US08132105B1
An Internet service makes available control codes for use on a programmable universal remote. The remote controls CE equipment through IR or RF commands. A server supplies the control codes as XML data that gets processed at the receiver's set top box or PC, or the remote itself, for being properly installed on the remote.
US08132092B2
An apparatus, program product, and method manage content from a content-controlled database (e.g., web pages or other files maintained in a web site) using a content management record linked to each content-controlled content item in the database. Each content management record is utilized in conjunction with a multi-stage content management process, where at least one stage is a review stage during which approval of an associated content item for a content management record is obtained. As a result of receiving appropriate approval, such an associated content item may be promoted and made available to users of the content-controlled database, with the content management record updated to reflect such a status of the associated content item. Multiple language and/or country versions of a content item may be linked together, such that changes made to one language/country version of a content item may automatically prompt a review of other versions to ensure that the changes are propagated to the other versions when necessary.
US08132090B2
A method for the dynamic creation of a symptom database from at least one social bookmark includes bookmarking a webpage comprising a solution to a problem using a web browser; defining a bookmark for the webpage by editing a bookmark field to characterize the solution by at least one of a text or numeric identifier and by providing at least one tag to classify the solution by at least one of product, topic, enterprise, or database; and automatically storing the bookmark in at least one symptom database. In response to a query for a solution to the problem, the bookmark is provided.
US08132084B2
Super block error correction code (ECC) adaptable to communication systems including hard disk drives (HDDs) and other memory storage devices. A means is presented by which a number of blocks of information can be organized, with a degree of ECC provided thereto, and transmitted via a signal into a communication channel. In some instances, the communication channel is coupled to a storage media as in the context of an HDD, and information is written to and read from the storage media via this communication channel (e.g., “read channel”). This means is particularly well suited to applications that provide large amounts of data via any one transmission (e.g., DVR/PVR (Digital/Personal Video Recorder)). A redundant block is generated using the information of each of a number of information blocks thereby provided extra ECC on a large portion of data, and that redundant block also undergoes ECC encoding.
US08132082B2
Systems and methods are provided for implementing various aspects of a Reed-Solomon (RS) error-correction system. A detector can provide a decision-codeword from a channel and can also provide soft-information for the decision-codeword. If the decision-codeword corresponds to an inner code and an RS code is the outer code, a soft-information map can process the soft-information for the decision-codeword to produce soft-information for a RS decision-codeword. A RS decoder can employ the Berlekamp-Massey algorithm (BMA), list decoding, and a Chien search, and can include a pipelined architecture. A threshold-based control circuit can be used to predict whether list decoding will be needed and can suspend the list decoding operation if it predicts that list decoding is not needed.
US08132081B1
Binary Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) encoded data is processed by obtaining a set of syndromes associated with the binary BCH encoded data, including a subset of odd-term syndromes and a subset of even-term syndromes. During initialization of a variant error-locator polynomial, {circumflex over (Ω)}(x), the subset of even-term syndromes, but not the subset of odd-term syndromes, are loaded into the variant error-locator polynomial, {circumflex over (Ω)}(0)(x).
US08132079B2
A radio communication apparatus is provided in Protocol Data Unit (PDU) transmission, in which the tail end (boundary) of a packet is detected based on the calculation result of an error detection calculation (Frame Check Sequence (FCS) calculation), without use of Length Indicator (LI) information. Preferably, to avoid incorrect detection, tail end presence/non-presence flag information is set in a header, and the above detection is decided to be valid when the flag information in the header part of PDU, storing the detected tail end, indicates the presence of the tail end.
US08132075B2
A routing multiplexer system provides p outputs based on a selected permutation of p inputs. Each of a plurality of modules has two inputs, two outputs and a control input and is arranged to supply signals at the two inputs to the two outputs in a direct or transposed order based on a value of a bit at the control input. A first p/2 group of the modules are coupled to the n inputs and a second p/2 group of the modules provide the n outputs. A plurality of control bit tables each contains a plurality of bits in an arrangement based on a respective permutation. The memory is responsive to a selected permutation to supply bits to the respective modules based on respective bit values of a respective control bit table, thereby establishing a selected and programmable permutation of the inputs to the outputs.
US08132074B2
Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to systems, methods, and apparatuses for reliability, availability, and serviceability solutions for memory technology. In some embodiments, a host determines the configuration of the memory subsystem during initialization. The host selects a write cyclic redundancy code (CRC) mechanism and a read CRC mechanism based, at least in part, on the configuration of the memory subsystem. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08132073B1
A client device or other processing device separates a file into blocks and distributes the blocks across multiple servers for storage. In one aspect, subsets of the blocks are allocated to respective primary servers, a code of a first type is applied to the subsets of the blocks to expand the subsets by generating one or more additional blocks for each subset, and the expanded subsets of the blocks are stored on the respective primary servers. A code of a second type is applied to groups of blocks each including one block from each of the expanded subsets to expand the groups by generating one or more additional blocks for each group, and the one or more additional blocks for each expanded group are stored on respective secondary servers. The first and second codes are advantageously configured to provide security against an adversary that is able to corrupt all of the servers over multiple periods of time but fewer than all of the servers within any particular one of the periods of time.
US08132069B2
A method and apparatus for combining retransmitted hybrid automatic repeat-request (HARQ) messages at different stages in an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)/orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) receiver are provided. The type of HARQ combiner used for a particular channel may depend on a number of selection criteria including the modulation order of the transmission, the number of bits needed for the combined signals, and the headroom in the HARQ buffer. For some embodiments, a combination of different types of HARQ combiners may be designed into a receiver and selected on a per-channel basis. Proper selection of a HARQ combining scheme may reduce the required HARQ buffer size and may provide an increased combining gain when compared to conventional HARQ combining techniques.
US08132062B2
In a non-volatile memory system, test data may be retrieved by means of a circuit without the help of firmware. The circuit is triggered into action when it detects an abnormality in the processor or host interface. In such event, it formats the self test or status signals from the various blocks in the non-volatile memory system controller and sends a test message to the outside world without the assistance of the system processor or interface controller. When implemented in memory systems with multiple data lines, only one of the data lines may be utilized for such purpose, thereby allowing the testing to be performed while the system is still performing data transfer. Preferably, the system includes the test mode communication controller, which can select between a test channel and a host interface channel for the test message transfer so that the same testing may be performed when the memory system is in the test package as well as in an encapsulated package. The test message is transmitted repeatedly and the test message is structured so that it is easier for the receiver host to decipher the message without a handshake with the memory system. A communication controller preferably detects whether any of the communication channels is not used by the controller of a non-volatile memory system for sending signals and sends diagnostic signals through such channel.
US08132061B2
A method and apparatus for repairing cache memories/arrays is described herein. A cache includes a plurality of lines and logically viewable in columns. A repair cache coupled to the cache includes a repair bit mapped to each logically viewable column. A repair module determines a bad bit to be repaired within a column based on any individual or combination of factors, such as the number of errors per line of the cache, the number of errors correctable per line of the cache due to error correction code (ECC), the failure rate of bits, or other considerations. The bad bit is transparently repaired by the repair bit mapped to the column including the bad bit, upon an access to a cache line including the bad bit.
US08132060B2
Some embodiments of a system and a method to provide comprehensive application programming interfaces to a logical volume manager have been presented. For instance, a processing device running on a server may provide a library having a set of application programming interfaces to interface an application and a logical volume manager (LVM). In response to an error occurring while running the application in operation with the LVM, the processing device may return an error string in a natural language, a piece of programming code associated with the error, and an error code associated with the error using one or more of the set of application programming interfaces.
US08132059B2
One aspect can include determining that at least one mote device is operating outside normal operational parameters and should be serviced, and determining at least partially using the at least one mote device that is operationally located within a mote network is not meeting a goal of the at least one mote device with respect to the mote network and should be serviced. Another aspect can include determining that at least one mote device should undergo routine servicing and configuring the at least one mote device to indicate the at least one mote device should undergo the routine servicing.
US08132055B2
Operating system (‘OS’)-firmware interface update recovery including determining, for each of a plurality of available OS-firmware interface images for booting a computer, whether each available OS-firmware interface image is corrupted or uncorrupted; setting, for each corrupted OS-firmware interface image, a predictive failure analysis (‘PFA’) bit in nonvolatile memory available to the OS-firmware interface update recovery module; selecting an uncorrupted OS-firmware interface image; initiating a boot for the computer with the selected OS-firmware interface image; determining whether a previous update to one of the available OS-firmware interface images was interrupted; and notifying a user that the previous update was interrupted if the previous update to one of the available OS-firmware interface images interrupted.
US08132041B2
An electronic device is provided for generating or utilizing one or more cycle-swallowed clock signals derived based on one or more first clock signals. The device includes a module configured to receive a first clock signal having a first frequency. The module is configured to generate a second clock signal having a second frequency and configured to swallow one or more clock cycles of the first clock signal in generating the second clock signal. The first clock signal has even cycles, and the second clock signal has uneven cycles. The first frequency is greater than the second frequency. The module may include a cycle-swallowing counter. A method and a computer-readable medium are also provided.
US08132039B1
The circuit, typically a delay-locked loop, comprises a phase detector, a first counter, a second counter, and a comparator. The phase detector compares a phase of a first clock signal with a phase of a second clock signal. The first counter generates first count signals and adjusts the first count signals when the phase detector indicates that the phases of the first and the second clock signals are out of alignment. The second counter generates second count signals. The first comparator generates a first comparison signal in response to a comparison between the first count signals and the second count signals. The second clock signal is generated in response to the first comparison signal.
US08132034B2
An information handling system having plural processing modules, such as an information handling system blade chassis having plural information handling system blades, allocates power by determining an actual load sharing power loss associated with plural power supplies and applying the actual load sharing power loss to determine how much power to allocate to the information handling system modules. A chassis manager determines actual load sharing power loss by retrieving power information from plural power supplies. The actual load sharing power loss replaces a worst-case load sharing power loss assumed value to increase the amount power available for allocation to the information handling system modules.
US08132030B2
A device and a method for managing power consumption of a plurality of data processing units. A scheduler (280) schedules a first process step for a first data processing unit (200) consuming a high power within a first deadline and a second process step for a second data processing unit (240) also consuming a high power within a second deadline. The scheduler further schedules the first process step and the second process step such that the two process steps do not occur concurrently thereby reducing the peak power draw from a power supply while preserving deadlines. This is particularly beneficial in battery-operated equipment, such as portable electronic multimedia devices, since peak power drain has been found to be an important factor in determining the battery capacity.
US08132029B2
Disclosed is a method for managing the power transmitted from a central network component to a decentralized network component via a line, said method determining the ultimately available power in a simple manner. In said method, a respective decentralized network component that is assigned to a predefined power class and can adjust different functionalities, each network component, successively simulates decentralized network components belonging to different power classes, verification is made as to whether the central network component responsible for transmitting power supports a decentralized network component of the simulated type, and the respective decentralized network component decides which functionalities implemented therein are activated after the respective decentralized network component has determined the power classes supported by the central network component.
US08132027B2
In one embodiment, a powered device (PD) (402) has a PHY module (410) and a media access controller (419) (MAC), the PD (402) adapted to connect to power sourcing equipment (PSE) via a cable, (408) where the PD (402) is adapted to communicate with and receive power from the PSE via the cable, in accordance with the Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) standard. The PD (402) extracts (413) from the cable (408) a DC signal used to power the PD without using a transformer. Capacitors (420) located in the signal paths between the MAC (419) and the cable (408) support electrical isolation of the MAC (419).
US08132026B2
To provide a power storage device for regularly supplying power to a mobile electronic device, in which charging of a battery by a power feeder can be simplified and even when power stored in the battery is not enough, power can be regularly supplied to the mobile electronic device. The mobile electronic device includes an antenna circuit which receives power supply via radio signals, a battery which stores power, and a power supply control circuit which includes a switch circuit for intermittently supplying power to a load. Power supply to the load is intermittently controlled by controlling the switch circuit, which is provided in the power supply control circuit for controlling the supply of power stored in the battery, using a signal from a low-frequency-signal generating circuit.
US08132021B2
An information processing apparatus has a decrypting part configured to receive decrypting key information from a managing apparatus which manages the decrypting key information for decrypting information to decrypt the information; a monitoring part configured to communicate with the managing apparatus, after the decrypting until the information is encrypted again, and a terminating part configured to terminate processing carried out on the information, when the monitoring part cannot receive a predetermined response from the managing apparatus.
US08132017B1
A centralized password repository (CPR) provides network users with a password portal through which the user can manage password access to domains and applications on the network. A subset of the domains and applications on the network may be required, by design, to maintain a separate password infrastructure. For these systems, the CPR establishes a secure and authenticated communication channel and software on the system interfaces with the password infrastructure to synchronize the password in the system password infrastructure with the password in the CPR. For other systems not required to maintain a separate password infrastructure, the CPR performs password services by responding to requests from those systems seeking to validate user IDs and passwords. The CPR enables an administrator to modify network privileges and enables a user to alter passwords on the network through a single interface.
US08132006B2
A server (120) uses a password (π) to construct a multiplicative group (ZN*) with a (hidden) smooth order subgroup (
US08132002B2
A method of a fast system call is provided. First, a logical operation to compute a kernel service routine is used. Then the logical operation result is compared with ciphertext from a key register. At least one input for the logical operation is from the relevant information of the required kernel service routine. For example, the start address of the kernel service routine or the content of the start address of the kernel service routine, or combinations thereof. If the logical operation result equals to the ciphertext of the key register, a switch from a user mode to a kernel mode to read the kernel service routine is allowed. Otherwise, the central processing system executes a corresponding exceptional handler routine. Then the operating system terminates the mode switch request and reports an error to the operating system.
US08131999B2
An embodiment includes a system with a processing unit and a communication unit. The processing unit is configured: to compute a first reference point of a data point that represents a private data item and has a first distance value to the data point, wherein the first distance value is less than a threshold value, to compute a second reference point of the data point different from the first reference point with a second distance value to the data point, wherein the second distance value is less than the threshold value, and to generate hidden reference points from the reference points. The communication unit is configured to send the hidden reference points and distance values to a system.
US08131998B2
A system, apparatus and method for transparently authenticating continuous data streams. A continuous data stream is divided into data blocks. Block authentication code(s) are determined using the data in the data blocks, a hash function and a key. The block authentication code(s) are embedded into the data block(s) by adjusting the timing between the packets in the data block(s). Timing delays may be used to separate the blocks. The continuous data stream may be received and authenticated by comparing an extracted block authentication code with a new calculated content-based block authentication code.
US08131995B2
A method includes storing, at a storage location of a system, a first security value and utilizing, at the system, a first security certificate compatible with the first security value and incompatible with at least a second security value, wherein the first security certificate enables one or more processing features of the system in conjunction with the first security value. The method also includes receiving a certificate revocation stimulus and modifying a value at a first bit position of the storage location so as to convert the first security value stored at the storage location to the second security value. Another method includes receiving multimedia data at a system, wherein the multimedia data is representative of multimedia content including a digital watermark representing one or more system identifiers, and disabling at least one processing feature if the system identifiers includes a unique identifier associated with the system.
US08131990B2
A data processing apparatus and a method of mounting a logical drive are provided which reduce the time required for completing start-up of an application. A priority level of each logical drive is determined based on access frequency by the automatically started applications in an initial setting processing of the applications in the previous start-up of the data processing apparatus. Higher priority is given to the logical drive having higher access frequency. For subsequently starting up the data processing apparatus, each logical drive is mounted in the order of the determined priority.
US08131989B2
A system and method is provided for establishing safe processor operating points. Some embodiments may include a tamper resistant storage element that stores information regarding one or more operating points of an adjustable processor operating parameter. Some embodiments may further include an element to determine what the current processor operating point is of the operating parameter, and an element to compare the current operating point of the operating parameter with the stored information.
US08131979B2
The described embodiments provide a system that determines data dependencies between two vector memory operations or two memory operations that use vectors of memory addresses. During operation, the system receives a first input vector and a second input vector. The first input vector includes a number of elements containing memory addresses for a first memory operation, while the second input vector includes a number of elements containing memory addresses for a second memory operation, wherein the first memory operation occurs before the second memory operation in program order. The system then determines elements in the first and second input vectors where the memory addresses indicate that a dependency exists between the memory operations. The system next generates a result vector, wherein the result vector indicates the elements where dependencies exist between the memory operations.
US08131975B1
In some embodiments, an integrated circuit comprises a microprocessor matrix including a plurality of mesh-interconnected matrix processors, wherein each matrix processor comprises a data switch configured to direct inter-processor communications within the matrix, and a mapping unit configured to generate a data switch functionality map for a plurality of data switches in the microprocessor matrix. The data switch functionality map is generated by sending a first message through the matrix, and, setting a first functionality status designation for the first data switch in the data switch functionality map upon receiving a reply to the first message from a first data switch through the matrix.
US08131960B2
An automated backup and reversion system comprising at least two storage systems with one source storage system being physically connected to at least one host system during normal processing at any given time. During the backup process, involved storage devices are physically disconnected from the host system. The at least one destination storage system receiving the information backup may thereafter be connected to the host system to allow for subsequent host processing. The initial source storage system may then remain disconnected from the host system and assume the role of a destination storage system. Each storage system is located at the same logical location while being processed so that the host system is unaware that any storage system change has occurred. A plurality of storage systems may be configured with only one being processed at any given time, and the remainder may comprise successive backups after any negative event.
US08131953B2
A method and system for processing data. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a first store and receiving a second store subsequent to the first store. The method also includes generating a pointer that points to the last store that needs to retire before the second store retires, where the pointer is associated with the second store, and the last store that needs to retire is the first store.
US08131947B2
In a data processing system, access to a cache in response to access requests from first processing circuitry and snoop requests resulting from a transaction performed by second processing circuitry are arbitrated. Accesses to the cache are monitored to determine if the first processing circuitry is prevented from accessing the cache for more than a threshold amount of time. A signal is generated to indicate when the first processing circuitry has been prevented from accessing the cache for more than the threshold amount of time.
US08131934B2
A facility and cache machine instruction of a computer architecture for specifying a target cache cache-level and a target cache attribute of interest for obtaining a cache attribute of one or more target caches. The requested cache attribute of the target cache(s) is saved in a register.
US08131933B2
Methods and systems for communication between two storage controllers. A first storage controller specifies a special frame indicator in a frame of a protocol that is also used by a first storage controller to send a storage command to a storage device. The first storage controller transmits the frame to a second storage controller such that the frame comprises data in a payload field of the frame.
US08131929B2
A memory device and method for content virtualization are disclosed. In one embodiment, a plurality of directories are created in the memory of the memory device, wherein each of the plurality of directories points to a same storage location of the digital content. In another embodiment, a first header for the digital content is stored in each of the different directories, wherein the first header comprises information about where to find the digital content in the memory. In yet another embodiment, the memory device comprises circuitry that receives an identification of a host device in communication with the memory device and reorganizes a directory structure of the memory in accordance with the identification of the host device, wherein the reorganization results in the digital content appearing to be located in a directory expected by the host device.
US08131924B1
Embodiments of the present invention provide mechanisms for improving storage consumption on a sequential access medium, such as a physical tape, by preferably storing one instance of a data block of a backup data set on the tape media. When another instance of a data block is received having the same pattern as the stored data block, rather than storing the data block itself, a reference to the data block is stored on the sequential access medium. When data are restored, data blocks are cached at a block store on a storage device(s) having a faster seek time than the tape. When a reference to a previously stored data block is read from the tape, rather than re-winding the tape to search for the data block on the tape (which might take a long time to locate), the referenced data block can be found on the storage device having a faster seek time than the tape media.
US08131923B2
An I/O Optimizer receives an I/O request specifying a plurality of disk blocks of the disk drive for access. A plurality of I/O sub-requests is determined from the I/O request, each I/O sub-request specifying a set of one or more adjacent disk blocks of the plurality of disk blocks along the same cylinder. A plurality of execution sequences for performing the plurality of I/O sub-requests is determined. For each of the plurality of execution sequences, a total estimated execution time for performing the I/O sub-requests according to the execution sequence is calculated. One of the plurality of execution sequences for performing the I/O sub-requests is selected based, at least in part, on the total estimated execution times for the plurality of execution sequences. A disk drive controller is instructed to perform the I/O sub-requests according to the selected execution sequence.
US08131919B1
An electronic system includes a framework, data storage circuitry and a controller. The framework includes multiple device slots. The data storage circuitry is arranged to access storage devices installed in the framework. The controller is arranged to receive a current storage device identifier in response to installation of a storage device into a particular device slot of the framework, and perform an electronic storage device location assessment operation based on the current storage device identifier. The controller is further arranged to provide a control signal in response to performing the electronic storage device location assessment operation. The control signal selectively (i) permits the data storage circuitry to overwrite the storage device while the storage device resides in the particular device slot, and (ii) prevents the data storage circuitry from overwriting of the storage device while the storage device resides in the particular device slot.
US08131917B2
Systems and techniques for accessing a memory, such as a NAND or NOR flash memory, involve storing an operating application for a computing device in a first memory and storing a driver containing software operable to control the first memory in a second memory that is independently accessible from the first memory. By storing the driver in a second memory that is independently accessible from the first memory, changes to the driver and/or the first memory can be made without altering the operating application.
US08131909B1
A high performance field programmable gate array is described with one or more signal processing engines coupled to a programmable logic fabric. Each signal processing engine includes a signal processing unit for performing specifying tasks and a bus-based configurable connection box for routing a bus-based input to a bus-based output. The signal processing unit has a floating point unit (FPU)/multiply accumulate (MAC) for computation and register files for storing information. The programmable logic fabric is coupled to the one or more signal processing engines for routing of information between the signal processing engines.
US08131901B2
A data processing system supporting one or more virtual processing apparatuses is provided with external interrupt interface hardware 26 and virtual interface hardware 28. Hypervisor software responds to an interrupt received by the external interrupt interface hardware 26 to write data characterising that interrupt into list registers 18 of the virtual interface hardware 28. A guest operating system for the virtual machine of the virtual data processing apparatus being emulated may then read data from the virtual interface hardware 28 characterising the interrupt to be processed by that virtual machine. The virtual machine and the guest operating system interact with the virtual interface hardware 28 as if it were external interface hardware. The hypervisor software is responsible for maintaining the data within the virtual interface hardware 28 to properly reflect queued interrupts as received by the external interface 26.
US08131899B2
An operation mode acquiring unit compares before-expansion connection device information and after-expansion connection device information that are acquired by a device information acquiring unit, recognizes expanded device information on an external storage device that is expanded in a storage system, and acquires an operation mode that is applied to the storage system after the external storage device is expanded from a correspondence storage unit by using the recognized expanded device information. A setting executing unit executes the setting for the storage system accompanied with the expansion of the external storage device on the basis of the after-expansion connection device information acquired by the device information acquiring unit and the operation mode acquired by the operation mode acquiring unit.
US08131898B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, are described for handling input received from a common interface of a program and a runtime environment when both the program and the runtime environment are configured to consume the received input. Given that both a browser program and a media player program hosted by the browser program are configured to detect an event of a certain type, there may be a contention of whether the browser program or the media player program may act first on the detected event. The disclosed systems and techniques enable interpretation of a user's intent when the user interacts with a webpage hosting media content and when the user's input occurs over media content rendered by the media player program. Similar advantages may also be realized within the context of another execution environment, or other program, different than a browser program.
US08131897B2
A semiconductor memory device and method thereof are provided. The example semiconductor memory device may include a first processor configured to exchange data with a first data length format, a second processor configured to exchange data with a second data length format and a shared memory configured to store data, the shared memory being shared by the first and second processors, the shared memory further configured to receive a read command from at least one of the first and second processors and to output data in response to the read command based on which of the first and second data length formats is used by the processor issuing the read command.
US08131893B2
In a memory device, data can be transmitted from a first CPU to a second CPU via an individual register or a shared SRAM, for example. The data transmitted from the first CPU to the second CPU via the individual register also passes through a FIFO. When first data is transmitted via the shared SRAM and then second data is transmitted via the individual register, for example, and if the first data transmission is adjusted by a SRAM controller and put into a waiting state at the FIFO, the second data transmitted via the individual register also passes through the FIFO, preventing the second data transmission from being completed earlier than the first data transmission. The data transmissions can therefore be completed appropriately. This in turn increases reliability of the memory device.
US08131890B1
A USB control circuit for increasing USB endpoints includes a token detection circuit. The USB control circuit is configured to receive a first logical endpoint (LEP) address and a USB token. The token detection circuit is configured to determine a direction of a USB data transfer in accordance with a USB token type. The USB control circuit includes an endpoint configuration and status control logic circuit in communication with the token detection circuit. The endpoint configuration and status control logic circuit is configured to control configuration and status information associated with each of a plurality of LEP input buffers and LEP output buffers. The USB control circuit is configured to generate a second LEP address in accordance with a combination of the first LEP address and the determined direction to increase a quantity of LEPs without increasing a quantity of physical endpoint buffers of a USB device.
US08131885B2
A method and system of controlling computer system external effects. At least some of the illustrative embodiments may be a computer system comprising a processor (wherein a computer system user interacting with software executed on the processor triggers a software event), and an external effects controller coupled to the processor (wherein the external effects controller controls at least one device being a purely aesthetic device or a non-aesthetic device operated in a manner for aesthetic reasons). The computer system user selectively associates the at least one device to the software event such that, if associated, upon occurrence of the software event an operational state of the at least one device is changed by the external effects controller.
US08131880B2
An intelligent network interface card (INIC) or communication processing device (CPD) works with a host computer for data communication. The device provides a fast-path that avoids protocol processing for most messages, greatly accelerating data transfer and offloading time-intensive processing tasks from the host CPU. The host retains a fallback processing capability for messages that do not fit fast-path criteria, with the device providing assistance such as validation even for slow-path messages, and messages being selected for either fast-path or slow-path processing. A context for a connection is defined that allows the device to move data, free of headers, directly to or from a destination or source in the host. The context can be passed back to the host for message processing by the host. The device contains specialized hardware circuits that are much faster at their specific tasks than a general purpose CPU. A preferred embodiment includes a trio of pipelined processors devoted to transmit, receive and utility processing, providing full duplex communication for four Fast Ethernet nodes.
US08131875B1
Systems and methods, including computer software implementations, involve identifying a first set of device capabilities associated with an electronic device. The first set of device capabilities include one or more device capabilities. A description of the first set of device capabilities is provided to a remote source, and a first device profile identifier is received from the remote source. The first device profile identifier is associated with the first set of device capabilities. The first device profile identifier is stored on the electronic device, and the received first device profile identifier is included in a communication to the remote source.
US08131867B1
A multicasting system provides congestion control for multicasting using a dynamic layer scheme, where the aggregate sending rates of layers decline over time. Multicast packets are transmitted to layers that are joined by at least one host. A host maintains a reception rate by joining additional layers as the sending rates decline, a host reduces the reception rate by not joining additional layers as fast as the sending rates decline, thus allowing rate reduction even if the sender does not receive leave messages sent from a host.
US08131866B2
A system providing a user interface to annotate different items in a media production system such as in a digital non-linear post production system. Parts of the production, such as clips, frames and layers, that have an associated annotation are provided with a visual annotation marker. The annotation marker can use shape, color or animation to convey source, urgency, status or other information. Annotations can be text, freehand drawing, audio, or other. Annotations can be automatically generated. Annotations can be compiled into records, searched and transferred. A state of an application program can be stored and transferred to a remote system. The remote system attempts to recreate the original state of the application program. If the remote system is unable to do so, an image of the state of the application program is obtained, instead. Assignment of control to various functions of an application program is achieved by associating a function (i.e., modifying a parameter) with a user control at a remote location.
US08131862B2
A computer-implemented method, system and computer-readable storage medium are presented for establishing a communication link between an SS7 device and an application server. An SS7 message is first decoded by a SS7 SIGTRAN gateway into a SIGTRAN message. The SIGTRAN message is sent to a proxy server, wherein the SIGTRAN message is converted into XML for transmission to a converged application in the application server.
US08131858B2
Method and devices for enabling a multi-mode device to establish a session through multiple networks
A method, device, and computer-readable storage element enables a multi-mode device to establish a session through multiple networks in a communication system. The method includes registering, at the same time, each of a plurality of sub-clients of a single multi-mode device with a single application server, wherein each sub-client is separately registered through a different network, using an individual logical identity. The method further includes detecting an invitation including session parameters to establish a session using the single application server, and selecting at least one of the sub-clients to process the invitation based on the session parameters to establish the session through the networks corresponding to the selected sub-client.
US08131853B2
An external processor for a network access system having a programmable access device includes a service controller that provides at least one service for network traffic, a message processor that processes network messages for service processing by the service controller, and a programmable access device controller that programs the programmable access device in response to service controller processing. It is advantageous for the external processor to include primary and secondary service controllers for a particular service so that, if the primary service controller fails, the secondary service controller can provide the particular service for message received from the programmable access device. In preferred embodiments, the service controller further includes a reporting processor that provides an interface through which reporting messages received from the programmable access device can be communicated to the service controller and a signaling controller that transmits signals to configure network hardware to establish requested network connections. The external processor preferably further supports a service policy interface through which the service controller can request policy decisions from a possibly remote policy server.
US08131846B1
Global, location-aware security information is generated, and used to provide location-aware computer security to portable computing devices. A global, location-aware security system receives local, location-aware security information from a large number of portable devices. The local information from each device comprises their locations at the times of detection of threat indicators. The global system transforms the received local information into global information, and maps detected threat indicators to specific locations. Each device monitors activity occurring thereon, detects threat indicators and current locations, and builds local information, which is periodically transmitted to the global system. When a device is activated or moved to a new location, it determines its current location, and requests global information concerning that location from the global system. The global system transmits global information, which the portable device uses to apply a location-based risk level policy to provide location-aware computer security.
US08131838B2
Monitor services deployable on device networks may be implemented using a modular approach, in which a core monitor service is mapped to one or more devices included in, or associated with, the device networks. Additional monitoring-related functionality may be provided to such devices using plug-ins, add-on services or service components, or other service modules, which interact with the core monitor service. The core monitor service(s) and any monitor service modules may be mapped, to specific ones of the devices, based on, for example, requirements of other services and/or relevant device metadata (e.g., capabilities) of the devices. In additional or alternative implementations, various protocols may be used to register new devices and deployed monitor service(s) with the distributed monitoring service(s) in a fast, secure, energy-efficient, and reliable manner, even as devices join or leave the device network(s).
US08131831B1
A centralized policy management framework, including a centralized policy repository, is provided that can support both services and network management within a wireless network, and supports both Internet Protocol (IP)-based and non IP-based service traffic. Service level agreement (SLA) management and policy exchange is enabled for converged services across network domains. In one non-limiting embodiment, a 3GPP standards-based architecture is integrated into the overall policy management framework.
US08131828B2
In an embodiment, a hosted-on-premises meeting exchange server operates seamlessly with web meeting servers. For example, one computer-implemented method comprises receiving a request from a client computer to join a web meeting; determining whether the client computer is coupled to a local network which includes an on-premises-meeting exchange server; in response to determining that the client computer is coupled to the local network, joining the client computer to the web meeting at the on-premises-meeting exchange server when the on-premises-meeting exchange server has sufficient capacity, and otherwise joining the client computer to the web meeting at an off-premises-meeting exchange server; and in response to determining that the client computer is not coupled to the local network, joining the client computer to the web meeting at the off-premises-meeting exchange server.
US08131823B2
A communication system for retrieving content stored in a content server (e.g., web server) is disclosed. The system includes a client that is configured to transmit a message requesting content specifying an object from a content server. The system also includes a plurality of proxy servers that include a downstream proxy server and an upstream proxy server. The downstream proxy server is configured to communicate with the client. The upstream proxy server is configured to retrieve the content from the content server and to forward information associated with the object over a data network to the downstream proxy server prior to the client transmitting another message requesting the object. The above arrangement has particular application to a wide area network, such as a satellite network.
US08131822B2
Particular embodiments generally relate to allowing access of non-secure elements through a non-secure channel when a top-level page was accessed through a secure connection. In one embodiment, a webpage is accessed over a secure channel. The webpage includes secure and non-secure elements. When a non-secure element for the webpage is determined, a client may message with the server to open a non-secure channel for accessing the non-secure element. For example, the client may request port information in the request. The server then can respond with port information for a non-secure channel. The client then accesses data for the non-secure element through the non-secure channel using the port information.
US08131821B2
A method for searching documents including defining a plurality of dimensions with each having dimension values that define users, maintaining documents with each having sections, and determining a user coordinate having a specific set of dimension values. The method further includes assigning dimension values and an associated user coordinate to each section of each document, storing the sections of the documents in a retrievable form, and identifying dimension values associated with the user coordinate in accordance with a filtering methodology. The method further includes displaying the dimension values as menu items in which a user is permitted to access the menu items for the dimension values associated with the user coordinate, and identifying sections of documents that meet the respective dimension values associated with the user coordinate in accordance with the filtering methodology, so that a user is permitted to access sections of the documents that meet the dimension values.
US08131820B2
A method for providing a provider-selected message in response to a user request for user-selected information is disclosed. The method includes receiving a request from a client program for user-selected information. If a provider-selected message has not been previously transmitted to the client program, the method further includes transmitting provider-selected information to the client program. If a provider-selected message has been previously transmitted to the client program, the method further includes transmitting the user-selected information. In one embodiment, the method also includes receiving a second request from the client program for the user-selected information after the provider-selected information is displayed for a limited time.
US08131816B2
The invention generally relates to generating a display having graphical and/or media components at a client. In one aspect, a method for generating a graphical display at a client includes transmitting output from an application program executing on a server to the client, identifying a non-textual element within the application output, retrieving a compressed data format associated with the non-textual element, and transmitting to the client the compressed data format in place of the non-textual element. In another aspect, a method for generating a media presentation at a client includes transmitting output from an application program executing on a server to the client, identifying a media stream within the application output, intercepting an original compressed data set representing at least a portion of the media stream before processing by the application program, and transmitting the original compressed data set to the client.
US08131808B2
The present invention enables accurate detection of risks from an electronic mail message. In a mail inspection unit, an information extraction section extracts text and a mail address from electronic mail accumulated in a journal DB, and a text normalization section normalizes the text. A sort-information saving section generates text sort information according to the score obtained from a sorting engine, and stores it in a mail-management-information storage section. A personal-information saving section extracts personal information from a personal-information storage section according to the mail address, and stores it in the mail-management-information storage section. Finally, a risk-level determination section compares the information stored in the mail-management-information storage section with the information stored in a category-information storage section to determine the risk level of the electronic mail.
US08131789B2
True random number generation circuitry utilizes a pair of oscillators driving a pair of linear feedback shift registers, with their output being combined to generate random numbers. At least one of the oscillators is programmable with a variable frequency. One embodiment controls the variable frequency of oscillators with output from one or more sets of oscillators and linear feedback shift registers. In other embodiments, linear feedback shift register output is captured and used to control the frequency of oscillators.
US08131787B2
A transformation processing system input data including a data record area for storing target date and a transformation processing identification information record area for storing transformation processing identification information about transformation processing executed upon the target data. The transformation processing system includes: a reverse transformation information recording unit which records a target data pointer indicating the data record area in transformed data, a transformation processing identification information pointer indicating the transformation processing identification information record area, and reverse transformation processing identification information about reverse transformation processing; a target data transformation unit which transforms the target data and records it in the data record area; and a transformation processing identification information recording unit which adds the transformation processing identification information about the transformation processing executed by the target data transformation unit to the transformation processing identification information record area in the input data.
US08131784B1
An apparatus and a method that allow a quota to be implemented over a data storage system having data associated with the user stored in multiple volumes or directories across multiple storage servers. The quota limits a user or a group of users to a defined amount (e.g., quota) of storage resources of the storage system. The method may include monitoring input-output (IO) data access requests on each of the multiple storage servers, for example, using a pluggable quota filter on each of the storage servers, determining a total usage of storage resources for a particular user over the multiple storage servers, and limiting the user to the quota over the multiple storage servers.
US08131776B2
A method for migrating a legacy translation map to an evolved translation map includes determining an input file structure from input file structure information in the legacy translation map, determining an output file structure from output file structure information in the legacy translation map, and creating an XML binding object representation of source code for the input and output file structure. The method may further include creating an evolved language object representation of translation instructions in the legacy translation map, adding temporary segments to the XML binding object representation for the input file structure, and generating evolved language object representation of instructions to write input data into the temporary segments. The evolved language object representation of translation instructions is then merged into the XML binding object representation. The evolved translation map is then generated as an XML file based on the XML binding object representation resulting from the merging.
US08131767B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure include methods (and corresponding systems and computer program products) that augment visual elements in documents with rich media content and provide the rich media content based on user interaction with the augmented visual elements in the documents. The disclosed embodiments analyze a document for qualified visual elements. The disclosed embodiments determine keywords associated with the visual element, generate an association of the visual element and the keywords, and embed the association in a corresponding augmented document. When a user reviews the augmented document in a client system and moves a pointer over the augmented visual element, a piece of rich media content related to the keywords are transmitted to the client system to be displayed as an overlay in close proximity to the visual element where the mouse-over occurred.
US08131766B2
Business logic is integrated within a repository through the use of “resource configurations.” A resource configuration is a unit of business logic that is supplied by a user to the repository and associated with a particular directory and/or a resource. Each resource configuration contains one or more configuration items that each defines and/or expresses one or more business rules for managing a resource associated with the resource configuration.
US08131765B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for storage write caching. A storage address translation table is used to overlay a user image and a common image. A storage driver stack module receives a storage access call and generates a storage access request with a requested file path and a requested storage address. A storage mapper module receives the storage access request, accesses the storage address translation table, and looks up a matching entry in the storage address translation table where the requested file path matches a saved file path and the requested storage address matches a saved common storage address, and maps a saved user storage address from the matching entry if a match exists.
US08131764B2
An internet and/or intranet based database search system and method for conducting searches of highly confidential records such as individual patient medical records and to automate the process of securing required approvals to make such records available to a properly authorized and authenticated requesting party. The system's central premise is that the patient has a fundamental right to the confidentiality of their personal medical records and should control that right through specific, informed consent each time that a party requests to receive them. It reinforces the widely held conception of privacy in general as well as of the sanctity of the doctor/patient relationship by granting the doctor the right, subject to the patient's express permission, to initiate a search request. At the same time, it provides an expedited and cost-efficient means for transfer of such records as demanded by many healthcare reform proposals and gives the repositories where these records are held the right to stipulate the specific terms and conditions that must be fulfilled before they will release documents entrusted to their care, thereby substantially reducing the risk of litigation alleging breaches of patient confidentiality. And it carries out all of these legitimate interests in a way that is fast, simple to use and easy to audit. The system optionally includes a billing mechanism to pay for any added cost associated with providing this additional protection; and in its preferred embodiment, is applicable to both digital as well as non-digital records.
US08131762B2
A system is provided to facilitate tag-based organization of documents. During operation, the system receives an original user query. The system extends the query to include documents with an IN-tag and exclude documents with an OUT-tag. The system then performs a search based on the extended query to indicate a collection of documents which satisfy the extended query. The system further allows a user to add a document to the collection of documents or remove a document from the collection of documents. Next, the system modifies a tagging property of the document.
US08131756B2
The disclosed invention includes an apparatus, system and method for developing tools to explore, organize, structure, extract, and mine natural language text. The system contains three sub-systems: a run-time engine, a development environment, and a feedback system. The invention also includes a system and method for improving the quality of information extraction applications consisting of an ensemble of per-user, adaptive, on-line machine-learning classifiers that adapt to document content and judgments of users by continuously incorporating feedback from information extraction results and corrections that users apply to these results. At least one of the machine-learning classifier also provides explanations or justifications for classification decisions in the form of rules; other machine-learning classifiers may provide feedback in the form of supporting instances or patterns.
US08131755B2
A computer implemented method for accessing information from a set of searchable information sources includes analyzing a search query to determine subject matter of the query. A subset of information sources is selected from the set of information sources based upon the subject matter of the query. Analyzing utilizes at least two different criteria for deriving the subject matter of the query. One criteria includes comparing the search query against a set of entity lists. Another criteria includes comparing the search query against a knowledge-base.
US08131752B2
A system receives a document including a plurality of items. The system then breaks the document into a plurality of subdocuments corresponding to the plurality of items and indexes the plurality of subdocuments.
US08131749B2
A flexible database schema allows changes to the types of digital media objects, metadata types, and/or metadata relationships without corrupting the database, breaking applications functionality, or requiring the database reconstruction. A database schema stores all objects in a single table. The objects table contains common fields and generic metadata fields. The generic metadata fields reference metadata objects associated with a digital media object. Each type of digital media object can map its generic metadata fields to a different metadata hierarchy. A data access API provides a set of digital media object and metadata mappings to enable applications to insert and retrieve information from the database. The data access API can be updated as needed to account for changes in the metadata hierarchies of one or more types of digital media objects. The database schema can be used to store metadata for digital media objects or other types of data objects.
US08131747B2
An apparatus, device, methods, computer program product, and system are described that determine a search parameter in association with an operation of an instance of an application, determine a search result based on the search parameter, in association with a use restriction associated with the search result, and provide the search result in association with the instance of the application and in association with the use restriction.
US08131741B2
A directed set can be used to establish contexts for linguistic concepts: for example, to aid in answering a question, to refine a query, or even to determine what questions can be answered given certain knowledge. A directed set includes a plurality of elements and chains relating the concepts. One concept is identified as a maximal element. The chains connect the maximal element to each concept in the directed set, and more than one chain can connect the maximal element to any individual concept either directly or through one or more intermediate concepts. A subset of the chains is selected to form a basis for the directed set. Each concept in the directed set is measured to determine how concretely each chain in the basis represents it. These measurements for a single concept form a vector in Euclidean k-space. Distances between these vectors can be used to determine how closely related pairs of concepts are in the directed set.
US08131738B2
A secure search method of securing searches by a user through a hash provider using a search engine. The user registers with the hash provider. The hash provider sends a unique number, encrypted result database, and hashed index to the search engine. The user enters in at least one search term to be searched. The user hashes the search term and sends the search term to the search engine with the unique number. The search engine searches and selects the hashed index and encrypted result database based on the unique number. The encrypted result data set taken from the encrypted result database is sent to user. The user decrypts the result set.
US08131734B2
Methods and systems enhance a user's experience when working with documents and images. Such methods and systems, provide pictures, graphics, images, etc. related to words, phrases, sentences, etc. when a pointing device is hovered over the word or phrase to help the user to understand and remember the words, phrases, sentences, etc. being read, and/or increase the enjoyment of the user.
US08131725B2
Systems and methods for managing electronic data are disclosed. Various data management operations can be performed based on a metabase formed from metadata. Such metadata can be identified from an index of data interactions generated by a journaling module, and obtained from their associated data objects stored in one or more storage devices. In various embodiments, such processing of the index and storing of the metadata can facilitate, for example, enhanced data management operations, enhanced data identification operations, enhanced storage operations, data classification for organizing and storing the metadata, cataloging of metadata for the stored metadata, and/or user interfaces for managing data. In various embodiments, the metabase can be configured in different ways. For example, the metabase can be stored separately from the data objects so as to allow obtaining of information about the data objects without accessing the data objects or a data structure used by a file system.
US08131723B2
A data management system (DMS) includes a continuous real-time object store that captures all real-time activities, with associated object metadata information. The DMS is capable of reintroducing any point-in-time view of data ranging from a granular object to an entire file system. A set of algorithms (for creation of a file or directory, modification of a file or directory, deletion of a file or directory, and relocation/renaming of a file or directory) are used to generate and maintain a file system history in the DMS and to ensure that a latest version of a directory always refers to a latest version of its children until the directory changed. Any point-in-time recovery is implemented using the file system history in one of various ways to provide strong individual file integrity, exact point-in-time crash consistency, and/or recovery of last version of all files in the file system.
US08131713B2
The present invention provides techniques for managing information on a multi-tenant database system. In one embodiment a method comprises storing the information on the database among a plurality of tables. The plurality of tables is arranged in columns and rows. Each of a subset of the plurality of tables has sets of the rows distributed amongst different storage nodes on the database. A first of the sets is located at a first node, and a second of the sets is located a second node. Data storage and retrieval capabilities are provided to the database, including access to the information, in response to requests from one of a plurality of remotely disposed computer systems. Also disclosed is a machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for managing computer applications when executed by one or more processors and cause the one or more processors to carry out steps of the method. A data center for managing information on a multi-tenant database is also disclosed that carries-out the functions of the method.
US08131695B2
In an image processing apparatus connected to an external apparatus through a network, a user interface is displayed in a display device on documents. A user's instruction is received in the user interface to operate a document stored in the external apparatus and/or in the image processing apparatus. An operation history of documents stored in the external apparatus is obtained. Then; data on the documents displayed in the user interface is controlled based on the obtained operation history.
US08131682B2
Data is migrated from a first CAS (contents addressed storage) system to a second CAS system. When the migration process is started, the second CAS system retrieves a list of the objects stored on the first CAS system. The second CAS system, based on the list, retrieves each object from the first CAS system, calculates an object ID for each object, and stores each object and the calculated object ID into the storage devices in the second CAS system. Methods for reducing downtime during the migration process are also disclosed.
US08131667B1
A system and method for generating synthetic clients is provided. A synthetic client program, executing on one or more clients of a storage system environment, is invoked by a user. The synthetic client program simulates a plurality of physical clients (synthetic clients), each of which performs one or more operations directed to a storage system. A user may monitor the storage system under load for testing and/or diagnostic purposes.
US08131665B1
An improved information retrieval system. In response to detecting that the user has interacted with a display element in a first web page within a web browser window, retrieving information from a second web page before the user requests that the second web page be displayed within the web browser window. Other enhanced information retrieval techniques.
US08131656B2
Methods and systems for optimizing a solution set. A solution set is generated, and solutions in the solution set are evaluated. Desirable solutions from the solution set are selected. A structural model is created using the desirable solutions, and a surrogate fitness model is created based on the structural model and the desirable solutions. A new solution set may be generated and/or evaluated, based on analyzing at least one of the structural model and the surrogate fitness model, and determining a method for generating a new solution set and/or evaluating the new solution set based at least in part on the analyzing.
US08131654B2
Systems and methods for dimensionally rating mail pieces including cards, letters, flats, mailers, packages and parcels using a pointing device such as a digital pen are described. In one illustrative configuration the system includes a digital pen, a three dimensional digital pen pattern device, a computer and a printer for printing evidence of postage payment. A mail piece such as a small parcel is placed on the opened three dimensional digital pen pattern device. The user may select a digital pen pattern command box or may otherwise engage or be prompted to begin measurements. For a rectangular parcel, the user selects a bottom right and then a top left measurement point. The system then calculates the dimensions of the parcel, dimensionally rates it and then accounts for and prints a corresponding postage indicium.
US08131649B2
Dynamic assignment of rights to content, such as in a closed distribution system. Noting state information generated by an item of current content, and modifying state or rights of new content in response. Pre-loading or dynamically sending new content to the owner of the current content, with rights being enabled only at a later time, in the playback device, with predetermined conditions. In response to current state information, dynamically sending a license for new content from a server. Conditional or dynamic licenses to new content, including a set of rights associated with a class of possible sets of state information. Assignment of limited rights to a content, with support in a secure player to enforce them; for purposes of rental, bonus content, trials and other business models.
US08131638B2
A method of assessing operational risk includes defining a participant set. The participant set includes a plurality of members. The method also includes identifying a set of initial risk sources, assigning risk certificates for each of the initial risk sources to each of the plurality of members of the set of participants, and trading the risk certificates among the plurality of members of the set of participants to establish market prices that correspond to a level of risk associated with each of the initial risk sources.
US08131636B1
Embodiments of the present invention include a computer-implemented method of performing a financial transaction on a network comprising storing a plurality of risk factors and associated severities in a web-enabled remote policy database, the severities defining actions taken when a specific risk factor is detected, storing a plurality of hold override policies that associate a deposit type with a hold type in the policy database, receiving deposit data including an image of a deposit check, applying the plurality of risk factors to the deposit data, and applying the plurality of hold override policies to the deposit data.
US08131632B2
An exchange-traded fund (ETF) has a multi-basket structure that allows shares of the ETF to be created using a different basket of assets than the basket of assets required to redeem shares of the ETF. A method for administering a multi-basket ETF comprises providing shares of the ETF to investors in exchange for assets defined in a published creation basket, providing assets defined in a published redemption basket to investors in exchange for shares of the ETF, and publishing a holdings basket that represents the assets held in the ETF. The multi-basket ETF can be used to implement an ETF holding assets that have a relatively low liquidity and/or accessibility. The multi-basket structure also enables financial strategies such as to minimize transaction costs, increase tax efficiency, access less liquid or less accessible markets or securities, and meet regulatory requirements and ETF investment objectives.
US08131625B2
A method for providing a customizable trading display of market instrument data includes selecting a subset from a plurality of quadrants, each quadrant associated with one benchmark instrument and at least one non-benchmark instrument, each non-benchmark instrument associated with the benchmark instrument. Market data is automatically retrieved for the instruments associated with each selected quadrant. The customizable trading display is then generated with the display comprising the subset of quadrants and each quadrant including the associated market data.
US08131623B2
The present invention relates to systems and methods for administering combination annuity products and to combination annuity products themselves. Certain embodiments of the invention can be used in connection with variable universal life insurance and variable life insurance contracts.
US08131616B2
A method for controlling access to a system of finite resources with excess demand employs a two stage admission process. Subscribers are first admitted based on an initial bid price and resource availability. The market price is determined by the highest bid price among the rejected arrivals in the current batch. Admitted subscribers are then given the option to secure continued access to the resource by accepting a fee-based reservation. The fee for the reservation is determined in a manner which is fair to the reserving subscriber, as well as all other subscribers, in that the reservation fee is priced to provide access at a cost which prevents arbitraging opportunities. If the current market price exceeds a non-reserved subscriber's bid price, that non-reserved subscriber is displaced. If the current market price exceeds a reserved subscriber's bid price, that reserved subscriber's reservation is activated and access to the resource continues. In the case of a communications system having a finite number of access lines, the reservation fee is based on the bid price from the subscriber and the duration of the requested reservation.
US08131607B2
The present invention relates to a system and method of planning and managing real-time postal delivery work that formulates a delivery plan according to a delivery workload in real time, provides information about the delivery plan, and provides and manages information about collection work of returned and confirmed mail items.
US08131605B2
A component registration system for a machine is disclosed. The component registration system has a component located on the machine, a data system remote from the machine, and a controller in communication with the component and the data system. The controller is configured to automatically collect information from the component upon installation of the component onto the machine and automatically send the information to the data system to initiate a registration process.
US08131599B2
Methods of allowing a customer to access information related to an order of a commodity include entering the information into a central database, updating a content of a web-based application with the information within the central database, and allowing the customer to access the information via the web-based application. The information may include sales information, shipping information, tracing information, packout information, inventory information, and/or inspection information corresponding to the order of the commodity. Systems for allowing a customer to access information related to an order of a commodity include a server configured to store the information in a central database, one or more terminals having one or more applications configured to enter the information into the central database, and a web-based application configured to allow the customer to access the information within the central database. The information may include sales information, shipping information, tracing information, packout information, inventory information, and/or inspection information corresponding to the order of the commodity.
US08131598B2
A system and method for selecting freight forwarding companies are provided wherein bids for shipping lanes and the like are received well in advance of a freight move. Bids are submitted on shipping lanes and other move associated transactions by pre-approved freight forwarding companies. This information is stored in a database. Selection of the freight forwarding company or companies occurs in connection with evaluating the bid information submitted and historical data stored on the database.
US08131596B2
In a first embodiment, a location-aware payment system including: a smart device, the smart device including: a location sensing mechanism for detecting its location; an identification mechanism for identifying the smart device; and a wireless communication mechanism; a display device having at least one of an indicator light, a printed receipt, and a digital read out; and a server, the server including: a wireless communication mechanism communicating with the smart device and display device; and a software program loaded into the server that receives and sends out communications, calculates amounts due between a payor and a payee, issues authorization codes, and performs banking transactions between a payor and a payee. In a second embodiment, the invention is a location-aware payment system including: at least two smart devices, the smart devices including: a location sensing mechanism for detecting its location; an identification mechanism for identifying the smart device; and a wireless communication mechanism; and a server, the server including: a wireless communication mechanism communicating with the smart devices; and a software program loaded into the server that receives and sends out communications, calculates amounts due between a payor and a payee, issues authorization codes, and performs banking transactions between a payor and a payee.
US08131589B2
A method of tiered promotion and distribution of a product comprises hosting a transactional applet accessible via the Internet; accessing the host to execute the applet for a first fan; enabling the first fan to process a voucher for the product; and enabling the first fan to propagate the applet to a terminal of a second fan wherein the propagated applet (i) renders content associated with the first fan and the product, (ii) accepts an input from the second fan to process a subsequent transaction relative to the product; (iii) credits the first fan with a credit, and (iv) generates a transactional record for delivery to the first fan. The generated record may include a notation of account credit, evidence of an entry ticket, or other information. The applet may be propagated to third or subsequent fans to provide further credits for the first, second, or subsequent fans.
US08131586B2
A personalized consumer to business matchmaking apparatus and its related method correlate and quantify a personalized match between a business offering products or services to a searching consumer looking for the reviewed products or services. In one embodiment of the invention, the personalized consumer to business matchmaking is based on requirements, traits, and profiles of the business, the searching consumer, and business evaluators who have reviewed the business. Whereas conventional consumer reviews such as star-ratings merely give an average rating based on inputs from the business evaluators, the personalized consumer to business matchmaking apparatus and its related method generate a personalized match score based on individual traits, requirements, and profiles of the business, the searching consumer, and the business evaluators.
US08131585B2
A telecommunication system implements a method for providing a targeted on-line advertisement to a user accessing a content provider node of the system. The system further comprises an ad selection node and an user identification node. A user signal indicative of an information request is routed through the system to determine a geographic location of the user and/or a demographic profile of the geographic location. An advertiser corresponding to the geographic location and/or demographic profile is thereafter communicated to the user.
US08131584B2
A gateway balancing module for balancing shipments of a plurality of containers between a plurality of associated gateways includes a determine demand subcomponent, a calculate containers subcomponent, a determine capacity subcomponent, and a generate balance recommendations subcomponent. The determine capacity subcomponent is adapted to determine available de-consolidation capacity for each of the plurality of associated gateways. The generate balance recommendations subcomponent is adapted to provide a user with a gateway balancing recommendation based upon a comparison of the handicapped gateway demand and the de-consolidation capacities of each of the plurality of associated gateways.
US08131583B1
A method and tools are disclosed for systematically capturing the key elements of a business process in conjunction with the definition/development of focused key process indicators and threshold values that provide useful and manageable information about the health of the business process from both the managerial and operational perspective. A service blueprint is used to capture business processes in a novel and specialized manner. The service blueprint and associated Key Process Indicators (KPIs) are dynamic updated and linked within a business monitoring & control platform. The method of the present invention is flexible, dynamic, and allows for real-time measures that yield a picture of the present health of the process in addition to the capability of generating predictive vital signs as strong indicators of the future health of the business.
US08131582B2
An apparatus and method for forecasting aircraft fleet composition, aircraft retirements and fleet spares requirements, includes obtaining aircraft fleet data, obtaining data on independent variables, determining a cycle indicator, determining the operation type of the aircraft, estimating the model using certain estimation steps using the aircraft fleet data, examining and updating the model based on changes in the independent variables, and forecasting on a year-to-year basis by age and operation cohort.
US08131577B2
A computer implemented method of and system for capturing, storing and organizing quality feedback information associated with products sold by a retail enterprise. The quality feedback information is stored and organized within a relational database in accordance with a logical data model comprising a plurality of entities and relationships defining the manner in which quality feedback information is stored and organized within the relational database. The relational database, populated with quality feedback information, provides the retail enterprise with the means to analyze and improve retail operations, to better manage store inventory, and more efficiently manage product sales and returns.
US08131575B2
An improved processing system for tracking commerce on the Internet provides for subvariable processing and includes web page scanning to discern fraud or improper content to insure proper promotion of select products within the network environment.
US08131573B1
A method to facilitate the transport of shipments via hub based facilities according to a scheduled and uniquely identifiable transport accommodation by (a) acknowledging a customer request to transport at least one shipment between two uniquely identifiable and geographically disparate origination and destination locations; (b) determining a routing sequence and at least one scheduled and uniquely identifiable transport accommodation satisfying the customer's request; (c) booking transport space for the shipment aboard the determined transport accommodation; (d) printing or otherwise displaying a shipment tag which denotes shipment routing information and bar coded information recognized by two distinguishably purposed and automated tracking systems; (e) attaching or otherwise affixing the shipment tag generated in step (d) to a shipment to be transported according to the routing sequence and transport accommodation determined in step (b); (f) stowing the shipment of step (e) aboard a first transport accommodation consistent with shipment routing information generated in step (d); (g) monitoring and recording the transport of the shipment stowed in step (f) as it is transported between uniquely identifiable and geographically disparate origination and destination locations; and (h) advising a customer of the shipments arrival in a final destination location.
US08131572B2
The present disclosure provides a method of electronically exchanging tickets for an event in a secondary market from ticket sellers to ticket buyers located at remote terminals. The method comprises associating the tickets with the authentication data of the ticket seller, receiving from ticket sellers electronic asks comprising an ask quantity and an ask price, receiving from a ticket buyer an electronic bid comprising a bid quantity and a bid price, comparing the bid to the asks, completing a transfer of the tickets when the bid price equals the ask price and the ask quantity is equal to or greater than the bid quantity, and reassociating the tickets with authentication data of the ticket buyer. Also disclosed is a system for performing the method.
US08131571B2
In computer-implemented methods and systems for estimating financial modeling outcomes, financial data segmented into a number (x) of classes and scenario data for a set of model scenarios are processed to obtain an estimated model outcome distribution. The class segments are mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive of the financial data. Multiple model tests are performed with samples of the financial data until a cumulative model outcome distribution is within a pre-determined acceptable tolerance limit from a distribution of fully assessed model outcomes obtainable by performing a single test of the scenarios using all of the financial data. The number (x) of classes, the sample size (z), and a number (y) of times that the tests are performed ensure that the cumulative model outcome distribution is within the pre-determined acceptable tolerance limit from the distribution of fully assessed model outcomes.
US08131568B2
A method, information processing system, and computer readable storage medium operate an insurance program to insure a performance bonus of an insured person against an insured event. A set of percentage bonus information is received. The set of performance bonus information indicates a percentage of an annual salary that is received by the insured person as a performance bonus in a predetermined prior period. In addition, a set of health program status information is received and associated with the insured person. At least the set of percentage bonus information and the set of health program status information are used to determine a portion or more of an annual salary of the insured person payable as an insured performance bonus in the event of the insured event.
US08131565B2
A system according to the present invention includes a processor, a device interface, a data relay interface, and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive, using the device interface, data from a medical device. The memory further stores instructions to cause the processor to transmit a message including at least a portion of the received data, using the data relay transceiver, to a provided medical data server and to receive a command, using the data relay interface, from the medical data server.
US08131563B2
A system and method for generating and/or updating a personal/individual health record. Inputs of data to the system may come from diverse sources including, but not limited to, patient questionnaires, insurance company (or other payor) claims data, hospitals, clinics and other institutional providers, and individual physicians and physicians' offices.
US08131559B2
The invention concerns accepting documents for publication. In particular, but not limited to, the invention concerns the publication of research related papers, such as publishing academic manuscripts on the Internet. The invention also concerns determining an indication of the quality of a document. Using the invention documents are accepted or rejected for publication, and/or an indication of the quality of a document is determined based on market forces associated with the selling of shares in the document. The participants all trade in the virtual market place with the aim of increasing the number of tokens that they own which reflects their reputation as an assessor of documents. This affects the value of shares in documents by increasing the value of documents of a higher quality. Aspects of the invention includes methods, a computer system and software applications used to perform the methods.
US08131557B2
A system is disclosed for facilitating speech recognition and transcription among users employing incompatible protocols for generating, transcribing, and exchanging speech. The system includes a system transaction manager that receives a speech information request from at least one of the users. The speech information request includes formatted spoken text generated using a first protocol. The system also includes a speech recognition and transcription engine, which communicates with the system transaction manager. The speech recognition and transcription engine receives the speech information request from the system transaction manager and generates a transcribed response, which includes a formatted transcription of the formatted speech. The system transmits the response to the system transaction manager, which routes the response to one or more of the users. The latter users employ a second protocol to handle the response, which may be the same as or different than the first protocol. The system transaction manager utilizes a uniform system protocol for handling the speech information request and the response.
US08131550B2
An apparatus for providing improved voice conversion includes a sub-feature generator and a transformation element. The sub-feature generator may be configured to define sub-feature units with respect to a feature of source speech. The transformation element may be configured to perform voice conversion of the source speech to target speech based on the conversion of the sub-feature units to corresponding target speech sub-feature units using a conversion model trained with respect to converting training source speech sub-feature units to training target speech sub-feature units.
US08131549B2
A personality-based theme may be provided to a device. An application program may query a personality resource file for a prompt corresponding to a personality. Then the prompt may be received at a text to speech synthesis engine. Next, the speech synthesis engine may query a personality voice font and recorded phrases database for a voice font corresponding to the personality and may alter the prompt text to conform with the grammatical style of the personality. Then the speech synthesis engine may apply the voice font to the prompt, which is then produced at an output device.
US08131543B1
The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method that includes receiving an audio signal, determining an energy-independent component of a portion of the audio signal associated with a spectral shape of the portion, and determining an energy-dependent component of the portion associated with a gain level of the portion. The method also comprises comparing the energy-independent and energy-dependent components to a speech model, comparing the energy-independent and energy-dependent components to a noise model, and outputting an indication whether the portion of the audio signal more closely corresponds to the speech model or to the noise model based on the comparisons.
US08131541B2
A two microphone noise reduction system is described. In an embodiment, input signals from each of the microphones are divided into subbands and each subband is then filtered independently to separate noise and desired signals and to suppress non-stationary and stationary noise. Filtering methods used include adaptive decorrelation filtering. A post-processing module using adaptive noise cancellation like filtering algorithms may be used to further suppress stationary and non-stationary noise in the output signals from the adaptive decorrelation filtering and a single microphone noise reduction algorithm may be used to further provide optimal stationary noise reduction performance of the system.
US08131539B2
The present invention discloses a search-based segmentation method and device for a language without a word boundary tag. The inventive method includes the steps of: a. providing at least one search engine with a segment of a text including at least one segment; b. searching for the segment through the at least one search engine, and returning search results; and c. selecting a word segmentation approach for the segment in accordance with at least part of the returned search results. The invention solves the problems of word segmentation for a language without a word boundary tag, and thus combat the limitations of the prior art in terms of flexibility, dependence upon coverage of dictionaries, available training data corpuses, processing of a new word, etc.
US08131535B2
In emulation of a target system on a host system one or more blocks of target system code may be translated with the host system to produce one or more corresponding blocks of translated code. Translating the target system code may include linking two or more blocks of translated code together to form a chain such that a look-up in a first translated block in the chain will directly branch to a second translated block. The target system code may be analyzed for the presence of one or more native target system instructions indicating modification of the target system code during execution. If such native target system instructions are present some or all of the blocks of translated code may be marked potentially invalid. The one or more blocks marked as potentially invalid may be re-translated and one or more instructions in the blocks of translated code may be overridden without undoing the chain.
US08131533B2
Techniques are described for automatically generating a reporting model based on a relational database storing multidimensional data in accordance with a relational database schema. A model generator may, for example, produce a base reporting model from the database schema, and subsequently generate a user reporting model by importing the base reporting model. The model generator updates the user reporting model in response to modifications requested by a user, and maintains an activity log to record the modifications. The model generator regenerates the base reporting model and the user reporting model in the event the database schema changes, and reapplies the modifications from the activity log to the user reporting model to automatically update the user reporting model. The database schema may be a relational star schema as described herein.
US08131524B2
An interface is provided by creating prompts for the interface. The prompts represent tasks to be accomplished by a user and are obtained based on user input. The prompts are grouped according to relationships, obtained from the user input, among the tasks. The interface is updated based on user feedback. Each of the prompts is designated using user terminology obtained from the user input.
US08131522B2
A method for determining resistivity distribution of formations below a bottom of a body of water from transient electromagnetic signals acquired by imparting a transient electromagnetic field into the water and detecting an electromagnetic response thereto at a plurality of spaced apart positions from a place of the imparting includes simulating an air wave response at each of the plurality of spaced apart positions. The simulated air wave response is subtracted from the detected response to produce a subsurface impulse response at each of the plurality of positions. The subsurface impulse responses are used to determine the resistivity distribution.
US08131517B2
A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to update a slope of a run in a system in a computer drawing application. A system run (i.e., an interconnected series of objects) is selected in a computer drawing application. The objects in the interconnected series are part of the same system and the series has a starting point and an ending point. A property for a slope of the system run is specified. The slope of the system run is updated across all of the interconnected series of objects based on the specified property.
US08131514B2
A technique is provided for transmitting a roof structure for constructing a three-dimensional representation of a building, via a communication network. The technique is based on the transmission of an ordered list of at least two roof models, each including at least: one type of roof; one maximum height parameter of the roof. During construction of the three-dimensional representation of a building, the maximum height parameter of a roof of the list determines a base of the roof in accordance with the list, so that the roof structure corresponds to the ordered superimposition of the roods of the list.
US08131507B2
A sensor apparatus of the present invention is provided with a failure diagnosis circuit for setting as a failure diagnosis object section at least any one of a drive circuit section, a detection device, a detection circuit section and a processing circuit section, determining whether the failure diagnosis object section is normal or abnormal, and outputting a failure detection signal from a second output terminal in the case of determining abnormality. It is configured such that a signal of a value outside a range of a normal output voltage is outputted from the first output terminal in the case of the failure diagnosis circuit determining abnormality of the failure diagnosis object section, thereby to improve reliability under abnormal condition.
US08131495B2
A system includes a filter, a sensor, a processor, and a memory. The filter can be coupled to an engine exhaust and can operate in an accumulating mode during which particulate matter (PM) from the engine is trapped and also operate in a regenerating mode during which PM in the filter is emitted. The sensor is coupled to a discharge port of the filter and has an output to provide a sensor signal based on a concentration of PM in the filtered exhaust. The processor is coupled to receive the sensor signal and operable to determine at least one of a base level for the sensor signal during the accumulating mode and a regenerate level for the sensor signal during the regenerating mode, and operable to determine a calibration value for the sensor using at least one of the base level and the regenerate level. The memory stores the calibration value.
US08131492B2
A method of directly measuring hydrogen permeability of a film is provided. The method of evaluating a film includes acquiring, with respect to a specimen including a plurality of films stacked on each other, ion dose-dependence data of intensity of γ-beam generated by hydrogen resonant nuclear reaction, and fitting the data with a functional equation of the ion dose.
US08131489B2
A data analysis technique for a long data record in a memory uses a reference, either user-provided or calculated from the data in the long data record, as a representative event. Each event in the long data record is compared with the reference to determine whether there are significant deviations from the reference. Those events having significant deviations are identified as events of particular interest for a user. The reference may be either a waveform shape or a mean time interval between events. A tolerance value may be added to the waveform reference and varied for dynamic limit testing. Events that are outside the waveform reference as modified by the tolerance value are identified as outliers and may be reduced to iconic images for display simultaneously with the long data record and a selected one of the outliers.
US08131477B2
A device and method for determining a concentration of a biological target including capturing an image of a ticket that contains the biological target; extracting a region of interest from the captured image; detecting a target from the extracted region of interest; computing intensity of the target in the region of interest; and determining the concentration of the biological target according to the computed intensity.
US08131461B2
Navigation methods and systems are provided. First, an electronic device generates a route planning result according to at least a destination, and performs a navigation process according to the route planning result. It is determined whether at least one navigation condition has occurred. When the navigation condition has occurred, a position schematic diagram is displayed, wherein the position schematic diagram comprises the destination and a current position of the electronic device.
US08131459B2
The invention relates to a method for distinguishing between LOCATION REPORT messages to avoid ambiguities. Therefore, a value of an information element of request type is returned by a radio network controller, depending on an intended receiver of the location information. A control node receiving the information element value analyses said value and determines the receiver depending on the result of said analysis.
US08131457B2
A navigation terminal device includes a map information display unit 771, a destination display unit 773, a route line drawing unit 774 for holding retrieved location information or destination information or both of them and drawing a route from a reference point based on the retrieved information or destination information to the destination or the retrieved location information so as to be superimposed on the screen with the map information displayed thereon, and route searching unit 775 for exchanging the display between the reference point and the destination if the reference point disappears from the screen when the destination is displayed, thereby permitting to follow the route from the displayed reference point to the destination or from the destination to the reference point. In this configuration, the operability of a terminal device having a small capacity of screen can be improved and the burden for the user can be relaxed.
US08131455B2
The engine control apparatus includes a computing section which performs computation for engine control in synchronization with rotation of an engine, and an A/D converter which A/D-converts an analog signal necessary for the computing section to perform the computation, the analog signal being outputted from an external device such as a knock sensor. The computing section and the A/D converter are configured to enable detection of garble in the data transmitted from the A/D converter to the computing section on the side of the computing section without affecting the operation of the A/D converter.
US08131454B2
A method is described for starting an internal combustion engine having an E-machine coupled to it in a motor vehicle, after the input of a certain torque command at a drive control of the internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine being accelerated for the start by the E-machine, and the internal combustion engine being set by the drive control, via actuators, to specified characteristics values for the start. To reduce exhaust gas emissions at the start of the internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine is accelerated by the E-machine, without the injection of fuel, until the engine torque that is able to be implemented by the internal combustion engine, essentially corresponds to the torque command, and the injection of fuel into the internal combustion engine is only then released.
US08131409B2
A system and method for gyroless transfer orbit sun acquisition using only wing current measurement feedback is disclosed. With this system and method, a spacecraft is able to maneuver itself to orient its solar panel to its maximum solar exposure spinning attitude. The disclosed system and method involve controlling a spacecraft maneuver using only the solar wing current feedback as the sole closed-loop feedback sensor for attitude control. A spin controller is used for controlling the spacecraft spin axis orientation and spin rate. The spin controller commands the spacecraft spin axis orientation to align with an inertial fixed-direction and to rotate at a specified spin rate by using a momentum vector. In addition, a method for estimating spacecraft body angular rate and spacecraft attitude is disclosed. This method uses a combination of solar array current and spacecraft momentum as the cost function with solar wing current feedback as the only closed-loop feedback sensor.
US08131395B2
A method of placing a 90 degree ply on a separate 0 degree material includes providing 90 degree ply from a 90 degree ply material source; moving the 90 degree ply in a 90 degree ply carrier to a position over the 0 degree material; removing the 90 degree ply carrier from the 0 degree material and simultaneously pushing the 90 degree ply off of the 90 degree ply carrier and onto the 0 degree material; and severing the 90 degree ply from the 90 degree ply material source so that the 90 degree ply remains on the 0 degree material.
US08131394B2
A method of and system for labeling containers of prescribed medicine is provided wherein a photograph of a patient is taken using a camera. The photograph is then stored on a computer as a computer software object. When a prescription is filled for the patient, the photograph is printed on the label along with prescription information and the label is attached to the container.
US08131388B2
The electronic controller fetches an external signal and performs an input process such as A-D conversion. Upon receipt of processing results for executing operations according to a predetermined program, an output process is performed for sending a signal to the outside board on operation results, a timer outputs at least two of an input process start signal for starting the input process, an output process start signal for starting the output process, and an operation start signal for starting the operation.
US08131384B2
A control system comprises an actuator, a control law and a processor. The actuator positions a control surface and the control law controls the actuator. The processor comprises an open loop module, a corrector, a comparator, and an estimator, and generates an output vector to direct the control law. The open loop module generates the output vector as a function of a state vector and an input vector. The corrector generates a corrector vector as a function of the output vector. The comparator generates an error vector by comparing the corrector vector to the input vector. The estimator generates the state vector as a function of the error vector, such that the error vector is minimized.
US08131380B2
Disclosed herein are probes for use in delivering electrical current therapy to a target tissue. In specifically exemplified embodiments, the probes comprise a base comprised of a degradable material so as to prevent the potentially dangerous reuse of the probes. Also disclosed is a surgical tool for use in rectal examination and surgical removal of hemorrhoid tissue. The tool includes an anoscope having a somewhat conical shape wherein the proximal end is larger in diameter than the distal end. The anoscope has a first slot near the proximal end and a second slot near the distal end. An obturator is included that also has a somewhat conical shape. The obturator is smaller in diameter than the anoscope so that it will easily fit within the anoscope. A cylindrical shaped light cover is included as well, which is adapted to engage the first slot of the anoscope. The light cover further includes a receptacle and a lens in its distal end which receives a light.
US08131376B1
The present invention is a non-destructive method of inspecting a bond, particularly a braze bond, in a hermetic package. The invention involves a unique hermetic package design adapted for ultrasonic inspection and a method of inspecting the package. This package and non-destructive inspection process are particularly useful in implantable neural stimulators such as visual prostheses.
US08131368B2
An implantable medical device includes a housing formed of a first material and a first electronic component provided within the housing. The implantable medical device also includes a second material provided in contact with at least a portion of the housing. At least one of the housing and the first electronic component has a magnetic permeability in a magnetic field that differs from the magnetic permeability of water. The second material is provided in an amount effective to reduce MRI image distortion caused by the implantable medical device.
US08131367B2
Power source longevity monitor for an implantable medical device. An energy counter counts the amount of energy used by the implantable medical device. An energy converter converts the energy used into an estimate of remaining power source longevity and generating an energy longevity estimate. A voltage monitor monitors the voltage of the power source. A voltage converter converts the voltage monitored by the voltage monitor into an estimate of remaining longevity of the power source and generating a voltage longevity estimate. A calculator is operatively coupled to the energy converter and to the voltage converter and predicts the power source longevity using the energy longevity estimate early in the useful life of the power source and using the voltage longevity estimate later in the useful life of the power source.
US08131366B2
In a biventricular heart stimulator and a method for controlling such a biventricular heart stimulator, successive stimulation pulses are delivered to the ventricles of a heart such that stimulation pulses in a single heartbeat cycle are respectively first delivered to the first ventricle and then to the second ventricle. Capture or loss of capture in response to stimulation pulses delivered to one ventricle is detected. As a result of a detected loss of capture, preventative measures are taken for preventing loss of capture in the other ventricle.
US08131365B2
A remaining charge capacity of a battery having an initial charge capacity is monitored. The battery powers a remote implantable medical device (IMD) that includes an active state, during which the remote IMD performs at least one function, and an inactive state, during which the remote IMD performs no functions. An active state charge consumption is computed based on stored parameters associated with an operational charge consumption for each function, and an inactive state charge consumption is computed based on a leakage current associated with the inactive state and a time the remote IMD is in the inactive state. The active state charge consumption and inactive state charge consumption are subtracted from the initial charge capacity to determine the remaining charge capacity.
US08131361B2
An intrinsic inter-atrial conduction delay is determined by a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator based, at least in part, on far-field atrial events sensed using ventricular pacing/sensing leads. An atrioventricular pacing delay is then set based on the inter-atrial conduction delay. By detecting atrial events using ventricular leads, rather than using atrial leads, a more useful measurement of the intrinsic inter-atrial conduction delay can be obtained. In this regard, since atrial electrodes detect atrial activity locally around the electrodes, a near-field atrial event sensed using an atrial electrode might not properly represent the actual timing of the atrial event across both the right and left atria. Far-field atrial events sensed using ventricular leads thus allow for a more useful measurement of inter-atrial conduction delays for use in setting atrioventricular pacing delays. The delivery of individual V-pulses to the heart of the patient may be timed relative to the ends of individual far-field atrial events.
US08131346B2
An apparatus for percutaneously implanting a localization wire into a tissue mass comprises a cannula with a preloaded localization wire. An actuator is provided to effect the relative movement of the cannula and localization wire such that a distal end of the localization wire is exposed to the tissue mass. A method for implanting a localization wire includes inserting a cannula with a preloaded localization wire into a tissue mass and relatively moving the cannula and localization wire to expose a portion of the localization wire to the tissue mass.
US08131345B2
A system and method are provided for displaying images of first and second image data in which geometry data is transferred from an ultrasound imaging detector to an image combination device in addition to first image data to reduce the need for calibration and registration.
US08131344B2
System for registering a first coordinate system with a second coordinate system, the system including a first medical positioning system for detecting a first position and orientation of the body of a patient, a second medical positioning system for detecting a second position and orientation of the body, and a registering module coupled with a medical intervention device and with the second medical positioning system, the first medical positioning system being associated with and coupled with an imager, the imager acquiring an image of the body, the registering module registering the first coordinate system with the second coordinate system, according to the first position and orientation and the second position and orientation.
US08131337B2
Disclosed is a method for monitoring early treatment response of a cancer treatment comprising measuring by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), for example, proton MRS, the amount of Choline present in the endomembranes of the cancerous tissue before and after treatment; the treatment comprises administration of a cytotoxic therapy, whereby a decrease in the amount of Choline after treatment is indicative of a positive response. The decrease in the amount of Choline represents the decrease in the internal cell membrane as a result of down regulation of the organelles and their secretory granules and their transport vesicles. Disclosed also is a method for determining effectiveness of a cytotoxic treatment of cancer. In addition, a method for monitoring protein translation related to the cytotoxic treatment of cancer is disclosed.
US08131326B2
A system and method in which the position update rate is adaptively modified, based on previous position measurements. By adjusting the update rate based on velocity predictions from two or more position fixes, a lower update rate may be used without exceeding the maximum error. Lowering the update rate reduces power consumption in the UE, providing longer battery operation. The updating method may comprise periodically repeating the velocity prediction and periodically adjusting the update rate responsive thereto. The update rate may be adjusted using additional information such as an acceleration prediction, a minimum update rate, or a preferred error. In some embodiments a model for user movement may be used to provide more accurate predictions, for example, stationary, walking, jogging, city driving, and freeway driving. The updating method may comprise receiving user input regarding the maximum position error.
US08131313B2
A method and terminal device are provided which effect the steps of receiving a message indicating that a user of another terminal device has pressed a talk button, the message including a geographical location of the other terminal device, or any information derived therefrom; and indicating the geographical location of the other terminal device to a user of the terminal device. A further method and terminal device are provided which effect the steps of: in response to a user of a terminal device pressing a talk button, writing information describing the geographical location of the terminal device, or any information derived therefrom, into a message; and sending the message to another terminal device or to a communications network.
US08131310B2
A method and apparatus for detecting loss of discontinuous reception synchronization, the method comprising the steps of: finding the shorter of a new discontinuous reception period and an old discontinuous reception period; and sending a message at a multiple of the shorter of the new discontinuous reception period and the old discontinuous reception period, wherein the message is utilized for detecting loss of discontinuous reception synchronization.
US08131309B2
A plurality of base transceiver stations and at least one extension device are connected, via an IP network that uses internet protocol. The extension device shares resources of the base transceiver stations by arbitrary changing a connection relationship between the base transceiver stations and the extension devices. When a mobile terminal communicates with a core network, the extension device uses the resources of at least one base transceiver stations according to fluctuation in the amount of traffic.
US08131306B2
Embodiments of a wireless access network and method for allocation time and frequency resources are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. In some embodiments, a base station allocates contiguous groups of data subcarriers of a downlink subframe to closed-loop user stations, and allocates the remaining data subcarriers of the downlink subframe to open-loop user stations to increase frequency diversity.
US08131304B2
A method of dynamically allocating RF communication channels to a wireless communication device (102). A plurality of dynamic spectrum allocation (DSA) channels (222, 224) can be identified. The DSA channels can be channels that are available to a non-incumbent user to be used for RF communications. Based on at least one required channel parameter, a DSA channel can be selected as a first channel to allocate to the wireless communication device. At least a second channel can be selected to allocate to the wireless communication device based on a spectral relationship between the first channel and the second channel to ensure that the first and second channels are separated by at least a minimum required frequency separation (216).
US08131301B1
What is disclosed is a method of operating a processing system to relocate wireless communication equipment. The method includes receiving customer data and performance data for wireless communication equipment located at a plurality of potential donor sites, and receiving geographic information for a target relocation site. The method also includes processing the customer data, the performance data, and the geographic information to determine a relocation score for each of the wireless communication equipment located at the plurality of potential donor sites, and selecting wireless communication equipment of at least one of the plurality of potential donor sites for relocation to the target relocation site based upon the relocation score.
US08131294B2
A method and apparatus for cell update while in a Cell_FACH state are disclosed. After selecting a target cell, system information is read from the target cell including high speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH) common system information. A radio network temporary identity (RNTI) received in a source cell is cleared and a variable HS_DSCH_RECEPTION is set to TRUE. An HS-DSCH medium access control (MAC-hs) entity is configured based on the HS-DSCH common system information. High speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) transmission is then received in the target cell. A CELL UPDATE message is sent to notify of a cell change. The HSDPA transmission may be received using a common H-RNTI broadcast in the system information, a reserved H-RNTI as requested in a CELL UPDATE message, or a temporary identity which is a subset of a U-RNTI. The MAC-hs entity may be reset.
US08131293B2
Communications of a mobile station with a satellite mobile communications system and a terrestrial mobile communications system are coordinated. The mobile station is registered with the terrestrial mobile communications system and, responsive to the registration of the mobile station with the terrestrial mobile communications system, the mobile station is concurrently registered with the satellite mobile communications system. The concurrent registration may include implicitly registering the mobile station with the satellite mobile communications system, e.g., by storing information identifying the mobile station may be stored in a location register of the satellite mobile communications system responsive to the registration of the mobile station with the terrestrial mobile communications system, and maintaining synchronization between the two registrations. Authentication tokens may be pre-generated for quick re-registration with a satellite mobile communications system.
US08131288B2
An apparatus and a method may be provided by which a user aboard an aircraft may use a processing device to communicate with another device, which is not located aboard the aircraft, via an air-to-ground network connection. A communication satellite may provide connectivity for the air-to-ground network connection. As the aircraft approaches an end of a satellite coverage area, the air-to-ground network connection may seamlessly transition to a second communication satellite or a second communication medium. Some communication satellites may communicate via a first frequency range and other communication satellites may communicate via a second frequency range. In one mode of operation, the air-to-ground network connection may be via a communication satellite communicating via a first frequency range. A transition to a communication medium communicating via a second frequency range may occur automatically only during the one mode of operation.
US08131281B1
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for surreptitiously installing, monitoring, and operating software on a remote computer controlled wireless communication device are described. One aspect includes a control system for communicating programming instructions and exchanging data with the remote computer controlled wireless communication device. The control system is configured to provide at least one element selected from the group consisting of: a computer implemented device controller; a module repository in electronic communication with the device controller; a control service in electronic communication with the device controller; an exfiltration data service in electronic communication with the device controller configured to receive, store, and manage data obtained surreptitiously from the remote computer controlled wireless communication device; a listen-only recording service in electronic communication with the device controller; and a WAP gateway in electronic communication with the remote computer controlled wireless communication device.
US08131278B2
An apparatus for application-based communications may include a processor. The processor may be configured to receive a message from a remote device at a receiving device. The message may have been generated based on application registration data associated with the receiving device. The processor may also be configured to execute an application based on content included in the message. Associated methods and computer program products may also be provided.
US08131263B2
Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to using wireless identification tags (e.g., RFID tags) with backup media. In aspects, a wireless identification tag may be attached to, incorporated into, or otherwise associated with backup media, a container holding the backup media, or a location (e.g., a shelf) associated with the backup media. In response to a signal, this wireless identification tag may provide an identifier that uniquely identifies the wireless identification tag. This identifier may be associated with a data set that is stored or to be stored on the backup media. The wireless identification tag may be used to locate the backup media and to identify what is on particular backup media. In some embodiments, the wireless identification tag may store backup information thereon that may be subsequently retrieved and used identify what is on its associated backup media.
US08131258B2
Systems and methods are provided to facilitate on-site processing of transaction requests. In one aspect, a system includes a data storage facility to store an account identifier of a user and a phone number of the user and an interchange coupled with the data storage facility. The interchange includes a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of different controllers of mobile communications. The converters are configured to communicate with the controllers in different formats and to communicate with the common format processor in a common format to transmit a message to a telephone at the telephone number of the user to prompt the user to confirm a request and to receive a confirmation of the request via the telephone. The request is received via a user interface embedded in a web page of a first website without reloading or refreshing the web page.
US08131245B2
A mixer for downconversion of RF signals includes at least one RF transistor (305); at least one switching pair (303) connected to the drain current (301) of the at least one RF transistor (305); and a common mode sensing component (300) configured to detect deviations in the common mode output of the switching pair (303) from a specified output; wherein the deviations modify the current of the at least one switching pair (303).
US08131243B2
In a receiving circuit 44 for receiving an electromagnetic wave signal, a frequency converter/detector circuit 100 comprises a local oscillator 131 for generating an oscillation signal, plural mixers 133, 134 for mixing the received electromagnetic wave signal with the oscillation signal to generate intermediate frequency signals having different phases, and a signal generating/synthesizing circuit 140 for generating based on the intermediate frequency signals generated by the mixers other intermediate frequency signals which are different in phase from the original intermediate frequency signals, for detecting the intermediate frequency signals and other intermediate frequency signal, and for adding the detected signals together to generate a synthesized signal.
US08131238B2
A method of detecting a carrier signal includes generating a first signal that represents a strength of a received signal. A variable threshold signal is generated based on the first signal. A fixed threshold signal is generated. The method includes detecting whether a carrier signal is present in the received signal based on a comparison of the first signal with a sum of the variable threshold signal and the fixed threshold signal.
US08131234B2
A broad power band transmitter utilizing a duty cycle modulator achieves 80dB of power range for 3G signals. The present invention greatly improves the efficiency of transmitters used in mobile phones, for example, by using the duty cycle modulator during medium and low power levels of the transmitting power amplifier. The power amplifier operates in three different modes based upon the amplifier power level selected. The power amplifier operates in an EER mode during high power levels, in a DCM ERR mode during medium power levels, and in a DCM mode during low power levels.
US08131225B2
A radio frequency (RF) switch located on a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate includes at least one electrically biased region in a bottom semiconductor layer. The RF switch receives an RF signal from a power amplifier and transmits the RF signal to an antenna. The electrically biased region may be biased to eliminate or reduce accumulation region, to stabilize a depletion region, and/or to prevent formation of an inversion region in the bottom semiconductor layer, thereby reducing parasitic coupling and harmonic generation due to the RF signal. A voltage divider circuit and a rectifier circuit generate at least one bias voltage of which the magnitude varies with the magnitude of the RF signal. The at least one bias voltage is applied to the at least one electrically biased region to maintain proper biasing of the bottom semiconductor layer to minimize parasitic coupling, signal loss, and harmonic generation.
US08131216B2
Format converters and methods of performing data format conversion are provided. The format converters may convert compressed data into a different compressed format that is compatible with the Bluetooth transmission standard. The format converter may decompose the compressed data into frequency domain data streams of different frequency sub-bands. The format converter may transform each data stream of frequency domain information from a first encoding scheme to a second encoding scheme, and may then quantize the transformed data steams based on bit allocation information for each sub-band. The format converters may also include a bit allocation component which computes the bit allocation information for each sub-band based on an unfiltered version of the compressed data.
US08131213B2
The present invention discloses a tagging and identification device and system for tracking and monitoring sea vessels as they enter sea ports, estuaries and/or other channels. The tagging device of the present invention comprises a receiver, for receiving an underwater electromagnetic signal transmitted by an underwater beacon. An acoustic transmitter is provided for transmitting an identification signal to an acoustic receiver deployed nearby. The acoustic identification signal is transmitted after an electromagnetic trigger signal is received from the underwater beacon. The tagging and device may further comprise a memory device which can store data relating to position and time of the see vessel to which it is attached. The tagging and identification device of the present invention is covert, compact and is capable of extended active deployment without replenishment of batteries etc. The identification tagging device and system of the present invention is capable of being deployed for tracking the location of sea vessels without the knowledge of the vessel crew. The system of the present invention allows third a third party to monitor suspect vessels as they enter specific ports or estuaries.
US08131208B2
A method is provided of using a telephone device to view full content on a nearby display screen which is not physically connected to the telephone device. The telephone device includes a display screen, a button which facilitates communication of the full content between the telephone device and a local control device connected to the nearby display screen, and a wireless transmitter. The full content is stored in the telephone device. Only a portion of the full content is displayed on the display screen of the telephone device. The full content is communicated from the telephone device to the local control device via a signal sent by the wireless transmitter upon selection of the button. The local control device receives the signal and provides the full content to the nearby display screen for display thereon.
US08131205B2
A mobile phone detection and interruption system and method are provided. The system is operative to transmit different blocking signals capable of degrading or blocking mobile phone communication in a vehicle responsive to a velocity of the vehicle reaching different pre-configured velocity levels.
US08131202B2
An image forming apparatus has an image transferring portion for transferring an image onto a sheet, an image fixing portion for fixing the transferred image to the sheet, a sheet conveyor portion arranged between the image transferring portion and the image fixing portion for conveying the sheet in a sheet conveying direction, a support portion having an elliptical-shaped shaft hole extending in a direction crossing the sheet conveying direction, and an arm rotatably mounted on the support portion. A first spur is disposed at a position opposed to the sheet conveyor portion and is rotatably supported by the support portion and movable along the shaft hole. A second spur is disposed at a position opposed to the sheet conveyor portion downstream in a sheet conveying direction of the first spur and closer to the sheet conveyor portion than the first spur. The second spur is rotatably supported by the arm and has a movable range larger than a movable range of the first spur.
US08131199B2
A cleaning device for cleaning a surface moving member such as an image carrier of an image forming apparatus, and a process cartridge having the cleaning device. The cleaning device has a cleaning member that is brought into uniform abutment against the surface moving member in a longitudinal direction of the surface moving member. A high removing performance can be obtained while preventing the abrasion of the surface moving member and the cleaning blade, and the state of abutment between the surface moving member and the cleaning blade is securely maintained over time.
US08131187B2
A development device includes a developer carrier facing an image carrier, a first developer transport path and a second developer transport path disposed vertically, a closably openable developer discharge port provided in the second developer transport path, a detector to detect whether the developer carrier carries the developer, a driving unit to drive the first and the second transporters, and a controller. The first developer transport path and the second developer transport path include a first transporter and a second transporter, respectively, to transport the developer in a longitudinal direction. The controller starts rotating the developer carrier and the first transporter and the second transporter in normal directions and opens the developer discharge port simultaneously. When a predetermined time period has elapsed after determining that no developer is carried on the developer carrier, the controller starts rotating the first transporter and the second transporter in reverse.
US08131181B2
An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material includes an opening provided to a main assembly of the apparatus, a first openable member, a second openable member, and a movable member. The movable member is movable between a set position inside the main assembly and an outward position. The first openable member can be located at an open position below the movable member located at the outward position. An outermost end of the movable member can be located at the outward position so as to be vertically aligned with or located inside an outermost end of the first openable member located at the open position.
US08131175B2
An image forming apparatus has a structure that it is able to clean an ACR sensor in accordance with an ACR operation, and without requiring a user manipulation. The image forming apparatus includes a plurality of photosensitive media on which color images are formed respectively, a transfer unit to receive color images from the plurality of photosensitive media and transfer the received color images onto a printing medium, an auto color registration (ACR) unit to perform the ACR operation with respect to the transferred image, and a cleaning member to clean the ACR unit in association with the ACR operation. A method of cleaning an ACR sensor in an image forming apparatus is also provided.
US08131156B2
An optical system and method includes a source-free optical network unit coupled to an optical fiber for receiving a centralized lightwave carrier signal with downstream data over the optical fiber. The optical network unit includes a coupler configured to split the original carrier signal into a first path and a second path. The first path includes an optical filter configured to reduce fading effects of the carrier signal. The second path includes a modulator configured to remodulate the centralized lightwave carrier signal with upstream data to produce an upstream data signal for upstream transmission.
US08131152B2
An optical add/drop multiplexer includes a first optical coupler receiving an optical signal including a plurality of multiplexed wavelengths, a wavelength blocker receiving the optical signal from the first optical coupler, and blocking at least one wavelength of the plurality of multiplexed wavelengths, a first wavelength selective switch, having one input port receiving the outputted optical signal from the first optical coupler and a plurality of output ports, demultiplexing a plurality of arbitrarily selected multiplexed wavelengths from the received optical signal, a second wavelength selective switch, having a plurality of input ports, each input port receiving a different optical signal and one output port, multiplexing a plurality of arbitrarily selected wavelength signals on the plurality of input ports, and a second optical coupler receiving the optical signal output from the wavelength blocker and multiplexed wavelength signal from the second wavelength selective switch.
US08131149B2
The invention pertains to methods, apparatus, and systems optical of networking using tunable receivers, optical blocking elements selectively placed in the network, and optical routing elements comprised of passive elements, such as optical couplers and splitters. The routing elements have a plurality of ports and comprise passive elements such as couplers and splitters configured so that input light received at any port of the element is output from each of the other ports of the element, but not at port at which it was input.
US08131144B2
The action camera has a housing, a lens, and an image sensor located in a light path from the lens. A filter is operable to move between first and second positions, with the first position located in the light path and the second position located out of the light path. An actuator moves the filter between the first and second positions. The actuator includes an electromagnet and a magnet. One of the electromagnet and the magnet is fixed relative to the light path, while the other of the electromagnet and the magnet is movable relative to the light path and is coupled to the filter. The magnet has poles that interact with the poles of the electromagnet. As the electromagnet is energized, the magnet rotates. The polarity of the electromagnet is reversed in order to reverse the rotation of the magnet. The camera is also provided with a light source. When the light source is activated, then the filter is moved accordingly. The actuator is small and consumes little electrical power.
US08131140B2
A linear actuator includes a multipolar magnet configured such that an S pole and an N pole are linearly aligned in an alternating manner. The linear actuator also includes a coil body having a plurality of separate coil units integrally arranged in a lengthwise direction of the coil body, and being movable relative to the multipolar magnet. The linear actuator further includes a magnetic sensor that detects a position of the coil body along the lengthwise direction of the coil body with respect to the multipolar magnet, and an electrifying control circuit that individually controls currents to be supplied to the plurality of coil units based on the position of the coil body detected by the magnet sensor.
US08131138B2
A novel flexible infrared device is provided for heating surfaces in a uniform manner not available previously. The heater is designed in a manner so as to allow “hugging” of the surface by attaching the heater module to at least two swivel points located above the heating plane. In this manner the common problems encountered with heating dies by IR heaters is overcome.
US08131137B1
An apparatus for steam heating a baby bottle comprising a reservoir in which water is heated by an electric resistance-type heater to produce steam, which is controlled via an on/off switch and an electronic control panel, is herein disclosed. A probe is used to measure an exact temperature of the heated liquid such as milk or formula, and displays said temperature upon a digital readout. Thus, the parent or caregiver is assured of the liquid being heated to the exact temperature without danger of burning. The apparatus is capable of heating a bottle of liquid in mere seconds in lieu of the minutes usually taken by conventional heating methods. It is envisioned that the apparatus can not only heat a bottle in a shorter period of time, but also can do so in a more consistent and accurate manner compared to current manual methods.
US08131136B2
The present invention aims to provide a panel television device with built-in disc loader capable of constantly detecting a mounted state of a disc while alleviating the process of the television section. The panel television device with built-in disc loader has a disc loader section arranged with a disc sensor which state changes according to the detection of the presence of the disc inside, and a sub-microcomputer for performing a disc detecting process based on the state of the disc sensor; and has a television section arranged with a main microcomputer for performing the disc detecting process based on the state of the disc sensor; where drive power is constantly supplied to the disc sensor and the main microcomputer; and the disc detecting process is performed by the sub-microcomputer when the power of the disc loader section is turned ON, and the disc detecting process is performed by the main microcomputer when the power of the disc loader section is turned OFF.
US08131128B2
In an audiovisual system in which a TV, an AV amplifier, a DVD player and the like are combined, another device constituting the system is automatically set to an optimal operation state according to the content recorded on an optical disc. A reproduction content judging unit 406 of a DVD player 400 judges the type (a video signal and an audio signal) and the format of signals included in content that has been read from the optical disc 401. According to the results of judging by the reproduction content judging unit 406, a control unit 403 of the DVD player 400 sends an instruction signal related to the power supply state and an instruction signal related to output of at least one of video and audio to a control unit 105 of a TV 100 and a control unit 203 of an AV amplifier 200.
US08131120B2
An apparatus comprising a planar optical structure that includes an input coupler, first and second planar waveguides and an output coupler, all on a planar substrate. The input coupler is configured to divide an incoming light into two input light beams. Each of the first and second waveguides is configured to receive one of the two input light beams. The first waveguide has a first core with a width that is greater than a width of a second core of the second waveguide. At least one of the first or second planar waveguides is birefringent. The output coupler is configured to receive the light beams after passage through the first and second waveguides. A first output light beam from the output coupler is substantially TE polarized light and a second output light beam from the output coupler is substantially TM polarized light.
US08131117B2
This invention is a method applicable to an image processing device, which includes the steps of providing a preprocess module for extracting a high-frequency portion of an image inputted into the device, extracting a gradient of the image and decomposing the image into plane and edge regions according to a predetermined fixed threshold, and providing a composite up-scaling module for executing the magnification processes on the image and the high-frequency portion thereof respectively, wherein the magnification process of plane regions of the image and the high-frequency portion is based on a simple interpolation while the edge regions of the image and the high-frequency portion is based on both a smart interpolation and the simple interpolation. The magnification results of the image and the high-frequency portion are then processed by a fusion process, so as to output an image having sharp but not blocky edges, rich details and strong contrast.
US08131113B1
Method and apparatus for estimating relative three-dimensional (3D) camera rotations, focal lengths, and radial (lens) distortions from point-correspondences in pairwise (two image) image alignment. A core estimator takes a minimal (three) number of point-correspondences and returns a rotation, lens (radial) distortion and two focal lengths. The core estimator solves relative 3D camera rotations, and lens distortions from 3-point-correspondences in two images in the presence of noise in point-correspondences. A robust estimator may be based on or may be “wrapped around” the core estimator to handle noise and errors in point-correspondences. The robust estimator may determine an alignment model for a pair of images from the rotation, distortion, and focal lengths.
US08131109B2
Provided are an image processing method and apparatus for enhancing contrast. The image processing apparatus includes a determination unit that determines whether contrast enhancement processing should be performed on an input image; an intensity mapping unit that generates a plurality of images having different exposure times from the input image, using intensity mapping, if the contrast enhancement processing should be performed on the input image; and an image composition unit that composes the plurality of images into a composed image. Therefore, it is possible to reduce a color change or a false contour phenomenon that are generated in a related art contrast enhancement process.
US08131108B2
Aspects of a system and method for processing an image are presented. The method may comprise stretching contrast of an input image based on a distribution of luma values for the input image and a distribution of luma values for a desired output image. The pixels below a specified level of contrast defined by the distribution of luma values for the input image and the distribution of luma values for the desired output image are substantially stretched. The method may also comprise constructing a lookup table of the desired output luma values and stretching a contrast of the input image using the constructed lookup table. The method may also comprise applying linear function and a non-linear function to the distribution of luma values, and applying a stretch factor above a specified level of the distribution and a stretch factor below a specified level of the distribution.
US08131107B2
An anomaly detection method includes acquiring image data corresponding to nondestructive testing (NDT) of a scanned object. The NDT image data comprises at least one inspection test image of the scanned object and multiple reference images for the scanned object. The anomaly detection method further includes generating an anomaly detection model based on a statistical analysis of one or more image features in the reference images for the scanned object and identifying one or more defects in the inspection test image, based on the anomaly detection model.
US08131090B2
The present invention relates to transmitting a communication message from a first user operating a first communication device to user operating at least a second communication device, wherein the first communication device comprises a switch, a presentation device, a selection device and a recording device. The invention comprises detecting activation/deactivation of the switch in the first communication device occurring by operation of the switch by the first user; operating the recording device while the switch is activated; digitally encoding the information recorded by the recording device, and; packaging the digitally encoded information into a digital message and sending the digital message to the network address identified by the record selected by the user when the switch is deactivated without any further actions from the user.
US08131087B2
A form processing program which is capable of automatically extracting keywords. When the image of a scanned form is entered, a layout recognizer extracts a readout region of the form image, a character recognizer recognizes characters within the readout region. A form logical definition database stores form logical definitions defining strings as keywords according to logical structures which are common to forms of same type. A possible string extractor extracts as possible strings combinations of recognized characters each of which satisfies defined relationships of a string. A linking unit links the possible strings according to positional relationships, and determines a combination of possible strings as keywords.
US08131083B2
A reference image and features of the reference image are stored in a hash table in such a manner that the reference image and the features are related to each other. A storage region of the hash table is divided into a plurality of divided regions, and each divided region is related to a storage condition under which a reference image is stored in the divided region. When a reference image is stored in the hash table, a storage region where the reference image is to be stored is selected out of the plurality of divided regions in accordance with the storage condition. This allows shortening a time for updating a reference image, and reducing a workload on means for updating the reference image.
US08131070B2
A color processing apparatus includes an image signal acquisition section, a color component preservation section, a first color conversion section, a color gamut compression section and a second color conversion section. The image signal acquisition section acquires an image signal including an input color signal having predetermined color components. The color component preservation section preserves at least one of the color components of the input color signal as a preserved color component. The first color conversion section converts the input color signal into an intermediate color signal belonging to a first color space. The color gamut compression section performs a color gamut compression for the intermediate color signal using color components of the intermediate color signal and the preserved color component, to generate a compressed color signal. The second color conversion section that converts the compressed color signal into an output color signal belonging to a second color space.
US08131066B2
Images are classified as photos (e.g., natural photographs) or graphics (e.g., cartoons, synthetically generated images), such that when searched (online) with a filter, an image database returns images corresponding to the filter criteria (e.g., either photos or graphics will be returned). A set of image statistics pertaining to various visual cues (e.g., color, texture, shape) are identified in classifying the images. These image statistics, combined with pre-tagged image metadata defining an image as either a graphic or a photo, may be used to train a boosting decision tree. The trained boosting decision tree may be used to classify additional images as graphics or photos based on image statistics determined for the additional images.
US08131063B2
Aspects of the present invention include systems and methods for forming generative models, for utilizing those models, or both. In embodiments, an object model fitting system can be developed comprising a 3D active appearance model (AAM) model. The 3D AAM comprises an appearance model comprising a set of subcomponent appearance models that is constrained by a 3D shape model. In embodiments, the 3D AAM may be generated using a balanced set of training images. The object model fitting system may further comprise one or more manifold constraints, one or more weighting factors, or both. Applications of the present invention include, but are not limited to, modeling and/or fitting face images, although the teachings of the present invention can be applied to modeling/fitting other objects.
US08131060B2
A process control method is provided for a surface mount line including a solder printer for printing solder on a surface of a substrate, a solder print inspector for inspecting the printed solder and outputting printing quality data, a mounter for mounting components on the substrate with the solder printed, a mount inspector for inspecting a state of the mounted components and outputting mounting quality data, a reflow furnace for heating the solder to solder the components to the substrate, and a soldering inspector for inspecting a state of the soldering and outputting soldering pass/fail data. The process control method includes: retrieving the printing quality data, the mounting quality data, and the soldering pass/fail data from a primary recorder with the printing quality data, the mounting quality data, and the soldering pass/fail data recorded therein, calculating representative data for each said component from the printing quality data, and recording the representative data, the mounting quality data, and the soldering pass/fail data for each said component in a secondary recorder; and determining whether the solder printer and the mounter need adjustment by using the data of the components with the soldering pass/fail data indicating conforming among the data recorded in the secondary recorder.
US08131056B2
Constructing variability maps by correlating off-state leakage emission images to layout information
Improved techniques are disclosed for monitoring or sensing process variations in integrated circuit designs. Such techniques provide such improvements by constructing variability maps correlating leakage emission images to layout information. By way of example, a method for monitoring one or more manufacturing process variations associated with a device under test (e.g., integrated circuit) comprises the following steps. An emission image representing an energy emission associated with a leakage current of the device under test is obtained. The emission image is correlated with a layout of the device under test to form a cross emission image. Common structures on the cross emission image are selected and identified as regions of interest. One or more variability measures (e.g., figures of merit) are calculated based on the energy emissions associated with the regions of interest. A variability map is created based on the calculated variability measures, wherein the variability map is useable to monitor the one or more manufacturing process variations associated with the device under test.
US08131054B2
A method for differentiating cancerous lesions from surrounding tissue, which includes extracting an opacity parameter from acetowhite regions of pre acetic acid and post acetic acid images of a cervix.
US08131050B2
The continuous image capturing of a subject is performed with small doses of radiation. A plurality of auxiliary images obtained by the continuous image capturing is stored. On the basis of the stored auxiliary images, the periodicity of motion of the subject is detected. A pseudo image is generated from the auxiliary images exhibiting the detected periodicity. The generated pseudo image is analyzed. On the basis of the analysis result, an image capturing parameter used for the main image capturing of a still image of the subject is calculated. Using the calculated image capturing parameter, the main image capturing of the still image of the subject is performed.
US08131037B2
A radiation imaging apparatus detects the density distribution of an image formed by a radiopaque dye from each of two images obtained by radiation imaging. The apparatus predicts the moving speed of the image formed by the radiopaque dye based on the moving amount of the detected density distribution and the interval between the radiographing times of the two images, and determines the next timing of radiation imaging based on the predicted moving speed and the detected density distribution. A radiation imaging apparatus detects the density distribution of a radiopaque dye in an image obtained by X-ray radiation imaging and predicts the moving speed of the radiopaque dye based on the change amount of the density distribution. The radiation imaging apparatus determines the X-ray irradiation timing based on the predicted radiopaque dye moving speed, the detected radiopaque dye density distribution, and a predetermined radiopaque dye density.
US08131036B2
Methods and systems are presented that improve a radiologist's ability to identify polyps by automatically and more accurately detecting and displaying colonic residue such as tagged or untagged stool or colonic fluid in medical images of the colorectal region. A virtual colonography imaging system obtains medical imagery of the colon. Improved computer-aided detection (CAD) algorithms identify colonic residue in the imagery by calculating feature vectors of and using statistical classification methods to classify regions of colonic residue to distinguish them from false positives.
US08131029B2
Systems and methods are provided for automatic identification of a person based on an analysis of the person's skin. In one embodiment, a method for automatically identifying a person comprises acquiring white-light and UV images of a portion of the person's skin, generating a skin mask from the white-light image, and comparing the skin mask with a pre-stored skin mask of the person. If a substantial match is not found between the two skin masks, the person is not identified, and an error message such as “wrong person” or “person unknown” is returned. Otherwise, the method proceeds to obtain results associated with certain skin conditions using at least the UV image. The results are compared with pre-stored results to determine if the person is the right person or the wrong person.
US08131025B2
A fingerprint detection apparatus for obtaining an image of a fingerprint of a finger by using a light source for emitting a light to the finger and an image obtaining part for outputting electric signals in correspondence with received light is disclosed. The fingerprint detection apparatus includes a system controller for determining whether the finger is in contact with or in the vicinity of the image obtaining part by comparing a threshold with a difference between a value of the electric signal when the light source is lit and a value of the electric signal when the light source is not lit.
US08131023B2
The present invention decreases the processing load of a server related to a collation processing system which is implemented by a server which performs collation processing with a registered facial image. An image acquisition section acquires the facial image of an individual who approaches a game machine as a facial image of a collation object, a local biological information DB stores a predetermined number of facial images of a collation object, a condition extraction section extracts condition information which indicates conditions to extract characteristic value of the facial image from the acquired facial image of the collation object and a stored facial image of the collation object, a comparison section compares the condition information on the acquired facial image and the condition information on the stored facial image of the collation object based on the extracted condition information, and the communication section sends the acquired facial image to the monitoring device when the condition information on the acquired facial image is better than the condition information on the stored facial image of the collation object. The present invention can be applied to monitoring systems.
US08131019B2
An image of a moving object, such as a postage indicium barcode on a mail piece, is captured with the object in motion (e.g., while being transported through a mailing machine). An array of CMOS picture elements is held in a reset condition. A signal asserted on control pin ends the reset condition and places the picture elements in an image capture condition. With the picture elements in a picture capture condition, a strobe light is actuated at a time when the barcode is predicted to be present at the picture element array. After the strobe light has been actuated, the signal on the control pin is de-asserted to initiate a read-out of the image data from the picture elements.
US08131013B2
A method and a system for simply and automatically detecting the positions of eyes, mouth, and nose in a face image with high reliability are provided. A plurality of grayscale images with gradually varying lightness are formed from a face image. Then, a process (fade-in process) is performed which detects pixel block areas that gradually appear in a face area in the grayscale images as the face area that is in a fade-out state at high lightness fades in and is brought into a fade-in state at low lightness. The detected pixel block areas include paired pixel block areas appearing as a pair. The positions of the eyes are determined based on the number of appearance of the paired pixel block areas over all the grayscale images. The positions of the mouth and nose are determined based on the positional relationship between the eyes and pixel block areas which are detected by the fade-in method and in which gradually appearing pixels no longer grow.
US08131012B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and a system for analyzing and learning behavior based on an acquired stream of video frames. Objects depicted in the stream are determined based on an analysis of the video frames. Each object may have a corresponding search model used to track an object's motion frame-to-frame. Classes of the objects are determined and semantic representations of the objects are generated. The semantic representations are used to determine objects' behaviors and to learn about behaviors occurring in an environment depicted by the acquired video streams. This way, the system learns rapidly and in real-time normal and abnormal behaviors for any environment by analyzing movements or activities or absence of such in the environment and identifies and predicts abnormal and suspicious behavior based on what has been learned.
US08131008B2
Methods, apparatuses, and systems for image-based measurement and inspection of pre-engineered structural components, such as building trusses and wall panels. A system can include: a light source; a camera; a first memory storage; a second memory storage; and a processing unit configured to (i) detect a characteristic of the structural component, (ii) compare the characteristic to a corresponding characteristic of at least one reference data, and (iii) indicate a result of the comparison. A method can include: causing a light source to illuminate a portion of the structural component, receiving a reflection of the light source from the illuminated portion of the structural component, and storing data corresponding to the intensity of the reflection; comparing the stored data to at least one reference data; and indicating a result of the comparison.
US08131005B2
The invention relates to an electrodynamic transducer (1) with a dome type diaphragm (2), comprising an electrodynamic motor with a coil (6) borne by a mandrel (3) integral with the diaphragm suspended to a yoke (7), the coil being placed in an air gap of a vertical free space in which it can move and which is defined, toward the center, by an internal magnetic construction (4), and toward the periphery, by an external magnetic construction (5), wherein the suspension comprises neither peripheral suspension nor internal suspension, the transducer comprises at least two magnetic field confinement means (11) in the air gap in order to form by mean of a ferromagnetic liquid at least two ferrofluidic seals (12, 13, 14) stepped in the air gap, fulfilling at least the guidance of the coil and the pneumatic tightness between the front and rear faces of the diaphragm, at least one of the ferrofluidic seals being continuous. Application to loudspeakers.
US08130991B2
This invention relates to a hearing instrument (100), which comprises a first microphone (102) converting ambient sound to an ambient sound signal, a signal processor (104) generating a processed sound signal based on the ambient sound signal, a controllable output stage (106) generating a driving signal based on the processed sound signal and in accordance with a control signal, a speaker unit (110) generating a sound in the ear canal based on said driving signal, a second microphone (116) located in the ear canal of the user and converting the sound in the ear canal to the monitor sound signal, and a linearization stage (108) comparing the processed sound signal and the monitor sound signal and generating the control signal based thereon.
US08130986B2
Silicon and glass micromachined (MEMS) acoustic sensors incorporating trapped-liquid architectures are disclosed. The trapped liquid serves as an acoustic transmission medium allowing the input port to the system to be physically separated from the sensing location. The trapped liquid interacts with a conductive, flexible sensing membrane. Sound pressure waves enter the trapped liquid through an input membrane, travel to the sensing membrane, and excite vibrations of the sensing membrane. The vibrations of the sensing membrane are measured using on-chip capacitive sensing. The capacitive sensing structure is formed by the conductive sensing membrane and a fixed conducting top electrode. As the gap between the conductive sensing membrane and the fixed top electrode varies, the capacitance varies, leading to an electrical signal which is the electrical output of the system.
US08130980B2
There is provided an automatic gain control circuit for volume control receiving at least one audio signal input via either a wired connection or a wireless connection. The circuit includes an output signal regulator receiving a first portion of the at least one audio signal input, with the regulator being able to vary an amplitude of the first portion of the at least one audio signal input when a control signal from a circuit controller is received. The circuit controller may be powered by a DC generator; with the DC generator receiving a second portion of the at least one audio signal input. A signal from the output signal regulator may be passed through an acoustic generator. It is preferable that the first portion of the at least one audio signal input is substantially more than the second portion. It is also preferable that the output signal regulator varies the amplitude of the at least one audio signal input by reducing the amplitude. A corresponding method of volume control is also disclosed.
US08130973B2
A superdirectional acoustic system for reproducing a sound signal supplied from a real sound source by using a superdirectional speaker and producing a virtual sound source in a vicinity of a sound wave reflection surface. The system includes an ultrasonic speaker, which includes an ultrasonic transducer for oscillating a sound wave in an ultrasonic frequency band, for reproducing an audio signal in a relatively medium to high frequency sound range, which is included in the sound signal supplied from the real sound source; and a low frequency sound reproducing speaker for reproducing an audio signal in a relatively low frequency sound range, which is included in the sound signal supplied from the real sound source. Sound in the medium-high frequency range is reproduced in a manner such that the sound is produced from a virtual sound source which is formed in the vicinity of the sound signal reflection surface such as a screen.
US08130967B2
A frequency-characteristic-acquisition device that inputs a time-stretched-pulse signal to a system to be measured and that acquires information about a frequency characteristic of the system on the basis of a signal output from the system is provided. The frequency-characteristic-acquisition device includes a control unit which performs control so that the time-stretched-pulse signal is expanded in a time-axis direction and output to the system, and an acquisition unit that analyzes the signal output from the system and that acquires the frequency-characteristic information.
US08130964B2
A method and system for encrypting a first piece of information M to be sent by a sender [100] to a receiver [110] allows both sender and receiver to compute a secret message key using identity-based information and a bilinear map. In a one embodiment, the sender [100] computes an identity-based encryption key from an identifier ID associated with the receiver [110]. The identifier ID may include various types of information such as the receiver's e-mail address, a receiver credential, a message identifier, or a date. The sender uses a bilinear map and the encryption key to compute a secret message key gIDr, which is then used to encrypt a message M, producing ciphertext V to be sent from the sender [100] to the receiver [110] together with an element rP. An identity-based decryption key dID is computed by a private key generator [120] based on the ID associated with the receiver and a secret master key s. After obtaining the private decryption key from the key generator [120], the receiver [110] uses it together with the element rP and the bilinear map to compute the secret message key gIDr, which is then used to decrypt V and recover the original message M. According to one embodiment, the bilinear map is based on a Weil pairing or a Tate pairing defined on a subgroup of an elliptic curve. Also described are several applications of the techniques, including key revocation, credential management, and return receipt notification.
US08130962B2
There is disclosed a content protection method and apparatus. The content protection method and apparatus further improves such related schemes by facilitating spatial as well as temporal management of content. This is achieved by storing encrypted content and a corresponding decryption key and destroying the decryption key when suitable. In order to further facilitate the content protection, the decryption key may be received periodically, which allows for a large number of people to connect to the network at different times.
US08130961B2
The invention comprises a method of authenticating and encrypting a client-server communication, comprising the steps of: a) generating a first one-time password (OTP1) and a second one-time password (OTP2) from a cryptographic token; b) generating an encryption key (K_ENC) and a MAC key (K_MAC) based on OTP2; c) preparing and protecting the client data using K_ENC and K_MAC; d) sending a request message from the client to the server, the request message containing the protected client data, a cryptographic token identifier (TID) and OTP1; e) validating OTP1 at the server, and generating OTP2 at the server upon successful validation; f) deriving K_ENC and K_MAC from OTP2 at the server; g) processing the request message and generating result data h) encrypting the result data using K_ENC and creating a digest using K_MAC; i) sending the encrypted result data to the client; and i) decrypting the result data at the client using K_ENC and verifying the authenticity of the result data using K_MAC.
US08130956B2
The present invention relates to the field of computer data encrypting and decrypting, especially for mobile equipments like PDA, mobile phones, smart cards and the like, which need a good trade-off between computing speed, power consumption and security strength. Embodiments of the invention provide encrypting/decrypting methods implementing simple data operation. Such methods are based on generating a pseudo-random sequence through a function of the Collatz (or Syracuse) family from a starting number used as a secret key.
US08130952B2
A novel method and apparatus for protection of streamed media content is disclosed. In one aspect, the apparatus includes control means for governance of content streams or content objects, decryption means for decrypting content streams or content objects under control of the control means, and feedback means for tracking actual use of content streams or content objects. The control means may operate in accordance with rules received as part of the streamed content, or through a side-band channel. The rules may specify allowed uses of the content, including whether or not the content can be copied or transferred, and whether and under what circumstances received content may be “checked-out” of one device and used in a second device. The rules may also include or specify budgets, and a requirement that audit information be collected and/or transmitted to an external server. In a different aspect, the apparatus may include a media player designed to call plugins to assist in rendering content. A “trust plugin” is disclosed, along with a method of using the trust plugin so that a media player designed for use with unprotected content may render protected content without the necessity of requiring any changes to the media player. In one aspect, the streamed content may be in a number of different formats, including MPEG-4, MP3, and the RMFF format.
US08130950B2
A method for random number generation includes generating random number sequences using a Random Number 5 Generator (RNG) circuit having an externally-modifiable configuration. The RNG circuit generates a first random number sequence having a first measure of randomness, and modifies the configuration of the RNG circuit, causing the RNG circuit to generate a second random number sequence having a second measure of the randomness, indicating a degree of the randomness that is no less than the first measure.
US08130947B2
A method and a system for privacy-preserving SNA. A plurality of vertices of a first subgraph of a graph is encrypted with a first key of a commutatively encryption scheme. A plurality of vertices of a second subgraph encrypted with a second key of the commutatively encryption scheme are received and encrypted commutatively with the first key. A plurality of commutatively encrypted vertices of the first subgraph and a plurality of commutatively encrypted vertices of the second subgraph are used for computing centrality metrics preserving the privacy of the graph and its structure.
US08130939B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes an apparatus having an automatic gain control (AGC) stage to receive an input signal from a communication channel physical medium, a first local gain stage coupled to an output of the AGC stage, an equalizer coupled to an output of the first local gain stage, an echo canceller to receive local data to be transmitted along the communication channel physical medium, and a second local gain stage coupled to an output of the echo canceller. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08130938B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for recording media communications. An exemplary method is comprised of the following steps: configuring an endpoint recording device for relaying an incoming call to an endpoint component; receiving the incoming call from a communication system; determining whether to relay the incoming call to the endpoint component based on the configurations of the endpoint recording device; responsive to determining that the incoming call is to be relayed, relaying media communications associated with the incoming call to the endpoint component via the endpoint recording device; and recording the relayed media communications at the endpoint component.
US08130932B1
A method and apparatus for implementing a network element in a communications network are described. In one example, a set of service provider defined interfaces are defined, wherein each of the service provider defined interfaces is associated with a network element class. The set of service provider defined interfaces is then provided to a manufacturer of a particular network element class. Afterwards, a new network element from the manufacturer having the set of service provider defined interfaces is implemented in the communications network.
US08130927B2
In one embodiment, a method includes establishing a call, and continuously monitoring the call from or using a first endpoint associated with the call. Monitoring the call includes identifying when an information element associated with the call has changed. The method also includes determining when the information associated with the call has changed, and storing a representation of the information element in an enhanced directory arrangement associated with the first endpoint when the information associated with the call has changed.
US08130918B1
A method and system for accomplishing closed-loop transaction processing in conjunction with interactive, real-time, voice transmission of information to a user is disclosed. A voice-based communication between a user and a first system is established and a report is transmitted to the user. The report might comprise information and at least one request for user input based on said information. In response to the report, the user can request a transaction based on said information. The requested transaction is completed automatically by connecting to a second system for processing.
US08130917B2
Methods and apparatuses for facilitating group messaging to various communication devices are disclosed. A method disclosed includes receiving from an originating user a broadcast message having an address designating at least in part a group of recipients. Next, an intended recipient may be identified based on at least a part of the address. An indication of the broadcast message may then be sent to the intended recipient in accordance with a sending method that is dynamically selected from a set of sending methods associated with the intended recipient based on characteristics associated with the intended recipient.
US08130910B2
A liquid-cooled aperture body in an x-ray tube. In one example embodiment, an x-ray tube is configured to be at least partially submerged in a liquid coolant. The x-ray tube includes a cathode at least partially positioned within a cathode housing, an anode at least partially positioned within a can, and an aperture body coupling the cathode housing to the can. The can is formed from a first material and the aperture body is formed from a second material. The aperture body defines an aperture through which electrons may pass between the cathode and the anode. The aperture body further defines at least two exterior surfaces that are each configured to be exposed to the liquid coolant in which the x-ray tube is at least partially submerged.
US08130901B2
The present invention relates to limiting an x-ray beam used in connection with dental extra oral imaging by a plate mechanism (1) arranged to be operated by a drive mechanism including an actuator (3) arranged to move at least one plate element (2, 3) comprised in the mechanism (1). The plate mechanism (1) includes at least a first and a second plate element (2, 3) which include at least a first slot (12) and a second slot (13), respectively, and said drive mechanism is arranged to directly or indirectly move said first plate element (2) independently of location of said second plate element (3) and said second plate element (3) is arranged to be moved as dependent on the movements of said first plate element (2) only.
US08130900B2
A rotor of a gantry of a computed tomography apparatus is produced at least in sections in a differential style from bar-shaped basic elements. Due to the differential style of the rotor, the rotation mass is reduced to a significant degree given a simultaneously maintained rigidity and stability of the rotor 1, such that high rotation speeds can be realized with a comparably small dimensioning of the rotor drive.
US08130876B2
The invention concerns a method for receiving a multi-carrier signal of reduced complexity when the number of carriers is not high. The method includes: demodulating the multi-carrier signal; converting a received signal received in binary representation into a modal representation in a base of at least two mutually prime numbers on a finite space of size equal to the product of the mutually prime numbers; demodulating including conversion.
US08130873B2
A carrier recovery apparatus usable with a VSB receiver and a method thereof. The carrier recovery apparatus is capable of recovering a carrier even though a pilot signal may be corrupted due to multi-path characteristics of a channel. Accordingly, the carrier recovery apparatus performs a BECM (Band Edge Component Maximization) algorithm on upper and lower sidebands of a received signal to generate phase information therefrom. The phase information is combined in a combiner. Since the BECM algorithm is performed on the upper and lower sidebands, it is possible to execute the carrier recovery even through the upper sideband of a received signal may be corrupted. Therefore, the carrier recovery apparatus can prevent performance degradation of the VSB receiver caused by corruption in the pilot signal.
US08130870B2
A multi-mode transmission system supporting OFDM and single-carrier signals is configured to perform interpolation and decimation such that the ratio of the interpolation factor to the decimation factor equals the ratio between the OFDM sampling rate and the single-carrier chip rate. A constant-envelope modulator comprises a π/4 fixed rotator, a π/2 continuous rotator, and in-phase and quadrature-phase analog Bessel filters. Frame formats and signaling protocols are provided for signal acquisition, synchronization, and tracking between wireless devices that employ different antenna configurations. Spreading gains are selected to compensate for different antenna gains such that the total gain (antenna gain plus spreading gain) is substantially equal for transmissions employing different beam patterns.
US08130863B2
A sequence generation method for allowing a reception end to effectively detect a sequence used for a specific channel of an OFDM communication system, and a signal transmission/reception method using the same are disclosed. During the sequence generation, an index is selected from among the index set having the conjugate symmetry property between indexes, and a specific part corresponding to the frequency “0” is omitted from a transmitted signal. In addition, a reception end can calculate a cross-correlation value between a received (Rx) signal and each sequence using only one cross-correlation calculation based on the conjugate symmetry property.
US08130860B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for communicating data in a multiple antenna communication system having N transmit antennas. According to one aspect of the invention, a header format includes a legacy preamble having at least one legacy long training field and an extended portion having at least N additional long training fields on each of the N transmit antennas, wherein one or more of the at least N additional long training fields are comprised of only one Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol. The extended portion optionally comprises one or more repeated OFDM symbols for frequency offset estimation. In one implementation, the extended portion comprises a first high throughput long training field comprised of two repeated OFDM symbols and N−1 high throughput long training fields comprised of only one OFDM symbol. In another variation, the extended portion comprises N high throughput long training fields comprised of only one OFDM symbol.
US08130859B2
A signal detection apparatus and method in a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) wireless communication system are provided. The apparatus includes a receiver for receiving training symbol vectors and a data signal vector from a transmitting end through a plurality of receive (Rx) antennas and a detector for expanding the training symbol vectors into second- or higher-order polynomials, for generating a weighting parameter vector for multivariate polynomial expansion of the data signal vector by using the polynomials expanded from the training symbol vectors and thereafter for expanding the data signal vector into a second- or higher-order multivariate polynomial using the weighting parameter vector, and for detecting Transmit (Tx) values of the data signal vector from the multivariate polynomial. Therefore, signal detection performance in a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) wireless communication system resembles that of a non-linear scheme while complexity resembles that of a linear scheme.
US08130855B2
A method and apparatus for combining space-frequency block coding (SFBC), spatial multiplexing (SM) and beamforming in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system. The system includes a transmitter with a plurality of transmit antennas and a receiver with a plurality of receive antennas. The transmitter generates at least one data stream and a plurality of spatial streams. The number of generated spatial streams is based on the number of the transmit antennas and the number of the receive antennas. The transmitter determines a transmission scheme in accordance with at least one of SFBC, SM and beam forming. The transmitter transmits data in the data stream to the receiver based on the selected transmission scheme.
US08130854B2
Several subscriber signals are transmitted simultaneously and at the same frequency by a central transmitter to several decentralized receivers which do not cooperate with each other, by digital message transmission in a broadcast channel. A common transmission signal, which enables an error-free individual reception, should be generated with knowledge of all subscriber signals and of the current transmission conditions, by signal preprocessing methods on the transmission side. Known nonlinear precoding methods totally suppress the interference signals, so that the channel diversity cannot be used. In the claimed precoding method, the occurring interference signals are, on the contrary, taken into account. On the basis of a modulo arithmetic calculation, the transmission channel is not totally equalized, but virtually divided, so that the transmission of the subscriber signals is continued periodically; the signals are selected according to the minimal transmission power and pre-equalized, in a linear manner, and the residual interferences, still remaining between the subscriber signals, may assume special values from a preset set of values. The set of values is selected, so that the interference signals of the other subscribers are also merely reflected in the otherwise already existing periodic continuation and can be suppressed or used as required by a modulo decision, on the reception side.
US08130847B2
An orthogonal frequency division multiplexing wireless communication terminal, that communicates with a base unit, obtains a set of analog coefficients by transforming a transmit spatial covariance matrix, modulates the set of analog coefficients onto multiple channels to form a feedback waveform, and transmits the feedback waveform to the base unit.
US08130838B2
To encode a moving picture in real time in as high quality as possible, no matter whether a target bit rate for encoding the moving picture is high or low.An encoder performs motion compensated inter-picture predictive coding on moving picture data in a selected one of prediction modes. The encoder includes: a detecting section for detecting an accumulated error and a motion vector of a block, included in a picture to be encoded, by reference to a block in a reference picture to be used for each prediction mode; an estimating section for calculating an estimated value by adding a product of each accumulated error and a predetermined first coefficient and that of a predicted vector associated with each motion vector and a second coefficient; a determining section for selecting one of the prediction modes according to the estimated value; a coefficient updating section for updating a proportionality factor using at least a quantization scale used when the block to be encoded is quantized; and an encoding section for encoding the data of the block to be encoded in the prediction mode selected.
US08130833B2
A VSB communication system or transmitter for processing supplemental data packets with MPEG-II data packets includes a VSB supplemental data processor and a VSB transmission system. The VSB supplemental data processor includes a Reed-Solomon coder for coding the supplemental data to be transmitted, a null sequence inserter for inserting a null sequence to an interleaved supplemental data for generating a predefined sequence, a header inserter for inserting an MPEG header to the supplemental data having the null sequence inserted therein, a multiplexer for multiplexing an MPEG data coded with the supplemental data having the MPEG header added thereto in a preset multiplexing ratio and units. The output of the multiplexer is provided to an 8T-VSB transmission system for modulating a data field from the multiplexer and transmitting the modulated data field to a VSB reception system.
US08130826B2
Preparation of network data for analysis. An original frame representing a frame transmitted in a communications link can be received wherein the original frame comprises a payload. At least a portion of the payload can be removed from the original frame. Statistics can be inserted into the original frame to generate a modified frame. Original frames can be removed and not transmitted to an analysis system. A modified frame can represent several original frames that are removed. Additional frames can be generated. A frame can be generated that represents several original frames that have been removed. A generated frame or modified frame can indicate errors and/or preprocessing by a logic device.
US08130820B2
Successive interference cancellation is performed with improved computational efficiency while offering performance approaching that of full CRC-based successive interference cancellation. In a “blind” interference cancellation technique, reconstructed streams are used for interference cancellation without regard to whether the reconstructed streams were properly decoded. In a “semi-blind” interference cancellation technique, decoder outputs from linear equalization can be used instead of decoder outputs from successive interference cancellation in those cases where linear equalization produces accurate decoding but successive interference cancellation does not.
US08130818B2
Methods and apparatuses for maximizing power and spectral efficiencies in a wireless communication system are disclosed. The invention is particularly useful for layered modulation applications because power levels for such applications are relatively high. A layered modulation signal comprises an upper and a lower layer signal that interfere with each other within the same frequency band such that the upper layer signal can be demodulated directly from the layered modulation signal, and the lower layer signal can be demodulated after subtracting the first layer signal from the layered modulation signal. The invention applies one or more of the following four signal schemes in a communication signal including varying the symbol rate (rather than the code rate), reducing or eliminating the guard band, reducing excess signal bandwidth and employing layered modulation within the guard band of the legacy signal.
US08130808B2
Provided is a two-dimensional photonic crystal surface emitting laser which can suppress light leaking outside in an in-plane direction of the two-dimensional photonic crystal and an absorption loss in an active layer caused by the latter layer serving as an absorbing layer without contributing to light emission, and can improve light use efficiency. The surface emitting laser has a laminated structure in which an active layer and a photonic crystal layer are laminated in a vertical direction, has a resonance mode in an in-plane direction of the photonic crystal, and light is extracted in a vertical direction to a surface of the photonic crystal, wherein the laminated structure has a multi-refractive index layer including a central region made of a high refractive index medium and a peripheral portion made of a low refractive index medium with a lower refractive index than that of the high refractive index medium.
US08130803B2
A light emitting device includes: a semiconductor laser element having a first emission face for emitting laser light; a light guiding body buried in the concave portion of the supporting base, guiding the laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser element, and having an incident face to which the laser light enters, and a second emission face from which the laser light traveling through the light guiding body is emitted, the incident face of the light guiding body being such a curved face that an incident angle of the laser light is within a predetermined range including the Brewster angle in a plane formed by a traveling direction of the laser light and a short axis of a light emitting spot of the laser light; and a fluorescent substance scattered in the light guiding body, absorbing the laser light, and emitting the light having a different wavelength from a wavelength of the laser light.
US08130800B2
A mode-locked laser employs a coupled-polarization scheme for efficient longitudinal pumping by reshaped laser diode bars. One or more dielectric polarizers are configured to reflect a pumping wavelength having a first polarization and to reflect a lasing wavelength having a second polarization. An asymmetric cavity provides relatively large beam spot sizes in gain medium to permit efficient coupling to a volume pumped by a laser diode bar. The cavity can include a collimation region with a controlled beam spot size for insertion of a saturable absorber and dispersion components. Beam spot size is selected to provide stable mode locking based on Kerr lensing. Pulse durations of less than 100 fs can be achieved in Yb:KGW.
US08130797B2
A multi-program multiplexing/demultiplexing method and apparatus for preventing MPEG jitters from being generated in a digital broadcast, and a multi-program receiver using the multi-program multiplexing/demultiplexing apparatus are provided. The multi-program multiplexing method comprises: extracting a plurality of transport stream packets from a plurality of channel decoders; comparing a reference clock value of each transport stream packet with a system clock value latched by the reference clock value, and generating a system clock control value; inserting the system clock value into a local packet of each channel; and multiplexing a plurality of local packets of a plurality of channels and generating a multi-program packet.
US08130782B2
A passive optical network including: a parent station OLT (optical line terminal); and a plurality of child stations ONU (optical network terminating unit), wherein the parent station and the plurality of child stations transmit an upstream frame and a downstream frame to each other, and the parent station includes means for generating a maintenance signal indicating failure at a mini slot, corresponding to each of the plurality of child stations, on a basis of a receiving state of a signal at the mini slot sent from each of the plurality of child stations.
US08130773B2
A distributed control system comprises a first network section comprising one or more control nodes containing control logic operable to perform control function computations; a second network section, wherein the second network section comprises; a plurality of additional nodes responsive to the one or more control nodes in the first network section, each of the plurality of additional nodes communicatively coupled to two neighbor nodes and to two skip nodes using a plurality of links; first and second gateway interfaces each coupled to the first and second network sections and each operable to interface the first network section to the second network section; wherein the first network section is operable to communicate signals using a first communication protocol; and wherein the plurality of nodes in the second network section are operable to communicate signals over the plurality of links using a second communication protocol that is different from the first communication protocol.
US08130766B2
A system and method of the present invention for implementing multimedia calls across a private network boundary is provided, the system comprising a public network and at least one private network, and at least the following hardware components: at least one media gateway for connecting with multimedia terminals of various protocols; at least one boundary gateway for connecting the private network and the public network and performing the translation of a private network address and a public network address between each other, wherein each boundary gateway is provide with an unique subnetwork ID to correspond to the private network connected therewith; a call controller for establishing calls and controlling service logics, in which is recorded the correspondence relationship information of all said boundary gateways and the subnetwork IDs; wherein, the call controller processes a call concerning a private network according to the subnetwork ID information. The system and method of the present invention is simple to implement, has high efficiency and wide application range; saves the boundary gateway resources, does not modify the signaling content and retain its integrity; is applicable to the media gateways of various protocols, and has a high adaptability.
US08130764B1
A method and apparatus that dynamically binds one or more network interfaces of a plurality of virtual network machines is described. The apparatus instantiates the plurality of virtual network machines, where the plurality of virtual network machines are virtually independent but share a set of physical resources within the single network device and each of the plurality of virtual network machines belong to a different network domain. The apparatus receives subscriber records that are associated with virtual circuits on a plurality of ports on the apparatus. The apparatus dynamically binds the one or more network interfaces of each of the virtual machines to a set of sub-interfaces, such that each of the virtual circuits is communicatively coupled with one of the virtual network machines and the bindings are represented with data structures.
US08130760B2
The technology disclosed addresses initiation of peer-to-peer media exchange sessions, with traversal of NAT and firewall devices, in a manner adapted to roaming. In particular, involves preliminary determination of NAT/firewall topology, which reduces latency at initiation, and hole punching technologies to select a routing and traversal strategy that reduce reliance on external media relay devices.
US08130757B2
The digital contents distribution system of the present invention distributes digital contents through first and second networks. A server is connected to the first network, and clients for receiving and displaying or reproducing the digital contents are connected to the second network. The server divides digital contents held therein into a plurality of packets, and transmits packets of a minimum unit for constructing the digital contents to the second network. The clients include means for holding the digital contents therein by use of the packets of the minimum unit received from the server and packets received from other clients constructing the second network.
US08130752B2
A method of operation within a device coupled to a network. A first set of data is received from a first data path of the network. A first set of measurement information is identified from the first set of data, and a quality of the first data path is determined based on the first set of measurement information. A second set of data is then selectively transmitted via either the first data path or a second data path of the network, based on the quality of the first data path.
US08130751B1
An Active User Registry system includes a database which is integrated with the POTS network and a packet network to exploit the outstanding strengths of both of its constituents. The Active User Registry database is a dynamic data structure of all the ways in which one or more users can be reached via some type of communication network. A key feature of the Active User Registry is the ability to broker between a subscriber's request for communications contact information corresponding to a user and the user's preferences of being reached by various communications alternatives.
US08130745B2
Communication networks and methods are disclosed that synchronize call feature data between an IMS network and a legacy network, such as a cellular network. An IMS subscriber server (e.g., a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)) is notified of changes to feature data for a call feature (e.g., call forwarding, call waiting, etc) in the IMS network. Responsive to the notification, the IMS subscriber server updates a legacy subscriber server (e.g., a Home Location Register (HLR)) in the legacy network based on the change to the feature data. Similarly, the IMS subscriber server identifies changes to feature data for a call feature in the legacy network. Responsive to the change, the IMS subscriber server notifies one or more application servers in the IMS network of the change to the feature data. Through the IMS subscriber server, feature data for call features is synchronized between the IMS network and the legacy network.
US08130744B2
A communication apparatus comprises: a determination unit to determine whether there exists an external apparatus that has not undergone synchronization adjustment; and a control unit to exert control, if the external apparatus exists, so that the communication apparatus functions as an apparatus which sends beacon information to adjust the synchronization timing of communication, and so that, if the external apparatus does not exist, the communication apparatus functions as an apparatus which does not send beacon information to adjust the synchronization timing of communication.
US08130727B2
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate increasing throughput in a time-division duplexed CDMA wireless communication environment. A set of orthogonal Walsh code sequences can be assigned to a first group of users in a network sector, and a duplicate set of orthogonal Walsh code sequences can be assigned to at least a second group of users in the sector. A number of receive antennas equal or greater than to the number of duplicate code sets being assigned can be deployed to linearly scale sector capacity to meet user demand. Additionally, user devices employing duplicate Walsh code sequence assignments at a base station serving the sector can be distinguished from each other, and timing offsets between such users can be enforced to mitigate any jamming effect at the base station receiver. Still furthermore, user device channel requirements in the sector can be continuously evaluated and an appropriate number of antennas can be dynamically deployed to provide scalable service to all such user devices.
US08130722B1
A system and a method for enabling network communications between mobile client devices and home networks without regard to the access technology employed by the mobile client device. A system is provided that includes a plurality of mobile nodes configured to communicate over a network using different access technologies. Some of the mobile nodes, for example, may communicate using CDMA. Others may communicate using WiMAX. Still others may use other access technologies. The system also includes a foreign agent. The foreign agent is configured to provide foreign agent services to mobile nodes using different access technologies.
US08130721B2
A radio resource control (RRC) message is received by a radio resource control (RRC) device of a user equipment (UE). The RRC message notifies the FDD UE of a high speed dedicated shared channel (HS-DSCH) inter-Node B cell change. A reordering buffers of a medium access controller-high speed (MAC-hs) is flushed in response to the receiving the RRC message. A status report is generated for each acknowledge mode (AM) RLC instance mapped to the HS-DSCH by a radio link control (RLC) device after the MAC-hs flushes the reordering buffer. Each status report indicates missing AM RLC packet data units (PDUs). The RRC device sends a “TRANSPORT CHANNEL RECONFIGURATION COMPLETE” message on a DCCH after the RLC device generates each status report.
US08130704B2
An apparatus and method for a multi-tier wireless home mesh network is described. The method may include formation of an infrastructure-less wireless home mesh networking environment comprising a collection of nodes that operate as a decentralized, ad hoc wireless network with multiple sub-networks or tiers that are responsible for different functions within the network. Each node of the multi-tier network is configured to forward data to other nodes and is assigned to a particular tier based on the node's performance capabilities. A further embodiment includes identification of a wireless home mesh network. Once identified, one or more proprietary messages may be exchanged in a secure manner to establish connections with a home electronics device as either a mobile node or a stationary node of the home network. A home electronics device may wirelessly communicate to route data within one or more nodes of the wireless home mesh network. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08130697B1
The invention is a system, a device, and a method that allows remote mobile unit monitoring. The communication system of the invention includes a plurality of mobile units monitored by a stationary unit. Each of the mobile units has a processor, a memory, and a wireless modem for automatically generating a status report and transmitting the status report in an e-mail format without user intervention. The processor of the mobile unit determines when and whether to send a status report by determining if a predefined condition is fulfilled. The stationary unit, which is primarily a user interface unit, parses the status report in the received e-mail and presents the report to the user. Most of the processing and storage capabilities of the system reside in the individual mobile units.
US08130694B2
A method for controlling a power of a shared control channel for high speed downlink shared channel (HS-SCCH) in a system adopting a high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) technique is disclosed, which can control power of HS-SCCH by using the DPCH channel configured in each UE. Especially, by transmitting power of each sub-frame suitably for each UE, and by setting suitable transmission power of HS-SCCH according to whether it is in soft handover and according to whether it is a primary cell in soft handover, an inter-cell interference can be reduced and power of the base station can be effectively used.
US08130688B2
The present invention relates to a multi-media broadcast and multicast service (MBMS) providing system and a method thereof. The MBMS providing system provides an MBMS to a terminal having an MBMS function. The MBMS providing system includes a service center and a radio access network. The service center provides MBMS data and metadata having service announcement information abut the MBMS to the terminal. The radio access network periodically transmits establishment information for receiving the metadata to the terminal, and provides the metadata and the MBMS data received from the service center to the terminal through nodes for transmitting data. The establishment information includes first establishment information having a service identifier and IP/UDP parameters for receiving the metadata, and second establishment information for establishing a radio channel.
US08130686B2
In addition to other aspects disclosed, in response to an attempt by an access terminal in a sector of a wireless network to provide push-to-media content to another access terminal, the push-to-media session content is transmitted from the first access terminal over a multicast flow to the other access terminal.
US08130682B2
Methods assigning mobile users in a half-frequency division duplex (HFDD) system to a first UL group and second UL group of an uplink (UL) sub-frame, and to a first DL group and a second DL group of a downlink (DL) sub-frame, wherein the UL sub-frame is assigned a first carrier frequency and the DL sub-frame is assigned a second carrier frequency, are disclosed. One method includes determining a type of data, determining a receive CINR (carrier interference plus noise ratio), and determining a Doppler frequency parameter, for each mobile user of a plurality of mobile users. The plurality of mobile users to are assigned to the first UL group, the second UL group, the first DL group and the second DL group based on time durations of the first UL group, the second UL group, the first DL group and the second DL group, and based on and at least one of the data type, CINR, Doppler frequency spread of the mobile user, and a number of mobile users previously assigned to the first UL group, the second UL group, the first DL group and the second DL group.
US08130680B1
A method for timing a full duplex pulsed wireless communication system between first and second transceivers is disclosed. At least one of the transceivers is mobile. A propagation time between the first and second transceivers is calculated. A pulse period of the first transceiver is set to be twice the propagation time divided by an integer. The second transceiver's pulse period is set to be equal to the pulse period of the first transceiver to enable the first and second transceivers to transmit and receive pulses with a substantially reduced risk of a collision between pulses transmitted from the first and second transceivers.
US08130679B2
A method and system for processing received VoIP data packets based on preferences of a recipient client or capabilities of a recipient computing device is provided. Several users and/or service providers are allowed to specify rules instructing how to process contextual information upon receipt of the contextual information. More specifically, a recipient computing device may have contextual processing rules specified based on its individual need and capability. The contextual processing rules may indicate what application can be used on a certain type of contextual information. Based on the contextual processing rules, the contextual information may be stored in local storage of the recipient computing device or forwarded to another device. In this manner, each recipient computing device of the recipient client can process contextual information based on its need and capability.
US08130678B2
Disclosed relates to an automatic fall behind warning method and system applied in a group activity environment. Each individual in the group corresponds to a node and all of such nodes form an independent network. The method initializes an outside node table for the group and gets a link quality index table (LQI table) among the nodes on the network. A table specifying outside and inside nodes for the network topology is generated via an algorithm. Then the method checks if there is a node being disappearing from the outside nodes of the generated table. If not, it updates the outside node table and continues to get a newest LQI table. If so, the node falls behind is confirmed and a warning notice is automatically generated once the disappearing node is not an inside node is verified. Otherwise, the method returns to the step of updating the outside node table.
US08130671B2
A method and system establish a bi-directional tunnel through direct communication between a tunnel end point (TEP) and a user node without user assistance. The method includes: operating the user node in order to establish the bi-directional tunnel, wherein operating the user node includes: requesting network information necessary for establishing the bi-directional tunnel to the DHCP server; when the user node receives the network information from the DHCP server, establishing a unidirectional tunnel from the user node to the TEP based on the received network information; requesting one of the TEPs to establish the unidirectional tunnel; and when the user node receives a router advertisement (RA) message of a second network with which the user node wishes to communicate from the TEP required to establish the unidirectional tunnel, establishing an address of the user node in the second network.
US08130664B2
A system including a buffer to receive and store a stream of content data. A controller module may be configured to determine the macro-diversity region size based on a set of pre-selected configuration parameters including an incoming rate of the content data and to allocate at least a portion of the content data to a macro-diversity region, to monitor an amount of the content data in the buffer in accordance with the set of pre-selected configuration parameters including an incoming rate of the content data to determine whether the amount of content data falls into or out of a target range defined by a low-end value and a high-end value and to adjust the size of the macro-diversity region by one or more increments in response to changes in the amount of the content data in accordance with the target range.
US08130660B2
This invention relates to a system and method of monitoring, by establishing end to end loopback testing across one or more networks with dissimilar transport technologies. The system allows for connection in loopback mode from a standard interface on a test device to a media adaptor located on an IP-based access network, such as a standard multimedia terminal adapter (“MTA”). End-to-End Quality of service delivered over the transmit and receive path can thus be monitored. Loopback tests are initiated from designated endpoints on the network and made operational by attaching a tag to a telephone number, to allow the gateway to signal connection mode to a call agent. The system and method overcome certain inherent limitations of the MGCP/NCS architecture.
US08130656B2
A method and device for routing to a non-mesh network a first data flow received at a first mesh gateway via a wireless link as provided improves network efficiency. According to one aspect, the method includes determining that available bandwidth of a backhaul link to the non-mesh network through the first mesh gateway is below a threshold value. The first data flow is then determined to have a higher priority than a second data flow that is currently routed through the first mesh gateway to the non-mesh network. The second data flow is then forwarded to a second mesh gateway, whereby the second mesh gateway routes the second data flow to the non-mesh network. The first data flow is then routed to the non-mesh network through the first mesh gateway after forwarding the second data flow to the second mesh gateway.
US08130654B2
Embodiments of a communication system, a method, and a device for use with the communication system are described. Communication between the devices in the communication system may be enabled by the method. In particular, nodes or devices (henceforth referred to as devices) in a network (such as an ad-hoc network) in the communication system may exchange a dynamic network context via communication with neighboring devices. These devices may use the dynamic network context to determine how network resources are shared during the communication, including performing context-aware packet switching of packets (including data packets) in an information flow.
US08130648B2
A network device and method include token buckets, each token bucket associated with one of clients and virtual ports and configured to process information based on a predefined bandwidth and a strict priority/weighted deficit round robin. A maximum rate shaper module and a minimum rate meter module shape and meter whether any of the clients or virtual ports have exceeded a predefined threshold. A scheduler is configured to schedule services of the clients and to calculate a new bandwidth allocation for at least one of the clients or virtual ports when the at least one of the clients or virtual ports has exceeded the predefined threshold, the new bandwidth allocation replacing the predefined bandwidth and being proportional to the predefined bandwidth for each of the clients or virtual ports.
US08130637B2
Recovery time upon the failure of a link or switching system in an asynchronous data network can be minimized if downstream data switches provide upstream messages indicating to upstream switching system that the downstream traffic arrived in tact and was properly handled. Upon this loss or failure of the upstream status message to an upstream switching system, an upstream switching system can reroute data traffic around a failed link or failed switch with a minimal amount of lost data. The upstream status message is conveyed from a downstream switching system to an upstream switching system via a reverse notification tree data pathway.
US08130633B2
The invention is directed to a process for transferring data packets through a protocol stack employed by the device for transmitting packets on a packet connection to a wireless network, said wireless network operating at least two, distinct wireless access technologies such as GSM/GPRS and UMTS. The packet transfer process generally comprises each layer of a protocol stack for a currently active packet connection path providing confirmation to a next, higher layer in the stack of successful reception of a data packet from that layer, thereby confirming successful transfer of the data packet through the stack. The first layer of the stack stores a copy of a transferred packet until such time as its receives confirmation from the next, lower layer of successful transfer of the packet of the stack. In the absence of such confirmation and on the occurrence of a switch (hand-off) of the packet connection to a new connection path, particularly one of a different wireless access technology, the stored packet is transferred to the protocol stack to be employed by the wireless device for the new packet connection path. Consequently, the packet transfer process avoids packets being lost on the occurrence of a switch between different technology wireless access packet connection paths.
US08130630B2
A method for generating a downlink signal and searching for a cell from the downlink signal in an OFDM-based cellular system is provided. Thus, a pilot pattern is formed in the downlink signal, and the pilot pattern is formed of a product of a cell-specific scrambling code and a cell group-specific code. The scrambling code is different for each cell and the same for each sub-frame, and the cell group-specific code is different for each cell and different for each sub-frame.
US08130629B2
Methods and systems for simultaneous transmission of simulcast and single cast information over a hybrid point to multipoint communication systems, including the steps of: selecting an area to be ubiquitously covered by a common channel; assigning a first wireless client to the common channel; assigning a second wireless client to a first private channel; setting a first hybrid converter and a second hybrid converter having an aggregated coverage area that comprises the selected area; connecting the first hybrid converter using an orthogonal multi-carrier transmission having a first frequency and the second hybrid converter using an orthogonal multi-carrier transmission having a second frequency to a centralized synchronizing communication controller via a shared signal wired distribution line; converting, by using the first hybrid converter, the first frequency transmission to a third orthogonal multi-carrier wireless transmission having a third frequency; converting, by using the second hybrid converter, the second frequency transmission to a fourth orthogonal multi-carrier wireless transmission having the third frequency; and creating a downlink ubiquitous coverage in the selected area by transmitting the third and the fourth transmissions, each comprising a common MAP over a first sub-channel, a common payload over a second sub-channel, and a first private payload and a second private payload, correspondingly, over a third sub-channel, wherein the third and fourth transmissions are at least partially coverage-overlapping and are synchronizing and bandwidth allocating a first wireless client and a second wireless client.
US08130628B2
Shape-wise thicknesses tr1, tr2, . . . , and trN of a cover layer and first through (N−1)-th intermediate layers of an optical recording medium having refractive indexes nr1, nr2, . . . , and nrN are converted into thicknesses t1, t2, . . . , and tN which are calculated by products of a function f(n)=−1.088n3+6.1027n2−12.042n+9.1007 where n=nr1, nr2, . . . , and nrN.
US08130621B2
A recording and reproducing device that is capable of improving its reproduction quality by efficiently detecting a reproduction signal having small low frequency noises even when reproducing data on a super-resolution optical disk including recording marks smaller than a diffraction limit.
US08130619B2
A method of recording information to a read-only optical information storage medium comprising a plurality of areas, including: recording data in at least one of the plurality of areas in the form of pits in a first pit pattern; and recording data in others of the plurality of areas in the form of pits in a second pit pattern different from the first.
US08130618B2
According to one embodiment, a method for operating log likelihood ratios in a disk apparatus is disclosed. Iterative decoding is applied to the disk apparatus. The method can set windows for a sequence of the log likelihood ratios output by a soft-decision most-likelihood decoder based on the sequence of the log likelihood ratios or an amplitude of a read signal acquired in response to read of data from a data sector on a disk carried out by a head. The method can multiply the log likelihood ratios contained in each of the windows, by a multiplier specific to each window. In addition, the method can transmit the sequence of the log likelihood ratios multiplied by the multiplier for each of the windows to a parity check decoder.
US08130616B2
A method and a device of distinguishing blank area from non-blank area in an optical disc are provided. An input signal such as a DPD TE signal or RF ripple signal is first filtered to obtain a filtered signal. A subtracting operation of the input signal and the filtered signal is then performed to obtain a first signal. According to a peak value and a bottom value of the first signal, the first signal is processed into a second signal. By comparing the second signal with a reference signal, whether the currently read area is blank area or non-blank area can be discriminated. An indicating signal is outputted at a first value to indicate the blank area while the indicating signal is outputted at a second value to indicate the non-blank area.
US08130615B2
A track-crossing signal generator includes a bottom envelope detecting unit, a defect detector, an auto gain control unit, and an amplifier. The bottom envelope detecting unit receives a radio frequency signal, and outputs a bottom envelope signal. The defect detector is electrically connected to the bottom envelope detecting unit for receiving the bottom envelope signal and generating a defect signal when a defect area is formed on a disc track. The auto gain control unit is electrically connected to the bottom envelope detecting unit for receiving the bottom envelope signal and dynamically adjusting a gain value according to the amplitude of the bottom envelope signal. The amplifier is electrically connected to the bottom envelope detecting unit and the auto gain control unit for receiving the bottom envelope signal and dynamically adjusting the bottom envelope signal according to the gain value, thereby amplifying the bottom envelope signal as a track-crossing signal.
US08130614B2
An optical storage medium can be provided by which illegal usage of the optical storage medium involving an infringement on the copyright can be prevented effectively without impairment of the functions for reproducing physical format information and optical storage medium manufacturing information. The optical storage medium includes a main information region in which encrypted data information is recorded as a pit row that is capable of being read out by means of light and a control data region. In the control data region, key information for decoding the encryption of the data information, the physical format information and the optical storage medium manufacturing information are recorded by wobbling a groove.
US08130611B2
In a method for recording information on an information recording medium having a data recording area for storing user data and a test area used for test recording by a recording apparatus, it is detected whether the test area is unusable when executing the test recording. The test recording is executed in the test area when the test area is detected not to be unusable, or executed in the data recording area when detected to be unusable. Management information relating to the test recording executed in the data recording area is recorded in a predetermined area. Hence, it is possible to eliminate a limit of number of times of test recording which depends on the size of the test recording area.
US08130607B2
An apparatus for detecting burst cutting areas on optical discs includes an optical pickup head, a front-end processing unit, a sync pattern detector, a channel clock recovery device, and a data demodulator. The front-end processing unit generates a BCA signal in response to a radio frequency signal. The sync pattern detector counts the BCA signal according to a reference clock, detects a sync pattern of the BCA signal and outputs a channel bit length counting value. The channel clock recovery device generates a channel clock according to the reference clock and the channel bit length counting value. The data demodulator transfers the BCA signal into a BCA data according to the channel clock. The sync pattern detector continuously counts the BCA signal and continuously outputs a plurality of counting values, so that the sync pattern of the BCA signal can be determined according to at least three sequential counting values.
US08130604B2
A spherical aberration compensation method is provided. A first thickness of a cover layer at a first radius position of an optical disc is measured. A second thickness of the cover layer at a second radius position of the optical disc is measured. A spherical aberration calibration is performed at a third radius position of the optical disc to obtain an optimal spherical aberration compensation value. According to the first and second radius positions, the first and second thicknesses, and the optimal spherical aberration compensation value at the third radius position, a spherical aberration compensation formula is acquired. Afterwards, an updated spherical aberration compensation value is calculated by the spherical aberration compensation formula according to a fourth radius position where an optical pickup head of the optical disc drive is located. The updated spherical aberration compensation value is inputted into a spherical aberration compensator of the optical disc drive.
US08130595B2
An electronic appliance includes a microphone which detects a clapping sound, an edge signal extractor, an edge pulse generator and a judgment processing circuit. The judgment processing circuit generates a first gate having a first time width to detect whether or not a second clapping sound has been generated after elapse of a first predetermined time from a first time when the microphone detects a first clapping sound and the edge pulse generator generates the first edge pulse corresponding to the first clapping sound. Subsequently, the judgment processing circuit generates a second gate having a second time width to detect whether or not a third clapping sound has been generated after elapse of a second predetermined time from a second time when the edge pulse generator generates the second edge pulse corresponding to the second clapping sound.
US08130594B2
A hydrophone (10) for immersion in a liquid body defining a depth-dependent static pressure and a dynamic pressure. The hydrophone (10) includes a pressure-bearing element (11) for exposure to the liquid body; a motion sensor (13) spaced apart from the pressure bearing element (11); and a dilatant coupling material (14) disposed intermediate the pressure-bearing element (11) and the motion sensor (13) so as to mechanically transmit movements substantially corresponding to the dynamic pressure from the pressure-bearing element (11) to the motion sensor (13). The dilatant coupling material (14) does not transmit movements to the motion sensor (13) that substantially correspond to the depth-dependent static pressure.
US08130581B2
The present invention provides a semiconductor memory device in which the number of write amplifiers is decreased by increasing the number of bit line pairs connected to one pair of common write data lines. Further, by decreasing the number of bit line pairs connected to one pair of common read data lines, parasitic capacitance connected to the pair of common read data lines is reduced and, accordingly, time in which the potential difference between the pair of common read data lines increases is shortened. Thus, while preventing enlargement of the chip layout area, read time can be shortened.
US08130578B2
A semiconductor memory device, having a 6F2 open bit line structure, connects each bit line of a bit line pair to a respective bit line of a neighboring bit line pair for a precharge operation so that a layout size of the semiconductor memory device decreases. Plural first precharge units each precharge one bit line of a first bit line pair and one bit line of a second bit line pair in response to a bit line equalizing signal. Plural sense amplifiers each sense a data bit supplied to a respective one of the first and second bit line pairs and amplify sensed data.
US08130576B2
Methods and apparatus to improve throughput in memory devices are described. In one embodiment, memory throughput is increased via fine granularity of precharge management. In an embodiment, three separate precharge timings may be used, e.g., optimized per memory bank, per memory bank group, and/or per a memory device. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.
US08130574B2
Error detection circuitry is provided on a programmable logic resource. Programmable logic resource configuration data is loaded into a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) module where a checksum calculation may be performed. In one embodiment, the checksum may be compared to an expected value, which is a precomputed checksum on data prior to being programmed into or while data is being programmed into a programmable logic resource. In another embodiment, the expected value may be included in the checksum calculation. An output indicating whether an error is detected may be generated depending on the relationship between the checksum and the expected value, or on the value of the checksum. This output may be sent to an output pin that is accessible by user logic.
US08130565B2
A semiconductor device includes internal voltage generating circuits, a switching circuit, load circuits, a control circuit. Each of the plurality of load circuits is supplied with voltage through the switching circuit from any one of the plurality of internal voltage generating circuits. The control circuit defines connecting combinations by the switch circuit. The control circuit supplies a control signal to the switch circuit, based on the control signal corresponding to the definitions of the connecting combinations. The control circuit allows switching the connecting combinations when the semiconductor device tests in a test mode. The control circuit prohibits switching the connecting combinations in a non-test mode. The switch circuit connects between each of m of the internal voltage generating circuits and each of n of the load circuits through a connecting combination which is selected, based on the control signal, from mn of the connecting combinations.
US08130562B2
A semiconductor memory device includes n stages of memory cell units, sense amplifier units, and shift registers. N units of the shift registers are connected to one another on the left end sides. The signal processing units and the reversed signal processing units are disposed adjacent to one another in each of the n units of the shift registers. The signal processing units located on the odd-numbered positions counted from the input end side are connected to one another. The reversed signal processing units located on the even-numbered positions counted from the input end side are connected to one another. The signal processing units located on the end opposite to the input end side are connected to the reversed signal processing units located on the end opposite to the input end side. Each of the signal processing units includes the logic circuit unit and the flip-flop while each of the reversed signal processing units includes the reversed logic circuit unit and the reversed flip-flop.
US08130560B1
A system is provided for multi-rank, partial-width memory modules. A memory controller is provided. Additionally, a memory bus is provided. Further, a memory module with a plurality of ranks of memory circuits is provided, the memory module including a first number of data pins that is less than a second number of data pins of the memory bus.
US08130555B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor storage device including a NAND cell unit having a first and a second select gate transistor, a plurality of memory cell transistors series connected between the first and second select gate transistors that are coupled to corresponding word lines, and a peripheral circuit erase verifying the NAND cell unit by turning on the first and second select gate transistors, applying a predetermined voltage level on the source line, detecting a voltage level of the bit line at once under a state where a voltage level applied on one or more of the word lines coupled to the memory cell transistors relatively closer to the second select gate transistor is arranged higher than that applied on one or more of the word lines coupled to the memory cell transistors relatively closer to the first select gate transistor, and verifying data erase based on the detected voltage.
US08130549B2
A system embodiment comprises a nonvolatile memory device, a memory, and a controller. The nonvolatile memory device includes a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells. Each nonvolatile memory cell is adapted to store at least two bits. The memory is adapted to store a program when the system powers up. The controller is adapted to implement the program to provide instructions used to program and erase nonvolatile memory cells. A method embodiment comprises loading a program into memory upon powering up a memory system, and implementing the program using a controller, including programming and erasing multi-bit nonvolatile memory cells.
US08130548B2
A semiconductor memory cell includes a floating body region configured to be charged to a level indicative of a state of the memory cell; a first region in electrical contact with said floating body region; a second region in electrical contact with said floating body region and spaced apart from said first region; a gate positioned between said first and second regions; and a back-bias region configured to inject charge into or extract charge out of said floating body region to maintain said state of the memory cell. Application of back bias to the back bias region offsets charge leakage out of the floating body and performs a holding operation on the cell. The cell may be a multi-level cell. Arrays of memory cells are disclosed for making a memory device.
US08130544B2
A method of reducing coupling effect in a flash memory is disclosed. A neighboring page is read, and a flag is set active if the neighboring page is an interfering page. Data are read from the neighboring page at least two more times using at least two distinct read voltages respectively. The threshold-voltage distributions associated with an original page and the neighboring page are transferred according to the read data and the flag.
US08130541B2
A test circuit transfers data, which is generated by current supplied from an external source, to a memory cell in response to a test mode signal.
US08130537B2
Embodiments are directed to memory devices comprising a bipolar junction transistor having an emitter, a base and a collector; a first side of a resistance changing memory element coupled to the emitter of the bipolar junction transistor; and a MOSFET coupled to the base of the bipolar junction transistor.
US08130532B2
A high speed sensing scheme for a non-volatile memory array is disclosed. The memory array includes non volatile memory cells arranged in a complementary bitline configuration includes precharge circuits for precharging the bitlines to a first voltage level such as VSS, a reference circuits for applying a reference charge on the reference bitlines of the complementary bitline pairs, and bitline sense amplifiers for sensing a voltage differential between the complementary bitline pairs. A voltage on the data bitline being changed when a programmed non-volatile memory cell connected to an activated wordline couples the wordline voltage to the data bitline.
US08130527B2
Some embodiments include apparatus and methods having dice arranged in a stack. The dice include at least a first die and a second die, and a connection coupled to the dice. The connection may be configured to transfer control information to the first die during an assignment of a first identification to the first die and to transfer the control information from the first die to the second die during an assignment of a second identification to the second die.
US08130526B2
A method is disclosed for programming an ID register of a microchip. The method comprises the step, prior to packaging, of attaching at least one additional ID pin to the die of the microchip. The at least one pin being so attached that, when the microchip is packaged, the at least one pin is sealed within the package. At least a portion of the microchip identity data is programmed by providing a plurality of unique combinations of binary data to the at least one additional pin. Each unique combination of binary data corresponds to a unique identity of the microchip. The at least one pin is coupled to a respective module of the microchip layout for providing, via the at least one pin, information associated with the particular identity of the microchip. The at least one pin is also coupled to the identification register, so as to, upon testing, include the respective combination of binary data in the ID register data of the microchip.
US08130524B2
A bi-directional DC to DC power converter includes two DC sources, two inductors respectively connected to the two DC sources, a first switch and a second switch respectively connected to the two inductors, two capacitors respectively connected to the two switches, and a third switch connected between the two inductors. The first, second and third switches are respectively connected reversely with a diode in parallel. When the third switch is alternately turned on and off and the first and second switches are always turned off, the power converter operates as a boost power converter and electric energy flows from the two DC sources to the two capacitors. When the third switch is always turned off and the first and second switches are synchronously turned on or off, the power converter operates as a buck power converter and electric energy flows from the two capacitors to the two DC sources.
US08130518B2
Electric power from typically unstable multiple dc sources is converted to ac electric power of suitable quality for injection into an electric power grid. Conversion is accomplished by current regulation of the output from the dc sources to the input of each one of multiple inverters in a system, with each inverter outputting multiple phase currents that are out of phase with the multiple phase currents outputted from all other inverters in the system. The multiple phase currents from all of the inverters in a system are connected to the secondary windings of a phase transformation network that produces a three phase current output having a step-shaped waveform for injection into the electric power grid.
US08130512B2
A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit package system including: providing a circuit board having an interconnect thereon; mounting a first device offset on the circuit board; and applying a first encapsulant of a first thickness over the first device, the first encapsulant of a second thickness thinner than the first thickness over the remainder of the circuit board with the interconnect exposed, or a second encapsulant of a third thickness over a second device on an opposite surface of the circuit board and differently offset from the first device.
US08130509B2
A package carrier including a substrate, at least an under bump metallurgic (UBM) layer and at least a conductive bump is provided. The substrate has a conductive structure and at least a pad connected with the conductive structure. A region of the pad connected with the conductive structure is a signal source region. The UBM layer is disposed on the pad and includes a first conductive pattern and a second conductive pattern. A side wall of the second conductive pattern is directly connected to a side wall of the first conductive pattern, and the second conductive pattern is disposed close to the signal source region. The conductivity of the second conductive pattern is smaller than the conductivity of the first conductive pattern. The conductive bump is disposed on the UBM layer.
US08130502B2
A modular patch panel module is mountable on an electronics enclosure and includes an angled patch face and mounting structure that enables stacking of modular patch panels without interference of patch panel cords with the top of the enclosure or another patch panel stacked thereon. The patch panel modules may each contain a plurality of RJ-45 ports and punchdown blocks. A cover plate may snap fit to the module to retain the patch panel electrical components therebetween.
US08130501B2
In one embodiment, a power cell chamber for a drive system includes moveable and fixed portions. The moveable portion includes a rectifier stage to rectify an input signal received from a secondary winding of a transformer to provide a rectified signal and an inverter stage having a plurality of switching devices to receive a DC signal and output an AC signal. This moveable portion can be slidably adapted within a cabinet of the drive system. In turn, the fixed portion includes a DC link having at least one capacitor to receive the rectified signal and provide the DC signal to the inverter stage.
US08130499B2
The present invention relates to a heat dissipation structure board and a module using this heat dissipation structure used for purpose required of high reliability such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle and to a method of manufacturing the heat dissipation structure. A resin structure is disposed on a lead frame constituting a heat dissipation board and an odd-shaped electronic component or the like mounted on this lead frame or the like to cover up the lead frame and the odd-shaped electronic component or the like, and this resin structure is fixed to a metal plate, a chassis of a device and the like to constitute the heat dissipation structure board as a whole, whereby fixing strengths of fixing the lead frame and the odd-shaped electronic component or the like, a bonding strength at an interface between the lead frame and the heat transfer layer and the like can be reinforced.
US08130497B2
A server system with a cooling ability that can cope with an increase in the amount of heat generated by a CPU of a server module detachably mounted on a blade server. The server module includes an enclosure accommodating therein a motherboard on which a CPU, memory, and the like are mounted, and part of a boil cooling device for cooling heat generated by the CPU. A fan accommodated in a fan module is adapted to blow air into the server module through an opening of the server module enclosure. The boil cooling device includes a first heat transmission member disposed in the server module enclosure, a second heat transmission member disposed outside the server module enclosure, and a plurality of pipes connecting them. The first heat transmission member is a box body with an internal space for hermetically sealing a refrigerant therein, one external planar face of which is thermally connected to the CPU and the other external planar face of which is provided with a heat sink. The second heat transmission member is disposed in the fan module unit, and a heat radiation member provided for the pipes forms an airflow passage together with the motherboard.
US08130495B2
An audio sound system has a printed circuit board disposed within a compact case. The PCB has a power conversion circuit for generating an operating potential, audio amplifier circuit coupled for receiving the operating potential to amplify an audio signal, and peak voltage and current limiting circuit coupled to the audio amplifier circuit to avoid hard clipping of the audio signal. The power conversion circuit has heat-generating components. A cooling tunnel is mounted over the printed circuit board. A cooling fan is mounted in the compact case adjacent a first opening of the cooling tunnel for directing air flow through a second opening of the cooling tunnel over the PCB. The cooling tunnel has a notch formed in a side of the cooling tunnel for directing air flow over the PCB. The audio amplifier circuit can generate greater than 500 watts into a 4-ohm load.
US08130490B2
A detachable hard drive with an electromagnetic switch comprises a tray, a fastening unit and an electromagnetic switch. The electromagnetic switch is powered on when the hard drive is in operation, and sequentially the fastening unit is electrically controlled by the electromagnetic switch to automatically fasten with the housing body of an electronic product. On the contrary, the electromagnetic switch is powered off when the hard drive stops the operation so as to the hard drive can be released from the electronic product. Thus, the invention relating to the detachable hard drive with an electromagnetic switch is to ensure the hard drive can be securely released from the electronic product when the electromagnetic switch is powered off for preventing the data erased and the firmware damaged.
US08130486B2
An electronic component includes a functional element, first and second collectors joined to the functional element, and an outer package integrally covering the functional element and the first and second collectors. The functional element has first and second end surfaces having circular shapes and a side surface having a cylindrical shape extending along a center axis. The element includes first and second electrode foils rolled about the center axis and exposed from the first and second surfaces, respectively. The outer package has first and second surfaces parallel to the first and second end surfaces of the functional element, and has first to fourth corners as seen from a direction of the center axis. The first corner is adjacent to the second corner. The first and second terminals are arranged at the first and second corners of the outer package, respectively. This electronic component can have a small size and a small height while reducing its equivalent series resistance.
US08130471B1
An integrated lead flexure includes traces with windowed or reduced width portions. The flexure includes a metal base layer with a plurality of apertures, an insulating layer on the metal base layer, and one or more conductive traces formed on the insulating layer and extending over the metal base layer and the plurality of apertures. Backed portions of the one or more conductive traces that extend over the metal base layer have a first width, and unbacked portions of the one or more conductive traces that extend over the plurality of apertures have a second width that is less than the first width.
US08130469B2
A suspension for a HGA includes a flexure having a tongue region and an outrigger. The outrigger has a pair of rigid beams and a pair of spring beams. The pair of spring beams enables the flexure to possess favorable flexibility and assists a slider to have enough displacement. The pair of rigid beams provides the flexure enough stiffness which not only successfully prevents the HGA with the outrigger from suspension deformation and dimple separation, but also assists to improve shock performance of the HGA. Furthermore, such configuration of the suspension provides the slider a good static performance and thus improves dynamic performance of the HGA. The present invention also discloses a HGA with the suspension, a manufacturing method of the HGA, and a drive unit with such an HGA.
US08130468B2
A bit patterned magnetic media design for reducing the amount of magnetic material located in the trenches between topographic features is disclosed. An intermediate non-magnetic layer is deposited on the topography prior to depositing the functional magnetic layer on the topographic substrate features. The non-magnetic layer increases the width of the land regions that will ultimately support the functional magnetic layer. The non-magnetic layer also reduces the amount of trench deposition that can occur in the subsequent deposition of the magnetic recording layer. By eliminating most of the magnetic trench material, the amount of magnetic flux and readback interference produced by the trench material is reduced to an acceptable level.
US08130466B2
A disk-drive magnetic circuit fixing structure and fixing method for fixing a magnetic circuit to a base by means of a plurality of screws, wherein provisions are made to substantially prevent a microscopic sliding movement involving impulsive vibration from occurring at a fastening portion between the magnetic circuit and the base. More specifically, in a disk drive including a disk enclosure having a base and a cover, a magnetic head contained within the disk enclosure, and a driving coil motor for driving the magnetic head by working in combination with an actuator on which the magnetic head is mounted and a magnetic circuit disposed in the vicinity of the actuator, the magnetic circuit is fixed to the base with a single or a plurality of screws by applying in advance a lubricant forming a lubricating layer on a face where each screw contacts the magnetic circuit or the base.
US08130454B2
An endoscope objective optical system used in an endoscope has an objective optical system including a first lens group having a positive refractive power, an aperture stop, a second lens group having a negative refractive power and a third lens group having a positive refractive power, the first lens group, the aperture stop and the second and third lens group being successively disposed from the object side. The second lens group is made movable along an optical axis to change the focal length of the objective optical system. The lens surface at the object-side outermost position in the first lens group is formed so as to be convex on the object side.
US08130449B2
The invention relates to optics comprising adjustable optical elements and, if desired, lenses of fixed focal lens. By use of an appropriate controller for the adjustable optical elements, characteristics of the optics can be advantageously varied. For this purpose, systems are provided which are suitable for use as surgical stereo-microscope, objective, ocular or zoom. A zoomable imaging optics comprises lenses and of variable optical power, which are oppositely controlled by means of a controller to change an imaging ratio, so that the optical power of the one lens is increased and the optical power of the other lens is decreased. Moreover, the imaging optics may comprise still further assemblies of fixed optical power.
US08130448B2
A mirror unit consists of a half mirror and a mirror unit. The half mirror generates a transmitted light and a reflected light. A pair of the mirror units is arranged on one side and the other side of the half mirror so that the transmitted light and the reflected light split by the half mirror are deflected and are combined again at a common place on the half mirror. The mirror unit also has plural mirrors and is arranged to make the optical length variable by shifting the mirror unit toward one direction with a moving mechanism.
US08130447B2
A polarization element has a polarizer with an aggregate of metal pieces: Plasmon resonance frequency of a metal piece varies according to the polarization direction of a irradiated on it. In the polarization element, the plasmon resonance frequency in a predetermined direction of a metal piece is substantially equal to the frequency of light irradiated on the polarization element. The real part and the imaginary part of permittivity at the plasmon resonance frequency of a metal piece's constituent material and the refractive index (na) of a dielectric layer satisfy a particular relation.
US08130439B2
A system for producing modulated lights disclosed. The system comprises a spatial light modulator including a light modulating medium switchable between different states so as to act on light in ways which form overall patterns of modulated light. The system also includes an arrangement for switching the modulating medium between the different states in a controlled way and an illumination arrangement for producing a source of light. The system, further includes an optics arrangement for directing light from the source of light into the spatial light modulator and for directing light from the spatial light modulator through a predetermined source imaging area. The optics arrangement cooperates with the illumination arrangement and the spatial light modulator so as to produce a real image of the source of light within the source imaging area such that an individual is able to view a virtual image of the overall patterns of modulated light from the source imaging area. A variety of novel optics arrangements are disclosed including specific combinations of different light sources, diffusing plates, polarizers, beam splitters, analyzers, lenses, mirrors, and holographic optical elements which allow the overall optical arrangement to be miniaturized to the same degree and in coordination with the spatial light modulator. The different light sources include using a plurality of light sources, such as LEDs, to form an array of light sources, each of the light sources providing light to a corresponding portion of the spatial light modulator.
US08130416B2
An image processing method is applied for recording an image on a recording medium using a plurality of color materials including a chromatic material and an achromatic material. A total amount of recording of the chromatic material is smaller than a total amount of recording of the achromatic material, and a plurality of monochrome modes including a first monochrome mode and a second monochrome mode are provided, the total amount of recording of the chromatic material being different for each of the monochrome modes. The image processing method includes adjusting the amount of recording of the achromatic material so that a recording density of an image recorded in the first monochrome mode and a recording density of an image recorded in the second monochrome mode become equivalent to each other with respect to the same luminance signal.
US08130415B2
In order to form a high-quality image, upon execution of multi-pass printing using a printing head with a plurality of nozzles, an image processing apparatus calculates, using a scan duty setting unit, scan duty data for respective nozzles for each scan of the printing head in accordance with input image data. A halftone processor generates a dot pattern to be formed by applying N-ary processing based on predetermined constraining condition information to the calculated scan duty data. A constraining, condition information calculation unit generates constraining condition information to be referred to by the halftone processor at the time of the next scan. The constraining condition information is set so that the phase of a next dot pattern to be generated has an opposite phase relationship in a low frequency region with respect, to the already printed dot pattern.
US08130413B1
Trapping objects. An object of a first type, for example, a text is detected in a section of a page. An object of a second type, for example, a stroke is then detected in the section. A check is then performed to determine if the object of the second type adjoins the object of the first type. One or more parameters, for example trapping parameters associated with the object of the first type are applied to the object of the first type and to the object of the second type, if it is determined that the object of the second type adjoins the object of the first type.
US08130412B2
When a color image is formed on a transparent sheet with a white color material as background color material and C, M, Y, K color materials as process color materials and has colors determined by the total amount of the color materials that are applied per unit area, image formation failures such as ink drooping and ink fixation failures are prevented from occurring. Of four colors or more including white represented by a CMYKW 1-bit pixel signal, the three colors C, M, Y (gray) are replaced with the color K. After the replacement, for three or more of C, M, Y, K, no white color ink is applied since the transparent sheet is opaque without the white color ink. This control process is effective to reduce the number of applications, i.e., the total amount of inks applied, thereby preventing image formation failures such as ink drooping from occurring.
US08130409B2
The image forming apparatus includes image forming device for forming an image, switching device for switching resolution of an image formed by the image forming device, processing device for performing stabilization processing for stabilizing quality of the image formed by the image forming device and changing device for changing a processing procedure of the stabilization processing in accordance with the resolution switched by the switching device. With these features, it is possible to avoid deterioration of image quality even if the resolution is switched.
US08130402B2
A first acquiring unit acquires a print target image. A storage unit has stored thereon a combination image to be combined with the print target image in association with a judgment condition for determining whether the combination image is combined with the print target image. A second acquiring unit acquires attribute values related to the print target image or a print environment when starting execution of printing of the print target image. A judging unit makes a judgment based on the attribute values acquired by the second acquiring unit and the judgment condition stored in the storage unit about whether the attribute values satisfy the judgment condition. A combination controller performs control to combine the combination image with the print target image when the judging unit judges that the attribute values satisfy the judgment condition.
US08130401B2
The image forming system is provided with: a printer that superposes and transfers plural images formed by use of plural image forming materials to a medium; and a data processor that supplies data of the images to the printer. The data processor includes: a data generation unit that generates data of image components corresponding to the respective kinds of the image forming materials; a data forwarding unit that forwards the generated data to the printer; and an assigning unit that assigns the image components in accordance with the data amount of the forwarded data. The printer includes: an output controller that controls an image forming mechanism to form an image by use of the image forming materials; and a switch processing unit that transmits the data received from the data processor, to the output controller corresponding to the image components of the received data.
US08130400B2
A system and method for an adaptable print driver that adapts its behavior to make use of multiple processors when they are available on the host computer. In particular, during installation or initialization of the print driver, the driver will query the operating system for the number and type of processors present. If the print driver detects that multiple processors are present, it will operate in a way that makes explicit use of the multiple processors.
US08130399B2
A print management apparatus includes: a communication section connected to image forming apparatuses via a network for transmitting a print job to one of the apparatuses, and receiving management information from each apparatus including information about a print function of the apparatus and alternate printing instructions to allow another image forming apparatus perform an alternate printing. A management section creates and stores management data indicating respective states of the apparatuses based on management information received by the communication section. A designating section designates a first of the apparatuses and allows the communication section to transmit a print job to the designated first apparatus, designates a second apparatus to perform an alternate printing with reference to the management data of the management section, and allows the communication section to transmit the print job to the designated second apparatus if an alternate printing instruction is received from the designated first apparatus.
US08130392B2
A document management server of this invention includes a storage unit which stores output device management information and document management information, the output device management information associating, for each output device, a group to which the output device belongs and a device-corresponding-group as a group made to correspond to the output device, and the document management information associating, for each document file, a group to which the document file belongs and a document-corresponding-group as a group made to correspond to the document file, an output permission determination unit which refers to the output device management information and the document management information in accordance with an instruction to output a designated document file from a designated output device, and determines that output is permitted when a group to which the designated document file belongs is contained in a device-corresponding-group associated with the designated output device, and a group to which the designated output device belongs is contained in a document-corresponding-group associated with the designated document file, and a transmission unit which transmits the designated document file to the designated output device when it is determined by the output permission determination unit that output is permitted.
US08130389B2
A method and apparatus for configuring an image path of an image processing apparatus is herein described. The image processing apparatus includes at least an input terminal or scanner for inputting or scanning document into image data and an output terminal or printer for printing documents. The method includes selecting one of a plurality of output modes using a selection device associated with the image processing apparatus. Based on the selected output mode, an image path among a plurality of image processing elements of the apparatus is selected among a plurality of image paths. Each image path corresponds to one of the plurality of output modes. After a document is scanned with the scanner into image data, the image data is processed with the processing elements in the selected image path, and output or printed based on the processed image data.
US08130387B2
Apparatus for simulating the effects of printing process-relevant setting commands on an image to be printed image includes (a) a color management unit for transforming printing-specific image data of an image to be printed into screen-specific display data defined in an RGB target color space, wherein the image data have been defined in a CMYK source color space comprising the scale colors cyan, magenta, yellow, and black as participants in halftone combination printing; (b) at least one true color monitor for displaying the image to be printed in a true color manner on the basis of the screen-specific display data defined in the RGB target color space, the monitor being connected to the color management unit; (c) an input unit for entering the printing process-relevant setting commands for changing the image; and (d) a manipulation unit, which, on the basis of the entered setting commands, automatically adjusts the display data defined in the RGB target color space so that the image displayed on the true color monitor simulates, in a true color manner, image changes made by means of the entered setting commands.
US08130364B2
When forming a magnified image of a mask pattern on an object with a plurality of projection optical systems, projected images of the projection optical systems are formed to be accurately continuous to enable satisfactory pattern transfer. A first projection optical system directs light beam from point a on a mask to point A on a plate and forms a magnified image of the mask on the plate. A second projection optical system directs light beam from point b on the mask to point on the plate and forms a magnified image of the mask on the plate. A first line segment linking point A and point a′, which orthogonally projects point a on the plate, and a second line segment linking point B and point b′, which orthogonally projects point b on the plate PT, overlap each other as viewed in a non-scanning direction.
US08130354B2
To provide a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display device, and an electronic device which have a wide viewing angle and in which the number of manufacturing steps, the number of masks, and manufacturing cost are reduced compared with a conventional one. The liquid crystal display device includes a first electrode formed over an entire surface of one side of a substrate; a first insulating film formed over the first electrode; a thin film transistor formed over the first insulating film; a second insulating film formed over the thin film transistor; a second electrode formed over the second insulating film and having a plurality of openings; and a liquid crystal over the second electrode. The liquid crystal is controlled by an electric field between the first electrode and the second electrode.
US08130353B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a gate line and a data line crossing each other to define a pixel region on a substrate; a thin film transistor connected to the gate and data lines; a pixel electrode in the pixel region and including a first pixel portion which has a plurality of bent portions and first and second pixel protrusion portions protruding from the bent portions alternately in an opposing direction; and a common electrode in the pixel region and including first and second common portions between which the first pixel portion is located, and first and second common protrusion portions protruding from the first and second common portions, respectively, alternately in a direction toward the bent portions.
US08130349B2
A substrate for a display apparatus includes a plate, a switching element, an insulating layer, and a partition wall. The plate has a reflection region on which a light that is provided from an exterior to the substrate is reflected and a transmission region through which a light generated from a backlight assembly passes. The switching element is on the plate. The insulating layer is on the plate having the switching element. The transmission region of the insulating layer is recessed when compared to the reflection region of the insulating layer. The insulating layer has a contact hole through which a first electrode of the switching element is partially exposed. The partition wall divides the transmission region into a plurality of transmission portions. Advantageously, an image display quality of the display apparatus is improved, and manufacturing cost is decreased.
US08130339B2
A backlight module includes a back housing, a top housing, a lamp, a light-guide plate, and a reflecting sheet. The back housing includes a bottom plate. The back housing and top housing form an accommodating space; the lamp is situated in the accommodating space. The light-guide plate is disposed on the bottom plate and has a lateral light-inputting surface and a bottom surface. Light emitted from the lamp enters the light-guide plate through the lateral light-inputting surface. The reflecting sheet is disposed between the light-guide plate and the bottom plate. The reflecting sheet includes a curved portion to enable the light-guide plate and the reflecting sheet to be combined conformingly.
US08130338B2
A liquid crystal display device that is capable of preventing the damage to optical sheets and a liquid crystal panel due to vibration and impact is disclosed. The liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel for controlling transmissivity of liquid crystal to display images, a backlight unit configured to include a plurality of optical sheets for irradiating light to the liquid crystal panel, and a support main for supporting the liquid crystal panel and the backlight unit, the support main having a protrusion curved to prevent the droop of the liquid crystal panel at the middle thereof. With the above construction, it is possible to minimize the friction between the liquid crystal panel and the optical sheets, prevent the formation of wrinkles or scratches at the optical sheets, and prevent the optical sheets from being rubbed.
US08130329B2
A monitor apparatus includes a display panel housed in a housed position, a driving section, a detecting section, and a controlling section. The driving section includes a gear transmission mechanism for driving the display panel and causes the display panel to perform a first operation in which the display panel is moved from the housed position to an upright position via a horizontal position and a second operation in which the display panel is lowered from the upright position and is drawn into the housed position via the horizontal position. The detecting section detects when an external force is applied to the display panel placed in the upright position. When the detecting section detects that an external force is applied, the controlling section causes the driving section to drive the display panel in a direction in which the external force was applied.
US08130327B2
A video processing apparatus, comprises a signal receiving part receiving a video signal through one of a plurality of channels, a user inputting part in which the channel is selected and inputted by a user, a video processing part processing the video signal received by the signal receiving part, and a controller controlling the signal receiving part to start receiving a video signal through a first channel upon the first channel selection among the plurality of channels by the user, and to start receiving a video signal through a second channel upon the second channel selection among the plurality of channels by the user, wherein the second channel selection is made during the receiving process of the first channel.Thus, the present invention provides a video processing apparatus and a video processing method capable of performing a channel change rapidly to solve the above-described problem.
US08130323B2
A video signal processing system including a digital signal processing (DSP) module, a digital offset module coupled to the DSP module, a gain module, and a digital to analog converter (DAC) coupled to the DSP module and to the gain module, wherein the DAC is configured to cause the gain module to provide multiple gain signals having predetermined first values to the DAC, cause, for each of the multiple gain signals, a digital input signal value to the DAC to be ramped up, determine, for each of the multiple gain signals, a lowest digital input signal value that causes an output voltage of the DAC to be at least as high as a reference voltage, and determine a second gain value that will cause the DAC to provide a desired DAC output voltage in response to the DAC receiving a reference DAC input value.
US08130322B2
A picture control method and an image processing apparatus thereof are provided. The method includes setting a picture control mode; setting a picture control value in response to the picture control mode; and sensing a change of the picture control value; restoring the picture control value to a previous value if the change of the picture control value is maintained in excess of a certain amount of time. The image processing apparatus includes a picture controller which sets a mode and a value in response to the mode; a memory which stores an initial value of the value; and a controller which senses a change of the value and controls the picture controller to maintain the change of the value for a certain amount of time, and if the change of the value is maintained in excess of the certain amount of time, retrieves the initial value of the value, and controls the picture controller to change the picture control value to a previously unchanged value.
US08130321B2
The invention relates to systems and methods for calibrating an analogue video interface. Due to the lack of pixel clock signal (206) information in the video-handling unit, a sample clock signal (202) needs to be generated, which should correspond with the unknown pixel clock signal (206). The types of signals transmitted to the video-handling unit may correspond with strange display formats and no up-front information may be present. The present invention provides methods and systems for automatic calibration of an analogue video interface. These are based on obtaining an analogue video signal (208) that is based on a pixel clock signal (206), generating a sample clock signal (202) having a first frequency by means of a PLL feedback divider having a value, determining a phase-relation between the video signal (208) and the sample clock signal (202) and evaluating the phase-relation to determine if the correct sample clock signal (202) is generated. The method is looped until a correct value for the PLL feedback divider is obtained so as to obtain a correct sample clock signal (202).
US08130316B2
An image output device includes a reception unit, an output unit, and a selection reception unit. The reception unit receives a change of setting from a display mode, which is currently set to one of a plurality of display modes, to a different display mode. The output unit outputs an image signal based upon a display mode which has been received. Furthermore, when the receipt of a change of setting by the reception unit has been initiated, the output unit outputs an image for mode selection in which an image based upon the display mode which is currently set, and an image based upon another display mode among the plurality of display modes which is not currently set, are arrayed. The selection reception unit receives a selection of one display mode among the other display modes which are not currently set, among the plurality of display modes.
US08130300B2
An imaging device and method for operating the device. The device comprises a pixel array having a plurality of pixels arranged in rows and columns and a plurality of readout circuits for the pixels. A reset circuit in one readout circuit is simultaneously operated with a row select circuit in another readout circuit using a common select line. A transfer select circuit may also be simultaneously operated with the common select line.
US08130278B2
Multiple images of a scene are acquired over a contemporaneous period of time. Most of the multiple images are lower resolution images acquired with a lower resolution than the other of the multiple images. A corrected set of images is formed at least by correcting for motion present between at least some of the lower resolution images. In addition, a synthesized image is formed at least by merging (a) at least a portion of at least one of the images in the corrected set of images, and (b) at least a portion of at least one of the other of the multiple images. The synthesized image is stored in a processor-accessible memory system. The synthesized image exhibits improved image quality including reduced motion blur, a higher signal-to-noise ratio, and higher resolution over conventional techniques.
US08130266B2
A video processing apparatus and a method capable of selecting various video signals are provided. The video processing apparatus includes an input unit which receives a video signal select key value by which a video signal select command to select one of the plurality of video signals is recognized; a storage unit which stores a plurality of video signal names corresponding to the plurality of video signals; and a control unit which sets a first display mode or a second display mode according to the duration of the video signal select key value, the first and second display modes indicating opposite orders in which the video signal names corresponding to the plurality of video signal units are displayed, and displays the video signal names sequentially in the set display mode. Thus, a user can conveniently select the video signal.
US08130262B2
An apparatus and a method for enhancing a field of vision of a user with a visual impairment to help the user to navigate safely in the surroundings. The apparatus includes a body, at least one video device coupled to the body for recording a visual image of a physical environment surrounding the user, at least one monitor coupled to the body, a processor which receives signals from the at least one video device and operatively controls the at least one monitor to display the visual image recorded by the at least one video device, and a tunnel vision finder to determine the user's actual vision size. The method includes the step of determining the user's actual vision size, acquiring a visual image of a physical environment surrounding the user, processing the visual image, and displaying the visual image in the user's actual vision.
US08130261B2
A dynamically corrected parallax system includes a head borne video source for imaging an object and providing video data. A controller electronically offsets the video data provided from the head borne video source to form offset video data. A display device receives the offset video data and displays the offset video data to a user's eye. The display device is configured for placement directly in front of the user's eye as a vision aid, and the head borne video source is configured for displacement to a side of the user's eye. The offset video data corrects parallax due to horizontal and/or vertical displacement between the display device and the head borne video source.
US08130259B2
When an end portion of a three-dimensional image appears to pop forward from a display surface, a predetermined end area is set at a periphery of images forming the three-dimensional image to modify at least one of the images to modify the stereoscopic effect so that at least a part of the end portion appears to be level with the display surface. A disparity between corresponding pixels in the end area of the images is modified so that the disparity is gradually decreased toward the end of the images, and image parts at left and right areas of the end area of a reference image among the images are deformed based on the disparity. At least one of the images is modified by modifying the image other than the reference image with the deformed image parts of the end area. Then, three-dimensional processing is applied to the modified images.
US08130258B2
The present invention is in the field of Content protection, most particularly in cinema venues where camcorder acquisition followed by immediate illegal distribution creates important revenue losses for content owners. It is known that anti-camcorder systems using a color modulation can be circumvented by using low shutter speed in the camcorder. Today, the shutter speed is determined automatically by the camcorder as a function of the filmed video source. In automatic configurations, shutter speed self-adapts to either motion, or flicker detection, both of which taking into account brightness variations only. The proposed invention proposes a dual color/brightness modulation to defeat automatic shutter speed adjustment. For example, a color modulation at 50/60 Hz is carried out and a brightness modulation at a higher frequency 100/120 Hz is added to force the camcorder to work at a high shutter speed.
US08130251B2
An image forming apparatus includes a light source that emits a laser beam, a separating unit that separates the laser beam emitted from the light source into a first laser beam, and a second laser beam. a first photoelectric converting unit, a second photoelectric converting unit, and a control unit that executes a first light-intensity correction for correcting the light intensity of the second laser beam per scan by each scanning line, and a second light-intensity correction for adjusting a performance in forming the image data based on a current correction value for correcting a light intensity of the laser beam based on a first voltage and a second voltage and a drive current preliminarily-set with respect to the laser beam to cause the light source to emit the laser beam.
US08130250B2
An optical scanner includes a light source modulated based on image data, an optical deflection and scanning part deflecting a light beam emitted from the light source, and a scanning and imaging optical system condensing the deflected light beam toward a scanning surface so as to form a light spot optically scanning the scanning surface. The effective scanning region of the scanning surface is divided into a plurality of regions according to a scanning line curving characteristic. Suitable image data for optically scanning the divided regions are selected from image data of a plurality of image lines every time the light spot optically scans the effective scanning region, so that the image data of each of the image lines is written with scanning line curving being corrected.
US08130249B2
An erasable media imaging device includes an input for supplying erasable media to the imaging device, the erasable media being one of an imaged erasable medium and a non-imaged erasable medium. An erase subsystem is provided for erasing an imaged erasable medium and a write subsystem is provided for imaging a non-imaged erasable medium, the erase subsystem and function decoupled from the write subsystem and function. In a corresponding method, one of an imaged erasable medium and a non-imaged erasable medium are supplied to the imaging device. The method further includes selecting only one of an erase mode and a write mode, the erase mode decoupled from the write mode, erasing an imaged erasable medium in the erase mode, and imaging the non-imaged erasable medium in the write mode.
US08130248B2
An image forming apparatus having a photosensitive element, is provided with a light source for scanning light to the photosensitive element; a light blocking member disposed in a light traveling path of the light from the light source and moving between a blocking position where the light blocking member blocks the light scanned from the light source and a withdrawal position where the light blocking member is withdrawn from the blocking position; a power supply unit for supplying electric power to the light source for scanning light; a power switch unit for regulating power supply from the power supply unit; and an operating part locating the light blocking member at the blocking position and controlling the power switch unit to cut off the power supply in a predetermined exposure condition. As a result, a user is kept from being exposed to the light from a light source.
US08130247B2
An image recording apparatus includes an image forming section, a first frame for supporting the imager forming section, a second frame for supporting the first frame loosely, and a supporting section disposed on an apparatus body for supporting the second frame in a rotatable manner, wherein the first frame moves in association with a rotation of the second frame.
US08130245B2
A system of processing map images includes a Web Mapping Service (WMS) for storing map images. A WMS proxy is operative with the WMS and receives from a client a request for a map image for display at the client. A WMS proxy includes a tile broker module that converts the request for the map image into a series of requests for obtaining map tiles. A cache system that stores the map tiles. The tile broker module is operative for returning cached map tiles if they already exist within the cache and retrieving map tiles from the WMS if map tiles are not returned from the cache. A tile building module is operative for building a map image at the WMS proxy from the map tiles in a requested format and resolution and displaying the map image at the client without resampling at the client.
US08130236B2
A method and apparatus for processing image pixel signals having at least two color components in which at least some of the image pixel signals are classified into a plurality of classifications and transformed by a transform function associated with the classifications.
US08130234B2
A computer graphics rendering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention generates a screen image, using plural texture images having different mipmap levels. The apparatus generates a normalized texture coordinate of a texture image, generates, from the normalized texture coordinate of the texture image, a texel coordinate of a texel in the texture image, according to a mipmap level of the texture image, and generates, regarding an image block in the texture image, an index value indicating a cache line corresponding to the image block, using a texel coordinate of a texel in the image block. The apparatus generates the index value such that index values of image blocks in the same position are different, between two texture images having mipmap levels adjacent to each other.
US08130226B2
A framework for performing graphics animation and compositing operations has a layer tree for interfacing with the application and a render tree for interfacing with a render engine. Layers in the layer tree can be content, windows, views, video, images, text, media, or any other type of object for a user interface of an application. The application commits change to the state of the layers of the layer tree. The application does not need to include explicit code for animating the changes to the layers. Instead, an animation is determined for animating the change in state. In determining the animation, the framework can define a set of predetermined animations based on motion, visibility, and transition. The determined animation is explicitly applied to the affected layers in the render tree. A render engine renders from the render tree into a frame buffer for display on the processing device. Those portions of the render tree that have changed relative to prior versions can be tracked to improve resource management.
US08130225B2
A computer-implemented method includes comparing one or more surface features to a motion model. The surface feature or surface features represent a portion of an object in an image. The method also includes identifying a representation of the object from the motion model, based upon the comparison.
US08130220B2
A method, medium and apparatus determining whether models collide with each other. In the model collision detecting method, medium and apparatus, it is possible to quickly examine whether models collide, and to recognize the collision generated at an arbitrary time, which is not a predetermined collision check time of the models, without missing the recognition of the collision generated at the arbitrary time, by determining whether paths reflecting movement of the model primitives between the current time and a previous time overlap when the model primitives do not collide at the current time, determining whether the model primitives collide with each other at an arbitrary time between the current time and the previous time when the path primitives overlap each other, and recognizing that the models collide with each other at the arbitrary time when the model primitives collide with each other at the arbitrary time.
US08130216B2
An example control signal generating circuit CTL for controlling the writing into pixels PIX instructs a data signal line drive circuit SD2, which is for driving pixels in a non-display area, to write a voltage VB or a voltage VW which are for non-displaying, not only in the first frame but also once in a predetermined number of frames. In other words, the pixels in the display area are refreshed at intervals longer than those in the case of refreshing the pixels in each frame. Thus, even if the mobility of an active element is high and the leak current on the occasion of OFF-state is large, or even if a large amount of electric charge is accumulated because of the photoelectric effect due to the use of a backlight, it is possible to prevent unnecessary displaying on the display area, which is caused because the writing into the pixels in the display area influences on the pixels in the non-display area, and hence it is possible to improve the quality of partial displaying, while restraining the power consumption.
US08130211B2
A method of rotating a virtual object within a virtual workspace. The method includes recognizing a selection perimeter of the virtual object and detecting a one-touch user input having a starting location within the selection perimeter of the virtual object. The method further includes tracking movement of the one-touch user input within the virtual workspace, and rotating the virtual object within the virtual workspace responsive to tracked movement of the one-touch user input relative to the virtual object.
US08130208B2
An image-selecting device includes a storing unit, a displaying unit, a detecting unit, a reading unit, an identification data storing unit, a display controlling unit, an image data identifying unit, and an image data selecting unit. The displaying unit displays a plurality of images based on a plurality of pieces of image data and has a plurality of display regions for the plurality of images. The detecting unit detects each of the plurality of display regions receiving direct input by an indicator. The reading unit reads the plurality of pieces of image data from the storing unit. The identification data storing unit stores identification data for identifying the plurality of pieces of image data read by the reading unit and assigns a prescribed order to the identification data for the plurality of pieces of image data. The display controlling unit controls the displaying unit to display the plurality of images according to the prescribed order. The image data identifying unit identifies each of the plurality of pieces of image data for the image displayed in the display region detected by the detecting unit. When the image data identifying unit identifies two pieces of image data among the plurality of pieces of image data, the image data selecting unit, selects or deselects image data from one image data of the two pieces of image data to the other image data of the two pieces of image data according to the prescribed order of the identification data.
US08130206B2
An apparatus including a touch sensitive display including a first portion and a second portion; and a processor configured to detect user inputs on the touch sensitive display and control the touch sensitive display, wherein; the processor is configured to control the touch sensitive display, to enable a first state, in which the first portion of the touch sensitive display is operable to enable access to a first set of functions and the second portion of the touch sensitive display is operable to enable access to a second set of functions, and to enable, in response to the detection of a first user input when the touch sensitive display is in the first state, a second state in which the second portion of the touch sensitive display is not operable to enable access to any one of the second set of functions and the first portion is operable to enable access to a set of functions.
US08130204B2
A system for interfacing with a user. The system includes a sensor, a controller, and a display. The sensor is configured to sense environmental conditions about the display and communicate the environmental conditions with the controller. The controller is configured to generate graphics and provide the graphics to the display. The graphics include one or more environmental display elements that correspond to the environmental condition sensed by the sensor.
US08130201B1
A method of processing data using a portable electronic device includes transcoding, using a processor of the portable electronic device, a first webpage to generate a second web page. The second web page is displayed using a display device of the portable electronic device.
US08130200B2
A user interface device for use in controlling one or more external devices has at least a positional change operation mode and a keyboard operation mode. The user interface device has a main body portion, an orientation sensor, a surface sensor, a processor and a switch. The main body portion includes a top surface having at least one button that is active only in the positional change operation mode. The at least one button triggers an action in the one or more external devices when pressed. The bottom surface has a displacement sensor and a thumb keyboard. The displacement sensor detects positional change of the user interface device only during the positional change operation mode. The positional change is used for navigation on a display screen of the one or more external devices. The thumb keyboard has a plurality of keys that generate keyboard signals for sending to the one or more external devices only when the user interface device is in the keyboard operation mode. The plurality of keys allow for entry of at least alphabetic characters. The orientation sensor detects the orientation state of the user interface device. The surface sensor detects whether the bottom surface of the user interface device is touching an external surface. The processor includes processor logic that receives input signals from at least the orientation sensor and the surface sensor, and uses the input signals to determine whether to place the user interface device in either the positional change operation mode or the keyboard operation mode. The switch is configured to place the user interface device in either the positional change operation mode or the keyboard operation mode.
US08130192B2
A method and apparatus for reducing image artifacts on displays (e.g., electronic paper, etc.) are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises generating pixels of an image for a bistable display using halftoning based on data of one or more previously displayed images.
US08130184B2
Various embodiments for image pixel transformation are disclosed.
US08130181B2
A OLED display and a driving method thereof are disclosed. The OLED display includes: an OLED display panel including: data lines to which data voltages are supplied; gate lines to which a gate voltage is sequentially supplied; luminescence control lines to which a luminescence control voltage is sequentially supplied, a driving power line to which a driving voltage is supplied; a compensation power line to which a compensation voltage having a first level and a second level different from the first level are supplied; a plurality of pixel cells each respectively in pixel areas defined by the data lines and the gate lines; a data driver having output lines whose number is smaller than the number of the data lines; and a demultiplexer unit formed between the data driver and the OLED display panel, the demultiplexer unit supplying the data voltages from the output lines to the data lines, wherein each of the pixel cells includes: a light emitting element; and a pixel driver that supplies a current corresponding to a corresponding one of the data voltages to the light emitting element based on the corresponding data voltage, the gate voltage, the luminescence control voltage, the driving voltage and the compensation voltage having the first level and that turns off the light emitting element when the compensation voltage has the second level.
US08130179B2
The present invention sets a display device for displaying a desired image on a display section, the display section being formed by arranging pixels in a form of a matrix, by outputting a driving signal for a signal line and a writing signal to the signal line and a scanning line of the display section by a horizontal driving circuit and a vertical driving circuit, wherein the pixel includes a light emitting element, a signal level storage capacitor, a transistor for writing.
US08130175B1
Pixel interleaving configurations for use in high definition electronic sign displays where each and every scan line includes full red, green, and blue color representation to provide for high resolution electronic video sign displays.
US08130172B2
A display method of a plasma display device and plasma display device are provided. The display method includes nonlinearly converting first image data corresponding to an input image signal to second image data having a gradation value smaller than a gradation value of first image data and expressing the second image data by a real part and an error part. The display method includes error diffusing of, when the error part of the second image data is not zero, spatially or temporally diffusing the error part. The display method includes subfield pattern converting of selecting a lighting pattern of the subfields based on the error-diffused second image data.
US08130170B2
An electronic apparatus includes: a first molded body; a second molded body which composes a housing with the first molded body; a first conductive pattern provided on an outer surface of the first molded body; a second conductive pattern provided in the housing; and a first conductive pin. The first conductive pin passes through the first molded body and connects the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern.
US08130168B1
The mast (11) of an antenna is pivotally carried by a post (12) by a hinge assembly (13). A pedestal (33) is carried by the post (12) and is adapted to carry a winch (40) having a line (46) with a hook (47) at the end thereof. A hook mount (50) is carried by the mast (11) and is adapted to receive the hook (47) of the winch (40). A locking bracket (56) is carried by the mast (11) and is connected to the pedestal (33) when the mast (11) is positioned adjacent to the post (12). An insulator bar (29) is positioned between the mast (11) and the hinge assembly (13) and the locking bracket (56).
US08130166B2
A coupling device is formed by a continuous conductive path having a central section and two extremity sections, the central section forming at least a small spiral for inductive coupling with the transponder device, the extremities sections forming each one large spiral for inductive coupling with the reader device, wherein the small spiral shows a larger pitch than the ones of the large spirals, and wherein the two extremities of the continuous path are loose such that the coupling device forms an open circuit. The pitches of the large spirals are chosen such as that the interturn stray capacitances is important and that the large spirals have mainly a capacitive behavior. And the pitch of the small spiral is chosen such as that the interturn stray capacitances are negligible, and that the small spiral has mainly an inductive behavior.
US08130163B2
The present invention relates to a compact wideband antenna of the dipole type comprising a first 1 and a second 2 conductive arm supplied differentially, one of the arms called first arm 1 forming at least one cover for an electronic card. Said type of antenna is connected to a portable electronic appliance such as a PC or similar device.
US08130156B2
A center high mount stop lamp (CHMSL) assembly for a vehicle includes an integrated radio frequency (RF) antenna. The CHMSL assembly has an outer lens element, a lamp assembly configured to emit light through the outer lens element, and a housing for the outer lens element and the lamp assembly. The housing is adapted for attachment to an upper rear portion of the vehicle, and the housing has an interior region defined therein. The CHMSL assembly also has an RF antenna element located within the interior region. The RF antenna element is configured and positioned such that it does not obstruct a light path from the lamp assembly to the outer lens element.
US08130155B2
A marine multiband antenna array includes a nearly virtual bow tie UHF antenna and a connected VHF/FM antenna that together function as an AM antenna. A diplexer separates the AM/FM radio signals from the UHF/VHF television signals.
US08130152B2
An antenna apparatus is disclosed that includes an antenna element having an inverted teardrop shape and configured to be fed with electrical power from an external power source; a ground element coupled to the antenna element; and a holding member configured to hold at least the top portion of the antenna element or a surface of a conical portion of the antenna element against the ground element.
US08130134B2
The claimed invention relates to an interactive television system including a controller for converting the hand motion of the user into acceleration data of three axes by a single 3-axis accelerometer 113 and an interactive system for mapping the output of the acceleration data with the pre-defined data in a motion database thereof so that the user can remotely control the TV centric devices with a reduced set of instructions. The claimed invention also relates to a method of using a controller incorporated with a single 3-axis accelerometer to control an interactive system for TV centric devices.
US08130133B2
In an A/D converter, isolation switches are used between the capacitors and the conversion switches. The conversion switches are those switches used to selectively couple the plates of the binary weighted capacitors to either Vref or 0 volts during the A/D conversion process. During sampling of the input voltage signal, the isolation switches are opened to isolate the conversion switches from the wide range of possible input voltages at the bottom plates of the capacitors. Therefore, the voltage across the conversion switches is substantially limited to Vref. Hence, the conversion switches can be very fast low voltage switches. After sampling of the input voltage, when the sampled input voltage is locked in, the conversion switches operate normally to selectively connect the capacitor plates to either Vref or 0 volts for successively approximating the input voltage, whereby a digital code representing the sampled input voltage is generated.
US08130125B2
The CMOS image sensor according to the present invention includes a sample hold section 3A1 for retaining an analog input signal voltage and a ramp wave signal voltage; and a comparing section 3A2 for taking an output from the sample hold section 3A1 as an input to compare it with a reverse level of itself, in which the sample hold section 3A1 applies a stabilization promoting voltage to a terminal of the sampling capacitance element so that an electric potential level of the terminal of the sampling capacitance element is promoted to become stabilized at a predetermined voltage, when the analog input signal is applied to the terminal of the sampling capacitance element.
US08130118B2
A system is disclosed as having first and second tubular tool string components. Each component has a first end and a second end, and the first end of the first component is coupled to the second end of the second component through mating threads. First and second inductive coils are disposed within the first end of the first component and the second end of the second component, respectively. Each inductive coil has at least one turn of an electrical conductor, and the first coil is in magnetic communication with the second coil. The first coil has more turns than the second coil.
US08130115B2
In the normal rotation direction, a change in the main sensing signal caused by a front edge is defined as a signal change caused by an effective edge, and a change in the main sensing signal caused by a back edge is defined as a signal change caused by an ineffective edge. In the reverse direction, a change in the main sensing signal caused by the back edge is defined as a signal change caused by an effective edge, and a change caused by a front edge is defined as a signal change caused by an ineffective edge. Regardless of the rotation direction, a detection signal generating circuit generates a detection signal including falling-edge changes and rising edge changes caused by the effective edge and ineffective edge respectively. When the direction is changed, the signal change on the detection signal is prohibited. As a result, gear tooth detection discrepancies are prevented.
US08130113B1
A method for monitoring a bearing is disclosed. The method involves positioning a non-contacting bearing isolator adjacent a bearing on a piece of rotating equipment so that at least one operating parameter of said bearing is communicated to said bearing isolator; and, positioning an energy detector within range of said bearing isolator so that said energy detector is able to monitor said at least one operating parameter of said bearing by detecting at least one operating parameter of said bearing isolator.
US08130111B2
A user device may be capable of providing a service portal and feedback on the condition of the user device, such as a user device. A condition analysis of the user device may be performed by a user, such as a person or a computing device. A condition analysis may be performed to determine the physical condition and the operational condition of the user device. A condition rating may be assigned to the user device that may be commensurate with the condition analysis. The condition data and condition analysis may be entered into and stored in a data store. A maintenance action may be performed based at least in part on the condition rating. The user device may be a user device that may be operated by a financial institution or other business entity. A user may be a customer and/or an employee, vendor, or contractor of the financial institution or other business entity.
US08130110B2
Reporting a faulty charging device. A mobile device may determine if a charging device is a faulty charging device. The determination may be performed after coupling the charging device to a power source and to the mobile device. If the charging device is a faulty charging device, the mobile device may report a location of the faulty charging device over a network.
US08130098B2
The present invention is a safety and business productivity system having the following components. One or more cameras capture video data having attribute data, the attribute data representing importance of the cameras. One or more video analytics devices process the video data from one or more of the cameras and detect primitive video events in the video data. A correlation engine correlates two or more primitive video events from the video analytics devices weighted by the attribute data of the cameras used to capture the video data. An alerting engine generates one or more alerts and performs one or more actions based on the correlation performed by the correlation engine.
US08130085B2
A power line communication apparatus, device control apparatus, and device control method are disclosed. By controlling the phase of AC power with reference to a zero cross point during power line communication, the power line communication apparatus enables not only data to be transmitted and received in a manner robust against noise and impedance but also the receiving end to be miniaturized. The power and operation of household devices can be controlled through the power line communication apparatus, thereby eliminating the need for separate communication networks when a remote control system is built in the home.
US08130079B2
Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for controlling an electronic device. A query is received at a remote control interface. A response to the query is determined. A random response interval of time is determined according/to a collision avoidance mechanism. When the random response interval of time expires, then the response to the query is sent.
US08130078B2
A radio frequency identification (RFID) badge is provided and includes a card, an authentication data acquisition and/or input device configured to receive inputted data unique to a holder of the card from the holder, an RFID tag having external system access information stored thereon, a controller configured to conduct an identification algorithm, during which the inputted data is compared with stored data, to thereby confirm that the holder is authorized to do so and to activate the RFID tag for a predetermined time upon such confirmation, a clip, which is structurally connected to the card and at least configured to cause the controller to conduct the identification algorithm and to deactivate the RFID tag, and a battery.
US08130074B2
The technology described relates to management of data packets and buffers comprising segments of data packets in a mobile communication system. Information associated with data packet segments is analyzed by a Base Station System (BSS) housing a data buffer. Based on this information analysis, the BSS can identify those segments in the buffer that constitute a complete data packet. Once identified, the segments can be discarded from the buffer. The information can include size information, whereby the analysis comprises pairwise comparing the size of a current segment with the size of a next consecutive segment. This size comparison enables identification of a first segment and a last segment of the complete data packet. The information could also, or alternatively, include a notification provided in the header of the segment. This notification identifies the associated segment as the first or last segment of the data packet or an intermediate segment.
US08130067B2
A semiconductor transformer provides high frequency operation by forming the primary windings of the transformer around a section of magnetic material that has a hard axis that lies substantially parallel to the direction of the magnetic field generated by the primary windings. The core can also be formed to have a number of sections where the magnetic flux follows the hard axis through each section of the core.
US08130063B2
A waveguide bandpass filter for use in microwave and millimeter-wave satellite communications equipment is presented. The filter is based on a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) having several cascaded oversized SIW cavities. The filter is implemented in a printed circuit board (PCB) or a ceramic substrate using arrays of standard metalized via holes to define the perimeters of the SIW cavities. Transmission lines of a microstrip line, a stripline or coplanar waveguide are used as input and output feeds. The transmission lines have coupling slots for improved stopband performance. The filter can be easily integrated with planar circuits for microwave and millimeter wave applications.
US08130058B2
An acoustic resonator includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a barium strontium titanate (BST) dielectric layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, where the acoustic resonator is switched on as a resonator with a resonant frequency if a DC (direct current) bias voltage is applied across the BST dielectric layer. The acoustic resonator is also switched off if no DC bias voltage is applied across the BST dielectric layer. Furthermore, the resonant frequency of the acoustic resonator can be tuned based on a level of the DC bias voltage, with the resonant frequency increasing as the level of the DC bias voltage applied to the BST acoustic resonator increases.
US08130053B2
A tuning method and circuit for an LC tank resonant circuit, including an inductor and a variable capacitor, are described. In a tuning mode, an RF input signal is applied to an input port of the circuit, and the RF output signal is monitored as a variable capacitor control input is varied. A peak output is detected, and the corresponding variable capacitor control input is stored, and applied to the variable capacitor in an operating mode. In one embodiment, the variable capacitor control input is adjusted for delay in the peak detection process. In one embodiment, the variable capacitor comprises a coarse capacitor and a fine capacitor; the tuning procedure is repeated for each capacitor; and both coarse and fine variable capacitor control inputs are stored and applied to the respective capacitors in operating mode.
US08130052B2
The present invention is intended to efficiently implement noise countermeasures for a semiconductor circuit board and for a semiconductor circuit. The present invention is constituted by a control substrate, and a semiconductor circuit connected to the control substrate. The semiconductor circuit includes a substrate, an integrated circuit group, and a noise countermeasure, and is separated from the control substrate. The integrated circuit group includes an integrated circuit as a noise source. The substrate has a stacked multilayer structure, and shifts the frequency of a noise generated by the integrated circuit group to the high frequency side. The noise countermeasure is connected between the integrated circuit group and the control substrate. The noise countermeasure is a filter for attenuating the high frequency of a noise.
US08130048B2
Equal numbers of variable capacitance elements, capacitance values of which are separately controlled according to a logic value of a corresponding bit of a delay control signal that is in a one-to-one relation with an oscillation frequency, are connected in parallel among differential outputs of all delay circuits excluding a differential non-inverting delay circuit at the end, which extracts a frequency signal to the outside. Bits of the delay control signal are connected in a one-to-one relation to the equal numbers of variable capacitance elements arranged on output sides of all the delay circuits, in a relation in which delay control signals continuous in terms of frequency are not connected to the equal number of variable capacitance elements arranged on an output side of one of the delay circuits.
US08130041B2
Provided is a power amplifier device. The power amplifier device includes: a cutoff unit cutting off a direct current (DC) component of a signal delivered from a signal input terminal; a circuit protecting unit connected to the cutoff unit and stabilizing a signal delivered from the cutoff unit; and an amplification unit connected to the circuit protecting unit and amplifying a signal delivered from the circuit protecting unit, wherein the amplification unit comprises a plurality of transistors connected in parallel to the circuit protecting unit and the circuit protecting unit comprises resistors connected to between bases of the plurality of transistors.
US08130033B2
Disclosed are embodiments of an integrated circuit device, method and design structure for selectively amplifying one of multiple received input signals. The embodiments incorporate at least two first stage transistors and a single second stage transistor. The first stage transistors are adapted to receive input signals from the same or different input signal sources and are each electrically coupled to the second stage transistor. A control circuit design is adapted to individually turn on a selected first stage transistor in conjunction with the second stage transistor, thereby activating a corresponding one of the cascode amplifiers and allowing the input signal received by the selected first stage transistor to be separately amplified.
US08130026B2
A booster circuit includes a pump circuit having a plurality of charge pump circuits for outputting a boosted voltage to a first output terminal. The booster circuit also includes a clock adjusting circuit that generates, from a first clock signal, a second clock signal for operating the charge pump circuits. A pump controlling circuit outputs the first clock signal for operating the pump circuit. A first comparator outputs a first output signal. A second comparator outputs a second output signal. A third comparator outputs a third output signal. A gradient of the boosted voltage is decreased when the first output signal is output. A frequency of the first clock signal is reduced when the second output signal is output. The third output signal is output when the boosted voltage is higher than a set value of the boosted voltage.
US08130023B2
A system and method for providing symmetric, efficient bi-directional power flow and power conditioning for high-voltage applications. Embodiments include a first vertical-channel junction gate field-effect transistor (VJFET), a second VJFET, a gate drive coupled to the first VJFET gate and the second VJFET gate. Both VJFETs include a gate, drain (D1 and D2), and a source, and have gate-to-drain and gate-to-source built-in potentials. The first VJFET and the second VJFET are connected back-to-back in series so that the sources of each are shorted together at a common point S. The gate drive applies an equal voltage bias (VG) to both the gates. The gate drive is configured to selectively bias VG so that current flows through the VJFETs in the D1 to D2 direction, flows through the VJFETs in the D2 to D1 direction or voltages applied to D1 of the first VJFET or D2 of the second VJFET are blocked.
US08130022B2
Circuits and methods to achieve a switch interface circuit for a single pole, single throw (SPST) momentary push-button switch consuming a few tens of nanoamps whilst the push-button switch is closed, having low impedance input path when the switch is open in order to eliminate RFI interference have been achieved. The two states of the push-button switch, open and closed, maintain a low impedance path to one of the power supplies. The supply current is zero when the switch is open and is minimized whilst the switch is closed. The asynchronous edge triggered detection of the switch event allows an extended switch open to closed transition operation.
US08130017B2
A delay locked loop includes: a control voltage generator configured to generate a voltage control signal having a voltage level corresponding to a phase difference between an external clock and a feedback clock; a voltage controlled delay line configured to generate a plurality of output signals by reflecting a different delay time on the external clock in response to the voltage control signal; an internal clock multiplexer configured to output one of the plurality of output signals as an internal clock in response to a skew information signal; a delay replica model configured to output the feedback clock by reflecting a delay of an actual clock/data path on the internal clock; and a skew information signal generator configured to generate the skew information signal.
US08130013B2
A driving circuit of an input/output (I/O) interface is provided. The driving circuit includes a main output stage and an enhancing unit. The main output stage receives at least one driving signal and outputs an output signal corresponding to an input signal accordingly. The enhancing unit is coupled to the main output stage. The enhancing unit receives and detects the level of the output signal so as to drive the output force of the main output stage in a first output level or a second output level, wherein the first output level is higher than the second output level.
US08130011B2
A power integration circuit includes: a first transistor having a control electrode connected to a first voltage source to be supplied with a control signal therefrom, the first transistor being connected between a switch and a ground. A sense resistor has one end connected to the ground. A second transistor has a control electrode connected to the first voltage source to be applied with a control signal therefrom, with the second transistor being connected between the switch and the other end of the sense resistor. The power integration circuit further includes: a comparator for comparing the sense voltage with the reference voltage and delivering a difference between the sense voltage and the reference voltage to a logic circuit.
US08130010B2
Embodiments of a memory controller are described. This memory controller communicates signals to a memory device via a signal line, which can be a data signal line or a command/address signal line. Termination of the signal line is divided between an external impedance outside of the memory controller and an internal impedance within the memory controller. The memory controller does not activate the external impedance prior to communicating the signals and, therefore, does not deactivate the external impedance after communicating the signals. The internal impedance of the memory controller can be enabled or disabled in order to reduce interface power consumption. Moreover, the internal impedance may be implemented using a passive component, an active component or both. For example, the internal impedance may include either or both an on-die termination and at least one driver.
US08130009B2
In one embodiment, an integrated circuit includes a self calibration unit configured to iterate a test on a logic circuit in the integrated circuit at respectively lower supply voltage magnitudes until the test fails. A lowest supply voltage magnitude at which the test passes is used to generate a requested supply voltage magnitude for the integrated circuit. In an embodiment, an integrated circuit includes a series connection of logic gates physically distributed over an area of the integrated circuit, and a measurement unit configured to launch a logical transition into the series and detect a corresponding transition at the output of the series. The amount of time between the launch and the detection is used to request a supply voltage magnitude for the integrated circuit.
US08129994B2
A microresistivity logging tool includes a shield electrode deployed between a guard electrode and a return electrode. A measuring electrode is deployed in and electrically isolated from the guard electrode and first and second potential electrodes are deployed in and electrically isolated from the shield electrode. The tool further includes at least one switch configured to switch the tool between distinct first and second microresistivity measurement modes. The first measurement mode is configured for making microresistivity measurements in conductive (water based) drilling fluid and the second measurement mode is configured for making microresistivity measurements in non-conductive (oil based) drilling fluid, thereby enabling the tool to be utilized in either type of drilling fluid.
US08129989B2
A plate conductor and at least three columnar conductors erected on the plate conductor are provided. At the same time when an electric field is measured by the plate conductor, two components of a magnetic field at the same measurement points as those at which the electric field is measured are measured by a loop formed by the plate conductor and the columnar conductors at the same time. As a result, three components of an electromagnetic field formed of one component of the electric field and two components of the magnetic field are measured at the same point, with high sensitivity, and at the same time.
US08129988B2
The system for measuring high currents or magnetic fields using a magnetoresistive sensor (80) includes a device for applying a known predetermined magnetic bias field Hbias in a direction such that it has a non-zero component of the field perpendicular to a detection direction of the magnetoresistive sensor (80) that also corresponds to a direction of anisotropy of a layer of the magnetoresistive sensor, a device for measuring the variation in resistance of the magnetoresistive sensor (80) and means for determining the external magnetic field H to be measured from the measured resistance variation, the resistance of the sensor being subjected to a monotonic variation function.
US08129980B2
In the present invention, a measured realtime accurate frequency is used to determine estimated instantaneous voltage/current time-series data for each phase component in accordance with the least-squares method. The estimated instantaneous voltage/current time-series data are used to determine effective voltage, effective current, instantaneous active electric power, instantaneous reactive electric power, effective active electric power, and effective reactive electric power of each phase component and symmetrical component. The measured AC electric quantities are applied to any type of electric power system control/protection apparatus.
US08129979B2
An arrangement to detect a lightning strike in a wind turbine is provided. According to the arrangement, the wind turbines contains an ozone sensor. The ozone sensor is located close to a component of the wind turbine. The component is constructed and arranged in a way that a lightning current, which results from a lightning strike into the wind turbine, is conducted through the component. The component is constructed and arranged in a way that the lightning current results in a corona generating a certain amount of ozone gas, which is detected by the ozone sensor.
US08129973B2
A wireless system includes a radio and a voltage regulator, which provides a supply voltage to the radio. The voltage regulator includes a storage element, at least one switch that is coupled to the storage element and a controller. The controller operates the voltage regulator in a continuous mode of operation, operates the voltage regulator in a discontinuous mode of operation in response to an output current of the voltage regulator decreasing below a predetermined threshold; operates the switch(es) to energize the storage element in response to a detection of whether an output voltage is below a threshold level; operates the switch(es) to halt the energization of the storage element in response to detecting a current in the storage element reaching a predetermined current threshold; operates the switch(es) to energize and de-energize the storage element in the discontinuous mode of operation; and operates the switch(es) to energize the storage element in synchronization with a periodic clock signal.
US08129967B2
A voltage regulator includes an amplifier and a regulation loop. The regulator includes a first PMOS transistor connected to a terminal supplying an input voltage, a second PMOS transistor connected in series with the first PMOS transistor. A node between those two transistors defines an output terminal. A first source of a first polarization current of fixed value is connected to the gate of the first transistor, and a second source of a second polarization current of fixed value connects the second transistor to ground. A third NMOS transistor is connected between the two current sources. A circuit is provided to modify automatically at least one of the polarization currents in relation to the load current.
US08129966B2
A voltage regulator circuit and control method therefor. The circuit includes input and output terminals, an output transistor to pass a current from the input terminal to the output terminal according to a control signal, a reference voltage generator unit to generate and output a reference voltage, an output voltage detector unit to detect an output voltage output from the output terminal and generate and output a proportional voltage proportional to a detected voltage, a first error amplifier unit to control the output transistor to make the proportional voltage equal to the reference voltage, and a second error amplifier unit to respond to fluctuation in the output voltage faster than the first error amplifier unit and increase the output current from the output transistor for a period of time when the output voltage rapidly drops. Current consumption of the second error amplifier unit is changed according to the output current.
US08129961B2
The present invention relates voltage conversion device in which a regulated output voltage is supplied by current pulses generated by the voltage conversion device from a voltage source. In particular, the invention relates to an improved control of an pulse frequency modulation (PFM) operation mode in which the frequency of the generated current pulses is modulated to regulated the desired output voltage, namely how PFM pulses can be generated without the need for a high-frequency clock of a time controlled system. By having pulse phases are current mode controlled and providing a mode detector to generate the right kind of current pulse, the high-frequency clock is no longer needed. Further, the presented solution allows for a higher PWM as well as PFM frequency, the external components of the converter can be made smaller. Eliminating the need for a high-frequency clock makes the device simpler, smaller and more energy-efficient.
US08129958B2
A controller for reducing the harmonics contents in the AC-to-DC converter that is capable of minimizing THD due to crossover distortion. The controller can approximate the shape of the current running through boost inductor to the sinusoidal waveform of the rectified line input voltage and in the meantime to keep the valley of rectified sinusoidal waveform line voltage close to local ground value. The controller can be used in a transition mode power factor correction device suitable for a wide range of AC line input voltage and output loading application.
US08129956B2
A temperature sensing device can be embedded in a memory circuit in order to sense the temperature of the memory circuit. One oscillator generates a temperature variable signal that increases frequency as the temperature of the oscillator increases and decreases frequency when the temperature of the oscillator decreases. A temperature invariant oscillator generates a fixed width signal that is controlled by an oscillator read logic and indicates a temperature sense cycle. An n-bit counter is clocked by the temperature variable signal while the fixed width signal enables/inhibits the counter. The faster the counter counts, the larger the count value at the end of the sense cycle indicated by the fixed width signal. A larger count value indicates a warmer temperature. A smaller count value indicates a colder temperature.
US08129950B2
The application concerns a battery module, comprising cells, two external terminals, a message communication infrastructure, a module control unit comprising a message processing unit, connected to the infrastructure to send and receive messages. According to the application, at least two of the message systems chosen from among: a first message system for cell characterization, a second message system for cell forming, and a third message system for utilization of a battery pack comprising several modules connected via their user terminals, when the pack is associated with a consumer machine for the purpose of supplying it with electric energy, are provided in the message processing unit, which is able to be configured into any one of the message systems.
US08129949B2
A device may include a battery and a plurality of components receiving power from the battery. A voltage of the battery is maintained above a threshold voltage by decreasing a current drawn by one of the components when the battery voltage approaches the threshold voltage.
US08129939B2
An approach is provided that determines whether keyboard power connection points included in a wireless keyboard are connected to system power connection points in a computer system. Power is sent from the computer system to the wireless keyboard. The power is transmitted through the system power connection points to the keyboard power connection points. Keyboard components included in the wireless keyboard are also powered using the power sent from the computer system. If the keyboard power connection points are not connected to the system power connection points, the keyboard components are powered included in the wireless keyboard by using a keyboard battery that is included in the wireless keyboard. One of the keyboard components that receives power is a wireless interface that connects the wireless keyboard to the computer system.
US08129935B2
A motor control device includes: a motor-current detection unit; a rotational-angular-speed calculation unit for calculating a rotational angular speed of a motor; a rotational-angle-change-amount calculation unit for multiplying the rotational angular speed by a predetermined time so as to calculate a motor-rotational-angle change amount within a predetermined time; a basic-drive-value calculation unit for calculating a basic drive value for driving the motor; a correction-value calculation unit for calculating a correction value for correcting the basic drive value based on the motor current and the motor-rotational-angle change amount; a correction unit for evaluating the motor drive value by correcting the basic drive value by the correction value; and a drive unit for driving the motor by using the motor drive value evaluated by the correction unit.
US08129932B2
In a driving apparatus for a three-phase synchronous motor, in which a battery is connected between a neutral point of a stator coil and a negative-pole bus, a control circuit acquires three-phase AC currents. The control circuit checks whether a neutral-point electric current is contained in an electric current detected by an electric current detecting section. Based on the check result, the control circuit checks whether electric current values for three-phases containing the neutral-point electric current are set together or electric current values for three-phases excluding the neutral-point electric current are set together to acquire the three-phase AC currents for driving the motor.
US08129931B2
A motor control device includes a magnetization control unit energizing a motor winding to change magnetic flux content of permanent magnet motor, a current detector detecting current supplied to the motor, a vector control unit including a speed/position estimation unit carrying out an operation to estimate a motor rotational speed and rotational position, the vector control unit carrying out a vector control of the motor, an induced voltage detector detecting an induced voltage of the motor based on the rotational speed, motor currents obtained by the vector control unit, output voltages of the drive unit, a winding inductance or the motor constant and a winding resistance, an induced voltage command determining unit determining an induced voltage command based on the motor rotational speed and output torque, and a magnetization current determining unit determining an amount of energization based on the induced voltage of the motor and the induced voltage command.
US08129928B2
Provided is a power branching system for driving a plurality of motors by use of a single servo driver, the power branching system capable of protecting each of the motors.The power branching system of the present invention has power lines 15 branched at some midpoint to connect the plural motors 5 and the servo driver 12; a plurality of current sensors 21 provided at branched power lines 15b for detecting currents supplied to the respective motors 5; and controlling means 22 for receiving current data detected by the plural current sensors 21, determining whether or not the detected currents are balanced and generating an alarm signal when the currents are unbalanced.
US08129927B2
A driving device of an electric discharge lamp includes: a discharge lamp lighting unit which supplies power to the electric discharge lamp while alternately switching polarity of voltage applied between two electrodes of the electric discharge lamp to lighting the electric discharge lamp; and an anode duty ratio modulating unit which sets at least a first retention period and a second retention period having an anode duty ratio different from that of the first retention period and provided after the first retention period to modulate the anode duty ratios, assuming that each of the retention periods is a period for retaining an anode duty ratio as ratio of an anode period in which one of the electrodes operates as anode at a constant value in one cycle of the polarity switching, wherein the anode duty ratio modulating unit has a first modulation mode for operating the electric discharge lamp in steady condition and a second modulation mode for providing larger change of the anode duty ratio between the first retention period and the second retention period than change of the first modulation mode.
US08129913B2
In a closed electron drift thruster, a magnetic circuit for creating a magnetic field in a main annular channel comprises at least one axial magnetic core surrounded by a first coil and an inner upstream pole piece forming a body of revolution, together with a plurality of outer magnetic cores surrounded by outer coils. The magnetic circuit further comprises an essentially radial outer first pole piece defining a concave inner peripheral surface and an essentially radial second pole piece defining a convex outer peripheral surface. The concave inner peripheral surface and the convex outer peripheral surface present respective adjusted profiles that are distinct from circular cylindrical surfaces so as to form between them a gap of varying width presenting zones of maximum value in register with the outer coils and zones of minimum value in between the outer coils so as to create a uniform radial magnetic field.
US08129912B2
Provided are an electrode device and an apparatus for generating plasma. The electrode device for generating plasma includes: a planar member disposed to face a susceptor supporting a substrate and generating plasma between the substrate and the planar member; and a linear member providing a high frequency signal to the planar member via a plurality of feeding points that are electrically connected to the planar member and allowing admittance to be reduced as the linear member is closer to the feeding points on a path from supply points at which the high frequency signal is supplied to the linear member, to each of the feeding points, wherein the linear ember includes a connection unit, the connection unit including: a first member connecting two feeding points from among four feeding points disposed adjacent to one another in a straight line and is disposed to be separated from a plane that includes the straight line in which the feeding points are formed and forms a predetermined angle with the planar member; and a second member connecting two feeding points to which the first member is not connected, from among the four feeding points and is disposed symmetrical with the first member with respect to the plane that includes the straight line in which the feeding points are formed.
US08129904B2
The present invention is a novel, high resolution, color, three-dimensional (3-D) volumetric display system for dynamic images—the video cube. The video cube consists of an air-tight glass cube filled with a gas mixture and multiple planes of thin wires arranged in alternating orthogonal layers. These wires may be set at voltage potentials capable of producing a glow discharge at the intersection of pairs of wires. Using a computer capable of storing dynamic image data and electronic controllers capable of energizing pairs of wires appropriately at the proper time 3-D dynamic images may be formed from multiple glows between excited wire pairs. The video cube may be used to display complex real-time information from computers and other digital processors with high accuracy for unlimited number of simultaneous unaided observers.
US08129895B2
Provided is a field emission device (FED) capable of fine local dimming. In the FED, a cathode substrate is comprised of a plurality of cathode layers, and a plurality of interconnections are disposed on each of the cathode layers, so that fine local dimming is enabled using a plurality of cathode blocks without limiting the number of the cathode blocks. Also, since RC delays of the respective cathode blocks can be synchronized according to the design of the interconnections, current control signals can be simultaneously transmitted to the respective cathode blocks, thereby improving the characteristics of the FED.
US08129893B2
A quick start energy-saving fluorescent lamp comprising a bulb holder assembly, a light tube, a glass shade, a protruding cold end, a thermal insulation glue, and an amalgam vapor source. The protruding cold end is disposed at the front end of the light tube and contacts with the glass shade. The thermal insulation glue is disposed outside and around the cold end. The amalgam vapor source is disposed inside the cold end. The lamp can work at high temperature with low temperature amalgam vapor source and maintain high luminous efficiency, and the lamp can reach the rated brightness quickly. A method for producing the lamp is also provided.
US08129892B2
In a light emitter substrate which has a resistor for connecting electrodes adjacent in a row direction, it aims to improve withstand discharge performance of the resistor. In the substrate comprising a substrate, plural light emitting members which are positioned in matrix on the substrate, plural electrodes each of which covers at least one of the light emitting members and which are positioned in matrix, and a row-direction striped resistor which is positioned between the electrodes adjacent in a column direction and connects the electrodes adjacent in a row direction and the column direction, a row-direction separated distance Gx′ between the electrodes adjacent in the row direction at a connecting portion between the electrodes and the resistor is made larger than a row-direction separated distance Gx between the electrodes adjacent in the row direction at a portion covering the light emitting members (Gx′>Gx).
US08129891B2
A spark plug (100) including a noble metal tip (80) disposed on a distal end portion (31) of a ground electrode (30). The noble metal tip (80) is joined to the top surface of an intermediate member (81), which is a member separate from the ground electrode (30). The bottom surface of the intermediate member (81) is joined to the ground electrode (30), whereby the noble metal tip (80) is fixed to the ground electrode (30). The intermediate member (81) is formed such that its average hardness is higher than the average hardness of a portion of the ground electrode (30), excluding an intermediate portion (33) to be bent.
US08129889B2
A piezoelectric ceramic composition includes a main component represented by general formula {(Pb1-x-yCaxSry) {Ti1-z(Ni1/3Nb2/3)z}O3}, wherein 0≦x≦0.2 (preferably 0≦x≦0.15), 0≦y≦0.2 (preferably 0≦y≦0.1), 0.05≦x+y≦0.2, and 0.02≦z≦0.1. Furthermore, a Mn component is preferably present in an amount of 1.0 part by weight or less (excluding zero) (more preferably 0.05 to 1.0 part by weight) in terms of MnCO3 with respect to 100 parts by weight of the main component. A piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric ceramic body composed of this piezoelectric ceramic composition. Firing can be performed at a low temperature of about 1,100° C. The piezoelectric element has a high Curie point Tc, can withstand solder reflow treatment, and achieves satisfactory piezoelectric properties.
US08129888B2
A sealing member of a piezoelectric resonator device is configured to hermetically seal a driving electrode formed on a piezoelectric resonator plate. In the sealing member, a through hole is formed so that an electrode pattern formed on both major surfaces of the substrate is brought into conduction; and a conductive member fills in the through hole. The through hole has a smaller diameter at a portion thereof inside the substrate than at both end portions thereof at the major surfaces of the sealing member. Both end faces of the conductive member have a concave shape with respect to the major surfaces of the substrate of the sealing member.
US08129882B2
A generator device for converting thermal energy to electric energy. A magnetic circuit includes at least a portion made of a magnetic material. A temperature-varying device varied the temperature in the portion made of the magnetic material alternately above and below a phase transition temperature of the magnetic material to thereby vary the reluctance of the magnetic circuit. A coil is arranged around the magnetic circuit, in which electric energy is induced in response to a varying magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit. A magnetic flux generator creates magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit. The temperature-varying device alternately passes hot and cold fluid by, or through holes in, the portion made of the magnetic material of the magnetic circuit in a single direction to thereby vary the temperature in the portion made of the magnetic material alternately above and below the phase transition temperature of the magnetic material.
US08129878B2
A rotor for an electrical generator is disclosed, including a rotor body having a circular portion and a cylindrical portion coaxial with the circular portion. A generally cylindrical recess is defined by the cylindrical portion and the first side of the circular portion for receiving a stator. At least one first wall is at least partially spaced apart from the first side of the circular portion, defining at least one chamber therebetween. The chamber has an inlet. An aperture in the at least one first wall defines an outlet of the at least one chamber. At least one second wall extends outwardly from the first side of the circular portion. The at least one second wall has an end portion adjacent to the inlet of the at least one chamber. An internal combustion engine with an electrical generator and a method of cooling an electrical generator are also disclosed.
US08129876B2
A brazed joint between a cooling fluid box and an armature bar can comprise a cooling fluid box, a plurality of conductor strands, at least one side wall spacer, and at least one middle spacer. Each side wall spacer can have a tapered width and can be wedged between the plurality of conductor strands and an interior side wall of the cooling fluid box. Each middle spacer can have a tapered width and can be wedged between two columns of the conductor strands. The side wall spacers can taper in a direction opposite the taper of the middle spacers. In one embodiment, the cooling fluid box can move around the conductor strands. Each side wall spacer can be positioned against an interior surface of the cooling fluid box. Each middle spacer can be positioned between columns of conductor strands. The cooling fluid box can be withdrawn to a final position.
US08129868B2
The present invention relates to a shock-proof electrical output device, which comprises a voltage converter, a current monitoring relay device, a latching relay device, and a changeover relay device.
US08129865B2
An inductive rotary joint for non-contact transmission of electrical energy between a stationary part and a rotating part of the rotary joint comprises a power generator for generating an alternating voltage or an alternating current, which feeds a load by means of a rotatable power transmitter. An electrical parameter on the primary side of the power transmitter is determined with a measurement means, and from this, the condition of another electrical parameter at the load is approximated by means of a functional unit. Regulation of the power generator is effected with this approximated value.
US08129862B2
A scalable highest available voltage selector circuit determines the highest of n input voltages and connects the highest voltage to an output. The circuit has at least n circuit branches, each of which comprises n−1 “comparator” FETs connected between an input voltage and an output node, and a diode-connected FET connected between the output node and a current source. The junction of the diode-connected transistor and current source provides a control signal used by the other branches. Each of a branch's comparator FETs have their gates connected to a respective one of the other branches' control signals, such that they are driven on regeneratively when the applied input voltage is the highest of the n input voltages. Each branch also includes n−1 “shorting” FETs connected across the diode-connected transistor, arranged to be driven off when the applied input voltage is the highest, but which are otherwise driven on.
US08129861B2
A voltage supply has a plurality of voltage sources to supply output connections. To achieve closed-loop control of the output voltage at the output connections, a closed-loop control circuit is provided that has an actuating element for each voltage source, and each respective actuating element has a current path via which a connection of the respective voltage source can be connected to an output connection. Each actuating element has an actuating signal input for setting the electrical conductivity of its current path. The closed-loop control circuit has a closed-loop controller to which the output voltage and a desired voltage signal are supplied. When a deviation occurs between the output voltage and the desired voltage signal, the closed-loop controller interacts with at least one actuating signal input in order to reduce the deviation. The actuating signal inputs are connected to a control device that is designed in such a way, that the current path of at least one actuating element is enabled for control by the closed-loop controller if the output current that is drawn at the output connections is present in a predetermined value range assigned to the respective actuating element, and the current path is disabled if the output current that is drawn at the output connections does not lie in the predetermined value range.
US08129856B2
One aspect of the invention relates to a method of supplying power to a sensor arrangement including a first sensor and at least one second sensor which in each case have a first and a second supply terminal, and which can be operated in a first and a second operating mode. The first and at least one second sensor can be connected via their supply terminals to a voltage supply arrangement in the first operating mode. The first and at least one second sensor can be connected in series with one another via their supply terminals in the second operating mode and the series circuit with the first and at least one second sensor is connected in series with a current source.
US08129855B1
Novel apparatus and techniques for harnessing wind and/or moving-liquid energy using one or more portable turbine systems are disclosed. One embodiment includes a portable stream turbine system having a hub with many paddles, held by an axle in a housing. The system further includes a disk fixed to the hub and extended out of the housing to be also fixed to a gear structure, which is connected to a generator. The output of the generator can be connected to electronics to perform different functions. Another embodiment includes a number of portable turbine systems removably attached together to form an array. In one example, the number of portable turbine systems in an array can be adjustable, depending on needs. The different embodiments regarding a stream turbine system can further include a floatation mechanism to keep the different embodiments afloat or partially afloat in a fluid. The different embodiments regarding a stream turbine system or an array of stream turbine systems can also include a drifting prevention mechanism to prevent the embodiments from being drifted away, and to substantially maintain the orientation of the embodiments in a fluid.
US08129854B2
An ocean wave energy extractor includes a first flotation device that contains a second flotation device and a mechanism for extracting energy. The wave energy extractor floats in seawater and extracts energy from waves. A propagating wave rotates the first flotation device relative to the second flotation device. The mechanism is connected to both flotation devices and generates energy from this relative rotation. In one example, a first flotation device includes a spherical chamber with a flotation collar, and a second flotation device supported by a joint at a center of the chamber. A wave approaching from any direction rotates the first flotation device relative to the second flotation device, and a mechanism for extracting energy generates electrical energy from the relative rotation. The chamber shields inner components from seawater and adverse ocean conditions. The wave energy extractor need not be moored to a location to extract energy from waves.
US08129830B2
An electronic component package, includes a package substrate portion constructed by a silicon substrate in which a through hole is provided, an insulating layer formed on both surface sides of the silicon substrate and an inner surface of the through hole, and a through electrode filled in the through hole, and a frame portion provided upright on a peripheral portion of the package substrate portion to constitute a cavity on the silicon substrate, wherein an upper surface of the through electrode in the cavity is planarized such that a height of the through electrode is set equal to a height of the insulating layer. The frame portion is joined to the package substrate portion by the low-temperature joining utilizing the plasma process after the through electrode is planarized.
US08129805B2
A method of fabricating a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device includes providing a semiconductor substrate having a semiconductor layer and an interconnect structure. A passivation layer and a photoresist layer are formed over the interconnect structure and a plurality of openings are formed in the photoresist layer to expose portions of the passivation layer. The passivation layer exposed by the openings and the interconnect structure thereunder are removed, forming a plurality of first trenches. The semiconductor layer exposed by the first trenches is removed, forming a plurality of second trenches in the semiconductor layer. An upper capping substrate is provided over the passivation layer, forming a first composite substrate. The semiconductor layer in the first composite substrate is thinned and portions of the thinned semiconductor layer are etched to form a third trench, wherein a suspended micromachined structure is formed in a region between the first, second and third trenches.
US08129799B2
A field-effect transistor (142) includes a lowly p-doped region 110 formed on a surface of a substrate (102), an n-doped drain region 112 and n-doped source region 114 arranged on a surface of the lowly p-doped region 110, and a device isolation insulating film 132 and device isolation insulating film 134. Here, the device isolation insulating film 132 is formed greater in film thickness than the device isolation insulating film 134; and in the n-doped source region 114, the peak concentration section having a highest dopant concentration is formed in a deeper position than in the n-doped drain region 112.
US08129796B2
There is provided a high-integrated complementary metal-oxide semiconductor static random-access memory including an inverter. The inverter includes: a first pillar that is formed by integrating a first-conductivity-type semiconductor, a second-conductivity-type semiconductor, and an insulating material disposed between the first-conductivity-type semiconductor and the second-conductivity-type semiconductor, and that vertically extends with respect to a substrate; a first second-conductivity-type high-concentration semiconductor disposed on the first-conductivity-type semiconductor; a second second-conductivity-type high-concentration semiconductor disposed under the first-conductivity-type semiconductor; a first first-conductivity-type high-concentration semiconductor disposed on the second-conductivity-type semiconductor; a second first-conductivity-type high-concentration semiconductor disposed under the second-conductivity-type semiconductor; a gate insulating material formed around the first pillar; and a gate conductive material formed around the gate insulating material.
US08129794B2
A semiconductor device includes a first MIS transistor, and a second MIS transistor having a threshold voltage higher than that of the first MIS transistor. The first MIS transistor includes a first gate insulating film made of a high-k insulating film formed on a first channel region, and a first gate electrode having a first conductive portion provided on and contacting the first gate insulating film and a second conductive portion. The second MIS transistor includes a second gate insulating film made of the high-k insulating film formed on a second channel region, and a second gate electrode having a third conductive portion provided on and contacting the second gate insulating film and a fourth conductive portion. The third conductive portion has a film thickness smaller than that of the first conductive portion, and is made of the same composition material as that of the first conductive portion.
US08129790B2
A structure and method for forming SRAMs on HOT substrates with STI is described. Logic circuits may also be fabricated on the same chip with some devices on the SOI regions and other devices on the SOI regions.
US08129789B2
A semiconductor chip includes a semiconductor body having an upper surface. At least one power semiconductor component is integrated in the semiconductor chip together with other circuitry. Two or more vertically spaced metallization layers are arranged on the surface of the semiconductor body. The top metallization layer includes terminals establishing an electrical connection to load terminals of the power semiconductor component. A current measurement resistor is formed by a portion of the top metallization layer for sensing a load current of the power semiconductor component. A temperature measurement resistor is formed by a portion of at least one of the vertically spaced metallization layers, electrically isolated from current measurement resistor but thermally coupled thereto such that the current measurement resistor and the temperature measurement resistor have the same temperature.
US08129784B2
The invention improves the performance of a semiconductor device. A metal silicide film is formed by a silicide process on a gate electrode and an n+-type source region of an LDMOSFET, and no such metal silicide film is formed on an n−-type offset drain region, an n-type offset drain region, and an n+-type drain region. A side wall spacer comprising a silicon film is formed via an insulating film on the side wall of the gate electrode over the drain side thereof, and a field plate electrode is formed by this side wall spacer. The field plate electrode does not extend above the gate electrode, and a metal silicide film is formed over the entire upper surface of the gate electrode in the silicide process.
US08129779B2
A semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a semiconductor layer. A first conductivity type region is formed on a base layer portion of the semiconductor layer. A body region of a second conductivity type is formed on the semiconductor layer to be in contact with the first conductivity type region. A trench in which a gate electrode is embedded through a gate insulating film is formed on the semiconductor layer. The trench penetrates through the body region, so that a deepest portion thereof reaches the first conductivity type region. A source region of the first conductivity type is formed on a surface layer portion of the semiconductor layer around the trench. The gate insulating film includes a thick-film portion having a relatively large thickness on a bottom surface of the trench.
US08129778B2
Semiconductor devices and methods for making such devices that are especially suited for high-frequency applications are described. The semiconductor devices combine a SIT (or a junction field-effect transistor [JFET]) architecture with a PN super-junction structure. The SIT architecture can be made using a trench formation containing a gate that is sandwiched between thick dielectric layers. While the gate is vertically sandwiched between the two isolating regions in the trench, it is also connected to a region of one conductivity type of the super-junction structure, thereby allowing control of the current path of the semiconductor device. Such semiconductor devices have a lower specific resistance and capacitance relative to conventional planar gate and recessed gate SIT semiconductor devices. Other embodiments are described.
US08129777B2
In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, an active channel pattern is formed on a substrate. The active channel pattern includes preliminary gate patterns and single crystalline silicon patterns that are alternately stacked with each other. A source/drain layer is formed on a sidewall of the active channel pattern. Mask pattern structures including a gate trench are formed on the active channel pattern and the source/drain layer. The patterns are selectively etched to form tunnels. The gate trench is then filled with a gate electrode. The gate electrode surrounds the active channel pattern. The gate electrode is protruded from the active channel pattern. The mask pattern structures are then removed. Impurities are implanted into the source/drain regions to form source/drain regions. A silicidation process is carried out on the source/drain regions to form a metal silicide layer, thereby completing a semiconductor device having a MOS transistor.
US08129774B2
In an EEPROM consisting of a NAND cell in which a plurality of memory cells are connected in series, the control gate voltage Vread of the memory cell in a block selected by the data read operation is made different from the each of the voltages Vsg1, Vsg2 of the select gate of the select transistor in the selected block so as to make it possible to achieve a high speed reading without bringing about the breakdown of the insulating film interposed between the select gate and the channel of the select transistor. The high speed reading can also be made possible in the DINOR cell, the AND cell, NOR cell and the NAND cell having a single memory cell connected thereto, if the control gate voltage of the memory cell is made different from the voltage of the select gate of the select transistor.
US08129770B2
A semiconductor device includes a silicon substrate having an active region, a memory transistor having a pair of source/drain regions and a gate electrode layer, a hard mask layer on the gate electrode layer having a plane pattern shape identical with that of the gate electrode layer, and plug conductive layers each electrically connected to each of the pair of source/drain regions. An extending direction of the active region is not perpendicular to that of the gate electrode layer, but is oblique. Upper surfaces of the hard mask layer and each of the plug conductive layers form substantially an identical plane. This can attain a semiconductor device allowing significant enlargement of a margin in a photolithographic process, suppression of an “aperture defect” as well as ensuring of a process tolerance of a “short” by decreasing a microloading effect, and decrease in a contact resistance, and a manufacturing method thereof.
US08129769B2
A semiconductor device having a 6F2 memory cell whose size is defined by a numerical value of a design rule F, wherein: lower electrodes of capacitors included in the memory cell are supported by a support film; the support film is formed as a pattern combining a first support pattern (14x) linearly extending in a first direction and a second support pattern (14y) linearly extending in a second direction that crosses to the first direction; the support film is arranged such that the intervals of the first and second support patterns are both equal to or greater than 1.5F; and the interval of one of the first and second support patterns is greater than the interval of the other one of the first and second support patterns.
US08129768B2
An integrated circuit device of the present invention includes a substrate on which at least two types of nano wire element are provided. These nano wire elements have functions and materials different from each other. The nano wire elements are constituted by nano wires having sizes differing depending on types of nano wire element. With this, it is possible to dramatically improve a function of the integrated circuit device, as compared with an integrated circuit device including a substrate on which one type of nano wire element is provided.
US08129767B2
Ferroelectric polymer memory modules are described. In an example, a module has a first set of layers including a first ILD layer defining trenches therein, a first electrode layer disposed in the trenches of the first ILD layer, a first conductive polymer layer disposed on the first electrode layer and in the trenches of the first ILD layer, and a ferroelectric polymer layer disposed on the first conductive polymer layer, in and extending beyond the trenches of the first ILD layer. The module also has a second set of layers disposed on the first set of layers to define memory cells therewith. The second set of layers includes a second ILD layer defining trenches therein, a second conductive polymer layer disposed in the trenches of the second ILD layer, and a second electrode layer disposed on the second conductive polymer layer.
US08129758B2
A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor layer including silicon carbide, which has been formed on a substrate; a semiconductor region 15 of a first conductivity type defined on the surface of the semiconductor layer 10; a semiconductor region 14 of a second conductivity type, which is defined on the surface 10s of the semiconductor layer so as to surround the semiconductor region 15 of the first conductivity type; and a conductor 19 with a conductive surface 19s that contacts with the semiconductor regions 15 and 14 of the first and second conductivity types. On the surface 10s of the semiconductor layer, the semiconductor region 15 of the first conductivity type has at least one first strip portion 60 that runs along a first axis i. The width C1 of the semiconductor region 15 of the first conductivity type as measured along the first axis i is greater than the width A1 of the conductive surface 19s as measured along the first axis i. And the periphery of the conductive surface 19s crosses the at least one first strip portion 60, 61.
US08129757B2
A cell of a semiconductor device includes a diffusion level including a plurality of diffusion regions separated by inactive regions. The cell also includes a gate electrode level including conductive features defined to extend in only a first parallel direction. Adjacent ones of the conductive features that share a common line of extent in the first parallel direction are fabricated from respective originating layout features that are separated from each other by an end-to-end spacing having a size that is substantially equal and minimized across the gate electrode level. Some of the conductive features form respective PMOS and/or NMOS transistor devices. A total number of the PMOS and NMOS transistor devices in the cell is greater than or equal to eight. A width of the conductive features in the gate electrode level is less than a wavelength of light used in a photolithography process for their fabrication.
US08129734B2
A light emitting diode (LED) package for high temperature operation which includes a printed wire board and a heat sink. The LED package may include a formed heat sink layer, which may be thermally coupled to an external heat sink. The printed wire board may include apertures that correspond to the heat sink such that the heat sink is integrated with the printed wire board layer. The LED package may include castellations for mounting the package on a secondary component such as a printed wire board. The LED package may further comprise an isolator disposed between a base metal layer and one or more LED die. Optionally, the LED die may be mounted directly on a base metal layer. The LED package may include a PWB assembly having a stepped cavity, in which one or more LED die are disposed. The LED package is advantageously laminated together using a pre-punched pre-preg material or a pressure sensitive adhesive.
US08129733B2
Gallium nitride devices are formed on a diamond substrate, such as for light emitting diodes as a replacement for incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent light bulbs. In one embodiment, gallium nitride diodes (or other devices) are formed on diamond in at least two methods. A first method comprises growing gallium nitride on diamond and building devices on that gallium nitride layer. The second method involves bonding gallium nitride (device or film) onto diamond and building the device onto the bonded gallium nitride. These devices may provide significantly higher efficiency than incandescent or fluorescent lights, and provide significantly higher light or energy density than other technologies. Similar methods and structures result in other gallium nitride semiconductor devices.
US08129724B2
A display device including a transparent substrate, and a plurality of thin film transistors formed on the transparent substrate, wherein each of the thin film transistors have a gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrode, a first semiconductor film, an insulation film, a second semiconductor film, and a third semiconductor film. The third semiconductor film is connected with the source electrode and the drain electrode by an ohmic contact, and the second semiconductor film is formed below the third semiconductor film and has a resistance higher than resistance of the third semiconductor film.
US08129722B2
A light emitting display and a method of manufacturing the same. The light emitting display includes a substrate, a plurality of first and second signal lines that cross each other on the substrate, a plurality of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) coupled between the first signal lines and the second signal lines, a power source supply line for supplying a power source voltage to the OLEDs, and a plurality of inspection signal lines coupled to at least one of the first signal lines or the second signal lines. At least one of the inspection signal lines is discontinuous at a region overlapping the power source supply line and ends of the discontinuous inspection signal line at the region overlapping the power source supply line are coupled to each other through a conductive region under the inspection signal line.
US08129721B2
The invention primarily provides gate electrodes and gate wirings permitting large-sized screens for active matrix-type display devices, wherein, in order to achieve this object, the construction of the invention is a semiconductor device having, on the same substrate, a pixel TFT provided in a display region and a driver circuit TFT provided around the display region, wherein the gate electrodes of the pixel TFT and the driver circuit TFT are formed from a first conductive layer, the gate electrodes are in electrical contact through connectors with gate wirings formed from a second conductive layer, and the connectors are provided outside the channel-forming regions of the pixel TFT and the driver circuit TFT.
US08129718B2
There is provided an amorphous oxide semiconductor including hydrogen and at least one element of indium (In) and zinc (Zn), the amorphous oxide semiconductor containing one of hydrogen atoms and deuterium atoms of 1×1020 cm−3 or more to 1×1022 cm−3 or less, and a density of bonds between oxygen and hydrogen except bonds between excess oxygen (OEX) and hydrogen in the amorphous oxide semiconductor being 1×1018 cm−3 or less.
US08129715B2
A light emitting device having a plastic substrate is capable of preventing the substrate from deterioration with the transmission of oxygen or moisture content can be obtained. The light emitting device has light emitting elements formed between a lamination layer and an inorganic compound layer that transmits visual light, where the lamination layer is constructed of one unit or two or more units, and each unit is a laminated structure of a metal layer and an organic compound layer. Alternatively, the light emitting device has light emitting elements formed between a lamination layer and an inorganic compound layer that transmits visual light, where the lamination layer is constructed of one unit or two or more units, and each unit is a laminated structure of a metal layer and an organic compound layer, wherein the inorganic compound layer is formed so as to cover the end face of the lamination layer. In the present invention, the lamination layer is formed on the primary surface of the plastic substrate, so that a flexible substrate structure can be obtained while preventing the substrate from deterioration with the transmission of oxygen or moisture content.
US08129710B2
A nanowire light emitting diode (LED) and method of emitting light employ a plasmonic mode. The nanowire LED includes a nanowire having a semiconductor junction, a shell layer coaxially surrounding the nanowire, and an insulating layer, which is plasmonically thin, isolating the shell layer from the nanowire. The shell layer supports a surface plasmon that couples to the semiconductor junction by an evanescent field. Light is generated in a vicinity of the semiconductor junction and the surface plasmon is coupled to the semiconductor junction during light generation. The coupling enhances one or both of an efficiency of light emission and a light emission rate of the LED. A method of making the nanowire LED includes forming the nanowire, providing the insulating layer on the surface of the nanowire, and forming the shell layer on the insulating layer in the vicinity of the semiconductor junction.
US08129703B2
A conoscopic holographic system and a method for imaging a scene characterized by a surface having a three-dimensional shape. The system utilizes an optical source, which illuminates the scene with substantially linear distributions of light, and independent register of a plurality of elementary conoscopic holograms in the image plane. Each elementary conoscopic hologram represents the imaging of a single emitting point of the illuminated scene. The optical source is translated relative to the scene to generate a sequence of optical holograms, and a weighted reconstruction of the holograms is performed, in a computer process, at a median plane to devise the three-dimensional shape of the imaged scene.
US08129701B2
A modulator for radiation therapy provides modulation of an area beam to decrease treatment time. Separate channels passing modulated “beamlets” are possible by spacing the channels such that spreading of the beams and multiple angles of treatment eliminate cold spots. The space between the channels allows well-defined channel walls and space for modulator mechanisms.
