosed. It is determined whether a universal network device interface (UNDI) driver is installed. A UNDI driver is scanned for if it is determined that no UNDI driver is installed. In the event a UNDI driver is found, a PCI network device that is associated with the UNDI driver is scanned for. If a PCI network device associated with the UNDI driver is found, the UNDI driver is loaded and initialized for the PCI network device.
US07725609B2

A computing system having a plurality of processors including a first processor configured with an address port and a second processor configured with an address port, and a memory device having a first port configured as an address port and to alternatively interface with the address port of the first processor and the address port of the second processor.
US07725603B1

Automatic network configuration of cluster paths to access data within a cluster is described. Each node of the cluster presents to clients an image of the cluster as a single system. Each node also stores information regarding what node has particular data, as well as information about network addresses and corresponding network capabilities for the various network addresses for each node. When a node receives a request for data, the node determines a node where the request data can be accessed, determines network addresses and network capabilities for each network address of the node, and selects a path to access the node based on the determined information. The receiving node may select the path based on network type and capability, as well as load and performance of the network.
US07725599B2

Methods and apparatus for relaying data in a peer-to-peer network. In one implementation, a wireless device includes: an antenna; a wireless communication interface connected to said antenna and supporting wireless communication across a wireless connection provided by said antenna; storage supporting storing data; and a controller connected to said wireless interface and to said storage, supporting an application service, a message service, and a relay service for relay messages; wherein said application service provides execution and management of one or more application programs accessible by said controller using application data stored in said storage, said message service provides building messages and processing received messages, and said relay service provides building a new relay message indicating a selected recipient to which the wireless device does not have a direct wireless connection, sending a built new relay message, and sending a received relay message that indicates a recipient other than the wireless device.
US07725580B1

Generally, access to content may be regulated by receiving a content request initiated at a jukebox for access to a content selection, identifying a jukebox location corresponding to a location of the jukebox, determining a permissible location for rendering the content selection, relating the jukebox location to the permissible location, and enabling the content request when the permissible location supports access to the content selection from the jukebox location.
US07725574B2

Web pages transmitted from a server to a web browser have at least two scripts and an AJAX-technique web page update command monitoring and collecting script error conditions, and for data exchange between the browser and a server to dynamically update the web pages without interruption of interaction flow caused by a full page refresh action. An browser AJAX engine executes the update commands, intercepts script calls to the server, converts the calls to HTTP requests, receives XML data from the server, and delivers corresponding web page and cascading style sheets to the browser for display and interpretation, using a background channel asynchronous connection to send a non-cacheable error message to an error processing server.
US07725566B2

A system and method for enabling a UPnP device to provide services on behalf of another UPnP device. According to the present invention, all services requested from the original serving devices are redirected to the shadow device, while the original device has no knowledge of this redirection. With the present invention, a remote UPnP device requesting a service has no knowledge that the service is being provided by a shadow device.
US07725563B2

A method and apparatus for managing a nested AND role in a directory server is described. In one embodiment, a plurality of entries is defined in the directory server. At least one of the plurality of entries possesses a role. An entry is queried to determine its possessed role. A nested AND role possesses at least two roles. An entry possesses the nested AND role by possessing all the roles within the nested AND role.
US07725541B2

Systems for forwarding incoming instant messages comprise a primary IM processing device configured to send and receive IM messages. The primary IM processing device is further configured to forward incoming IM messages to an available secondary IM processing devices based upon presence information and availability information on a plurality of secondary IM processing devices. A router is configured to route IM messages between the primary IM processing device and the secondary IM processing devices. An IM server is coupled to a communications network and is configured to send and receive presence information from the primary IM processing device and the secondary IM processing devices. The primary IM processing device is further configured to maintain presence information on the secondary IM processing devices including the secondary IM processing devices that were unavailable to receive a forwarded instant message. Other systems and methods are also provided.
US07725534B2

A computer program product, comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method is described for transferring and displaying data over a network. The method includes maintaining, with a computer, a connection between a client application and a server application. The client application is included with a plurality of clients to operate in the network. The server application is included with a plurality of information servers. The method also includes providing, with a computer, access to the plurality of information servers via a streaming server that includes a plurality of processors. The method further includes providing, with the plurality of processors, non-buffered, substantially real-time streaming data to the plurality of clients upon requests from the plurality of clients.
US07725533B2

A system and method for enhancing the experience of a user using a communication program over the Internet or other network. The system and method according to one embodiment utilizes a user's status indicator in a communication program to share content such as music or videos among users, and provides access to an electronic commerce application through which content may be obtained. One system and method according to the present invention allows a user to display an indicator and to set an actionable status message which indicates to other users the media content that the first user is experiencing. In another embodiment, a user is given the ability to access content that other users are listening to or viewing at that time. The system and method in an alternate embodiment broadcast metadata about the user's content to other users and the other users are able to utilize that metadata to receive and experience the same or similar content that the first user is experiencing. Access to an electronic commerce application through which content may be obtained is also facilitated.
US07725529B2

Disclosed is a geographic information system which comprises a multithreading client and a multithreading server cluster. The multithreading client includes at least one user interface, at least one client coordinator, map data, at least one map manager, at least one client-side spatial analyzer, at least one cache manager, at least one data requester, and at least one information communicator. The multithreading server cluster includes: at least one servlet, at least one image accessor, at least one map configuration mechanism; at least one data storage access mechanism, at least one data source manager, and at least one server-side spatial manager.
US07725528B1

The present invention relates to a system and methodology facilitating network communications between an industrial control system and a client application that interacts with a plurality of data items on the control system. The client application initiates a request or query to the industrial control system for an identification of selected data items of interest. Based on information received in the request, an aggregation component can be constructed by the client, wherein names and buffer allocations relating to the data items of interest are provided. The aggregation component is then installed by the client and updated in the industrial control system, thus providing information access to the client application when fresh or updated information is desired. Information is accessed via a communications packet that is generated from the data items identified in the aggregation component. Information transmitted to the control system can also be optimized by identifying the information via handle identifiers that are employed in place of explicit reference or tag names.
US07725525B2

Matches between search queries and potential targets of such search queries are automatically brokered by (i) comparing search criteria specified in the search queries with profile criteria describing the potential targets, and (ii) reporting instances of acceptable correspondence between the search criteria and the profile criteria, provided that access controls associated with the profile criteria of the targets permit such reporting in light of access levels assigned to the search inquiries. Initiators, using client applications at various remote locations, may formulate the search queries and the brokering may be performed at one or more server locations communicatively coupled (e.g., via the Internet) thereto. The profile criteria may include portions of rich descriptive profiles of the potential targets.
US07725523B2

A system, method and computer program product for providing a secure data channel between a user and associates for receiving at a processing server, from a user, user profile information, family definitions, and/or a hardware signature. The method may receives pushed information from an associate, including, e.g., an update to the user profile information, related information, or personalized content for the user. The method can convey to the user, personal information including a selectable union of the user profile information, the related information, and/or the personalized content. The method can convey information to the user. The method can share access to the personal information to a family. The method can also provide cumulative aggregate user profile information to the associate.
US07725521B2

A method and apparatus for performing matrix transformations including multiply-add operations and byte shuffle operations on packed data in a processor. In one embodiment, two rows of content byte elements are shuffled to generate a first and second packed data respectively including elements of a first two columns and of a second two columns. A third packed data including sums of products is generated from the first packed data and elements from two rows of a matrix by a multiply-add instruction. A fourth packed data including sums of products is generated from the second packed data and elements from two more rows of the matrix by another multiply-add instruction. Corresponding sums of products of the third and fourth packed data are then summed to generate two rows of a product matrix. Elements of the product matrix may be generated in an order that further facilitates a second matrix multiplication.
US07725514B2

A random number generating unit includes an external containment casing and a measurement cone within the external containment casing, to which liquid detection contacts are attached. One or more terminals on a random number generation integrated circuit, which terminals connect to the liquid detection contacts are included, as is a primary reservoir connected to a secondary reservoir containing a pump and a dropper to provide a bead of liquid from the pump, wherein the bead falls on the measurement cone to be detected by the liquid detection contacts and then fall into the primary reservoir.
US07725496B2

A system and method for simplifying resource management is provided. Resources are represented by resource objects in a resource object model. Each resource object represents a single resource and contains one or more resource attributes to describe the resource. At least one of the resource attributes for each resource object is a string identifier formed within the constraints of a query grammar. The string identifier is a text-based identifier that is based upon a unique property of the represented resource. A characteristic of the resources is selected as the basis for the relationship between resource objects in the resource object model. In one embodiment, an application identifies resources by generating a search query using the same query grammar used to create the string identifier. In another embodiment, a user manually enters the search query into a command line interpreter.
US07725491B1

Critical resource management is disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, a method is provided. First, the method detects whether maximum utilization of a critical resource has been reached. For example, the critical resource can be a number of modems within a modem pool of an Internet Server Provider (ISP). Second, the method determines the priority of access to this critical resource for each of a plurality of clients. For example, such clients can be end-user computers attempting to dial into the modem pool of the ISP. Third, the method denies access to at least one of the clients that have the lowest priority of access to the critical resource. For example, this can mean that a client currently connected to the ISP via a modem of the model pool is disconnected, or can mean that a client attempting to dial into the ISP is refused access.
US07725486B2

An information retrieval apparatus using a preference-based association dictionary, having words stored therein that are dynamically changed according to user's preferences, and using a general association dictionary storing a relationship between keywords included in a database. The apparatus includes: a matching unit which calculates a degree of matching between a search condition inputted from an input unit and a profile; a generation unit which obtains (i) one or more related words from a general association dictionary in a case where the matching degree is smaller than a predetermined threshold, and (ii) one or more related words from a preference-based association dictionary in a case where the matching degree is greater than the predetermined threshold; and a retrieval unit which retrieves information that meets the generated search condition.
US07725474B2

An apparatus and method for information processing in a network system providing shared folders across a plurality of information processing apparatuses (personal computers) via network. A shared folder management table contains the IP addresses, identifiers of the personal computers, the names of shared folders, and the number of times or attempts to transmit data, etc. Searching of the shared folders is performed at given intervals of time and a search result is compared with the last search result. Based on the search result, a new management data founded is registered in the management table. If a destination personal computer remains inaccessible longer than predetermined time, management data of such personal computers are deleted from the management table.
US07725467B2

The present invention relates to an information search system, an information processing apparatus and method, and information search apparatus and method. A PC extracts, from the mail document transmitted/received by a user, words corresponding to the user's interests and records the interest data. In steps S121 and S122, upon logged in by the user, an HDD recorder requests the acquisition of interest data. On the basis of this request, the PC sends the interest data corresponding to the login user. In steps S123 and S124, the HDD recorder sends the received interest data to a server. In step S131, the server searches for the program information that matches the received interest data. In step S125, on the basis of the program information contained in the search result, the HDD recorder sets the timer-recording of a program. The present invention is applicable to programs which are installed in personal computers.
US07725458B2

As an embodiment of the present invention, an access control system is comprised of a terminal, and a server arranged to receive an access request for access to a site and to access the site. The terminal has an access request control list holder for holding at least one of a first list of sites to which a request for access is accepted irrespective of setting of the server, and a second list of sites to which an access request for access is prohibited, and an access request controller for performing a control to add an access permit identifier or to prohibit the access request, based on the contents of the list. The server has an access request receiver, an access control list holder for holding an access control list, and an access controller for performing an access control with reference to the access control list and the access permit identifier.
US07725449B2

A system and method are provided for customizing search result descriptions for results returned by a search engine. The search result descriptions may be obtained through a search over a computer network. The system includes a search result description request component for enabling selection of particular data for retrieval by the search engine. The system additionally includes a search result description generator for retrieving and returning the requested data. The system also includes a search result description renderer for displaying search result descriptions in a selected manner.
US07725446B2

A method for committing transactions in a distributed system are provided. The method provides for receiving a request from a client to commit a transaction at a coordinator node in the distributed system, tracking a tail log sequence number for every other node in the distributed system, determining a max log sequence number associated with the transaction for each participant node in the distributed system, and committing the transaction at the coordinator node when the tail log sequence number for each participant node is greater than or equal to the max log sequence number associated with the transaction at the respective participant node.
US07725436B1

A plurality of read-only, persistent point-in-time images (RPPIs) of a file system are maintained on a storage server. Each of these RPPIs is created to capture an update of the file system. The file system has at least one subset. If, for each subset of the file system, the file system has an RPPI, other than a first RPPI, having a corresponding subset identical to the first RPPI's corresponding subset, the first RPPI may be deleted, yet all updates captured by the first RPPI are still maintained by other RPPI or RPPIs.
US07725435B1

A system for providing a dynamic portal page in a content distributed network responds to a client request by generating the dynamic portal page at a content engine. The content engine has a portal template with at least one dynamic portion. The content engine writes into the at least one dynamic portion of the portal template links to content cached at the content engine. The content engine also writes into the at least one dynamic portion of the portal template information about availability of content not yet cached at the content engine.
US07725427B2

An RF recurrent billing system in which an account number associated with a recurrent billing account is stored within an RF transaction device. The user of the RF transaction device may present the device for completing a transaction, and the transaction, if successfully completed, is billed to the user's recurrent billing account. The user is billed for the transaction during a billing cycle, typically occurring on a regular basis according to the recurrent billing account.
US07725413B2

A method includes: a) preparing as training data a sample set that contains a plurality of samples belonging to a first class and a plurality of samples belonging to a second class; b) generating, by performing discriminant analysis on the sample set, a first discriminant function having a high classification characteristic for the first class and a second discriminant function having a high classification characteristic for the second class; c) by classifying the sample set using the first and second discriminant functions, isolating any sample whose classification results by the first and second discriminant functions do not match; d) forming a new sample set by grouping together any sample thus isolated, and repeating b) and c) by using the new sample set; and e) causing d) to stop when the number of samples each of whose classification results do not match in c) has decreased to or below a predetermined value.
US07725401B2

Usage rights for a digital work are established prior to creation of the corresponding content. The rights can be associated with the content after the content is created. A content creation, such as a video recorder or a still camera, device can store labels of the rights and can associate usage rights with content in real time as the content is created.
US07725395B2

A system and method for automatically determining if a remote client is a human or a computer. A set of HIP design guidelines which are important to ensure the security and usability of a HIP system are described. Furthermore, one embodiment of this new HIP system and method is based on human face and facial feature detection. Because human face is the most familiar object to all human users the embodiment of the invention employing a face is possibly the most universal HIP system so far.
US07725390B2

A method and system for processing an account for a transaction between a merchant and a customer. The transaction provided goods and/or services by the merchant to the customer for which the merchant is owed a total payment by the customer to settle the account. The account is divided into N subaccounts. The total payment is divided into N subaccount payments respectively associated with the N subaccounts. N is at least 2. N payers responsible for making the N subaccount payments to settle the N subaccounts are notified of the N subaccounts, respectively. The N subaccounts are made available to the N payers. The N subaccount payments are received from N payment providers using N payment instruments for settling the N subaccounts, respectively. The N payment providers and the N payment instruments were previously identified by the N payers. The total payment is paid to the merchant.
US07725385B2

A system is disclosed for handling post transactional credit disputes in real-time via a variety of transactional environments and architectures. The system includes one or more workstations linked to a communication channel and one or more servers with at least one having capability of displaying a plurality of pre-existing dispute handling forms. A party in dispute may access the forms, choose an appropriate dispute handling form, provide data in the pre-defined requested fields on the form, and transmit the form over the communication channel to a server for processing. A server accepts a User ID and password from a user, retrieves and displays a set of dispute handling forms, receives input entered on the forms, routes the forms to a second user in dispute, and makes the forms available for viewing to the second user. The program may further index the data entered on the forms using a code-based method.
US07725383B2

An electronic trading system includes a plurality of trader terminals for receiving credit parameter data, arbitrage parameter data, and trading data from a trading entity, and a computer connected to the plurality of trader terminals via a communications network that receives and stores the credit parameter data and the trading data. The system also includes a detector circuit or program for automatically detecting an available arbitrage opportunity including a plurality of trades based on the credit parameter data, the arbitrage parameter data, and the trading data. A similar electronic trading system includes an automatic name switch feature wherein the plurality of trader terminals receive name switch parameter data, credit parameter data, and trading data from the trading entity. A circuit or program automatically detects and executes available name switch transactions based on the credit parameter data, the name switch parameter data, and the trading data.
US07725378B1

A fluctuating annuity payment is determined and generated, and that annuity payment is subsequently fixable. The fluctuating annuity payment may be based on an interest rate, such as the market yield of a 1-year U.S. Treasury adjusted to constant maturity, for example. The fluctuating annuity payment may be determined on a certain date, or periodically, for example. The annuity payment, while fluctuating, may have a predetermined floor or minimum threshold amount that is does not pay less than. At some point, a request may be received to fix the payment, and the fluctuating annuity payment is converted to a fixed annuity payment. The fixed annuity payment may be based on a long term interest rate, for example. After receiving a request to fix the annuity payment, a payment schedule may be determined based on the value of the remaining payments that are to be made.
US07725377B2

Described herein is a system that includes a receiver component that receives personal preferences of a user regarding wealth management. The receiver component can further receive first wealth management advice from a first financial expert that has been selected by the user. Additionally, the system may include a customization component that automatically modifies the first wealth management advice from the first financial expert based at least in part upon the received personal preferences of the user to generate first personalized wealth management advice. The system may additionally include an output component that outputs the personalized wealth management advice to the user.
US07725372B2

Transaction management for financial institution-based transactions is facilitated. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a transaction management approach involves the processing of financial aspects of transactions for a plurality of buyers using transaction rules associated with each buyer for automatically auditing each transaction (for each buyer) and any associated invoices. When a transaction or series of transactions are approved for payment for a particular buyer, the payment is automatically facilitated on behalf of the particular buyer. A fee is then assessed for each transaction or series of transactions, to one or more of the particular buyer, involved seller (or sellers), and a sponsor of the buyer that sponsors the buyer's participation.
US07725362B2

As a movie/television show, etc. is being watched, a viewer is able to purchase items viewed during a presentation. A viewer may stop the presentation either to purchase merchandise or services or alternatively, save items for later in a “virtual group shopping mall.” A voice or written message may be added to allow more content to be placed with each saved item. A group may be identified and given access to the virtual shopping mall. This enables members of the group, such as friends, to see shopping preferences of others in a group. Further, shopping lists may be generated for group members based upon items placed in the virtual mall, thereby enabling a list of “must haves” for the group. Purchases may be made using M-commerce or a potential purchaser may be directed to a store having a product or service desired for purchase.
US07725361B2

A method and system suitable for ordering, packaging, and delivering harvested plants, such as fresh-cut flowers. The method and method entail placing an order for harvested plants by selecting at least one plant varietal, identifying a recipient for the plant by name and address, indicating a date for the recipient to receive the plant, and optionally creating a message to be delivered with the plant to the recipient. The plant is then placed in at least one recess within a transparent shell comprising a raised peripheral edge that surrounds and defines the recess. The shell and plant are then placed in a transparent enclosure formed from a perforated transparent foil, and the enclosure and a shipping label are then inserted in a shipping container that is at least translucent to enable the plant and the label to be visible therethrough.
US07725356B2

System and method for receiving purchase information for a client system, e.g., a measurement system. A configuration diagram visually representing a current configuration of the client system is displayed. Multiple product icons are displayed representing products (hardware and/or programs) available for use in the client system. User input is received graphically associating at least one first product icon with the configuration diagram, where the first product icon represents a first product, and the user input indicates a desire to purchase the first product. An updated configuration diagram is displayed representing the configuration of the client system after receiving the user input, including the first product icon. Pricing information for the first product is displayed in response to receiving the user input. User input initiating purchase of the first product may be received in response to displaying the pricing information, and the product may be provided to the user.
US07725350B2

A promotional data delivery system and method are disclosed by which promoters input to a host computing system their preferred consumer criteria and define their promotional materials, customers provide profiling information and select promotional materials, and a host relates the data pertaining to the promoters and customers to provide or otherwise communicate, preferably in tangible form such as paper via mail or parcel delivery services, promotional information including coupons particularly targeted for and/or selected by the prospective customers.
US07725345B2

A method to manage achieving an objective may include collecting data related to the objective and determining a set of drivers related to the objective. The method may also include calculating a gap for each driver between a baseline and a goal for the objective. The method may further include analyzing the gap to associate a quantity of gap points with each driver to achieve the goal.
US07725332B1

A first group of individuals, including a first health care provider, is provided access to a first type of data concerning the patient under control of the access rules determined by the patient. A second group of individuals, including a second health care provider, is provided access to a second type of data concerning the patient under control of the access rules determined by the patient, the second type of data not identical to the first type of data. An indication of a threshold event relating to data about the patient is received, the threshold event determined by the patient. Occurrence of the threshold event is identified by comparing a numerical value, within a numerical range, indicative of degree of health with a threshold value indicative of the threshold event.
US07725329B2

A system and method that generates a hierarchical tree network and uses linear-plus-nonlinear learning algorithms to form a consensus view on a member's future health status. Each leaf in the hierarchical tree network is homogeneous in clinical characteristics, experience period, and available data assets. Optimization is performed on each leaf so that features and learning algorithms can be tailored to local characteristics specific to each leaf.
US07725326B1

An improved portable shopping system with improved data presentation system for presenting customer desired data on a portable terminal. The portable terminal includes audio as well as video presentation components that are used to provide customer specific marketing files to promote the sale of identified items.
US07725321B2

An intelligent query system for processing voiced-based queries is disclosed, which uses a combination of both statistical and semantic based processing to identify the question posed by the user by understanding the meaning of the user's utterance. Based on identifying the meaning of the utterance, the system selects a single answer that best matches the user's query. The answer that is paired to this single question is then retrieved and presented to the user. The system, as implemented, accepts environmental variables selected by the user and is scalable to provide answers to a variety and quantity of user-initiated queries.
US07725319B2

An arrangement is provided for using a phoneme lattice for speech recognition and/or keyword spotting. The phoneme lattice may be constructed for an input speech signal and searched to produce a textual representation for the input speech signal and/or to determine if the input speech signal contains targeted keywords. An expectation maximization (EM) trained phoneme confusion matrix may be used when searching the phoneme lattice. The phoneme lattice may be constructed in a client and sent to a server, which may search the phoneme lattice to produce a result.
US07725317B2

An interactive control system is disclosed with which the recognition rate and the responsiveness when operating a plurality of interactive services in parallel can be improved. A recognition lexicon and consolidated and reorganized information are generated for each individual interaction. Thus, excessive growth of the recognition lexicon can be avoided and a lowering of the recognition rate can be prevented. Moreover, based on the consolidated and reorganized information, it is possible to specify interactive services that may respond to the same input information, so that responses that are unexpected for the user can be prevented.
US07725314B2

A method and apparatus identify a clean speech signal from a noisy speech signal. To do this, a clean speech value and a noise value are estimated from the noisy speech signal. The clean speech value and the noise value are then used to define a gain on a filter. The noisy speech signal is applied to the filter to produce the clean speech signal. Under some embodiments, the noise value and the clean speech value are used in both the numerator and the denominator of the filter gain, with the numerator being guaranteed to be positive.
US07725313B2

A non-iterative and computationally efficient bit allocation technique for perceptual audio coders employing uniform quantization schemes. This is achieved by computing a target MNR for all critical bands in a frame using a target bit rate and associated SMRs. Associated SNRs are then computed for the critical bands using the computed target MNR and the associated SMRs. Bits are then allocated to the critical bands based on the computed associated SNRs.
US07725310B2

Coding of an audio signal (x) represented by a respective set of sampled signal values (x(t)) for each of a plurality of sequential time segments is disclosed. The sampled signal values are analyzed to determine one or more sinusoidal components for each of the plurality of sequential segments. The sinusoidal components are linked across a plurality of sequential segments to provide sinusoidal tracks, where each track comprises a number of frames. An encoded signal (AS) is generated, including sinusoidal codes (Cs) comprising a representation level (r) for each frame or including sinusoidal codes (Cs) where some of these codes comprise a phase (φ), a frequency (ω) and a quantization table (Q) for a given frame when the given frame is designated as a random-access frame. The invention allows random access in a track while avoiding long adaptation of the quantization accuracy in a quantizer and/or the need for a large bit stream while still maintaining improved audio quality.
US07725308B2

A method, system, and tool product for creating a grammar for a natural language dialog system from a device description is provided. The system can include a device descriptor for identifying configuration, interface, object, and attribute information of the device, a speech grammar for identifying one or more rules generated from the device descriptor that are supported by the device, a speech recognition system for invoking rules of the speech grammar, and a processor for facilitating interoperability and development of distributed applications and providing delineated coverage of the one or more rules in view of the device descriptor.
US07725304B1

A method and apparatus for coupling data between discrete processor-based emulation chips is described. The apparatus is a processor-based hardware emulation integrated circuits (chips) element comprising a plurality of discrete hardware emulation chips, each emulation chip coupled to another emulation chip by a crossbar for coupling data between the plurality of chips. The method comprises providing data to a crossbar from a first discrete emulation chip, selecting the data from the crossbar using a discrete second emulation chip, and storing the data in a data array in the second discrete emulation chip.
US07725300B2

Models are generated using a variety of tools and features of a model generation platform. For example, in connection with a project in which a user generates a predictive model based on historical data about a system being modeled, the user is provided through a graphical user interface a structured sequence of model generation activities to be followed, the sequence including dimension reduction, model generation, model process validation, and model re-generation.In connection with a process in which a user generates a collection of predictive models or an aggregate predictive model based on historical data about a system being modeled, profiles of aggregate targets are generated based on key contributory variables.
US07725299B2

Techniques are presented for a multi-tier distributed frame work for mass configuration of products by design and synthesis. Products are represented as components having hierarchical relationships with one another. The components include form information, function information, behavioral information, and constraint information. Components may be created from scratch or retrieved from a plurality of sources over a network. In some embodiments, the components may include optimization constraints and derived from other components to meet the optimization constraints.
US07725297B2

The present invention quickly resolves troubles in an analyzer and performs effective external quality control management. An analyzer (2) and a control device (1) are connected by a network (3). Error data and sample data taken from assay of a quality control substance are transmitted from the control device (1) to the analyzer (2). The analyzer (2) is made to be remotely operable from the control device (1) and when troubles arise repair from the control device (1) is possible. The control device (1) tallies sample data, and provides the tally results to a Web page. The analyzer (2) accesses the Web page using a WWW browser, and can perform external quality control in real time.
US07725296B1

Methods and systems are disclosed for determining a processor usage adjustment factor and for automatically applying the processor usage adjustment factor to provide an accurate processor usage estimate for an SMT processor. In one implementation, the methods and systems obtain samples of processor usage reported by the operating system at a predefined sampling rate over a predefined sampling interval. Thread states for the threads substantially corresponding to the reported processor usage are so obtained at the predefined sampling rate and over the predefined sampling interval. This sampling may be performed for servers running different applications and having diverse processing loads. An estimate of the distribution of the number of threads running for the processor usage reported may then be determined from the sampled data. A processor usage adjustment factor may then be derived, based on the distribution, and used to provide a more accurate processor usage estimate.
US07725295B2

A cable fault detection component (168) receives input data indicative of a fault in an electrical power system. The component (168) analyzes the input data to determine if the fault is indicative of a temporary or self-clearing cable fault and generates corresponding output data (276). In one implementation, the cable fault detection component (168) is implemented as a software module which operates on a computer (105) of a substation intelligence system (104).
US07725294B2

A power machine diagnostic system. The diagnostic tool system includes a first interface removably coupled to a power machine, a computer to identify a type of the power machine coupled at the first interface, and a second interface between the tool and the computer.
US07725292B2

A system that select tests to exercise a given computer system is described. During operation, the system tests the given computer system using a set of tests, where a given test includes a given load and a given cycling time selected from a range of cycling times. Moreover, for the given test, the system monitors a stress metric in the given computer system. Additionally, the system selects at least one of the tests from the set of tests to exercise the given computer system based on the monitored stress metric.
US07725291B2

A method of automatically applying a hypothesis test to a data set. The method reduces errors made in failing to appreciate predicate assumptions of various statistical tests, and elicits a series of indications from the user regarding characteristics of interest embodied by the data set to select an appropriate statistical test. The system also reduces errors in constructing competing null and alternative hypothesis statements by generating a characterization of the data and defining null and alternative hypotheses according to the indications, selected statistical test, and conventions adopted with respect to the tests. The system also establishes a significance level, calculates the test statistic, and generates an output. The output of the system provides a plain interpretation of the quantitative results in the terms indicated by the user to reduce errors in interpretation of the conclusion.
US07725288B2

A system (100) and method (400) for touchless object control is provided. The system can include a sensing unit (110) for capturing a first signal (677) reflected off a first object (151) at a first time and a second signal (679) reflected off the first object at a second time, a phase detector (116) for identifying a first phase difference (601) between the first signal and the second signal, and a processor (117) for updating an expected location of the first object using the first phase difference. A first object (143) can control a movement of a second object (124) using touchless control.
US07725284B2

In one aspect, a method for automatically establishing value range limits for sampling values is provided wherein the value ranges are associated with code words. A total value range for sampling values is divided into source value ranges. Each source value range is assigned a code word in each case. A number of sampling values that lie in a source value range is determined in respect of sampling values of a sampling interval. A limit of a modified value range is established depending on the determined number. A code word is assigned to the modified value range.
US07725281B2

A method for automatic Pole-Zero adjustment in a radiation measurement system, the method including steps of: receiving a plurality of pulses from a radiation detector; for each of the plurality of pulses, synthesizing a multiple-peak pulse shape; and using the amplitude measurement of individual peaks in each of the multiple-peak pulse shapes to adjust the pole-zero of the radiation measurement system.
US07725280B2

In a method for checking the lambda value λ indicated by a binary lambda probe, the lambda probe being situated in the exhaust line of an internal combustion engine and provided downstream from a catalyst having oxygen storage capacity, the invention provides that the time progression of the voltage signal Uλ is plotted in the range of the lambda value λactual of 1.0 indicated by the lambda probe until a first inflection point W1 and a second inflection point W2 of the voltage signal Uλ have been detected, the time derivative dUλ/dt of the voltage signal is generated, the jumps S1, S2 in the time derivative dUλ/dt which occur at the inflection points W1, W2 are compared to one another, and based on the comparison of the jumps S1, S2 the indicated lambda value λactual of 1.0 is checked. According to the invention, the actual lambda value λtarget of 1.0 is always maintained in the air/fuel mixture supplied to the internal combustion engine in order to ensure optimal conversion C of pollutants in the exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine.
US07725270B2

An apparatus for measuring a parameter of a fluid flowing within a pipe includes a sensing device having a sensor for sensing an unsteady pressure of the fluid flow. The sensing device generates sensor data responsive to the parameter. A processing device, which communicates with the sensing device, receives and processes the sensor data to generate meter data. The apparatus includes a digital interface, which communicates with the processing device, that is configured to associate with a portable external digital storage device for transferring information between the apparatus and the portable external digital storage device.
US07725264B2

An exemplary system for managing the deployment of a seismic data acquisition system uses a module configured to execute a plurality of task in the field by receiving one or more seismic devices. The module may include a power source that provides electrical power to the seismic devices. The module may also include a processor programmed to retrieve data stored in the seismic devices, perform diagnostics, facilitate inventory and logistics control, configure seismic devices and update data or pre-programmed instructions in the seismic device.
US07725261B2

A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus, comprises frontal information detecting means for detecting solid object information in front of an own vehicle, preceding vehicle recognizing means for recognizing a preceding vehicle based on the solid object information, traveling path estimating means for estimating a traveling path of the own vehicle, first evacuation possibility judging means for judging a first possibility of relative evacuation between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle according to positions of the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle, second evacuation possibility judging means for judging a second possibility of relative evacuation between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle according to information of solid objects other than the preceding vehicle, and preceding vehicle evacuation possibility judging means for judging a final possibility of relative evacuation between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle based on the first possibility and the second possibility.
US07725258B2

A vehicle based data collection and processing system which may be used to collect various types of data from an aircraft in flight or from other moving vehicles, such as an automobile, a satellite, a train, etc. In various embodiments the system may include: computer console units for controlling vehicle and system operations, global positioning systems communicatively connected to the one or more computer consoles, camera array assemblies for producing an image of a target viewed through an aperture communicatively connected to the one or more computer consoles, attitude measurement units communicatively connected to the one or more computer consoles and the one or more camera array assemblies, and a mosaicing module housed within the one or more computer consoles for gathering raw data from the global positioning system, the attitude measurement unit, and the retinal camera array assembly, and processing the raw data into orthorectified images.
US07725246B2

A method and a start control device are provided for controlling an automatic start-up process of a drive unit of a motor vehicle. The drive unit is automatically started when all of the predetermined start-up conditions are fulfilled. However, even in the event that an absence of the driver is detected, the drive unit automatically starts when the speed of the motor vehicle is greater than a predetermined limit speed and all other start-up conditions are fulfilled.
US07725232B2

A method and a system for monitoring the location of a mining vehicle in a mine. The mine comprises a first and a second work area. At least one identifier (29) whose exact location is known is arranged in the first work area (18a). The location of the mining vehicle (1) is determined continuously by means of a dead reckoning. The location data, based on the dead reckoning, can be updated by means of the identifier. The location data are transmitted to a mine control system for monitoring the mining vehicle.
US07725229B2

A rate of rotation around the longitudinal axis of a motor vehicle and the lateral inclination thereof are determined as state variables. A rollover situation is detected when the state variables are greater than the characteristic curve of a minimum triggering threshold in a surface plane defined by the state variables.
US07725225B2

A refuse vehicle is disclosed that includes a control system which comprises a plurality of microprocessor based interface modules, a communication network, and at least one output device. The control system is configured to disable the output device based on certain conditions of the refuse vehicle.
US07725221B2

A method and apparatus is disclosed for displaying a dynamic parameter, the apparatus comprises a display unit receiving a display signal and displaying a scale that changes dynamically and non-linearly in accordance with a selected display algorithm, the display unit further displaying a pointer pointing to said scale in accordance with a reading of said dynamic parameter, thereby emphasizing a range of said reading of said dynamic parameter.
US07725219B2

When a local operation is carried out on a vehicle, a local operation record is stored in a storage section of a remote operation control master unit and a storage section of a smart entry key. When a remote operation of canceling the local operation is carried out, the local operation record stored in the smart entry key is transmitted to the vehicle through a cellular phone. The local operation record received by an in-vehicle communication device is compared with the local operation record stored in the storage section of the remote operation control master. When the comparison result indicates the agreement between the local operation records, the authority for canceling the local operation is given.
US07725212B2

A datacenter with automated robotic maintenance comprises: a plurality of computer systems disposed at different locations therein, each system including: a cabinet rack; and a plurality of system cell units disposed therein for operation of the corresponding computer system; a robotic vehicle operative to move to each of the cabinet racks of the plurality and to perform maintenance on the system cell units thereof; and a central management station operative to communicate with the plurality of computer systems to determine an occurrence of a maintenance event for a system cell unit at one of the computer systems, and operative to direct the robotic vehicle to move to the cabinet rack of the one computer system and to perform maintenance on the system cell unit in accordance with the maintenance event.
US07725209B2

Apparatus and method for controlling modeling material supply in a three-dimensional object-printing system (100). The apparatus may include one or more cartridges (180) containing modeling materials that may be connected via a set or matrix of valves (175) to the three-dimensional object printing system (100). Sensors (185) associated with the cartridges (180) may continuously or periodically monitor the status of the material within the cartridges. The controller receives data about the material presently available in each cartridge (180) and computes supply parameters for the available materials in the various cartridges (180).
US07725206B2

An integrated manufacturing and a maintenance system include a metrology device and a CAD system which has access to parametric data from the metrology device, said “as-built” data being used by the CAD system to morph a CAD model reflecting the “as-built” data, which can be used in manufacturing and aftermarket support.
US07725202B2

A system and method for audio splicing (insertion) of an Ad audio stream in the compressed domain, where variable early delivery of the Ad audio stream and variable bit rate are allowed, without creating audio distortion, glitches, or other digital artefacts or errors, in the resultant audio stream is disclosed. The present system and method provides for a splice delay buffer which delays the first five Ad audio frames until transmission of the last frame of the primary audio stream, but before the splice time. Subsequent Ad audio frames are delayed by a fixed amount, where the fixed amount is greater than the frame delay of the primary audio stream, to allow for ease of splice back to the primary audio stream.
US07725201B2

In a feedback control apparatus comprising a controller, a control object to be controlled by the controller, and an observer for inputting a control output from the control object and an output of the controller and setting an output of a control object model to be a feedback signal, the observer includes an observer compensator for inputting a difference between the control output and an output of an element model and inputs, to the control object model, a sum of an output of the observer compensator and the output of the controller. Consequently, a control system having an excellent response performance can be constituted and a stable observer can easily be constituted.
US07725193B1

A modality of electrical twitch obtaining intramuscular stimulation pain relief therapy utilizes a surface probe with a conductive tip to apply surface electrical stimulation of relatively high voltage locally and focally to muscle motor points and regions of adjacent motor end plate zones. The surface-applied electrical stimulation through intact skin readily facilitates the elicitation of forceful twitch responses from muscle fibers associated with the stimulated motor points and motor end plate zones, without requiring needle penetration into the patient's flesh. Rapid movement between multiple treatment sites is possible allowing treatment of a larger number of muscle motor point areas in afflicted muscles and more muscles to be treated in a single treatment session. The therapeutic effect of the twitches increases with the force and number of the twitches. In addition, since physical insertion of the needle electrode is totally unnecessary, patients experience little to no pain during and after the procedure, and the risk of repetitive stress injury to the therapist is reduced. Additionally, significantly less skill is required to effectively elicit pain relieving twitch responses, thus facilitating training of medical and para-medical personnel to perform the procedure.
US07725190B2

A medical device feedthrough assembly includes a flange plate formed with a plurality of receptacles. A feedthrough subassembly is mounted within each of the receptacles, and a ferrule of each subassembly is coupled to the flange plate.
US07725183B1

An implantable cardiac stimulation device is equipped with a hardware elastic buffer. In an exemplary device, the hardware elastic buffer comprises SRAM and a SRAM controller. The device optionally includes averaging, concatenating, filling and/or other features.
US07725163B2

An image system, notably an X-ray system and an ultrasound system, is provided in which images or sequences of images are generated and used to automatically change or optimize the operational behavior of individual image system components. Measurement fields are defined in the images of an image sequence by means of a data processing unit. Information is extracted from the measurement fields in order to adapt the system components. More specifically, in the course of a sequence of images the measurement fields are adapted or shifted in conformity with the motion of objects.
US07725160B2

The present invention is directed to an MRI enhancing device deployable in a body. In one embodiment, the MRI enhancing device is formed of a wire loop and a capacitor that is at least partially formed by the wire used in forming the wire loop.
US07725158B2

An apparatus for MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) includes a scanner, a support for a patient, and a supporting bench for the scanner and for the patient support, wherein the scanner and said patient support are mounted on the supporting bench such that a position of at least one of the scanner and the patient support can be changed with respect to the other of the scanner and the patient support.
US07725152B2

A garment and system includes a monitoring fabric comprising a first plurality of reflective yarns knitted or woven with a second plurality of stretchable yarns. The fabric exhibits both a light transmission property and a light reflection property. The amount of light transmitted through the fabric relative to the amount of light reflected by the fabric changes when the fabric stretches in response to motion, such as the motion induced by physiological activity (e.g., heart rate). The system includes at least one source of radiation having wavelength(s) in the range of 400 to 2200 nanometers and at least one detector responsive to such incident radiation. The source and detector are associated with the fabric such that the reception of incident radiation by the detector is directly affected by a change in the amount of light transmitted through the fabric relative to the amount of light reflected by the fabric when the fabric stretches. A signal processor converts a signal from the detector into a signal representative of at least one predetermined physiological parameter of a wearer of the garment.
US07725148B2

A thin film sensor, such as a glucose sensor, is provided for transcutaneous placement at a selected site within the body of a patient. The sensor includes several sensor layers that include conductive layers and includes a proximal segment defining conductive contacts adapted for electrical connection to a suitable monitor, and a distal segment with sensor electrodes for transcutaneous placement. The sensor electrode layers are disposed generally above each other, for example with the reference electrode above the working electrode and the working electrode above the counter electrode. The electrode layers are separated by dielectric layer.
US07725144B2

A method of determining disease state in an individual. A portion of the tissue of the individual is illuminated with excitation light, then light emitted by the tissue due to Raman scattering of a chemical with the tissue responsive to the excitation light is detected. The detected light can be combined with a model relating Raman emission with disease state to determine a disease state of the individual. The invention can comprise single wavelength excitation light, scanning of excitation light (illuminating the tissue at a plurality of wavelengths), detection at a single wavelength, scanning of detection wavelengths (detecting emitted light at a plurality of wavelengths), and combinations thereof. The invention also can comprise correction techniques that reduce determination errors due to detection of light other than that from Raman emission of a chemical in the tissue. For example, the reflectance of the tissue can lead to errors if appropriate correction is not employed. The invention can also comprise a variety of models relating Raman emission to disease state, including a variety of methods for generating such models. Other biologic information can be used in combination with the Raman spectral properties to aid in the determination of disease state. The invention also comprises apparatuses suitable for carrying out the method, including appropriate light sources, detectors, and models (for example, implemented on computers) used to relate detected Raman emission and disease state.
US07725141B2

An improved portable mobile phone is disclosed wherein the mobile phone comprises two modules and the mobile phone can function properly when the two modules are physically connected as well as when the two modules are detached, and wherein the mobile phone has two modes of operation, one of which is the communication mode of operation and another one of which is the entertainment mode of operation.
US07725133B2

A mobile wireless communication device like a cellular handset includes multiple communication addresses stored in its memory. Each address is associated with one or more inputs of an input key. For example a first telephone number is associated with a single input of a particular key, and a second telephone number may be associated with two sequential inputs of the same key. The communication address is transmitted from the wireless communication device upon entering the one or more key inputs associated therewith and upon maintaining a last of the sequential key inputs for a predetermined time interval.
US07725131B2

The described embodiments relate generally to methods, systems and devices for maintaining data integrity of a removable media card of a handheld electronic device, particularly when such media card is removed from such device.
US07725112B2

Systems and methods applicable, for instance, in proximity networking activity. For example, nodes and/or other computers may record, receive, and/or provide information regarding proximity networking activity. As another example, nodes and/or other computers may act to inform their users of proximity networking activity instances.
US07725108B2

A system allowing reuse of one same frequency on all the cells of a network. It includes means storing data characteristic of the network and a computing module provided with means to associate carriers of a transmitter with service areas to distribute the traffic to be handled in the sector over N shares of traffic in N complementary areas determined in relation to their radio attenuation, and a determined frequency with each service area, the different carriers used being respectively associated with a single service area of a sector.With the system it is possible to adjust the transmission power of each carrier in relation to the determination made by the computing module to share the power of transmitter between the carriers of one same sector.
US07725106B2

Cell reselection comprises monitoring a first indicator indicative of a signaling level of the serving cell, and monitoring second indicators, each indicative of a signaling level of one of plural potential target cells. A timer associated with a potential target cell is initiated when the respective second indicator indicates that the signaling level of the potential target cell is better than the signaling level of the serving cell. Each timer has an associated expiry, and, if at least one timer has been initiated by the expiry of another initiated timer, then, after delaying for an additional period after at least the first timer has expired, a target cell is selected from the potential target cells. The target cell is selected that has a second indicator which indicates that the signaling level of the respective target cell is better than the signaling level of the serving cell.
US07725103B2

A dynamic service application is stored and executed on a mobile or wireless communication device (e.g., a cellular telephone) to enable it to be programmed without specialized hardware, software, and other proprietary information. For example, dynamic service application programs or scripts may be entered directly by a user or may be received as a wireless or radiated digital message transmission. The dynamic service application executes the dynamic service application script, which is of a format to accommodate wireless or radiated transmission and storage on the device. The dynamic service application script may be written directly by a user on a computer or a mobile communication device or may be written with the aid of scripting “wizard” software that runs on a computer and guides the writing of script without the user having to work directly with the dynamic service application script. In addition to being received as radiated transmissions, dynamic service application scripts may also be sent as radiated transmissions from mobile communication devices to other devices or computers.
US07725102B2

The invention is directed to associating a received command with a control such as a push button on a mobile telecommunication device, and enabling an action associated with the command to be performed when the control is later activated. The command may be received from another mobile device or remote computer. The actions that may be associated with the performance instruction include tuning to a broadcast such as a radio or television, browsing a web site or hyperlinked text, and tuning to a streamed broadcast over a network, such as the Internet. The command button can be a physical element such as the “*” key on a keypad or a virtual button on a display.
US07725101B2

A method and user equipment in a mobile telecommunications system for conducting a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS) session. An MBMS-uplink channel is introduced for transmitting from the user equipment, MBMS participation requests prior to the session and acknowledgment messages when MBMS messages are received. Relevant charging information is collected from the user equipment using broadcast/multicast services when an acknowledgment message is received. The telecommunication system then sends a decoding key to the user equipment for decoding at least a part of the data that is broadcast by the MBMS service.
US07725099B2

Specific information that can be stored in a mobile terminal device, changes over time, cannot be altered when a lock operation is requested, and can be acquired by an owner, such as a last-dialed telephone number, is managed as owner-specific authentication information, and, when an e-mail requesting a lock operation is extracted, a lock number for authentication for locking the mobile terminal device is calculated by using the owner-specific authentication information as a parameter.
US07725091B2

A method for transmitting a digital signal via n transmit antennas, wherein n is strictly greater than 2, comprising the steps of combining with a source data vector n vectors to be transmitted respectively by each of the transmit antennas by a coding matrix M with a yield equal to 1, using reference symbols known to at least one receiver whereby it is able to estimate at least three transmission channels corresponding respectively to each of said transmit antennas. Said coding matrix M applied a mathematical transformation to the reference symbols prior to the transmission thereof.
US07725088B2

A fast mode switching frequency synthesizing apparatus and method for operating in low power consumption. In the frequency synthesizer, according to a mode control signal, an SSB mixer selectively generates and outputs a signal having a frequency which is identical to an input signal RF or outputs a signal having a frequency which is a synthesized frequency of the input signals RF and LO. Frequency synthesized signals having a frequency which is a sum of frequencies of the input signals RF and LO, or a difference of frequencies therebetween, may be generated by changing wiring of a path switch according to a phase control signal.
US07725086B2

A transmitter includes a transformer that is configured to transform a baseband signal into an amplitude information signal and a phase information signal. The transmitter includes a ramping control unit configured to generate a power control signal. The transmitter includes a mixer that is configured to combine the amplitude information signal with the power control signal and produce a second amplitude information signal. The transmitter includes a modulator that is configured to modulate the second amplitude information signal on the phase information signal and produce an output signal.
US07725085B2

Apparatus and systems, a well as methods and articles, may operate to determine whether to communicate using a space-time communications technique responsive to an indication derived from processing a short time sequence.
US07725079B2

Signals propagating on an aggressor communication channel can cause detrimental interference in a victim communication channel. A signal processing circuit can generate an interference cancellation signal that, when applied to the victim communication channel, cancels the detrimental interference. The signal processing circuit can dynamically adjust or update two or more aspects of the interference cancellation signal, such as an amplitude or gain parameter and a phase or delay parameter. Via the dynamic adjustments, the signal processing circuit can adapt to changing conditions, thereby maintaining an acceptable level of interference cancellation in a fluctuating operating environment. A control circuit that implements the parametric adjustments can have at least two modes of operation, one for adjusting the amplitude parameter and one for adjusting the phase parameter. The modes can be selectable or can be intermittently available, for example.
US07725077B2

An apparatus, device, methods, computer program product, and system make a determination that a wireless device is in proximity to at least one secondary wireless device, and determine an aggregate user interface on the wireless device based on the determination.
US07725076B2

A base station for use in a wireless network that communicates with wireless mobile stations. The base station comprises: 1) a transceiver for transmitting forward channel data to a first mobile station via a beam-forming antenna array; and 2) a beam-forming circuit for maximizing data throughput to the first mobile station by jointly optimizing i) selection of a beam for transmitting the forward channel data to the first mobile station, ii) a level of Walsh code multiplexing of the forward channel data, and iii) a modulation scheme used to transmit the forward channel data.
US07725071B2

A printer including a printing unit for printing on a sheet, a cassette containing stacked sheets and located below the printing unit, a supply unit that feeds the sheet from the cassette toward the printing unit, a sheet support plate positioned in the printing unit where the sheet is placed during printing, and an opening formed on the sheet support plate. A cover plate is located in the printing unit and moves between a covering position to cover the opening and an uncovering position to uncover the opening. The cover plate is at the covering position during printing, and the cover plate is at the uncovering position when a pair of feed-out rollers rotates in a reverse direction to guide the sheet through the opening of the sheet support plate to a refeed position between the cassette and the supply unit.
US07725066B2

A fixing roller includes: a core; an elastic layer made of an elastic material, formed around the core; and a resin layer made of fluorine resin, formed around the elastic layer. The fixing roller is designed such that the resin layer has a thickness of 40 μm or more, and the fixing roller meets a relation Tr≧Tc+60 or Tr≧Tc+75 where Tr (° C.) is a limit temperature obtained in a predetermined peeling test and Tc (° C.) is a temperature of the fixing roller at which a fixing process is performed. This allows the fixing roller used in an image forming apparatus with a high process speed to secure that the resin layer is less likely to be detached from the elastic layer.
US07725064B2

A fixing device has a heating rotary (30) with a nonconductive surface that contacts a press (33) to form a nip (N). A sheet passes through the nip (N) to fix a toner image on the sheet. An electrically conductive base (50) is positioned near the heating rotary. A separator (51) has a separating portion (67) for separating the sheet from the surface of the heating rotary. The separating portion faces the surface of the heating rotary at a first clearance (G1). A charge-remover (52) is retained by the base (50) for removing electric charge from the surface of the heating rotary. The charge-remover (52) has a charge-removing portion arranged along the circumferential surface of the heating rotary downstream along a rotational direction of the heating rotary (30) than the separating portion (67), and faces the surface of the heating rotary at a second clearance (G2).
US07725063B2

An image-forming device includes a casing, a photosensitive drum, a transfer roller, a first guide member, and a second guide member. The first guide member is disposed upstream of the transfer point between the photosensitive drum and the transfer roller in a conveying direction of the recording medium and selectively movable between a first position and a second position. The second guide member is disposed between the first guide member and the transfer point and selectively movable between a third position and a fourth position farther from the photosensitive drum than the third position. The second guide member is movable in association with the movement of the first guide member in such a manner that when the first guide member is disposed in the first position, the second guide member is disposed in the third position for guiding the recording medium received from the first guide member to move toward the photosensitive drum.
US07725056B2

A developing device configured to form toner cloud without making toner particles adhere to the electrostatic transport substrate having electrodes. By applying periodical voltages to electrodes, electrically charged toner particles float on the electrostatic transport substrate. Also, a rotatable toner transporter designed to carry toner particles floating on the electrostatic transport substrate. Also, a two-component developer bearer including a sleeve with magnets on which the two-component developer is borne. The two-component developer borne on the sleeve is sent to the toner transporter by rotation of the sleeve. There, toner particles are transported to the toner transporter because of the electric bias applied between the two-component developer bearer and the toner transporter. Toner particles electrically floating on the toner transporter are sent to the photoconductor for development.
US07725050B2

A heated drum assembly improves thermal control of a rotating drum in a printer. The assembly includes a hollow drum, two stationary heaters located within an internal cavity of the drum, one of the two stationary heaters being at one end of the drum and the other stationary heater being at another end of the drum, a fan located at one end of the drum, a temperature sensor at one end of the drum, and a second temperature sensor at the other end of the drum, and a controller electrically coupled to the heaters, the fan, and the two temperature sensors to control a temperature of the wall of the drum to a set point by activating at least one of the heaters in response to a signal indicating a temperature below a first predetermined temperature threshold and operating the fan at one of three speeds.
US07725048B2

An image forming apparatus has: a housing; a member to be cooled provided inside the housing, the member to be cooled in which heat builds up; an airflow producing portion provided in a predetermined position of the housing for taking in air outside the housing; an air guide member for passing the air thus taken in through a hollow cross-section part, and guiding the air to the member to be cooled to cool the member to be cooled; an air inlet portion provided at one end of the air guide member for taking in the air from the airflow producing portion; and an air blowoff portion provided at another end of the air guide member for sending the air to the member to be cooled, the air blowoff portion in which the cross-sectional area of the hollow cross-section part is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the hollow cross-section part in the air inlet portion.
US07725041B2

An all-optical converter (10) for converting an intensity-modulated optical signal into an optical signal modulated to the DPSK format, includes a first input (152a) for a first intensity-modulated optical signal (12), a differential encoding module (100) adapted to perform a differential encoding between the first signal (12) and a second optical signal synchronous with the first signal (12), a device adapted to modulate (200) the phase of an optical signal (16) according to the differential encoding performed by the differential encoding module (100), and an output (162c) of the device adapted to modulate (200) delivering an optical signal modulated to the DPSK format (14).
US07725030B2

In a WDM type PON system, each ONU comprises an optical transmitter capable to transmit optical signals with variable wavelengths, an optical signal receiving filter variable its receiving wavelength, and a control unit. An OLT selects in response to a wavelength allocation request from each ONU, a transmitting wavelength and a receiving wavelength out of currently free wavelengths and allocates these wavelengths to the requester ONT. The control unit of the ONU switches the transmitting wavelength of the optical transmitter and the receiving wavelength of the optical signal receiving filter to the wavelengths specified in a response message from the OLT and starts data communication.
US07725029B1

A technique for asymmetric transport is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized by/as a method for asymmetric transport. The method may comprise transmitting, from a network element, at least one first signal through at least one first transport interface at a first rate, where the at least one first transport interface accommodates the transmission of the at least one first signal through an optical medium. The method may also comprise receiving, at the network element, at least one second signal through at least one second transport interface at a second rate different from the first rate, where the at least one second transport interface accommodates the reception of the at least one second signal through the optical medium. At least one of the at least one first transport interface and the at least one second transport interface may be integrated with the network element.
US07725014B2

There is provided an actuator used in an optical system comprising a housing, a carrier disposed at least partly inside the housing, and a plurality of linear motion transducers coupled to the carrier and substantially evenly spaced around the carrier within the housing. Each linear motion transducer is able to produce linear motion when energized displacing the carrier relative to the housing to produce linear motion, tilting motion, or both of the carrier.
US07724995B2

An optical device (D) is dedicated to the transformation of the propagation mode of optical signals. This device comprises at least a first mode converter (3) that is supplied with signals that are propagated in a first guided mode and that delivers the signals in a multimode fibre (4) partly in the first guided mode and partly in a second guided more of a higher order that the first. The multimode fibre (4) comprises at least first passive filtering means (R) which have the task of converting the first guided mode into at least one dissipative cladding mode in order to prevent or limit the propagation of the signals in this first guided mode while at the same time authorising the propagation of the signals having the second guided mode in the multimode fibre (4).
US07724992B2

A method of forming a microbump for micropositioning an optical element comprises providing a base substrate, providing a first optical element to be supported by the base substrate, and providing an alignment element capable of locally expanding when locally heated and adapted to support the first optical element from the base substrate. The method further comprises locally heating the alignment element to cause local expansion of the alignment element so as to create a microbump alignment element, terminating heating of the alignment element so as to fix the microbump and securing the alignment element to the base substrate, thereby supporting the first optical element from the base substrate.
US07724989B2

The optical/electrical composite wiring board comprises a lower insulating layer that also serves as a lower clad; a upper insulating layer that also serves as an upper clad; a core that is placed between the lower insulating layer and the upper insulating layer and has a predetermined optical wiring pattern; and a conductor layer that is placed along with the core between the lower insulating layer and the upper insulating layer and has a predetermined electrical wiring pattern. Herein, the core and the conductor layer are formed via a short manufacturing method, whereby the concave portion for optical wiring and the concave portion for electrical wiring are formed on the lower insulating layer by press process, and a core material and conductor material are filled into each of the concave portions, and afterward, the core material and conductor material are ground until they are flush with the upper surface of the lower insulating layer.
US07724984B2

An image processing apparatus of the invention includes: a plurality of processing units which share image processing; a parameter memory unit which holds a parameter specifying an operation of each of the processing units; and a control unit which controls the plurality of processing units, and the control unit includes: a sequence management unit which activates each of the processing units according to a sequence indicating a sequence of activation of and completion of processing by each of the processing units, and confirms completion of the processing; and a parameter setting unit which, in advance of activation of each of the processing units by the sequence management unit, reads a parameter for each processing unit to be activated, from the parameter memory unit according to a memory map indicating an address of the parameter for the processing unit, and sets the parameter to the processing unit according to the read result.
US07724979B2

The invention refers to an apparatus and a method for reducing random noise in a sequence of digital video frames comprising the following steps: 1. for each of the pixels (center pixel) in a frame a set of adjacent pixels is defined; 2. for each of the adjacent pixels the difference of their values in the current frame and the previous frame is calculated, whereby the value of the center pixel is omitted; 3. each difference value is shifted right for a predefined number of bits; 4. the square of the difference value is added to an activity value of that center pixel; 5. if the activity value remains below a predefined threshold value, then a weighting factor depending from activity value is calculated and 6. the value of the center pixel is set to a weighted value.
US07724969B2

A recording medium having recorded thereon information related to coded data of an image sequence; wherein the information related to coded data of an image sequence is a set of coded frame information of a plurality of frames of an image sequence; wherein the coded frame information includes: information related to a difference image between an image of a current frame and a prediction image of the current frame, the prediction image being synthesized by performing motion compensation, information related to motion vectors estimated in performing the motion compensation, and rounding method information specifying either a positive rounding method or a negative rounding method for interpolating intensity values of pixels in performing the motion compensation when the input image is coded as a P frame, wherein no rounding method information is included in the coded frame information when the input image is coded as an I frame.
US07724964B2

Scalable image compression is exploited to facilitate the creative process in the post-production of motion pictures. Specifically, digital intermediate (DI) processing of motion pictures is enabled by dynamically rendering proxies 126 (steps 122, 124, 128) in response to client requests (steps 116, 118). A DI application is designed to enhance the efficiency of post-processing and the quality of the work product of the editors, colorists and other creative people. The DI application also provides a method for efficiently formatting the product for film, digital cinema, DVD and other video applications.
US07724962B2

Adaptive vision-based vehicle detection methods, taking into account the lighting context of the images are disclosed. The methods categorize the scenes according to their lighting conditions and switch between specialized classifiers for different scene contexts. Four categories of lighting conditions have been identified using a clustering algorithm in the space of image histograms: Daylight, Low Light, Night, and Saturation. Trained classifiers are used for both Daylight and Low Light categories, and a tail-light detector is used for the Night category. Improved detection performance by using the provided context-adaptive methods is demonstrated. A night time detector is also disclosed.
US07724958B2

A biometric handwriting identification system converts characters and a writing sample into mathematical graphs. The graphs comprise enough information to capture the features of handwriting that are unique to each individual. Optical character recognition (OCR) techniques can then be used to identify these features in the handwriting sample so that drafts from two different samples can be aligned to compare to determine if the features in the writing sample correlate with each other.
US07724952B2

Foreground object matting uses flash/no-flash images pairs to obtain a flash-only image. A trimap is obtained from the flash-only image. A joint Bayesian algorithm uses the flash-only image, the trimap and one of the image of the scene taken without the flash or the image of the scene taken with the flash to generate a high quality matte that can be used to extract the foreground from the background.
US07724949B2

To improve the color performance, disclosed herein are advanced methods for improving chroma accuracy, by reducing the color difference between reproduced colors and human perceptual responses, as well as enhancing preferred colors. Chroma enhancement may be performed by selecting one of a plurality of chroma enhancement matrices (CEM), and converting a received color by multiplying it with the chroma enhancement matrix (or a matrix comprising the CEM). The matrix may be selected by mapping a received color value into a region and selecting the corresponding chroma enhancement matrix (or alternately, the corresponding parameters, from which color conversion may be performed). Additionally, enhancement may be adjusted for a variety of environments or preferences. For example, one of a plurality of sets of matrices may be selected in accordance with a desired mode. Optimization techniques for determining the desired chroma enhancement matrices for one or more modes are disclosed. Various alternate embodiments and aspects are also disclosed.
US07724937B2

In accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention, a method for imaging tissue, for example, includes the steps of mounting the tissue on a computer controlled stage of a microscope, determining volumetric imaging parameters, directing at least two photons into a region of interest, scanning the region of interest across a portion of the tissue, imaging a plurality of layers of the tissue in a plurality of volumes of the tissue in the region of interest, sectioning the portion of the tissue and imaging a second plurality of layers of the tissue in a second plurality of volumes of the tissue in the region of interest, detecting a fluorescence image of the tissue due to said excitation light; and processing three-dimensional data that is collected to create a three-dimensional image of the region of interest.
US07724910B2

The present invention provides elimination of atmosphere that is not suitable to a space concerned by controlling atmosphere.The present invention is characterized that atmosphere in space is analyzed based on voice, and if atmosphere that is not suitable to the space is detected, the atmosphere in the space is controlled by choosing and irradiating illumination that enables to create atmosphere suitable to the space, atmosphere in the space is controlled for creating atmosphere that is suitable to the space.
US07724903B1

Framing transmit encoded output data begins by determining a scrambling remainder between scrambling of an input code word in accordance with a 1st scrambling protocol and the scrambling of the input code word in accordance with an adjustable scrambling protocol. The processing continues by adjusting the adjustable scrambling protocol based on the scrambling remainder to produce an adjusted scrambling protocol. The processing then continues by scrambling the input code word in accordance with the 1st scrambling protocol to produce a 1st scrambled code word. The processing continues by scrambling the input code word in accordance with the adjusted scrambling protocol to produce a scrambled partial code word. The processing continues by determining a portion of the 1st scrambled code word based on the scrambling remainder. The process then continues by combining the scrambled partial code word with the portion of the 1st scrambled code word to produce the transmit encoded output data.
US07724902B2

A reach back secure communications terminal includes an easily removed and secured personality faceplate including an encryption device. The personality faceplate removes the encryption device from the reach back secure communications terminal, while leaving behind non-secure portions of the reach back secure communications terminal. This feature is most advantageous in emergency situations where a user needs to evacuate an area quickly, without the need to have to disconnect and carry in a secure manner the entire reach-back terminal. Because the personality faceplate with the encryption device attached is smaller than the entire reach-back terminal, it is more easily physically secured once removed.
US07724901B2

An image processing method includes inputting electronic image data to be scrambled, decomposing the input electronic image data into n colors (n is an integer) and producing m pieces of color decomposition data for each color (m is an integer), producing palette data in which each of the m pieces of color decomposition data is assigned a palette identification number, producing palette exchange data based on predetermined conditions, exchanging palette identification numbers of the color decomposition data based on the produced palette exchange data, and synthesizing the m pieces of color decomposition data whose palette identification numbers are exchanged, encoding the synthesized data, and outputting the encoded data as a piece of scrambled image data.
US07724878B2

A service providing information assistance may maintain for a subscriber contacts folders comprising private directories of the subscriber, and a personal profile containing the subscriber's preferences. When a user calls the service to attempt to communicate with a desired party through the service, the service can ascertain whether the desired party has a personal profile and/or a contacts folder associated with him/her. If so, the caller is allowed to communicate with the desired party on the terms and conditions defined by the desired party in his/her personal profile and/or contacts folder. For instance, the desired party may have defined therein who should be allowed to contact him/her, when he/she should be contacted, by what communication means, and whether the caller can be told any of the desired party's communication addresses (e.g., telephone number, email address, etc.).
US07724875B2

A technique for establishing texture metrics and bone mineral density (BMD) within an anatomical region of interest. A digital imaging system is used to acquire a standard digital X-ray image with a wide field of view. The standard digital X-ray image is used to guide the imaging system to obtain an image of a region of interest. The standard digital X-ray image is used to calculate various texture metrics, such as a length of a fracture. A dual-energy digital X-ray image of the region of interest is acquired. The dual-energy digital X-ray image is corrected for scatter. The BMD of the region of interest may be established from the scatter-corrected dual-energy digital X-ray image. The BMD, the texture metrics, and/or the scatter-corrected dual-energy X-ray image may be displayed on the standard digital X-ray image.
US07724874B2

A memory stores first image data for offset correction generated by performing an interlace scanning of the driving lines of odd rows only in a driving circuit unit. A memory stores second image data for offset correction generated by performing the interlace scanning of the driving lines of even rows only in the driving circuit unit. A processing unit synthesizes the first image data for offset correction and the second image data for offset correction, thereby to generate image data for offset correction of one frame portion, and an arithmetic operation unit performs an arithmetic operation processing on the radiation image data by using the image data for offset correction of one frame portion synthesized and generated, thereby to perform the offset correction of the radiation image data.
US07724873B2

An X-ray diagnostic apparatus includes a bed, an X-ray generating unit, an X-ray detection unit, a support which movably supports the X-ray generating unit and the X-ray detection unit, an X-ray application switch which triggers generation of X-rays from the X-ray generating unit, an operation unit for moving the X-ray generating unit and the X-ray detection unit, an image generating unit which generates an image on the basis of an output from the X-ray detection unit, a display unit which is placed near the bed and displays the image, and a simulation image generating unit which generates a simulation image from stored data during a simulation period in accordance with operation of the X-ray application switch and operation of the operation unit.
US07724871B2

A system, method, or apparatus provides information relating to at least some tissue-based matter or bone-based matter of an individual responsive to an X-ray applied to the at least some tissue-based matter or bone-based matter. In one approach, the system, method or apparatus determines information at least in part from Compton scattering principles. In one approach, the information can correspond to a range of depths or can indicate depth of features or scattering events. In one approach, the information is responsive to a determined change in direction and/or energy state of photons undergoing Compton scattering.
US07724870B2

Some embodiments include a support movable with at least four degrees of freedom, a therapeutic radiation source coupled to the support, a plurality of radiation sources disposed in a fixed relationship to each other, the plurality of radiation sources movable in the fixed relationship with at least four degrees of freedom, a detector to acquire a projection image based on radiation emitted from one of the plurality of radiation sources, and a processor to perform digital tomosynthesis on the projection image acquired by the detector and a plurality of other projection images to generate a cross-sectional image representing a plane viewed from a perspective of the therapeutic radiation source.
US07724863B2

A core spray sparger T-box attachment assembly for a nuclear reactor pressure vessel, wherein the pressure vessel includes a shroud, a sparger T-box penetrating the shroud, a plurality of sparger distribution header pipes coupled to the sparger T-box, and a downcomer pipe. The sparger header pipes may include at least one sparger nozzle, and the sparger T-box attachment assembly may include a downcomer pipe coupling and a sparger T-box clamp. The sparger T-box clamp may include an anchor plate having a draw bolt opening to receive a draw bolt, a first clamp block substantially aligned at one end of the anchor plate, and a second clamp block substantially aligned at the other end of the anchor plate.
US07724860B2

An auto-adaptive digital phase locked loop (DPLL) includes a phase detector comprising an edge detector having an input that receives an input clock, and an output that outputs a reference event generated from a reference edge of the input clock. The DPLL also includes a programmable first counter that counts down at the generated clock rate, the first counter having a first input that is programmed with an integer value M, a second input that receives the generated clock, and an output that outputs a counter state based on the generated clock and the integer value M. A first register has a first input that receives the reference event, a second input that receives the counter state, and an output that outputs a sample value N(t), wherein the register stores the counter state as the sampled value N(t) that represents a code for a phase between the reference event and the counter state.
US07724849B2

Methods and apparatus for noise estimation in a communication system. In an aspect, a method for noise and interference estimation is provided. The method includes identifying one or more unmodulated subcarriers in a received waveform, processing the one or more unmodulated subcarriers to produce a demodulated output, and determining a noise variance based on the demodulated output. In another aspect, an apparatus for providing a noise and interference estimation is provided. The apparatus includes selection logic configured to identify one or more unmodulated subcarriers in a received waveform, a processor configured to demodulate the one or more unmodulated subcarriers to produce a demodulated output, and variance determination logic configured to determine a noise variance based on the demodulated output.
US07724842B2

A system and method for EVM self-testing a communication device is provided including receiving (305) a complex waveform, sampling (310) first and second sample voltages from the complex waveform, selecting (315) first and second ideal voltages from I- and Q-arrays, and determining (320) an error vector by comparing the first and second sample voltages with the first and second ideal voltages for a desired number of comparisons (N). The first ideal voltage corresponds with the first sample voltage, the second ideal voltage corresponds with the second sample voltage, and the I- and Q-arrays are derived from a conversion of a bitstream to the complex waveform.
US07724836B2

In order to compensate for a frequency offset or a change in the phase of the transmission channel over time during mobile radio transmission of data symbols, the data symbols are transmitted by way of carrier-frequency, modulated data bursts. Sample values of the received signal, which are known in advance and correspond to first and second symbols, are evaluated in order to estimate the frequency offset or the change in the phase of the transmission channel over time. These first and second symbols are transmitted with a defined phase angle by way of the data burst, and are arranged separated from one another in the data burst. Edge symbols in a data burst are advantageously used as first and second symbols, or as a symbol pair, for estimation.
US07724835B2

Transmitters, receivers, and methods for providing improved transmit diversity orthogonal frequency division multiplexed communication systems is provided.
US07724832B2

In MIMO wireless communications employing LMMSE receiver, the symbols transmitted through a transmit antenna are estimated at the receiver in the presence of interference consisting of two main components: one due to the additive noise and the other due to (interfering) symbols transmitted via the remaining antennas. This has been shown to hamper the performance of a communication system resulting in incorrect symbol decisions, particularly at low SNR. IMMSE has been devised as a solution to cope with this problem; In IMMSE processing, the symbols sent via each transmit antenna are decoded iteratively. In each stage of processing, the received signal is updated by removing the contribution of symbols detected in the previous iterations. In principle, this reduces the additive interference in which the desired symbols are embedded in. Therefore, the interference level should reduce monotonically as one goes down in processing order. In a noisy environment, however, any incorrect decision made on a symbol in an iteration leaves its contribution in the updated received signal available for processing in the following iterations. Fortunately, if the level of interference is estimated and the soft bits are scaled appropriately by the estimated interference power, the performance of IMMSE receiver can be greatly improved. Preferred embodiments estimate the interference by computing the probability of error in decoding the symbols of the previous stage(s). The computation of decision error probability depends on the constellation size of transmitted symbols and introduces very little processing overhead.
US07724826B2

A method and apparatus for representing motion in a sequence of digitized images derives a dense motion vector field and vector quantizes the motion vector field.
US07724823B2

A multi-scanner scans a signal according to several different patterns. A scanning pattern selector determines which scanning pattern produced the most efficient coding result, for example, for runlength coding, and outputs a coded signal, coded most efficiently, and a selection signal which identifies the scanning pattern found to be most efficient.
US07724819B2

A wireless image transmission device comprises an encoder 180 which encodes combined image data, and includes quantization means 130 to perform quantization of input data based on a quantization value, and an encoding amount control means to control the encoding amount, comprising: first information portion counting means 100, second information portion counting means 102, first information portion transmission time computation means 105, a second information portion transmission time computation means 110, second information portion transmittable bits computation means 112, untransmitted bits computation means 113, and quantization value computation means 115, so that even when a video bitstream is transmitted using a plurality of modulation methods with different transmission rates, by transmitting in a constant amount of time, bandwidth can be used efficiently.
US07724817B2

A step-size estimator for controlling the step-size of an adaptive equalizer incorporated in a transceiver (e.g., a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU)). The step-size estimator updates at least one adaptive equalizer tap used by the adaptive equalizer based on an apparent speed of a channel established between the transceiver and another transceiver. The step-size estimator includes a speed estimator, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) averager and a step-size mapping unit. The speed estimator is used to estimate the apparent speed of the channel (i.e., the observed and/or measured rate of change of the channel impulse response). The SNR averager generates a common pilot channel (CPICH) SNR estimate. The step-size mapping unit uses the speed estimate and the CPICH SNR estimate to generate a step-size parameter, μ, and a filter taps leakage factor parameter, α, used by the adaptive equalizer to update the filter tap coefficient.
US07724814B2

Methods and apparatus for decision feedback equalization with dithered updating are disclosed. An example method to equalize a received signal sample representative of a digital quantity disclosed herein comprises selecting a slicing level from a plurality of slicing levels to detect the digital quantity represented by the received signal sample, and deciding whether to update the selected slicing level based on whether a previously determined pseudorandom number of signal samples were received before receipt of the received signal sample and after a previous slicing level update.
US07724810B2

A method for testing a bidirectional communication interface including a transmitter and a receiver in an analogue front-end of a modem, comprising, transmitting a first test signal in a first frequency range with a first amplitude, from the transmitter. The method also includes receiving, at the receiver, a signal in a second frequency range with a first amplitude and transmitting a second test signal in a first frequency range with a second amplitude, from the transmitter. The method further includes receiving, at the receiver, a signal in a second frequency range with a second amplitude and determining a difference value based on the first and second amplitudes of the received signals.
US07724805B1

A system and method are provided for quickly measuring the Root Mean Square (RMS) value of digital quadrature signals (I, Q) input to a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) transmitter. In general, in a W-CDMA transmitter such as that in a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), multiple channels are combined to provide the digital quadrature signal (I, Q) input to the transmitter. The RMS value of the digital quadrature signal (I, Q) may be determined using a number of consecutive samples of the digital quadrature signal (I, Q) over a period corresponding to mutually orthogonal segments of the spreading codes used for the transmitted channels. As a result of the mutual orthogonality of the segments of the spreading codes, a residual error of the RMS measurement is equal to zero, thereby providing an accurate RMS measurement in much less time than required by traditional RMS measurement schemes.
US07724804B2

A receiving apparatus receives an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signal, including an OFDM symbol, subject to frequency hopping on multiple bands, the OFDM symbol, which functions as a channel estimation sequence, being transmitted multiple times at hopping intervals in a time division manner on each of the bands. The apparatus includes a receiving section for receiving the OFDM signal transmitted on a channel, a Fourier transform section for demultiplexing the OFDM signal into signals of sub-carriers, a channel correcting section for estimating a channel characteristic by using the OFDM symbol functioning as a channel estimation sequence resulting from the demultiplexing into sub-carrier signals and performing channel correction thereon, and a decoding section for performing symbol identification and decoding on the channel-corrected data signal back to the original data signal.
US07724799B2

A VCSEL includes a first distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) of a first conductivity type formed on a substrate and including at least one semiconductor layer to be oxidized, an active region having a column shaped structure and formed on the first DBR, and a second DBR of a second conductivity type. At least one hole starting from a surface of the first DBR and reaching the at least one semiconductor layer to be oxidized is formed in the first DBR outside of a column shaped structure of the second DBR. An oxidized region is formed in the semiconductor layer to be oxidized by selectively oxidizing from a side surface of the hole. In the first DBR, a first current path is formed by a conductive region surrounded by the oxidized region, and a second current path is formed by a conductive region not surrounded by the oxidized region.
US07724787B2

A tunable pulsed laser source comprising a seed source adapted to generate a seed signal and an optical circulator. The optical circulator includes a first port coupled to the seed source, a second port, and a third port. The laser source also includes an amplitude modulator characterized by a first side and a second side. The first side is coupled to the second port of the optical circulator. The laser source further includes a first optical amplifier characterized by an input end and a reflective end including a spectral-domain reflectance filter. The input end is coupled to the second side of the amplitude modulator. Moreover, the laser source includes a second optical amplifier coupled to the third port of the optical circulator.
US07724785B2

Multiple laser resonators share a common acousto-optic Q-switch. The Q-switch is driven by a radio-frequency (RF) transducer that causes an acoustic wave to propagate in the Q-switch. Turning off the RF transducer discontinues propagation of the acoustic wave and causes each of the laser resonators to deliver an optical pulse. The finite velocity of the acoustic wave causes the pulses to be delivered temporally spaced apart.
US07724784B2

A computer implemented method, system, and computer usable program code for classifying a data stream using high-order models. The data stream is divided into a plurality of data segments. A classifier is selected for each of the plurality of data segments. Each of a plurality of classifiers is clustered into states. A state transition matrix is computed for the states. The states of the state transition matrix specify one of the high-order models for classifying the data stream.
US07724779B2

This invention provides a transmission system and control method capable of reliably transmitting real-time data. A switching device and router each serving as an intermediate device mediate an iso-data packet sent from each iso-data server to a predetermined terminal at a timing designated by an iso-packet from the iso-server. If a plurality of iso-data packets conflict in the transmission path, the switching device and router collectively continuously output the plurality of iso-data packets.
US07724778B2

A control network comprises a plurality of network nodes arranged in a plurality of tiers, with first-tier nodes and lower tier nodes. A master control bus interconnects the first-tier nodes, which are also connected to a power source. Lower-tier buses interconnect groups of the lower tier nodes. The lower-tier buses include both data lines and a power source line derived from the power source, allowing the lower tier nodes to selectively distribute power to local loads. A first-tier node may be embodied as a hub controller configured to be connected to one or more of said lower-tier buses. The hub controller may comprise a plurality of internal hub nodes (including a hub master node and hub slave nodes) integrated within the same physical unit.
US07724777B2

For quasi-orthogonal multiplexing in an OFDMA system, multiple (M) sets of traffic channels are defined for each base station. The traffic channels in each set are orthogonal to one another and may be pseudo-random with respect to the traffic channels in each of the other sets. The minimum number of sets of traffic channels (L) is used to support a given number of (U) terminals selected for data transmission, where M≧L≧1 and U≧1. Each terminal transmits data and pilot symbols on its traffic channel. A base station receives data transmissions from all terminals and may perform receiver spatial processing on received symbols with spatial filter matrices to obtain detected data symbols. The spatial filter matrix for each subband may be derived based on channel response estimates for all terminals transmitting on that subband.
US07724773B2

A method and apparatus for efficient uplink scheduling grant and scheduling request signaling for evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) are disclosed. A wireless transmit/receive unit sends an uplink scheduling request to a Node-B, whereby the Node-B sends the uplink scheduling grant in response to the uplink scheduling request. The uplink scheduling request includes a data buffer occupancy value that indicates the amount of data that needs to be transmitted in the uplink. The amount of data is quantized to integer factors of the number of bits that may be supported by one RB, and mapped to an index value with N-bit mapping having less than full resolution. The uplink scheduling grant assigns a number of resource blocks to the WTRU for uplink transmission. The number of RBs allocated is mapped to an index value using N-bit mapping having less than full resolution.
US07724768B2

Transmission unit comprising a first unit (CM_SCHDR) receiving scheduled first data (DATA2, DATA3) for transmission on at least a first channel, a power control unit (PWR_CTRL) for the first channel responsive to a respective closed loop power regulation signal (TCP_CMD), under which at least the transmit power rate of change is limited to a predetermined value per time unit, a packet data scheduler (HS_SCHDR) scheduling second data packets (DATA1), such as HSDPA data. A permitted power (P_PERM(t)) is defined as the maximum value of either the actual power of a previous instance (P_HS(t−1)) added with the predetermined value (d) or the determined possible power (P_POS(t)). Moreover, an available power is resolved. According to one aspect, the scheduling is performed within these limits. According to a further aspect the power level of the signaling and control channel (HS-SCCH) is further regulated during a transmission interval taking account of shared packet data channel (HS-PDSCH) power level.
US07724755B2

To provide a communications apparatus for preventing degradation in data quality, which is caused by the missing of reception data at the time of a data communication, an application processing unit comprises a load monitor processing unit for monitoring a load imposed at the time of a reception data process, and a reception response processing unit for issuing a reception response instruction to a protocol processing unit, and the protocol processing unit comprises a first data notifying unit for transmitting a reception response to reception data, and a second data notifying unit for transmitting a reception response according to an instruction from the reception response processing unit.
US07724753B2

A method of controlling and delivering media content from a media server (MS) to a media renderer (MR) utilizing a wide area IMS network for control. The method involves: provisioning a serving node in the IMS network with control point (CP) logic that includes logic to negotiate media content delivery with a least one of an MS and an MR; provisioning a user endpoint (UE) device of the IMS network with control point proxy (CPP) logic that includes logic to negotiate media content delivery and VCR controls to control media presentation; in response to a media content delivery request, invoking the CPP logic and the CP logic to cooperatively negotiate media content delivery between an MS and an MR that uses local wireless or land line connections when possible in order to minimize wide area bandwidth usage.
US07724750B2

An improved scheduling mechanism usable for a data transmission in a packet based network is provided. A plurality of connections is detected, and for each of the connections, a buffer occupancy level is determined. Then, the connections having a smaller buffer occupancy level are prioritized in comparison to the other connections, and packets of the plurality of connections are scheduled on the basis of the result of the prioritizing. The scheduling mechanism is implemented in a network element of the packet based network or in a sender and receiver.
US07724748B2

A method and device for local area network (LAN) emulation over an Infiniband (IB) fabric. An IB LAN driver at a first node on an IB fabric receives the port and associated local identifier (LID) of one or more remote peer nodes on the IB fabric. An IEEE 802.3 Ethernet MAC address with one LID imbedded is generated. The imbedded LID is for one or more remote peer nodes. The IB LAN driver sends the Ethernet MAC address to an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP). A logical address of a remote peer node is generated by a network protocol. The logical address is mapped to an Ethernet MAC address. The IB LAN driver sends the Ethernet MAC address onto the IB fabric to the one or more remote peer nodes. The remote peer nodes appear to reside on an Ethernet network to the network protocol.
US07724743B2

In group wireless telecommunication, such as push-to-talk (PTT) calls, a voice communication is broadcast through Internet protocol data packets to other member devices of the PTT group. At least one communication server receives a single communication stream from a communicating wireless device, such as a PTT call, and creates a group communication to all wireless telecommunication devices of the designated group with the broadcast of Internet protocol data packets containing the voice data of the communication stream to one or more wireless telecommunication devices of the receiving group that can receive and handle the packets. Other wireless network infrastructure can be used to assist the communication server in generation and broadcast of the Internet protocol data packets to the receiving wireless telecommunication devices.
US07724742B2

Systems and methods are disclosed herein to provide IP bonding. For example, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an IP bonding scheme is disclosed that modifies Generic Routing Encapsulation techniques such that information may be divided and carried through multiple paths (e.g., to improve capacity).
US07724740B1

A data processing system adapted for high-speed network communications, a method for managing a network interface and a network interface for such system, are provided, in which processing of packets received over the network is achieved by embedded logic at the network interface level. Incoming packets on the network interface are parsed and classified as they are stored in a buffer memory. Functional logic coupled to the buffer memory on the network interface is enabled to access any data field within a packet in a single cycle, using pointers and packet classification information produced by the parsing and classifying step. Results of operations on the data fields in the packets are available before the packets are transferred out of the buffer memory. A data processing system, a method for management of a network interface and a network interface are also provided by the present invention that include an embedded firewall at the network interface level of the system, which protects against inside and outside attacks on the security of data processing system. Furthermore, a data processing system, a method for management of a network interface and a network interface are a provided by the present invention that support class of service management for packets incoming from the network, by applying priority rules at the network interface level of the system.
US07724737B1

A network device includes a memory and a packet forwarding engine. The memory stores a multicast list table, tag descriptor data and layer 2 (L2) encapsulation data. The packet forwarding engine receives a first pointer to an entry in the multicast list table, the entry including a second pointer to the tag descriptor data. The packet forwarding engine utilizes the second pointer to retrieve the tag descriptor data, the tag descriptor data including a third pointer to the encapsulation data. The packet forwarding engine constructs a packet header utilizing the retrieved encapsulation data and appends the packet header to a packet payload for forwarding out of the packet forwarding engine.
US07724736B2

A frame forwarding apparatus comprises a receiving unit receiving a frame including a source address, a destination address and a VWAN identifier; a converting unit converting a VWAN identifier in the frame into one of degenerate VWAN identifiers that the number of adoptable values thereof is smaller than the number of VWAN identifiers; a storage unit containing at least one entry containing the source address in the frame, a degenerate VWAN identifier that a VWAN identifier in the frame is converted, and path information representing a path via which the frame is received; a retrieving unit retrieving, from said storage unit, an entry corresponding to the destination address in the frame and the degenerate VWAN identifier in the frame; a restoring unit restoring the degenerate VWAN identifier in the frame into the original VWAN identifier; and a transmitting unit transmitting the frame based on the path information in the entry retrieved.
US07724729B2

A voice communication system, which is connected to a LAN to which communication terminals are connected and to a public network to which telephones are connected, is provided with a communication server between the LAN and public network having different protocols from each other. The communication server enables a voice communication between a telephone on the public network and a communication terminal connected to the LAN by performing processing similar to that for a voice communication between two communication terminals connected to the LAN. The communication server determines whether an address of the other party inputted by a user is a communication terminal address or a telephone number, and transmits a voice communication request to a communication terminal of the other party when the address is a communication terminal address. When the address is a telephone number, the user acquires the communication terminal address of the communication server, and transmits a voice communication request to the communication server. Thereafter, the voice communication processing is performed through the communication server.
US07724727B1

Communicating a call from an analog device is disclosed. An analog interface receives analog signals from an analog device, and a receiver receives audio signals. A controller converts the analog signals to first data packets, requests a first communication link according to a voice over packet protocol, and communicates the first data packets across the first communication link according to the voice over packet protocol. The controller converts the audio signals to a plurality of second data packets, requests a second communication link according to the voice over packet protocol, and communicates the second data packets across the second communication link according to the voice over packet protocol.
US07724726B2

A data transmission system for dynamically adjusting a protocol data unit (PDU) length and a method thereof are provided. The data transmission system at least includes a transmitting terminal and a receiving terminal. After a connection is established between the transmitting terminal and the receiving terminal, data is transmitted through a predetermined first data message PDU. When the receiving terminal found that an error rate of the PDU is excessively high, a second data message PDU length is calculated, and the transmitting terminal is informed to use the most appropriate PDU length to transmit data. The data transmission system dynamically adjusts the PDU length to achieve the effect of enhancing the data transmission capacity, so as to solve the problems concerning power consumption and interference between users caused by the process of enhancing the data transmission capacity by way of increasing the transmission power.
US07724720B2

A method transmits a certain sequence of symbols, where a frame is constructed of a certain number of consecutive symbols. The symbols belonging to the sequence are transmitted using at least two antennas and the transmission of the sequence of symbols is with a certain transmission pattern. The transmission of the sequence of symbols is started from a predefined antenna and the transmission pattern is started from the beginning in the beginning of each frame. Also disclosed is an apparatus and a network element for controlling the transmission of a sequence of symbols.
US07724718B2

A wireless communication device includes a communication module including a plurality of networking units and a radiator control circuit. Each of said networking units includes at least two radiators for transmitting wireless signals, and said radiator control circuit connects to said networking units for controlling switching on and off of said radiators. The wireless communication device further includes a data processing module including a memory unit for storing a first transmission parameter, a computing unit for calculating a data transmission information of said networking units, and a control unit for controlling said control circuit of said communication module according to said data transmission information. Said communication module includes a first networking unit and a second networking unit, said radiators of said first networking unit is adjacent to said radiators of said second networking unit, and said first and second networking units utilize different transmission channels.
US07724713B2

A distributed MAC protocol that includes a super-frame having a slotted Beaconing Period and a data transfer period. The super-frame includes a plurality of medium access slots which are assigned to the slotted Beaconing Period. The Beaconing Period length may be fixed or variable. The Beaconing protocol defines initializing an ad hoc network by means of starting a Beaconing Period, joining an existing Beaconing Period of ad hoc network and resolving collisions during the Beaconing Period.
US07724712B2

A printer (103) belongs to a service set (107) and communicates via an access point (101) in the infrastructure mode. The printer (103) searches for a beacon periodically. If a beacon is received from a terminal such as a digital camera (104), the printer registers the terminal address, service-set identifier and communication mode, which are contained in the beacon, in a function table. The printer sends each terminal, which has been registered in the function table, a frame that is for searching for a terminal that has a required function. If the response to the frame is positive, then the printer registers the fact that the search succeeded in the function table. A similar function search is conducted also by a digital camera (104) for which a print command has been issued, and the digital camera creates a function table. If there is a terminal (a printer) having the required function, the digital camera (104) transmits print data to this terminal.
US07724703B2

A technique for wireless network monitoring involves scanning channels using clients instead of access points. An example of a method according to the technique may include, for example, receiving from a wireless access point a command to perform a channel scanning function, listening on a channel associated with the channel scanning function, and sending RF data found on the channel to the wireless access point. Another example of a method according to the technique may include, for example, scanning a first channel, switching from the first channel to a second channel, sending data on the second channel to an access point, switching from the second channel to the first channel, and resuming scanning on the first channel. A system according to the technique may include one or more scanning clients, proxy clients, multi-channel clients, or other clients that are capable of scanning channels in lieu of an access point.
US07724695B2

A radio communication system includes a line controller, a plurality of base stations connected to the line controller and a plurality of mobile stations connected to each of the plurality of base stations by radio communication line having control channel and communication channel, and each of the plurality of base stations includes a control unit for monitoring idle slot in the communication channel within a communication area of the base station. The control unit transmits the monitored information of the idle slot to the mobile station within the communication area of the base station at predetermined intervals by using the control channel and each mobile station can use an idle slot in the base station or, if there is no idle slot in the base station, in another base station based on the monitored information of the idle slot to make communication.
US07724678B1

Accordingly, one embodiment of the invention provides a method for testing a communications link. The method includes establishing a connection over the communications link and completing link training over the communications link. Additional testing is now performed over the communications link. Assuming successful completion of the additional testing, it is reported to a network manager that link training has completed. This then allows use of the link for network communications to commence.
US07724670B2

Methods and systems for determining paths for flows within a multi-stage network made up of clusters of processing nodes. The flow paths may be determined without knowledge of whether or not packets of a particular flow will actually traverse specific ones of the clusters within the multi-stage network. In various implementations, the nodes of the multi-stage network may be coupled to one or more physical network switches through respective physical interfaces and a virtual connectivity grid superimposed thereon and configured through the use of a flow routing framework and system management framework to group the nodes into a number of clusters. The nodes of each cluster are configured to perform similar packet processing functions and the clusters are interconnected through virtual networks to which the nodes are communicatively coupled via virtual interfaces overlaid on top of the physical network interfaces.
US07724669B2

In a networked system, in which high speed busses interconnect sources and destinations of data, systems for and methods of flow control and extended burst transfers are described. The present invention is directed to a system for selectively varying the number of burst transfers used to transmit a block of data. The present invention is also directed to a method of selectively varying the number of burst transfers needed to transmit a block of data.
US07724667B2

Provided are an Ethernet line card and a method of providing various services using the same. The Ethernet line card includes: a priority allocation unit setting a priority of a received Ethernet packet according to a pre-set control standard based on header information of the Ethernet packet; a quality of service (QoS) guarantee unit defining a capacity per class based on a pre-set QoS standard, inserting the Ethernet packet into a relevant class, and dropping and managing the Ethernet packet based on the priority if the Ethernet packet exceeds a capacity of the relevant class; and a signal processing unit managing and updating the pre-set control standard and the pre-set QoS standard, receiving results of processing the Ethernet packet from the priority allocation unit and the QoS guarantee unit, and storing the received results.
US07724660B2

Communication traffic congestion management systems and methods are disclosed. Communication traffic is analyzed to determine its type, and a traffic congestion management function to be applied to the received communication traffic is selected based on the determined type and a level of communication traffic congestion. Congestion levels may be determined from congestion feedback signals provided by downstream communication components to which a traffic flow controller outputs communication traffic. A traffic congestion management function may be selected and applied on a packet-by-packet or other block-specific basis, or to an entire stream of communication traffic.
US07724658B1

Transfer of data is facilitated between at least one application and a peer via a network. Data destined for the peer is provided from the at least one application for transmission to the peer via the network. Modulation event tokens are managed, and protocol processing of the data with the peer is based in part on a result of the modulation event tokens managing such that protocol processed data is caused to be transmitted to the peer via the network nominally with desired data transmission rate characteristics. A result of the protocol processing step is fed back to the to the modulation event tokens managing. The desired data transmission rate characteristics may include, for example, shaping and pacing.
US07724649B2

The embodiments of present invention disclose a method and a device for making uplink standby, including: configuring more than one uplink for an Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) proxy device, and choosing one of the more than one uplink as a primary uplink; the IGMP proxy device replicating a multicast packet received over the primary uplink and sending the multicast packet replicated over a downlink to a multicast host. In the method provided by the embodiments of the present invention, only the primary uplink is used, which reduces the link bandwidth waste of the multicast host and improves the multicast data transmission efficiency. Flexible methods are adopted for checking the availability of the primary uplink so that the IGMP proxy device may detect in real time whether the primary uplink is available and choose a new primary uplink in time to guarantee the normal multicast communication.
US07724648B2

A system, method and computer readable medium are provided for monitoring functionality of multiple network interfaces and providing fault recovery. The network interfaces are grouped into nodes and a monitoring address is assigned to each of the network interfaces such that the monitoring address for each of the network interfaces is on a different subnet than the monitoring addresses for all of the other network interfaces in the same node as that network interface. According to the method, each of the network interfaces is assigned one or more recovery addresses that each are different than its monitoring address. A monitoring message is periodically sent to each of the network interfaces via the monitoring addresses in order to determine the functionality of the network interfaces. If no monitoring message is received within a predetermined period, a recovery operation is performed for one of the network interfaces using one or more recovery addresses of the one network interface.
US07724646B2

A system for implementing service switching includes a primary service processing unit, a physical interface card, a control center, a switching unit and a standby service processing unit, to guarantee that the physical interface card connected to the failed primary service processing unit transmits the service data that should be processed by the primary service processing unit to the standby service processing unit, and to control the control switching unit to transmit the service data that should be transmitted to the primary service processing unit to the standby service processing unit. A method for implementing service switching includes: managing the physical interface card to transmit the service data that should be processed by the primary service processing unit to the standby service processing unit, and managing the switching unit to transmit the service data that should be transmitted to the primary service processing unit to the standby service processing unit.
US07724639B1

In an orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) communication system, data bits are assigned to several carriers to create frequency redundancy in the transmitted waveform. Uniformly spaced carriers occupy the frequency band of the OFDM signal. Multipath nulls caused by reflections of the transmitted signal can occur at periodic frequency intervals, for example in a coaxial cable. A non-periodic pattern of bit allocation to carriers creates frequency diversity that is resistant to periodic multipath nulls existing in the communication channel.
US07724638B2

On a transmitting side, a spread modulated signal that has undergone spread spectrum processing and an information modulated signal that has not undergone spread spectrum processing are multiplexed in a same frequency band. On the receiving side, the specific modulated signal is first demodulated by a spread spectrum demodulation section, then a replica signal of the specific modulated signal is generated by a spread spectrum modulated signal regeneration section, and the information signal that has not undergone spread spectrum processing is extracted by eliminating the replica signal from the multiplex signal. Thus, even when a large number of information signals are transmitted in a same frequency band, these signals can be separated and demodulated satisfactorily on the receiving side.
US07724628B2

A method and apparatus to record data on an optical recording medium include generating a recording waveform having an erase pattern comprising a predetermined pulse having a high level which is higher than an erase power level and having a low level which is lower than the erase power level.
US07724618B2

A recording apparatus to record data on a recording medium including a plurality of recording layers is provided. The recording apparatus includes a recording circuit adapted to record data on a recording layer selected from among the plurality of recording layers included on the recording medium; a recordable capacity detecting circuit adapted to detect recordable capacity of each of the plurality of recording layers; an instructing circuit adapted to provide instructions to start recording of the data; and a selecting circuit adapted to select a recording layer on which the data is to be recorded in accordance with the instructions to start recording provided from the instructing circuit based on the recordable capacity of the plurality of recording layers detected by the recordable capacity detecting circuit.
US07724617B2

An optical head device may include a twin laser light source which is integrally provided with a first laser beam emitting element and a second laser beam emitting element, a light receiving element, and an optical system including an objective lens for converging a laser beam on an optical recording medium. The optical system is provided with a detection lens structured of a toric lens. The toric lens applies an astigmatic difference caused by a toric face to the one of the return light beams, and the toric lens applies the other of the return light beams an astigmatic difference caused by a toric face and astigmatism composed of astigmatism and curvature of image field caused by passing off-axis position to coincide a focusing position of the first laser beam with that of the second laser beam.
US07724614B2

Provided is an optical pickup actuator. The optical pickup actuator includes: a lens holder for holding an object lens; a focusing coil disposed at the lens holder; a tracking coil disposed at the lens holder; a radial coil wound at a coil holder at which the focusing coil is wound; and multipolar magnets disposed at positions facing the focusing coil, the tracking coil, and the radial coil.
US07724609B2

A paint spray gun and range finder for positioning the gun with respect to a target surface to be sprayed. The range finder provides a user of the gun with information about the distance between the gun and the target surface, with different indications when the gun is too close, too far or distanced properly from the target surface to be sprayed. An acoustic range finder provides visual indications of the proximity of the gun to the target surface. Visual indications include a digital display of the distance from the target surface and may be frozen while the gun is spraying.
US07724607B2

A marine seismic exploration method and system comprised of continuous recording, self-contained ocean bottom pods characterized by low profile casings. An external bumper is provided to promote ocean bottom coupling and prevent fishing net entrapment. Pods are tethered together with flexible, non-rigid, non-conducting cable used to control pod deployment. Pods are deployed and retrieved from a boat deck configured to have a storage system and a handling system to attach pods to cable on-the-fly. The storage system is a juke box configuration of slots wherein individual pods are randomly stored in the slots to permit data extraction, charging, testing and synchronizing without opening the pods. A pod may include an inertial navigation system to determine ocean floor location and a rubidium clock for timing. The system includes mathematical gimballing. The cable may include shear couplings designed to automatically shear apart if a certain level of cable tension is reached.
US07724605B2

Disclosed is a clock-based data storage device, which includes a dual pulse generating device and a data starge device having two dynamic nodes for prior chargement/dischargement. The clock-based data storage device includes a dual pulse generating unit which delays a clock signal and then outputs a first clock signal corresponding to inversion of a clock signal and a second clock signal corresponding to the clock signal by using the delayed clock signal when the clock signal shifts, a pull-up wait for outputting a pull-up output signal to an output port, based on the first clock signal outputted from the dual pulse generating unit and an input data signal which has beeb inputted, a pull-down unit for outputting a pull-down output signal to the output port, based on the second clock signal outputted from the dual pulse generating unit and the input data signal inputted which has been inputted, and a latch unit which is disposed between the pull-up and pull-down units, and the output port so as to store at least one output signal outputted from the pull-down unit as well as the pull-down unit.
US07724604B2

A system, method and apparatus for clock and power fault detection for a memory module is provided. In one embodiment, a system is provided. The system includes a voltage detection circuit and a clock detection circuit. The system further includes a controller coupled to the voltage detection circuit and the clock detection circuit. The system also includes a memory control state machine coupled to the controller. The system includes volatile memory coupled to the memory control state machine. The system further includes a battery and battery regulation circuitry coupled to the controller and the memory control state machine. The battery, battery regulation circuitry, volatile memory, memory control state machine, controller, clock detection circuit and voltage detection circuit are all collectively included in a unitary memory module.
US07724599B2

A remote copy system includes a plurality of storage systems. Each first storage system assigns a sequential number to write data received from the host and sends the write data with the sequential number to the second storage system. One of the first storage systems defers the processing of the write request received from the host and instructs each of the first storage systems to create a marker that includes a sequential number that is a marker number. The second storage systems receive the marker from the first storage system and store the marker number included in the marker.
US07724591B2

A semiconductor memory device includes: a memory cell array that is arrayed on a plurality of mats; an even number of redundancy Y-switch (YS) signal lines that are provided in three mat units and arranged in the bit line direction on the mat that is positioned in the middle among the three mats disposed continuously in the word line direction; a local input/output (LIO) line that is connected to a sense amplifier portion of the three mats, extends in the word line direction, and is divided in two in a redundancy area that is a part of the even number of redundancy Y switch signal lines; and a plurality of bit line selecting Y switch signal lines that connect bit line output of the memory cell array on the three mats to the local input/output line; wherein 8-bit data prefetch is performed from the three mats by selecting the plurality of bit line selecting Y switch signal lines and turning them ON simultaneously so as to connect the selected bit line output to each local input/output line divided in two.
US07724583B2

An internal voltage of a semiconductor memory device is controlled, where the internal voltage is set according to a reference voltage. The reference voltage is controlled according to first control data to increase the internal voltage to be higher than a target voltage in a power-up operation, and second control data is read. The reference voltage is then controlled according to the second control data to decrease the internal voltage to the target voltage.
US07724571B1

Adaptive programming methods and supportive device architecture for memory devices are provided. Methods include partitioning words into variable length segments. More particularly, methods include receiving a word of data, parsing the word into a plurality of write-subsets, where the size of the write-subsets depends on values of the data and constraints that are specific to the memory circuit, and writing the data in cells of the memory circuit, one write-subset at a time. A memory device includes a digital controller capable of parsing words into a plurality of write-subsets, where the length of write-subsets are depending on values of the data and constraints that are specific to the memory device.
US07724569B2

A 1-transistor type DRAM driving process writes a data bit that corresponds to a level applied to a bit line. A first hold period holds data by deactivating a word line of an NMOS transistor and precharging a source and bit line. After the first hold period, a complex operation period operates the NMOS transistor and a bipolar transistor by activating the word line of the NMOS transistor, shifting the source line voltage to a ground voltage, and shifting the bit line voltage to a corresponding multi level bit voltage level. After the complex operation period, a bipolar transistor operation period operates only the bipolar transistor by deactivating the word line of the NMOS transistor. After the bipolar transistor operation period, a second hold period holds the data by precharging the source and bit lines of the NMOS transistor and the bit level applied to the bit line is written.
US07724562B2

Non-volatile resistance change memories, systems, arrangements and associated methods are implemented in a variety of embodiments. According to one embodiment, resistance-change memory devices are implemented having a pair of electrodes and an intervening electrochemical material. A heating element facilitates changes in resistance of the electrochemical material-region due to changes in ion distribution. The method is implemented without a process for forming a filament-like region in the electrochemical material.
US07724560B2

A nonvolatile memory device includes multiple first bit lines extending in a first direction, multiple word lines formed on the first bit lines and extending in a second direction different from the first direction, and multiple second bit lines, formed on the word lines and extending in the first direction. The nonvoliative memory device also includes multiple twin memory cells, each of which includes a first memory cell coupled between a first bit line and a word line and a second memory cell coupled between the word line and a second bit line. The first and second memory cells store different data.
US07724558B1

A magnetic signal transmission line includes a one-dimensional array of a plurality of single-magnetization domains each formed in a ferromagnetic body. The anisotropic energy of the single-magnetization domains is zero to 120% of the interactive energy acting between dipoles in adjacent single-magnetization domains. The single-magnetization domains are formed by sputtering iron onto a silicon substrate by using a mask.
US07724557B2

The present invention is directed to a electrical wiring device that includes a housing having a plurality of line terminals. A cover assembly is coupled to the housing, the cover assembly including at least one set of receptacle openings disposed on either side of a central portion of the cover assembly. A plurality of receptacle terminals are disposed in the housing, each of the plurality of receptacle terminals being coupled to a corresponding one of a plurality of load terminal structures. Each of the plurality of receptacle terminals is in communication with a corresponding one of the at least one set of receptacle openings. A light assembly is disposed in the central portion of the cover assembly and coupled to the plurality of line terminals or the plurality of load terminals. The light assembly has a light transmission region disposed in the central portion. The light transmissive region occupies a substantial portion of a width of the cover assembly. An automatic control mechanism is coupled to the light assembly and configured to selectively drive the light assembly from a deenergized state to a light emitting state in response to a predetermined stimulus. A manual control mechanism is coupled to the light assembly and configured to selectively regulate the amount of light transmitted by the light assembly when in the light emitting state.
US07724550B2

The invention relates to an electronic device (5) in the form of a flexible multilayer film body, in particular an RFID transponder, and to a rectifier (52) for such an electronic device. The rectifier (52) has at least two organic diodes or organic field effect transistors each having at least one electrical functional layer composed of a semiconducting organic material. The rectifier (52) furthermore has two or more charging or charge-reversal capacitors which are connected up to the two or more organic diodes or organic field effect transistors in such a way that the charging or charge-reversal capacitors can be charged via different current paths.
US07724547B1

A switch controller compensates the total on-time delay of the switch in a switching power converter. The intended on-time of the switching transistor for the present switching cycle is reduced by the time difference between the actual on-time and the intended on-time of the switching transistor in the previous switching cycle in the switching power converter. The total delay of the switch in the switching power converter, including propagation delay, switch turn-on delay, and switch turn-off delay, can be compensated in real time, cycle by cycle.
US07724540B1

A spacer or retainer secures two circuit boards in a back-to-back configuration. The spacer has opposite first and second sides, each having a peripheral rim against which the circuit boards fit. Each side is recessed to a depth enabling any component terminals or connections from rear surfaces of the circuit boards to be received in the recesses. Pins on ends of the spacer are received in apertures in the circuit boards to guide the circuit boards into position on the spacer. Two clips are positioned next to each other on one wall forming the peripheral rim. Each clip extends beyond an opposite side, and the clips have resilient tabs biased to press the circuit boards against the rims. The circuit boards are connected by electrical wire extending around an opposite wall of the peripheral rim. The spacer and circuit boards form a subassembly, such as for a vehicle instrument cluster.
US07724535B2

A semiconductor device, a method related to the semiconductor device, and a printed circuit board are disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a chip, a package including a plurality of power voltage terminals and a plurality of ground voltage terminals, wherein the chip is disposed in the package. The semiconductor device further includes an impedance circuit connected between a DC component power voltage terminal and a ground voltage, wherein the DC component power voltage terminal is one of the plurality of power voltage terminals, and an AC component interrupter connected between the DC component power voltage terminal and a power voltage. Both the AC component and a DC component of the power voltage are applied to each of the power voltage terminals except the DC component second power voltage terminal, and the ground voltage is applied to each of the ground voltage terminals.
US07724534B2

A strap holding structure (200) for an electronic device (100), which includes a body (20), a cover (10). The body has a knuckle (22) formed at one end thereof. The knuckle has a middle board (226) formed therein. The cover has a barrel (12) formed at one end. The strap holding structure includes a latching element (30) and a strap holder (40). The latching element is attached to the cover at one end. The strap holder has a pole (424) at a first end of the strap holder. A groove (444) is circumferentially defined in an outer wall of the strap holder and two notches (442) are axially defined in the outer wall thereof. The strap holder is engaged in the knuckle and the barrel. The latching element is received in the groove and the middle board is received in the notches.
US07724532B2

A handheld computing device is disclosed. The handheld computing device includes an enclosure having structural walls formed from a ceramic material that is radio-transparent.
US07724519B2

An information processing apparatus configured to have: a display section (2) pivotally provided with respect to an apparatus main body (3) with a pair of hinges (9a, 9b) so as to pivot between a close position to close the apparatus main body and an open position to open the apparatus main body; and an operation section (18) executing a predetermined function by being operated is disposed between the pair of hinges, so that operations to the operation section are possible in the both states of the open position and the close position of the display section.
US07724512B2

A computer storing an operating system therein and including a first case, a second case, a driving mechanism and a starting unit is provided. The driving mechanism is connected between the first case and the second case. The starting unit is disposed at the first case, electrically connected to the driving mechanism, and used to start the operating system. When the starting unit starts the operating system, the driving mechanism drives a relative movement between the first case and the second case to enhance heat dissipation efficiency of the computer.
US07724502B2

A solid electrolytic capacitor that is capable of withstanding laser welding without a significant deterioration in its electrical performance is provided. The capacitor contains an anode body, dielectric layer overlying the anode body, and a solid organic electrolyte layer overlying the dielectric layer. Furthermore, the capacitor of the present invention also employs a light reflective layer that overlies the solid organic electrolyte layer. The present inventors have discovered that such a light reflective layer may help reflect any light that inadvertently travels toward the capacitor element during laser welding. This results in reduced contact of the solid organic electrolyte with the laser and thus minimizes defects in the electrolyte that would have otherwise been formed by carbonization. The resultant laser-welded capacitor is therefore characterized by such performance characteristics as relatively low ESR and low leakage currents.
US07724499B2

Electrolyte transistor including a gate structure, two sources/drains, an electrolyte layer and a buried conductive layer is provided. The gate structure including a gate dielectric layer and a gate is located above a substrate. The two sources/drains are separated from each other and located above the substrate on each side the gate structure. The electrolyte layer is located between and contacts the two sources/drains, and located between and contacts the gate structure and the substrate. The buried conductive layer is located between the electrolyte layer and the substrate. The electrolyte layer between the two sources/drains includes a channel. The conductivity of the electrolyte layer between the two sources/drains is changed by a redox reaction, so as to turn on or turn off the channel.
US07724488B2

A method is disclosed for controlling an electronic overcurrent trip for low-voltage circuit breakers. According to the method, digitized signals for the electricity values are generated and evaluated, and a tripping device providing short-circuit protection is activated when an overcurrent event is assumed to take place based on the evaluation. According to the method, signals whose electricity value does not lie between the electricity values of the previous signal and the subsequent signal, or whose electricity value does not correspond to the electricity values of the previous signal or the subsequent signal, are rated as potentially erroneous signals and are tested by use of additional criteria.
US07724487B2

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for preventing reverse current in a switching power supply. An electrical connector receives an input current from an electric source. An input current limiting module substantially prevents the input current from reaching a switching power supply when the input current is flowing in a reverse direction. A voltage reduction module reduces an input voltage of the switching power supply to a switching voltage when the input current is flowing in a forward direction. A switching module closes a switch in response to the voltage reduction module providing the switching voltage. The switch provides the input current a lower impedance path to the switching power supply than does the input current limiting module.
US07724484B2

The invention provides a novel broadband power limiter having improved frequency characteristics and power capacity, suitable for use with GaAs low-noise amplifier circuits. The power limiter includes a shunt diode circuit and two impedance transformers. The first transformer is a step-down impedance transformer connected between the shunt diode circuit and the input to the limiter, and the second transformer is a step-up impedance transformer connected between the shunt diode circuit and the output of the limiter. The invention further provides a method for limiting the power of an input signal, comprising the steps of: transforming the input signal from the input impedance to an intermediate impedance; shunting a portion of the input signal to ground; and transforming a remaining portion of the input signal from the intermediate impedance to an output impedance. The invention further provides a novel impedance transformer suitable for use in the broadband power limiter and a method for providing such an impedance transformer.
US07724483B2

A system for protecting superconducting generator field coils including a controller configured to monitor for a quenching of a superconducting field coil of a generator and control a dissipation of a current flow in the superconducting field coil in an event of the quenching, and an armature coil of the generator configured to cause the dissipation of the current flow in the superconducting field coil responsive to the controller in the event of the quenching of the superconducting field coil. A method for protecting superconducting generator field coils including monitoring for a quenching of a superconducting field coil of a generator, and dissipating a current flow in the superconducting field coil via an armature coil of the generator in response to a detection of the quenching.
US07724480B1

A disk drive includes a drive circuitry, a storage disk and a slider having a slider body. The storage disk has a data surface, and the slider magnetically interacts with the storage disk to transmit a signal between the storage disk and the drive circuitry. The slider includes a leading surface, an opposed trailing surface, a data transducer positioned near the trailing surface, and a piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element receives a driving voltage from the drive circuitry to adjust a distance between the data transducer and the data surface. The slider includes a piezoelectric element supporter having a modulus of elasticity of less than that of the slider body and/or the piezoelectric element. In one embodiment, the piezoelectric element supporter is positioned between the slider body and the piezoelectric element and/or the data transducer. Further, in this embodiment, the piezoelectric element may or may not have one or more exposed surfaces.
US07724473B1

A disk drive includes a rotatable storage disk, a suspension, and a slider assembly. The slider assembly includes a slider body, a read/write head that magnetically interacts with the storage disk, and a slider mover. The slider body is secured to the suspension in a fashion that allows the slider body to roll. The slider mover selectively rolls the slider body in a controlled fashion. With this design, the slider mover selectively rolls the slider body to control a head-to-disk spacing of the read/write head. Further, the slider body can have a roll axis and the read/write head and the slider mover can be positioned on opposite sides of the roll axis.
US07724464B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a recording disk capable of curtailing the amount of servo data to be stored thereon, and a disk drive. According to one embodiment, servo data area sets each of a first servo data area and plural second servo data areas arranged in that order in a read direction HR are arranged successively on each of tracks of a magnetic disk. Stored in a second sector data section included in the second servo data area is data representing a distance in the read direction HR from the position of the first servo data area to that of the same second servo data area. The amount of data stored in the second sector data section is less than that of data stored in a first sector data section included in the first servo data area.
US07724460B2

A recording system employing a magneto-resistive (MR) element senses a resistance value of the MR element and generates one or more MR resistance (MRR) signal values based on the sensed MR element resistance value. The MRR signal values might be, for example, current or voltage values proportional or inversely proportional to the MR element resistance value. The MRR signal values might be employed to control one or more of: i) a unity gain bandwidth of a bias loop for the MR element, ii) an MR read head preamplifier low corner frequency, and iii) a slew rate across the MR element.
US07724457B2

A method (and structure) senses a rotational vibration of a disk drive. The disk drive includes a rotating disk. The disk includes a plurality of reference bits across a surface thereof. The method (and structure) includes detecting the reference bits across a pattern on the rotating disk, and analyzing a time interval between adjacent ones of the reference bits.
US07724449B2

A lens drive device may include a movable body, a support body supporting the movable body through a spring member, and a magnetic drive mechanism provided with a coil. The movable body includes a coil winding part, end parts for restricting a range of the coil winding part, and a changing part for changing a drawing direction of the coil. The spring member is disposed near the other end part of the movable body and electrically connected with winding start and winding end of the coil. A coil winding method for the lens drive device may include a drawing step in which a coil is drawn between end parts, a changing step in which a drawing direction of the coil is changed by the changing part, and a winding step in which the coil is wound around the coil winding part.
US07724446B2

A zoom lens system includes, in order from an object side to an image side, first to fifth lens groups respectively having negative, positive, negative, positive, and positive refractive power. During zooming from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, the second and third lens groups are moved independently toward the object side with spacing therebetween increased and that between the first and second lens groups decreased. The following condition is satisfied 1.05≦(fW·LW)/(fT·Y)≦1.53, wherein fW and fT are focal lengths of the zoom lens system at the wide-angle end and the telephoto end, Y represents a maximum diagonal length of an image plane, and LW represents a total length of the zoom lens system at the wide-angle end which is defined as a distance from the vertex of a first surface of the first lens on the object side to the image plane.
US07724445B2

A configuration where a first group having a positive refractive power and a positive second group having a positive refractive power are placed sequentially from the object side is basically used. As the first group, a wide-angle first group and a telephoto first group are selectively switched over to be placed on the optical axis, thereby switching over the focal length between the wide-angle side and the telephoto side. Since the configuration in which the first group placed on the object side is switched is employed, adherence of dust or the like to the imaging surface due to the switching of the focal length can be prevented from occurring. Each group is configured by a minimum number of lenses. The whole system has a configuration which has a reduced number of lenses, and which is small and simple.
US07724444B2

An optical element is provided for generating interfacial waves by means of electro wetting. The optical element comprises a fluid chamber with at least one side wall and an optical axis. Furthermore the fluid chamber includes a first fluid (A) and a second fluid (B) which are separated by an interface, the fluids (A, B) being immiscible. A first electro wetting electrode and a second electro wetting electrode are provided, the first electro wetting electrode is separated from the first fluid (A) and the second fluid (B) by a fluid contact layer. The second electro wetting electrode is arranged to act on the first fluid (A). The selected standing or running waves can be formed by providing selected voltages to the first and the second electro wetting electrodes respectively.
US07724436B2

A projection engine is disclosed, in which white light from a uniform telecentric source is collimated, polarized, and split into red and cyan beams. The collimated red light passes through a red focuser, which has an off-axis, front-surface mirror that has an aspheric and/or conic profile, and a spherical lens. The collimated cyan light passes through a similar cyan focuser, after which it is split into blue and green beams. The mirror reflective surface has an aspherical shape to minimize aberrations at the edge of the field of view in the illumination optical path. The collimator is at the front focal plane of each focuser, making the emergent converging beam telecentric, and a pixelated panel is at the rear focal plane of each focuser. The reflected light beams from the red, green and blue pixelated panels are superimposed on a pixel-by-pixel basis and are directed to a projection lens.
US07724429B2

The invention relates to a microscope (10) having an illumination apparatus (26) having a light source (1) and an optical system. The light source (1) is embodied to output a coherent light beam bundle along a defined illumination beam path (2a), and the optical system in the illumination beam path (2a) encompasses a spatial light modulator (3) for modifying the illuminated field (4). A surgical microscope (10) is preferably equipped with an illumination apparatus (26) of this kind that is arranged adjustably in two directions on the surgical microscope (10).
US07724418B2

A method of accurately forming lower partitions than spacers on a substrate in an electrophoretic medium includes a first resist application step where a first negative resist is applied on the first substrate, a first exposure step where the first negative resist is exposed to light through a first mask having an aperture pattern for exposing a pattern of the partition to light, a second resist application step where a second negative resist is applied on the first negative resist, a second exposure step where the second negative resist and the first negative resist are exposed to light through a second mask having an aperture pattern for exposing a pattern of the spacer to light, and a development step where the first negative resist and the second negative resist are developed.
US07724409B2

A system and method for recording and reproducing holographic interferogram with servos. A servo process is provided by the system and method to continuously record a holographic interferogram in a holographic recording medium with servo trace layers. Also, by the servo process, the intensity distribution of a reference beam is monitored, which is reflected by a reflecting mirror disposed on the other side of the holographic recording medium. By analyzing the distribution, one can adjust the distance and the incidence angle between the reflection mirror and the reference beam. Moreover, a plurality of servo tracks on different layers are provided for recording the holographic interferogram on different layers of holographic recording medium.
US07724407B2

The present invention provides methods and systems for holographic control and monitoring of processing devices. Operator control of a processing device is indicated by interaction with a holographic image. The holographic image is generated, and the operator interaction is detected, by a holographic control system. The holographic control system is sealed to prevent explosions, corrosion, and contamination resulting from contact with external substances.
US07724405B2

To provide an original cover closer and an office equipment in which a position adjustment and positioning of an original cover can be performed easily, and a downsizing can be realized, the original cover closer which supports the original cover relative to an equipment main body of the office equipment openably/closably, includes: a position adjusting means adjusting a parallel position of the original cover relative to the equipment main body at a closer main body of the original cover closer, and an operation portion of the position adjusting means is constituted so as to be operatable from a lateral side of the closer main body.
US07724403B2

A method of registering a scanning grid of a scanner with a printing grid of a printer that includes placing a predetermined motif in a digital image to create a modified image, printing the modified image using the printer to create a printed modified image, scanning the printed modified image using the scanner to create a scanned modified image that includes the motif, using the motif included in the scanned modified image to determine a rotation α of the scanning grid of the scanner with respect to the printing grid of the printer, and using the motif included in the scanned modified image to determine a translation vector that gives a position of a node of the printing grid in a coordinate system of the scanning grid.
US07724392B2

Methods and apparatus are provided for calibrating a digital color imaging device to a printing press by determining a total colorant limit, per-channel colorant limits, and channel linearization tables using calorimetric and/or spectrophotometric techniques. In addition, for digital color imaging devices that use multi-hue colorants, methods and apparatus are provided for determining distribution functions for the multi-hue colorants as a function of input values.
US07724387B2

A scanner is provided with an image memory for storing therein image data read from an original by an image sensor, an image processing portion for effecting image processing on the image data, and a sending portion for sending the image data to an external equipment. The image processing portion is disposed in a route along which the image data is forwarded from the image memory to the sending portion, and the contents of the image processing by the image processing portion is made changeable over. The external equipment is provided with an image analyzing portion for obtaining first image data image-processed in a first image mode from the scanner and analyzing it, and detecting the state of the original (such as whether the original is a white sheet) from which the first image data has been read. On the basis of the result of the detection by the image analyzing portion, second image data image-processed in a second image mode is obtained from the scanner.
US07724384B2

One or more adjustable printer driver settings are displayed, and one or more pages of a print job corresponding to the document are displayed in accordance with the adjustable printer driver settings. The user is permitted to adjust the adjustable printer driver settings, such that the pages of the print job are redisplayed based on adjustments made to the adjustable printer driver settings.
US07724380B2

A three-dimensional measurement method is provided for measuring an object shape in a non-contact manner by using a non-contact sensor and a sensor moving mechanism that changes a position and a posture of the sensor and can operate by numerical control, moving the non-contact sensor in accordance with measurement path information indicating plural positions and postures of the sensor at the respective positions. The measurement path information is set in advance by teaching. The method includes performing preliminary three-dimensional measurement of the object in accordance with preliminary measurement path information, using shape data obtained by the preliminary three-dimensional measurement and shape data of an imaginary object as a measurement target in the teaching to detect positioning error between the object and the imaginary object, modifying the measurement path information depending on the detected positioning error, and performing three-dimensional measurement of the object in accordance with the modified measurement path information.
US07724377B2

A tire shape detecting apparatus includes a projector that applies a plurality line light beams in a continuously joined manner, from a direction different from the detection height direction (Z-axis direction) in one light section line, or that applies one line light beam in a condensed manner in the line length direction thereof in order that the one light section line may be formed on the one line Ls on the surface of the tire; and a camera for picking up images of the plurality of line light beams applied to the tire surface in the direction in which the principal ray of each of the plurality of line light beams performs specular reflection with respect to the tire surface, or in the direction in which the principal ray of the condensed one line light beam performs specular reflection with respect to the tire surface.
US07724376B2

The disclosure describes obtaining a first reference wavefront generated from a object plane mask slit, obtaining a second reference wavefront generated from a first image plane mask slit, measuring a wavefront of a target optical system including a reference wavefront error, and subtracting the first and the second reference wavefronts from the target optical system include the reference wavefront error.
US07724372B1

An apparatus adapted to obtain a profile of a density gradient sample independently of fractionation is provided. The apparatus includes a light source, a probe comprising a first probe needle actuatable to extend into a tube containing a sample, a first light-transmitting means to receive light from the light source and transmit light through the sample as the probe needle extends into the sample, a second light-transmitting means to receive light transmitted by the first light-transmitting means and transmit the received light to a signal-producing means capable of translating the received light into a recordable signal to produce a profile of the sample. The apparatus may additionally be adapted to fractionate the sample following generation of the gradient profile.
US07724365B2

A proposition of the present invention is to acquire necessary data without any chasm in an observation of a specimen containing plural kinds of substances of which exciting wavelengths are different. Accordingly, a spectral observation method of the present invention, irradiating light to the specimen containing plural kinds of substances (RFP, GFP, and so on) of which exciting wavelengths are different, and detecting spectra of light emitted from the specimen, the spectral observation method sequentially acquires spectral data of substances from the one of which exciting wavelength is long while switching a wavelength of the irradiated light among respective exciting wavelengths of the plural kinds of substances, and excludes the exciting wavelength of the substance corresponding to the spectral data to be acquired from detection wavelengths of the spectra each when acquiring the spectral data of the spectral data of the respective substances.
US07724363B2

Many points on a sample are tested simultaneously in parallel in an FCS method with multifocal illumination and/or detection.
US07724351B2

A lithographic apparatus has an assembly to exchange optical elements in a pupil plane of its projection system. The optical elements may be pupil filters and may conform to the physical dimensions specified for a reticle standard, e.g. having sides substantially equal to 5, 6 or 9 inches.
US07724349B2

A device is arranged to measure a quantity relating to radiation. The device includes a sensor configured to measure the quantity, a screen arranged to protect the sensor from incoming particles emitted from a source configured to emit extreme ultraviolet radiation, and a mirror configured to redirect extreme ultraviolet radiation emitted by the source, past the screen, to the sensor.
US07724348B2

An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate to exposure light via an original. The apparatus includes a reflector, which includes a multilayer film and a ruthenium film, and reflects the exposure light. The multilayer film reflects the exposure light, and the ruthenium film is arranged on the multilayer film. A vacuum container contains the reflector, an exhauster exhausts exhaust gas in the vacuum container, and a regulator supplies water vapor into the vacuum container and regulates an amount of the water vapor in the vacuum container, based on an amount of carbonaceous gas in the vacuum chamber, so as to retard oxidation of the ruthenium film.
US07724346B2

A method for adjusting an amount of liquid crystal in a liquid crystal display (LCD) device includes injecting a liquid crystal into a liquid crystal receiving space. The liquid crystal receiving space is disposed between a first substrate, a second substrate that faces the first substrate, and a sealing member interposed between the first and second substrates. The method for adjusting an amount of liquid crystal in an LCD device further includes irradiating a light to a portion of the sealing member while varying an irradiating angle of the light so as to form a repair region at the sealing member that has a thickness smaller than that of the sealing member. The method for adjusting an amount of liquid crystal in an LCD device also comprises pressurizing the liquid crystal to form an opening in the repair region of the sealing member and discharge some of the liquid crystal from the liquid crystal receiving space through the opening formed in the repair region, and sealing the opening of the repair region.
US07724344B2

A liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal provided between a first layer and a second layer. The first layer and the second layer may be in a substantially parallel direction to each another. Spacers may be provided in the liquid crystal to keep the first layer and the second layer spaced apart from each other. Electrode layers may include structural elements operable to prevent the spacers from moving through the liquid crystal in the substantially parallel direction. The display may include a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer having one or more gaps defining an electrode structure including electrodes to control the display.
US07724327B2

A system for displaying images. The system comprises a transflective liquid crystal display (LCD) panel comprising lower and upper substrates opposing each other and a liquid crystal layer disposed therebetween. The lower substrate comprises reflective and transmissive regions. A stack of a protective layer, a transparent electrode and a reflective electrode is disposed on the lower substrate of the reflective and transmissive regions. The reflective electrode comprises an opening corresponding to the transmissive region to substantially expose the underlying transparent electrode. A transparent dielectric layer is disposed on the surface of the upper substrate facing and corresponding to the lower substrate of the reflective region.
US07724322B2

A display system includes a building, a wall enclosed within the building, and a light guide directing light from the exterior of the building to the wall within the building. A display is supported proximate the wall where the display includes a liquid crystal layer and not including a backlight. The light guide directing the light to the liquid crystal layer is in such a manner that the combination of the light and the liquid crystal layer results in an image displayed thereon.
US07724320B2

An exemplary liquid crystal display (200) includes a liquid crystal panel (210) and a backlight module (220). The backlight module is positioned for illuminating the liquid crystal panel, and includes a light source (222) and at least one optical member (221). The at least one optical member includes absorbing material for absorbing light beams having wavelength more than 700 nanometers, such that when light beams provided by the light source transmit through the at least one optical member, at least some of the light beams having wavelengths more than 700 nanometers are absorbed by the absorbing material.
US07724314B2

The invention provides a substrate for a display which can be easily repaired even when there are problems such as inter-layer shorting attributable to invasion of static electricity. The substrate has a first wiring section disposed in a display area thereof and formed so as to outwardly extend from the inside of the display area. The substrate also has a second wiring section formed such that it intersects the first wiring section outside the display area on the substrate with an insulation film interposed between them. The substrate further has an opening formed in the second wiring section at least in a region thereof overlapping the first wiring section intersecting the same. Further, the substrate has overlapping portions formed at two ends of the opening where the first and second wiring sections overlap each other with the insulation film interposed between them.
US07724306B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for maintaining smooth video transition between distinct applications. Preferably, the apparatus implementing the present invention includes a processor, a secondary memory and a system memory. In providing a smooth transition between two applications, the apparatus and method provides synchronization of the video and graphics components while transitioning from a first application to a second application. If there is no video component in either application, no action is needed to provide a smooth transition between applications, and when only the first application includes a video component, the video component need only be tamed off for smooth transition between the applications to occur. When both the first application and the second application include video components, smooth transition between the applications according to the present invention is dependent upon the display window size of the first application in comparison to the second application. The apparatus and method of the present invention triggers a process according to the size of the display windows of the first and second applications.
US07724299B2

A dust removal camera which has an image pickup sensor which converts an optical image into an electric signal, a shutter which opens/closes an optical path to the image pickup sensor, an optical plate provided between the image pickup sensor and the shutter, and rectangularly formed, and a piezoelectric body provided to extend along an end portion of a surface of the optical plate, and to vibrate the optical plate.
US07724298B2

The present invention relates to an image processing system and an image processing method, an image pickup apparatus and an image pickup method, and an image display device and an image display method, which can faithfully pick up and display the colors of an object. Slit light of an optical image of the object that has passed through a slit 42 is divided into a spectrum by a light divider 43. A light sensor 44 outputs image data based on the spectrum of the slit light of the optical image of the object. A micromirror array 74 causes the exiting of reflection light formed by extracting spectrum portions based on the image data from a spectrum of incident white light from a light divider 73. The spectrum portions of the reflection light exiting from the micromirror array 74 are synthesized by a spectrum synthesizer 77 and are projected onto a screen 111. The present invention is applicable to the image processing system.
US07724286B2

This invention makes it possible to produce a high quality synthesized panoramic image when it is difficult to highly precisely shift the image pickup direction. The present invention provides an image pickup apparatus for synthetically generating a first image, or a whole image of an entire object of shooting, the apparatus comprising an image pickup section that sequentially changes the image pickup direction and picks up section of images of the object of shooting to be imaged, a reading section that reads second images, each having a predetermined width and constituting a part of the image picked up on an imaging plane in the image pickup section, a defining section that defines a reading range of each second image to be read by the reading section, a relative position identifying section that identifies the relative position of each second image relative to the first image, and a synthesizing section that generates the first image by sequentially and synthetically combining the second images read out by the reading section, the defining section being adapted to determine the first quantity of movement of each second image by referring to the relative position thereof as identified by the relative position identifying section and define the reading range of the second image to be read out next according to the first quantity of movement.
US07724285B2

A device, system, method and software product for storing, maintaining, sharing and displaying of digital images in a common designated collection on at least one portable storage and display device. The device has a first memory section designated for storing images and a second memory section for storing digital images of the designated collection. The second memory section has a protected mode that prevents the digital images in the second memory section from being deleted or overwritten. When the protected mode of the second section is disabled, the device will overwrite the digital images of the second memory section with newly captured digital images. These digital images are restored to the second memory section when the digital display and storage device is in communication link with a database that has information for restoring overwritten digital images after newly obtained images in the second memory have been removed from the device.
US07724279B2

A system and method for providing access to a video display for multiple devices. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise receiving, at a video display system, a first video data signal through a first data communication interface and a second video data signal through a second data communication interface. A processor module may process the first and second video data signals to generate video information of first and second display windows in a composite display. For example, the processor module may transform and translate video information to fit display windows. The processor module may, for example, generate an output video signal comprising information of the first window and information of the second window. Such a signal may, for example, be utilized to drive an output display showing the first and second windows. Various aspects may also provide method steps and apparatus for controlling aspects of the displayed windows.
US07724278B2

A head guide with a display is attitudinally controlled for guiding the head of a passive viewer wherein the display is for viewing images that are emulative of images viewed by a cameraman with head mounted cameras whose head attitude is monitored for controlling the head guide in synchronism with the images gathered by the cameras. Additionally, the viewer's eyes may be induced to follow a sequence of visual fixations at the same time as the passive viewer's head is induced to execute attitudinal movements consistent therewith.
US07724277B2

A display apparatus has an acquisition unit and a display unit. The acquisition unit acquires information of a meeting video and/or the meeting video from a video storage apparatus and the video storage apparatus stores a plurality of meeting videos. The display unit creates a introduction screen for introducing information of the meeting video based on the information acquired by the acquisition unit, and displays the introduction screen on a display surface.
US07724276B2

An optical assembly lock/unlock apparatus includes an interlock mechanism configured to selectively lock an optical assembly in a fixed position relative to a scan engine and unlock the optical assembly relative to the scan engine when the scan engine is to be removed from and secured to a print engine.
US07724270B1

A display unit is constituted by a passive matrix of independently controllable pixels characterized by an active area of n rows and m columns of discrete pixels and a pixel border. The pixel border has a predetermined width, in one embodiment two pixels. The border pixel color state is controlled herein by the frame buffer memory. The pixel border color state is controlled to correspond to information contained in a frame buffer memory locus. This locus may be, in various embodiments herein, a single pixel, a row of pixels, or a number of rows of pixels of frame buffer memory. Each row of pixels may be equal to m and/or n. In one embodiment, the frame buffer controls the border pixels directly via a liquid crystal display controller and drivers, without a timing generation mechanism, such as a timing ASIC.
US07724265B2

A YUV format to be stored in a memory is selected from A or B by a format judging unit for RGB data that is the input output display data of a memory unit, based on the comparison between chrominance (U, V) difference information on horizontal two pixels and the threshold values of U difference and V difference to be resistor-set at a format judging unit. The YUV data and information of A or B that are YUV format-converted at the format conversion unit are stored in the memory. The selection of the YUV format of A or B is, when the chrominance difference information is small as compared with the threshold value the format is YUV 422 (B conversion), and when it is large the format is that the low order bits of Y, U, V of each pixel are reduced (A conversion).
US07724263B2

A system and method for a data write unit in a 3-D graphics pipeline including generic cache memories. Specifically, in one embodiment a data write unit includes a first memory, a plurality of cache memories and a data write circuit. The first memory receives a pixel packet associated with a pixel. The pixel packet includes data related to surface characteristics of the pixel. The plurality of cache memories is coupled to the first memory for storing pixel information associated with a plurality of surface characteristics of a plurality of pixels. Each of the plurality of cache memories is programmably associated with a designated surface characteristic. The data write circuit is coupled to the first a memory and the plurality of cache memories. The data write circuit is operable under program control to obtain designated portions of the pixel packet for storage into the plurality of cache memories.
US07724246B2

A low price image display device which has a smaller number of mounted components and allows high-accuracy display, is provided by making proper use of both a high-accuracy, low-voltage DA converter IC and a DA converter circuit having high-voltage TFTs formed on an insulated substrate in accordance with a display signal value.
US07724232B2

A driving device of a display device includes a gate driver including a series of shift registers. Each shift register generates an output determined by charging and discharging of a capacitor. The charging of the capacitor is blocked by an output of a next shift register or a signal synchronized with the output of the next shift register or the discharging of the capacitor is blocked by an output of a previous shift register or a signal synchronized with the output of the previous shift register.
US07724223B2

A liquid crystal display apparatus is disclosed which can prevent occurrence of flicker for a long time. The apparatus comprises a liquid crystal modulation element which includes a first electrode, a second electrode made of a material different from that of the first electrode, a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second electrodes, a first alignment film disposed between the first electrode and the liquid crystal layer, and a second alignment film disposed between the second electrode and the liquid crystal layer. The apparatus also comprises a controller which changes at least one of the potential to be applied to the first electrode and the central potential of the potential to be applied to the second electrode, which periodically changes between positive and negative with respect to the central potential, such that flicker is suppressed within a certain range.
US07724216B2

In an OELD panel capable of decreasing a cross-talk and an OELD apparatus having the OELD panel, a switching part is formed in a unit pixel defined by a data line and a scan line to control the output of a data signal in response to a scan signal. A current supply line is disposed on at least two sides of the unit pixel to transfer a current. The sides of the unit pixel are disposed adjacent to one another. An organic electro luminescent part generates a light in response to the current. A driving part is disposed between the organic electro luminescent part and the current supply line to control the current in response to the data signal outputted from the switching part. Therefore, the current supply line forms a net shape to decrease a cross-talk.
US07724203B2

A communication system comprises a signal carrying apparatus having a first conductor portion (111) of which external shape is sheet-like and which serves as a conductor and a second conductor portion (121), and an interface device having a first electrode (1211) and a second electrode (1222) located near the first conductor portion (111), the normalized reactance derived from the reactance component of the sheet impedance in the signal carrying apparatus is not extremely smaller than 1, and the normalized distance derived from a distance between the signal carrying apparatus and the interface device made closer to substantially equal to 1 or less for transmitting the electromagnetic field in the leak region (141) between the signal carrying apparatus and the interface device and in the interval region (131) between the external shape of the first conductor portion (111) and the external shape of the second conductor portion (121).
US07724196B2

A loop antenna includes a ground plane and a conductive element with a first C-shaped element portion having an open end and a closed end, with only the open end extending directly above a first portion of the ground plane, a second C-shaped element portion having an open end and a closed end, with only the open end extending directly above a second portion of the ground plane, and a transmission line element disposed between the first C-shaped element portion and the second C-shaped element portion and positioned directly above a third portion of the ground plane.
US07724193B2

Multi-plane antennae on a substrate having a front face and a back face are provided. A plurality of through holes extend through the substrate between the front face and the back face of the substrate. A first antenna component is on the front face of the substrate and a second antenna component is on the back face of the substrate. A conductive via extends through a selected one of the through holes that electrically connects the first antenna component and the second antenna component to define the multi-plane antenna on the substrate. The substrate may be a printed circuit board (PCB). Mobile terminals including a multi-plane antenna and methods of configuring a multi-plane antenna are also provided.
US07724187B2

A programmable intelligent activation module to intelligently allow access to GPS resources is provided. In accordance with pre-programmed settings, an intelligent activation module will control the frequency by which a GPS module is allowed to access a GPS or GSM network in order to acquire location information of a mobile device equipped with GPS equipment. By controlling access to a GPS or GSM network, network resources such as bandwidth are conserved unless actually needed as is determined by the intelligent activation module. Similarly, battery resources for the mobile device are also conserved in that unnecessary activation of the GPS module is prevented until such activation is actually needed. The intelligent activation module can be programmed with a variety of settings including speed, map deltas, final destination information, or settings as predetermined by a user of the mobile device.
US07724181B2

A target object detection apparatus periodically executes a transmit/receive operation to transmit radar waves and obtain received signals from resultant incident reflected waves from respective target objects. An individual correlation matrix of received signal values is derived for each one of a fixed plurality of successive transmit/receive operations, with the transmission frequency being changed at successive operations. Individual correlation matrices derived from respective transmit/receive operations are time-averaged to obtain an average correlation matrix for use in obtaining target object information such as direction or velocity, with effects of correlation between respective incident waves being suppressed.
US07724179B2

A receiver, such as a miniaturized microwave-photonic coherent receiver (MMPR) is disclosed. The receiver includes an antenna to output an electrical RF signal received on a section of the antenna, a laser to produce an optical signal, a photonic modulator to receive the optical signal and the electrical RF signal and produce an EO-RF signal and to receive the optical signal and an electrical LO signal and produce an EO-LO signal, a signal combiner to provide a combined EO-RF and EO-LO signal and a photodiode to receive the combined signal and produce an IF signal. A method of detecting an object using the MMPR includes receiving an electrical RF signal corresponding to the object, outputting the electrical RF signal to a photonic modulator, modulating the electrical RF signal onto an optical carrier, demodulating the electrical RF signal to produce an IF signal and processing the IF signal.
US07724176B1

According to one embodiment, an antenna array includes a plurality of racks that are each configured with a plurality of antenna elements. Each rack may be rotated relative to the other racks through an axis that is generally parallel to the axis of other racks. Each antenna element within each rack has an axial orientation that is generally similar to and has an elevational orientation that is individually adjustable relative to one another.
US07724173B2

A method for operating a time-interleaved analog-to-digital converter for converting an analog input to a digital output using a time-interleaved analog-to-digital converter, wherein the time-interleaved analog-to-digital converter comprises an array of M sub ADCs (ADC1, ADC2, . . . , ADCM), where M is an even integer, and each row of the array comprises one of the M sub ADCs. The method comprises the step of, for every sampling instant n, where n is an integer in a sequence of integers, converting the analog input by means of the sub ADC in row k(n) of the array, wherein 1≦k(n)≦M. A value between 1 and M is assigned to k(n) for the first sample instant, and k(n+1) is selected such that a) k(n+1)>M/2 if k(n)≦M/2, otherwise k(n+1)≦M/2; b) M/2−1≦|k(n+1)−k(n)|≦M/2+1; and c) k(n+1)=k(m+1) if and only if n−m is an integer multiple of M. A time interleaved analog-to-digital converter operating in accordance with the method is also disclosed.
US07724171B2

A digital to analog converter of the source driver includes a gamma voltage generator and a data decoder. The gamma voltage generator receives a gamma code to generate an analog gamma voltage. The gamma voltage includes a register, a reference decoder, and a calibrator. The register stores the gamma code. The reference decoder converts the gamma code from the register into the analog gamma voltage. The calibrator, receiving a reference gamma voltage in a calibration mode, includes a comparator and a counter, in which the counter tunes the gamma code according to the control signal generated by the comparator comparing the analog gamma voltage and the reference gamma voltage. The data decoder receives digital pixel data and selects one gamma voltage as a driving voltage based on the digital pixel data.
US07724169B2

The manufacturing yield of an A/D converter semiconductor chip is significantly increased by utilizing a number of A/D converter circuits that include a group of redundant A/D converter circuits. As a result, the semiconductor chip can be wired to form a “good” A/D converter semiconductor chip as long as the number of “bad” A/D converter circuits does not exceed the number of redundant A/D converter circuits.
US07724165B2

An audio codec and a BIST method adapted for the audio codec are provided. The BIST method includes the following steps. A first channel digital-to-analog converter (DAC) of the audio codec converts a test signal into an analog signal. A first channel analog-to-digital converter (ADC) of the audio codec converts the analog signal into a digital signal. Use a second channel DAC of the audio codec and a second channel ADC of the audio codec to calculate the magnitudes of a plurality of spectral components of the DFT of the digital signal. Determine whether the audio codec passes the test according to the magnitudes of the spectral components.
US07724164B2

An apparatus of a text image coding and decoding system includes a decomposer to decompose image data to extract a stripe image having one or more symbols, a matching unit to match the symbols with reference symbols of a symbol dictionary, and a dynamic symbol caching unit to generate one or more new symbols when the one or more new symbols of the symbols are not included in the symbol dictionary, and to remove the least used one or more of the reference symbols, so that the symbol dictionary is updated as an updated symbol dictionary with the one or more new symbols and without the least used one or more reference symbols.
US07724162B2

The present invention is related to a circuit for converting the sample rate of a digital signal, comprising an input for applying the digital signal, a conversion filter having either a symmetrical or anti-symmetrical impulse response and implemented as a plurality of subfilters in parallel, each subfilter having a symmetrical or anti-symmetrical response derived from components of a polyphase decomposition of said impulse response, combining means for deriving from said applied digital signal input signals of said plurality of subfilters or for combining output signals of said plurality of subfilters into a digital signal with converted sample rate, an output for outputting said digital signal with converted sample rate.
US07724161B1

A noise shaper truncates the widths of pulses it supplies to a pulse-width modulator whose pulse-width modulated signals control a tri-level amplifier. The amplifier is filterless and DC free. Pulses that are narrower than a predefined minimum width are eliminated by the noise shaper. Other pulses are subjected to an algorithm that includes a multitude of ranges, each range defined by a minimum pulse width characterizing a lower bound of that range and a maximum pulse width characterizing an upper bound of that range. Associated with each range is a number of clock cycles defining the modified width of a pulses whose detected width falls within that range. To ensure that delays associated with a feedback loop disposed in the amplifier are accounted for, the reference voltage of a comparator tracks an output voltage of an integrator. Both the comparator and integrator are disposed in the loop.
US07724159B2

Embodiments of methods, apparatuses, devices and systems associated with ordering and/or reordering a set of digital signal sample values are disclosed.
US07724158B2

Methods of multilevel mark and multilevel mark code are provided in this invention. The Methods can realize encoding of various objects, encoding of structures and interrelation of the objects. The methods can distinguish various object codes, make the encoding resources inexhaustible, and solve problem of various resource sharing. The present invention provides the related processing method, for examples, object inputting, outputting, searching, and etc. The present invention also provides related apparatus. The methods and apparatus provided by this invention can be broadly used in various regions in the world, in various fields, in various software and hardware.
US07724155B1

An avionics display is disclosed. A synthetic rendering of terrain is created using stored terrain data. A horizon line is overlaid upon the synthetic rendering of terrain. The horizon line represents zero degrees pitch attitude in a direction of travel of an aircraft in which the avionics display is installed. The horizon line is configured to move in response to attitude-changing movement of the aircraft. An attitude cue is overlaid upon the synthetic rendering of terrain and depicted on first and second sides of the horizon line such that the synthetic rendering of terrain remains substantially visible. The attitude cue has a first appearance on the first side of the horizon line and a second appearance on the second side of the horizon line. The first appearance is visually contrasted from the second appearance.
US07724153B2

A power supply base for an alarm device contains at least one pair, comprising a first terminal for an incoming power supply line and a second terminal for an outgoing power supply line, and a switch element for initial electrical connection of the respective first terminal to the second terminal of the at least one pair. The switch element has an actuating device for switching the switch element into a nonconducting state in response to an insertion of an alarm device into the power supply base.
US07724142B2

A media marking transponder system includes a media fastener and a wireless transponder circuit coupled to the media fastener. The antenna for the wireless transponder circuit has a first effective length when no piece of media is fastened to the media fastener and a second, different effective length when at least one piece of media is fastened to the media fastener.
US07724125B2

A remote unit for a keyless entry system for a vehicle. The remote unit comprising a controller configured to generate a command signal in response to a user input. The command signal comprising a first command message and a substantially similar second command message. The first command message comprises a first low data rate portion and the second command message comprises a high data rate portion. The remote unit further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit the command.
US07724116B2

A symmetrical inductor. The inductor comprises first, second, third and fourth semi-circular conductive lines disposed in an insulating layer on a substrate, having first and second ends, respectively. The second semi-circular conductive line makes the first semi-circular conductive line symmetric, in which the first ends of the first and second semi-circular conductive lines are electrically connected to each other. The third semi-circular conductive line is parallel to and located outside the first semi-circular conductive line, in which the second ends of the third and second semi-circular conductive lines are electrically connected to each other. The fourth semi-circular conductive line makes the third semi-circular conductive line symmetric, in which the second ends of the fourth and first semi-circular conductive lines are electrically connected to each other. The first, second, third and fourth semi-circular conductive lines have the same line width and the same line space, in which the line space exceeds the line width when the line width is less than 6 μm.
US07724114B2

An improved field emission system and method is provided that involves field emission structures having electric or magnetic field sources. The magnitudes, polarities, and positions of the magnetic or electric field sources are configured to have desirable correlation properties, which may be in accordance with a code. The correlation properties correspond to a desired spatial force function where spatial forces between field emission structures correspond to relative alignment, separation distance, and the spatial force function.
US07724110B2

A switchable bandpass filter includes a coupled line segment (comb) including a plurality of coupled transmission lines of substantially equal lengths that are each connected or otherwise coupled to the common RF ground at their first end, a plurality of adjustable capacitors each coupled proximate a second end of respective ones of the transmission lines, and a plurality of shunt switches coupled to points along a length of each of the transmission lines. Shunt switches may be implemented by various device technologies including MEMS and FET switches and PIN diodes. The adjustable capacitors may be implemented as an array or tree of switched capacitors using suitable switching components (e.g., as previously enumerated) or by other suitable electrically controllable devices such as varactors or varactor arrays. A differential switchable filter may be formed by the symmetric repetition of individual bandpass filter modules.
US07724109B2

A ball grid array ceramic filter including a substrate having a ground layer of conductive material disposed over one of the surfaces thereof and a plurality of strips of conductive material on the other of the substrate surfaces defining resonators adapted to receive and pass RF signals. A plurality of vias extend through the substrate and define opposed ends terminating in the respective substrate surfaces. In one embodiment, a plurality of conductive spheres defining respective ground and RF signal input/output pads are disposed on the substrate surface with the ground layer thereon. Certain of the vias couple the resonators to the ground layer while others of the vias couple the resonators to respective spheres adapted for coupling to the respective RF signal input/output contacts on the top surface of a printed circuit board to which the filter is adapted to be direct surface mounted.
US07724103B2

A self-sustaining ultra-high frequency oscillator and method enable the ability to oscillate and output a signal. A balanced bridge circuit is utilized to null an embedding background response. A first vibrating nanoelectromechanical (NEMS) beam resonator is part of one of the branches of the balanced bridge circuit and determines the frequency of the oscillator's output signal. A feedback loop establishes and sets oscillation conditions of the oscillator's signal. Further, the feedback loop connects an output of the first resonator to an input of the balanced bridge circuit.
US07724102B2

An apparatus described herein is an LC tank circuit that may include a capacitance, a first inductance, and a second inductance. The first inductance and the second inductance may each be center tapped coils.
US07724101B2

A crystal oscillator circuit includes a capacitive load stage coupled to a crystal; an amplifier stage including an amplifying transistor coupled to the crystal and to the capacitive load stage for establishing an oscillation signal at the amplifier stage output and a bias generator stage coupled to the amplifying transistor; an amplitude control stage to control the amplitude of the oscillation signal; a pick-up stage coupled to the amplifier stage and to the crystal to generate an oscillator output signal. The bias generator stage is configured as a degenerated common source amplifier.
US07724097B2

A direct digital frequency synthesizer having a multi-modulus divider, a numerically controlled oscillator and a programmable delay generator. The multi-modulus divider receives an input clock having an input pulse frequency fosc and outputs some integer fraction of those pulses at an instantaneous frequency fVp that is some integer fraction (1/P) of the input frequency. The multi-modulus divider selects between at least two ratios of P (1/P or 1/P+1) in response to a signal from the numerically controlled oscillator. The numerically controlled oscillator receives a value which is the accumulator increment (i.e. the number of divided pulse edges) required before an overflow occurs that causes the multi-modulus divider to change divider ratios in response to receiving an overflow signal. The numerically controlled oscillator also outputs both the overflow signal and a delay signal to the delay generator that further controls the frequency of the multi-modulus divider output signal (Vp) to provide an output signal (VD) with an fout that has improved phase and timing jitter performance over prior art direct digital frequency synthesizer architectures.
US07724094B2

A correction circuit in a digital phase locked loop is disclosed having a first terminal, a second terminal, a value-discretely tunable oscillator, an integrator, a loop filter, and a feedback path. A correction circuit is connected to an input of the integrator on the input side and to an output of the integrator on the output side. The correction circuit generates a correction word derived from an actuating word fed to the input of the integrator and a word derived from the second frequency word. A periodic error component in the frequency setting word output by the integrator can thus be corrected by the correction circuit.
US07724093B2

A phase locked loop has a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) for generating a DCO output signal (fOSC), a clock divider coupled to the DCO and receiving the DCO output signal and outputting a feedback clock signal (fN), and a phase frequency detector (PFD) coupled to the DCO and controlling the DCO by a DCO control signal (dCNTL). The PFD has a first input for receiving the feedback clock signal (fN), a second input for receiving a reference clock signal (fREF), and comprises a frequency detection stage (FD) adapted to calculate a frequency difference between the feedback clock signal (fN) and the reference clock signal (fREF) in a frequency detection mode and to adjust the DCO control signal based on said frequency difference, a phase detection (PD) stage for calculating a phase error between the feedback clock signal and the reference clock signal in a phase detection mode, and a switch for switching between the frequency detection mode and the phase detection mode upon the frequency of the feedback clock signal reaching a predetermined value.
US07724090B2

An electrical device and a loop control method are provided. A data signal is obtained from a front end. A variable gain amplifier amplifies the data signal based on a gain value. An analog to digital converter samples the amplified data signal output therefrom to generate a digital data signal. A peak bottom detector detects a peak level and a bottom level of the digital data signal. A threshold controller compares the peak and bottom levels with a threshold value, and generates a first control signal accordingly. An auto gain controller updates the gain value based on the peak and bottom levels with a first step size. The first step size is determined by the first control signal.
US07724085B2

The variable gain amplifier includes a forward path that provides the amplifier variable gain, and a feedback path. The feedback path uses a switch that is turned on at low gain levels. The switch taps into the feedback resistor, shunting it to signal-ground and eliminating the feedback mechanism. This ensures that the input impedance seen at the input port does not grow excessively, using part of the feedback resistor as a passive termination at low gain levels. In this way variable gain ranges in excess of 30 dB can be achieved.
US07724083B2

The disclosure generally relates to a method and apparatus for providing high-speed, low signal power amplification. In an exemplary embodiment, the disclosure relates to a method for providing a wideband amplification of a signal by forming a first transmission line in parallel with a second transmission line, each of the first transmission line and the second transmission line having a plurality of superconducting transmission elements, each transmission line having a transmission line delay; interposing a plurality of amplification stages between the first transmission line and the second transmission line, each amplification stage having an resonant circuit with a resonant circuit delay; and substantially matching the resonant circuit delay for at least one of the plurality of amplification stages with the transmission line delay of at least one of the superconducting transmission lines.
US07724074B2

A conventional circuit requires a booster circuit for generating a voltage higher than an external power supply voltage, thus low power consumption is difficult to be achieved. In addition, a display device incorporating the aforementioned conventional switching element for booster circuit has problems in that the current load is increased and the power supply becomes unstable with a higher output current. The invention provides a booster circuit including a first transistor, a second transistor, a first capacitor element, a second capacitor element, a diode, and an inverter, wherein one electrode of the first transistor is maintained at a predetermined potential, the output of the inverter is connected to the gate electrode of the first transistor and one electrode of the second transistor through the second capacitor element, the input of the inverter is connected to the other electrode of the first transistor through the first capacitor element and connected to the gate electrode of the second transistor, and the diode is connected between the other electrode of the first transistor and the other electrode of the second transistor so as to be forwardly biased.
US07724073B2

A charge pump circuit includes initialization units, each of which initializes a boost node to an initialization voltage. Boosting units each boost the boost node to a higher voltage than the initialization voltage in response to an input voltage. First and second pump circuits each include a transfer unit for transferring a voltage of the boost node to an output node and sharing the output node. The transfer unit of the first pump circuit includes two transfer transistors that are switched in response to a voltage of a control node of the first pump circuit and the voltage of the boost node of the second pump circuit. The transfer unit of the second pump circuit includes two transfer transistors that are switched in response to a voltage of a control node of the second pump circuit and the voltage of the boost node of the first pump circuit.
US07724066B2

A switching circuit that transitions using a switch transistor. During the initial stages of a high-low transition, a control loop provides supplemental pre-charge to the gate of the switch transistor to reduce high-low switching delays. Once the current flowing through the switch transistor rises to a level causing the output voltage to change at specified speed threshold, a loop opening mechanism opens the loop. Further opening of the switch transistor in the high-low transition is taken care of by a relatively constant current source. At that point, no or negligible feedback current is used to charge the gate of the switch transistor. Low-high transitions may be performed in a similar complementary manner.
US07724050B2

A delay locked loop capable of preventing delay locking time from being increased, even if the operational environment fluctuates. The delay locked loop circuit includes a delay line for delaying and outputting a reference clock signal, a phase detection unit for detecting a phase difference between the reference clock signal and an output signal of the delay line and then outputting a phase detection signal and a first delay mode decision signal, a control unit for outputting a delay control signal to control the delay line according to the phase detection signal and a second delay mode decision signal, and an error decision unit for detecting an error of the first delay mode decision signal according to the delay control signal and the output signal of the delay line and outputting the second delay mode decision signal according to a result of the error detection.
US07724043B1

A common mode controller circuit (60) for maintaining a common mode voltage (Vcm) at a first node (52) and a second node (54) in a sample-and-hold circuit receiving a pair of AC coupled differential input signals (Vinp, Vinn) includes first and second resistors (R1/R2) and third and fourth resistors (R3/R4), each set of resistors connected in series between the first and second nodes, and a differential amplifier (A1) having an inverting input terminal coupled to a third node (62) between the first and second resistors, a non-inverting input terminal coupled to a reference voltage (Vref) and an output terminal coupled to a fourth node (64) between the third and fourth resistors. The common mode voltage is sampled at the third node and the differential amplifier provides a sourcing output current indicative of the difference between the sampled common mode voltage and the reference voltage to drive the fourth node.
US07724041B2

In a circuit arrangement including a sample-and-hold device, the sample-and-hold device includes a first, a second, a third and a fourth charge store, and also a first and a second input terminal for feeding in a differential input signal comprising a first and a second component. A differential output signal is output via a first and a second output terminal. The charge stores are charged with the first or the second component of the differential input signal in a first phase of a time segment. In a second phase of the time segment, the differential output signal is generated in a manner dependent on the charges of the first, second, third and fourth charge stores.
US07724040B2

A network overclock control circuit for a computer includes an RC circuit, first and second comparator circuits, and first and second switch circuits. A signal pin of a network indicating lamp is connected to input terminals of the first and second comparator circuits via the RC circuit. Output terminals of the first and second comparator circuits are respectively connected to first and second clock pins of a clock chip via the first and second switch circuits. When network has little traffic, the first and second comparator circuits control the first and second switch circuits to output low level signals. When network has medium to high traffic, the first and second comparator circuits control the first and second switch circuits to output high and low level signals. When network is overloaded, the first and second comparator circuits control the first and second switch circuits to output high level signals.
US07724034B2

A floating driving circuit according to the present invention comprises an input circuit to receive an input signal. A latch circuit receives a trigger signal for generating a latch signal. The latch signal is used to turn on/off a switch. A coupling capacitor is connected between the input circuit and the latch circuit to generate the trigger signal in response to the input signal. A diode is connected from a voltage source to a floating supply terminal of the latch circuit for charging a capacitor. The capacitor is coupled between the floating supply terminal and a floating ground terminal of the latch circuit to provide a supply voltage to the latch circuit. The latch circuit is controlled by the input signal via the coupling capacitor.
US07724031B2

A staggered logic array block (LAB) architecture can be provided. An integrated circuit (IC) device can include a first group of LABs substantially aligned with each other, and a second group of LABs substantially aligned with each other and coupled to the first group of LABs by a plurality of horizontal and vertical conductors. The first group of LABs can be substantially offset from the second group of LABs in the IC layout. In an embodiment of the invention, the first and second groups of LABs can be columns of LABs, and the columns can be vertically offset from each other (e.g., by half the number of logic elements in each LAB). The offsetting can advantageously allow more LABs to be reached using a single routing channel, or without using any routing channel, thereby reducing communication latency and improving overall IC performance.
US07724022B1

A method and eFuse circuit for implementing enhanced security features using eFuses, such as disabling selected predefined test, debug, and mission security functions used in application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and a design structure on which the subject circuit resides are provided. The eFuse circuit includes a plurality of eFuses, a sense amplifier coupled to the plurality of eFuses, and a plurality of sense output latches coupled to the sense amplifier. The plurality of sense output latches is arranged to have a bias to power up to a known value. Control logic coupled to the plurality of sense output latches provides at least one predefined control signal responsive to the known value of the plurality of sense output latches, which enables a selected predefined security function. The plurality of eFuses is sensed and the ASIC is configured to a predefined state responsive to an applied POR/Sense control signal.
US07724016B2

An integrated circuit (IC) includes multiple embedded test circuits that all include a ring oscillator coupled to a test load. The test load either is a direct short in the ring oscillator or else is a interconnect load that is representative of one of the interconnect layers in the IC. A model equation is defined for each embedded test circuit, with each model equation specifying the output delay of its associated embedded test circuit as a function of Front End OF the Line (FEOL) and Back End Of the Line (BEOL) parameters. The model equations are then solved for the various FEOL and BEOL parameters as functions of the test circuit output delays. Finally, measured output delay values are substituted in to these parameter equations to generate actual values for the various FEOL and BEOL parameters, thereby allowing any areas of concern to be quickly and accurately identified.
US07724012B2

Systems and methods are provided for contactless testing of a wafer containing at least one integrated circuit. A test component responds to a supply voltage to indicate at least one property of the wafer. A voltage source wirelessly receives power from an external source and produces the supply voltage. A reference generator generates a reference voltage, having a known magnitude, from the supply voltage. A voltage evaluation component modifies the response of the test component as to represent a magnitude of the supply voltage.
US07724000B2

A method for automatically testing an electronic circuit with a capacitive sensor having two capacitors is provided, wherein the common electrode of the capacitors moves relative to each fixed electrode. The electronic circuit includes a sensor interface that includes a charge transfer amplifier unit, an integrator unit connected to the amplifier unit to provide measurement output voltage, and an excitation unit. The excitation unit inversely polarizes each fixed electrode at high or low voltage or discharges the capacitors. The method includes several successive measurement cycles each divided into a first phase discharging capacitors by output voltage and a second phase for polarizing the fixed electrode of the first capacitor at high voltage and inversely polarizing the fixed electrode of the second capacitor at low voltage. In the measuring cycles, a test phase replaces a second polarizing phase in at least one cycle in every two successive measurement cycles.
US07723993B2

A method and apparatus is provided for rapidly and safely estimating the high-rate load test voltage of a storage battery utilizing open-circuit voltage, temperature and a dynamic parameter such as conductance or resistance. An output indicative of the condition of the battery is provided as a function of the estimated load test voltage of the battery compared to industry standards without the necessity to charge the battery or discharge the battery with high-rate loads using bulky load testing equipment.
US07723987B2

A magnetic resonance measurement technique is provided which shortens the measurement time while suppressing artifacts caused by body movement of a measuring object and enables high-speed imaging. An excitation pulse which excites a plurality of slice planes and an excitation pulse which excites slice planes perpendicular to the slice planes are applied and a plurality of substantially parallel linear crossing areas are simultaneously measured. Spatial information of a linear direction of the crossing areas is acquired by modulating a magnetic resonance signal from the crossing areas by a gradient magnetic field. A spatial information of a direction perpendicular to the linear direction is acquired by changing the position of the plane and an image is reconstructed.
US07723979B2

An integrated energy metering system having an energy meter including a voltage ADC for sensing voltage, a current ADC for sensing current, a microcontroller; a first memory device for storing program data for the energy meter; and a plurality of circuit blocks; a voltage monitor for monitoring a primary power supply; a power supply switch circuit for selectively applying one of the primary and auxiliary power supplies to the energy meter; and a system controller responsive to the voltage monitor for operating the switch circuit to apply the auxiliary power supply when the primary power supply voltage decreases below a predetermined level and gating the power to a first class of circuit blocks in the energy meter and applying power continuously to a second class of circuit blocks.
US07723974B1

Planishing or stress relief in a welded joint (34) is accomplished with a hammer (12) and a backing bar (26). The hammer is applied on a first side (1) to a first surface (31) of the structure (30). To indicate the proper position of the backing bar, a first magnet (20; 320) is associated with the hammer, and a magnetic sensor arrangement (24; 224; 300) is located on the other side (2) of the structure. In one embodiment, the sensor arrangement is a second magnet (24) which is held in place by the magnetic field (40) of the first magnet. In a second embodiment, the sensor includes a line array (262) of individual sensors, each associated with an indicator of a line array (264) of indicators. In a third embodiment, the sensor includes a line array (300) of two magnetic sensors, which are coupled to a differential indicator (324).
US07723967B2

A step-up converter includes input and output terminals, step-up conversion circuitry, a first feedback path and a drive circuit. The input terminals are configured to receive an input DC voltage and the output terminals configured to provide an output DC voltage. The step-up conversion circuitry is coupled between the input terminals and the output terminals and includes a switching element. The first feedback path has a regulator arrangement configured to provide a regulating signal which is dependent on the output voltage. The drive circuit is configured to provide a pulse-width-modulated drive signal for the switching element and is supplied with the regulating signal, wherein the drive circuit is configured to generate the drive signal in a manner that corresponds to the input voltage.
US07723966B2

A switching voltage regulator control device, includes first and second half-bridges each comprising a switch. The first half-bridge is located between an input voltage and a reference voltage and the second half-bridge is located between an output voltage and the reference voltage. The regulator comprises a detector for detecting the error between a reference voltage representative of the output voltage and another reference voltage and an integrator for integrating said error. The control device is suitable for providing a first duty cycle for driving the switch of the first half-bridge that is proportional to the integrated error divided by the input voltage and a second duty cycle for driving the switch of the second half-bridge that is proportional to the value of the input voltage divided by the integrated error.
US07723961B2

A battery protection and monitoring system includes a plurality of MAFET (Mechanically Actuated Field Effect Transistor) switches, wherein each MAFET switch among the MAFET switches is capable of switching from an open switch condition to a closed switch condition or vice versa, such that the plurality of MAFET switches are connectable to a battery. Such a system further includes one or more transistors associated with and which communicate electrically with at least one MAFET switch among the MAFET switches. A PPTC (Polymeric Positive Temperature Coefficient) device is also associated with the transistors and the MAFET switches, such that the PPTC device, the MAFET switches and the transistors operate in association with one another and the open switch condition or the closed switch condition of the plurality of MAFET switches to identify, monitor and thus prevent at least one dangerous condition associated with the battery.
US07723956B2

A battery module system includes a battery module and a control member. The battery module comprises battery units are connected in series. Each of the battery units comprises a unit cell having a voltage variation rate A (mV/% SOC) at a full charge voltage VH1 (V) is larger than 20 (mV/% SOC), which is a value obtained when the unit cell is charged at a current of 1 C at 25° C. The control member controls current to a current I1 until a maximum value Vmax (V) among the voltage of each unit cell reaches the full charge voltage VH1 (V) and then controls a voltage of the battery module to a voltage V2 (V) given by the following equation (1): V2=VH2×n  (1).
US07723955B2

A system for balancing energy delivery devices within the one or more battery packs and for providing isolated monitoring of the battery packs includes at least one group of energy delivery devices electrically connected in series. For each group of energy delivery devices, the system includes a balancing circuit for each adjacent pair of energy delivery devices. The balancing circuit adjusts charge stored in each energy delivery device of the pair so that the charge stored in the energy delivery devices of the pair is substantially equal, and the charge stored in each energy delivery device remains above a threshold. The system also includes a voltage monitoring module for sequentially selecting each of the energy delivery devices and providing a voltage associated with the selected device at an output port. The voltage monitoring module uses a low on-resistance differential multiplexer to select each of the energy delivery devices.
US07723946B2

Method and system are provided for controlling an alternating current (AC) motor via an inverter. The method includes selecting a pulse sequencing method based on a modulation index of the inverter, and providing a voltage to the AC motor based on the pulse sequencing method. The system includes an inverter having a modulation index (Mi) and a controller coupled to the inverter. The controller selects a pulse sequencing method based on Mi and produces a signal based on the pulse sequencing method. The inverter includes a switch network producing a voltage in response to the signal, and the voltage drives the AC motor.
US07723944B2

The vector control device includes: secondary magnetic flux command computing means (40) for computing a secondary magnetic flux command to an induction motor (6) by taking a maximum voltage that an inverter (4) can generate into account on a basis of a torque command from an external, a DC voltage to be inputted into the inverter, and an inverter angular frequency, which is an angular frequency of an AC voltage to be outputted from the inverter; q-axis/d-axis current command generating means (8 and 9) for generating a q-axis current command and a d-axis current command on a d-q axes rotating coordinate system in reference to a secondary magnetic flux of the induction motor (6) on a basis of the torque command and the secondary magnetic flux command; output voltage computing means (voltage non-interference computation portion 14, adder 17, and adder 18) for computing an output voltage that the inverter (4) is to output on a basis of the q-axis current command, the d-axis current command, and a circuit constant of the induction motor (6); and voltage command/PWM signal generating means (50) for controlling the inverter (4) for the inverter (4) to output the output voltage.
US07723943B2

A receiving method is provided comprising the following steps. First, a receiving device is provided, wherein the receiving device comprises a chamber, a plurality of spacers, a spacer moving module, a first cover unit, a second cover unit, a control unit and an input interface. Then, an order is inputted to the input surface, wherein the input surface sends a control signal according to the order, and the control unit controls movements of the first cover unit, the second cover unit and the spacer moving module according to the control signal.
US07723931B2

A method and apparatus for starting a gas turbine engine using a brushless sensorless machine, the machine having a rotor and a stator with windings, the method including positioning the rotor at a desired position with respect to the stator and then energizing the windings of the stator.
US07723930B2

Method and system in connection with a motor operated tension measuring roll (1) for compensating an error in tension measuring of a continuous material web, the method comprising defining the tension Tmeas of a material web (4) by a force sensor (3) provided at the tension measuring roll. The method comprises defining the frictional couple Tμ and moment of inertia J of the tension measuring roll before tension measuring during operation, defining a torque Tmot generated by the driving motor of the tension measuring roll during operation, defining a torque Twm directed to the material web by the tension measuring roll by subtracting the frictional couple Tμ and moment of inertia J from the defined torque Tmot generated by the driving motor, defining a force FT directed to the material web on the basis of the torque Twm directed to the material web by the tension measuring roll, defining, on the basis of the force FT directed to the material web, a component of force FTm of the measuring sensor in the measuring direction directed to the material web by the tension measuring roll, and subtracting from the tension Tmeas defined by the force sensor the component of force FTm of the measuring sensor in the measuring direction directed to the material web by the tension measuring roll to provide a corrected measuring signal.
US07723929B2

A plurality of cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) for a backlight of a display device are connected, each in series with a respective variable inductance, in parallel to an AC supply from a power converter. Each variable inductor comprises a first inductor in series with the CCFL, a second inductor inductively coupled to the first inductor, and an AC switch for selectively shorting the second inductor. A capacitor in parallel with the first inductor forms a resonant circuit tuned to the AC supply frequency when the switch is open. Each switch is opened and closed with a controlled duty cycle to provide individual control of an average current of each CCFL.
US07723924B2

A backlight inverter includes a transformer boosting an input voltage at a ratio of a primary winding to a secondary winding of the transformer and outputting a first voltage and a second voltage; a protection level signal generator causing a phase delay between the first voltage and the second voltage, and generating a protection level signal, the protection level signal being a sum of the phase reversed first voltage and the second voltage; and an arc state detector comparing the protection level signal with a reference voltage and generating a detection signal; and a diving controller maintaining or stopping a supplying of an input voltage to the transformer in response to the detection signal, wherein in addition to the phase delay, another phase delay is caused by an open circuit in the transformer, so that a maximum value of the protection level signal is larger than the reference voltage and the input voltage is stopped.
US07723911B2

A flat fluorescent lamp is provided. In the flat fluorescent lamp, a discharge gas and a fluorescent material are disposed inside a chamber; first and second electrodes covered by a dielectric layer are disposed at the bottom of the chamber; first protruding points are disposed on a first side of each electrode; and second protruding points are disposed on a second side of each electrode. In each electrode, the first and the second protruding points are alternately laid. The first light-emitting region formed between the first protruding points and the first and second electrodes corresponding thereto and the second light-emitting region formed between the second protruding points and the first and second electrodes corresponding thereto are one of the entirely not overlapping and partially overlapping. Further, a driving method for the flat fluorescent lamp and a liquid crystal display device having the flat fluorescent lamp are provided.
US07723910B2

A method of photodynamically diagnosing or treating a contoured surface includes topically applying 5-aminolevulinic acid to the contoured surface and irradiating the contoured surface with substantially uniform intensity visible light from a plurality of light sources generally conforming to the contoured surface. The plurality of light sources may comprise fluorescent tubes.
US07723909B2

A dielectric-film-type electron emitter includes an emitter section, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The emitter section is formed of a thin layer of a polycrystalline dielectric material. The dielectric material constituting the emitter section is formed of a material having high mechanical quality factor (Qm). Specifically, the dielectric material has a Qm higher than that of a so-called low-Qm material (a material having a Qm of 100 or less). The Qm of the dielectric material is preferably 300 or more, more preferably 500 or more.
US07723906B2

A spark plug for an internal combustion engine is provided which includes a metal shell, a porcelain insulator, a center electrode, and a ground electrode. The center electrode is retained in the porcelain insulator to define a spark gap between itself and the ground electrode. The porcelain insulator has a nose made up of an upright portion and a tapered portion continuing from the upright portion toward a top end thereof. The tapered portion has a diameter decreasing toward the top end of the porcelain insulator. The upright portion has an outer wall extending substantially parallel to an inner wall of the metal shell, thereby inducing the formation of side sparks between the tapered portion and the metal shell before the insulation resistance between the center electrode and the metal shell drops, thereby giving a signal indicative of such an event to an operator.
US07723896B2

A driving mechanism using shape memory alloys comprises a first and a second shape memory alloys coils (1, 2), a pin-like drive member (3) connected to each of the shape memory alloys coils (1, 2) extending in the axis direction, a substrate (4) having a wiring pattern (11) and a drive circuit (4a) to supply current to the shape memory alloys coils (1, 2), and a magnetic latch part (9) to hold the drive member (3), and the magnetic latch part (9) has a latch position in the axis direction of the drive member (3), the drive circuit (4a) selectively current-drives the first and the second shape memory alloys coils (1, 2), the driven first or second shape memory alloys coils (1, 2) is heated and compressed to move the drive member (3) in the axis direction, and magnetic bodies (9a, 9b) provided to the drive member (3) is magnetically fixed at the latch position, thereby fixed and held in the axis direction.
US07723883B2

The device includes a rolling bearing unit supporting a radial load and a magnetic bearing unit supporting an axial load and/or a bearing preload; an electromagnet fitted to a spindle housing so as to confront, on a non-contact basis, a flange shaped thrust plate mounted on a main shaft; a motor rotor of a motor for driving the shaft, and a motor stator opposed to the rotor, the shaft being driven by magnetic or Lorentz forces developed between the rotor and the stator; and a sensor detecting an axial force acting on the bearing unit, and a controller controlling the electromagnet. In this device, the stiffness of a composite spring formed by the bearing unit and a support system for the bearing unit is chosen to be higher than the negative stiffness of a composite spring of a motor part comprised of the electromagnet and the motor.
US07723870B2

A power switch system (200) for selectively providing power from a primary power source and a secondary power source to an electronic device, includes a detecting module (24), and a selecting module (30). The detecting module is connected to the primary power source. The selecting module is connected to an output terminal of the detecting module, the primary power source, and the secondary power source, and outputs the power from the primary power source to the electronic device if the primary power source is available. The detecting module is configured for determining whether the primary power source is available for the electronic device and generating a switch signal if the primary power source is unavailable, and the selecting module outputs power from the secondary power source to the electronic device in response to the switch signal.
US07723867B2

A control device for controlling power supplied to circuitry is disclosed. The circuitry comprises a plurality of portions, each of said plurality of circuit portions being arranged between a first voltage level source and a second voltage level source, said first and second voltage level sources being adapted to output different voltage levels; said control device being adapted to control power supplied to each of said plurality of circuit portions. The control device comprises: a plurality of power switching devices corresponding to said plurality of circuit portions, each power switching device being arranged between said first voltage level source and a corresponding circuit portion such that when one of said plurality of power switching devices is switched on a voltage level close to a voltage level output by said first voltage level source is supplied to said corresponding circuit portion and said corresponding circuit portion is powered up and when switched off said corresponding circuit portion is isolated from said first voltage level source and said corresponding circuit portion is powered down, said control device further comprising: at least one voltage equalization switching device arranged between two power switching devices to provide a low resistance path between said two power switching devices when they are both turned on and to isolate said two power switching devices from each other when either are turned off.
US07723865B2

According to the present invention, a bidirectional buck boost DC-DC converter can be obtained, in which power can flow bidirectionally from a primary side to a secondary side and from the secondary side to the primary side, regardless of a magnitude relation between a secondary-side voltage and a primary-side voltage in a state where different DC voltage sources are connected to the primary side and the secondary side in the DC-DC converter. A direction and a magnitude of the power can be automatically controlled to a desired value continuously on instantaneous value basis.
US07723856B2

An epoxy resin composition for encapsulating semiconductors containing an epoxy resin, a phenol resin, an inorganic filler, a curing accelerator, a glycerol tri-fatty acid ester produced by dehydration condensation reaction of glycerol and a saturated fatty acid with a carbon atom content of 24-36, and a hydrotalcite compound as essential components is provided. The resin composition exhibits excellent mold releasability and produces only a slight amount of stains on the surfaces of the mold and semiconductor packages. A semiconductor device exhibiting excellent solder resistance is also provided.
US07723845B2

The present invention is a MEMS-based two-phase LHP (loop heat pipe) and CPL (capillary pumped loop) using semiconductor grade silicon and microlithographic/anisotrophic etching techniques to achieve a planar configuration. The principal working material is silicon (and compatible borosilicate glass where necessary), particularly compatible with the cooling needs for electronic and computer chips and package cooling. The microloop heat pipes (μLHP™) utilize cutting edge microfabrication techniques. The device has no pump or moving parts, and is capable of moving heat at high power densities, using revolutionary coherent porous silicon (CPS) wicks. The CPS wicks minimize packaging thermal mismatch stress and improves strength-to-weight ratio. Also burst-through pressures can be controlled as the diameter of the coherent pores can be controlled on a sub-micron scale. The two phase planar operation provides extremely low specific thermal resistance (20-60 w/cm2). The operation is dependent upon a unique micropatterened CPS wick which contains up to millions per square centimeter of stacked uniform micro-through-capillaries in semiconductor-grade silicon, which serve as the capillary “engine,” as opposed to the stochastic distribution of pores in the typical heat pipe wick. As with all heat pipes, cooling occurs by virtue of the extraction of heat by the latent heat of phase change of the operating fluid into vapor.
US07723843B2

A package substrate for a multi-package module. The package substrate comprises a substrate having a die region and at least one thermal channel region outwardly extending to an edge of the substrate from the die region. An array of bumps is arranged on the substrate except in the die and thermal channel regions, in which the interval between the bumps is narrower than the width of the thermal channel region. An electronic device with a package substrate is also disclosed.
US07723842B2

To solve the problems caused by accumulation of heat generated from an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit device of the invention includes a substrate over one surface of which an integrated circuit is formed. The other surface of the substrate (a surface over which the integrated circuit is not formed) includes a depressed portion and has a larger surface area than the one surface. The depressed portion formed on the other surface of the substrate is filled with a heat sink material, or a film containing a heat sink material is formed at least over the surface of the depressed portion. Such integrated circuit devices may be provided in a multilayer structure.
US07723841B2

In some embodiments, a thermal spacer for stacked die package thermal management is presented. In this regard, an apparatus is introduced having a top integrated circuit die, a bottom integrated circuit die, and a thermal spacer between the top and bottom integrated circuit dice, the thermal spacer comprising a heat conducting material and the thermal spacer overhanging and extending parallel with one outside edge of the bottom integrated circuit die. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.
US07723835B2

A semiconductor chip mounted interposer (60) is configured by executing wire bonding between a semiconductor chip (50) and an interposer (20), in which terminals (21) that connect to terminals (51) of the chip (50) and separate terminals (22) are formed, on the upper face of the interposer (20). A semiconductor chip (30) is mounted to the top face of a package substrate (10), the interposer (60) is adhered to the upper portion of the chip (30), and wire bonding is executed between the terminals (22) and terminals (11′). When configuring a semiconductor device with a plurality of semiconductor chips combined into one package in this manner, KGD (Known-Good-Die) can easily be guaranteed for each semiconductor chip, and semiconductor devices can be fabricated with a high yield of good units. Also, the semiconductor chips can be used as-is, without restricting the position, pitch, signal arrangement, or the like, of their terminals.
US07723834B2

A package-on-package (POP) package in which semiconductor packages are stacked using lead lines rather than conventional solder balls, and a fabricating method thereof are provided. According to the POP package and the fabricating method thereof of the present invention, the POP package is prevented from being short-circuited even when an underlying semiconductor package gets thicker and the POP package can sufficiently withstand deformation caused by post-fabrication warpage.
US07723821B2

A microelectronic assembly and a method for forming the same are provided. The method includes forming first and second lateral etch stop walls (44, 46) in a semiconductor substrate (20) having first and second opposing surfaces (22, 24). An inductor (56) is formed on the first surface (22) of the semiconductor substrate (20) and a hole (60) is formed through the second surface (24) of the substrate (20) to expose the substrate (20) between the first and second lateral etch stop walls (44, 46). The substrate (20) is isotropically etched between the first and second lateral etch stop walls (44, 46) through the etch hole (60) to create a cavity 62) within the semiconductor substrate (20). A sealing layer (70) is formed over the etch hole (60) to seal the cavity (62).
US07723816B2

A method and structures are provided for implementing decoupling capacitors with hot spot thermal reduction on integrated circuit chips including silicon-on-insulator (SOI) circuits. A silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structure includes a silicon substrate layer, a thin buried oxide (BOX) layer carried by the silicon substrate layer, and an active layer carried by the thin BOX layer. A thermal conductive path is built proximate to a hotspot area in the active layer to reduce thermal effects including a backside thermal connection from a backside of the SOI structure. The backside thermal connection includes a backside etched opening extending from the backside of the SOI structure into the silicon substrate layer, a capacitor dielectric formed on said backside etched opening; and a thermal connection material deposited on said capacitor dielectric filling said backside etched opening.
US07723810B2

To reduce cross-talk between adjacent hot electrodes, the present invention provides a ground plane, which extends beneath each side of a MEMS mirror platform covering opposite edges of a hot electrode along each side thereof. The ground plane includes an overhang section extending between the mirror platform and the hot electrode forming a first gap between the hot electrode and the overhang section, and a second gap between the overhang section and the mirror platform. The method of the present invention enables highly accurate construction using lithographic patterning and deep reactive ion etching (DRIE).
US07723800B2

An integrated power semiconductor device has an isolation structure having two or more isolation trenches, and one or more regions in between the isolation trenches, and a bias arrangement coupled to the regions to divide a voltage across the isolation structure between the isolation trenches. By dividing the voltage, the reverse breakdown voltage characteristics such as voltage level, reliability and stability can be improved for a given area of device, or for a given complexity of device, and avalanche breakdown at weaknesses in isolation structures can be reduced or avoided.
US07723798B2

FET device structures are disclosed with the PFET and NFET devices having high-k dielectric gate insulators, metal containing gates, and threshold adjusting cap layers. The NFET gate stack and the PFET gate stack each has a portion which is identical in the NFET device and in the PFET device. This identical portion contains at least a gate metal layer and a cap layer. Due to the identical portion, device fabrication is simplified, requiring a reduced number of masks. Furthermore, as a consequence of using a single layer of metal for the gates of both type of devices, the terminal electrodes of NFETs and PFETs can be butted with each other in direct physical contact. Device thresholds are further adjusted by oxygen exposure of the high-k dielectric. Threshold values are aimed for low power consumption device operation.
US07723786B2

A memory cell includes a FinFET select device and a memory element. In some embodiments a memory cell has a contact element coupled between a surface of the fin and the memory element.
US07723778B2

An Assisted Charge (AC) Memory cell comprises a transistor that includes, for example, a p-type substrate with an n+ source region and an n+ drain region implanted on the p-type substrate. A gate electrode can be formed over the substrate and portions of the source and drain regions. The gate electrode can comprise a trapping structure. The trapping structure can be treated as electrically split into two sides. One side can be referred to as the “AC-side” and can be fixed at a high voltage by trapping electrons within the structure. The electrons are referred to as assisted charges. The other side of can be used to store data and is referred to as the “data-side.” The abrupt electric field between AC-side and the data-side can enhance programming efficiency. The memory cell can comprise a dual gate structure, such that the cell is a 2-bit cell.
US07723775B2

A NAND flash memory device includes a plurality of active regions extending in a first direction on a substrate, the active regions including a first well of a first conductivity, a plurality of word lines extending on the first well in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, first and second dummy word lines extending in a second direction on the first well, the first and second dummy word lines being separated from each other to define an intermediate region therebetween, the first and second dummy word lines being adapted to receive a substantially constant bias voltage of about 0 V, and at least one contact in an active region in the intermediate region between the first and second dummy word lines.
US07723768B2

Disclosed are an asymmetric recessed gate MOSFET, and a method for manufacturing the same. The asymmetric recessed gate MOSFET comprises: recess regions formed at a predetermined depth in a semiconductor; recessed gate electrodes formed at a predetermined height on a semiconductor substrate by gap-filling the recess regions, and misaligned with the recess region corresponding to one of the source/drain regions; spacers formed on sides of the recessed gate electrodes; and source/drain regions implanted with a dopant formed in the semiconductor substrate exposed between the spacers. The overlap between the gate electrodes and the source/drain regions can be reduced by having one of the source/drain regions misaligned with the recess regions in the recessed gate structure, and abnormal leakage current caused by consistency between an electron field max point A and a stress max pint B can be sharply reduced by changing the profile of the source/drain regions.
US07723761B1

In one embodiment, a tiered gate structure is provided having a substrate including a source, a drain and a gate thereon. The gate includes an elongated gate foot having a first deposition gate material extending from the substrate, the elongated gate foot having a top portion distal from the substrate. The gate head has a second deposition gate material and includes an elongated portion extending downward from the gate head to connect to the top portion of the elongated gate foot.
US07723755B2

Provided are a semiconductor device having a buried word line structure in which a gate electrode and a word line may be buried within a substrate to reduce the height of the semiconductor device and to reduce the degradation of the oxide layer caused by chlorine ions from the application of a TiN metal gate, and a method of fabricating the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device may comprise a semiconductor substrate defined by a device isolation layer and comprising an active region including a trench and one or more recess channels, a gate isolation layer on the surface of the trench, a gate electrode layer on the surface of the gate isolation layer, and a word line by which the trench may be buried on the surface of the gate electrode layer.
US07723735B2

In a display device having a plurality of organic electroluminescence devices arranged on a substrate, each of the devices including a lower electrode, an organic layer at least containing a light emitting layer, and an upper electrode in this order, the light emitting layer of at least some of the organic electroluminescence devices has a first light emitting layer formed by vapor deposition and a second light emitting layer formed by thermal transfer, and the first light emitting layer emits light whose wavelength is equal to or shorter than that of blue light.
US07723734B2

An LTPS-LCD structure and a method for manufacturing the structure are provided. The structure comprises a substrate where a plurality of pixels are formed thereon. Each of these pixels comprises a control area, a capacitance area, and a display area. The structure is initially formed with a transparent electrode on the substrate, followed by a control device, a capacitance storage device. The display unit is then formed on the control area, the capacitance area, and the display area, respectively. As a result, the capacitance of the structure can be enhanced and the manufacturing processes of masks can be reduced.
US07723728B2

A fan-out wire structure is used to connect a driver and a display region of a display panel and has a plurality of first single-layer wires and at least one second single-layer wire. The first ends of the first single-layer wires are connected to the driver, and the second ends of the first single-layer wires are connected to the display area. The first end of the second single-layer wire is connected to the driver, and the second end of the second single-layer wire is connected to the display area. A metal layer of the first single-layer wires is different from a metal layer of the second single-layer wire.
US07723727B2

Disclosed are a liquid crystal display and a substrate for the same. The substrate comprises first wires formed in one direction on the substrate; second wires intersecting and insulated from the first wires; pixel electrodes formed in pixel regions defined by the first wires and the second wires; and switching elements connected to the first wires, the second wires and the pixel electrodes, wherein an interval between two adjacent second wires has a predetermined dimension that repeatedly varies from one set of adjacent second wires to the next, and a side of the pixel electrodes adjacent to the second wires is shaped in a pattern identical to the second wires such that the pixel electrodes have a wide portion and a narrow portion. The liquid crystal display comprises a first substrate; first wires formed in one direction on the first substrate; second wires intersecting and insulated from the first wires; pixel electrodes formed in pixel regions defined by the crossing of the first wires and the second wires, and a side of the pixel electrodes adjacent to the second wires is shaped in a pattern identical to the second wires such that the pixel electrodes have a wide portion and a narrow portion; switching elements connected to the first wires, the second wires and the pixel electrodes; a second substrate provided opposing the first substrate; a black matrix formed on the second substrate; common electrodes formed on the second substrate; and domain controlling means for controlling the formation of domains of the pixel electrodes.
US07723726B2

An exemplary thin film transistor substrate (30) includes a base substrate (31) and a gate electrode (32) formed on the base substrate. The gate electrode includes a bonding layer (321) formed on the base substrate and an electrically conductive layer (322) formed on the bonding layer. The bonding layer includes one of aluminum oxide and zirconium dioxide.
US07723716B2

There is provided a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a lower electrode, a contact connected to the lower electrode to have a double trench structure, a phase change material layer accommodated in the double trench to cause a phase change between a crystalline state and an amorphous state in accordance with a change in heat transmitted by the contact, and an upper electrode connected to the phase change material layer.
US07723713B2

The invention is related to methods and apparatus for providing a resistance variable memory element with improved data retention and switching characteristics. According to one embodiment of the invention, a resistance variable memory element is provided having at least one silver-selenide layer in between two glass layers, wherein at least one of the glass layers is a chalcogenide glass, preferably having a GexSe100-x composition. According to another embodiment of the invention, a resistance variable memory element is provided having at least one silver-selenide layer in between chalcogenide glass layers and further having a silver layer above at least one of said chalcogenide glass layers and a conductive adhesion layer above said silver layer. According to the another embodiment of the invention, a resistance variable memory element is provided having a first chalcogenide glass layer, a silver layer over said chalcogenide glass layer, a second chalcogenide glass layer over said silver layer, a second silver layer over said second chalcogenide glass layer, and a conductive adhesion layer over said a second silver layer.
US07723709B2

In order to enable high accuracy positioning and strong pressing of a substrate, the present invention provides a substrate holding apparatus including: a rotating bed having an inclined surface supporting a lower side of an outer circumferential side surface of the substrate, which bed rotates on a normal line of the substrate as the rotation axis together with the substrate; a position restriction unit rotating together with the rotating bed and restricting the substrate in a predetermined position on the rotating bed by pressing a plurality of points on the circumference on an upper side of the outer circumferential side surface of the substrate prior to the rotation; and a pressing unit rotating together with the rotating bed and pressing the substrate against the inclined surface by pressing a plurality of points on the upper side of the outer circumferential side surface of the substrate during the rotation.
US07723708B2

The present invention provides an optical semiconductor device including a semiconductor thin film (4) having photoconductivity and a pair of electrodes (5) and (10) for applying an electric field to an inside of the semiconductor thin film (4) in a direction approximately vertical to a surface of the semiconductor thin film (4), wherein the semiconductor thin film (4) generates an electromagnetic wave when light is applied to a region thereof to which the electric field is applied. The electrodes are provided to a front surface and a back surface of the semiconductor thin film (4) with the semiconductor thin film interposed therebetween.
US07723706B2

A system and method of quickly determining the parameters of an ion beam are disclosed. An ion beam, having a width and height dimension, is made up of a number of individual beamlets. By using a plurality of detectors, deployed over the entire beam, it is possible to quickly determine the mean angle of the beam at various locations. This information can then be used to adjust the beamline components. The detector allows a small portion of the beam to enter through a narrow slit. Varying voltages are applied to a set of electrostatic deflection plates, which enable rapid determination of the incoming beam angle. By positioning a plurality of these detectors along one or both dimensions of an ion beam, a profile of the beam can be quickly generated. This profile can then be used to adjust the various beam line components so as to improve the spread of the ion beam. This adjustment can either be made manually, or via an automated controller.
US07723696B2

In a radiation detector, a response is approximated as a primary delay system, and when a time constant T indicating the characteristic of the response is known, a final response value N0 is forecasted from dose rates or counting rates N1 and N2 of two points in the initial or middle stage of response. When the time constant T is unknown, the final response value N0 is forecasted from dose rates or counting rates N1, N2, and N3 of three points in the initial or middle stage of response. Simultaneously, a time constant is obtained and the soundness of the radiation detector is also evaluated. Thereby, a dose rate in an existence field of radiation or a counting rate in an existence field of radioactive materials is quickly and accurately forecasted, whereby the measurement time is shortened.
US07723685B2

The present invention relates to a semiconductor processing system that employs infrared-based thermopile detector for process control, by analyzing a material of interest, based on absorption of infrared light at a characteristic wavelength by such material. In one embodiment, an infrared light beam is transmitted through a linear transmission path from an infrared light source through a sampling region containing material of interest into the thermopile detector. The linear transmission path reduces the risk of signal loss during transmission of the infrared light. The transmission path of the infrared light may comprise a highly smooth and reflective inner surface for minimizing such signal loss during transmission.
US07723673B2

An ambient light sensor system is provided for sensing ambient light and light in the area in front of a motor vehicle, wherein the ambient light sensor system includes a light guide element arranged behind a transparent surface of the motor vehicle and at least two sensors arranged on the light guide element.
US07723668B2

A photodetector arrangement has a semiconductor body with a substrate, and first, second and third layers. The first layer is located at the first main surface of the semiconductor body which is suited for reception of incident photon radiation which is to be detected. The second layer is located at the second main surface of the semiconductor body which is at a distance to the first main surface. The third layer is located between the substrate and the second layer.
US07723665B2

A method for calibration and/or compensation in transference of digital and/or analogue motion pictures to a photosensitive material comprises exposing a section of a photosensitive material by modulating light from a light source and imaging the modulated light onto the photosensitive material, develop the section of the photosensitive material, measure the characteristics of the developed film while illuminated by the said light source, and adjusting the light source and/or light modulation according to the measurement. By using the same light source for exposing and measuring the film, good reproducibility can be achieved, as well as a reliable basis for the adjustments.
US07723655B2

A microwave oven cooking food using a bar code, and a method controlling same. The microwave oven comprises a bar code scanner for obtaining bar code data from the bar code attached to the food; and a controller for obtaining cooking data corresponding to the microwave oven from the bar code data, setting cooking conditions based on the obtained cooking data, and performing the cooking of the food according to the set cooking conditions. Accordingly, it is possible to develop cooking sets regardless of the manufacturing times of foods, and food producers can put foods applied compatibly to plural cooking sets on the market and easily control inventory.
US07723652B2

A heating strap assembly includes a of heating strap engaged with positioning recesses of supports which are connected between two sides of a rectangular frame which includes a first end board, a second end board and the two sides connected between the first and second end boards. Two positioning bars are connected between the first and second end boards to press the supports. An adjusting device includes a U-shaped pull member which is movably connected to the second end board by springs. The pull member is connected to a driving support which is movably connected to the two sides of the frame and includes positioning recesses with which the heating strap is engaged. The springs pull the pull member to pull the heating strap so as to keep the tension of the heating strap.
US07723649B2

A vacuum thermal annealing device is provided having temperature control for use with various materials, such as semiconductor substrates. A vacuum is used to remove air and outgas residual materials. Heated gas is injected planar to a substrate as pressure is quickly raised.Concurrent with the heated gas flow, a chamber wall heater is turned on and maintains a temperature for a proper annealing time. Upon completion of the annealing process, the chamber wall heater shuts down and air is forced around the chamber wall heater. Additionally, cool gas replaces the heated gas to cool the substrate.
US07723647B2

A hot melt adhesive material dispensing system includes a communication system for transmitting information or data between the adhesive supply unit (ASU) and one or more applicator heads, wherein the number of hard wires actually interconnecting the adhesive supply unit (ASU) and the one or more hot melt adhesive material dispensing applicator heads can be reduced by the employment of signal couplers. In addition, the number of applicator heads that can be utilized in conjunction with a particular adhesive supply unit (ASU) can be increased by incorporating the temperature controller, normally disposed upon the adhesive supply unit (ASU), upon the applicator head.
US07723634B2

A contactor assembly includes a stationary contact, an arc contact, an arc arrestor, and a magnetic intensifier. The magnetic intensifier is constructed to extend in generally close proximity to one of the stationary contact and the arc contact. During communication of power through the contactor assembly, the magnetic intensifier manipulates a magnetic field associated with current passing through the contactor assembly and increases the magnitude of a magnetic force directed to the arc arrestor. Preferably, the magnetic intensifier is formed integrally with a turnback associated with one of the stationary contact or the arc contact. Such a construction simplifies the manufacture and assembly of the contactor assembly and provides efficient and repeatable arc suppression.
US07723630B1

A safety switch allows for greater safety and greater ease in operating a machine where multiple operators may be required. The safety switch allows multiple operators in different locations to exercise control over the machine, reducing the risk of accidents and improper operation of the machine.
US07723626B2

A push button assembly has a button retainer having drawer slide guides and a corresponding bezel structure. The button retainer also has a surface perpendicular to a principal translational axis, on which is one of a conical protrusion and a conical indentation is formed. The bezel structure has the other of the conical protrusion and conical indentation. The conical indentation mates with the conical protrusion such that the conical protrusion and the portions forming the conical indentation are in contact around their perimeters when the button retainer and bezel structure are in a pre-load position. A method of producing the button retainer and bezel structure is also disclosed, which includes attaching an attachment mold pin to the molds, which can be altered and reattached in the tuning process.
US07723625B1

An ultra low pressure switch system for efficiently reducing switch deterioration. The ultra low pressure switch system generally includes a housing comprised of a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion define a cavity between thereof, a first port fluidly connected to the housing, a diaphragm member positioned within the cavity, a first terminal positioned within the cavity, a second terminal positioned within the cavity and a spacer member positioned within the cavity and between the first terminal and the second terminal.
US07723623B2

This disclosure is directed to electrical connectors, and more specifically to a duplex or multiplex electrical connector having an integrally formed connector body having an inlet end portion defining a plurality of passageways for receiving a cable, and an outlet end portion wherein the outlet end portion is provided with an outer surface that slopes downwardly toward the outlet opening and having a complementary sloping or frustro-conical, snap fit, outer, retaining ring with locking tangs and grounding tangs for snap locking the outlet end portion of the connector to an electric box or panel, and including a unidirectional cable retaining sleeve disposed within each of the inlet bores or passageways which are firmly secured therein in a predetermined oriented position relative to the respective passageway, and having a non-conducting bushing sandwiched between the outlet end opening and the outer frustro-conical retaining ring.
US07723620B2

A semiconductor loading lead pin that does not tilt at a time of reflow. A void is sometimes left in solder between an electrode pad and the flange of a semiconductor loading lead pin. When reflow is carried out to load an IC chip, the solder for connection is melted and at the same time, the void in the solder is expanded. The solder escapes sideway along the groove portion, and thereby a flange is not raised by the void so that the semiconductor loading lead pin is not tilted.
US07723618B2

An article of manufacture includes a circuit board and a pair of traces on or in the circuit board. The pair of traces includes a first trace and a second trace. The first trace includes a first segment and a second segment continuously joined to the first segment. The first segment coincides with a first longitudinal axis. The second trace includes a first segment that runs alongside the first segment of the first trace. The second trace also includes a second segment that runs alongside the second segment of the first trace. The second segment of the second trace is continuously joined to the first segment of the second trace. The second segment of the second trace coincides with the first longitudinal axis.
US07723616B2

The invention offers a superconducting cable easy to form a twisted structure even when a plurality of cable cores are used and a DC transmission system incorporating the superconducting cable. A superconducting cable 1 has a structure formed by twisting together two types of cable cores (two first cores 2 and one second core 3) having different structures and then housing them in a heat-insulated pipe 7. The first cores 2 each have a first superconducting layer 2a, to be used either as an outward line or for the transmission for a pole in DC transmission, and have no superconducting layer other than the first superconducting layer 2a. The second core 3 has a second superconducting layer 3a, to be used as a return line or neutral line in DC transmission, and has no superconducting layer other than the second superconducting layer 3a. The second superconducting layer 3a has an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the first superconducting layer 2a.
US07723614B2

A method and apparatus for providing an explosion proof enclosure by providing expandable or extendible enclosure wall, side, top, or bottom sections which allow the explosion to be contained internally without the enclosure erupting or the enclosure bursting.
US07723612B2

An apparatus and method is provided for inhibiting theft of electrical wiring through the access opening of an electrical fixture supporting pole, such as a street light pole. Prior to securing the pole to the base, a wire clamping element is placed on the base around the passage for the power supply cable. The electrical power supply cable is clamped to a vertical surface of the clamping element, and the free end of the cable is extended to a location proximate the second opposed vertical surface of the clamping element. The electrical connection cable from the electrical fixture is then attached to the power supply cable, and the pole and the clamping element are secured to the base such that the access opening is positioned to provide access to the connections of the power supply cable and electrical connection cable from the electrical fixture, but access to the clamping device which secures the power supply cable to the first surface is not possible without removing the pole.
US07723611B2

Embodiments of a cable connector are provided that include an inner connector assembly and an outer connector housing. In use, the cable connector securely fastens or splices together at least two cables or cable sections and in electrical communication while also providing fluid communication therebetween. The cable connector further protects, and preferably seals off, the connection interface between the cables or cable sections and from the environment.
US07723610B2

The invention relates to a titanium oxide-based polymer composition. The inventive composition comprises a TiOx(OH)y(H2O)z(x+y−+z=3) titanium oxide-based polymer in the form of a gel or sol. Said polymer, which has a one-dimensional (1D) structure, is made from concentrically-wound fibers having a periodicity which is deduced from the spacing between said fibers, of between 3.5 Å and 4 Å. Each fiber comprises TiO6octahedrons and each TiO6octahedron shares two opposite edges with two adjacent octahedrons (2.times.2.92 Å) in order to form infinite chains which develop along the axis of a fiber. According to the invention, two adjacent chains form double lines as a result of the shared edges (2.times.3.27 Å). The inventive polymer is suitable for use as a photosensitive element in a photovoltaic cell, such as a sunscreen for a window.
US07723606B2

A thermoelectric generator (TEG) and a method of fabricating the TEG are described. The TEG is designed so that parasitic thermal resistance of air and height of legs of thermocouples forming a thermopile can be varied and optimized independently. The TEG includes a micromachined thermopile sandwiched in between a hot and a cold plate and at least one spacer in between the thermopile and the hot and/or cold plate. The TEG fabrication includes fabricating the thermopiles, a rim, and the cold plate.
US07723605B2

The present invention is an electronic musical instrument that in appearance and playing characteristics closely resembles flute-like instruments such as a conventional flute or a shakuhachi. The instrument comprises an electronic controller that has operating characteristics that resemble a flute and computer software executable on a computer for converting signals from the controller into data suitable for generating complex sound from conventional speakers. Thus, the instrument provides the complexity and nuance of control of an acoustic instrument while being capable of generating sounds that an acoustic instrument cannot make.
US07723596B2

A holder for mounting a sensory device to a musical instrument includes a bracket having a plurality of first connector elements, a locking mechanism for fixing the sensory device to the bracket; and a plurality of hanger members. The bracket supports the sensory device and each of the hanger members connects at least one of the first connector elements to at least one of a plurality of second connector elements attached to the musical instrument. The second connector elements being spaced apart from each other and the hanger members hold the bracket at a predetermined position.
US07723582B2

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive canola cultivar, designated DN041100. Also included are seeds of canola cultivar DN041100, to the plants, or plant parts, of canola DN041100 and to methods for producing a canola plant produced by crossing the canola DN041100 with itself or another canola cultivar, and the creation of variants by mutagenesis or transformation of canola DN041100.
US07723580B2

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive canola cultivar, designated DN040844. Also included are seeds of canola cultivar DN040844, to the plants, or plant parts, of canola DN040844 and to methods for producing a canola plant produced by crossing the canola DN040844 with itself or another canola cultivar, and the creation of variants by mutagenesis or transformation of canola DN040844.
US07723578B2

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive canola cultivar, designated DN040839. Also included are seeds of canola cultivar DN040839, to the plants, or plant parts, of canola DN040839 and to methods for producing a canola plant produced by crossing the canola DN040839 with itself or another canola cultivar, and the creation of variants by mutagenesis or transformation of canola DN040839.
US07723575B2

The compositions and methods disclosed herein provide novel DNA molecules that encode glyphosate resistant EPSPS proteins and plants containing these new proteins. The plants that express the new EPSPS proteins are themselves tolerant to the herbicidal effects of glyphosate.
US07723573B2

The present invention provides thermostable polypeptides related to Arabidopsis Rubisco Activase polypeptides. Nucleic acids encoding the polypeptides of the invention are also provided. Methods for using the polypeptides and nuclei acids of the invention to enhance resistance of plants to heat stress are encompassed.
US07723565B2

The invention provides vernalization-related polypeptides, nucleic acids and methods of using the same for inducibly-conferring epigenetic change on a target gene in plant or non-plant settings.
US07723562B2

The present invention relates to a novel use of an α1G T-type calcium channel transgenic mouse as a nervous disease model, more particularly, a novel use of a mouse deficient in α1G T-type calcium channel showing novelty-seeking and alcohol preference as a nervous disease model for human nervous related diseases such as novelty-seeking character, alcoholism, anxiety and emotion disorder by stress, etc. The α1G T-type channel transgenic mice showing novelty-seeking and alcohol preference of the present invention can be effectively used for the development of a medicine and a therapeutic method for human nervous diseases.
US07723561B2

A PIV window dressing assembly with integral, built-in tubing anchors for the protection of a PIV catheter insertion site is disclosed that is interchangeably usable on both a right or left-hand side insertion site and that resists detachment from a patient's skin during use. The dressing assembly includes a fabric layer that is bounded by an edge. The fabric layer has an adhesive side, an opposite non-adhesive side, and at least one opening therein to allow for viewing therethrough. At least one reinforcement member is disposed between the fabric layer edge and the opening. The reinforcement member is adhered to the fabric layer adhesive side. A transparent film layer having an adhesive skin adhering side and an opposite non-adhesive side closes each of the openings in the fabric layer. The film layer non-adhesive side is adhered to the fabric layer adhesive side.
US07723560B2

A wound vacuum therapy dressing kit is provided for use with a wound drainage system having a vacuum source. The kit may include a wound dressing member, a sealing film, and a wound measurement device. The wound dressing member may include a wound contacting surface configured to be in contact with and generally conform to a wound surface of a patient. The member may be adapted to be coupled to the vacuum source for communicating suction from the vacuum source to the wound surface. The sealing film of the kit may be provided for placement over the member and may be configured to adhere to a patient's healthy skin surrounding the wound. The wound measurement device may include a transparent top portion and a transparent bottom portion configured for placement adjacent the wound surface. The top portion may include a drawing surface and a grid associated with the drawing surface.
US07723559B2

A wound dressing for post-operative sites requiring drainage includes a thin film or film/foam laminate layer with an adhesive applied to one surface thereof and an absorbent layer positioned on the adhesive surface. The dressing has an aperture to accommodate a drainage tube and a slit extending from the aperture to an outer edge of the dressing.
US07723558B1

The present invention relates to a near-universal non-corrosive, non-toxic, environmentally safe and user friendly decontaminant capable of detoxifying organophosphorus (OP)-based G-type, V-type neurotoxic chemical warfare, sulfur-mustard, and related OP based hazardous industrial materials in a dry powder form. The decontaminant contains OPH enzyme, OPAA enzyme, DFPase enzyme, dehalogenase enzyme, quaternary ammonium salt, a pH control reagent, a fire-fighting agent, and a foaming agent. The decontaminant is mixed with available water for use.
US07723554B2

Process for the catalytic hydrodealkylation alone of hydrocarbon compositions comprising C8-C13 alkylaromatic compounds, optionally in a mixture with C4-C9 aliphatic and cycloaliphatic products, including the treatment in continuous of said hydrocarbon compositions, in the presence of water, with a catalyst consisting of a ZSM-5 zeolite as such or in bound form, wherein the molar ratio Si/Al in the ZSM-5 ranges from 5 to 35, modified with at least one metal selected from those belonging to groups IIB, VIB and VIII, at a temperature ranging from 400 to 700° C., a pressure of between 2 and 4 MPa, a molar ratio between water and the charge in the feed to the reactor ranging from 0.0006 to 0.16 (i.e. between 0.01 and 2.5% w/w) and a molar ratio H2/charge of between 3 and 6.
US07723553B2

A light emitting device comprising at least one compound of formula (I), (II) or (III) wherein R1 and R2, which may be the same or different, are organic substituents not including H, and wherein R3 and R5 are each independently selected from halo and organic substituents not including H, and wherein R4, R6, R7, R8, R9, and R10 are each independently selected from H, halo, and organic substituents, wherein any two or more of R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, and R10 may optionally be fused together to form a ring system, provided that one of R3 and R5 is not part of a fused ring system, and provided that R1 and R2 are not fused to each other to form a ring system, and wherein one but not both of either (a) R3 and R4, or (b) R5 and R6, are fused to each other to form a ring system.
US07723550B2

Process for preparing a compound of the formula (I) in which R1 and R2 are each independently H, C1-C8-alkyl, halogen, polyhalo-C1-C8-alkoxy, polyhalo-C1-C8-alkyl, C1-C8-alkoxy, C1-C8-alkoxy-C1-C8-alkyl, or C1-C8-alkoxy-C1-C8-alkoxy, where R1 and R2 are not both H, and R3 is C1-C8-alkyl, which is characterized in that a) a compound of the formula (II) in which R1 and R2 are each as defined above and X is Br, I, triflate, toyslate or mesylate is reacted with prop-2-yn-1-ol to give the compound of the formula (III), b) the compound of the formula (III) is reacted with an alkyl-metal compound in which “alkyl” is as defined above for R3 to give a compound of the formula (I).
US07723545B2

The present invention provides a method for the production of free-flowing additive compounds that comprises the steps of preparation of a particulate additive compound and storage of a mass of the particulate additive compound at a surface pressure of at least 30 g/cm2 until the mass of additive compound is baked together. Then follows the crushing of the baked-together mass of the additive compound into a crushed particulate additive compound and the sieving of the crushed particulate additive compound, whereby particles of a size in excess of 4.0 mm and particles of a size of less than 0.1 mm are separated from the crushed particulate additive compound such that a fraction containing a free-flowing additive compound with long-term stability of particle sizes is obtained.
US07723541B2

A process is provided herein for the high yield production of high purity glacial methacrylic acid (“HPMAA”) that is substantially pure, specifically 99% pure or greater, with water content of 0.05% or less and low levels of other impurities, including HIBA, acrylic acid, MOMPA, methacrolein and others. This improved process comprises providing a crude MAA stream and purifying the crude methacrylic acid stream in a series of successive distillation steps involving two distillation columns. The inventive process is capable producing high purity methacrylic acid product that is especially suitable for the production of specialty MAA polymers.
US07723538B2

The invention is concerned with novel sulfonamide derivatives of formula (I) wherein R2, R3, R4, A, X, Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4 and Z1 are as defined in the description and in the claims, as well as physiologically acceptable salts and esters thereof. These compounds inhibit L-CPT1 and can be used as medicaments.
US07723536B2

Synthetic methods and intermediates useful in the preparation of lactone containing compounds such as discodermolide and compounds which mimic the chemical or biological activity of discodermolide are provided.
US07723521B2

A novel semiconductor device comprises an azaperylene organic semiconductor of the formula I wherein the substitutents are defined herein.
US07723519B2

Hybrid compounds containing an aminotetralin moiety or a heterocyclic and/or open chain analog thereof linked through an alkylene group to an aryl ring system-substituted piperidiene moiety exhibit high levels of CNS activity, in some cases exhibiting especially high relative binding efficiencies between D3 and D2 dopaminergic receptor subtypes.
US07723514B2

The present invention provides a method of preparing a 5H-dibenz[b,f]azepine-5-carboxamide of formula (1) wherein R1, R2, R3, and R4 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, nitro, cyano, carboxyl, A, —CO(A), —OCO(A), —O(A), —N(A)2, —CON(A)2, and —COO(A), wherein A is selected from the group consisting of C1-C10 alkyl, C3-C10 cycloalkyl, C2-C10 alkenyl, C5-C10 cycloalkenyl, C2-C10 alkynyl, and C6-C20 aryl, wherein the two A groups of —N(A)2 and —CON(A)2 can be the same or different, and wherein R2 and R3 can together form a bond; comprising reacting a 5H-dibenz[b,f]azepine of formula (2) with a) a cyanate salt selected from the group consisting of alkali metal cyanate salts and alkaline-earth metal cyanate salts, and b) a salt of an amino compound having no N—H bonds, wherein the salt has a Ka (25° C.) of at least about 10×10−11.
US07723508B2

Compounds, compositions and methods are provided for modulating the expression of apolipoprotein(a). The compositions comprise oligonucleotides, targeted to nucleic acid encoding apolipoprotein(a). Methods of using these compounds for modulation of apolipoprotein(a) expression and for diagnosis and treatment of disease associated with expression of apolipoprotein(a) are provided.
US07723504B2

The invention relates to a mutation within the sap operon of an avirulent clone of a nontypeable strain of Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi). The invention also relates to the NTHi sap operon genes and the polypeptides encoded by these polynucleotide sequences. The invention also relates to a novel 110 kDa NTHi outer membrane protein and the polynucleotide that encodes this outer membrane protein. Methods of screening for NTHi infection, and treating and preventing NTHi related disorders are also contemplated.
US07723503B2

Disclosed are isolated polynucleotides encoding an omega-3 desaturase and a delta-12 desaturase, the enzymes encoded by the isolated polynucleotides, vectors containing the isolated polynucleotides, transgenic hosts that contain the isolated polynucleotides that express the enzymes encoded thereby, methods for producing the desaturase enzymes, and method of using the enzymes to make polyunsaturated fatty acids. The isolated polynucleotides are derived from a fungus, Saprolegnia diclina (ATCC 56851). In particular, omega-3-desaturase may be utilized, for example, in the conversion of arachidonic acid (AA) to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Delta-12 desaturase may be used, for example, in the conversion of oleic acid (OA) to linoleic (LA). EPA or polyunsaturated fatty acids produced therefrom may be added to pharmaceutical compositions, nutritional compositions, animal feeds, as well as other products such as cosmetics.
US07723501B2

The present invention provides a family of BAG-1 related proteins from humans (BAG-1L, BAG-1, BAG-2, BAG-3, BAG-4 and BAG-5), the invertebrate C. elegans (BAG-1, BAG-2) and the fission yeast S. pombe (BAG-1A, BAG-1B) and the nucleic acid molecules that encode them.
US07723496B2

A compound inhibiting the activity of a protein comprising the same or substantially the same amino acid sequence as the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 4, SEQ ID NO: 7, SEQ ID NO: 10, SEQ ID NO: 15, SEQ ID NO: 17, SEQ ID NO: 20, SEQ ID NO: 22, SEQ ID NO: 25 or SEQ ID NO: 27, or a salt thereof; a compound inhibiting the expression of a gene of the protein; an antisense polynucleotide containing the entire or part of a base sequence complementary or substantially complementary to a base sequence of a polynucleotide encoding the protein or its partial peptide; an antibody to the protein or its partial peptide, etc. are useful as prophylactic/therapeutic agents for cancer, etc., apoptosis promoters for cancer cells, and the like.
US07723490B2

The present invention concerns a process by which a misfold in an Fc fusion molecule can be prevented or corrected. In one embodiment, the process comprises (a) preparing a pharmacologically active compound comprising an Fc domain; (b) treating the fusion molecule with a copper (II) halide; and (c) isolating the treated fusion molecule. The pharmacologically active compound can be an antibody or a fusion molecule comprising a pharmacologically active domain and an Fc domain. The preferred copper (II) halide is CuCl2. The preferred concentration thereof is at least about 10 mM for fusion molecules prepared in E. coli; at least about 30 mM for fusion molecules prepared in CHO cells. The process can be employed with any number of pharmacologically active domains. Preferred pharmacologically active domains include OPG proteins, leptin proteins, soluble portions of TNF receptors (e.g., wherein the fusion molecule is etanercept), IL-1ra proteins, and TPO-mimetic peptides. The Fc domain preferably has a human sequence, with an Fc sequence derived from IgG1 most preferred. An exemplary Fc sequence is shown in FIG. 5 hereinafter.
US07723482B2

An antibody or antibody fragment directed against the CD28 receptor which blocks the interaction between B7-1 or B7-2 and CD28. Methods for blocking activation via CD28, including CD28-dependent lymphocyte activation.
US07723466B2

A tackifier resin is provided comprising monomer units from at least one aromatic monomer and at least one acrylate monomer; wherein the tackifier resin has a low residual monomer concentration. In other embodiments of the invention, the tackifier resin does not significantly decrease the moisture vapor transport rate of an adhesive composition comprising the tackifier resin, does not significantly increase fogging of an adhesive composition comprising the tackifier resin, and does not significantly exhibit skin sensitivity properties. A process to produce the tackifier resin is also provided. The process comprises contacting a tackifier resin product stream with at least one carrier at a temperature sufficient to remove a portion of at least one residual monomer from the tackifier resin product stream to produce the tackifier resin.
US07723447B2

The invention provides for a process to produce polymers utilizing a hydrofluorocarbon diluent.
US07723446B2

Aspects of the invention are directed to a process for producing polypropylene comprising: providing series reactors comprising a first and a second loop allowing flow of polypropylene, catalyst, hydrogen and propylene there between, wherein each loop comprises from six to eight legs, each leg having fluid connections there between; injecting into the first loop an amount of a catalyst, propylene and optionally hydrogen; withdrawing polypropylene, and unreacted propylene and optionally unreacted hydrogen from the first loop and injecting the polypropylene, and unreacted propylene and optionally unreacted hydrogen into the second loop; and providing a propylene/polypropylene separator fluidly connected to the second loop and isolating polypropylene therefrom. In one embodiment a recycle conduit is provided between the propylene/polypropylene separator and the second loop allowing the recycling of unreacted propylene and optionally hydrogen into the second loop.
US07723441B2

Disclosed is polymer materials essentially free of silicone capable of room-temperature thermal cure and when cured having low modulus, low out-gassing rate. The material before cure typically comprises three components: (i) a cationically curable component comprising the backbone of a hydrocarbon-based rubber material essentially free of carbon-carbon double bonds and triple bonds; (ii) a hydroxyl-containing component having at least two hydroxyl groups per molecule; (iii) an initiator component having essentially no volatility at room temperature and also yield products after polymerization that have minimal or no volatility at room temperature; (iv) an optional viscosity adjustment component either homopolymerizable or capable of copolymerizing with the photo or electron beam curable material component of (i); and (v) an optional non-alkaline inert filler. Also disclosed are process for making such cured material and devices comprising such cured polymer materials.
US07723437B2

The invention is directed to a thermoplastic vulcanizate composition comprising a rubber and a very low density polyethylene copolymer. Furthermore, the invention is directed to a process for making said thermoplastic vulcanizate composition and articles comprising said thermoplastic vulcanizate composition.