US07958566B2
Disclosed is an atomic force microscope (AFM) probe for use in an AFM, and more particularly, an AFM probe suitable for testing the topography and mechanical properties of a microstructure having a size on the order of micrometers or nanometers. To this end, an AFM probe according to the present invention comprises an elastically deformable frame having a fixed end and a movable end on one axis; an AFM tip supported by the movable end to be movable against a test sample in a direction of the axis; and a stopper provided on an inner surface of the frame to control a movement of the AFM tip within a predetermined range.
US07958555B1
Protecting computer users from online frauds, such as phishing and pharming. A client computer may include a page signature extractor and a policy enforcer. The page signature extractor may encode a web page to generate its signature, which may be provided to a remote server computer for comparison with signatures of phishing pages. The client computer and the server computer may communicate using the DNS protocol. The policy enforcer may perform one or more predetermined actions when a match is found. Examples of such actions include replacing the web page with a blocking page, displaying a warning message, or both. The policy enforcer may be configured to determine if the web page is part of a phishing or pharming attack by comparing the URL of the web page to URLs of legitimate web pages.
US07958538B2
A virtual channel table for broadcasting protocol and a method for broadcasting by using the virtual channel table includes identification information identifying and permitting discrimination of active and inactive channels contained in the virtual channel table. At a receiver, the virtual channel table transmitted from the transmitting side is parsed, thereby determining whether the current received channel is an active or inactive channel.
US07958531B2
An automatic level controlled system for delivering satellite signals to at least one Integrated Receiver Decoder (IRD). The system includes a plurality of inputs, designed to receive a plurality of satellite signals, wherein the satellite signals are directed to the inputs based on an originating satellite for each of the satellite signals, an automatic level controller, coupled to the inputs, for adjusting a signal strength associated with each the satellite signals such that each of the signal strengths are within a predetermined range, a multiswitch, having a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs, wherein at least one input of the multiswitch is coupled to the automatic level controller, and an interface, wherein at least one of the outputs of the multiswitch provides a signal to the interface, such that at least one new IRD coupled to an output of the interface receives a portion of a satellite signal based on commands sent to the interface from the new IRD.
US07958529B2
An account in an item rental service is shared with others using computer-implemented profiles, subject to computer-enforced constraints. In one embodiment, a method provides for establishing a user account, wherein the user account is associated with an account owner, wherein the user account comprises a first ordered queue indicating two or more items that the account owner desires to rent; receiving a request to add a second ordered queue to the user account, profile member identifying information, and a constraint value; creating and storing a profile record based on the profile member identifying information and the constraint value, wherein the profile record is further associated with a second queue; receiving a request to add a specified rental item to the second queue, wherein the specified rental item does not conform to the constraint value; and adding the specified rental item to the second queue only in response to receiving confirmation by the account owner.
US07958519B2
A recording medium changer includes a storage block that is movable in a longitudinal direction, a drive block that processes data recorded on a recording medium, a conveying block that is movable in a vertical direction and conveys the recording medium for mounting onto the drive block or for storage into the storage block, and a power supply block that supplies drive power to individual sections. The rear position of the storage block is present above the drive block, the driving delivery position of the conveying block is present forward of the drive block, the conveying block is present in the driving delivery position at the time of movement of the storage block in the longitudinal direction, and the storage block is present in the forward position when storage and ejection of the recording medium into and from the storage block are performed via an opening.
US07958509B2
A method and system of resource allocation for execution of a job are provided. The method includes receiving feedback (134) regarding the execution of previously submitted jobs on one or more resource nodes (101-104), and estimating the resources required for execution of a submitted job based on the feedback (134) and the parameters of the job. One, or a plurality of resource nodes in parallel, having the estimated resources are allocated the job. The feedback may be implicit feedback indicating the success or failure of the execution of a job. The one or more resource nodes (101-104) allocated for execution of a job may have less than a user requested resource allocation for the job.
US07958507B2
In at least some embodiments, a method comprises computing an initial schedule of jobs to be run on a computing system using a mathematical program and monitoring the computing system. The method also comprises, based on the monitoring, determining, using the mathematical program used to compute the initial schedule, whether the initial schedule should be re-computed.
US07958506B2
A technique to process interrupts on a virtualized platform. A plurality of virtual machines (VMs) runs on the virtualized platform having at least a processor. The VMs include a power VM. A VM scheduler schedules the VMs for execution on the virtualized platform according a scheduling policy. A virtualized interrupt mask controller controls masking an interrupt from an interrupting source according to the scheduling policy.
US07958505B2
Flexible systems and methods are disclosed that may be used for provisioning, configuring, and controlling a host embodied in a cable set top box or other digital device attached to a digital communication network, such as cable distribution network. An enhanced services system maintains various host files for various types of hosts that a cable subscriber may purchase and connect to the cable network. The Enhanced Services Server interacts with the host using the host files. The host files may be downloaded from the host manufacturer into a database that distributes the modules as required to the various enhanced services systems. The host may be purchased by the cable subscriber and provisioning may be initiated by the retailer at the time of purchase using a provisioning network interacting with the appropriate cable system serving the subscriber. This abstract is not intended to limit or construe the scope of the claims.
US07958482B2
Stitched circuitry region boundary identification for a stitched IC chip layout is presented along with a related IC chip and design structure. One method includes obtaining a circuit design for an integrated circuit (IC) chip layout that exceeds a size of a photolithography tool field, wherein the IC chip layout includes a stitched circuitry region; and modifying the IC chip layout to include a boundary identification identifying a boundary of the stitched circuitry region at which stitching occurs, wherein the boundary identification takes the form of a negative space in the IC chip layout. One IC chip may include a plurality of stitched circuitry regions; and a boundary identification identifying a boundary between a pair of the stitched circuitry regions, wherein the boundary identification takes the form of a negative space in a layer of the IC chip.
US07958473B2
A method and a computer program for configuring an integrated circuit design for static timing analysis include receiving module data representative of a hierarchy of modules in an integrated circuit design. A configuration item is selected from a list of configuration items for at least one of the modules. The module data is configured for the module from the selected configuration item into a static timing analysis scenario for performing a static timing analysis of the configured module data.
US07958467B2
The present disclosure generally pertains to automatic wiring systems and methods for generating wiring layouts for integrated circuits. In one exemplary embodiment, a wiring router ensures that the wiring for multiple device segments is matched. That is, the wiring router defines the wiring paths such that the same or substantially similar localized metal patterns exist around each of the device segments. Thus, when an integrated circuit (IC) chip is manufactured according to the wiring layout, the IC chip should be less susceptible to the effects of process variations.
US07958466B1
A method for generating a scalar quality metric value for a design solution includes reflectings one or more qualities of the design solution with respect to two or more domains in the system. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
US07958462B2
A computer executable three-dimensional device simulation program product for the purpose of making a three-dimensional device simulation system which generates a three-dimensional model of a device by using a mask data performing the procedures of inputting cross-sectional feature information indicating a cross-sectional feature of an edge part of a mask, and calculating the three-dimensional model based on the mask data and input cross-sectional feature information, thereby enabling an easy generation of a complex three-dimensional feature by using pattern forming-use mask data when generating a three-dimensional feature model of a minute device.
US07958456B2
Movement of a user's point of contact with a touch-sensitive display is determined. In response to the movement, a list of information items on the touch-sensitive display is scrolled. The list of information items may include a sequence of information item subsets corresponding to a sequence of index items. While scrolling through respective information subsets, an index symbol is displayed in conjunction with each respective information item subset.
US07958455B2
A computer implemented method for changing between a cursor control mode and a scroll control mode. The cursor control mode allowing a user to move a cursor on a graphical user interface (GUI) and the scroll control mode allowing a user to scroll on the GUI. The cursor and scroll movements are based on positional data supplied by an input device such as a mouse.
US07958447B2
A method for providing navigational control of paginated electronic information, includes: loading paginated information into an electronic device capable of displaying paginated information in response to a user's selection; determining the total number of pages in the paginated information, and the number and page lengths of chapters, indexes, appendices, and prefaces; calibrating one or more page navigation controls based on the determined total number of pages in paginated document, and number and page length of chapters, indexes, appendices, prefaces; setting detents and resistance points on the navigation controls based on the calibration; changing displayed paginated content in response to the user's positional touch of the one or more navigation controls; wherein the detents and resistance points are implemented virtually in navigational software, or physically with a series of elevations or ridges that interface with the navigational software; and the level of resistance varies in response to the paginated information.
US07958434B1
In a method for synchronizing to a signal encoded as a group of blocks, a data symbol is received and stored with previously received data symbols as a current potential group. Errors, if any, are detected in the current potential group, and a level of errors associated with the current potential group is deter mined. The current potential group is determined to be an actual group if the current potential group is without errors. Also, the current potential group is determined to be an actual group if a set of potential groups including the current potential group and at least one previous potential group has an acceptable level of errors.
US07958433B1
Methods and systems for storing data in a memory system with different levels of redundancy are disclosed. Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide allow a redundancy level to be associated with received data, wherein associating the redundancy level of the data includes determining a desired level of protection for that data and determining the redundancy level based on the desired level of protection. A zone within a memory system is located that has a redundancy level that matches the redundancy level of the data, and the data is stored in the located zone with the desired redundancy level.
US07958426B2
Various embodiments implement distributed block coding (DBC). DBC can be used for, among other things, distributed forward error correction (DFEC) of source data in communication systems or parity backup for error correction of source data in storage systems where the source data may be corrupted by burst errors. A distributed block encoder (DBE) encodes sequential source data symbols with a plurality of sequential block encoders to produce interleaved parity codewords. The interleaved parity codewords enable decoding of error-corrected source data symbols with a distributed block decoder (DBD) that utilizes a plurality of sequential block decoders to produce the error-corrected source data symbols. A distributed register block encoder (DRBE) and a distributed register block decoder (DRBD) can each be implemented in a single block encoder and a single block decoder, respectively, by using a distributed register arrangement.
US07958421B2
A single-pass, concurrent validation method for generating test pattern sequences for sequential circuits maps fault objects arriving at circuit next-state lines into good next-state fault objects, and passes these mapped results to a next time-frame by placing the good next-state fault objects on present-state lines corresponding to the next-state lines at which to fault objects arrived. Path-enabling functions created during an initial time-frame are reused for all subsequent time-frames, permitting a fault-propagation size and a path-enabling function size to be bounded by a function size established during the initial time-frame. A valid test pattern sequence is found when a primary output line has a good output level that is a complement of a faulty output level for the line. In one embodiment, the determination and comparison of output levels is carried out concurrently.
US07958408B2
An on-chip receiver sensitivity test mechanism for use in an integrated RF transmitter wherein the transmitter and the receiver share the same oscillator. The mechanism obviates the need to use expensive RF signal generator test equipment with built-in modulation capability and instead permits the use of very low cost external RF test equipment. The invention utilizes circuitry already existing in the transceiver, namely the modulation circuitry and local oscillators to perform sensitivity testing. The on-chip LO is used to generate the modulated test signal that otherwise would need to be provided by expensive external RF test equipment with modulation capability. The modulated LO signal is mixed with an externally generated unmodulated CW RF signal to generate a modulated signal at IF which is subsequently processed by the remainder of the receiver chain. The recovered data bits are compared using an on-chip BER meter or counter and a BER reading is generated. The BER reading is used either externally or by an on-chip processor or controller to establish a pass/fail indication for the chip.
US07958404B2
In one embodiment, a state machine may enable retraining of a link, where the state machine is to be initiated responsive to an external input received from a logic analyzer coupled to the link or a periodic timer. Such external input may indicate that the logic analyzer has lost synchronization with respect to link communications, and the retraining thus enables the logic analyzer to regain resynchronization. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07958400B2
A computer-implemented method for evaluating software code includes measuring a first coverage of a test applied to the software code and then making a modification in a first section of the software code. A second coverage of the test applied to the software code is measured after making the modification. A difference is identified between the first coverage and the second coverage in a second section of the software code, which is separate from the first section and was not modified since the first coverage was measured, and an indication of the difference is output.
US07958395B2
A method and system for performing diagnostics and validation operations on a device under test uses near natural language commands. A host machine controls the testing either locally or remotely, such as through the Internet. Various options for running a test or battery of tests on the device under test include entering commands through a prompt line on a graphical user interface, reading commands from a file, or manipulating graphical objects representing components or devices and operations on a graphical user interface. A script may serve as a metric to determine the successfulness of a test or battery of tests of the device under test.
US07958393B2
Conditionally performing delegated actions based on runtime conditions of the environment. A component of an Information Technology environment conditionally performs an action, such as its own recovery, based on whether the component can have such action delegated to it and/or whether that component is currently being shared by multiple business applications of the environment.
US07958388B2
A storage system that may include one or more memory sections, one or more switches, and a management system. The memory sections include memory devices and a section controller capable of detecting faults with the memory section and transmitting messages to the management system regarding detected faults. The storage system may include a management system capable of receiving fault messages from the section controllers and removing from service the faulty memory sections. Additionally, the management system may determine routing algorithms for the one or more switches.
US07958385B1
A cluster-wide published configuration system and method is provided for assigning host nodes to virtual interfaces (VIFs) in a cluster of data storage systems. A coordinating VIF manager publishes a set of failover rules in a VIF configuration table using a replication database. In the event of a VIF failure, the coordinating VIF manager publishes a reassignment of host nodes using a single read-write transaction of a replication database service. Secondary VIF managers in the cluster must perform VIF hosting in accordance to the reassignment or publish a new configuration table. Each VIF manager instance in a quorum reads the VIF configuration table upon each VIF failover to perform error checking event regardless of whether the VIF manager is affected by the VIF failover event.
US07958383B2
A computer system has an adjustable data transmission rate between a CPU and a core logic chip thereof. In the computer system, the CPU has a power state adjustable in response to a power management control signal issued by the core logic chip. For adjusting data transmission rate between the CPU and the core logic chip, a change of an asserted time of the power management control signal from a first time period to a second time period is first determined to obtain an index value. The data transmission rate is increased or decreased according to the index value.
US07958379B2
The feature of the present invention consists in: a processor main circuit for executing program instruction strings on a processor chip; a substrate bias switching unit for switching voltages of substrate biases applied to a substrate of the processor main circuit; and an operation mode control unit for controlling, in response to the execution of an instruction to proceed to a stand-by mode in the processor main circuit, the substrate bias switching unit in such a way that the biases are switched over to voltages for the stand-by mode, and for controlling, in response to an interruption of the stand-by release from the outside, the substrate bias switching unit in such a way that the biases are switched over to voltages for a normal mode, and also for releasing, after the bias voltages switched thereto have been stabilized, the stand-by of the processor main circuit to restart the operation.
US07958378B2
A power supply device of the invention includes: a supply section that supplies power to a second processing device which processes data in response to processing execution by a first processing device which processes data; a load detection section that detects a load of processing execution by the first processing device; and a power control section that causes the supply section to increase or decrease power supply according to the magnitude of load detected by the load detection section. The load of processing execution by the first processing device disposed in the upstream side relative to the second processing device is detected, and power supply to the second processing device is increased or decreased according to the detected magnitude of load. Accordingly, even when the amount of processing data sharply increases, sufficient power can be unfailingly supplied to the second processing device.
US07958372B1
In one aspect, a method to convert a logical unit from a first encryption state to a second encryption state includes receiving a request to convert a logical unit from a first encryption state to a second encryption state, partitioning the logical unit into areas comprising a converted area, an unconverted area and a transition area, writing unconverted data in the transition area to a journal, converting the unconverted data from the first encryption state to the second encryption state and writing the converted data to the logical unit.
US07958370B2
In one embodiment, a content data management system that handles control information on management of content data decryption includes a first device (a recorder/player) for recording/reproducing the content data, a second device (a magnetic disk drive) for storing the content data, and a host processor for controlling data transfer between the first and second devices. The host processor exercises control for the system to inquire of both devices as to a transfer function for internal data of the devices, then depending on particular inquiry results, set up, prior to the data transfer between the two devices, either a first transfer mode for transferring the control information unidirectionally from the first device to the second device, or a second transfer mode for transferring the control information bidirectionally between both devices, authenticate mutual validity between the first and second devices, share key data (symmetric key data) between the first and second devices if authentication results indicate validity, encrypt the control information with the first or second device by using the key data, and transfer the control information that has been encrypted with either device to the other device in the first or second transfer mode that has been set up.
US07958369B2
Systems and methods for multiple level control of access privileges to protected media content are disclosed. In one embodiment, first data is associated with media content. Different versions of the media content are produced using the first data. Each of the different versions include one or more portions of the media content. The one or more portions are selected using the first data. Second data is associated with the different versions. The second data identifies respective protection attributes used to encrypt the different versions. The respective protection attributes correspond to respective keys that provide respective levels of access to the media content.
US07958367B2
When a document creation unit 1 is started, it calculates a hash value of each software piece therein and stores the hash value in a hash value holder 71 and a measurement log document holder 44. The document creation unit 1 accesses a time distribution unit plural times to receive time information therefrom, and records the time information in a log document and a measurement log document. The document creation unit 1 transmits the log document, the measurement log document, and digital signature-embedded hash value information (measurement auxiliary document) in a tamper-resistant device 63 to a document reception device. The document reception device verifies matching of the hash values or digital signature in the document group, confirms software operating environments in the document creation unit 1 from the hash values, and determines whether the time information is correctly managed within the unit 1.
US07958362B2
A method for authenticating a user to a computer system is disclosed, comprising using a first input and a second input in producing a digital signature in response to a challenge. The digital signature is valid when the first input matches a personalized secret and the second input matches a trio comprising a public modulus, a public exponent, and a private-key-dependent exponent. Selection of the personalized secret is discretionary and changeable. A crypto-key generation process uses the personalized secret and two primes as input to produce the trio. The public modulus and public exponent of the trio form a public key used in digital signature validation. Also disclosed is a business method that replaces the conventional public-key certificate with an agreement on the user's public key.
US07958361B2
An information processing method enables verification of validity of signed data using received partial signed data parts, even when all the signed data is not received. According to the information processing method, signature data including a signature value and digests of a plurality of partial signed data parts is received. Then, the signature data is verified by using the signature value and the digests of a plurality of partial signed data parts. Subsequently, the partial signed data is received according to a result of verifying the signature data. Then, the partial signed data is verified using the partial signed data and the digest of the partial signed data.
US07958357B2
Method and arrangement for enabling communications between an entity operating a network including a first user, and a second user includes sending a message from the first user to the entity informing the entity of identification information of the second user interested in joining the network, sending from the entity to the first user a key to allow the second user to communicate with the entity, providing a message from the first user directly to the second user containing the key, sending a message from the second user to the entity using the key, determining whether the key sent by the second user corresponds to the key provided by the entity to the first user, and if so enabling communications between the second user and the entity. The ability of the first user to obtain a key to enable the second user to join the network is time-limited.
US07958354B1
Using a high order shared knowledge mechanism where multiple parties are given multiple shares of a shared ‘common’ secret data, dependent upon role and scenario. It is possible to distribute pre-generated, accountable, as well as escrowed key material to remote units. When the order of the shares and quantities are controlled properly, it is possible to compromise an entity distributing the knowledge shares allowing reconstruction of ‘common’ secret data without loss of the actual data, and compromise of any party receiving the knowledge shares only compromises the common secret data which have already been distributed to that party. Multiple common secret data may be distributed to remote units which are only required to store a single set of knowledge shares to enable reception of multiple common secret data.
US07958344B2
A method for adjusting a set-up default value of a BIOS and a mainboard using the method are provided. The adjusting method used by the mainboard includes providing an original set-up default value and an adjusting table. The original set-up default value is adjusted according to the adjusting table, so as to obtain a customized set-up value, and to store the set-up value in a set-up value memory.
US07958338B2
An instruction execution control device operates a plurality of threads in a simultaneous multi-thread system. The device has architecture registers (22-0, 22-1) for each thread, and a selection circuit (32, 24) which, when an operand data required for executing a function is read from a register file (20), selects in advance a thread to be read from the register file (20). This makes it possible to select an architecture register at an early stage, and although the number of circuits in a portion for selecting the architecture registers increases, the wiring amount of the circuits can be decreased, because the architecture register of the thread to be read is selected in advance.
US07958327B2
A data processing system with a processor and memory includes an instruction set architecture (ISA) that provides an asynchronous memory move (AMM) store (ST) instruction. When the processor executes the AMM ST instruction, the processor performs a series of functions, which initiates an asynchronous memory move (AMM) operation. The AMM ST instruction moves data from a first memory location having a first real address to a second memory location having a second real address by: (a) performing a move of the data in virtual address space utilizing a source effective address that is memory mapped to the first memory location and a destination effective address that is memory mapped to the second memory location. When the move is completed in the virtual address space, the AMM operation performs the physical move of the data to the second memory location outside the processor core, without processor involvement.
US07958323B1
A processor having a multithreading memory system, including a main memory element, at least one special memory element and a controller. The main memory element may be configured to receive a data signal and a control signal. The at least one special memory element may be associated with the main memory element. Further, the special memory element may be configured to receive an output signal from the main memory element. The controller may be configured to receive an output signal from the at least one special memory element and a scan input signal. Further, the controller may be further configured to select one of the output signal from the at least one special memory element and the scan input signal based on an advance thread signal. The selected one of the output signal from the at least one special memory element and the scan input signal may be forwarded to the main memory element as the control signal.
US07958321B2
Provided are an apparatus and a method of reducing memory access conflict. An apparatus for reducing memory access conflict when a plurality of data processing elements perform simultaneous access to a memory including a plurality of pages, each of which includes a plurality of subpages, the apparatus comprising: an access arbiter mapping a subpage division address corresponding to least significant bits of a memory access address received from each of the data processing elements to another address having a same number of bits as the subpage division address in order for data to be output from each of the subpages in a corresponding page at a time of the simultaneous access; and a selector, prepared for each of the pages, selecting to output one of the data output from the subpages using the mapped results.
US07958317B2
A technique for performing stream detection and prefetching within a cache memory simplifies stream detection and prefetching. A bit in a cache directory or cache entry indicates that a cache line has not been accessed since being prefetched and another bit indicates the direction of a stream associated with the cache line. A next cache line is prefetched when a previously prefetched cache line is accessed, so that the cache always attempts to prefetch one cache line ahead of accesses, in the direction of a detected stream. Stream detection is performed in response to load misses tracked in the load miss queue (LMQ). The LMQ stores an offset indicating a first miss at the offset within a cache line. A next miss to the line sets a direction bit based on the difference between the first and second offsets and causes prefetch of the next line for the stream.
US07958314B2
A method, system, and computer program product for target computer processor unit (CPU) determination during cache injection using I/O hub/chipset resources are provided. The method includes creating a cache injection indirection table on the input/output (I/O) hub or chipset. The cache injection indirection table includes fields for address or address range, CPU identifier, and cache type. In response to receiving an input/output (I/O) transaction, the hub/chipset reads the address in an address field of the I/O transaction, looks up the address in the cache injection indirection table, and injects the address and data of the I/O transaction to a target cache associated with a CPU as identified in the CPU identifier field when, in response to the look up, the address is present in the address field of the cache injection indirection table.
US07958309B2
A method of data processing in a processing unit supported by a memory hierarchy includes the processing unit performing a plurality of memory accesses to the memory hierarchy. The plurality of memory accesses includes one or more memory accesses targeting a full cache line of data. The processing unit monitors utilization of data accessed by the plurality of memory accesses, and based upon the utilization of the data, dynamically alters a memory access mode of operation so that a subsequent storage-modifying memory access targets less than a full cache line of data.
US07958303B2
Methods and systems for managing and locating available storage space in a system comprising data files stored in a plurality of storage devices and configured in accordance with various data storage schemes (mirroring, striping and parity-striping). A mapping table associated with each of the plurality of storage devices is used to determine the available locations and amount of available space in the storage devices. The data storage schemes for one or more of the stored data files are changed to a basic storage mode when the size of a new data file configured in accordance with an assigned data storage scheme exceeds the amount of available space. The configured new data file is stored in accordance with the assigned data storage scheme in one or more of the available locations and the locations of the new data file are recorded.
US07958292B2
A circuit for a storage device that communicates with a host device comprises a first high speed interface. A storage controller communicates with the high speed interface. A buffer communicates with the storage controller. The storage device generates storage buffer data during operation. The storage controller is adapted to selectively store the storage buffer data in at least one of the buffer and/or in the host device via the high speed interface. A bridge chip for enterprise applications couples the circuit to an enterprise device.
US07958285B1
A system and method of deterministically transferring data from a first clock domain to a second clock domain includes writing data to a buffer, communicating a read status from the first clock domain to the second clock domain and reading data from the buffer into the second clock domain at a clock rate of the second domain. The buffer is accessible by both one or more devices in each of the first clock domain and the second clock domain and the read status is communicated from the first clock domain to the second clock domain when the second clock domain enables the read status to be communicated from the first clock domain to the second clock domain.
US07958281B2
A method of transmitting data to a recipient comprising the steps of dividing the data into a plurality of groups, providing a synchronizing means for each of the groups, using the synchronizing means to synchronize the data in each group, and transmitting the data to a recipient characterized in that the data is divided in accordance with its synchronization requirements with the recipient.
US07958277B2
A video player transmits a first video signal to a display device through a first connection group. At least one first output terminal outputs the first video signal. At least one second output terminal outputs the first video signal. A controller determines whether the first output terminal is coupled to the display device through the first connection group and determines whether the second output terminal is coupled to the display device through the first connection group. The controller only provides the first video signal to the first output terminal when the first output terminal is coupled to the display device through the first connection group. The controller only provides the first video signal to the second output terminal when the second output terminal is coupled to the display device through the first connection group.
US07958270B2
Techniques for seamless distribution of files stored in folders, in an Internet-enabled mobile device to one or more recipients including replicating and mapping a folder structure of the mobile device and the folder structure of the remote server, transferring files between the mobile device and the remote server using an Internet connection, and seamlessly distributing the files on the remote server to file recipients. Pre-selected email addresses can be associated with each folder, so that the files are automatically distributed to the pre-selected email addresses. Preferably, the user can configure folders using a Web user interface on a computer and transfer files in multiple folders on the mobile device to the pre-selected email addresses automatically after a trigger event.
US07958259B2
A packet priority level is set for a packet configuring a file access request, and a file importance level is set for a file. A storage controller manages, for each client, the amount of information (total amount) in the packets sent and received for each packet priority level, and the amount of information (total amount) in the access-targeted files for each file importance level. The storage controller computes an assessment value for assessing whether a target client is appropriate or inappropriate based on one or more amounts of information corresponding to the target client and one or more packet priority levels, and one or more amounts of information corresponding to one or more file importance levels respectively corresponding to one or more packet priority levels and the target client, and determines whether the target client is appropriate or inappropriate in accordance with whether or not the computed assessment value conforms to a prescribed condition.
US07958257B2
A publish/subscribe system includes a publisher and multiple subscribers. The published includes a packet generator to generate a packet with at least one of: a fixed length flow label labeling a message or a message bundle and a fixed length node label labeling at least one message bundle and indicating at least one of the nodes of a topic tree to which the flow label belongs. Each received includes a user selection data holder and a message selector. The data holder stores a selection of topics of interest to a user from the topic tree. The message selector receives a packet having a header and data, determines which flow and/or node labels are incorporated in the header and accepts the data if the user selection data holder indicates that the labels within the header are of interest to the user.
US07958256B2
Internet protocol (IP) data service providers may provide several services over a single communications channel and/or circuit. For example, the provider may deliver public services such as Wi-Fi, content, gaming, etc. as well as business-critical “back-office” services such as credit card processing, VoIP, streaming video, video conferencing, etc. Some applications can very demanding from a quality of service standpoint, whereas other applications are unwanted or unauthorized on the network such as worms, viruses, denial of service attacks and/or certain types of peer-to-peer file sharing applications. Applications sharing the communication channel may be classified into one or more application classifications. The available bandwidth over the communications channel and/or circuit may then be managed via a prioritization system that can be parameterized based on the available bandwidth and/or the desired application behavior for given characterized applications. Many of the above unwanted applications can be suppressed, after being classified.
US07958253B2
A method and apparatus are provided for transmitting and receiving a stream of content in a distributed storage system. According to the method, a stream of a copy of content is received from a plurality of storages being distributed in a network, wherein an original of the content is stored in a server and archival fragments of the copy of the content are separately stored in the storages, and a stream of the original content is selectively received according to the quality of the copy of the content, wherein the quality is determined based on the number of archival fragments received from the storages. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent degradation in the quality and reliability of content when archival fragments of a copy of the content are received from a distributed storage, thereby stably receiving a high-quality content streaming service.
US07958239B1
In a multilink point-to-point protocol (PPP) network access server, a method is provided in one aspect of the invention allocating ports among various users that includes allocating primary ports among various users, and thereafter, allocating secondary ports among various users only until the number of allocated secondary ports reaches a prescribed maximum.Another aspect of the invention may be thought of as a back-channel allocation method that includes determining whether a back channel is actually being used by a first network client, and if not then allocating the unused back channel to a second network client. In a final aspect of the invention an auxiliary channel resource allocation apparatus for use with a multilink PPP access server, is provided that includes decision or detection logic determining the availability of an auxiliary channel resource previously allocated to a first user of the access server, the decision logic signaling such availability, and allocation or reallocation logic responsive to the signaling to allocate the available auxiliary channel resource to a second user of the access server. The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment which proceeds with reference to the drawings.
US07958228B2
A computer-implemented method for constructing network activity profiles is provided, which comprises the following: obtaining a plurality of records of network activities from an activity source, each record corresponding to an interaction with a network resource via the network from the activity source, wherein each record comprises at least a network endpoint address from where the interaction originates and an indication of a time of the interaction; for each record, determining a geographical location corresponding to the network endpoint address of that record and associating the determined geographical location with that record; and constructing at least one profile for the activity source based on the plurality of records and at least one geographical location associated with the records, wherein each profile comprises a time-based behavior pattern associated with the at least one geographical location.
US07958212B1
Systems and methods for updating the presence information of a user associated with one or more clients. The presence information often indicates the status of a user in an instant messaging environment. A client view is associated with each separate client and the master view or status reflected to other subscribers or clients in the instant messaging environment is determined by evaluating each of the separate client views. In this manner the current status of a user may be accurately reflected to a user's subscribers.
US07958204B1
Provided are, among other things, systems, methods and techniques for providing resources to participants over an electronic network. In one representative embodiment, a collection of resources is maintained, such that both the collection and the resources can be accessed by a participant over the electronic network at any given time; points are assigned to individual resources based on an amount of participant access of the individual resources over the electronic network; and the collection is modified based on the points assigned to the resources.
US07958199B2
Disclosed are improved methods, devices and systems for storage management in digital networks.
US07958195B2
One embodiment of the present method and apparatus for improving data transfers in peer-to-peer networks includes receiving a search request message from a requesting node, where the search request message requests specific data. A responding node then sends a response message to the requesting node including a referral message comprising at least one referred node that is expected to have the requested data, based on knowledge of the referred node's previous incoming and outgoing data transfers. The responding node may also indicate that the responding node has the requested data. In addition to increasing the requesting node's view of the peer-to-peer network, this also enables the identification of nodes (e.g., referred nodes) with which the requesting node may wish to establish direct peer-to-peer connections, e.g., to build peer-to-peer communities of nodes having similar interests.
US07958194B2
A method using for performing a scatter-type data distribution among a cluster of computational devices. A number of nodes (equal to a value Cg, the number of tree generator channels) are initially generated, each connected to an initial generator, to create respective initial root nodes of an initial tree structure. Data is transmitted from the initial generator to each of the initial root nodes. Cg root nodes, each connected to a respective new generator, are generated to create respective roots of Cg newly generated tree structures. Each of the tree structures is expanded by generating Ct (the number of communication channels per node in each tree structure) new nodes connected to each node generated in each previous step. Data is then transmitted to each of the new nodes from an immediately preceding one of the nodes, and from each new generator to an associated root node.
US07958192B2
A method automatically and efficiently propagates information using previously established social methods of communication (e.g., email, instant messaging (IM), social network message posting, and short message services). In conjunction with the method, a system collects and disseminates information on a social network. The system includes: (a) a server for providing a user interface (e.g., a user facing web site) which allows a user to exchange information with one or more external services, wherein the information exchange includes receiving a message from the user that the user intends to disseminate through the external services; (b) a message module which prepares the message received from the user for dissemination; and (c) a communication module coupled to the user interface, the message module and the external services to mediate the information exchange between the user and the external services.
US07958180B2
A multiplier engine that reduces the size of the circuitry used to provide the multiplier engine, as well as increases the speed at which the multiplication algorithm is performed, are provided. The illustrative embodiments may comprise a M*8 multiplication engine having one or more 4:2 compressors that comprise only two full adders, as opposed to the three full adders in the known 5:2 compressor based architecture. The 4:2 compressors are able to achieve the same operation as the known 5:2 compressor based architecture by virtue of using the unused bits in a least significant portion of the partial product inputs to store the negate bit values. Moreover, a negate bit value that is not fused with the partial product inputs may be input to the 4:2 compressors for a bit 0 position.
US07958176B2
Techniques for identifying coefficients are described. A technique collects sample input values to the filter and identifies desired output values from the filter for the collected sample input values. The technique then generates a power spectrum of the collected sample input values and a power spectrum of the identified desired output values. The technique then calculates the difference between the generated power spectra. Finally, the technique identifies coefficients that yield a filter transfer function that closely approximates the calculated differences. A technique identifies coefficients for a finite impulse response filter. The technique collects sample input values for a function and identifies desired output values for the filter for the collected sample input values. The technique then approximates the output values from the input values using a linear fitting technique. Finally, the technique sets the coefficients to values obtained from the linear-fitting technique.
US07958163B2
A system and method for transferring digital goods facilitates bulk upload of file images to a central repository. The software gets a File ID and a path to each file image to be uploaded from a list, typically an XML file, of input attributes. After successful verification, the file image is uploaded to the central repository and linked with a corresponding metadata object. Each metadata object contains attributes that describe the corresponding file image. Although file attributes may be defined when the metadata object is created, the software determines file image attributes as the file image is being uploaded and records them in the metadata object. File images are either uploaded from a server, typically an FTP server, having been placed there by the goods vendor; or the file images can be uploaded directly from a computer operated by the vendor.
US07958162B2
A method and system for generating analogous fictional data from non-fictional data, is provided. One implementation involves recording non-fictional data, scoring the non-fictional data in terms of occurrence percentile, obtaining a set of user-configurations that represents a likeness range between non-fictional data and corresponding fictional data, based on the scores and the user-configurations, generating analogous fictional data from the non-fictional data, and comparing hash values for the fictional data with hash values for the non-fictional data to determine matches, and in case of matches, generating analogous fictional data from the non-fictional data based on the scores and incrementally lowered likeness range, whereby entire records of fictional data are generated based on entire records of non-fictional data, wherein the fictional data is consistent with the non-fictional data.
US07958159B1
In a database system, a database request is received, and database software dispatches steps associated with the database request to plural access modules of a database system for execution. Statistics are collected regarding execution of each step by a respective access module in response to receiving an indication of completion by the respective access module. It is determined whether statistics relating to execution of the database request violate one or more predefined rules, and in response to determining that the statistics relating to execution of the database request violate one or more predefined thresholds, one or more actions are performed by the database software.
US07958155B2
Methods, systems and media are provided for turning large volumes of globally distributed data into actionable information by building a distributed semantic graph and maintaining such graph with up to date changes in data and client needs are provided. The semantic graph can be used to run subscriptions over interconnected semantic servers where each server can be capable of coupling to data sources, client applications and other semantic servers.
US07958152B2
Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture, wherein a data structure corresponding to a set of client nodes selected from a plurality of client nodes is generated. Objects from the selected set of client nodes are stored in the data structure. A determination is made that an object corresponding to a client node of the selected set of client nodes has to be stored. An additional determination is made as to whether the object has already been stored in the data structure by any client node of the selected set of client nodes. The object is stored in the data structure, in response to determining that the object has not already been stored in the data structure by any client node of the selected set of client nodes.
US07958151B2
An online address book system having sufficient hardware and software to operate an address book user interface and to perform intelligent interpretations of voice and text inputs from users. The system includes at least one server software module that includes software to perform a plurality of functions. These include the ability to receive voice input data and separate user voice queries, wherein the software can arrange the data so as to create a data base that includes at least three access dimensions, including contact access, contact-relationship access and contact-time frame access, and so as to create a connectivity matrix based on a plurality of contact pair relationships applying connective recognition logic. The system provides a voice operated user interface that permits access to address book stored data based on user input selected from the group consisting of contact, a contact-relationship pair, a contact-time frame pair, and combinations thereof.
US07958150B2
Disclosed is a data processing system-implemented method, a data processing system and an article of manufacture for controlling access to data stored on a database having relational objects for which access restrictions are defined for elements of the relational objects The data processing system-implemented method includes receiving a user request to access one or more relational objects of the database, identifying any access restrictions defined for the one or more relational objects, determining whether any identified access restrictions are applicable to the user request, determining whether any determined applicable access restrictions are to be enforced for the user request, and allowing access to the one or more relational objects based on the determined enforceable access restrictions.
US07958148B2
Systems and methods for managing digital assets in a distributed computing environment are described. Meta-data for the digital assets is stored separately from the digital assets. Meta-data for some of the digital assets is copied and stored at a central location. Meta-data for the digital assets is generated by clients of the system. A method of filtering I/O requests of a computer system includes: receiving a plurality of I/O requests from a filter manager of the computer system, the filter manager executing in the system space of an operating system; applying a hierarchical rule set to at least a portion of the plurality of I/O requests by a mini-filter executing in the system space; and providing at least one of the plurality of I/O requests from the mini-filter to an agent executing in user space in response to the application of the hierarchical rule set by the mini-filter.
US07958132B2
Systems and methods for processing data transform a first data structure (e.g., a hierarchical data structure) into a second data structure (e.g., using a parsing system), wherein the second data structure includes a first set of leaf nodes under a first ancestor node (additional sets of leaf nodes and/or ancestor nodes also may be defined in the second data structure). One or more potential candidate nodes for the ancestor nodes may be identified based, at least in part, on the ancestor nodes from the first data structure associated with the leaf nodes grouped under the new ancestor nodes. In at least some examples, the leaf nodes grouped under a new ancestor node will “vote” for their original ancestor node, and the node receiving the most “votes,” in at least some instances, will be reused as the corresponding ancestor node in the second data structure.
US07958131B2
Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for data management and data rendering for disparate data types that include aggregating data of disparate data types from disparate data sources, synthesizing the aggregated data of disparate data types into data of a uniform data type, identifying an action in dependence upon the synthesized data, and executing the identified action. Data management and data rendering for disparate data types may also include channelizing the synthesized data and presenting the synthesized data to a user through one or more channels.
US07958129B2
The present invention relates to a method of processing a data record for finding a counterpart in a reference data set. In the data record a value of a data field is determined, where the data field represents an identifier. At least one synonym candidate for the value of the data field is determined from a set of predetermined identifier values. It is determined if a synonym candidate and the value of the data field fulfill a predetermined synonym acceptance criterion, and if the predetermined synonym acceptance criterion is fulfilled, the value of the data field and the synonym candidate are associated as synonyms. Thereafter a search for a counterpart for the data record is conducted by comparing to entries of the reference data set the value of the data field and/or a synonym associated with the value of the data field.
US07958114B2
A database server may be configured to compute distinct page counts of pages accessed to execute operands of respective queries. The queries may be executed against a table comprised of the pages and having an index managed by the database server. The distinct page counts may be obtained by counting, as a part of the executing of the queries, distinct pages accessed during the execution of the queries.
US07958112B2
During query optimization, XML index and view merge transformations may be interleaved.
US07958108B2
A stream data processing system capable of highly reliable and highly usable real time data processing, is provided with: (1) a mechanism of copying some or all of stream data, and archiving the stream data in a non-volatile memory to allow real time data and archive data to be used seamlessly; and (2) a mechanism of improving the performance of query processings by using a plurality of stream data processing systems cooperatively.
US07958106B2
A system and method for determining client metadata using a dynamic rules engine is disclosed. The system may include a universal data agent, a site management tool, a targeting engine, an ad server, and a data warehouse. When a visitor visits a site on a content delivery system, the universal data agent and targeting engine may collect data about the visitor and site. The site management tool may configure the universal data agent and provided current rules for the dynamic rules engine. The collected data may be stored in the data warehouse and evaluated in the dynamic rules engine to produce a content category. The ad server may use the content category to serve targeted ads and/or other content to the visitor.
US07958105B2
A method, system and computer program product for retrieving data records to a client computer. An identifier of a base query is received from the client computer. The base query is configured to select a set of data records from a database that the client computer has permission to access. A modifying clause is also received from the client computer. The modifying clause comprises a directive restricting the set of data records to a subset of data records. The modifying clause may optionally comprise an expression for sorting. A combined query is generated from the base query and the modifying clause. The query is configured to return the subset of data records. The combined query is further configured to sort the subset of data records based on the value of the expression if the expression is present. The combined query is executed at the database.
US07958095B1
A storage area network management application provides a data collection agent that processes storage information concerning storage entities such as file systems in a storage area network environment by receiving a data collection policy identifying storage information to be collected concerning a set of storage entities in a storage area network environment. The agent collects storage information concerning the set of storage entities according to the data collection policy and processes the collected storage information to produce at least one summary record of the storage information for the set of storage entities. The summary record(s) contain a summary of the collected storage information for the set of storage entities calculated according to the data collection policy. The agent transfers the summary record(s) from the data collection agent to a storage management application for presentation to a user of the storage management application. This offloads processing requirements of the management application to the agents.
US07958083B2
Summarization methods can interact on a common data source using identifiers that correspond to events or other actions. These identifiers can be updated, whenever appropriate, once the corresponding data has been summarized, in order to provide for multiple extraction methods to operate only on the data of interest, and obtain a lock only on the data within the scope of extraction. High water marks, such as identifiers in the sequent, can be used to further designate which data has previously been extracted. Similarly, summarization methods can interact by utilizing corresponding persistent tables in the flows for the methods, but utilizing separate intermediate tables to allow for data transformations and application of various business rules and tuning techniques. The ability to switch between different methods can accommodate business, performance, or other such needs, and can provide for the dynamic extraction and summarization of different volumes of data.
US07958075B1
A geometric model is considered for the problem of minimizing access control lists (ACLs) in network routers. A colored rectilinear pattern is created within an initially white rectangular canvas, and the basic operation is to choose a subrectangle and paint it a single color, overwriting all previous colors in the rectangle. The method operates on rectangular rule lists (RRLs) and access control lists (ACLs) in which all rectangles are strips that extend either the full length or the full height of the canvas. A polynomial-time algorithm optimally constructs such patterns when, as in the ACL application, the only colors are black and white (permit or deny). That algorithm is complemented by a significantly faster approximation algorithm that is guaranteed to be no worse than 3/2 optimal.
US07958072B2
A method of system design and manufacture includes entering system details in a first user interface program 100, including in particular availability data. A transfer file 110 defining a spreadsheet including cells representing the system is created and transferred to a spreadsheet 120. The spreadsheet calculates both the availability and target availability of the components. The transfer file is arranged to define component count spreadsheet cells to permit user input to vary the numbers of at least some components of the system, and calculation cells to calculate the properties of the system for the component counts entered into the component count cells. The user can then adjust the spreadsheet to obtain a desired result, output the final configuration as output file 130 and pass the file to a manufacturing facility 140 to produce the designed system. The system designed and manufactured may be a computer system with many components.
US07958071B2
Embodiments of the present invention are employ dynamical, nanoscale devices, including memristive connections between nanowires, for constructing parallel, distributed, dynamical computational networks and systems, including perceptron networks and neural networks. In many embodiments of the present invention, neuron-like computational devices are constructed from silicon-based microscale and/or submicroscale components, and interconnected with one another by dynamical interconnections comprising nanowires and memristive connections between nanowires. In many massively parallel, distributed, dynamical computing systems, including the human brain, there may be a far greater number of interconnections than neuron-like computational nodes. Use of dynamical nanoscale devices for these connections results in enormous design, space, energy, and computational efficiencies.
US07958068B2
A computer program product includes machine readable instructions for managing data items, the instructions stored on machine readable media, the product including instructions for: initializing a plurality of base models; minimizing a joint loss function to select models from the plurality for a plurality of labels associated with the data items; and at least one of sharing and combining the selected base models to formulate a composite classifier for each label. A computer system and additional computer program product are provided.
US07958067B2
Methods for classifying documents are presented. Methods for analyzing documents associated with legal discovery are also presented. Methods for cleaning up data are also presented. Methods for verifying an association of an invoice with an entity are also presented. Method for managing medical records are presented. Method for face recognition are presented.
US07958060B1
A business method for distributing gifts. The method employs a gift wrap which is marked with a specific code number. The wrap is sold by an originator to a customer who places a gift within the wrap and mails or delivers the package to a first recipient. The customer inputs to the originator's website information comprising the wrap's code number, his name and address and the name and address of the first recipient. Then the first recipient inputs to the website information comprising the code number, his name and address and the name and address of any other recipient to whom the same wrap is sent with another gift. The information is sorted and stored in a database. The customer and first and any subsequent recipient of a wrap access the website over the internet to view the track history of the wrap.
US07958048B2
A method and apparatus are described where account information is used to predict possible outcomes of a HELOC. To predict the possible outcomes, HELOC account state transition probabilities are modeled. The transition probabilities, determined by historic data regression analysis, provide the framework for a Monte Carlo simulation. The simulation is seeded with HELOC account information. A calculation engine takes the account information and simulates an elapse of time using a random number generator and the state transition probabilities. The simulation results in updated account information predicting a possible outcome over the elapsed time interval. The updated account information in turn may be used by the calculation engine to simulate the next elapse of time. This method may be iteratively repeated with the account information propagated forward until the end of the prediction period is reached.
US07958043B2
In various embodiments, real and test trading orders are processed and results are transmitted back to the entities originating the orders.
US07958042B2
A computerized multi-stage bidding system and method for bidding on construction projects is disclosed. The system utilizes Internet client-server technology. The system includes input devices for entering into the computerized system and validating member credentials, accessing construction projects, registering to bid on the construction projects, providing information relative to a type of contract the construction projects will have, sorting, accepting and rejecting bids for the construction projects, posting a winning bid in order for an owner to compare it to the project budget, having the winning bid be reviewed by an owner and architect of the construction projects, via a report provided by the system and providing a forum for new contractors to become members.
US07958040B2
Auction prices for a quantity of items, the quantity of which is not determined prior to auction, are equilibrated among bidders to reflect supply and demand for the items. For example, in auctioning Internet advertising opportunities, the first available opportunities are auctioned to a high bidder. Later in the course of the auction period, once the high bidder's budget has been exhausted, the price for advertising opportunities is reduced. The difference in price paid by the high bidder and the reduced price for the quantity of advertising opportunities purchased is credited to the high bidder's account. Once the high bidder's account regains a level sufficient to acquire additional advertising opportunities, the high bidder may continue to acquire advertising opportunities. Other bidders similarly are credited the difference between prices previously paid and the current price. An equilibrium price is reached based on the recursive adjustment of prices paid by the bidders.
US07958033B2
Systems and methods are provided for a liquidity-based commodity index in which historical liquidity-related data for a commodity is used to determine whether to include a commodity in an index and also used to weight commodities in the index. Liquidity of a commodity is calculated based on an average daily dollar value of contracts traded for the commodity. The commodity liquidity is compared to a liquidity threshold to determine that the commodity should be included in the index. A liquidity factor is calculated for each commodity included in the index and is also used to weight the commodity in the index.
US07958032B2
A transaction entity handles event messages associated with events of interest. At least one type of event is identified that is of interest to a user. Each type of event further corresponds to an event type that is to be repeated by a transaction entity to an aggregating entity. Further, a description is associated with each identified type of event. The transaction entity identifies an occurrence of an event that is an identified type of event and generates an event message comprising a token that associates the user with an account maintained by the aggregating and the description that is associated with the identified type of event corresponding to the identified occurrence of the event. The event message is transmitted to the aggregating entity.
US07958030B2
Techniques for processing on-line banking bill payment requests are provided. A bill payment request is received from an operator of an on-line banking bill payment web site. The operator may be a bank. The request is for payment of a bill using a portable consumer device. A transaction request is then generated for an issuer and sent to the issuer for authorization. The issuer then sends a response indicating whether the transaction request is approved or declined. Remittance information for a biller is generated if the transaction is approved. The remittance information is then forwarded to the operator of the on-line banking bill payment web site for forwarding to a user of the portable consumer device. Additionally, the remittance information is sent to an acquirer or cash management bank, which can forward the information to the biller associated with the bill payment request.
US07958027B2
Methods and systems are presented for managing Risks, including regulatory and reputational risk. The methods can be implemented in a computer and include receiving data descriptive of informational artifacts with content related to at least one of reputational and regulatory risk into the computer system. The computer system can have one or more geo-political areas defined within it. The computer system can also receive data descriptive of details of a financial transaction, wherein the details include an indication of at least one geopolitical area associated with the financial transaction. At least one informational artifact related to at least one of reputational and regulatory risk can be associated with the at least one geopolitical area associated with the financial transaction and the computer system can generate a report comprising data descriptive of the informational artifacts associated with the at least one geopolitical area associated with the financial transaction.
US07958025B2
A real time information manager which processes raw data from data providers, such as feeds of current information about financial product offerings, is provided. Raw data objects received from various data providers are analyzed, formatted, and a current version of each unique data object is stored in an object storage pool. Information about the state of each objects is transmitted on a particular output data channel in accordance with the type of object. A subscriber process can access one or more of the data channels and utilize the broadcast data. In one configuration, one or more client managers are provided which subscribe to particular data channels and serve as an intermediary between the real time information manager and sets of clients.
US07958019B2
A computer-implemented method and system is disclosed in which a network-based interaction environment includes a plurality of peer-to-peer nodes being able to communicate directly with each other using a peer-to-peer protocol and a peer-to-peer client application, and a first peer-to-peer client application running on a first peer-to-peer client of the plurality of peer-to-peer nodes, the first peer-to-peer client application to maintain persistent user account information on the first peer-to-peer client, the persistent information being related to a plurality of user accounts for conducting e-commerce interactions on the network-based interaction environment, the plurality of user accounts including at least one user account based on a plurality of roles of a corresponding user.
US07958017B1
A system and method that includes several automatic purchasing features. The method includes establishing purchasing criteria for items to be purchased, and automatically searching marketplaces for availability of the items to be purchased. The method also includes identifying available items, of the items to be purchased, that meet the established purchasing criteria.
US07958009B1
A method and system for bidding on multiple auctions. The multiple auction bidding system allows a user to define various models for bidding at multiple auctions. The bidding system then automatically places bids on behalf of the user. The bidding rules may specify to win at most one of multiple auctions at the lowest price or to bid at an auction only if successful at bidding at another auction.
US07958005B2
Methods, systems, and computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform methods for determining bid amounts necessary to ensure advertisements or other content items will be presented in designated positions other than the most prominent (or first) position when bid information associated with a lesser included match type is not requested, are provided. Bids are received that are associated with a given keyword, a content item and a desired placement position. Based thereupon, a placement position in which the bid will cause associated content item is determined and compared to the desired placement position. If the determined placement position is not within a given error threshold of the desired placement position, the bid is iteratively adjusted in such a way that an adjusted bid amount is determined which will ensure placement in the desired position.
US07958003B2
A method of and system for handling allocation of task work to resources with flexibly configured availability contours (work calendars) is disclosed. The method includes defining one or more base calendars, a resource calendar associated with each resource, wherein the resource calendar inherits from a base calendar. A calendar reader, a set of recurring exception records, and a set of effective weeks for each calendar are also defined. For a specific date, the method determines whether an exception exists in one of the base calendar and resource calendar, and if an exception exists, computes a cached effective week honoring the exception data from an associated recurring exception record. If an exception does not exist, a cached effective week for the resource is computed from a combination of the calendar's standard week and associated effective week records.
US07957996B2
A company's ability to expand its market presence by delivering value to emerging and immature markets is influenced by its ability to develop a rich and differentiated value net within these emerging markets. Techniques are disclosed for making resource placement decisions in an objective manner, using results from a value chain analysis. Geographies or locations that are candidates for the resource placement are analyzed in terms of a set of criteria which, in preferred embodiments, are directed toward identifying strengths and weaknesses of each location as part of an overall value chain.
US07957993B2
A computer readable storage medium comprises executable instructions to define and calculate a plurality of performance indicators, including key performance indicators. A validity index for a key performance indicator is determined based on variances of performance indicators that are in conflict with the key performance indicator.
US07957987B2
Airline scheduling may be performed using software agents that participate in a mediated auction. To schedule flights, agents are used to represent airports and aircraft in the process of scheduling aircraft to service flights between airports. Airport agents represent airports that have made requests for flights. Aircraft agents represent aircraft that may be scheduled to service a flight from one airport to another airport. An aircraft agent submits a bid to service a flight. Bids received from multiple aircraft agents for a flight are evaluated and aircraft are selected based on the demand of passengers for the flight, the cost of the aircraft corresponding to the bidding aircraft agents to perform the flight, and the minimization of aircraft costs across all flights being scheduled. A resource manager agent helps to ensure that an aircraft agent does not bid for a flight when the aircraft represented by the aircraft agent is in need of maintenance or is unprofitable.
US07957979B2
The present invention provides methods and systems for providing real-estate information using a computer network, such as the Internet. A buyer information web page showing relevant buyer list information in an easy-to-read, summary format is created and displayed to a real estate agent. Buyer information provided includes summaries of various aspects of information needed by a real estate agent to effectively represent and assist a buyer. Examples of information provided include a potential buyer name, a new activity summary summarizing newly-listed properties and other activity meeting the buyer's profile, a new views summary summarizing any views of detailed property information by the buyer using an online property data search and information system provided by the agent, and a new tags summary summarizing any properties that the buyer or the agent finds of particular interest. Moreover, a comparative market analysis (CMA) list web page showing relevant CMA information in an easy-to-read, summary format is also created and displayed to the real estate agent.
US07957971B2
Word lattices that are generated by an automatic speech recognition system are used to generate a modified word lattice that is usable by a spoken language understanding module. In one embodiment, the spoken language understanding module determines a set of salient phrases by calculating an intersection of the modified word lattice, which is optionally preprocessed, and a finite state machine that includes a plurality of salient grammar fragments.
US07957962B2
A fixed codebook searching apparatus which slightly suppresses an increase in the operation amount, even if the filter applied to the excitation pulse has the characteristic that it cannot be represented by a lower triangular matrix and realizes a quasi-optimal fixed codebook search. This fixed codebook searching apparatus is provided with an algebraic codebook that generates a pulse excitation vector; a convolution operation section that convolutes an impulse response of auditory weighted synthesis filter into an impulse response vector that has a value at negative times, to generate a second impulse response vector that has a value at second negative times; a matrix generating section that generates a Toeplitz-type convolution matrix by means of the second impulse response vector; and a convolution operation section that convolutes the matrix generated by matrix generating section into the pulse excitation vector generated by algebraic codebook.
US07957961B2
The present invention discloses a method for obtaining an attenuation factor. The method is adapted to process the synthesized signal in packet loss concealment, and includes: obtaining a change trend of a pitch of a signal; obtaining an attenuation factor, according to the change trend of the pitch of the signal. The present invention also discloses an apparatus for obtaining an attenuation factor. A self-adaptive attenuation factor is adjusted dynamically by using the latest change trend of a history signal by using the present invention. The smooth transition from the history data to the data last received is realized so that the attenuation speed is kept consistent between the compensated signal and the original signal as much as possible for adapting to the characteristic of various human voices.
US07957954B2
A system and computer program product for national language support. National language support for an application is provided by recording translations of a text string in corresponding different languages in a single property file so as to allow display of the translations in the property file. One of the translations of the text string recorded in the property file is selected for use by an application based on a locale associated with the execution of the application and the selected one of the translations is used in the execution of the application.
US07957946B2
Steering behavior model can include build rate and/or turn rate equations to modal bottom-hole assembly behavior. Build and/or turn rate equations can be calibrated by adjusting model parameters thereof to minimize any variance between actual response 118 and estimated response produced for an interval of the well. Estimated position and orientation 104 of a bottom-hole assembly along a subsequent interval can be generated by inputting subsequent tool settings into the calibrated steering behavior model. Estimated position and orientation 104 can be compared to a well plan 106 with a controller 108 which determines a corrective action 110. Corrective action 110 can be converted from a build and/or turn rate to a set of recommended tool settings 114 by using an inverse application 112 of the steering behavior model. As additional data 118 becomes available, steering behavior model can be further calibrated 102 through iteration.
US07957940B2
A method for removing sinusoidal interference signals from a noise signal. The method includes transforming a measured signal (x(t), x(μ·Δt)), which is composed of a limited number of sinusoidal interference signals (Ak·ej(ωkt+φk), Ak·ej(ωkμ·Δt+φk)) and a white noise signal (w(t), w(μ·Δt)), into a subspace containing noise components and a subspace containing interference-signal components, and forming the spectrum of only the noise signal using the subspace containing the noise components. The entire frequency range is split into several frequency bands (ν), in which each measured signal (x(t), x(μ·Δt)) consists of a limited number (p(ν)) of sinusoidal interference signals and a white noise signal.
US07957928B2
A method for monitoring a sensor function by repeatedly acquiring data records including sensor-specific calibration data; by storing the acquired data records; by analyzing changes of the calibration data over time using the stored data records; and by determining time or time weighted with a load factor until the next calibration is due, using at least the changes of the calibration data over time. The resulting time or the determined time weighted with a load factor can, for example, be output in suitable form directly after determination, thereby allowing for a long-term planning of calibration, and/or it can be stored as a date or a remaining time. A comparison with a time signal or a count-down of the remaining time allows at the due date to output a request, or prompt, signal, optionally with a desired lead time.
US07957927B2
Temperature compensation is applied to correct for temperature mismatch between a reference chamber and a disposable chamber in a pneumatic pumping system for dialysis fluid for peritoneal dialysis. The mismatch creates an error in the calculation of pumping volume of dialysate fluid. Applying a correction for the temperature mismatch helps to more precisely control the volume of dialysate that is metered to the patient. Also disclosed are ways to keep temperatures constant and to use temperature sensors to accurately measure the temperatures of the chambers. In other aspects, the temperature of the dialysate fluid itself may be measured and used to apply a correction to the volume of fluid that is pumped to the patient.
US07957925B2
A distortion compensation method includes determining an undisturbed phase for at least one of a first position indication signal and a second position indication signal. The method includes determining an undisturbed ratio that relates the amplitude of the first position indication signal at a first frequency to the amplitude of the second position indication signal at a second frequency. The method also includes determining a disturbed amplitude of the position indication signal and adjusting a position indication based on the disturbed amplitude and phase, the undisturbed amplitude ratio, and the undisturbed phase. The method further comprises determining a relationship between the eddy current phase of the first position indication signal and the second position indication signal.
US07957923B2
The device for jitter measurement and a method thereof are provided. The device for jitter measure includes a signal retrieving module, a signal amplifying module, an edge detecting module, and a time-to-digital converting module. The signal retrieving module receives a signal-under-test, and retrieves a first pulse signal having a pulse width equal to a period of the signal-under-test. The signal amplifying module amplifies the pulse width of the first pulse signal and thereby generates a second pulse signal. The edge detecting module detects a rising edge and a falling edge of the second pulse signal, and generates a first indication signal and a second indication signal according to the respective detected results. The time-to-digital converting module converts the pulse width of the second pulse signal existed in time domain to a digital signal according to the first indication signal and the second indication signal.
US07957920B2
The invention relates to dynamic/wet testing of a milking machine (i.e. during extraction of milk from at least one animal). A proposed testing arrangement includes a number of sensors(111, 112, 113, 114, 121, 122, 123, 124, 2, 21, 22, 23, 24, 3, 31, 32, 33, 34, 4, 41, 42, 43, 44, 5, 6), which are adapted to register a vacuum pressure at a respective test point in at least one fluid conduit of the milking machine. An analysis unit (A) of the testing arrangement determines at least one pressure difference between the vacuum pressures registered in at least two of the test points being positioned on a respective side of at least one component in the milking machine with respect to a fluid flow through the at least one component to establish a vacuum drop over this component. The unit (A) compares the vacuum drop with a threshold value to conclude whether or not a test condition is fulfilled. A notification is generated with respect to any component for which the condition not is fulfilled. Thus, for instance an appropriate corrective action can be carried out.
US07957905B2
A method for estimating interval travel time of an Earth formation using an acoustic well logging instrument having a plurality of spaced apart acoustic transmitters and acoustic receivers includes measuring travel time between a transmitter and a receiver for substantially all possible combinations of each of the plurality of transmitters and each of the plurality of receivers. Each of the possible combinations includes a common depth interval of the Earth formations. The method then include determining at least one statistical measure of center of the measured travel times.
US07957902B2
A real-time, multi-sensor local-area lightning detection network system. The system uses waveform indicative of electrostatic field changes with respect to time is generated at each of N locations due to a cloud-to-ground lightning strike occurring in the vicinity of the N locations. Each waveform is integrated to generate a corresponding electric field associated with a corresponding one of the locations. A mathematical relationship is used to determine a ground surface location of the lightning strike, height of the lightning strike, and charge per unit length of the lightning strike using each electric field generated during integration of the waveforms.
US07957895B2
A method of operating a portable navigation device or navigation system is described, together, with a computer program and a PND and navigation system. The method includes the steps of providing for a specific premises, location or location range, being identifiable with reference to map data locally stored in the device or system and optionally being or including the current location, can be at least temporarily stored in memory. The method also includes the presenting to the user at least one user-selectable option by means of which qualitative information pertaining to the premises, location or range can be entered locally in the device or system, the selection of the option resulting in the immediate or subsequent recordal and storage of both the qualitative information and an association thereof with the identified premises, location or range.
US07957888B2
A method of controlling fuel supplied to an engine of a vehicle is provided. The method may improve engine starting during cold operating conditions. In one example, the type of fuel injected to the engine is changed in response to operating conditions.
US07957880B2
A slip detection system for a vehicle comprises an engine speed detector configured to detect an engine speed of an engine mounted in the vehicle, an engine speed increase rate detector configured to detect an increase rate in a predetermined time of the engine speed detected by the engine speed detector, and a slip determiner configured to integrate values of increase rates in respective predetermined times, from when the increase rate detected by the engine speed increase rate detector becomes larger than a first threshold until the increase rate becomes smaller than the first threshold, and to determine that a drive wheel of the vehicle is in a slip-state when an integrated value resulting from integration of the values of the increase rates becomes larger than a second threshold.
US07957874B2
A method for returning driver control in a vehicle during automatic braking includes the steps of determining a minimum value of accelerator pedal position during the automatic braking, determining a current value of accelerator pedal position, and disengaging the automatic braking, if the current value is greater than the minimum value by at least a predetermined value.
US07957871B1
Embodiments disclose methods, systems, and apparatuses for providing maps and directions, including walking and mass transit directions in urban environments where users do not drive cars. Additionally, driving directions can be included. Various criteria, including preferences for amount of walking, for or against particular streets, certain mass transit vehicle types, number of transfers between mass transit vehicles, and other preferences, are considered in the routing calculations, as well as non-individual information such as current conditions and other information. User feedback on various qualitative aspects of the directions is received and stored, and used in subsequent routing decisions. Embodiments disclosed include web services whereby third parties, such as members of the travel industry, can access such services which provide textual and graphical information. Further, clients can access and edit mass transit information through the web services.
US07957867B2
An electronic control unit reads a side slip angle of a vehicle body. Next, the electronic control unit reads a correction amount entered by a driver. Next, the electronic control unit calculates a target steering angle by subtracting a correction term from a rotation amount of a steering output shaft, which has a predetermined relation with a rotation amount of a steering input shaft, to reduce a lateral force generated in the vehicle due to the side slip angle of the vehicle body. Subsequently, the electronic control unit drives and controls an electric motor of a variable-gear-ratio actuator until the rotation amount of the steering output shaft reaches the target steering angle.
US07957865B2
A suspension system for use on a vehicle having two or more rear axles. The suspension system includes a plurality of gas springs and plurality of height sensors capable of outputting signals having a relation to distances between the respective ends of the respective first and second rear axles and the sprung mass of the vehicle. A control system adapted to selectively inflate or deflate respective ones of the plurality of gas springs to thereby adjust a leveled orientation of the sprung mass. The control system includes a controller that is adapted to determine a rear axle vertical offset and a rear axle articulation offset. The controller is adapted to determine whether conditions are appropriate for adjusting the suspension system by comparing the rear axle vertical offset and/or the rear axle articulation offset to a corresponding vertical offset threshold and/or an articulation offset threshold. A method is also included.
US07957863B2
There is provided a vehicle information recording apparatus capable of making a user easily recognize vehicle information which is recorded in the presence of electric power supply from a backup power source. When a vehicle is involved in an accident and the impact caused by the accident has triggered the interruption of electric power supply from a vehicle power source section and thereupon electrical power is supplied from a backup power source section, predetermined identification information “−A” is added to a folder name of a vehicle power source folder where still image information is recorded in the presence of electric power supply from the vehicle power source section, whereby a backup power source folder is created on a CF card as a new folder. Part of still image information stored in a second SD-RAM is recorded in the backup power source folder created on the CF card.
US07957862B2
A plurality of electronic control units (ECU) are classified under a plurality of ECU groups. A relay is provided for each ECU group, and connected between each ECU in a corresponding group and a power supply. Connection is established between respective ECUs by a communication network. When power is turned ON, each ECU outputs a flag indicating its own communication enabled state as long as there is no error in the communication function. A relay error detection portion detects, based on communication state information indicating whether each ECU is in a communication enabled state or communication disabled state, an error of the relay when the communication state information between ECU groups is inconsistent. Thus, an error in a relay that is provided for each group can be detected with a simple configuration.
US07957850B2
A mobile station for an unmanned vehicle comprises a vehicular storage area for storing a vehicle during transit or at rest. A first wireless transceiver communicates a status or command between the vehicle and the mobile station during at least one of vehicular deployment and rest. A station controller manages a management plan of the vehicle comprising at least one of retooling the vehicle, loading a payload on the vehicle, and recharging or refueling of the vehicle.
US07957848B2
A computer implemented method, data processing system, and processor are provided for managing a thermal management system. A determination is made as to whether a plurality of digital thermal sensors is faulty or functional. A power savings mode of at least one unit within the integrated circuit associated with the functional digital thermal sensor is monitored in response to at least one of the plurality of digital thermal sensors being functional. A functional digital thermal sensor is disabled in response to the at least one unit being in a power savings mode.
US07957846B2
Methods and systems are provided for realizing energy cost savings through load shifting utilizing a battery bank that may serve as a battery back-up on a premises for providing power in the event of a grid power outage or curtailment. A budget of unreserved cycles of battery charging and discharging is determined, taking into account the rated battery life in terms of both time (e.g., years) and number of cycles. That cycle budget is allocated to days of the year identified as days on which the greatest savings can be realized through load shifting. These days are identified by taking into account the peak and off-peak usage rates applicable on those days, any rate tiers that may be entered as a result of the additional energy expended to load shift, and the round trip efficiency of the charge/discharge cycles. Load shifting is executed in accordance with an established schedule of the identified days, by discharging the batteries during peak usage hours and charging the batteries during off-peak periods. In the event the budget of unreserved cycles exceeds the number of profitable days for load shifting, the depth of discharge on each cycle may be increased to realize greater savings on the scheduled days, at the tolerable cost of losing cycles not expected to be used in any event.
US07957844B2
A method for stabilization of the power balance in an electric power system including a number of nodes. An instantaneous value of the mains frequency of the electric power system is sensed. In dependence on the frequency deviation of the instantaneous value from a reference frequency value, a selected part of the electric power system, connected in a node, is disconnected in the node. A voltage amplitude value is sensed in the node. A measure of the magnitude of the deviation of the voltage amplitude value from a reference amplitude value is formed. A time lag is formed in dependence on the measure of the magnitude. The part of the electric power system is disconnected in dependence on the time lag.
US07957840B2
A heat source side controller of an air conditioner has an operating mode allocator and an operating mode setter. The air conditioner has a heat source unit and a plurality of room units. The heat source unit can be switched among a plurality of operating modes having different noise-reduction levels. The operating mode allocator allocates one operating mode to each of the operating room units. The operating mode setter sets the heat source unit to one operating mode from among the plurality of operating modes on the basis of the operating modes allocated by the operating mode allocator to each of the operating room units. In cases in which a specific operating mode is allocated to all of the operating room units, the operating mode setter sets the heat source unit to the specific operating mode.
US07957825B2
Fuselage sections of an aircraft are joined using splice elements that compensate for gaps caused by mismatches between mating surfaces on the fuselage sections. The fuselage sections are virtually assembled using computer models that are based on non-contact measurements of as-built fuselage sections. The virtually assembled fuselage sections are used to map the gaps between the mating surfaces. The mapped gaps are used to produce tool inserts having profiles that reflect the dimensions of the gaps. The tool inserts are used to manufacture splice elements having profiles that fill the gaps when the fuselage sections are assembled and joined, thereby eliminating the need for shims and spaces to fill the gaps.
US07957823B2
An apparatus and method for tuning the volume of a sound downloaded from an outside source in a device for outputting such a sound through a speaker are provided. The apparatus includes a memory, a speaker, a microphone, a codec, a volume tuning determining unit, and a volume tuner. The memory stores a sound signal downloaded from the outside source. The speaker outputs the sound signal stored in the memory. The microphone receives the sound signal output from the speaker. The codec outputs modulation data of the sound signal input from the microphone. The volume tuning determining unit calculates volume figure data with respect to the sound signal, stress figure data of the speaker, and volume adjustment gain data using the modulation data. The volume tuner tunes the volume of the sound signal using the calculated volume adjustment gain data.
US07957818B2
The invention is an implantable electrical stimulation lead for chronic or long term use that has an improved electrical connection between the electrode and conductor. This is accomplished through the use of metal coils embedded in the sidewall of the lead body. A wire conductor providing electrical continuity from a proximal electrode to a distal electrode has a protruding portion extending through the sidewall. This protruding portion can reside adjacent to either a proximal or a distal electrode. In any event, the protruding portion of the lire is captured underneath a ring electrode that is physically deformed into direct contact with the metal of the wire, preferably by swaging. This serve to make electrical conductivity between the wire and the electrode with the embedded coil serving as support during the swaging process.
US07957816B2
The invention relates to apparatus for applying electrical current to the quadriceps muscle. The apparatus is in the form of a garment (to be worn on a user's thigh) having a integrated programmable stimulation device including integral electronics, LCD display, user controls and a battery. To ensure accurate and repeatable positioning of the garment, it is shaped such that it locates above the patella. Furthermore, reference lines are provided on the skin facing surface of the garment to assist the user in the accurate placement of skin engaging electrodes. In combination, the features of the invention provides a safe and convenient means of electrically stimulating the quadriceps muscle irrespective of patient size whilst minimizing the opportunity for error. Moreover, the invention dispenses with the need to employ a skilled clinician to individually place each electrode.
US07957813B1
A communication wake-up scheme for an implantable medical device may involve repeatedly activating a receiver to determine whether an external device is attempting to establish communication with the implantable device. To reduce the amount of power consumed by the implantable device in conjunction with the wake-up scheme, the scheme may involve conducting preliminary radio frequency signal detections as a precursor to conducting a full scan. In this way, power may be conserved since the more power intensive full scans may be performed less frequently. This preliminary detection of radio frequency signals also may be adapted to reduce the number of full scans performed by the implantable device that do not result in communication with the external device. In some embodiments the adaptation involves adjusting one or more thresholds that are used in conjunction with the preliminary detection of radio frequency signals.
US07957812B2
Waveforms are digitally sampled and compressed for storage in memory. The compression of the data includes generating a truncated entropy encoding map and using the values within the map to obtain good compression. An encoder further sub-selects values to be encoded and values to remain unencoded to provide an overall compression of the data.
US07957809B2
Techniques for detecting a value of a sensed patient parameter, and automatically delivering therapy to a patient according to therapy information previously associated with the detected value, are described. In exemplary embodiments, a medical device receives a therapy adjustment from the patient. In response to the adjustment, the medical device associates a sensed value of a patient parameter with therapy information determined based on the adjustment. Whenever the parameter value is subsequently detected, the medical device delivers therapy according to the associated therapy information. In this manner, the medical device may “learn” to automatically adjust therapy in the manner desired by the patient as the sensed parameter of the patient changes. Exemplary patient parameters that may be sensed for performance of the described techniques include posture, activity, heart rate, electromyography (EMG), an electroencephalogram (EEG), an electrocardiogram (ECG), temperature, respiration rate, and pH.
US07957806B2
A shielded three-terminal flat-through EMI/energy dissipating filter includes an active electrode plate through which a circuit current passes between a first terminal and a second terminal, a first shield plate on a first side of the active electrode plate, and a second shield plate on a second side of the active electrode plate opposite the first shield plate. The first and second shield plates are conductively coupled to a grounded third terminal. In preferred embodiments, the active electrode plate and the shield plates are at least partially disposed with a hybrid flat-through substrate that may include a flex cable section, a rigid cable section, or both.
US07957801B2
Methods and devices for identification of intrinsic ventricular activity occurring within a ventricular signal. Ventricular signal morphology is analyzed to determine if the signal contains intrinsic ventricular activity while delivering pacing pulses separated by nearly constant time intervals. Furthermore, an extension of a pacing interval is specified based on whether or not the signal contains autonomous intrinsic ventricular activity. In this manner, the pacing interval is only extended when it is likely for autonomous intrinsic ventricular activity to occur.
US07957799B2
An external cardiac medical device for delivering Cardiac Potentiation Therapy (CPT). Techniques used with the device include initial diagnosis of the patient, delivery of the CPT, and configuration of the external device, so that CPT can be effectively and efficiently provided. In particular, these techniques include initially determining whether a patient should receive CPT, how to set the coupling interval for delivering CPT, how to configure the external medical device to deliver CPT stimulation pulses while not adversely affecting the device's ability to sense a patient's cardiac parameters and/or signals.
US07957794B2
A system for sensing vaginal conditions or for affecting vaginal or body conditions in a mammal. The system includes a portable probe unit and a separate controller unit, both of which include two-way communication devices to both transmit signals to, and receive signals from, each other, wirelessly and in real time. The substantially smooth and sealed outer surface of the cylindrical body of the probe unit has a rounded end and is dimensioned to permit comfortable and repeated insertion into, removal from, and containment entirely within a mammal's vagina. The probe body has a device substantially flush with its outer surface and configured to deliver electrical pulses, receive electrical pulses, sense or sample vaginal conditions and/or deliver medication. Signals to the probe unit comprise control and programming signals acting as a feedback loop configured to start, stop and/or alter activity of the substantially flush device of the probe unit, either automatically or manually, for sensing vaginal conditions or for affecting vaginal or body conditions.
US07957789B2
An electromagnetic receiver assembly is included in a navigation element for a therapy delivery system. If the system is modular, the navigation element may be an insertable module thereof and/or include a lumen to receive another insertable module.
US07957788B2
Methods and systems for obtaining intravascular magnetic resonance images of blood flow are disclosed. In preferred forms, a train of radio frequency (RF) pulses is produced by an intravascularly introduced RF transmitter positioned in proximate location to the blood flow so as to create a continuous stream of coherently excited protons of the blood flow. The coherently excited protons of the blood flow are sampled as the protons freely precess while flowing through a region of three dimensional space unaffected by the ongoing intravascular RF excitation. An image of the sampled coherently excited protons may then be constructed.
US07957781B2
Embodiments of the present invention include systems and methods that relate to pulse oximetry. Specifically, one embodiment includes an oximeter sensor comprising a light emitting element configured to emit light, a light detector configured to receive the light, and an accelerometer configured to detect motion of the oximeter sensor.
US07957780B2
Confidence in a physiological parameter is measured from physiological data responsive to the intensity of multiple wavelengths of optical radiation after tissue attenuation. The physiological parameter is estimated based upon the physiological data. Reference data clusters are stored according to known values of the physiological parameter. At least one of the data clusters is selected according to the estimated physiological parameter. The confidence measure is determined from a comparison of the selected data clusters and the physiological data.
US07957778B2
A folding mobile phone (folding portable communications device) includes a first housing including a liquid crystal display part (display part) provided at a surface thereof, a second housing including an operating part provided at a surface thereof, and a hinge connecting the first and second housings to allow the first and second housings to be freely opened and closed in their folded form. A cam mechanism (support mechanism) supports the liquid crystal display part switchably between a vertical position and a horizontal position and to allow the liquid crystal display part to turn both clockwise and counterclockwise as viewed from the front.
US07957776B2
A power supply includes a switching voltage regulator, and a linear voltage regulator coupled electrically in series with the switching voltage regulator. The switching voltage regulator includes a first input for receiving a DC input signal, a semiconductor switching stage coupled to the first input and configured to provide a first DC voltage signal from the received DC input signal. The magnitude of the first DC voltage signal is less than the received DC input signal. The linear voltage regulator includes a semiconductor current pass stage coupled to the output of the semiconductor switching stage and configured to provide a constant second DC output voltage signal from the first DC voltage signal. The voltage regulators are implemented together within a common integrated circuit housing.
US07957771B2
A hands-free teleconferencing apparatus for use with a wireless telephone for enabling multiple users to participate in a telephone call in a hands-free environment. An adapter of the apparatus configured to connect to a wireless telephone includes circuitry for communicating with at least two external speakers and at least one external microphone. The communications between the adapter and the external speakers and microphone may be wired or wireless. If wired, the external speakers and microphone may be part of respective earbud devices or headsets that connect to the adapter. Each earbud device includes an acoustic transducer that functions as an audio speaker and may include a microphone that converts the users' voices into electric audio signals. If wireless, the external speakers and microphone may be in respective headsets that have respective wireless transducers for communicating wirelessly with respective wireless transducers in the adapter.
US07957769B2
An electronic device with a display device and a mobile phone wherein if a shock of falling or the like, is added to a housing, the shock is hard to transmit to an end face of the display device are provided.For a shock acting on a housing 11 by falling or the like, since a projection portion 36 having a recess 36a is provided between an inner wall 31 of an accommodation portion 30 and a frame 33, the shock from the inner wall 31 is relieved or absorbed by the projection portion 36, particularly, the recess 36a. Accordingly, if a shock of falling or the like, is added to the housing 11, a display device 40 can be protected from the shock.
US07957766B2
Disclosed is a camera control method for a portable terminal, by which a lens unit of a camera of the portable terminal can be automatically drawn into or out of the portable terminal when a call is received in a camera mode of the portable terminal. The method comprises the steps of: determining if a call is received in the camera mode in which a lens unit of the portable terminal has been drawn out of the portable terminal; controlling the lens unit to be automatically drawn into the portable terminal while reporting call reception when the call is received; shifting the portable terminal into a communication mode and performing communication when a communication key is input; shifting the portable terminal into an initial camera mode when the initial camera mode is selected after the communication is performed and shifting the portable terminal into a previous camera mode when the previous camera mode is selected after the communication is performed; and interrupting call reception and controlling the lens unit to be automatically drawn out of the portable terminal while maintaining the camera mode when a cancel key is selected.
US07957750B2
A location estimation method is provided. The method locates coordinates of a mobile station (MS) by referencing a plurality of base stations (BS). A geometric distribution of the BS is analyzed to provide a list of conditional equations. A virtual BS is allocated, having a virtual distance to the MS to provide a constraint equation. The MS location is derived from the conditional equations and the constraint equation.
US07957749B1
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for using a location aware device to determine a current location, recording a location bookmark for the current location using the location aware device, storing the location bookmark, detecting at some later time that a location of the location aware device is within a specified proximity to the bookmark location and that a user-defined condition is satisfied by the bookmark content, and automatically notifying a user of the location aware device of the location bookmark. A location bookmark includes a bookmark location and bookmark content, the bookmark location being the current location and the bookmark content including data associated with the current location.
US07957748B2
A network and method to establish a real-time location based service for client mobile device users. Asynchronous data connections are established between client mobile devices and a data server over wireless networks. Synchronous data connections are established between the client devices and a map server over wireless networks. The data server receives geographic location information from the client devices, indicating a geographic location of each client device, and relays the geographic location information to the client devices in real time via the asynchronous data connections. The map server provides map data to the client devices as requested from the client devices via the synchronous data connections. The geographic location information may be overlaid onto the map data and displayed on any of the client mobile devices to indicate the various locations of the various client devices in real time.
US07957747B2
Provided are apparatuses and methods for transmitting and receiving quick access services. For example, a mobile terminal may receive a data stream containing a quick access service of a particular type. The quick access service may have a fixed Packet Identification (PID) and/or fixed IP address. The fixed PID and/or fixed IP addressed may be associated with a quick access service based on the particular type of the quick access service. In another example, a mobile terminal and a user interface on a mobile terminal may provide a menu for selection of an access mode for accessing the quick access service. Also, a quick access service may be selected based on the type of the quick access service.
US07957735B1
A communications system may include a first transceiver and a second transceiver both mountable to a vehicle. The first transceiver may include a range substantially limited to a close proximity of the vehicle. The communications system may also include a mobile communications device. The mobile communications device may be adapted to receive a signal from the first transceiver when within the range of the first transceiver. The signal may include information useable by the mobile communications device for configuration of the mobile communications device for two-way communications with the second transceiver.
US07957732B2
In order to mount a mobile phone in a test device, the current between the battery unit and the phone unit is fed through a switch unit. The switch unit contains at least one switch for interrupting the current, e.g. for resetting the mobile phone after malfunction.
US07957728B2
Automated activation and provisioning technologies can be applied in a variety of scenarios. For example, an automated activation and provisioning server can translate user desired features into associated provisioning directives. The directives can then be sent to elements of a wireless communications network support system. Activation and provisioning for a rich set of features can thus be achieved without manual intervention or reaction to the user's choices. Receipt of the user's choices can be accomplished in real time via a user interface of a mobile wireless device or a web-based user interface.
US07957724B2
A method for communicating on a wireless network includes receiving a mode signal from a network node. The mode signal represents an operational mode of the network node. The operational mode is defined by selecting from among a plurality of services at least one service whose reception over the wireless network is to be suspended or reinstated. Communication between the network node and the wireless network is subsequently conducted by taking into account the received mode signal. The network node may be a wireless communicator such as a cellular telephone or a fixed station device. Alternatively, the network node may be a wireless switch or a cellular base station.
US07957721B2
To facilitate, e.g., determination of access rights in a shared network context, a telecommunications network transmits, in a broadcast channel over an air interface, an access group eligibility message to a user equipment unit. The access group eligibility message enables the user equipment unit to ascertain, on a basis of access group to which the user equipment unit belongs, whether the user equipment unit is eligible to operate in a cell for which the access group eligibility message is transmitted. The telecommunications network also includes a core network node which, classifies the user equipment unit in at least one of plural access groups. Further, the core network node generates an access group classification message which advises the user equipment unit as to which of the plural access groups the user equipment unit belongs. Upon receipt of the access group classification message, the user equipment unit stores an access group classification obtained from the access group classification message in a memory at the user equipment unit. An access controller of the user equipment unit (upon receiving the access group eligibility message) compares the stored access group classification with contents of the access group eligibility message to determine whether the user equipment unit is allowed access to the cell for which the access group eligibility message is transmitted.
US07957715B2
A method and frequency converter for a radio rapid frequency signal scanning and including a local oscillator signal synthesis source (112) producing a local oscillator signal (502) with local oscillator bursts (210). The local oscillator bursts (210) contain pulse width modulated RF frequency pulses (602). Each local oscillator burst having, for a pre-determined duration, RF frequency pulses within an effective amplitude above a pre-determined threshold (260). Each local oscillator burst (210) having also has effective amplitude pulse shaping envelope (504) that reduces at least one frequency domain component magnitude (310) of the local oscillator signal (300). A radio frequency mixer (110) receives an RF signal input (104) and the local oscillator signal to produce an output signal (160) at a frequency related to a combination of a frequency of the RF signal input and a frequency of the local oscillator signal.
US07957713B2
Disclosed herein is an iterative process for calibrating an AGC in a wireless system, wherein the iterative process comprises transmitting a calibration signal, receiving the calibration signal, decoding the calibration signal to produce a measurement, storing the measurement and changing an AGC gain setting.
US07957706B2
A combined matching and harmonic rejection circuit with increased harmonic rejection provided by a split resonance for one or more of the capacitive or inductive elements of the circuit. At a fundamental frequency, the circuit comprises an inductive series arm with capacitive shunt arms. The capacitance of a shunt arm may be provided by two or more parallel paths, each having a capacitor and an inductor in series so that, in addition to providing the effective capacitance necessary for impedance matching at the fundamental frequency, two separate harmonics represented by the series resonances of the parallel paths are rejected. In this manner, an extra null in the circuit's stop-band may be achieved using the same number of shunt elements necessary to achieve impedance matching at the fundamental frequency.
US07957698B2
A calibration circuit for calibrating an output level of a demodulator includes a test signal generator, an RSSI module and a calibration module. The test signal generator generates a test signal, and the RSSI module detects the test signal to generate a control signal, wherein the control signal controls the demodulator to process the test signal to generate a determined output signal. The calibration module then calibrates the RSSI module according to the output signal in order to calibrate the output level of the demodulator. When the control signal is utilized to selectively enable or disable a soft-mute function of the demodulator, the calibration module can be utilized to calibrate or determine the soft-mute function of the demodulator.
US07957696B2
Methods and systems for determining transmission channels for short range transmissions are disclosed. A transmitter provides short range transmission to a broadcast receiver configured to receive and tune channels within a signal spectrum. Channels within the broadcast signal spectrum are scanned, and an indication of received signal strength is obtained for each channel. The received signal strength indication (RSSI) can then be compared to a threshold power level that correlates to a signal level that the transmitter will be capable of overpowering based upon the transmission power of the transmitter. The scan results in an indication of one or more channels that have received signal strengths below the threshold power level of the transmitter.
US07957692B2
Embodiments of the present invention recite an improved signal receiver circuit and a method of implementation. In one embodiment, a first signal pathway of a low-noise block feedhorn comprises a ceramic low-pass filter coupled with a first polarity signal input. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, a second signal pathway of the low-noise block feedhorn comprises ceramic high-pass filter coupled with a second polarity signal input.
US07957689B2
An image-forming apparatus includes a body casing having on upper surface thereof a paper ejection tray on which a sheet of paper ejected after formation of an image is stacked; a side cover capable of opening and closing a side surface of the body casing on the downstream side in the direction of ejection of the sheet of paper so as to cover the side surface of the body casing; and an extension tray being attached to an upper portion of the side cover. The extension tray is capable of extending to the downstream side in the direction of ejection of the sheet of paper with respect to the paper ejection tray so as to support an end portion of the sheet of paper.
US07957675B2
An opening and closing assembly includes a first casing, a second casing pivotally coupled to the first casing, and a support stand configured to support the second casing. The support stand includes a proximal end portion pivotally connected to one of the first and second casings, and a distal end portion slidably connected to the other thereof. The other of the first and second casings includes a guide portion for guiding the distal end portion, and first and second wall portions. The distal end portion includes a gripped portion gripped between the first and second wall portions, the gripped portion has a cross section having a width which increases, from one end of the cross section, to a maximum width and decreases from the maximum width until the other end of the cross section. The maximum width causes the first and second wall portions to be spaced apart.
US07957669B2
A process cartridge includes a developer frame portion and a photosensitive member frame portion, wherein when the photosensitive member frame portion is attached to the developer frame portion, a first extension portion and a second extension portion are positioned in a substantially overlapping configuration and the first extension portion engages the second extension portion so as to urge a developer carrying member toward a photosensitive member.
US07957654B2
A coherent optical receiver of the invention combines local oscillator light having orthogonal polarization components in which the optical frequencies are different to each other, and received signal light, in an optical hybrid circuit, and then photoelectrically converts this in two differential photodetectors. Then this is converted to a digital signal in an AD conversion circuit, and computation processing is executed in a digital computing circuit using the digital signal, to estimate received data. At this time, the optical frequency difference between the orthogonal polarization components of the local oscillator light is set so as to be smaller than two times the signal light band width, and larger than a spectrum line width of the signal light source and the local oscillator light source. As a result, it is possible to realize a small size polarization independent coherent optical receiver that is capable of receiving high speed signal light.
US07957646B2
The optical time division multiplexer generates a time-division-multiplexed optical signal by time-division-multiplexing optical signals of a plurality of channels, the carrier-wave phases of which are shifted with respect to one another. The circulator guides the multiplexed optical signals split by the optical splitter to the optical interference device and the superimposed light outputted from the optical interference device is guided to the optical intensity detector. The optical interference device extends the pulse width of the multiplexed optical signal to a width equal to or more than the bit interval and superimposes the extended light of an adjacent bit onto the extended light. The optical intensity detector detects the intensity of the superimposed light outputted by the optical interference device. The temperature regulator controls the temperature of the modulator so that the phase difference of the carrier waves constituting the optical signal trains is to be a half wavelength.
US07957641B2
Provided is an optical apparatus and method wherein power transfer coefficients arising from SRS are measured at a designated co-location point and the power of dithers, which are impressed on the channels of a multiplexed optical signal propagating through the optical apparatus, is measured at each co-location point. Within the optical apparatus distances between co-location points are short and the power transfer coefficients are effectively constant. Consequently, the power of each channel of the multiplexed optical signal at the co-location points is obtained from the power of the dithers at a respective one of the co-location points and the power transfer coefficients measured at the designated co-location point. In some embodiments, information on the channel power at the co-location points is used to provide instructions for compensating for fluctuations in channel power and/or channel count at an input and/or channel count within the optical apparatus.
US07957636B2
An illumination apparatus which illuminates a surface of an object having a three-dimensional shape includes a light source, a guide configured to guide light from the light source to a surface of the object, and a diffuser which has a diffusion-reflection surface that faces a light exit surface of the guide via the object, wherein the diffuser is arranged at such a position that the light which is emitted from the guide and is not directly incident on the object is incident on the diffusion-reflection surface while a part of the light reflected and diffused by the diffusion-reflection surface is incident on a surface of the object.
US07957634B2
A circuit for calibrating a focus position of an optical module includes a calibration signal generating unit and a focus position adjusting unit. The calibration signal generating unit is utilized for generating a calibration signal according to a first focus signal and a second focus signal at the same time, where the first focus signal and second focus signal correspond to a first focus position and a second focus position, respectively, and the first focus position is different from the second focus position. The focus position adjusting unit is coupled to the calibration signal generating unit and is utilized for adjusting the focus position of the optical module to a specific focus position according to the calibration signal.
US07957631B2
An image stabilization apparatus for stabilizing an image sensor is disclosed. The image stabilization apparatus includes a transmission component whereon a slot is formed. The image stabilization apparatus further includes a rotary motor including an annular rotor connected to the transmission component, and an annular stator disposed on a side of the annular rotor. The annular rotor is capable of rotating relative to the annular stator. The image stabilization apparatus further includes a carrier for carrying the image sensor. The carrier includes a shaft disposed inside the slot in a slidable manner. The image stabilization apparatus further includes a linear motor coupled to the transmission component and the shaft of the carrier for driving the carrier to slide inside the slot.
US07957626B2
There are provided an information storage medium capable of real-time recording/playback of digital moving picture information, and a digital information recording/playback system using this medium. In a medium that records/plays back data including video data and control information, the control information (DA21 in FIG. 4; RTR_VMG in FIG. 30) includes information (VOBU entry in FIG. 31) for accessing a specific portion (VOBU) of the video data.
US07957625B2
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus and method, and a program for improving usability by removing operational constraints on combinations of an aspect ratio of a recorded moving image and a horizontal resolution from users while the compliance with the DVD-Video standard is strictly maintained. When an aspect ratio is 16:9 in a state that an LP mode is selected, a horizontal×vertical resolution is set to 720×480. When the aspect ratio is 4:3 in a state that the LP mode is selected, the horizontal×vertical resolution is set to 352×480. When an HQ or SQ mode is selected, the horizontal×vertical resolution is set to 720×480 irrespective of the aspect ratio. Accordingly, the image recording apparatus can encode a moving image and record the encoded image onto a DVD 17 without violating the DVD-Video standard while allowing users to arbitrarily select a recording mode and an aspect ratio. The present invention can be applied to video cameras, video recorders, etc.
US07957621B2
A multifunctional optical film for enhancing light extraction includes a flexible substrate, a structured layer having nanoparticles of different sizes, and a backfill layer. The structured layer effectively uses microreplicated diffractive or scattering nanostructures located near enough to the light generation region to enable extraction of an evanescent wave from an organic light emitting diode (OLED) device. The backfill layer has a material having an index of refraction different from the index of refraction of the structured layer. The backfill layer also provides a planarizing layer over the structured layer in order to conform the light extraction film to a layer of an OLED display device. The film may have additional layers added to or incorporated within it to an emissive surface in order to effect additional functionalities beyond improvement of light extraction efficiency.
US07957610B2
An image processing device according to the present invention uses a representative picture having a first resolution and multiple reference pictures having the first resolution to generate a high-resolution picture having a second resolution higher than the first resolution. The image processing device includes a first repetition processing unit operable to repeat positioning processing while switching from one reference picture to another, and a second repetition processing unit operable to repeat update processing for updating an estimated value of a pixel in a target high-resolution picture. At least one of the first and second repetition processing units includes a determination unit operable to determine a pixel that satisfies a completion condition from the result of one of the positioning processing and the update processing, and an exclusion unit operable to exclude a pixel that satisfies the completion condition from one of the positioning processing and the update processing.
US07957605B2
A method of selectively sharpening an image may include, for at least some pixels in the image, determining a frequency content associated with a pixel value in the image. The pixel may be linearly sharpened if the frequency content exceeds a threshold. The pixel may be non-linearly sharpened if the frequency content does not exceed the threshold. In some implementations, the non-linear sharpening may include wavelet decomposition of the image and enhancement of decomposed components.
US07957603B2
According to some embodiments, encoded information associated with an image is received at a decoder. The encoded information may be decoded at the decoder to generate full-sized first image pixels representing a full-sized version of the image. Moreover, the full-sized pixels may be scaled at the decoder to generate scaled image pixels representing a scaled version of the image.
US07957596B2
Computer-readable media, systems, and methods for flexible matching with combinational similarity are described. In embodiments, an object image is received, a query image is received, and the query image is compared with the object image. In various embodiments matching information is determined based upon combinational similarity and the matching information is presented to a user. In various embodiments, comparing the query image with the object image includes dividing the object image into agents, creating a gradient histogram for the agents, determining map areas for the query image, creating a gradient histogram for the map areas, and creating a similarity array for each of the agents. Further, in various embodiments, determining matching information includes creating a combinational array by combining the similarity arrays for each agent and determining whether the combinational array includes a peak value.
US07957594B2
An outline definition apparatus includes an edge detection unit detecting pixels at edge positions, each of the pixels at the edge positions having a data value between a value representing a first level and a value representing a second level, a pixel extraction unit extracting the pixels at the edge positions and extracting pixels in the vicinity thereof, a boundary-line generation unit generating a boundary line indicating a boundary between a region of the first level and a region of the second level in each of the pixels at the edge positions, and a link-processing unit obtaining an outline indicating a boundary between a region of the first level and a region of the second level in the still image by linking the boundary lines which are generated in the boundary-line generation unit and which are generated for the pixels which are located at the edge positions.
US07957591B2
Disclosed is a method and system for propagating information about an image to segment a target structure. An input to denote a region of interest of the image containing the target structure is received. A first seed is set outside of the target structure and a second seed is set inside the target structure. A first partial differential equation (PDE) associated with the first seed is solved and a second PDE associated with the second seed is solved to segment the image.
US07957590B2
An aim of the invention is to achieve an image processing method that performs color information correction of an image more naturally with a simple configuration. The image processing method of the invention is an image processing method that performs color information correction of image data that have been input, and includes an information calculation step (S11), a characteristic calculation step (S12), a color information correction step (S13), and an output step (S14). The information calculation step (S11) calculates the color information of the image data. The characteristic calculation step (S12) calculates the visual characteristic information in accordance with the color information. The color information correction step (S13) corrects the color information based on the visual characteristic information that is calculated in the characteristic calculation step (S12). The output step (S14) outputs the image data after color information correction based on the color information that has been corrected in the color information correction step (S13).
US07957587B2
A method and system for generating an image display plan is provided. In one embodiment, a planning system allows a user to create a display plan that specifies a sequence of images that are to be displayed and how the images are to be displayed. The planning system allows a user to specify different versions of the plan for different aspect ratios. When displaying the image, the planning system may display multiple viewports simultaneously on the image, one for each of the different aspect ratios. The planning system may allow the multiple viewports to be moved around and resized as a unit maintaining a common center point for the viewports.
US07957586B2
Provided is a method for converting a first image signal expressed in a first color space into a second image signal expressed in a second color space on a subword parallelism basis. The method includes determining a first image parameter of a second image signal matrix as a function calculated by multiplying conversion coefficients of a first row constituting an image conversion matrix by image parameters constituting a first image signal matrix; determining a second image parameter of the second image signal matrix as a function expressed by at least one of image parameters constituting the first image signal matrix and the determined first image parameter of the second image signal matrix; determining a third image parameter of the second image signal matrix as a function expressed by at least one image parameter unused for determining the second image parameter of the second image signal matrix among the image parameters constituting the first image signal matrix, and by the determined first image parameter of the second image signal matrix; and finally calculating the second image signal matrix by shifting the determined image parameters constituting the second image signal matrix by a predetermined number of bits.
US07957576B2
Data representing a sheet of document is obtained. Then, an area where it is possible to obtain a paper fingerprint from the obtained data representing the sheet of document is determined, and a paper fingerprint intensity of the sheet of document is calculated based on a number of areas of one or more paper fingerprint obtaining patterns allocated in the area where it is possible to obtain a paper fingerprint. Furthermore, a result of the calculation is reported to a user.
US07957574B2
A method for generating a score for soft plaque in coronary arteries includes using the computer to estimate the soft plaque content within at least one object depicted in a medical image, using the computer to determine a plaque score dependent upon the estimated soft plaque content of the at least one object, and using the computer to report the plaque score.
US07957565B1
Method and system for recognizing employees in a physical space based on automatic behavior analysis
The present invention is a method and system for recognizing employees among the people in a physical space based on automatic behavior analysis of the people in a preferred embodiment. The present invention captures a plurality of input images of the people in the physical space by a plurality of means for capturing images. The present invention processes the plurality of input images in order to understand the behavioral characteristics of the people for the employee recognition purpose. The behavior analysis can comprise a path analysis as one of the characterization methods. The path analysis collects a plurality of trip information for each tracked person during a predefined window of time. The trip information can comprise spatial and temporal attributes, such as coordinates of the person's position, trip time, trip length, and average velocity for each of the plurality of trips. Based on the employee recognition criteria applied to the trip information, the present invention distinguishes employees from non-employees during a predefined window of time. The processes are based on a novel usage of a plurality of computer vision technologies to analyze the behavior of the people from the plurality of input images.
US07957554B1
An apparatus and method are disclosed for setting up a vision system having a camera and a vision processor cooperative with the camera. The apparatus includes a gesture recognizer, a key recognizer, a breakout box having at least two signaling elements, and a setup control unit that is cooperative with the gesture recognizer, the key recognizer, and the breakout box. The combination of using a key and a gesture set as herein described is substantially superior, as compared with known user interfaces for setting up a vision system that has been previously been engineered, in terms of low-cost, convenience, ease-of-use, simplicity, and speed.
US07957549B2
According to one embodiment, an acoustic apparatus comprises an electro-acoustic transducer with a first function of converting an electric signal to an acoustic signal and a second function of converting an acoustic signal to an electric signal, the electro-acoustic transducer configured to convert a measuring electric signal to a measuring acoustic signal using the first function, and to convert an acoustic response signal responding to the measuring acoustic signal from an object to an electric response signal using the second function, a switch configured to switch the first function to the second function, or vice versa, and a switch controller configured to control a function switching of the switch in accordance with a sound source signal.
US07957546B2
A multi-channel noise reduction system provides improved noise reduction with direct instrument tracking of all channels. In a two channel noise reduction system, both channels detect and track the input level and dynamic range of the guitar directly with one channel of dynamic noise reduction between the guitar and the input of a guitar amplifier to eliminate the noise of the instrument and another channel of noise reduction connected in the effects loop of the guitar amplifier. Multiple channels of noise reduction can be implemented with separated threshold controls and with low level expansion and dynamic filtering being combined so as to detect and track the input level and dynamic range of the guitar directly. A buffer amplifier can be used to feed the direct guitar signal to the detectors of the noise reduction system and the input of a stereo guitar system.
US07957542B2
The adaptive beamformer unit (191) comprises: a filtered sum beamformer (107) arranged to process input audio signals (u 1, u2) from an array of respective microphones (101, 103), and arranged to yield as an output a first audio signal (z) predominantly corresponding to sound from a desired audio source (160) by filtering with a first adaptive filter (f1(-t)) a first one of the input audio signals (u1) and with a second adaptive filter (f2(-t)) a second one of the input audio signals (u2), the coefficients of the first filter (f1(-t)) and the second filter (f2(-t)) being adaptable with a first step size (a1) and a second step size ((x2) respectively; noise measure derivation means (111) arranged to derive from the input audio signals (u1, u2) a first noise measure (x1) and a second noise measure (x2); and an updating unit (192) arranged to determine the first and second step size (a1, (x2) with an equation comprising in a denominator the first noise measure (x1) for the first step size (a1), respectively the second noise measure (x2) for the second step size (a2). This makes the beamformer relatively robust against the influence of correlated audio interference. The beamformer may also be incorporated in a sidelobe canceller topology yielding a more noise cleaned desired sound estimate, which can be used in a related, more advanced adaptive filter (f1(-t), f2(-t)) updating. Such a beamformer is typically useful for application in handsfree speech communication systems.
US07957531B2
Detecting loss of stream cipher synchronization between a transmitter and a receiver in a video processing system may be achieved by receiving, by the receiver, an encrypted video frame from the transmitter, obtaining an encrypted value for a selected pixel in the encrypted video frame, decrypting the encrypted pixel value using a first portion of the receiver's current key stream, re-encrypting the pixel value using a second portion of the receiver's current key stream, sending the re-encrypted pixel value from the receiver to the transmitter, obtaining, by the transmitter, a plaintext value for the selected pixel from a corresponding original video frame and encrypting the plaintext pixel value using a second portion of the transmitter's current key stream, and comparing the re-encrypted pixel value received from the receiver with the encrypted pixel value generated by the transmitter and detecting a loss of cipher synchronization when the values do not match.
US07957511B2
In a communications network, data that establishes a network agent's entitlement to network services is stored within the network agent and not within the network. Network services are provided to the network agent by storing network service authorization information and network service usage allowance information within a network agent, which the network agent transmits to the network when network service is requested. The network does not store an account balance for the network agent but instead stores authorization information and actual network service usage information for the network agent.
US07957507B2
An apparatus and method to deliver intensity modulated radiation therapy by irradiating a treatment volume with rotation of the radiation beam. The system includes a collimation device comprising a two-dimensional array of pivoting attenuating leaves, which are temporarily placed into the radiation beam path as the gantry rotates around the patient. The leaves are independently movable between a first position and a second position. The radiation beam intensity is modulated by controlling the time that each leaf is present to attenuate the beam.
US07957501B2
The present invention provides a system and method for a system for accommodating a solid target in an accelerator. The system and method includes a target changer having at least one port for accommodating the solid target, an insert for receiving the solid target in the target changer, a piston for providing a vacuum and a cooling system for the solid target, a cylinder for displacing the piston in one of three positions; and a bracket for securing the insert, piston and cylinder to the target changer.
US07957496B2
A communications receiver may include an adaptive filter unit for removing coherent interference components from a received signal. In the absence of a signal of interest, the filter may adapt dynamically to remove current interference components. When a signal of interest is detected, the filter may be controlled to stop (or at least reduce) its adaptation, to prevent removal of the signal of interest. The received signal may be down-converted to a complex baseband by conditioning circuitry. A detector may detect the signal of interest, and control the filter. Autocorrelation may be used to estimate a characteristic of the signal of interest in the complex baseband. The detector may include hysteresis to react quickly to the start of signal of interest, and more slowly to an end of the signal of interest. The signal of interest may be a frequency shift keyed (FSK) signal. A demodulator may demodulate FSK components based on the autocorrelation result. The characteristic of the signal of interest used for detection and/or demodulation may be a directional characteristic of a vector representing the complex baseband signal in complex space.
US07957493B2
A method and system for generating a set of candidate symbols. A system includes a Multiple Input Multiple Output (“MIMO”) receiver. The receiver includes a candidate generation look-up table (“LUT”) that provides a list of candidate values for a transmitted symbol selected from a constellation of symbols. The candidate generation LUT stores candidate lists for a portion of the constellation of symbols. The portion of the constellation for which candidate lists are stored is selected according to a symmetry of the constellation. The LUT preferably provides a secondary constellation superimposed on a decision region of a primary constellation. The LUT also preferably includes an inner point of the primary constellation and outer points of the primary constellation. The primary and secondary constellations are preferably compressed by application of quadrant, mirror, and inner-point symmetries.
US07957491B1
Methods and systems for filtering include accessing first and second signals produced from an input signal and producing first and second filtered outputs, which correspond to the first and second signals, based on a filtering characteristic. The filtering characteristic can include a first filtering coefficient weighting the first and second signals. The filtering characteristic can include a second filtering coefficient weighting third and fourth signals, the third and fourth signals being produced prior to the first and second signals. The first and second filtering coefficients can include matrices which have non-symmetrical terms.
US07957481B2
Low complex algorithms for estimating a delay spread or a RMS delay spread of a multipath channel using channel estimates are disclosed, leading to low overall power consumption. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a delay spread or a RMS delay spread of the multipath channel is determined based on a metric calculated as a function of channel estimates. In another embodiment, an average signal to noise ratio is taken into consideration in addition to the metric to estimate the delay spread or the RMS delay spread. In a further embodiment, the delay spread or the RMS delay spread of the multipath channel is estimated based on an average signal to noise ratio and on a metric being a function of the slope between subcarrier channel estimates. The present invention further relates to an apparatus for estimating a delay spread or a RMS delay spread of the multipath channel.
US07957471B2
In encoding input image data including first and second images, the first image is divided into blocks. A second block corresponding to a first block that is one of the blocks is detected from the second image. Pixels forming the first and second blocks are sorted in order according to pixel values. Block difference data indicating the amount of change in the pixel values of the sorted pixels between the first and second blocks is determined and encoded. In decoding, block information identifying the second block, sort-order information indicating the sorted pixels forming the first block, and the encoded block difference data are obtained. The encoded block difference data is decoded. The decoded block difference data and the second block identified by the block information are used to generate pixel values of the first block. The generated pixel values are reverse-sorted according to the sort-order information.
US07957466B2
A method of performing adaptive temporal prediction includes receiving a target image, wherein a position of an object in the target image is different from a position of the object in a reference image, using a boundary of the object to generate an irregular pattern of target image motion vectors, using the target image motion vectors to partition the target image into area of influence cells, wherein each area of influence cell contains a unique one of the target image motion vectors, and generating a prediction of the target image by applying an adaptive area of influence filter to the area of influence cells.
US07957465B2
A code conversion/transmission apparatus for being supplied with compressed encoded data and converting and outputting the data to a transmission path has code converter/transmitters for outputting the encoded data input thereto and encoded data produced by re-encoding the encoded data input thereto, or outputting a plurality of encoded data comprising encoded data produced by separately re-encoding the encoded data input thereto, respectively, and transmitting the plurality of encoded data to at least one transmission path. At least a portion of the encoded data input thereto and at least a portion of the re-encoded encoded data are transmitted to the transmission path.
US07957462B2
A portable hand-held battery powered eye pattern analyzer is provided that can analyze signal quality of a high speed digital communication network. The system is 10 times smaller in volume and 4 times lighter than the bench-top equivalent instruments. The system includes a housing containing a display, keypad, power supply, battery pack, and RF sampler board along with connections for electrical inputs, optical inputs, clock signal inputs, and clock recovery signal inputs. The sampler circuit board can support connections, such as a USB plug for attachment to a personal computer. The RF sampler board contains the following elements: (1) A dual sampler for two-channel electrical inputs. (2) An Optical-to-Electrical O/E conversion module. (3) A clock recovery unit (CRU) module to recover the clock from the electrical or optical pulse pattern signal. (4) A trigger circuit that accepts an input clock and uses that clock to trigger the sampling of the data signal. (5) A PRBS generator that could be used as stimulus for testing high speed devices, and (6) A controller such as an FPGA that processes the sampled signals and provides statistical analysis along with eye patterns to a display as controlled using the keyboard.
US07957455B2
A discrete sampling control signal, which influences the sampling time, from a sampling phase selection element is calibrated by definition of quantization intervals for a sampling time error signal. For this purpose, a received signal is shifted through a series of time shifts τi in the signal path upstream of the sampling phase selection element. The sampling time errors ei associated with the respective time shifts τi are measured. The quantization steps of the sampling control signal that are suitable for the sampling phase selection element are then determined from the relationship obtained between τi and ei.
US07957452B2
A direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) transceiver including a DSSS transmitter and a DSSS receiver, wherein the DSSS transmitter includes: an integral code mapping unit mapping source bit data in one of 2N (N is a natural number) of predetermined symbols by N bits and mapping the symbol in one of integral code words that are obtained by previously integrating each of 2N of bi-orthogonal code words; and a radio frequency (RF) transmitting unit transmitting the integral code words mapped by the integral code mapping unit over an RF carrier wave, and the DSSS receiver includes: an RF receiving unit removing an RF carrier wave from an RF signal from the RF transmitting unit and converting an analog signal obtained by removing the RF carrier wave from the RF signal into a digital signal; a differential circuit unit differentiating and converting the digital signal from the RF receiving unit into bi-orthogonal code words; and a symbol detection unit detecting a symbol corresponding to a maximum value of correlation values between bi-orthogonal code word from the differential circuit unit and a plurality of predetermined reference code words.
US07957451B1
A spread spectrum communication system includes a transceiver configured to transmit a spread spectrum waveform. The spread spectrum waveform comprises transmitted signals at varying frequencies within a radio frequency spectrum of operation. The frequency variation is controlled according to a hopping sequence. A spectral sensor of the communication system is configured to dynamically scan the radio frequency spectrum of operation and to generate channel occupancy data based upon the scans. A real time hopping sequence generator is configured to dynamically generate the hopping sequence in real time as a function of the channel occupancy data.
US07957449B2
The invention relates to a two-stage laser system well fit for semiconductor aligners, which is reduced in terms of spatial coherence while taking advantage of the high stability, high output efficiency and fine line width of the MOPO mode. The two-stage laser system for aligners comprises an oscillation-stage laser (50) and an amplification-stage laser (60). Oscillation laser light having divergence is used as the oscillation-stage laser (50), and the amplification-stage laser (60) comprises a Fabry-Perot etalon resonator made up of an input side mirror (1) and an output side mirror (2). The resonator is configured as a stable resonator.
US07957443B2
Provided is a long wavelength laser of which the operating point is stabilized and the laser oscillation is stabilized. The long wavelength laser comprises a resistor element provided to a portion where the surface current is maximum in a surface plasmon waveguide to stabilize a potential difference between a first cladding and a second cladding in the surface plasmon waveguide.
US07957442B2
An edge-emitting semiconductor optical device comprises a first cladding layer, an active layer, and a second cladding layer. The first cladding layer is provided on a semiconductor substrate. The active layer is provided on the first cladding layer. The semiconductor substrate has a higher band gap than that of the active layer. The first cladding layer includes a first light-absorbing layer and a first light-transmitting layer. The first light-absorbing layer has a lower band gap than that of the active layer, and the first light-transmitting layer has a higher band gap than that of the active layer. The second cladding layer is provided on the active layer.
US07957438B2
A method for monitoring laser light launched into a core of a single mode fiber includes launching a portion of light directly into the cladding about the core. The cladding launched light is a known fraction of the core launched light and can be monitored by placing a detector about the cladding. Detected light including light that was launched into the cladding and has leaked through the cladding is used as a known fraction of light in the core and can be used to control the laser light source. This can be done with a straight section of single mode optical fiber and does not require bending the fiber. Advantageously, most of the core launched light remains in the core as guided light.
US07957436B2
A laser for generating laser light pulses comprises a cavity containing an active optical gain medium (102) and a spectral filtering device (104), a delay device (110) for delaying light by a predetermined delay time (Δt), means (106) for extracting a portion of laser light from the cavity, launching said portion into said delay means (110) and returning the delayed portion to the optical gain medium (102), control means (116) operable to activate the gain medium for a first time period (C1) to produce a first laser light pulse (LP1) having a duration that is less than the delay time (Δt), and activate the gain medium for a second time period (C2) while a said delayed portion of the first light pulse that has been delayed by the delay means (UO) is traversing the gain medium (102), thereby to produce a second laser pulse (LP2) having a shorter duration and faster risetime than the first laser light pulse (LP1), and output means (108) for outputting the second laser light pulse (LP2).
US07957420B2
The present invention provides a method of performing packet transfer among nodes on a network by a packet transfer node. When the network is divided into a plurality of network areas and routing within an individual network area and between network areas is performed, the method divides packet transfer processing of the packet transfer node into a higher layer and a lower layer, selects one of the higher layer and the lower layer for each packet to be transferred in accordance with information set in the packet transfer node, and performs the packet transfer by the selected hierarchical layer. According to the present invention, an added packet transfer node can be coupled with a network area which is not adjacent to the added packet transfer node to increase flexibility of expanding the network.
US07957418B2
Methods and apparatus for use in increasing data throughput to mobile stations in a wireless communication network, where data is communicated between mobile stations and the wireless network in a plurality of data bursts within time slots assigned to the mobile station. One illustrative method includes the acts of receiving, through a wireless transceiver, data in a time slot W; tuning the wireless transceiver, during a first portion of a time slot X which follows the time slot W, for transmission; reading transmit data from a transmit data queue and encoding the transmit data in a data burst in accordance with a data burst format; and causing the encoded transmit data to be transmitted in the data burst during a second portion of the time slot X. The data burst may be formatted in accordance with a predefined data burst format of the wireless network and merely shifted in time, or the data burst may be formatted in accordance with a reduced-size data burst format. When such alternate data burst technique is utilized, extra available time remains to tune the wireless transceiver from receive to transmit mode, or transmit to receive mode. Thus, an additional downlink time slot(s) per data frame may be allocated to the mobile station for increased data throughput, where at least one uplink time slot per data frame is utilized for data transmission.
US07957410B2
Proportionally fair-share time slot reservations with a fast increase, slow decrease rate controller
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for facilitating proportionally fair-share time slot reservations with a fast increase, slow decrease rate controller in an ad hoc dynamic wireless broadcast network. During operation, the system determines local time slot demand, based on transmitted and queued data corresponding to one or more previous decision points. Next, the system broadcasts the local time slot demand to one or more neighbors. The system also determines neighbor time slot demands, where a respective neighbor time slot demand indicates a particular neighbor's local time slot demand corresponding to one or more previous decision points. Next, the system determines neighborhood time slot demand, based on the local time slot demand and the neighbor time slot demands. Next, the system determines allowable reserved time slots based on the local time slot demand and allowable reserved time slots corresponding to one or more previous decision points.
US07957405B2
A packet communication method and a packet communication system capable of making an IPv4-compatible application operating on an information processing apparatus communicate with another information processing apparatus connected to an IPv6 network without using an address translation router. In the information processing apparatus connected to the IPv6 network, an IPv4-to-IPv6 protocol conversion control function is incorporated in a LAN driver. A protocol conversion control module receives an IPv4 packet from a protocol control module. When a send destination IPv4 address contained in a header of the packet is registered in an address translation table incorporated in the protocol conversion control module, an IPv6 address is generated to be sent onto a LAN. Unless the send destination IPv4 address contained in the packet header is registered in the address translation table incorporated in the protocol conversion control module, the IPv4 packet as received is intactly sent onto the LAN.
US07957401B2
A system and method for implementing large and/or multiple telecommunication protocols utilizing memory-limited processors. Telecommunication protocols are expressed as virtual machine instructions defining a finite state machine. A telecommunication protocol engine implements the telecommunication protocols using a virtual machine operating under the control of a CPU. A telephony gateway comprising a telecommunication protocol engine interfaces with a communication device and a packet switched network. A network of telephony gateways communicating with a provider gateway facilitates communication over a packet switched network. A call placed by a calling telephony gateway to a receiving device on the same network or another network is routed according to a prefix in a telephone code sent by the calling telephony gateway.
US07957393B2
A packet switched (PS) core network (CN) supporting several quality of services levels, comprising at least a serving node (SGSN), a gateway node (GGSN), a home location register (HLR), a short message service gateway and interworking unit (SMS-GMSC, SMS-IWMSC), charging gateway functionality (CGF), and a public data network (PDN) comprising an application server (AS). The core network is adapted for carrying out a packet data protocol (PDP) context activation in which a PDP address is assigned to a mobile station and in which a given quality of service is assigned through the network in a communication session between the mobile station and the application processor in question, whereby the application server (AS) initiates a context activation in which the QoS is seeked altered for the mobile station.
US07957391B1
A physical layer device distributes a high-speed packet data stream to multiple lower-speed physical channels, and reverses the process to receive a high-speed packet data stream that has been distributed across multiple lower-speed physical channels. The packet data is distributed by removing interpacket gap characters from between packets and using a different control character to delineate packets. Interpacket gap characters can then be used to delineate equal-length frames distributed to each of the multiple physical channels. Each frame consists of a concatenation of fixed-size blocks of packet data. By selecting a frame size larger than the average packet size, overhead on the multiple physical channels can actually be lower than the overhead on the single high-speed channel, allowing the aggregation to achieve line rate operation at the high-speed rate.
US07957388B2
A switch controller includes a plurality of ports, a hash table, and a hash table control unit. The plurality of ports includes at least one bus port associated with ports connected to other switch controllers in a network. The hash table stores MAC addresses and VLAN ids of ports within the network. The hash table control unit hashes a MAC address and a VLAN id of a packet to identify a first location in the hash table. For each one of the VLAN ids stored in the hash table, one of the MAC addresses identifies one of the other switch controllers having ports belonging to the one of the VLAN ids without identifying each one of the ports of the one of the other switch controllers that belongs to the one of the VLAN ids.
US07957386B1
Principles of the invention are described for providing multicast virtual private networks (MVPNs) across a public network that are capable of carrying high-bandwidth multicast traffic with increased scalability. In particular, the MVPNs may transport layer three (L3) multicast traffic, such as Internet Protocol (IP) packets, between remote sites via the public network. The principles described herein may reduce the overhead of protocol independent multicast (PIM) neighbor adjacencies and customer control information maintained for MVPNs. The principles may also reduce the state and the overhead of maintaining the state in the network by removing the need to maintain at least one dedicated multicast tree per each MVPN.
US07957384B2
An apparatus and method for transferring data through a network switch. The network switch comprises a plurality of ports each having at least one port identifier and associating with at least one virtual local area network (VLAN) database, and a relational lookup engine storing a plurality of relations between at least one media access control (MAC) address and the at least one port identifier. At least one port receives a frame of data comprising a destination MAC (DMAC) address and the relational lookup engine uses the DMAC address to retrieve an associated port identifier that identifies a port to which the frame is forwarded. A source MAC (SMAC) address of the frame is used to produce an input relation for the relational lookup engine to identify the associated port identifier that identifies the port that received the frame of data for learning associations between the ports and MAC addresses.
US07957378B2
The present invention provides a packet processing device and method. A parsing processor provides instruction-driven content inspection of network packets at 10-Gbps and above with a parsing engine that executes parsing instructions. A flow state unit maintains statefulness of packet flows to allow content inspection across several related network packets. A state-graph unit traces state-graph nodes to keyword indications and/or parsing instructions. The parsing instructions can be derived from a high-level application to emulate user-friendly parsing logic. The parsing processor sends parsed packets to a network processor unit for further processing.
US07957373B2
A communication system includes an application server including logic to receive preference data for each of a plurality of data record entries of a subscriber record from a telephone number mapping (ENUM) server, and to determine a contact sequence including a plurality of Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs). The contact sequence is based at least in part on the received preference data.
US07957370B2
A synchronous read channel having a single chip integrated circuit digital portion which provides digital gain control, timing recovery, equalization, digital peak detection, sequence detection, RLL(1,7) encoding and decoding, error-tolerant synchronization and channel quality measurement is disclosed. The integrated circuit accommodates both center sampling and side sampling, and has a high degree of programmability of various pulse shaping and recovery parameters and the ability to provide decoded data using sequence detection or digital peak detection. These characteristics, together with the error-tolerant sync mark detection and the ability to recover data when the sync mark is obliterated, allow a wide variety of retry and recovery strategies to maximize the possibility of data recovery. Various embodiments, including an embodiment incorporating the analog functions as well as the primary digital functions of the read channel in a single integrated circuit, and preferred embodiments utilizing a reduced complexity, programmable modified Viterbi detector supporting a broad class of partial response channels are disclosed.
US07957367B2
An ENUM server stores NAPTR records including PSTN telephone numbers and the corresponding IP telephone numbers of a source IP telephone apparatus and a destination IP telephone apparatus. When the ENUM server receives an ENUM query from the source IP telephone apparatus, the ENUM query setting a domain name based on the PSTN telephone number, the ENUM server searches for a NAPTR record corresponding to the domain name and returns, to the source IP telephone apparatus, an ENUM response including the NAPTR record. When receiving the ENUM response from the ENUM server, the source IP telephone apparatus retrieves the IP telephone number of the destination IP telephone apparatus, the IP telephone number being specified in the NAPTR record contained in the ENUM response, and starts a call connection sequence with the destination IP telephone apparatus.
US07957334B2
This invention provides a communication system, a repeater terminal in the communication system and a communication method for improving the characteristics in a multi-hop communication by a diversity gain and reduces the power consumption by wasteful retransmission in packet transmission at a wireless terminal. When a transmitter terminal S sends a packet first time, repeater terminals R1-R13 perform a data transmission by retransmission at all the terminals which received the packet. When a transmitter terminal S sends a packet second time, a repeater terminal determines its own contribution based on the hop numbers of the repeating in the packet transmission and the return ACK (or NACK) repeating. The repeater terminal with a high contribution autonomously determines to be in “repeater mode” and the repeater terminal with a low contribution autonomously determines to be in “sleep mode”.
US07957332B1
In a method and apparatus for providing memory efficient filtering of a received broadcast signal, filter expressions are compared to packet data in the broadcast signal and by a wireless device assembly to determine if a match exists. The wireless device assembly is able to perform such filtering with an associated host assembly in a sleep mode or with that host in an active mode. Upon finding a filter match, the wireless device assembly selectively communicates the received packet data to the host assembly for packet decoding and analysis. If the host assembly is in a sleep mode, the wireless device assembly may send a wakeup signal to the host assembly prior to transmitting the packet data.
US07957330B1
The invention is directed to techniques for failsafe management of periodic communications between network devices. A first network device, for example, establishes with a second network device a first response interval by which the first device responds to a message received from the second device. Prior to commencing a software upgrade, the first device determines whether the event requires an interval of time during which the first device cannot respond to the message within the established first response interval. Based on the determination and prior to commencing the upgrade, the first device establishes with the second device a second response interval that equals or exceeds the first response interval. Upon completion of the event, the first device establishes with the second device a third response interval. The first network device therefore may automatically adjust response intervals to accommodate upgrades that may cause unnecessary thrashing.
US07957325B2
A Layer 2 device configured for providing at least one of bridging and switching functionality in a local area network comprising computer readable instructions for providing GVRP functionality and computer-readable instructions for limiting the number of dynamic VLANs that the GVRP functionality creates on a Layer 2 device of a local area network and on all ports of a data plane card of the Layer 2 device.
US07957323B2
Embodiments of the invention are directed to evaluating the sequence of packets in a received packet stream. In some embodiments, when a packet in the packet stream is received, its sequence number may be determined and compared to an expected sequence number indicative of the highest received sequence number in the packet stream. If the sequence number of the packet is greater than or equal to the expected sequence number, the packet may be considered an in-order packet and a counter that counts the number of received in-order packets in the packet stream may be incremented.
US07957315B2
Disclosed herein are systems, computer-implemented methods, and computer-readable media for sampling network traffic. The method includes receiving a plurality of flow records, calculating a hash for each flow record based on one or more invariant part of a respective flow, generating a quasi-random number from the calculated hash for each respective flow record, and sampling flow records having a quasi-random number below a probability P. Invariant parts of flow records include destination IP address, source IP address, TCP/UDP port numbers, TCP flags, and network protocol. A plurality of routers can uniformly calculate hashes for flow records. Each router in a plurality of routers can generate a same quasi-random number for each respective flow record and uses different values for probability P. The probability P can depend on a flow size. The method can divide the quasi-random number by a maximum possible hash value.
US07957311B2
A hardware-based technique for policing traffic in a network node involves programming a set of algorithm-specific policing primitives that establishes a relationship between condition primitives and action primitives and populating a searchable memory with a set of indexed action primitives. Action primitives are then selected from the searchable memory in response to condition primitives related to a received datagram. Policing actions related to the datagram are performed in response to the action primitive. Because the algorithm-specific policing primitives are programmable, a network node can be adapted to implement a wide variety of policing algorithms. Additionally, multiple different policing algorithms can be implemented in hardware without the need for a different set of combinational logic for each different policing algorithm.
US07957301B2
A method for multicast communication in a network having plural nodes according to the ZigBee network specification includes creating a multicast group including a subset of the plural nodes and excluding at least one non-member node in the plural nodes. The multicast group has a multicast address. The method also includes transmitting multicast message including the multicast address and receiving the multicast message at each node in the multicast group.
US07957285B1
A network switching device comprises first and second ports. A queue communicates with the second port, stores frames for later output by the second port, and generates a congestion signal when filled above a threshold. A control module selectively sends an outgoing flow control message to the first port when the congestion signal is present, and selectively instructs the second port to assert flow control when a flow control message is received from the first port if the received flow control message designates the second port as a target.
US07957273B2
A re-transmit processor for a wireless communication system includes a pointer memory which contains pointers associated with particular packet data in a host memory. The re-transmit processor directs data associated with said pointers to be applied to a media access controller, which optionally contains an encryption function, the output of which is coupled to a block buffer and to an output interface. Upon receipt of a transmission request, the host memory locations associated with the pointers are read and the data directed to the media access controller, which adds a header, a CRC, and optionally encrypts the data, thereafter placing it in the block buffer and the output interface. Upon provision of the packet data to the MAC, the associated pointer is initialized to a FREE or UNUSED value, and upon receipt of an acknowledgement of the packet accompanied by a packet identifier from a receiving station, the packet associated with the packet identifier is removed from the block buffer.
US07957272B2
The invention includes a method and apparatus for determining a coincidence count associated with a traffic flow in a network. The method includes receiving a first packet having a first flow identifier associated with one of the traffic flows, comparing the first flow identifier of the first packet to each of a plurality of other flow identifiers associated with a respective plurality of other packets, and determining a coincidence count associated with the first flow identifier based on the comparison of the first flow identifier to each of the plurality of other flow identifiers. The method for determining a coincidence count associated with one of a plurality of traffic flows may be extended for determining respective coincidence counts associated with a plurality of traffic flows. The determined coincidence counts may be used for determining at least one traffic flow statistic.
US07957265B2
Systems and methods for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing are provided. In one embodiment, a multi-carrier modem comprising: a receiver configured to de-modulate symbols from at least one of a plurality of spectrally overlapping carrier signals; a transmitter configured to modulate symbols onto at least one of a plurality of the spectrally overlapping carrier signals; a processor coupled to the transmitter, wherein the processor outputs data for transmission by the transmitter, wherein the processor applies an inverse Fourier transform to the data transmitted by the transmitter; and a controller programmed to instruct the transmitter to transmit a coarse timing adjustment followed by at least one secondary timing adjustment, wherein the secondary timing adjustment is a fine tuning adjustment with respect to the coarse timing adjustment.
US07957257B2
A transmission method for use in a multi-hop wireless communication system is provided. The method includes, for two apparatuses having overlapping transmission coverage areas, one of the two said apparatuses being an intermediate apparatus, transmitting a first transmission signal from a first one of those apparatuses in a first transmission window of a particular transmission interval and transmitting a second transmission signal from the second one of those apparatuses in a second transmission window of the particular transmission interval but not in said first transmission window, so that a communication apparatus located in the coverage areas of both the first and second apparatuses can receive said first transmission signal substantially without interference from said second transmission signal.
US07957251B2
Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for reduced latency feedback in a data processing system. For example, some embodiments provide a data processing system that includes a variable gain amplifier, a processing circuit, a data detector, and an error signal calculation circuit. The variable gain amplifier amplifies a data input signal and provides an amplified signal. The processing circuit generates a signal output corresponding to the amplified signal, and includes a conditional multiplication circuit. The conditional multiplication circuit conditionally multiplies the signal output by a gain correction signal and provides the result as an interim output. The data detector applies a data detection algorithm to the signal output and provides an ideal output. The error signal calculation circuit generates a gain correction signal based at least in part on the interim output and a derivative of the ideal output. The level of amplification by the variable gain amplifier is based at least in part on the gain correction signal.
US07957249B2
An objective lens according to the present invention is an objective lens used for an optical pickup apparatus, and the objective lens includes a superimposed structure on a surface of a lens with a power in which a first optical path difference providing structure changing spherical aberration in under-corrected direction when a wavelength of an incident light flux becomes longer, and a second optical path difference providing structure changing spherical aberration in over-corrected direction when a wavelength of an incident light flux becomes longer are superimposed.
US07957248B2
A hologram recording and/or reproducing apparatus, a hologram recording and/or reproducing method, and a hologram recording medium include a data processing unit to generate a data page which includes recording data and a reference page which includes predetermined patterns to prevent distortion of a signal from occurring when the data page is reproduced, and a light processing unit to record the data page and reference page on a hologram recording medium. The apparatus and method correct distortion and deformation that may occur in part of an image due to aberrations, enhancing compatibility between hologram recording and/or reproducing apparatuses.
US07957244B2
The invention relates to the reading of digital optical recordings at very high density (CD, DVD, etc.). Reading is done by a PRML (“Partial Response Maximum Likelihood”) technique which uses a model of analog response to the recording of an isolated information bit. Customarily, the response model is represented by four or five signal samples having standardized levels 1 or 2. To take account of particular phenomena of super-resolution reading, the invention proposes the use of a model having 6 to 10 samples that can take 4 or 5 standardized levels. This model can result from the superposition of two simpler models having only two possible levels of samples taken from 1, 2 and 3.
US07957240B2
The object of the present invention is to provide a test writing method for seeking the optimum write power correctly and in a short time under a high speed recording condition in a test writing method and an information recording device for recording information by forming different marks from the unrecorded part by injecting energy onto the recording medium. To achieve the above object, even number length marks and odd number length marks are separately test written in the 2T strategy to seek the respective optimum write power. Due to the possibility of enhancing the precision of test writing, a good recording ability can be obtained.
US07957236B2
A device for recording information records blocks having continuous logical addresses on a record carrier at corresponding physical addresses. The logical addresses are translated into the physical addresses in dependence of defect management information, which includes remapping information indicative for translating a logical address initially mapped to a physical address exhibiting a defect to an alternate physical address in a defect management area. The device has a continuous data detection unit for detecting a logically continuous data, and a defect management reorganizing unit. The physical addresses of remapped logical addresses in the logically continuous data are determined, and the defect management information is reorganized by remapping at least one of the remapped logical addresses to a different defect management area. During read-out the remapped logical addresses in the logically continuous address range are retrieved from a single defect management area.
US07957222B2
A method for wireless communication in a seismic sensor network is disclosed. The method comprises providing a first acoustic device having at least one seismic sensor with communication and control data to communicate over an acoustic energy wave on a first communications channel. The first acoustic device generates the acoustic energy wave with a first wave intensity. The first acoustic device is configured to receive a reflection of the generated wave at a prescribed signal sensitivity level based on a network configuration. If the first wave intensity is below the prescribed signal sensitivity level, the first wave intensity of the acoustic energy wave is tuned to the prescribed signal sensitivity level to interpret the communication and control data provided by the first communications channel.
US07957217B2
The invention relates generally to a multi-chip package (MCP) memory device, and more particularly, but without limitation, to a MCP memory device having a reduced size. In one embodiment, the MCP memory device includes: a transfer memory chip; and a plurality of memory chips coupled to the transfer memory chip, each of the plurality of memory chips including an internal voltage generating circuit, the transfer memory chip configured to receive a plurality of command signals from outside the MCP memory device, the transfer memory chip further configured to output a plurality of control signals to the plurality of memory chips based on the plurality of command signals. Embodiments of the invention also relate to a method of controlling an internal voltage of the MCP memory device.
US07957208B1
In one embodiment, a programmable logic device includes a plurality of logic blocks; a plurality of input/output blocks; volatile configuration memory adapted to store configuration data for configuration of the logic blocks and input/output blocks; embedded block RAM adapted to store user data; flash memory having at least a first partition and a second partition; and a data port adapted to provide external device access to the first partition of the non-volatile memory. The flash memory is adapted to store within the first partition user data from the data port and is further adapted to store within the second partition user data from the embedded block RAM.
US07957189B2
A plurality of memory cells are managed by obtaining values of one or more environmental parameters of the cells and adjusting values of one or more reference voltages of the cells accordingly. Alternatively, a statistic of at least some of the cells, relative to a single reference parameter that corresponds to a control parameter of the cells, is measured, and the value of the reference voltage is adjusted accordingly. Examples of environmental parameters include program-erase cycle count, data retention time and temperature. Examples of reference voltages include read reference voltages and program verify reference voltages. Examples of statistics include the fraction of cells whose threshold voltages exceed initial lower bounds or initial medians.
US07957188B2
A method of trimming FET NVM cells in Multi-Level-Cell (MLC) operation is provided. The method comprises (a) applying a first voltage and a second voltage to a control gate and a bulk of the over-programmed FET NVM cell, respectively; and (b) applying a signal to a drain of the over-programmed FET NVM cell for a time period to produce a limited threshold voltage reduction; wherein polarities of the first voltage and the second voltage are opposite to that of the signal. Thus, the charge placement in the storing material could be precisely controlled within a small range of charge state and produce a multi-bits/cell of higher digital storage density.
US07957186B2
In one aspect, a non-volatile memory system includes a plurality of memory cell arrays having different read stand-by times. For example, the non-volatile memory system may include a single-level cell (SLC) array composed of a plurality of SLCs, and a multi-level cell (MLC) array composed of a plurality of MLCs. In this case, the SLC array and the MLC array receive a read instruction at the same time and prepare to read data at the same time. However, the SLC array begins to read the data prior to the MLC array, and the MLC array begins to read the data once the SLC array has completely read the data.
US07957182B2
A magnetic cell structure including a nonmagnetic filament contact, and methods of fabricating the structure are provided. The magnetic cell structure includes a free layer, a pinned layer, an insulative layer between the free and pinned layers, and a nonmagnetic filament contact in the insulative layer which electrically connects the free and pinned layers. The nonmagnetic filament contact is formed from a nonmagnetic source layer, also between the free and pinned layers. The filament contact directs a programming current through the magnetic cell structure such that the cross sectional area of the programming current in the free layer is less than the cross section of the structure. The decrease in the cross sectional area of the programming current in the free layer enables a lower programming current to reach a critical switching current density in the free layer and switch the magnetization of the free layer, programming the magnetic cell.
US07957181B2
This magnetic memory with a thermally-assisted write, every storage cell of which consists of at least one magnetic tunnel junction, said tunnel junction comprising at least:one magnetic reference layer, the magnetization of which is always oriented in the same direction at the time of the read of the storage cell;one so-called “free” magnetic storage layer, the magnetization direction of which is variable;one insulating layer sandwiched between the reference layer and the storage layer.The magnetization direction of the reference layer is polarized in a direction that is substantially always the same at the time of a read due to magnetostatic interaction with another fixed-magnetization layer called the “polarizing layer”.
US07957178B2
An integrated circuit includes a memory array including a plurality of memory cells, the memory cells include a core storage element having at least a first storage node (S) and a complementary second storage node (S-bar), and a first pass gate coupled to the first storage node (S). A single bitline (BL) is coupled to a node in a source drain path of the first pass gate. The BL is for Reading data from and Writing data to the first storage node (S). A buffer circuit includes a second pass gate and a driver transistor, wherein the second pass gate is coupled between the driver transistor and the source drain path of the first pass gate. A gate of the driver transistor is coupled to the second storage node (S-bar). At least one wordline (WL) is coupled to the first pass gate and the second pass gate.
US07957173B2
A composite memory device including discrete memory devices and a bridge device for controlling the discrete memory devices in response to global memory control signals having a format or protocol that is incompatible with the memory devices. The discrete memory devices can be commercial off-the-shelf memory devices or custom memory devices which respond to native, or local memory control signals. The global and local memory control signals include commands and command signals each having different formats. The composite memory device includes a system in package including the semiconductor dies of the discrete memory devices and the bridge device, or can include a printed circuit board having packaged discrete memory devices and a packaged bridge device mounted thereto.
US07957167B2
A high-reliability IGBT drive device in which the high- and low-voltage side IGBTs are complementarily ON/OFF controlled before and after dead time. A reset pulse that turns OFF the high-voltage side IGBT is generated during the dead time as described in the following example. The reset pulse is generated immediately before an ON instruction for the low-voltage side IGBT, so that a period that begins immediately before the ON instruction for the low-voltage side IGBT and overlaps with the ON instruction, continuously during the dead time, continuously during dead time immediately before the low-voltage side IGBT turns ON, or in such a manner as to invalidate the ON instruction for the low-voltage side IGBT when an ON state of the high-voltage side IGBT is observed.
US07957165B2
A DC-DC conversion circuit is configured by including a plurality of control signal generation circuits, a plurality of soft-start control circuits, and a start control circuit. The plurality of control signal generation circuits correspond to the plurality of control signals, and generate a corresponding control signal of the plurality of control signals based on a corresponding output value of a plurality of output values. The plurality of soft-start control circuits correspond to the plurality of control signals, and control a variation of the corresponding control signal at a start time of the DC-DC conversion circuit. The start control circuit instructs the corresponding soft-start control circuit to start operation in accordance with a change of the control signal taking part in an output control at the start time of the DC-DC conversion circuit.
US07957160B2
Methods and apparatus to provide low harmonic distortion AC power for distribution by converting energy from natural or renewable sources into electrical form, and constructing a current waveform on a primary winding of a transformer by recapturing inductive energy previously stored in the transformer so as to transform the converted electrical energy into substantially sinusoidal AC voltage at a secondary winding of the transformer. For example, AC power may be supplied to a utility power grid from raw electrical energy from renewable energy sources (e.g., solar cells). An inverter may construct the primary winding current waveform using two unidirectional switches. On each half cycle, one of the switches first applies energy previously recaptured from primary winding inductance, and then applies the raw energy to the transformer primary winding at the utility power grid frequency. Accordingly, the constructed primary winding current may exhibit substantially improved total harmonic distortion.
US07957158B2
A circuit device having improved packaging density is provided. A circuit device of the present invention includes: a circuit board having its surface covered with an insulating layer; conductive patterns formed on a surface of the insulating layer; circuit elements electrically connected to the conductive patterns; and leads connected to pads formed of the conductive patterns. Furthermore, a control element is fixed to an upper surface of a land part formed of a part of a lead, and a back surface of the land part is spaced apart from an upper surface of the circuit board.
US07957151B2
An electrode connection structure including a first circuit component including a resin plate, a barrier film stacked on a surface of the resin plate, a circuit section formed on the barrier film and a first electrode provided on the surface of the resin plate on which the barrier film is stacked, and a second circuit component arranged to face the first circuit component and having a second electrode facing the first electrode, wherein the first and second electrodes are electrically connected via pressure applied thereto in the directions approaching each other and a portion of the barrier film surrounding the first electrode is at least partially removed from the surface of the resin plate.
US07957142B2
Apparatuses, methods, and systems directed to efficient cooling of data centers. Some embodiments of the invention allow encapsulation of cold rows through an enclosure and allow server fans to draw cold air from the cold row encapsulation structure to cool servers installed on the server racks. In other particular embodiments, the systems disclosed can be used to mix outside cool air into the cold row encapsulation structure to cool the servers. In some embodiments, the present invention involves using multiple cold row encapsulation structures to cool the servers installed on the racks.
US07957141B2
A heat-dissipating mechanism includes a first heat-dissipating device, a first positioning device, a second heat-dissipating device and a second positioning device. The first heat-dissipating device is contacted with a memory module. The first positioning device is disposed on the first heat-dissipating device and includes a protrusion. The second heat-dissipating device is connected with the first heat-dissipating device. The second positioning device has a positioning rail formed in the second heat-dissipating device and corresponding to the protrusion. The second heat-dissipating device is connected with the first heat-dissipating device when the protrusion of the first positioning device is embedded into the positioning rail second positioning device.
US07957130B2
The present invention relates to an attached-type memory device, which includes a support seat, a connection part. The support seat has an accommodation room for housing a flash memory; the connection part contains at least an elastic sleeve member and at least a fitting member, in which the fitting member is integrated with the support seat, and two sides of the elastic sleeve member are disposed on two side edges of an end face of the fitting member.
US07957128B2
An OLED display including: a panel assembly having a display region, a pad region, and a plurality of OLEDs formed in the display region; a bezel disposed around, and spaced apart from the panel assembly; and a fixing member to fix the panel assembly to the bezel.
US07957118B2
A method for processing a semiconductor wafer comprises measuring data indicating an amount of warpage of the wafer. At least two different voltages are determined, based on the amount of warpage. The voltages are to be applied to respective portions of the wafer by an electrostatic chuck that is to hold the wafer. The at least two different voltages are applied to hold the respective portions of the wafer while performing a fabrication process on the wafer.
US07957115B2
A protection circuit is installed between a gate terminal (a control terminal) and an emitter terminal (a ground terminal) of a voltage driven element generally called a power device. The protection circuit is structured as a duplex protection system in which a first discharge circuit is configured to perform a discharge from the control terminal at a current value set in accordance with a current flowing between the load terminal and the ground terminal, an overcurrent generation detection device is configured to detect an existence of an overcurrent between the load terminal and the ground terminal, and a second discharge circuit is configured to perform the discharge from the control terminal at a predetermined constant current value after the overcurrent is detected.
US07957114B2
In one embodiment of the present invention, a circuit breaker and a method for triggering a circuit breaker are disclosed, particularly a low voltage circuit breaker, including an electronic overload trigger, particularly for the protection against a short circuit, wherein the current is compared to a predetermined limit current and evaluated and the circuit breaker is triggered by the overload trigger, in case a short circuit is present according to the evaluation. In order to be able to reliably detect short circuits, the current is sampled with a predetermined sampling frequency and digitized. The wavelet coefficients of at least two segmentation levels are calculated for a predetermined number of digital current values in direct succession via a wavelet transformation. At least two wavelet coefficients, that is, one wavelet coefficient per segmentation level, are compared quantitatively to each other if the last of the current values in direct succession is larger than the limit current. The circuit breaker is triggered if the wavelet coefficient of a higher segmentation level is larger than the wavelet coefficient of a lower segmentation level.
US07957113B2
An objective is to provide a highly-reliable undervoltage lockout circuit which can block and permit normal gate-driver output even when a supply voltage steeply increases. The undervoltage lockout circuit includes a reference-voltage circuit for outputting a reference voltage, a monitor-voltage circuit for outputting a monitor voltage, and a comparator for outputting, the reference voltage and the monitor voltage being inputted thereinto, a high/low signal, according to a comparison result of the reference voltage and the monitor voltage, in which the time constant of the monitor-voltage circuit for determining an increasing rate of the monitor voltage is set higher than that of the reference-voltage circuit for determining that of the reference voltage.
US07957107B2
A current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (CPP) magnetoresistive sensor has an antiparallel free (APF) structure as the free layer and a specific direction for the applied bias or sense current. The (APF) structure has a first free ferromagnetic (FL1), a second free ferromagnetic layer (FL2), and an antiparallel (AP) coupling (APC) layer that couples FL1 and FL2 together antiferromagnetically with the result that FL1 and FL2 have substantially antiparallel magnetization directions and rotate together in the presence of a magnetic field. The thickness of FL1 is preferably greater than the spin-diffusion length of the electrons in the FL1 material. The minimum thickness for FL2 is a thickness resulting in a FL2 magnetic moment equivalent to at least 10 Å Ni80Fe20 and preferably to at least 15 Å Ni80Fe20. The CPP sensor operates specifically with the conventional sense current (opposite the electron current) directed from the pinned ferromagnetic layer to the APF structure, which results in suppression of current-induced noise.
US07957106B2
Magnetoresistive (MR) read elements and associated methods of fabrication are disclosed. A free layer and/or a pinned layer of an MR read element are formed from a magnetic material such as Co2−x−yMn1+xAl1+y, Co2−x−yMn1+xSi1+y, Co2−x−yMn1+xGe1+y, and Co2−x−yFe1+xSi1+y, where x and y are selected to create an off-stoichiometric alloy having a crystalline structure that is chemically disordered. The chemically disordered magnetic material has a lower spin-polarization than a Heusler alloy, but still exhibits acceptable GMR amplitudes and low spin-torque noise.
US07957104B2
A flexure with improved temperature sensitivity is disclosed. An embodiment of the present invention includes a bi-layered flexure that raises or lowers a read/write element a distance that is approximately equal to the distance of protrusion and retraction at varying temperatures.
US07957103B2
A thin component such as the actuator arm (10) of a hard disk drive, is mounted on a pivot or pin (31), such as the pivot assembly of the hard disk drive, using a ring (32), e.g. a tolerance ring, having one or more projections (35), wherein the engagement of the component (30) and the ring (32) is such as to apply a force to the component (30) in a direction which is inclined to both the radial and axial directions of the pivot or pin (31). The pivot or pin (31) has a flange onto which the component (30) is pressed by the axial component of the force generated by the ring on the component. The edge of the ring (32) remote from the component (30) is engaged with a stop element, e.g. another flange (34) of the pivot or pin (31).
US07957102B1
A novel actuator latch includes a catch portion interfering with actuator rotation with the latch in a closed position. The latch includes a first stop portion that is in contact with a fixed member with the latch in the closed position. The latch includes a pusher portion that is in contact with the actuator with the latch in the closed position and with the actuator in an extreme rotational position. The pusher portion has a torsional stiffness about the latch pivot location in the range 5 JA/rad·sec2 to 30 JA/rad·sec2, where JA is the rotational inertia of the actuator about the actuator pivot location expressed in units of kg·m2. The first stop portion has a torsional stiffness about the latch pivot location that is at least 5 times that of the pusher portion.
US07957097B2
An encasing section includes an encasing layer having an encasing groove, and a nonmagnetic film disposed in the encasing groove at a position between the encasing layer and a pole layer. The pole layer includes a track width defining portion and a wide portion. The track width defining portion has a first side surface and a second side surface. The wide portion has a third side surface and a fourth side surface. The encasing layer has a first wall surface and a second wall surface. The distance between the third side surface and the first wall surface is smaller than the distance between the first side surface and the first wall surface. The distance between the fourth side surface and the second wall surface is smaller than the distance between the second side surface and the second wall surface.
US07957093B2
A data recording component includes a read transducer and a write transducer. A thermoelectric device generates heat flow between the read transducer and the write transducer. The heat flow is conducted by thermal conductors. A controlled current source provides current to the thermoelectric device that changes polarity to change directions of the heat flow and thereby vary a gamma ratio of transducer protrusion.
US07957091B2
A device comprises a fluid bearing including a textured fluid bearing surface and a second surface and a recordable disc. The recordable disc includes a substrate, a recordable media layer on the substrate, and at least one of the textured fluid bearing surface and the second surface. The device may be manufactured using MEMS techniques. MEMS techniques provide the high precision necessary to create the textured fluid bearing surface. MEMS techniques also allow the recordable disc to be batch-fabricated with one or more additional recordable discs.
US07957090B2
There is provided a method for generating acceleration data used in feed-forward control of head seeking, wherein, a seek distance and one of a seek period and the count of samples are received; a weighting factor for the change rate of acceleration between adjacent sample times is determined respectively; and an optimum acceleration at each sample time is obtained by performing an optimization calculation that minimizes an objective function under a constraint condition based on variables representing accelerations at each sample time, either the seek period or the count of samples, and the seek distance.
US07957089B2
A sequential data storage medium, such as for example and without limitation a magnetic tape, comprising a sequence of plurality of servo patterns encoded therein, which provide lateral position information and LPOS information. Each servo pattern comprises a first burst comprising a first pulse, a second pulse, a third pulse, a fourth pulse and a fifth pulse and a second burst comprising a sixth pulse, a seventh pulse, an eighth pulse, a ninth pulse and a tent pulse. The widths of the plurality of pulses, in combination with the spacings between the plurality of pulses, encode two bits of data.
US07957086B2
A method of controlling a flying height of a magnetic head of a hard disk drive apparatus includes producing a reference FOD (flying on demand) voltage profile defining a relationship between the flying height of the magnetic head and an FOD voltage at a measured temperature, wherein an end of the magnetic head thermally expands and protrudes when the FOD voltage is applied to a heater included in the magnetic head and setting the reference FOD voltage profile that is corrected using a reference maximum flying height of the magnetic head that is preset at room temperature, as an applied FOD voltage profile to control the flying height of the magnetic head.
US07957077B2
A molded optical filter is provided having effective filtering of energy emissions at an optical density (OD) of greater than 4 in three energy emission bands corresponding to the wavelengths of laser emissions while preserving the wearer's ability to differentiate and recognize colors and having a pleasing overall color. The selective optical filter is a moldable polymer filter that has three dyes therein to produce sharp notch filtering ranges at about 530 nm, 700 nm and 1060 nm and a fourth color balance dye therein to adjust the overall color of the filter making it more pleasing and desirable to the wearer.
US07957076B2
An optical lens system for taking image comprises, in order from an object side to an image side: a first lens element with positive refractive power having an aspheric convex object-side surface and an aspheric concave image-side surface; a second lens element with positive refractive power having an aspheric convex object-side surface and an aspheric concave image-side surface. Radii of curvature of the object-side surface of the first lens element, the object-side and image-side surfaces of the second lens element are R1, R3 and R4 respectively, focal lengths of the optical lens system for taking image, the first and second lens elements are f, f1, f2 respectively, an on-axis distance between the first and second lens elements is T12, a center thickness of the second lens element is CT2, they satisfy the relations: 0.76 mm−1<1/R1<2.0 mm−1; 0.4
US07957075B2
An optical lens system for taking image consisting of from the object side to the image side: an aperture stop; a first lens element with positive refractive power having a convex object-side surface and a concave image-side surface; a second lens element with negative refractive power having a concave object-side surface and a convex image-side surface, at least one of the object-side and the image-side surfaces of the second lens element being aspheric; and a third lens element with positive refractive power having a convex object-side surface and a convex image-side surface, at least one of the object-side and the image-side surfaces of the third lens element being aspheric.
US07957073B2
A lens apparatus includes a first lens unit and a second lens unit each of which is configured to move in an optical axis direction, a first cam tube that includes a first cam part and a second cam part respectively on an outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface and moves the first and second lens units respectively in the optical axis direction using the first and second cam parts as the first cam tube rotates around an optical axis, and a linearly moving guide tube that is arranged on an inner circumferential side of the first cam tube and configured to guide the first and second lens units in the optical axis direction.
US07957068B2
Long-distance transfer of a super-resolution near field can be performed with a wavelength condition of high degree of freedom. Not only an image in same size can be merely transferred, but also a magnified image can be transferred. Thus the processing technique of a near-field image is improved. Small rods are erected at predetermined spacing with one another on a two-dimensional plane. At least the exterior surface of each small rod is made of a predetermined material having a dielectric constant ∈m meeting the condition “∈m≦−∈d” where ∈d is the dielectric constant of the surrounding medium. The axes of the small rods can be extended to a predetermined direction with respect to the two-dimensional plane. An optical near-field is incidented to one end of each small rod.
US07957062B2
A polarizing plate having a desired extinction ratio in a visible light region and light resistance against intense light, and a liquid crystal projector using the above polarizing plate are provided. A polarizing element includes a substrate transparent to visible light, and inorganic particle layers in each of which inorganic particles are linearly disposed, the inorganic particle layers being disposed on the substrate at predetermined intervals to form a wire grid structure, the inorganic particles each have an elliptical shape having a major axis of the inorganic particles in the disposed direction and minor axis in a direction perpendicular thereto.
US07957059B2
An optical system includes two lens systems, one that provides viewing of an object with relatively no spherical aberration, and another that provides viewing of the object with significant spherical aberration. Preferably, both lens systems provide viewing of the object with relatively no chromatic aberration. The optical system may have the configuration of binoculars.
US07957048B2
A display device includes an upper substrate and a lower substrate. Black matrixes are formed upon the upper substrate and color filters are formed between the black matrixes. Microshutter electrodes are formed upon the lower substrate and are configured to open and close. The display device also includes fixed electrodes formed in a vertical direction between the upper substrate and the lower substrate.
US07957037B2
To provide an image reading apparatus enabling a long light source inside the image reading apparatus to be uniformly cooled in the main scanning direction with a simplified structure without increasing the number of components of the apparatus. An image reading apparatus having an optical reader section that has a long light source along the main scanning direction to read an original, a first holding section that holds the light source, a second holding section adjacent to the first holding section on the side surface side in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the first holding section, and a partition disposed between the first holding section and the second holding section, where in the partition are formed a first ventilating opening comprised of one or more openings for air inside the first holding section to move to the inside of the second holing section, and second ventilating openings comprised of a plurality of openings provided in the main scanning direction for the air inside the second holding section to move to the inside of the first holding section.
US07957030B2
A method and apparatus for printing data on a print medium is disclosed. The apparatus is configured to format print data to pixel data, the pixel data including pixel values; identify a grid of pixels having a predetermined pattern of pixel values; obtain predetermined pcode grid from memory for the identified grid of pixels; and send the predetermined pcode grid to controller circuit for printing.
US07957029B2
To enable for a user to easy recognize plural counter information notifications even when plural image input and output processes performed by using plural input and output paths are administrated by plural kinds of counter information, any of counters that a remaining number is necessary for a setting mode is selected by an administration apparatus from among plural counters (independently administrating plural kinds of number-of-image information representing the number of scanner-read images, the number of own-apparatus-output images, the number of externally received output images, and the like) administrated in regard to each ID, the selected counter is displayed on an operation unit, and it is controlled by a CPU to notify the user of impossibility of process continuation with alert when the counter reaches an upper limit value.
US07957028B2
An order processing system for performing reproduction processing according to a reproduction processing order by receiving an input image and the reproduction processing order of the input image is provided. The system has a management unit and an execution unit. The management unit is for generating per order a piece of job instruction information to instruct process contents, a process execution sequence, and a process execution destination for reproduction processing according to contents of the reproduction processing order, and managing an execution of the reproduction processing. The execution unit has a plurality of components for executing one or more of a plurality of steps of the reproduction processing, for receiving the input image and the job instruction information and executing the reproduction processing according to the job instruction information.
US07957019B2
A process of managing printing devices at distributed sites, carried out by a contractor for a client. A database portal is provided which is continuously accessible provides a visual display of the performance of the printing devices, and includes the usage and cost of using the printing devices. The database is regularly updated. The contractor regularly monitors the status and usage of the printing devices and associated software and services through the database and uses the information in the database to optimize performance of the printing devices, including phasing in and out printing devices of different manufacturers.
US07957005B2
An apparatus and method for sensing hazardous materials utilizes first and second optical fibers and a recirculator coupled to a substrate. The first optical fiber is coupled to the substrate and has first and second opposing ends and a first substance embedded therein. The first substance is reactive to a first hazardous material type. The second optical fiber is coupled to the substrate and has first and second opposing ends and a second substance embedded therein. The second substance is reactive to a second hazardous material type. The at least one recirculator is coupled to the substrate and configured such that when light propagates from one of the ends of at least one of the first and second optical fibers, at least some of the light is directed by the at least one recirculator into the opposing end of the respective optical fiber.
US07957004B2
This invention relates to an interference filter, especially for use in gas detection with infrared light within a chosen range, comprising at least two essentially parallel and partially reflective surfaces with a chosen distance between them thus defining a cavity delimited by the reflecting surfaces between which the light may oscillate, and wherein at least one of said surfaces is partially transparent for transmission of light to or from said cavity. The filter comprises a first transparent material having a high refractive index, e.g. silicon, positioned in at least a part of said cavity, and at least one of said reflective surfaces being divided into a three dimensional pattern with varying shift relative to its plane, thus to provide a position dependent resonance condition between them for separation of different wavelengths in the light.
US07956991B2
A method and apparatus of obtaining a spectral image of a plurality of predetermined chemical species. A sample is illuminated to produce photons. These photons are collected to produce a plurality of images for each predetermined chemical species, wherein each image comprises a frame consisting of a plurality of pixels. A wavelength range is identified wherein a chemical species exhibits a unique absorption of radiation. Pixels are identified that do not comprise the chemical species. The steps may be repeated for a plurality of chemical species. If more than one chemical species is present, the contribution of each in a pixel is separated and separate spectral images of each species is composed.
US07956985B2
An exposure apparatus includes a driver used for one of height, inclination, curvature-of-field, magnification, and rotation corrections, and a controller configured to control a substrate stage so that it can change an exposure area from a first shot to a third shot even if a moving distance of the substrate stage from the first shot to the second shot is smaller than that from the first shot to the third shot, if a time period necessary for the driver to transfer from a correction state for the first shot to a correction state for the second shot is longer than a time period necessary for the substrate stage to move the exposure area from the first shot to the second shot, and a time period necessary for the driver to transfer from a correction state for the first shot to a correction state for the third shot.
US07956981B2
A liquid crystal display (LCD) device (100) has the dual functionality of image display and environment scanning. Specifically, during environment scanning mode, the LCD device searches for targets, i.e., markers (700) in the environment. To enable such scanning, the LC layer (20) is configured to provide a scanning optical path allowing passage of a directional marker signal. The scanning optical path is controlled according to one or more transparent openings programmed to scan at least part of the LC layer. As a marker (700) is detected, based on the marker signal, a positional coordinate (e.g., relative angular position) is determinable based on the current scan position of the transparent opening(s).
US07956976B1
The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which can obviate cutting off of a peripheral region of the liquid crystal display device which is provided with an inspection circuit and can surely perform the inspection of an image display even when the peripheral region is narrowed. On a substrate of the liquid crystal display device, a pixel region which is comprised of a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of drain lines and a peripheral region which surrounds the pixel region are formed. A turn-on inspection terminal of the liquid crystal display device are formed on the peripheral region and a semiconductor chip for driving liquid crystal is formed on the inspection terminal. The semiconductor chip is electrically insulated from the inspection terminal.
US07956973B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate and a second substrate with a liquid crystal material sandwiched therebetween, neighboring first, second, third and fourth regions arranged in a rectangular shape and in a clockwise direction, the first, second, third and fourth regions having a first pixel electrode, a second pixel electrode, a third pixel electrode and a fourth pixel electrode, respectively. The first pixel electrode and the third pixel electrode extend in a parallel direction to one another, and the second pixel electrode and the fourth pixel electrode extend in a parallel direction to one another.
US07956971B2
There is provided a CPA-type liquid crystal display device in which deterioration in display quality due to application of stress to a liquid crystal panel is suppressed.A liquid crystal display device according to the present invention includes a first substrate; a second substrate; and a liquid crystal layer of a vertical-alignment type provided therebetween. In each picture element region, a first electrode provided on a side of the first substrate facing the liquid crystal layer includes a solid portion formed of an electrically-conductive film and a non-solid portion in which no electrically-conductive film is formed. The solid portion includes a plurality of unit solid portions each of which is substantially surrounded by the non-solid portion, the plurality of unit solid portions being arranged at least along a first direction. When a voltage is applied, with an oblique electric field generated at an edge of the non-solid portion, the liquid crystal layer within the picture element region forms a liquid crystal domain on each unit solid portion, the liquid crystal domain taking a radially-inclined orientation. The length of the unit solid portion along the first direction is 70 μm or less.
US07956970B2
A liquid crystal display device provides, on the internal side of one substrate of a pair of substrates a plurality of pixel electrodes, a plurality of TFTs, a plurality of scan lines and signal lines, and a plurality of convex sections each formed on the internal side of the other substrate so as to be located substantially on a center part of each of the plurality of predetermined regions provided in each of the plurality of pixels. Further, the liquid crystal display device provides an opposing electrode on the internal side of the one substrate. Then, the liquid crystal display device provides vertical alignment films on the respective internal sides of the pair of substrates, and a liquid crystal layer having negative dielectric anisotropy and inserted in the gap between the pair of substrates.
US07956962B2
In a transflective-type display panel and a display apparatus having the transflective-type display panel, the transflective-type display panel includes a first display substrate, a second display substrate and a liquid crystal layer. The first display substrate includes a first substrate and a common electrode arranged on the first substrate. The second display substrate includes a second substrate having a main pixel area where a plurality of sub pixel areas are formed, a plurality of transmission electrodes formed in the sub pixel areas and coupled with each other, and a reflection electrode arranged in at least one sub pixel area. Thus, the transflective-type display panel improves a viewing angle and a display quality thereof and improves productivity.
US07956955B2
A liquid crystal display module includes: a liquid crystal display panel; a plurality of lamps that irradiates light to the liquid crystal display panel; a bottom cover that receives the plurality of lamps; a diffusion plate on the plurality of lamps, the diffusion plate diffusing the light irradiated by the lamps toward the liquid crystal display panel; and a pair of lamp guides each including a first frame member positioned perpendicular to the lamps on the bottom cover and at least one second frame member forming a predetermined angle with the first frame member, wherein a plurality of supports for supporting the diffusion plate are fastened on each of the first frame member and the second frame member.
US07956953B2
An optical plate includes a plurality of light-guiding elements. The optical plate includes a first optical surface which a light is incident to and a second optical surface which the light goes out from. The plurality of light-guiding elements disposed on the third optical surface are used for guiding the light incident to the first optical surface. Each light-guiding element includes a first arc portion, a second arc portion, and a third arc portion. Both first ends of the first arc portion and the second arc portion are connected with a first portion of the third arc portion, and a second end of the first arc portion is connected to a second portion of the second arc portion. Each light-guiding element is substantially spiral-shaped.
US07956951B2
A flat light source unit includes a PCB on which at least one light emitting diode is mounted, a connection cord electrically connected to a conductive pattern on the PCB to supply a drive voltage to the at least one light emitting diode, and a mold formed on the printed circuit board to encompass a part of the connection cord.
US07956943B2
A thin film transistor array panel according to an embodiment includes: a substrate; a plurality of gate line formed on the substrate; a plurality of first capacitor electrodes formed on the substrate and separated from the gate lines; a plurality of data line intersecting the gate lines; a plurality of thin film transistor connected to the gate lines and the data lines; a plurality of second capacitor electrodes disposed on the first electrode; a plurality of interconnections connected to the second capacitor electrodes and the thin film transistor and disposed symmetrical to the data lines; and a plurality of pixel electrode, each pixel electrode including a first subpixel electrode connected to one of the thin film transistors and a second subpixel electrode connected to one of the first capacitor electrodes.
US07956937B2
A projection apparatus, an illumination module and a color-level correcting method therefor are provided. The projection apparatus comprises a projection lens, an imaging unit and an illumination module. The illumination module comprises a light source, a color wheel and a controlling unit. The light source provides a light beam. The color wheel is disposed on an optical path of the light beam and the controlling unit is connected to the color wheel and the imaging unit. A plurality of color wheel indices is stored in the controlling unit. When the projection apparatus receives an image signal, the controlling unit selects one of the color wheel indices according to the received image signal and controls the imaging unit according to the selected color wheel index. The projection apparatus automatically selects the corresponding color wheel index according to the received image signal for projecting an image with good tints and color-level performance.
US07956935B2
An example method and device for controlling a controllable device involves using a control device comprising a numeric keypad and a delimiter key. Control operations for the controllable device are respectively associated with digits of the numeric keypad and one of the control operations is initiated by pressing the delimiter key followed by the digit key associated with the one control operation. Control operations include by way of example channel tuning operations for a television, input selection operations for a television and menu screen selections.
US07956928B2
A video de-interlace apparatus and a method thereof are disclosed. The apparatus includes a combing detection apparatus and a de-interlace format determining apparatus. The combing detection apparatus receives a plurality of successive fields, performs combing detection to the fields, and outputs a combing detection result. The de-interlace format determining apparatus receives the combing detection result and compares the combing detection result with a plurality of models. When the combing detection result is conform to a specific model among the models, the de-interlace format determining apparatus determines a specific de-interlace format corresponding to the specific model to de-interlace the foregoing fields.
US07956926B2
An interactive TV device is configured to receive and process multiple broadband input streams simultaneously. The device includes functionality to perform as a Web browser, HF, cable and satellite TV receiver, a digital PVR, an interactive TV set-top box, an advanced central processing unit and a videoconferencing device, thanks to an integrated videoconferencing camera. The present interactive TV device is configured to manage all multimedia sources identically, whether the input is a TV channel, a Web page, or a video stream played back from a data carrier such as a DVD, for example. The present interactive TV device is also configured to enable a user to watch and record a plurality of video streams simultaneously and to display them on four independently manageable quarter screen segments.
US07956917B2
The present invention relates to a sensor apparatus having a structure capable of obtaining digital values of signal components with a high accuracy using an A/D conversing circuit with the outputted digital value thereof having a small number of expressive bits. In the sensor apparatus, a voltage value corresponding to the amount of incident light to a photodiode is held by a holding circuit through an integrating circuit and a CDS circuit. Meanwhile, a voltage value corresponding to the amount of incident light to an adjacent photodiode is held by another holding circuit through an integrating circuit and a CDS circuit. The voltage values held by the respective different holding circuits are inputted to a subtracting circuit through different paths. The subtracting circuit outputs a voltage value corresponding to the difference between the two inputted voltage values. In an A/D converting section, the difference voltage outputted from the subtracting circuit is converted into a digital value.
US07956907B2
An image capture device which can reduce low-frequency noise even circuitry of a small scale is provided. An image capture device includes: an acquisition section which is used to acquire sensitivity information concerning a sensitivity; an imager for generating first image data; a zoom section for changing a size of an image which is based on input image data, the zoom section outputting second image data which is obtained by reducing a size of an image represented by the first image data; and a noise suppression section for outputting third image data which is obtained by reducing noise in an image represented by the second image data. In accordance with the sensitivity information, the zoom section changes a zoom factor by which to reduce the size of the image represented by the first image data.
US07956892B2
A method for distributing sports entertainment includes the step of providing a plurality of video cameras positioned on vehicles or athletes that are participating in sporting events, transmitters for transmitting information from the plurality of cameras to a processing station, retransmission equipment for directing the camera feed from each of the plurality of cameras to separate channels for distribution and remote viewing at viewers' locations, and channel selectors that permit viewers to select from among the various channels, thereby allowing the viewers to select from the plurality of camera feeds. The cameras are simultaneously operated during the sporting event so as to generate a plurality of camera feeds during the event, each feed reflecting the perspective of an individual participant. The plurality of feeds is received by the retransmission equipment and retransmitted to selectable channels, each channel being associated with a respective camera feed. A viewer is thus allowed to select from the plurality of channels to thus enable his or her viewing of the sports event through the perspective of the participant of greatest interest to the viewer.
US07956887B2
A coupling assembly for a scope and an image sensor housing is disclosed generally comprising an image orientation unit having first and second coupling sections for coupling the unit to a scope and an image sensor housing, such as a camera head, an optical assembly with a rotatable optical element for rotating the images, a rotation sensor for monitoring rotation of the optical element, an accelerometer for monitoring rotation of the unit, and a processor for receiving signals from the rotation sensor and the accelerometer and calculating the orientation of the images relative to the direction of gravity. In certain embodiments, the processor causes an actuator to rotate the optical element to level the images. In some embodiments, the processor activates a visual indicator, such as a diode, to indicate the direction of vertical.
US07956885B2
A lens array includes: a light transmissive lens array substrate; a plurality of lenses disposed on the lens array substrate in a first direction; and a line-like mark formed on the lens array substrate in a second direction one of perpendicular and substantially perpendicular to the first direction.
US07956874B2
A display apparatus that displays a picture based on a video signal, including a moving picture determiner that determines whether the video signal is used for displaying a moving picture; a moving picture gradation level table that stores information about a moving picture gradation level group for displaying the moving picture; a still picture gradation level table storing information about a still picture gradation level group including a predetermined number of gradation levels in consideration of a gradation level difference between the gradation levels of adjacent gradation levels in the case where the gradation level difference between the adjacent gradation levels of the moving picture gradation level group is larger than a predetermined reference gradation level difference; and a gradation level converter that converts the video signal to have the gradation level of the moving picture gradation level group or the still picture gradation level group according to results of the determination. With this configuration, a false contour is attenuated and a flicker is avoided in a moving picture.
US07956860B2
A system may include a graphics memory, a data bus, a processor, and a vertex shader. The data bus may be operatively connected to the graphics memory. The processor may send vertex data to the graphics memory via the data bus. The vertex shader may read the vertex data from the graphics memory and may subdivide the vertex data into subdivided vertex data. The vertex shader may also write the subdivided vertex data to the graphics memory.
US07956849B2
A video player for a portable multifunction device is disclosed. In some embodiments, a list of video items is displayed in a portrait orientation of a touch screen display of a portable electronic device. Upon user selection of a respective video item in the list, the user selected video item is automatically displayed in a landscape orientation of the touch screen display.
US07956840B2
An electro-optical device includes: a plurality of data lines blocked for every “m” (m is an integer of 2 or greater) columns; a sampling signal output circuit which outputs sampling signals; and a sampling circuit which has sampling switches provided in the data lines, respectively, and which turns on the sampling switches to sample data signals supplied to “n” (n is an integer of 2 or greater) image signal lines, to the data lines. The sampling circuit groups the blocks for every “n” blocks, makes individual blocks in the same group correspond to different image signal lines, respectively, to connect the sampling switches in the individual blocks to corresponding image signal lines, supplies one sampling signal to two adjacent groups, and when any one sampling signal is supplied, simultaneously turns on sampling switches in the same columns in “n” blocks belonging to one group of two groups.
US07956833B2
A display driver includes a common electrode charge storage switch provided between a first capacitor element connection node to which one end of a first capacitor element can be connected and a common electrode voltage output node to which a voltage of a common electrode opposite to a pixel electrode of an electro-optical device through an electro-optical material is supplied, a source charge storage switch provided between a second capacitor element connection node to which one end of a second capacitor element can be connected and a source voltage output node to which a voltage of a source line of the electro-optical device is supplied, and a node short circuit switch provided between the common electrode voltage output node and the source voltage output node.
US07956827B2
A current driving apparatus and method using a pulse width modulation (PWM) technique to display a desired gray level for passive matrix organic light emitting diode (PMOLED) display applications is disclosed. The current driving circuit includes a memory, a logic and a segment driver. The memory stores a desired gray level, the logic comprises a counter and provides a predetermined bias time, and the segment driver provides a constant current to the PMOLED display based on the desired gray level and the predetermined bias time. The segment driver provides a constant current to the PMOLED display until the counter value reaches the desired gray level, and the counter is first counted zero for the predetermined bias time and then increments by one for every other cycle.
US07956825B2
Systems and methods associated with a pixel circuit for an OLED element are disclosed herein.
US07956823B2
A color display device determines a relationship between RGB components of an input color image signal in terms of their gradation levels, and carries out a different calculation for each input color image signal depending on which of six patterns of the relationship that the input color image signal belongs to. Further, the color display device carries out the calculation for each of the RGB components excluding a component with a smallest gradation level, using variables that vary depending on the respective gradation levels of the RGB components.
US07956820B2
The present invention relates to a display device comprising an outer display stacked with an inner display and being arranged to be operable in a first, multiple view mode and a second, single view mode. An idea of the invention is to arrange an electrophoretic display on top of an emissive display. The display device may be operated in two modes; a first mode being a multiple or dual view mode and a second mode being a single view mode. In order to activate the single view mode, the outer display is set in a transparent state and the inner display is turned on, such that it displays desired objects. In the multiple view mode, the outer display is functioning as a 3D-barrier. Hence, some of the picture elements of the outer display are set in a transparent state while others are set in an opaque state. The viewer sees a different picture with each respective eye, and will accordingly experience a multiple view picture of an object that is displayed on the inner display.
US07956817B2
The present invention aims to provide an antenna tower structure (10) comprising an essentially vertical elongated tower body (20) with an internal installation shaft (30) provided therein. The tower is arranged to house a radio base station (40) in the installation shaft in the vicinity of one or more associated antennas (50) at the top of the tower body. The tower body is comprised of two or more modular segments (S1, S2 . . . ). There is also provided a modular antenna tower segment (S1, S2 . . . ), a method for assembly of a modular antenna tower, a method for assembly of a modular antenna tower, and a method for assembly of a modular antenna tower.
US07956816B2
The invention relates to a portable compact antenna formed from a first dipole type radiating element operating in a first frequency band and comprising a first and at least one second conductive arm, differentially supplied, the first arm, referred to as cold arm, forming at least one cover for an electronic card and the second arm, referred to as hot arm, being linked to the cold arm at the level of the supply. According to the invention, the hot arm comprises at least one slot resonating in a second frequency band such as the GSM band.
US07956814B2
An antenna carrier (10) with an antenna (14) for electromagnetic radiation to be fastened to a wall (1) of a container composed of steel plate and having ventilation openings (5) which are covered on the exterior side of the container wall (1) by a cover (3) which protects against sprayed water, and which forms a cavity (6) in front of the ventilation openings (5), in which the cover (3) is composed of plastic, the antenna (14) projects through a ventilation opening (5) into the cavity (6) formed by the cover, the antenna carrier (10) is fastened on the interior side (9) of the container wall (1), and the antenna carrier (10) is the ground reference surface of the antenna (14) and is constructed as a magnetizable metal plate (11).
US07956813B2
An electronic device is described which includes multiple first antennas; at least one second antenna configured to be used in a different wireless communication system therefrom; a display panel for displaying an image; a panel casing including for covering the display panel, including the display panel; a placement frame having an upper-face portion disposed on the outer perimeter of the panel casing, and extended horizontally, and a pair of side-face portions, each protruding from a different side-edge portion of the upper-face portion in the direction orthogonal thereto; and an outer frame for covering the outer perimeter and the placement frame of the display panel from the display surface side of the display panel; wherein at least one first antenna is disposed on each of the upper-face portion and one side-face portion of the placement frame; and wherein at least one second antenna is disposed on the upper-face portion or the other side-face portion of the placement frame.
US07956809B2
A method and a corresponding device determines the speed of a moving entity carrying at least two antennas for receiving a transmission signal the antennas being displaced at a predetermined distance. In order to provide a more simple and accurate method which can be used with different transmission signals the method includes the steps of: receiving a transmission signal by the antennas, determining signal characteristics from the transmission signal as received by the determining a time offset between the reception of the transmission signal at the antennas by comparing the signal characteristics determined for the antennas, and determining the speed of the moving entity from the determined time offset, the distance of the antennas and the direction of movement of the moving entity relative to the arrangement of the antennas.
US07956804B2
A method and apparatus for estimating oscillator signal variation due to temperature and for providing an estimated frequency to a GPS receiver in order to assist the GPS receiver to acquire the signals quickly is disclosed. A temperature sensor is closely thermally coupled with the crystal oscillator in the GPS receiver and during GPS tracking mode, when the error in the oscillator signal is known with precision, outer bounds of TCXO frequency at given temperatures are maintained, which may correspond to rising and falling temperature conditions. During acquisition mode, an estimated frequency value is provided to the GPS receiver based on a determined average of these bounds. Optionally, an uncertainty factor associated with the frequency estimated may also be provided. The two bounds take into account the hysteresis effects of the oscillator signal drift due to temperature so that a more accurate initial frequency estimate can be provided to the GPS receiver, thus reducing its average time to first fix.
US07956798B2
A radar apparatus having an integral ARPA function transmits at least two kinds of pulse signals, each of which has different pulselength, according to a specific transmission pattern and receives echoes of the transmitted pulse signal. The radar apparatus includes an echo data generator for generating display echo data for each range scale selected for on-screen presentation by using an echo signal obtained with each transmission pulselength, an ARPA processor for generating a single set of motion-related information on each tracked target to be superimposed on the display echo data by using echo signals obtained with the different pulselengths, a display output synthesizer for superimposing the motion-related information on each tracked target generated by the ARPA processor on the display echo data, and a display unit for displaying a superimposed picture produced by the display output synthesizer.
US07956795B2
System and methods for reducing redundant messages broadcast in an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system. For a given target, a controller determines the relevant customers that should receive information about the target, identifies all of the ground stations that can be satisfactorily heard by the relevant customers, and then identifies a smaller subset of ground stations by selecting only those ground stations that are needed to reach all of the relevant customers. ADS-B messages are then broadcast to the relevant customers using only the smaller subset of ground stations.
US07956794B2
A radar device is described, in particular a hand-held short-range radar for determining the location of objects enclosed in a medium, including at least one radar sensor, which generates a first, high-frequency detection signal for penetrating a medium to be tested in such a way that information about an object enclosed in the medium can be obtained by measuring and analyzing the reflected detection signal of the radar sensor. At least one additional sensor is provided for generating at least one additional, second detection signal for obtaining information about the object enclosed in the medium. The method on which this radar instrument is based is also described.
US07956787B2
A method for operating an N-bit SAR ADC as a greater than N-bit resolution SAR ADC includes the steps of taking a plurality of samples for each analog value being converted to a digital value by the SAR ADC. A portion of an LSB is added to all but one of the plurality of samples. The plurality of samples are then accumulated and output as a digital value. The digital value has a resolution greater than the N-bit resolution of the SAR ADC.
US07956786B2
An N-bit DAC comprises a main DAC circuit having main nodes on which analogue voltages are produced of progressively increasing values in steps of the value of one MSB value, and a sub-DAC circuit having secondary nodes on which analogue voltages are produced of progressively increasing values in steps of the value of one LSB. A main switch network couples the secondary nodes to a selected pair of main nodes as the MSB value of the digital input signal varies. A secondary switch network selectively couples one of secondary nodes to an output terminal for providing an analogue voltage output signal. The main nodes are coupled between main terminals, and a voltage reference is applied across input terminals. A first offset circuit and a first compensating circuit are selectively coupleable between the main DAC circuit and the input terminals for offsetting the main node analogue voltages downwardly.
US07956781B2
An analogue-to-digital converter apparatus comprises a first integrator coupled to a second integrator. The first and second integrators are coupled so as to provide a complex pole. The first integrator is selectively electrically decoupleable from the second integrator, thereby removing the complex pole.
US07956778B2
There is provided an analog-to-digital converter capable of performing analog-to-digital conversion with good accuracy. The analog-to-digital converter in accordance with the present invention includes a dither generation circuit 11 which generates dither; an input polarity switching unit 1 which switches a polarity of an input signal; an integrator 2; an integrator output regulator circuit 5 which regulates an output voltage of the integrator 2; a window comparator 3; a control circuit 4 which uses the comparison result of the window comparator 3 to control the input polarity switching unit 1, the integrator output regulator circuit 5, and the window comparator 3 as well as to generate a digital signal. The dither generation circuit 11 generates dither in such a manner that a cycle in which the digital signal is read is an integral multiple of a dither cycle. Further, the dither generation circuit 11 generates dither in such a manner that the number of times the count value is generated in the first half of one cycle of the dither is different from the number of times the count value is generated in the second half cycle thereof.
US07956776B2
Disclosed herein is an arithmetic decoding apparatus including an instruction decoder configured to decode an arithmetically encoded data decoding instruction to be executed for carrying out an arithmetic-decoding process of arithmetically decoding arithmetically encoded data into a binary signal; an execution condition code holding section configured to hold the binary signal obtained as a result of an immediately preceding arithmetic-decoding process as an execution condition code; and an arithmetic decoding execution section configured to determine whether a context number specified by the arithmetically encoded data decoding instruction is to be used as a context index as it is or the specified context number incremented by 1 is to be used as the context index in accordance with the execution condition code, and carry out the arithmetic decoding process by making use of the determined context index.
US07956773B2
Provided is a bit stream processor using a reduced table lookup. The bit stream processor includes a bit stream exclusive register in a general purpose register in order to process data of a variable length effectively. Additionally, the bit stream processor an instruction of a table lookup method to which a prefix method is applied and a bit stream exclusive instruction in order to reduce an entire memory size.
US07956772B2
A method of encoding data for transmission from a source to a destination over a communications channel is provided. A plurality of encoded symbols are generated from a set of input symbols including source symbols and redundant symbols, wherein the input symbols are organized such that at least one of the input symbols is not used for a first encoding process, so that it is permanently inactivated for the purposes of scheduling a decoding process. A method of decoding data is also provided, wherein encoded symbols generated from a set of input symbols are used to recover source symbols, wherein the input symbols are organized such that at least one of the input symbols is not used for a first decoding process, so that it is permanently inactivated for the purpose of scheduling the decoding process.
US07956770B2
Embodiments include a data input device and a portable electronic device including such a data input device. The data input device may include a key sensing mechanism and a solid material layer provided above the key sensing mechanism. The solid material layer may include a least one cavity that may go through the whole of the solid material layer. The cavity may include an electroactive polymer and two electrodes for providing a key that may be changed in shape based on an applied voltage. One embodiment may also allows the registering of inputs in the key sensing mechanism based on a user pressing down the electroactive polymer on the key sensing mechanism.
US07956769B1
Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that facilitates parking usage. During operation, the system receives a parking reservation request from a user and obtains a set of available parking spaces based on the parking reservation request. Next, the system provides the available parking spaces to the user and obtains, from the user, a selection of a parking space from the available parking spaces. Finally, the system reserves the parking space for the user.
US07956767B2
An automatic consumption meter reading system utilizing a radio frequency network and a power line carrier network is provided. The radio frequency (RF) network and the power line carrier (PLC) network are communicatively linked with a radio frequency to power line communication bridge device. The radio frequency to power line communication bridge device is communicatively linked to a consumption meter. An automatic meter reading device includes an RF modem and a PLC modem and transmits and receives data to and from a consumption meter using the RF and PLC modems.
US07956766B2
Each apparatus transmits to a control server a notification signal indicative of a pending change or a change in an output state of the apparatus. The control server has stored therein a control rule which associates an output state of one apparatus with an output state to be taken by another apparatus when the one apparatus is in the output state. The control server acquires location-related information which is set in association with a location of each apparatus. Then, the control server receives a notification signal from any one of the apparatuses, and in response to the notification signal, determines an output state to be taken by an operation target apparatus which is other than an apparatus having transmitted the notification signal, based on the control rule and the location-related information. Further, the control server operates the operation target apparatus so as to transition into an output state determined by a determination section.
US07956762B2
A controller (500) in an electric drive system is used to develop power generation failure diagnostics. During operation, the controller (500) receives a set of generator inputs, a set of machine parameters, and a set of diagnostic values. Next, the controller (500) determines a set of expected operating values corresponding to the set of diagnostic values. The controller (500) then compares the obtained diagnostic values to one or more corresponding expected operating values. If the difference is greater than a threshold, the controller (500) provides an appropriate fault indication.
US07956754B2
Absorbent articles incorporating a wetness sensor for indicating the presence of a body fluid are disclosed. In particular, the absorbent articles include at least two conductive elements that form an open circuit within the article. Each conductive element is connected to a conductive pad member that has sufficient surface area in order to facilitate connection to a signaling device. In accordance with the present disclosure, various attachment mechanisms are disclosed for attaching the pad members to a signaling device. In particular, although the absorbent articles are disposable, the signaling device is intended to be used with multiple absorbent articles. Therefore, a simple and efficient method of connecting the signaling device to the pad members provides various advantages. In one particular embodiment, for instance, the pad members comprise a conductive loop-type material that is attached to a corresponding conductive hook-type material on the signaling device.
US07956745B2
Query signals to one or more wireless tags are transmitted via radio communication, and a distance to a wireless tag to be retrieved is informed according to strength of a response signal from the wireless tag to be retrieved, which is included in the response signals transmitted from the one or more wireless tags via radio communication.
US07956743B2
A dual communication fob assembly provided with an attachment area for a ring or a chain and including in combination: an insert including a first contactless communication device; and a base with a pocket in the base for holding at least a part of the insert when inserted therein and being provided with a second contactless communication device which is electrically separate from the first contactless communication device.
US07956742B2
This invention relates generally to a method and system for storing, retrieving, and managing data for tags that are associated in some manner to any type of object. More particularly, the present invention writes data to these tags, reads data from these tags, and manages data that is written to and/or read from these tags.In addition, the invention accesses and/or stores data associated with tags from or into repositories, constructs and maintains data structures from these repositories and responds to queries using the data structures.
US07956739B2
A monitoring and entry system presence service provides notification about a trigger event to a user and performs actions based on user input. Interface devices equipped with client applications capable of performing actions such as VoIP calls, video calls, and the like, register with a control and session layer, which facilitates interaction with a specific presence application and an integrated presence service, such as a doorbell application and a generic presence service. Upon determining the location of a user, notification and a list of actions are provided through a watcher client application. In response to the user selection, actions are facilitated through the same network session(s).
US07956737B2
Trouble ticket management automates existing institutional operational processes by engaging various external trouble ticketing systems. These systems feed correlated alarm events, trouble analysis results, and trouble ticket information to a particular institutional network. Correlated alarm feeds, including trouble ticket information, are correlated and sent to institutional trouble ticket management systems. The alarms are processed and remedy tickets are created. The remedy tickets interact with remedy tickets at the institutional trouble ticket management systems. These remedy tickets are bonded with maintenance platform tickets.
US07956735B2
An automated self-monitored alarm verification solution including at least a premises portion, a server portion, and an end user device portion. Alarm verification includes capturing by an image capture device at least one image in response to a detection event, and transmitting a first data signal including the image to a local signal processing device. The signal processing device transmits a second signal including at least a portion of the image to a remote hosted server according to at least a first set of predetermined parameters. After receiving the second signal, the server transmits a third signal including at least a portion of the image from the hosted server to a user device. Using the user device, a user views the image and indicates a validity status of the alarm based at least in part on the content of the image. Based at least upon either the validation status indicated by the user, or upon a failure to receive a message including a validation status from the user within a predetermined duration of time, the server portion may send an alarm signal to an emergency response service.
US07956726B2
A radio operating system, in particular for a medical device, comprises: a radio base station, provided for control of a device, an operating unit, for establishment of a radio connection with the radio base station, whereby the operating unit comprises a controller with a first threshold value (S1) relating to a reception parameter (K), depending on which a switching between various operational modes (B0, B1) for the operating unit is provided. On dropping below the threshold value (S1), a safety-oriented operating mode (B0) and, on exceeding the threshold value (S1), a standard operating mode for the operating element (3), are provided. A first non-safety-critical command set (BS1) may be activated by the operating unit and equally used in the various operating modes (B0, B1), a second safety-critical command set (BS2), activated by means of the operating unit, may be used in the safety-oriented operating mode (B0) in a limited manner in comparison to the standard operating mode (B1).
US07956716B2
A surface mount variable resistor meets the needs of user for front and rear terminals of an insulating substrate. The surface mount variable resistor includes an insulating substrate 1 with a variable resistor pattern 3 and electrode patterns 5 formed thereon, resistor termination terminal fittings 7 connected to the electrode patterns 5, an electrically conductive slider 15 including a sliding contact 15c that slides on the variable resistor pattern 3, and an intermediate terminal 17 that includes a rear intermediate terminal fitting portion 17a and is electrically connected to the electrically conductive slider 15. The intermediate terminal 17 includes an extended conductor portion 17c and the rear intermediate terminal fitting portion 17a integrally formed with the extended conductor portion 17c. A front intermediate terminal fitting portion 17d located between the resistor termination terminal fittings 7 is integrally formed with the extended conductor portion 17c.
US07956715B2
An inductor structure comprising a substrate and a planar conductor structure on a surface of the substrate, and methods for fabricating an inductor structure. The planar conductor structure may comprise a vertical stack of three or more multilayer films. Each multilayer film may comprise a first layer of a first metal, defining a first vertical thickness, and a second layer of a second metal, defining a second vertical thickness. The metals and thicknesses are chosen such that the inductor exhibits a negative electrical self-inductance when an electrical signal is transmitted from a first contact point to a second contact point.
US07956712B2
A correlated magnetic assembly for securing objects in a vehicle includes an object that incorporates a first field emission structure and a surface within the vehicle that incorporates a second field emission structure. The first and second field emission structures each include an array of field emission sources each having positions and polarities relating to a desired spatial force function that corresponds to a complementary alignment of the first and second field emission structures within a field domain. The object is attached to the surface of the vehicle when the first and second field emission structures are located next to one another and have a complementary alignment with respect to one another.
US07956708B2
A waveguide-type dielectric filter suitable for wideband filter applications made of a metallized dielectric material is provided. The filter includes two or more mutually coupled resonators disposed in a longitudinal manner. The coupling between adjacent resonators is provided and adjusted by slots or through holes. The dielectric block is covered with metal ground coating with the exception of an uncoated area at the input and output that creates two contact pads on one surface of the dielectric block that are electrically isolated from the metal ground coating. Metallized blind holes are formed on the opposing surface of the dielectric block with respect to the contact pads. These blind holes effectively move the ground plane closer to the contact pad, which, in turn increases the coupling between the input and output resonators and external circuitry, which is essential for building wide bandwidth band pass filters.
US07956697B2
An atomic oscillator that controls an oscillation frequency by using an optical absorption property derived from a quantum interference effect occurring when two kinds of resonance light are made incident as coherent light having different wavelengths from each other, includes an optical system that includes: a gas cell sealing metal atoms in a gas state therein; a coherent light source for supplying the resonance light to the metal atoms being in the gas cell; and a light detector for detecting light transmitted through the gas cell. In the atomic oscillator, a first refraction unit is formed at a light incident side, on which coherent light is made incident, of the gas cell.
US07956695B1
A voltage-controlled oscillator operates at high frequency without high gain by dividing the frequency range into a plurality of subranges, which preferably are substantially equal in size. Within any subrange, the full extent of variation in the control signal changes the frequency only by the extent of the subrange. The gain is thus substantially equal to the gain one would expect for the full frequency range, divided by the number of subranges. The subrange may be selected manually, or by an initial calibration process. In one embodiment, the oscillator includes a voltage-to-current converter and a current-controlled oscillator, with a current mirror arrangement. In that embodiment, selection of the subrange may be controlled by turning on the correct number of current legs.
US07956687B2
The performance of an AGC loop typically depends on several factors, including gain linearity of the VGA and variation in the VGA bandwidth over the range of available gain settings. Although a resistively degenerated VGA provides for excellent gain linearity and immunity to process variations, the conventional architecture for a resistively degenerated VGA suffers from bandwidth variation over the range of available gain settings. Embodiments are provided herein of a constant-bandwidth VGA that utilizes resistive degeneration. To maintain a constant bandwidth over the range of available gain settings, degeneration resistors are coupled in parallel with compensation capacitors. In an embodiment, a compensation capacitor is determined to have a capacitance substantially equal to the decrease in total degeneration resistance that occurs as a result of an associated degeneration resistor being placed in parallel with the total degeneration resistance.
US07956684B1
A linear Radio Frequency power amplifier with improved efficiency and bandwidth is provided using two power amplifier devices, operating in a Class-G mode of operation.
US07956675B2
A charge pump circuit is provided. A voltage/current conversion circuit compares a feedback voltage that corresponds to the output voltage of the charge pump circuit with a predetermined reference voltage, and generates a bias current that corresponds to the difference therebetween. An oscillator oscillates at a frequency that corresponds to the bias current. A buffer is biased by the bias current, and supplies a gate clock to the charge pump circuit based upon a clock signal output from the oscillator, thereby driving the charge pump circuit.
US07956674B2
A reservoir capacitor array circuit capable of allowing an internal voltage to be maintained stably, comprises a plurality of reservoir capacitors, each of the reservoir capacitors including a switch element which is connected between a power source voltage and a prescribed node and switched in response to a test enable signal which is enabled depending on a test mode signal or whether the fuse is cut or not, and a capacitor connected between the node and a ground voltage.
US07956664B2
Disclosed herein is a digital system that includes a distribution network having a path to carry a reference clock and an adjustable delay element disposed along the path, and first and second clock domains coupled to the distribution network to receive the reference clock and configured to be driven by respective clock waveforms, each of which has a frequency in common with the reference clock. The digital system further includes a phase detector coupled to the first and second clock domains to generate a phase difference signal based on the clock waveforms, and a control circuit coupled to the phase detector and configured to adjust the adjustable delay element based on the phase difference signal.
US07956662B2
A flip-flop circuit with an internal level shifter includes an input stage, a clock input stage, an output stage and a level shifting stage. The output stage generates an output signal based on an input signal received by the input stage and a clock signal received by the clock input stage. The level shifting stage shifts-up the voltage level of the output signal.
US07956654B2
An output driver circuit includes a predriver control signal generation unit receiving a pull-up code signal, a pull-down code signal, a predriver selection signal and a read control signal and generating a pull-up control signal and a pull-down control signal; a predriver driven in response to the pull-up control signal and the pull-down control signal and receiving an internal data to drive a pull-up driving signal and a pull-down driving signal; and a driver receiving the pull-up driving signal and the pull-down driving signal and driving an output data outputted to a DQ pad, wherein the pull-up control signal and the pull-down control signal are enabled when the predriver is selected in a read operation period and a preset combination of the code signals is inputted.
US07956639B2
An apparatus and method controlling cellular automata containing a plurality of cascaded circuit cells having logic units. The cells are interleaved in groups toward supporting multiple directions, for example quad cells in which each cells of the quad is directed in a different directions separated by a fixed angle, such as 90 degrees (i.e., north, east, south, and west). These cells are triggered asynchronously as each cell is stabilized in preparation for receiving the trigger. The cells process data selectively based on the configuration of the cell and in response to receipt of data and trigger (or combined data and trigger) conditions from neighboring cells. The array can be utilized within a wide range of digital logic. As there is no need for distributing a global clock across the array of cells, the size of the array can be extended to any desired dimension.
US07956638B2
An impedance adjusting circuit that includes an external terminal to which an external resistor is connected, a first transistor array of a first conductivity type that is connected in parallel between the external terminal and a first power supply terminal and changes a voltage of the external terminal by adjusting an impedance in response to a first control signal, a second transistor array of a second conductivity type that is connected in parallel between the external terminal and a second power supply terminal and changes the voltage of the external terminal by adjusting the impedance in response to a second control signal, and a control circuit that specifies the first control signal according to a comparison result between the voltage of the external terminal and a reference voltage and specifies the second control signal in a different period from a period to specify the first control signal.
US07956632B2
The socket of the present invention includes a lid having a first protrusion on the reverse side, and a first terminal connected electrically to the first protrusion, and a main body having a second terminal on the upside, and a third terminal connected electrically to the second terminal on the reverse side, in which an electronic component is contained in the main body, and the first terminal and the second terminal are connected electrically in the space enclosed and fixed by the lid. The inspection system of the present invention includes a socket of the present invention, and an evaluation board for connecting a third terminal of the socket electrically to the inspection apparatus of the electronic component, and propagating an inspection signal.
US07956624B2
A system monitors growth characteristics of a plant having a root buried in a prescribed volume of ground using a plurality of electrodes inserted into the ground at a known spacing relative to one another in proximity to the root or root-like structure. When electrical current is applied to some of the electrodes, electrical potential is measured at other ones of the electrodes to construct a representation of electrical impedance across the prescribed volume locating the root or root-like structure. Growth characteristics of the soil and the plant, for example root size, root shape, soil moisture content, and the like, can be identified by locating variations of the electrical impedance.
US07956622B2
A method for the signal processing of capacitive measurement scales intended for the measurement of lengths or angles, consisting of two parts moveable relative to each other provided with electrodes that together form condensers, whose magnitudes are variable and depend on the relative position as specified by a sinusoidal relationship between the two parts. The first part has n electrodes evenly distributed over one measurement period and the second part has one electrode per measurement period. The electrodes in the first part are fed with n alternating voltages whereby the time displacements of the alternating voltages relative to each other are t 0 n , , where t0 is the length of the period of the alternating voltage. The electrode of the second mobile part captures a signal composed of one or several of the alternating voltages and the amplitude composition of the signal depends on the relative position between the two parts.
US07956614B2
A portable locator and method for establishing the location of the cable line in a region which includes at least one generally straight electrically conductive cable line extending across the region from which cable line a locating signal includes a first arrangement for measuring a local flux intensity of the locating signal at a first above ground point within the region with the portable locator in a particular orientation at the first above ground point. A second arrangement uses the local flux intensity to establish a cable line angular orientation which limits the possible directions to the cable line relative to the particular orientation of the portable locator at the above ground point. A third arrangement uses the measured local flux intensity to establish an actual direction of the cable line that is selected from the possible directions based on certain characteristics of the locating signal.
US07956608B1
Methods of use of ferromagnetic Group III-V semiconductor/non-magnetic Group III-V semiconductor heterojunctions, with a magnetodiode device, to detect heterojunction magnetoresistance responsive to an applied magnetic field.
US07956601B2
A process and device for detecting electrically conductive particles in a liquid flowing in a pipe section, the liquid being exposed to periodic alternating electromagnetic fields by a transmitter coil which induces eddy currents in the particles, a probe made as a coil arrangement and which has an effective width producing a periodic electrical signal based on the eddy currents. The signal ha a carrier oscillation with an amplitude and/or phase which is modulated by particles passing across the effective width of the coil arrangement, the probe signal being filtered by a frequency-selective first filter unit, the filtered signal being sampled by a triggerable A/D converter stage to obtain a demodulated digital measurement signal, the digital measurement signal being filtered by a digital, frequency-selective adjustable second filter unit to obtain a useful signal, and the useful signal being evaluated to detect passage of electrically conductive particles in the pipe section.
US07956591B2
Power supply devices are provided that can include power regulating circuitry for regulating (e.g., transforming or converting) electric power to be passed to an electronic device. A power supply device can also include control circuitry coupled with the regulating circuitry. The control circuitry can determine when the power supply device is coupled with an electronic device. The control circuitry can control the operation of the regulating circuitry based on whether or not the power supply device is coupled with the electronic device.
US07956589B1
An error amplifier of a low dropout regulator includes a compensation network configured to adapt the error amplifier to varying load currents. The compensation network may be coupled to an amplifier stage of the error amplifier. For example, the compensation network may be coupled across an input and an output of the amplifier stage in a Miller connection. As another example, one end of compensation network may be coupled to an input of the amplifier stage with another end coupled to ground. The compensation network may have several resistors and capacitors that have corresponding parameter switches for switching the resistors and capacitors in and out of the compensation network to change a parameter of the compensation network based on load current.
US07956586B2
To provide a control circuit and control method of a step-up/step-down type DC-DC converter capable of realizing high efficiency. In a state (1), a terminal Tx of a choke coil L1 is connected to an input terminal Tin, and a terminal Ty is connected to a reference potential. In a state (2), the terminal Tx is connected to the reference potential, and the terminal Ty is connected to an output terminal Tout. In the state (3), the terminal Tx is connected to the input terminal Tin, and the terminal Ty is connected to the output terminal Tout. A first period operation TO1 is constituted by the states (1) and (2), and a second period operation TO2 is constituted by the states (1) and (3). A second period T2, in which the second period operation TO2 is performed, is a value n times as long as a first period T1, in which the first period operation TO1 is performed. In the second period operation TO2, the state (1) is switched to the state (3) so that an increasing slope of an inductor current IL is reduced.
US07956584B2
An apparatus includes a vehicular electric power generation system comprising a variable speed internal combustion engine, a first variable speed electric power generator driven by the engine, a second variable speed electric power generator driven by the engine, a first inverter to receive electric power from the first generator a provide a first controlled electric output, a second inverter to receive electric power from the second generator and provide a second controlled electric output, and a controller coupled to the engine. The controller is responsive to variation in electrical loading of the first inverter and the second inverter and a degree of electrical load imbalance between the first inverter and second inverter to provide one or more engine control signals. The engine is responsive to the one more engine control signals to change rotational operating speed to adjust for the variation in electrical loading and the degree of electrical load imbalance.
US07956583B2
A lithium polymer (LiPo) battery pack having LiPo battery cells is provided which includes battery protection circuitry, charging circuitry, cell balancing circuitry, and control and communication circuitry. The batteries can be charged while in use by an internal charger. Battery charging and discharging are accomplished in a controlled and protected manner to avoid overcharging and overdischarging conditions. The novel battery pack has built-in safeguards against dangerous LiPo battery conditions and is implemented in a small, portable unit which contains the battery cells, control and protection circuitry, internal charger and display gauge. The battery pack is useful for powering an intravenous fluid warmer or other medical or electrical devices and equipment.
US07956575B2
Abnormal detecting means 112 for detecting that an electrically conductive foreign substance has migrated into a charging device 1 is provided, and whether or the foreign substance has migrated is judged from the detection result of the abnormal detecting means 112.
US07956550B2
In a lighting ballast there are typically several discrete components that combine to take an external AC signal and convert it to a DC signal, and back to an AC signal for powering a lamp. Several of these components can be housed on an application specific integrated circuit. By placing switching transistors (20, 22) their companion diodes (34, 36), and a rectifying circuit (52) on a monolithic integrated circuit (60), the ballast circuit as a whole is made more reliable and robust and can be manufactured at a lower cost than if discrete components had been used.
US07956549B2
A power conversion structure includes a power factor correction circuit which has an energy storage coil, a switch and a voltage boosting control unit. The voltage boosting control unit drives the switch to set OFF and ON of the switch to change the period of current passing through the energy storage coil to alter the phase of the current. The energy storage coil is coupled with at least one induction coil to induce and generate driving power to energize lighting equipment. The amount of the driving power is determined by the coil ratio of the induction coil and the energy storage coil. Through the induction coil, the energy storage coil can be induced to generate the driving power which is determined by the coil ratio of the induction coil and energy storage coil.
US07956548B2
An electronic ballast powers at least one fluorescent tube or lamp which has a power source; a DC power supply having an input connected to the power source; an oscillator connected to an output of said DC power supply so as to be driven therefrom; a driver means; and a protection means that deactivates the oscillator when the output reaches a predetermined abnormally high voltage. The protection means includes a transformer; a plurality of windings disposed on the transformer, a delegated winding disposed on the transformer. The protection means includes a sample point for sampling voltage. The protection means deactivates the delegated winding disposed on the transformer for the magnetizing the transformer and stopping oscillation when the sample point reaches a predetermined abnormally high voltage.
US07956541B2
A plasma display panel is formed of a front panel including display electrodes, a dielectric layer, and a protective layer that are formed on a glass substrate, and a rear panel including electrodes, barrier ribs, and phosphor layers that are formed on a substrate. The front panel and the rear panel are faced with each other, and peripheries thereof are sealed to form a discharge space therebetween. The dielectric layer of the front panel contains Bi2O3 and at least two kinds of R2O, where R is selected from the group consisting of Li, Na, and K.
US07956538B2
An organic light emitting display includes a substrate; an organic light emitting diode on one surface of the substrate; an encapsulation substrate located opposite and substantially parallel to the substrate with the organic light emitting diode therebetween; a filler layer on one surface of the encapsulation substrate facing the substrate; a first encapsulation layer located between the encapsulation substrate and the substrate and sealing the substrate and the encapsulation substrate together; and a second encapsulation layer located adjacent to the first encapsulation layer and between the encapsulation substrate and the substrate, wherein the filler layer and the second encapsulation layer include a moisture absorbent.
US07956533B2
An electroluminescent display device includes a display panel having scan lines, data lines, and pixel circuits. The pixel circuit includes an electroluminescent element having a first electrode layer, a first insulation film, and an emitting layer for displaying images. A driving circuit is coupled to the electroluminescent element. The first electrode layer is superimposed on a power source line, a scan line, or both, with a second insulation film therebetween.
US07956529B2
An organic electroluminescent color light-emitting apparatus including, on a supporting substrate (100), a first pixel (10) comprising a first organic electroluminescent device emitting light having an emission peak wavelength of λ1; and a second pixel (20) comprising a second organic electroluminescent device emitting light having an emission peak wavelength of λ2; the emission peak wavelength λ2 being longer than λ1; the first and second organic electroluminescent devices each being a device in which a light-reflective electrode (11), (12), an organic luminescent medium layer and a semitransparent electrode are stacked in this order in the light-outcoupling direction; and m1 and m2 defined by the following formula (1) satisfying the relationship of m2+1.3>m1>m2+0.7 (m1 and/or m2 is an approximate integer of 0 or more). m x = 2 L x λ x + Φ x 2 π ( 1 )
US07956527B2
An organic electroluminescence display panel and a method for fabricating the same are disclosed, wherein a line resistance is reduced and an adhesion between a glass substrate and a seal-cover is enhanced. The method includes forming an indium-tin-oxide strip being a transparent electrode, so as to apply an anode onto a glass substrate, forming a counter electrode in a grid form, so as to have a width smaller than that of the indium-tin-oxide strip, forming a first insulating layer and a barrier rib, serially forming an electroluminous layer and a cathode strip, and adhering a seal-cover to the glass substrate by using a sealant.
US07956524B2
An image display apparatus includes a display panel having a face plate, a rear plate, and a frame member, forming a vacuum container, a plurality of plate-like spacers arranged between the face plate and the rear plate in an interior of the vacuum container to maintain an internal space of the vacuum container, and a support member that supports a rear surface of the display panel. The support member includes a plate-like member having a plurality of protruding portions with a linear shape, and a longitudinal direction of the protruding portions and a longitudinal direction of the spacers are substantially parallel to each other.
US07956521B2
An image intensifier includes a microchannel plate (MCP) having an output surface, and a ceramic substrate having an outer surface. The output surface of the MCP and the outer surface of the ceramic substrate are oriented facing each other. An imager is substantially buried within the ceramic substrate, and an input surface of the imager is exposed to receive electrons from the output surface of the MCP. The input surface of the imager and the outer surface of the ceramic substrate are oriented in substantially the same plane. The input surface of the imager and the outer surface of the ceramic substrate are disposed at a very close distance from the output surface of the MCP. The imager includes input/output pads, and the ceramic substrate includes input/output pads. A conductive epoxy connects a respective input/output pad of the imager to a respective input/output pad of the ceramic substrate.
US07956519B2
A method of manufacturing a ceramic includes forming a film which includes a complex oxide material having an oxygen octahedral structure and a paraelectric material having a catalytic effect for the complex oxide material in a mixed state, and performing a heat treatment to the film, wherein the paraelectric material is one of a layered catalytic substance which includes Si in the constituent elements and a layered catalytic substance which includes Si and Ge in the constituent elements. The heat treatment includes sintering and post-annealing. At least the post-annealing is performed in a pressurized atmosphere including at least one of oxygen and ozone. A ceramic is a complex oxide having an oxygen octahedral structure, and has Si and Ge in the oxygen octahedral structure.
US07956516B2
An ultrasonic sensor includes a cylindrical casing having a bottom portion. The casing has a piezoelectric element on a bottom surface thereof. A substrate is attached to an end surface of an opening portion of the casing with a damping member provided therebetween such that the damping member covers the opening portion. Pin terminals are arranged so as to extend through the substrate and the damping member and are electrically connected to the piezoelectric element with lead wires. An inner space of the casing is filled with foamable resin.
US07956510B2
A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) system uses a modulation technique to increase cMUT sensitivity. An AC carrier signal is applied to the cMUT through a modulation signal port to modulate the signal. The higher frequency of the AC carrier signal carries the real signal to a high frequency range to increase the output current signal level. The real signal is later recovered by demodulation. The technique is applicable in both the reception mode and the transmission mode.
US07956507B2
In a rotor for a rotating electrical machine, a flange of an insulating bobbin is formed with a first hook portion and a second hook portion. The first hook portion directs a lead of a field coil both against the winding direction of the field coil and radially inward. The first hook portion has a first groove in which is hooked a proximal portion of the lead. The second hook portion directs the lead axially outward. The second hook portion has a second groove which has an open end on a radially inner periphery of the second hook portion, a closed end positioned radially outward of the open end, and a neck between the open and closed ends. The second hook portion has an intermediate portion of the lead hooked in the second groove between the neck and closed end of the second groove.
US07956504B2
Embodiments of the present invention include a composite electromechanical machine which can operate as a motor or a generator (including dynamo or alternator). In an aspect, the present composite electromechanical machine consists of at least two rotating elements (rotor) and one stationary element (stator) where the two rotating elements are coupled through a gear mechanism. The gear mechanism can combine the torque of the inner and the outer rotor, preferably using helical gears which have lower noise level and higher contact area. The gear mechanism can also act as a locking mechanism to keep the outer rotor in place. The gear mechanism can have a first gear coupled to the inner rotor and a second gear coupled to the outer rotor. In an embodiment, the first and second gears are coupled together to connect the inner and the outer rotors. The gear mechanism can further include a third gear coupled to the double-sided stator. In an embodiment, the first and third gears and the second and third gears are coupled to each other, respectively. Other embodiments can also be included.
US07956501B2
Disclosed is a motor which includes a stator including a plurality of aluminum coils and a rotor. The rotor includes a frame including a magnetic material, and a permanent magnet attached to the frame. The permanent magnet is made of neodymium.
US07956497B2
An electret device includes an electret film into which charges are injected and a barrier film provided on a surface of the electret film and having an electron affinity smaller than the electron affinity of the electret film.
US07956496B1
An electrical timer for plugging into an electrical wall outlet to control electrical current supplied to electrical appliances. The timer includes a housing having front and rear halves that are retained together. A display assembly includes a pushbutton switch and one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) that indicate which time period is selected mounted to a circuit board. A user-operable actuator button is connected to the switch. A clear display panel is exteriorly affixed to the front half. The actuator button extends through respective button holes of the front half and the display panel. Each LED extends through a corresponding LED hole of the front half so as to be visible to users through the display panel. A thin mask is disposed on the display panel that defines an opaque area with a logo and a corresponding transparent area for each LED. An electrical plug is connected along the electrical circuit and mounted through the rear half of the housing for plugging into the wall outlet. An electrical socket is connected along the electrical circuit and mounted through the front half of the housing for plugging-in one electrical appliance. A controller is disposed in the housing that makes an electrical circuit between the electrical system and the electrical socket for at least one preset time period upon actuation of the switch.
US07956494B2
The invention provides a monolithic, highly integrated power supply circuit capable of providing various voltages for circuits on an expansion card, either from a main supply source or an auxiliary supply source. The monolithic power supply circuit preferably includes two switching converters, two low-drop-out regulators, a standby regulator, a reset circuit, and a control circuit. An associated method for providing various voltages via a monolithic power supply circuit is also disclosed.
US07956489B2
A converter ECU (2) obtains allowable power total value including at least one of discharge allowable power total value ΣWout of discharge allowable power Wout1, Wout2 and charge allowable power total value ΣWin of charge allowable power Win1, Win2. Then, the converter ECU (2) determines which of the allowable power total value and an actual power value is greater, If the actual power value is smaller than the allowable power total value, the converter ECU (2) controls a converter (8-1) such that an input/output voltage value Vh attains a prescribed target voltage value, and at the same time controls a converter (8-2) such that a battery current value Ib2 attains a prescribed target current value.
US07956484B2
A wind turbine including a bedplate, a main shaft and a direct drive generator is disclosed. The main shaft pivots relative to the bedplate by a first and second bearing. The direct drive generator includes a rotor connected to the main shaft and a stator containing a hollow part like housing substantially arranged around the rotor and containing a first endplate, a second endplate and a casing element connecting the first and the second endplate to each other. The second endplate of the stator is at least indirectly attached to the bedplate.
US07956480B2
A faucet generator includes a case having water inflow and outflow ports and in which a water supply channel is formed, a rotor vane disposed inside the water supply channel, a magnet which is rotatable integrally with the rotor vane, a bearing which supports a force that the rotor vane receives from a water flow, a coil which produces an electromotive force by a rotation of the magnet, and a yoke having a base part surrounding the coil and a plurality of inductors spaced apart from each other and extending from the base part. The coil is spaced apart from the magnet in an axial direction of a rotation center axis of the magnet and is disposed to face the magnet, the magnet is magnetized on an outer circumferential face which intersects with a plane perpendicular to the rotation center axis, and the inductors are disposed outside the case to face the outer circumferential face of the magnet.
US07956479B1
An apparatus, system and method for generating electricity by using the reciprocating motion of floats caused by waves includes a plurality of cylindrical floats each traveling on a cylinder push rod. The wave motion through the floats forces hydraulic fluid in a closed loop hydraulic system into a hydraulic motor, and converts the kinetic energy of the linear float motion to rotary motion to drive electrical generators.
US07956474B1
Structures, architectures, systems, an integrated circuit, methods and software for configuring an integrated circuit for multiple packaging types and/or selecting one of a plurality of packaging types for an integrated circuit. The structure generally comprises a bump pad, a plurality of bond pads configured for independent electrical connection to the bump pad, and a plurality of conductive traces, each adapted to electrically connect one of the bond pads to the bump pad. The software is generally configured to place and route components of such a structure. The method of configuring generally includes the steps of forming the bump pad, the bond pads, and the conductive traces from an uppermost metal layer, and forming an insulation layer thereover. The method of selecting generally comprises the uppermost metal layer-forming step, and forming either (i) a wire bond to at least one of the bond pads, or (ii) a bumping metal configured to electrically connect at least one of the bond pads to the bump pad. The present invention advantageously provides reduced manufacturing costs and reduced inventory management issues by enabling one device to be manufactured at a wafer level for a plurality of different packaging options, thereby enabling packaging decisions to be made at a later time in the manufacturing process.
US07956470B2
A semiconductor device has a semiconductor chip which is usable as any one of 4-bit, 8-bit, and 16-bit structure devices, and a package for packaging the semiconductor chip. The semiconductor chip has first and second DQ pad groups of DQ system pads for said 16-bit structure device. The first DQ pad group is arranged in a first area at a vicinity of a middle part of a surface of the semiconductor chip while the second DQ pad group is arranged in a second area at an outer side of the first area on the surface. An additional pad necessary as one of DQ system pads for the 8-bit structure device except for pads included in the second DQ pad group is formed in the second area.
US07956469B2
Provided is a light emitting device with high extraction efficiency, in which absorption of light by a conductive wire is prevented effectively. The light emitting device includes a conductive wire electrically connecting an electrode of a light emitting element and an electrically conductive member. The surface of the bonding portion of the conductive wire between the conductive wire and at least one of the electrode of the light emitting element and the electrically conductive member is covered with a metal film. The reflectivity of the metal film is higher than that of the conductive wire at the emission peak wavelength of the light emitting element.
US07956467B2
A method includes burying a conductive pattern in an insulating film made of SiOH, SiCOH or organic polymer, treating surfaces of the insulating film and the conductive pattern with plasma which includes a hydrocarbon gas as a treatment gas, and forming a diffusion barrier film, which is formed of an SiCH film, an SiCHN film, an SiCHO film or an SiCHON film, over the insulating film and the conductive pattern with performing a plasma CVD by adding an Si-containing gas to the treatment gas while increasing an addition amount gradually or in a step by step manner.
US07956465B2
An integrated circuit structure having improved resistivity and a method for forming the same are provided. The integrated circuit structure includes a dielectric layer, an opening in the dielectric layer, an oxide-based barrier layer directly on sidewalls of the opening, and conductive materials filling the remaining portion of the opening.
US07956460B2
A semiconductor chip according to the present invention includes a semiconductor substrate, a bump of a metal projecting from a surface of the semiconductor substrate, and an alloy film covering the entire surface of the bump, the alloy film being composed of an alloy of the metal of the bump and a second metal.
US07956451B2
A semiconductor device package comprises a container having a base and side walls of an electrically insulating material. A semiconductor device chip is disposed on the base, and a lead frame extends through the side walls. At least one electrical conductor couples the lead frame to the chip. A first layer of an electrically insulating cured gel covers the chip and the lead frame, and a second layer of an electrically insulating cured gel covers at least the portion of the first layer that covers the chip, but does not extend to the side walls. In one embodiment, the second layer has the shape of a dome. In a preferred embodiment the gel comprises silicone. In another embodiment a third layer of conformal insulating material is disposed on the second layer and essentially fills the container. Also is described is a method of making the package for use with RFLDMOS chips.
US07956450B2
A multi-chip package is presented which includes a substrate, a lower semiconductor, an upper semiconductor chip, metal wires, an encapsulant, and mounting units. The substrate has electrode terminals on an upper surface and ball lands on a lower surface. The lower semiconductor chip is placed face-down on the substrate. The lower semiconductor chip has first bonding pads, first connectors and metal patterns. The upper semiconductor chip is placed face-down type on the back surface of the lower semiconductor chip. The upper semiconductor has second bonding pads and second connectors. The metal wires electrically the lower semiconductor chip to the substrate. The encapsulant seals the substrate, the lower semiconductor chip, the upper semiconductor chip and the metal wires. The mounting units are on the lower surface of the substrate.
US07956447B2
A waffle pack device including a member having recesses in a surface of the member to accommodate die from at least one semiconductor wafer. The member is compatible with semiconductor wafer handling equipment and/or semiconductor wafer processing. Preferably, the member accommodates at least a majority of die from a semiconductor wafer. Further, one semiconductor device assembly method is provided which removes die from a singular waffle pack device, places die from the single waffle pack device on a semiconductor package to assemble from the placed die all die components required for an integrated circuit, and electrically interconnects the placed die in the semiconductor package to form the integrated circuit. Another semiconductor device assembly method is provided which removes die from at least one waffle pack device, places die from the at least one waffle pack device on a semiconductor package to assemble from the placed die device components required for an integrated circuit, and electrically interconnects the placed die in the semiconductor package to form the integrated circuit.
US07956445B2
A method of packaging an integrated circuit, including providing a lead frame having lead fingers, where the lead frame has a gold layer thereon on a top surface and a bottom surface. An integrated circuit die is attached to the lead frame. The gold layer is substantially removed from portions of the top surface of the lead frame. The integrated circuit die is wire bonded to the lead fingers with a plurality of wire stitches subsequent to substantially removing the gold. The die is encapsulated in a mold compound to form a packaged integrated circuit.
US07956442B2
An integrated circuit structure includes a semiconductor substrate including a front side and a backside. A through-silicon via (TSV) penetrates the semiconductor substrate, and has a back end extending to the backside of the semiconductor substrate. A redistribution line (RDL) is over the backside of the semiconductor substrate and connected to the back end of the TSV. The integrated circuit structure further includes a passivation layer over the RDL; an opening in the passivation layer, wherein a portion of the RDL is exposed through the opening; and a nickel layer in the opening and contacting the RDL.
US07956438B2
A capacitor in an integrated circuit (“IC”) has a first node conductor formed in a first metal layer of the IC with a first spine extending along a first direction, a first vertical element extending from the first spine along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. A first capital element extends along the first direction, and a first serif element extends from the capital element. The capacitor also has a second node conductor having a second spine, a second vertical element extending from the second spine toward the first spine, a second capital element, and a second serif element extending from the second capital between the first vertical element and the first serif element.
US07956429B1
The present invention relates to using an insulator layer between two metal layers of a semiconductor die to provide a micro-electromechanicalsystems (MEMS) device, such as an ohmic MEMS switch or a capacitive MEMS switch. In an ohmic MEMS switch, the insulator layer may be used to reduce metal undercutting during fabrication, to prevent electrical shorting of a MEMS actuator to a MEMS cantilever, or both. In a capacitive MEMS switch, the insulator layer may be used as a capacitive dielectric between capacitive plates, which are provided by the two metal layers. A fixed capacitive element may be provided by the insulator layer between the two metal layers. In one embodiment of the present invention, an ohmic MEMS switch, a capacitive MEMS switch, a fixed capacitive element, or any combination thereof may be integrated into a single semiconductor die.
US07956423B2
A method of a semiconductor device, which includes an insulated-gate FET and an electronic element, includes three steps. The first step is the step of forming a trench gate of the insulated-gate FET in a first region of a semiconductor base and a trench element-isolation layer in a second region of the semiconductor base, simultaneously. The second step is the step of forming a first diffusion layer of the insulated-gate FET on a side of the trench gate and a second diffusion layer of the electronic element in a region surrounded by the trench element-isolation layer, simultaneously. The third step is the step of forming a third diffusion layer of the insulated-gate FET in the first diffusion layer and a fourth diffusion layer of the electronic element in the second diffusion layer, simultaneously.
US07956418B2
An ESD protection device is provided. The ESD protection device comprises an SCR and an ESD detection circuit. The SCR is coupled between a high voltage and a ground and has a special semiconductor structure which saves area. When the ESD detection circuit detects an ESD event, the ESD detection circuit drives the SCR to provide a discharging path.
US07956414B2
A semiconductor substrate comprising: a semiconductor base; dielectric layers of mutually different film thicknesses formed on the semiconductor base; and semiconductor layers of mutually different film thicknesses formed on the dielectric layers.
US07956406B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a charge storage layer on a first insulating film, a second insulating film which is provided on the charge storage layer, formed of layers, and a control gate electrode on the second insulating film. The second insulating film includes a bottom layer (A) provided just above the charge storage layer, a top layer (C) provided just below the control gate electrode, and a middle layer (B) provided between the bottom layer (A) and the top layer (C). The middle layer (B) has higher barrier height and lower dielectric constant than both the bottom layer (A) and the top layer (C). The average coordination number of the middle layer (B) is smaller than both the average coordination number of the top layer (C) and the average coordination number of the bottom layer (A).
US07956399B2
The invention relates to a semiconductor device (10) with a substrate (11) and a semiconductor body (12) of silicon which comprises an active region (A) with a transistor (T) and a passive region (P) surrounding the active region (A) and which is provided with a buried conducting region (1) of a metallic material that is connected to a conductive region (2) of a metallic material sunken from the surface of the semiconductor body (12), by which the buried conductive region (1) is made electrically connectable at the surface of the semiconductor body (12). According to the invention, the buried conducting region (1) is made at the location of the active region (A) of the semiconductor body (12). In this way, a very low buried resistance can be locally created in the active region (A) in the semiconductor body (12), using a metallic material that has completely different crystallographic properties from the surrounding silicon. This is made possible by using a method according to the invention. Such a buried low resistance offers substantial advantages both for a bipolar transistor and for a MOS transistor.
US07956397B2
A semiconductor device comprising: a first well region which is formed at a surface portion of a semiconductor substrate and to which a first voltage is applied; a gate insulating film which is formed on the first well region; a gate electrode which is formed on the gate insulating film and has a polarity different from a polarity of the first well region and to which a second voltage is applied; and an element isolating region which is formed at a surface portion of the first well region to surround a region within the first well region that is opposed to the gate insulating film, wherein a capacitance is formed between the region within the first well region surrounded by the element isolating region and the gate electrode.
US07956378B2
Provided is a light emitting diode package and a method of manufacturing the same. The light emitting diode package includes a package main body with a cavity, a plurality of light emitting diode chips, a wire, and a plurality of lead frames. The plurality of light emitting diode chips are mounted in the cavity. The wire is connected to an electrode of at least one light emitting diode chip. The plurality of lead frames are formed in the cavity, and at least one lead frame is electrically connected to the light emitting diode chip or a plurality of wires.
US07956364B2
Light emitting LEDs devices comprised of LED chips that emit light at a first wavelength, and a thin film layer over the LED chip that changes the color of the emitted light. For example, a blue LED chip can be used to produce white light. The thin film layer beneficially consists of a florescent material, such as a phosphor, and/or includes tin. The thin film layer is beneficially deposited using chemical vapor deposition.
US07956362B2
A multi-layered gate electrode of a crystalline TFT is constructed as a clad structure formed by deposition of a first gate electrode, a second gate electrode and a third gate electrode, to thereby to enhance the thermal resistance of the gate electrode. Additionally, an n-channel TFT is formed by selective doping to form a low-concentration impunty region which adjoins a channel forming region, and a sub-region overlapped by the gate electrode and a sub-region not overlapped by the gate electrode, to also mitigate a high electric field near the drain of the TFT and to simultaneously prevent the OFF current of the TFT from increasing.
US07956356B2
A sapphire substrate includes a generally planar surface having a crystallographic orientation selected from the group consisting of a-plane, r-plane, m-plane, and c-plane orientations, and having a nTTV of not greater than about 0.037 μm/cm2, wherein nTTV is total thickness variation normalized for surface area of the generally planar surface, the substrate having a diameter not less than about 9.0 cm.
US07956353B2
By introducing new concepts into a structure of a conventional organic semiconductor element and without using a conventional ultra thin film, an organic semiconductor element is provided which is more reliable and has higher yield. Further, efficiency is improved particularly in a photoelectronic device using an organic semiconductor. Between an anode and a cathode, there is provided an organic structure including alternately laminated organic thin film layer (functional organic thin film layer) realizing various functions by making an SCLC flow, and a conductive thin film layer (ohmic conductive thin film layer) imbued with a dark conductivity by doping it with an acceptor and a donor, or by the like method.
US07956347B2
A novel package that integrates components for a modulating retro reflector into a single package is disclosed according to various embodiments. According to some embodiments the package is configured to secure a retro reflector, a quantum well modulator and photodiode. In some embodiments, the package may include interconnects to surface mount to a circuit board. Such interconnects may be coupled with the photodiode and/or the quantum well modulator. In some embodiments, the package may be constructed of liquid crystal polymers and/or may include one or more windows.
US07956342B2
Insulating impurities may be uniformly distributed over an entire or partial region of the phase change material. The PRAM may include a phase change layer including the phase change material. The insulating impurity content of the phase change material may be 0.1 to 10% (inclusive) the volume of the phase change material. The insulating impurity content of the phase change material may be adjusted by controlling the power applied to a target including the insulating impurities.
US07956339B2
Described herein are single-sided lateral-field optoelectronic tweezers (LOET) devices which use photosensitive electrode arrays to create optically-induced dielectrophoretic forces in an electric field that is parallel to the plane of the device. In addition, phototransistor-based optoelectronic tweezers (PhOET) devices are described that allow for optoelectronic tweezers (OET) operation in high-conductivity physiological buffer and cell culture media.
US07956336B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a focused ion beam apparatus that is capable of obtaining a much larger beam current and forming a focused ion beam with smaller aberration than a conventional focused ion beam apparatus no matter whether the level of acceleration is high or low. The focused ion beam apparatus according to the present invention includes a liquid metal ion source, an extraction electrode for extracting an ion beam from the liquid metal ion source, an acceleration (ground) electrode for accelerating an ion beam, and an electrostatic lens for converging an ion beam. When the acceleration voltage applied to the liquid metal ion source is lower than an emission threshold voltage of the liquid metal ion source, the voltage of the extraction electrode is at a lower potential than the voltage of the acceleration (ground) electrode. The polarity of a voltage applied to the electrostatic lens changes in accordance with the polarity of a voltage applied to the extraction electrode. The present invention makes it possible to exercise a deceleration mode focusing method at a high acceleration voltage from the dielectric strength voltage of an electrostatic lens and exercise an acceleration mode focusing method at a low acceleration voltage with an electrostatic lens having the same focal length as for the deceleration mode focusing method.
US07956331B2
The invention disclosed herein is directed to scintillation detectors capable of detecting the position or depth of gamma photon interactions occurring within a scintillator, thereby improving the resolution of ring based positron emission tomography (PET) imaging systems. In one embodiment, the invention is directed to a scintillation detector that comprises at least one pair of side-by-side conjunct scintillation crystal bars having a shared interface between, and a solid-state semiconductor photodetector optically coupled to each output window of each individual scintillation crystal bar. The solid-state semiconductor photodetector includes an array of discrete sensitive areas disposed across a top surface of a common substrate, wherein each sensitive area contains an array of discrete micro-pixelated avalanche photodiodes, and wherein the output window of each scintillation crystal bar is optically coupled to each respective sensitive area in a one-on-one relationship.
US07956325B2
Infrared light emitted by a fluorescent material is weak. When an infrared image obtained by this fluorescent material is superposed and displayed on a visible-light image, the infrared image is made clear. A signal
US07956320B2
A main peak list is created with the data obtained by an MSn analysis (S1), the difference between the mass-to-charge ratio of each product ion listed on this main peak list and that of the precursor ion is calculated (S2), and an auxiliary peak list for forming a virtual peak corresponding to the mass-to-charge ratio difference is created (S3). On the same graph, an MSn spectrum data is created so that each peak listed on the main peak list and each peak listed on the auxiliary peak list are drawn with different display colors (S4), and the MSn spectrum is displayed on the display screen (S5). Consequently, an MSn analysis result for a plurality of precursor ions with different mass-to-charge ratios becomes easy to be compared. In particular, it is possible to easily and visually determine whether or not a fragment having the same mass-to-charge ratio desorbed by a dissociation exists.
US07956313B2
There is provided a solid-state image pickup device that has a plurality of scanning lines that extends in a predetermined direction, a plurality of data lines that extends in a direction for intersecting the scanning lines, and a plurality of bias lines within an image pickup area on a substrate. For each of a plurality of pixels disposed in positions corresponding to intersections of the plurality of scanning lines and the plurality of data lines, a field effect transistor that is controlled by the scanning line and a photoelectric conversion element that has a electrode electrically connected to the data line through the field effect transistor and a electrode electrically connected to the bias line are formed, and a constant electric potential line for electrostatic protection is formed on the substrate. For each of bias lines, a bias line electrostatic protection circuit having a protection diode.
US07956311B2
Quantitative comparison or calculation of a plurality of images in different transmission bands is facilitated even if the transmission bandwidth of the spectroscopic element is different at different wavelengths. Provided is a spectroscopic device (1) including: a tunable spectroscopic element that changes the transmission band of light passing through coating layers provided on a plurality of optical substrates facing each other with a distance therebetween by adjusting the optical path length between the coating layers; an image acquisition section for acquiring an image of the light transmitted through the tunable spectroscopic element to acquire a spectroscopic image; a storage section (18) for storing information about spectral characteristics corresponding to the wavelength of light transmitted through the tunable spectroscopic element; and an image correction section (21) for correcting the spectroscopic image acquired by the image acquisition section using the information about the spectral characteristics stored in the storage section (18) with respect to each wavelength of light transmitted through the tunable spectroscopic element.
US07956301B2
A tamper protection device for an electrical switching device including a housing and a panel for at least one control element. The tamper protection device a protection cap configured to prevent unwanted operation or tampering of the control element when in position on the housing and a seal retainer configured to block the protection cap from being removed from the covering position when the seal retainer and protection cap are connected by a secured seal wire thereby forming a sealed unit. Each of the protection cap and the seal retainer are releasably connectable to the housing. When the protection cap and seal retainer are secured as the sealed unit it is non-releasably connectable to the housing by an interlocking connection.
US07956300B2
A safety holder is provided that firmly attaches to a safety switch so that safety of a worker is enhanced. The safety holder includes a base body 21 that is inserted into an actuator insertion opening 7, and limits rotation of a drive cam 9 by engaging at a tip end portion (hanging portion 21C) thereof with a concave portion of the drive cam 9 of the safety switch, and a slide body that is movably attached to the base body 21 so as to be insertable into an actuator insertion opening 8 with the base body 21 inserted in the actuator insertion opening 7, and when the slide body is inserted into the actuator insertion opening 8, that enters and engages with an engagement hole 36 of the base body 21 whose tip end portion (insertion arm 34) is being inserted into the insertion opening 7.
US07956297B2
A water resistant scale damper has a damper sleeve with an interior passage, an open top, and an open bottom. A piston is received in and axially slidable along the interior passage and has a top surface, an underside, and a piston rod extending from the underside toward the open bottom. A top cap is fitted over the open top of the sleeve and an air chamber is created between the top cap and the top surface of the piston. An air passage is formed through the top cap to permit air to enter and exit the air chamber. A portion of the top cap can create an elongate, non-linear air channel between the air passage and a port remote from the air passage and formed through the top cap. A bottom cap can also be fitted over the open bottom of the sleeve. The bottom cap has an annular flange that extends radially inward from a skirt of the bottom cap. The flange is funnel-shaped so as to direct liquid from beneath the underside of the piston toward a central opening in the flange. The piston rod extends through the central opening in the flange and a liquid drain gap is formed between the piston rod and the flange at the central opening.
US07956293B2
A multilayer printed wiring board is characterized in that the interlayer connection material in the via holes has a lower coefficient of thermal expansion in the thickness direction than the electrically insulating substrate made of insulating material; the interlayer connection is formed at a temperature higher than the operating temperature; and the interlayer connection material is larger in thickness than the interlayer connection material of the same wiring layer at normal temperature. This causes a difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the different materials in the thickness direction of the printed wiring board in the environment in which it is used resulting in high connection reliability.
US07956287B2
A touch panel-use transparent conductive molded product having a conductive layer excellent in wear resistance and flexing resistance, small in surface resistivity change when the touch panel is in use, and free from a change in transmitted light hue, and a touch panel using it. The touch panel-use transparent conductive molded product comprises a fine-conductive-fibers (4)-containing, transparent conductive layer (12) formed on at least one surface of a transparent substrate (11), and the touch panel uses the above transparent conductive molded product as an electrode. The fine conductive fibers in the transparent conductive layer (12) are dispersed without being aggregated, and touch each other while being dispersed with each of them separated from each other or each bundle of several fibers separated from each other. Therefore, it is possible to control a surface resistivity to 104Ω/□ or smaller, and a conductive layer light beam transmittance at a wavelength of 550 nm to 75% or larger.
US07956285B2
A floor stand is disclosed for mounting an electrical box at a location above a floor between two wall studs. The floor stand has an elongate sheet metal body and at least one mounting arm attached to the body. In one embodiment, the mounting arm is bendable from a position extending lengthwise of the body to a position in which it extends generally laterally outward from the body for attachment to one of the wall studs. In another embodiment, the two mounting arms are detachable from the body and re-attachable in the stated second position. An optional cable-containment section for connection to the box-mounting section of the floor stand is also disclosed.
US07956282B2
A photoelectric conversion element comprises a solar-energy epitaxial layer, a bond layer and a LED epitaxial layer, which are stacked sequentially. The bond layer has a plurality of holes allowing light to pass. The solar-energy epitaxial layer receives light via the holes and generates electric energy, and an external secondary battery stores the electric energy. When environmental illumination disappears, the LED epitaxial layer is powered by the external secondary battery to emit light. When the photoelectric conversion element of the present invention applies to outdoor traffic signs, advertisement signboards and indicators, they can operate without external power supply.
US07956278B1
Heat transfer apparatus comprising, in combination inner and outer bodies defining a space therebetween which extends at least part way about an axis, at least one of the bodies being heat conductive, a heat conductive woven mesh extending in the space at least part way about the axis, and in heat transfer relation with at least one of the bodies, fluid in the space in heat transfer contact with the mesh, and solar cells carried by the outer body.
US07956275B2
Chord to be performed is presented to a user. Chord is detected based on one or more notes performed by the user. When it is not detected that a chord has been duly established, one of the notes performed by the user is detected as a root note of a chord. Comparison is made between the chord presented to the user and the detected chord to make a determination as to whether at least the root note of the detected chord matches the root note of the presented chord. The user is informed of a result of the determination. Thus, not only when the user has accurately executed performance operation for all component notes of the presented chord but also when the user has executed performance operation for only the root note of the presented chord, a chord performance evaluation is made, determining that the user has accurately performed.
US07956267B2
A hi-hat system of the present invention includes a support element, a connecting shank, a fixation element and a transmission element. The support element has a pedal and a rotatable axle. The axle inserts through the connecting shank and the fixation element in a rotational operative relationship. The transmission element connects between the pedal and the connecting shank. The fixation element is adapted to control a movement of an upper cymbal. The connecting shank has a longitudinal slot. The axle is movable between both ends of the longitudinal slot so that the distance between the axle and the transmission element is adjustable, further changing the drive ratio of the axle and the transmission element. As such, the percussion sensitivity of the cymbals is adjustable for the player to achieve better performance effect.
US07956259B2
A new and distinct Guzmania hybrid named ‘TECHNO’ characterized by solid growth habit; funnel-form rosette plant, measuring about 44 cm in height (above the pot when flowering); numerous, yellow-green color foliage, measuring about 30 cm to 42 cm in length and about 3.0 cm to 3.5 cm in width; superior floral bract production; bracts have a unique, compound pinkish red inflorescence (closest to RHS 53B) which distinguishes this cultivar from typical Guzmania; compound inflorescence, measuring about 15 cm in height and about 20 cm in diameter; and long-lasting habit.
US07956256B2
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH300898. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH300898, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH300898 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH300898.
US07956248B2
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH309839. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH309839, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH309839 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH309839.
US07956246B2
The invention provides DNA compositions that relate to transgenic insect resistant maize plants. Also provided are assays for detecting the presence of the maize DAS-59122-7 event based on the DNA sequence of the recombinant construct inserted into the maize genome and the DNA sequences flanking the insertion site. Kits and conditions useful in conducting the assays are provided.
US07956243B1
According to the invention, there is provided a novel soybean variety designated RJS34003. This invention thus relates to the seeds of soybean variety RJS34003, to the plants of soybean RJS34003 to plant parts of soybean variety RJS34003 and to methods for producing a soybean plant produced by crossing plants of the soybean variety RJS34003 with another soybean plant, using RJS34003 as either the male or the female parent.
US07956239B2
Markers associated with Sclerotinia stem rot resistance are provided. Methods of identifying resistant, and susceptible plants, using the markers are provided. Methods for identifying and isolating QTL are a feature of the invention, as are QTL associated with Sclerotinia stem rot resistance.
US07956233B2
The present invention relates to a support system particularly intended for treatment and prevention of diseases of venous origin, characterized in that it comprises a first support layer, which is composed of an elastic band attached across its entire surface to an absorbent layer, and a second support layer, which is a self-adhesive elastic band. This support system has a dynamic coefficient of elasticity of between 5 and 55 Newton/cm.
US07956230B2
A method for reducing halide concentration in a hydrocarbon product made by a hydrocarbon conversion process using an ionic liquid catalyst comprising a halogen-containing an acidic ionic liquid comprising: (i) separating at least a portion of the hydrocarbon product from the ionic liquid catalyst used in the hydrocarbon conversion process from the hydrocarbon product; (ii) contacting at least a portion of the separated hydrocarbon product with an ionic liquid catalyst having the same formula as the ionic liquid catalyst used in the hydrocarbon conversion process; (iii) separating at least a portion of the hydrocarbon product from the ionic liquid catalyst of step (ii); and (iv) recovering at least a portion of the separated hydrocarbon product of step (iii) having a halide concentration less than the halide concentration of the hydrocarbon product of step (i) is disclosed.
US07956229B2
A method for producing an internal olefin by stably isomerizing an α-olefin by using an inexpensive zeolite catalyst while preventing an oligomerization reaction is provided. The method for producing an internal olefin comprises a step of isomerizing an α-olefin having from 16 to 18 carbon atoms by passing through a zeolite catalyst bed, wherein the α-olefin having from 16 to 18 carbon atoms is circulated through and brought into contact with the zeolite catalyst bed before starting the isomerization reaction.
US07956222B2
Methods of the present invention for producing dibromofluorobenzene derivatives (compounds II) comprise Step 1, in which compounds (I) having the following general formula (I): (wherein, R1 and R2 each independently represent a C1-6 alkyl group) are reacted in a solvent with a brominating reagent.
US07956217B2
Hydrolyzed nitrilotriacetonitrile compositions are disclosed prepared by a method characterized by a one-shot addition of an amount of nitrilotriacetonitrile to a solution containing an acid catalyst, where the reaction is complete in a time period of less than an hour. The method is also characterized by adjusting the pH of the reaction mixture to a pH of at least 8. The method is also characterized by oxidatively removing free cyanide to a desired low level through the addition of an oxidizing agent the produces environmentally benign by-products to the crude hydrolyzed NTAN to form hydrolyzed NTAN compositions having minimized, negligible, or substantially no free cyanide levels.
US07956216B2
Benzoyl urea derivatives that are alpha helical peptides mimetics that mimic BH3-only proteins, compositions containing them, their conjugation to cell-targeting-moieties, and their use in the regulation of cell death are disclosed. The benzoyl urea derivatives are capable of binding to and neutralizing pro-survival Bcl-2 proteins. Use of benzoyl urea derivatives in the treatment and/or prophylaxis of diseases or conditions associated with deregulation of cell death are also described.
US07956214B2
Provided are processes for the synthesis of aniline derivatives, specifically certain aniline derivatives which have activity as thyroid receptor ligands.
US07956212B2
Prodrugs of levodopa, methods of making prodrugs of levodopa, methods of using prodrugs of levodopa, and compositions of prodrugs of levodopa are disclosed.
US07956198B2
This invention relates to a combination product or medicament comprising at least one novel substituted pyrrole derivative and one or more dyslipidemic agents, antiobesity agents, antihyperglycaemic agents, anti-inflammatory agents or mixture thereof. Also provided herein are the pharmaceutical compositions comprising at least one novel substituted pyrrole derivative and one or more dyslipidemic agents, antiobesity agents, antihyperglycaemic agents, anti-inflammatory agents or mixture thereof and optionally together with at least one pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, and methods for the treatment or prophylaxis of cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's disease, obesity, diabetes or inflammatory diseases comprising administering to a mammal in need thereof therapeutically effective amounts of combination pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one novel substituted pyrrole derivative and one or more dyslipidemic agents, antiobesity agents, antihyperglycaemic agents, anti-inflammatory agents or mixtures thereof.
US07956195B2
The present invention discloses processes for the preparation and isolation of the individual stereoisomers of 1-amino, 3-substituted phenylcyclopentane-carboxylates.
US07956181B2
Provided is a pigment dispersant having excellent pigment dispersibility thus allowing a larger amount of pigments to be blended in various cosmetics, and capability of imparting good sense of use, make-up lasting, odor, and stability over time to the cosmetic. A trehalose fatty acid ester composition prepared by esterifying trehalose with a fatty acid having 8 to 22 carbon atoms, which has a hydroxyl value of 20 to 500, and the total amount of a diester, a triester, a tetraester and a pentaester in the trehalose fatty acid esters of 10 to 100% by area; and a cosmetic including the trehalose fatty acid ester composition.
US07956164B2
T-cells are generated with enhanced immunostimulatory capabilities for use in self therapy treatment protocols, by utilizing a biodegradable device with a biodegradable support that has one or more agents that are reactive to T-cell surface moieties. The biodegradable devices are mixed with the T-cells sufficiently so that the one or more agents cross-link with the T-cells' surface moieties and deliver a signal to the T-cells to enhance immunostimulatory capabilities.
US07956160B2
The invention provides, among other things, lyophilized compositions of high surface area that comprise a protein and that reconstitute quickly and efficiently to solution of high protein concentration with minimal formation, if any, of foam, effervescence, bubbles, turbidity, or particulates that might be deleterious. The invention also provides, among other things, methods for making the lyophilized compositions. The invention in additional aspects also provides Raman Imaging Spectrographic methods for real time analyses of polymorphs in a sample using PLS algorithms. By way of particular example, the use of the method for the analysis of mannitol polymorphs is described, and the use of the analysis to determine optimum compositions and lyophilization methods for producing lyophilates of pharmaceutical proteins having a predefined distribution of mannitol polymorphs and having the aforementioned reconstitution properties is also described.
US07956153B2
Sterically hindered phenol and phosphite based compounds represented by structural formula II: and their use as antioxidants in a wide range of materials including, but not limited to, food, plastics, elastomers, composites and petroleum based products is disclosed herein.
US07956151B2
A composition for and method for bonding a substrate. In general, applied to a substrate will be a primer composition that includes an adhesion promoter, which is an adduct prepared by the reaction of at least one aromatic polyisocyanate compound, with an active hydrogen containing moiety of an organofunctional silane, and a prepolymer derived from the reaction of at least one aliphatic polyisocyanate and a polyol, and is at least partially reacted with an active hydrogen containing moiety of an organofunctional silane.
US07956144B2
An acrylic resin and method of forming the acrylic resin for use in fluorocarbon coating compositions are disclosed. The fluorocarbon coating composition generally comprises a fluorocarbon resin, a cross-linking agent, and the acrylic resin. The acrylic resin comprises the reaction product of (1) at least one non-functional acrylic monomer, (2) at least one epoxy functional acrylic monomer having an epoxy group, and (3) at least one functional acrylic monomer different than (2). At least one amino compound having a cyclic, heterocyclic, alkyl, or heteroalkyl structure substituted with a primary or secondary amine group is reacted with the epoxy functional acrylic monomer (2) such that the primary or secondary amine opens the epoxy group to obtain the acrylic resin having amine functionality and hydroxyl functionality.
US07956141B2
The present invention provides 1) a complex comprising a mono-anionictridentate ligand, represented by the following general formula (I); 2) a polymerization catalyst composition, comprising the complex; and 3) a cis-1,4-isoprene polymer, a cis-1,4-butadiene polymer, a cis-1,4-isoprene-styrene copolymer, a cis-1,4-butadiene-styrene copolymer, a cis-1,4-butadiene-cis-1,4-isoprene copolymer, and a cis-1,4-butadiene-cis-1,4-isoprene-styrene copolymer, each of which has high-cis-1,4 content in a micro structure and a sharp molecular-weight distribution.
US07956138B2
This invention relates to a catalyst system comprising: an activator, such as an aluminum alkyl, alumoxane or combinations thereof; a first catalyst precursor prepared by contacting compound (I) represented by the formula: with an optionally substituted alkyl or optionally substituted aryl alcohol; wherein Z—O is a support material, where O is oxygen and Z is Si, Ti, Al, Sn, Fe, Ga, Zr, B, Mg or Cr; each X is, independently, nitrogen, oxygen phosphorous, or sulfur, provided that both X's are not each oxygen; each n is, independently, 1 or 2, provided the total of n=3; each R is, independently, an alkyl group, a substituted alkyl group, an aryl group, or a substituted aryl group, provided at least one R group is an aryl or substituted aryl group; and a second catalyst precursor, wherein the second catalyst precursor is a metallocene compound. This invention also relates to the use of the above catalyst system to polymerize olefins and other monomers.
US07956130B2
A rubber composition for a tire superior in grip performance and abrasion resistance and a tire prepared by using the same are provided. The rubber composition for a tire comprises 3 to 200 parts by weight of an aromatic vinyl polymer having an end modified with —OH, —SH, —COOH, —CSSH, —SO3H, —(COO)xM, —(SO3)xM or —CO—R (M is a cation, x is an integer of 1 to 3 depending on the valency of M and R is an alkyl group) and having a weight average molecular weight of 300 to 10,000, based on 100 parts by weight of a diene rubber, and the tire is prepared by using the rubber composition.
US07956126B2
A styrene-based resin composition that can be effectively used as a structural material owing to its excellent mechanical properties and also as a functional material owing to its excellent regularity and a method for manufacturing a styrene-based resin composition structurally controllable in nanometer order to micrometer order. The styrene-based resin composition includes (A) a styrene-based resin, (B) a thermoplastic resin other than a styrene-based resin, (c1) a modified styrene-based polymer and (c2) a polycarbonate-based graft polymer.
US07956123B2
A solvent resistant adhesive obtained by the crosslinking of a hydroxyl or urea or hydrocarbon terminated unsaturated polyurethane or polyurethane-urea polymer with a peroxide or a silicone hydride. The adhesive is useful as a component in pressure sensitive adhesives.
US07956101B2
Compostable hydrocarbon polymers, composites, and articles anaerobically biodegrade in landfills in a relatively short time. Composite polymeric articles and sheets such as indoor or outdoor signs, billboards, banners, images, protective barriers, backdrops and wall coverings have very useful service durations and yet are landfill biodegradable.
US07956093B2
An amide of the formula I and its tautomeric forms, possible enantiomeric and diastereomeric forms, E and Z forms, and possible physiologically tolerated salts.
US07956092B2
A non-toxic insecticidal composition includes a base horticultural oil, an emulsifier such as potassium salts of fatty acids, cinnamaldehyde and eugenol.
US07956085B2
This invention relates to Novel 1,4-benzothiepine 1,1-dioxide derivatives substituted by benzyl radicals, method for their preparation, pharmaceuticals comprising these compounds, and the use thereof.
US07956080B2
The present application describes deuterium-enriched SDX-101, pharmaceutically acceptable salt forms thereof, and methods of treating using the same.
US07956078B2
The invention relates to a method of developing a main proteinase SARS inhibitor. Human coronaviruses are major causes of upper respiratory tract illnesses in humans, in particular, the common cold. Recent investigations have shown that a novel coronavirus causes the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), a disease that is characterized by high fever, malaise, rigor, headache, non-productive cough or dyspnea, which is rapidly spreading. Within the scope of the invention, based on the structural analysis of the binding mode of the SARS Mpro enzyme, a group of prototype inhibitors is provided that acts as suitable drugs targeting a majority of viral infections of the respiratory tract, including SARS.
US07956062B2
A reactive oxygen generating enzyme inhibitor with NO donor bioactivity, e.g., nitrated allopurinol, is useful to treat heart failure, stable angina, ischemic disorder, ischemic reperfusion injury, atherosclerosis, sickle cell disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ALS and asthma and to obtain proper contraction of heart, skeletal and smooth muscle.
US07956061B2
The present invention is directed to novel substituted bicyclic pyrimidines which are inhibitors of the dipeptidyl peptidase-IV enzyme (“DPP-IV inhibitors”) and which are useful in the treatment or prevention of diseases in which the dipeptidyl peptidase-IV enzyme is involved, such as diabetes and particularly Type 2 diabetes. The invention is also directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds and the use of these compounds and compositions in the prevention or treatment of such diseases in which the dipeptidyl peptidase-IV enzyme is involved.
US07956055B2
A compound having the formula or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or a prodrug thereof is disclosed herein. Y, A, U, and B are as described herein. Methods, compositions, and medicaments related to these compounds are also disclosed.
US07956051B2
Disclosed herein are compounds useful in treating glaucoma, inflammatory bowel disease, the stimulation of hair growth, and the stimulation of the conversion of vellus hair to terminal hair. The compounds themselves are herein.
US07956037B2
Cytoprotective therapeutic agents for the prevention of reperfusion injury following ischemic stroke
The present invention relates generally to the use of γ-glutamyl antioxidants, particularly γ-glutamyl-cysteine, as cytoprotective agents to prevent reperfusion injury (i.e., hemorrhagic transformation) of the blood-brain barrier during reperfusion following an ischemic stroke. The γ-glutamyl antioxidants can be used alone or used in combination with an agent which inhibits the reverse movement of Na/Ca exchange in the blood-brain barrier such as 2-[2-[4-(4-nitrobenzyloxy)phenyl]ethyl]isothiourea methanesulphonate (KB-R7943).
US07956034B2
FSH mutant with increased glycosylation and longer half-life is described. The use of this FSH mutant for inducing folliculogenesis in human patients is also described.
US07956030B2
The present invention is direct to a method of producing analgesia in a mammalian subject. The method includes administering to the subject an omega conopeptide, preferably ziconotide, in combination with an analgesic selected from the group consisting of morphine, bupivacaine, clonidine, hydromorphone, baclofen, fentanyil, buprenorphine, and sufentanil, or its pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein the ω-conopeptide retains its potency and is physically and chemically compatible with the analgesic compound. A preferred route of administration is intrathecal administration, particularly continuous intrathecal infusion. The present invention is also directed to a pharmaceutical formulation comprising an omega conopeptide, preferably ziconotide, an antioxidant, in combination with an analgesic selected from the group consisting of morphine, bupivacaine, clonidine, hydromorphone, baclofen, fentanyl, buprenorphine, and sufentanil.
US07956029B2
The present invention relates to new synthetic receptors. More particularly, the present invention relates to the use of the synthetic receptors for delivering a protein, peptide, drug, prodrug, lipid, nucleic acid, carbohydrate or small molecule into a target cell via receptor-mediated endocytosis. According to the invention, novel synthetic mimics of cell surface receptors have been designed and methods for use of the same are disclosed.
US07956028B2
The present invention is directed to stabilizing Bone Morphogenetic Protein in various lyophilized formulations and compositions. The present invention comprises formulations primarily including trehalose as an excipient for lyophilized compositions and their subsequent storage and reconstitution, and can also optionally include other excipients, including buffers and surfactants.
US07956027B2
Sodium percarbonate particles with a coating layer comprising sodium sulfate in the form of a high-temperature phase of sodium sulfate and/or of a high-temperature phase of a double salt of composition Na4(SO4)1+n(CO3)1−n where n is from 0 to 0.5 have an improved storage stability in detergent and cleaning composition formulations as compared with sodium percarbonate particles which comprise sodium sulfate in the coating layer only in the form of sodium sulfate (V) or burkeite.
US07956024B2
A cleaning composition for removing organic deposits from hard to reach surfaces. In its basic embodiment, the cleaning composition comprises: a) a water miscible solvent; b) an inorganic salt; and c) water. The amount of the inorganic salt is at least 20% of the total composition by weight, with at least some of the salt existing in crystalline form at 20° C.
US07956011B2
Materials and methods for photodirected synthesis of oligonucleotide arrays on a solid substrate by photodirected synthesis are disclosed which employ a film formed from (i) a photoacid generator that on photolysis generates acid that is capable of directly removing the protecting group of the linker molecules or oligonucleotides and (ii) a polymer substantially lacking electronegative heteroatoms that are capable of hydrogen bonding with photogenerated acid. Methods of synthesizing an oligomer arrays are also described that use a film that restricts diffusion of reactants and products on the substrate during synthesis of the array and which includes a precursor of a deprotecting reagent. The method involves removing one or more of the non-required products of the deprotection reaction from the reactive array elements at which they are produced during the reaction, in order to displace the deprotection reaction towards completion.
US07956007B2
A heat-sensitive recording material comprising a support and a heat-sensitive recording layer, the heat-sensitive recording layer comprising a colorless or pale-colored basic dye and a developer, the developer being 4-allyloxy-4′-hydroxydiphenylsulfone, and the heat-sensitive recording layer further comprising a compound represented by formula (I): wherein R1 is an unsubstituted aromatic group, or an aromatic group substituted with at least one member selected from the group consisting of a methyl group and a chlorine atom, and R2 is a divalent organic group.
