US08176545B1
A system and method are provided for validating a security service associated with packets communicated on a network. A hash of a security service associated with packets communicated on a network is generated. In use, the security service associated with the packets is validated utilizing the hash.
US08176542B2
Described herein is a technique of protecting users against certain types of Internet attacks. The technique involves obtaining certificates from visited web sites and qualifying communications with those web sites based on the content of the certificates.
US08176537B2
An image formation apparatus: previously stores first information allowing functions that a plurality of users are authorized to use, respectively, to be determined; receives second information input to determine a user, the second information allowing that user to be determined; determines from the previously stored first information a normal function that the determined user is authorized to use; is set to make the determined normal function available; receives third information input from a first storage medium having the third information stored therein, to determine an extended function, the third information allowing the extended function to be determined; and is set to make the determined extended function available in addition to the normal function set available.
US08176534B2
A method and apparatus are provided for enabling a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) device to be automatically provisioned to access services without the need for manual interaction. In accordance with the invention, when a UPnP device needs to be provisioned, it automatically obtains pre-provisioning information from a provisioning device on the home network, and uses the pre-provisioning information to interact with the provisioning device to cause the UPnP device to be provisioned. The provisioning enables the UPnP device to access services, including digital rights management (DRM) services, over a network.
US08176527B1
A rules engine with support for time-based rules is disclosed. A method performed by the rules engine, comprises receiving security events generated by a number of network devices. The security events are aggregated. One or more time-based rules are provided to a RETE engine. The aggregated security events are provided to the RETE engine at specific times associated with the time-based rules. The security events are cross-correlated with the one or more time-based rules; and one or more first stage meta-events are reported.
US08176517B2
A method and apparatus for automatic display of next or future television program information when tuned to a television channel. Acquired or received program information for a television program to be shown next or later on the currently tuned television channel is automatically displayed on the currently tuned channel. In this manner, a viewer is provided with information regarding a next or future television program on the television channel currently being watched without active intervention by the viewer. According to an aspect of the invention, if a new or next television program guide or program information (update) is received before the end of a current television program, the television apparatus automatically updates the display of program information according to the information included in the newly received program guide.
US08176516B2
The present invention is directed to a video recorder having user extended and automatically extended time slots. An embodiment of the present invention includes a set-top box having an internal storage device, such as a hard drive where broadcasts are transferred from a broadcast input source to the storage device. The set-top box is connected to an output device such as a television, which displays a graphical user interface (GUI) and an interactive program guide (IPG). The user has the option to extend a chosen time slot, in which a show is scheduled to be transferred to the storage device. A dialog box is used when certain types of shows are selected that commonly require timeslot extensions at the end of the show.
US08176510B2
Systems and methods are provided for detecting inconsistent user actions and providing feedback about assets. A user may perform a first action restricting access to a first asset. The system may detect whether a second action performed relative to a second asset that has a similar attribute as the first asset is inconsistent with the first asset. The inconsistency may be detected when the second action removes or is an inaction that does not place access restrictions on the second asset. The system may alert the user about the inconsistency and the user may act on the alert by providing feedback about the inconsistency and/or the first/second asset, ignoring the inconsistency and/or placing an access restriction or other action consistent with the first action relative to the second asset. The user may also provide detailed feedback about an inconsistency or asset through a website accessed on another device.
US08176509B2
Methods and systems for post-processing video to identify interests based on clustered user interactions are provided. A client application program running on a set-top box is provided to enable a user to interactively select a point of interest within video content being played via the set-top box. The selected points of interest of multiple users is aggregated, and clusters of the points of interest are determined. Objects associated with the clusters are determined by analyzing video segments containing the clustered points of interest. Messages related to the objects are created and sent to the relevant users that indicated selection of points of interest which correlate to the objects.
US08176503B2
Methods, systems, and devices are provided for device driver selection. One embodiment of a management station includes a processor, memory in communication with the processor, and program instructions stored in memory and executable on the processor. The program instructions are executable to initiate execution of a particular device function that will use a driver, select a set of drivers based upon defined device information, and call a routine in a particular driver from the selected set of drivers which executes to determine whether the particular driver is most appropriate to perform the particular device function for a particular device.
US08176498B2
A computer system includes software running on a hardware platform. The hardware platform provides a platform manager having an user interface that is independent of that for a mission operating system running on said platform. The platform manager issues platform requests for power-setting adjustments. The software includes a mission operating system with a power controller incorporated in or running on the mission operating system. The power controller adjusts power settings for hardware devices at least in part as a function of the platform requests.
US08176490B1
A system, method and computer-readable media for managing a compute environment are disclosed. The method includes importing identity information from an identity manager into a module performs workload management and scheduling for a compute environment and, unless a conflict exists, modifying the behavior of the workload management and scheduling module to incorporate the imported identity information such that access to and use of the compute environment occurs according to the imported identity information. The compute environment may be a cluster or a grid wherein multiple compute environments communicate with multiple identity managers.
US08176477B2
A method, system and program product for optimizing emulation of a suspected malware. The method includes identifying, using an emulation optimizer tool, whether an instruction in a suspected malware being emulated by an emulation engine in a virtual environment signifies a long loop and, if so, generating a first hash for the loop. Further, the method includes ascertaining whether the first hash generated matches any long loop entries in a storage and, if so calculating a second hash for the long loop. Furthermore, the method includes inspecting any long loop entries ascertained to find an entry having a respective second hash matching the second hash calculated. If an entry matching the second hash calculated is found, the method further includes updating one or more states of the emulation engine, such that, execution of the long loop of the suspected malware is skipped, which optimizes emulation of the suspected malware.
US08176473B2
Methods and systems for software obfuscation are disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, the obfuscation includes integrating the checker code with product code to form integrated code. The product code includes a first portion that provides desired functionalities to a software product, while the checker code includes a second portion that protects the product code from unlicensed use. A generated pseudorandom value is used to select one or more instruction sequences of the integrated code. Following the selection, the instruction sequences may be replaced with equivalent instruction sequences to form a new integrated code. Alternatively, the original integrated code is transformed into new integrated code when the selected instruction sequences are optimized. Additionally, the new integrated code may be compared to the original integrated code by generating output states from each integrated code. The new integrated code is functionally equivalent to the original integrated code if the respective output states match.
US08176462B2
In one embodiment, the invention is a method and apparatus generating test patterns for use in at-speed testing. One embodiment of a method for use by a general purpose computing device that is configured to generate a set of test patterns with which to test an integrated circuit chip includes receiving, by an input device of the general purpose computing device, statistical timing information relating to the integrated circuit chip and a logic circuit of the integrated circuit chip and generating, by a processor of the general purpose computing device, the set of test patterns in accordance with the statistical timing information while simultaneously selecting a set of paths on which to test the set of test patterns.
US08176460B2
An ESD protection optimizer, a method of optimizing ESD protection for an IC and an ESD protection optimization system is disclosed. In one embodiment, the ESD protection optimizer includes: (1) a circuit analyzer configured to identify ESD cells and circuitry of the IC by comparing component information of the IC with predefined ESD protection elements and predefined circuit topologies and (2) an ESD resistance determiner configured to calculate a resistance value to couple in series with the circuitry, the resistance value based on protection cell physical attributes associated with the identified ESD cells and circuitry physical attributes associated with the identified circuitry.
US08176457B2
An FPGA-information managing unit included in a circuit-designing CAD apparatus retrieves FPGA information, such as pin-assignment information and attribute information, that is created by an FPGA-designing CAD apparatus. A library creating unit creates a symbol library by using the FPGA information. A pin-swap processing unit retrieves pin swap information from a package-designing CAD apparatus, and reflect the pin swap in the symbol library, the FPGA information, a circuit diagram, and a constrained condition.
US08176454B2
Techniques for non-invasive, post-silicon characterization of signal propagation delay/timing of devices in an integrated circuit (IC) are generally disclosed. A system of equations may be developed based on a plurality of sensitizable signal paths (SSPs) of the IC for characterizing signal propagation delay or timing of devices within the SSPs. Input Vectors (IVs) may be selected and consecutively applied at one or more input sequential element devices of the IC associated with the SSPs with to produce corresponding output values at one or more output sequential element devices of the IC associated with the SSPs. Various pre-processing and post-processing techniques may be practiced to further improve accuracy of solution of the equations to enable efficient determination of solutions. Example techniques may include variable splitting, device clustering, IV and equation selection, and boosting, among others. Other aspects may also be disclosed and claimed.
US08176453B2
A debugging system produces displays in response to an IC design and results of a logic simulation of IC behavior based on the IC design. The IC design includes a hardware description language (HDL) model of the IC describing the IC as comprising cell instances communicating via data signals and power sources for supplying power to the cell instances. The IC design also includes power definition markup language (PDML) model describing a power intent of the IC design. The debugging system generates displays representing HDL code that are annotated to indicate how the power intent of the IC design described by the PDML model relates to the portion of the HDL model represented by the display. The debugging system also generates signals trace displays indicating how both the logic and power intent of the IC design affect the value of a user-selected signal at a user-selected time during the logic simulation.
US08176452B2
Methods and apparatuses for incremental circuit partitioning and incremental trace assignment. In one embodiment of the present invention, a cost function based on both the partitioning solution and the trace assignment solution is used for the partitioning of a circuit; in reducing the cost function, blocks of circuits are moved among partitions and the trace assignment are updated accordingly to evaluate the cost function. In one embodiment, the traces and nets are grouped according to the partitions they connect for trace assignment. In one embodiment, a flow diagram is constructed for assigning nets to traces; and, maximum flow algorithms are used. In one embodiment, a flow diagram includes feedthrough solutions, in which flow conservation is not preserved at certain nodes. In one embodiment, integer linear programming techniques are used for assigning nets to traces. In one embodiment, a distribution of nets, which defines the numbers of blocks that each net has in each partition, is computed and maintained for efficient determination of the number of nets in net groups.
US08176445B1
We disclose a method for optimizing integrated circuit layout which comprises analyzing constraint relationship among objects in an initial layout; constructing local modifications to the constraint relationship; forming new constraint relationships by combining initial constraint relationships with their local modifications; and producing a new layout by implementing the new constraint relationships. Local modification to constraints provides a framework for bringing detailed local information into the design process in a highly automated manner, which can be applied to a wide range of situations. We disclose preferred embodiments on improving lithography printability, reducing defect susceptibility, and improving circuit performance such as reducing layout variability and leakage.
US08176427B2
A method for a user to easily securely configure a device is provided. The method includes displaying a user interface including a plurality of symbols available for user selection, accepting user inputs including an indication of any symbols selected by the user, converting the symbols selected by the user into numeric data, and assigning the numeric data to configuration parameters for the device.
US08176421B2
It is understood that the terms computer-readable medium or computer useable medium comprise one or more of any type of physical embodiment of the program code. In particular, the computer-readable/useable medium can comprise program code embodied on one or more portable storage articles of manufacture (e.g., a compact disc, a magnetic disk, a tape, etc.), on one or more data storage portions of a computing device, such as the memory 316 and/or the storage system 332 (e.g., a fixed disk, a read-only memory, a random access memory, a cache memory, etc.).
US08176417B2
Creation and maintenance of a web page can be facilitated using an interactive web application that runs in a browser at a client machine. The interactive web application can be provided to the client machine over a network by a development application at a server. Using the interactive web application, a user can configure various aspects of a web page, including but not limited to layout, colors, fonts, tools, live dynamic content, and the like, directly on the sever without knowledge of mark-up language coding or other techniques such as cascading style sheets.
US08176412B2
Techniques for generating one or more formatted documents are provided. The techniques include receiving content from one or more data sources, enabling specification of one or more formatting elements to be used in one or more generated formatted documents, enabling specification of a structure to be used in the one or more generated formatted documents, enabling specification of a style of the one or more formatting elements to be used in the one or more generated formatted documents, and generating one or more formatted documents based on the specifications.
US08176411B2
A Web page of a Web application can be identified. The identified Web page can include an applet. A navigation action from the identified Web page to another Web page of the multi-page Web application can be detected. A state of the applet can be automatically saved before the applet terminates and the next Web page is navigated to. A navigation action to return to the identified Web page can be detected. This navigation can cause the previously saved applet state to be automatically retrieved and applied to the identified Web page so that the Web page is presented in a state that it was in when last navigated away from.
US08176409B2
Electronic publication systems are disclosed that enable the analysis and publication of layout files, which contain an analysis strategy and embedded raw data. The published layout files can be accessed by reader applications that are able to read the layout files and modify the analysis strategy within the layout file using the embedded raw data. In many embodiments, the reader applications are unable to access the embedded raw data. In several embodiments, the reader applications prevent the saving or printing of layout files.
US08176399B2
A system, method, and device for detecting short burst errors in a queue-based system is disclosed. A first detector performs a data detection on a first input data set at a first time and on a second input data set at a second time. A second detector performs a data re-detection on input data sets. A decoder decodes derivations of the outputs of the first and second detector. A short burst error detector may perform a short burst error detection on decoded data and erase any detected errors. An output data buffer stores and orders the decoded data for output.
US08176391B2
System to improve miscorrection rates in error control code through buffering and associated methods
A system to improve miscorrection rates in error control code may include an error control decoder with a safe decoding mode that processes at least two data packets. The system may also include a buffer to receive the processed at least two data packets from the error control decoder. The error control decoder may apply a logic OR operation to the uncorrectable error signal related to the processing of the at least two data packets to produce a global uncorrectable error signal. The system may further include a recipient to receive the at least two data packets and the global uncorrectable error signal.
US08176384B2
A method and apparatus for encoding and decoding a channel in a communication system using a Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) code. The encoding method includes determining a modulation scheme for transmitting a symbol; determining a shortening pattern in consideration of the determined modulation scheme; grouping columns corresponding to an information word in a parity-check matrix of the LDPC code into a plurality of column groups; ordering the column groups; determining a range of a resulting information word desired to be obtained by shortening the information word; based on the range of the resulting information word, performing column group-by-column group shortening on the ordered column groups of the information word, according to the determined shortening pattern; and LDPC-encoding the shortened information word.
US08176381B2
A transmitter, a receiver, and corresponding methods are provided. The transmitter includes encoders configured to encode source bit streams from L information sources into bytes of codewords. Each encoder includes different (n, k) multidimensional turbo-product codes of code rate R=k/n, where k is a number of information bytes, and n is code word length. The encoders operate in at least two phases. A first phase involves operating ky column-encoders in parallel on kx bytes per column to generate the code words for a current dimension. A second phase involves operating nx row-encoders in parallel on ky memory locations per rows to generate the code words for the current dimension. The first and second phases are repeated for remaining layers of the current dimension and layers of other dimensions.
US08176379B2
A method for processing data of a received frame in a receiver of a broadband wireless communication system. The received data processing method includes extracting, from control information for data of one frame having multiple bursts, burst sizes of bursts constituting the frame and modulation scheme information applied to the frame; assigning burst identifiers (IDs) used for identifying the bursts, and assigning burst partial IDs to data concatenations having concatenation sizes based on the burst sizes and the modulation scheme information; forming, in a memory, burst regions for storing the data concatenations according to the burst IDs; dividing received data of one slot included in the frame into data concatenations based on the concatenation sizes, and decoding the data concatenations; and sequentially storing the decoded data concatenations in the memory according to a burst ID and a burst partial ID corresponding to each of the decoded data concatenations.
US08176366B2
A data processing apparatus having one or more trace data sources. At least one of said trace data sources includes a trace data generator responsive to activity in monitored circuitry to generate trace data representing said activity. A synchronization marker generator is coupled to the trace data generator and operates to generate a synchronization marker and insert the synchronization marker into the trace data stream. A controller is coupled to the synchronization marker generator to generate and insert a synchronization marker into the trace data stream. The controller controls initiation in dependence on behavior of the data processing apparatus downstream of the trace data generator. In this way, the downstream behavior of the data processing apparatus can be made to influence the rate and timing of insertion of synchronization markers into a trace data stream.
US08176364B1
A system and method for assigning application specific IP addresses to individual applications. The system may be operable to assign a unique IP address to an application, and alias the application IP address to a NIC IP address on the host where the application is running. In an exemplary embodiment, the system may be further operable to migrate the application IP address to a new host as part of a migration, and alias the application IP address to a NIC in the new host as part of the migration.
US08176348B2
A control device includes a main control unit that serves as a main component for device control and to which power is supplied from a first power unit; a power control unit that controls the first power unit and to which power is supplied from a second power unit; a memory control unit that accesses a memory that stores therein a computer program and data and to which power is supplied from the second power unit; and a network control unit that receives packets through a network and transfers the packets to the memory through the memory control unit and to which power is supplied from the second power unit.
US08176340B2
A method and system for managing communications between sub-systems of a communication device. The sub-systems include a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) and a Baseband Integrated Circuit (BBIC). The BBIC includes a processing engine, a state machine module and an interface module. The method includes initializing a Digital Radio Frequency Third Generation (DigRF3G) interface between the RFIC and the BBIC. The processing engine is kept functionally inactive during the initialization process of the DigRF3G interface. Further, the method includes exchanging one or more packets between the RFIC and the BBIC.
US08176339B2
A method and system for managing peripheral connection wakeup signaling in a processing system supporting multiple virtual machines provides a mechanism by which ownership of a peripheral having system wakeup capability is transferred between virtual machines. The power management event signal is connected to a service processor input that in turn signals a hypervisor to direct the wakeup activity to a particular logical partition in which the virtual machine was last executing. The hypervisor can then determine whether or not to wake up the entire system, or portions thereof and can direct the power management event to the appropriate virtual machine. In particular the peripheral may be an Ethernet adapter supporting Wake-On-LAN capability. State initialization, which is typically ensured by system power cycling is provided instead by controlling power to the standby power source or in some instances by forcing an indication of a disconnect/reconnect of the wakeup signaling connection.
US08176332B2
A physical token to the user in the form of a unique card having a grid of images thereon. Each column and row of images has a unique text string of text. In addition, each user knows a special image, not necessarily present on the token card, on which one particular point or zone functions as an extra authentication feature. Users may be queried for a username, then shown a random one of the images on their card, and asked for the row text string plus column text string identifying the image. Users are also prompted to select their particular point or zone within their known special image, which is displayed, among a jumble of other images, by the computer system requesting authorization, such display serving to authenticate the computer system to the user. The system may be combined with password protection and methods to identify a user's machine.
US08176331B2
A method for protecting multimedia data exchanged between a multimedia processing device and a security module managed by a management center, the multimedia processing device receiving an encrypted multimedia data, decrypting the encrypted multimedia data and converting the decrypted multimedia data, said multimedia processing device including a personal key, the method comprising obtaining an identifier pertaining to an entity representing a group of multimedia processing devices, calculating a security key formed by a one-way function based on the personal key of the processing multimedia device and the entity identifier, transmitting this security key and the entity identifier to the security module connected to said multimedia processing device, calculating the security key using a one-way function based on the personal key of said multimedia processing device and the entity identifier, and using the calculated security key to secure the data exchanged between the multimedia processing device and the security module.
US08176315B2
Gateway device, controlling method of the same, and program record medium storing controlling method
A method of controlling a gateway device includes the steps of converting a plain text mail received from a client device to an encrypted mail; transmitting the encrypted mail to a mail transmission server; and notifying a transmission error to the client device when the transmission error occurs between the gateway device and the mail transmission server is provided.
US08176312B2
Enhanced reset logic is included in a user's computerized device so that the device owner (e.g., the user's employer) can assure prompt reset (e.g., to insure device use of newly downloaded software versions or other control or security data) while still allowing user convenience (e.g., some limited continued normal use of the device before reset is forced upon the user thus permitting the user to avoid possibly aggravating losses of data and/or ongoing usage).
US08176310B2
Methods, systems, apparatuses and program products are disclosed for communications such as may be used for debugging computers and similar electronic products at a level suitable for low level firmware. This may find application, for example, in environments after cache initialization around the time of memory bring up or motherboard device enumeration but including durability into and beyond software loading.GPIO (General Purpose input/output) connections may be used for communication that may, for some purposes, be regarded as half-duplex but without necessarily being anisochronous.
US08176309B2
Boot systems and methods are provided. The boot system includes an IO (Input/Output) chip, a memory device, and a BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). The memory device is coupled to the IO chip, and includes at least a rescue OS (Operating System). The BIOS reads the rescue OS from the memory device via the IO chip, and boots an electronic device based on the rescue OS.
US08176306B2
A machine including a processor, a boot block including an immutable segment and a mutable segment, one or more BIOS images stored on the mutable segment of the boot block, and a BIOS manager executed by the processor from the immutable segment of the boot block and configured to determine whether a BIOS of the machine is valid and launch a BIOS replacement process when the BIOS is invalid.
US08176289B2
A storage pool is shared by multiple host computers in a cluster that runs virtual machines. In one embodiment, one of the host computers in the cluster is designated to include a storage pool manager. Each host computer in the cluster monitors its storage consumption and notifies the storage pool manager of its storage consumption. Thus, storage space in the storage pool can be dynamically allocated on demand.
US08176287B2
LAN-managed storage volumes are managed by a LAN storage manager installed on a storage management server. In processing a LAN-free storage volume request, the LAN tape manager selects a LAN-managed storage volume responsive to the LAN-free storage volume allocation request wherein the LAN-managed storage volume is initialized as a candidate for a LAN-free storage operation. The LAN-managed storage volume may be initialized by the LAN storage manager as a candidate for a LAN-free storage operation prior to the LAN storage manager receiving the LAN-free storage volume allocation request or in response to the LAN storage manager receiving the LAN-free storage volume allocation request. Additionally, prior to being initialized as a candidate for a LAN-free storage operation, the LAN-managed storage volume may be a pre-existing storage volume or a scratch storage volume.
US08176284B2
Methods and apparatuses for enhanced protection of data stored in a FLASH memory system involve a controller capable of protecting data using different size page stripes. The controller is configured to store data in FLASH memory devices in the form of page stripes, each page stripe comprising a plurality of pages of information, each page of information being stored in a different FLASH memory chip. The controller stores the data in a manner such that the pages making up each page stripe includes a plurality of data pages and at least one data protection page. In one implementation, the page stripes stored by the controller include a first page stripe having N data pages and one data protection page, and a second page stripe having M data pages and one data protection page, where N is an integer greater than three and M is an integer less than N.
US08176280B2
Management of storage used by pageable guests of a computing environment is facilitated. A query instruction is provided that details information regarding the storage location indicated in the query. It specifies whether the storage location, if protected, is protected by host-level protection or guest-level protection.
US08176276B2
Described area system and computer program product for producing a point in time copy of source data. A set of records corresponding to a time ordered series of recorded file operations as applied to said source data is received. The set of records includes one or more consistency point markers, each consistency point marker indicating a point in time at which said source data is in a consistent state when a portion of said recorded file operations occurring up to said point in time is applied to said source data. The recorded file operations corresponding to said set of records are applied to said copy of the source data until a marker record corresponding to a consistency point marker is determined. Also described is a target system for producing a point in time copy of source data including a data storage device including said copy of source data and a replication service.
US08176274B2
A computer implemented method and system is provided for reproducing electronic data from a source storage device to a target storage device. The source storage device is connected to the target storage device via a disk interface. The electronic data on the target storage device is configured in a read write mode for electronic data transmission. The amount of electronic data to be reproduced is determined and sequentially read. The read electronic data is transmitted to the target storage device by performing a sequential write operation. The user can examine the transmitted electronic data during the transmission. If an interruption occurs, the electronic data is analyzed and the user selectively resumes the transmission. In the absence of the source storage device, the target storage device is configured in a read only mode for providing read only access to the electronic data present on the target storage device.
US08176271B2
Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to backup up data. In aspects, a backup target determines a degree to which a data set included on the backup target is not backed up on a backup facility. The degree can represent more than just that the data set is completely backed up or is not backed up at all. If the degree satisfies a condition, the backup target utilizes information derived from a backup history of one or more attempted or successfully completed backup sessions between the backup target and the backup facility to determine whether to provide a notification regarding backup state. The backup target also may send the degree and other backup information to a backup facility which may use this information in determining a backup scheme to employ with the backup target.
US08176269B2
Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for managing metadata for data blocks used in a deduplication system. File metadata is maintained for files having data blocks in a computer readable device. Data block metadata is maintained for each data block in the computer readable device. The data block metadata for one data block includes a data block reference and content identifier identifying content of the data block. The file metadata for each file includes the data block reference to each data block in the file. A determination is made of an unreferenced data block in the computer readable device that has become unreferenced. Indication is made that the data block metadata for the determined unreferenced data block as unreferenced metadata. The data block reference of the unreferenced metadata is maintained in the computer readable device in response to determining that a includes the data block indicated in the unreferenced metadata.
US08176266B2
The apparatus and method described herein are for handling shared memory accesses between multiple processors utilizing lock-free synchronization through transactional-execution. A transaction demarcated in software is speculatively executed. During execution invalidating remote accesses/requests to addresses loaded from and to be written to shared memory are tracked by a transaction buffer. If an invalidating access is encountered, the transaction is re-executed. After a pre-determined number of times re-executing the transaction, the transaction may be re-executed non-speculatively with locks/semaphores.
US08176265B2
A memory is used by concurrent threads in a multithreaded processor. Any addressable storage location is accessible by any of the concurrent threads, but only one location at a time is accessible. The memory is coupled to parallel processing engines that generate a group of parallel memory access requests, each specifying a target address that might be the same or different for different requests. Serialization logic selects one of the target addresses and determines which of the requests specify the selected target address. All such requests are allowed to proceed in parallel, while other requests are deferred. Deferred requests may be regenerated and processed through the serialization logic so that a group of requests can be satisfied by accessing each different target address in the group exactly once.
US08176262B2
A data processing apparatus and method has a plurality of processing units, at least one of which is configured to be switchable between an active power state and a dormant power state and the units share a memory, and at least one local storage unit is configured to store a local copy of a data item stored in the memory for access by an associated processing unit. A snoop control unit is monitors memory access requests and when one is issued, if the control unit has an indication that a local storage unit belonging to another dormant processing unit has a local copy of that data storage item and a cache coherency protocol required that the local copy of the requested data item associated with the other processing unit be invalidated, the control unit stores a marker indicating that that other local copy should later be invalidated.
US08176259B2
A system comprises a first node that employs a source broadcast protocol to initiate a transaction. The first node employs a forward progress protocol to resolve the transaction if the source broadcast protocol cannot provide a deterministic resolution of the transaction.
US08176254B2
A system and method for specifying an access hint for prefetching limited use data. A processing unit receives a data cache block touch (DCBT) instruction having an access hint indicating to the processing unit that a program executing on the data processing system may soon access a cache block addressed within the DCBT instruction. The access hint is contained in a code point stored in a subfield of the DCBT instruction. In response to detecting that the code point is set to a specific value, the data addressed in the DCBT instruction is prefetched into an entry in the lower level cache. The entry may then be updated as a least recently used entry of a plurality of entries in the lower level cache. In response to a new cache block being fetched to the cache, the prefetched cache block is cast out of the cache.
US08176244B2
Provided are a device and a method for identifying whether or not an information recording medium is a pre-formatted disc, and an information recording medium as a pre-formatted disc. In an information processing device that executes recording of data onto a disc, such as a video camera, a process of identifying which one of the following discs a loaded disc is, that is, whether the loaded disc is (a) an unrecorded blank disc, (b) a pre-formatted disc to which a padding process has been applied, or (c) an already-recorded disc, is executed as a process of recognizing the loaded disc. With this configuration, a padding process that needs to be executed during a formatting process or finalizing process in conventional devices becomes unnecessary, thus enabling quick processing without making the user wait during the start of recording or finalizing process.
US08176243B2
A tape recording apparatus is configured for sequentially recording files when receiving a command to write the files from an external host. The tape recording apparatus includes a buffer for temporarily storing the files, a tape on which the files are recorded, a writing device for writing the files stored in the buffer on the tape, and a writing control device for performing control of sequentially writing the files stored in the buffer on the tape one by one. The writing control device memorizes designated delimiter positions when delimiter position designation commands are received from the external host, the delimiter position designation commands designating the delimiter positions of the files to be sequentially written.
US08176237B2
A controller executes first processing for writing a plurality of data in a sector unit in the first storing area; second processing for flushing the data stored in the first storing area to the first input buffer in a first management unit twice or larger natural number times as large as the sector unit; third processing for flushing the data stored in the first storing area to the second input buffer in a second management unit twice or larger natural number times as large as the first management unit; fourth processing for relocating a logical block in which all pages are written in the first input buffer to the second storing area; fifth processing for relocating a logical block in which all pages are written in the second input buffer to the third storing area; and sixth processing for flushing a plurality of data stored in the second storing area to the second input buffer in the second management unit.
US08176230B2
A Flash memory card system is disclosed. The Flash memory card system comprises a Flash memory wireless host adapter and a Flash memory bus wireless device. The Flash memory wireless host adapter comprises a Flash memory card connector and a Flash memory controller coupled to the Flash memory card connector. The Flash-52 memory card signals are converted to standard Flash memory internal bus signals by the Flash memory controller. The host adapter further comprises a Flash memory wireless module coupled to the Flash memory controller for receiving and transmitting the standard Flash memory bus signals wirelessly. The Flash-51 memory bus wireless device comprises a Flash memory bus wireless device adapter coupled to a Flash memory. The device adapter is paired to the wireless module for receiving and transmitting the standard Flash memory bus signals wirelessly. A host device storage capacity utilizing the Flash memory card system is expanded.
US08176223B1
A system and method stores wirelessly received communications for wireless retransmission, making space in a storage device, if necessary, by deleting any one or more communications corresponding to the same group as the received communication. If storage in the storage device remains insufficient, communications that have been previously retransmitted by that same device are deleted, according to one or more characteristics of such stored communications, such as age or number of times an instance of that communication has been received. If storage in the storage device remains insufficient, communications of a different group are deleted according to one or more characteristics of the stored communications.
US08176222B2
A computer program product, apparatus, and method for handling early termination of an I/O operation at a channel subsystem in an I/O processing system are provided. The computer program product includes a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method. The method includes receiving a request to terminate an I/O operation, and transmitting an abort command to a control unit in communication with the channel subsystem in response to receiving the request to terminate the I/O operation. The method also includes transmitting a purge path command to purge a path associated with the I/O operation, where the purge path command includes an error code identifying the request to terminate the I/O operation.
US08176219B1
A network device is described that concurrently executing more than one instance of an operating system on a single processor. Each of the instances of the operating system executes completely independent of the other instances. In this way, disparate instances may exist for the same operating system or for different operating systems. The techniques allow the processor to concurrently execute, for example, an instance of the operating system may emulate a routing engine and an instance of the operating system may emulate an interface controller. A hyper scheduler performs context switches between the operating systems to enable the processor to concurrently execute the instances of the operating system. The techniques may provide a low cost alternative to employing multiple processors within a network device, such as a router, to execute multiple independent operating systems.
US08176217B2
The present invention is a system for implementing a storage protocol with initiator controlled data transfer including a host device, a target device and an intermediate device, the intermediate device for communicatively coupling the host device and the target device. The intermediate device is configured to control a data transfer phase of an input/output (I/O) between said intermediate device and said target device.
US08176216B1
A method is described for capturing USB data traffic for a monitored device by a USB analyzer using a single USB host controller. It comprises the steps of: generating and storing an address and communication speed associated with the USB analyzer; reading a USB packet; discarding selected read packets based on the stored analyzer address and communication speed; and transmitting the remaining packets to an analysis computer.
US08176212B1
A method and system for the flexible sizing of behavior containers on a reconfigurable computing resource through the use of hierarchically nested as well as joinable and separable containers is provided.
US08176206B2
A method of delivering content comprises receiving content in the form of an instruction set of a markup language, distorting the content according to predetermined parameters, and rendering the content. Apparatus for delivering the content are also disclosed.
US08176205B2
A method, server and system for optimizing and delivering HyperText Markup Language (HTML)-based content such as HTML-based email messages to mobile communication devices is provided. In accordance with one embodiment, the method comprises: receiving an email message comprising an HTML portion comprising an HTML header and an HTML body; determining if the HTML header includes a reference to a Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) document comprising one or more rules; if the HTML header includes a reference to a CSS document, replacing the reference with the CSS rules of the CSS document, and sending the transformed email message to a destination mobile communication device.
US08176203B1
Techniques are provided for using the mobility support features of IPv6 to allow client and server nodes to communicate without the continuing intervention of a load-balancing node that selected the server node. A load-balancing node intercepts a TCP SYN packet addressed to a virtual IP address. The load-balancing node selects a server node from among multiple server nodes, and sends the packet toward the server node. The server node sends an IPv6 packet toward the client node. The packet contains a Binding Update option that specifies the virtual IP address as a Home Address. This information causes the client node to replace destination addresses in outgoing IP packets so that packets that the client node would have sent toward the virtual IP address are sent toward the selected server node's IP address instead. Consequently, the IP packets are routed toward the selected server node instead of the load-balancing node.
US08176201B1
Label distribution protocol (LDP) signaled label-switched paths (LSPs) are supported without requiring information about remote autonomous systems (ASs) to be injected into the local interior gateway protocol (IGP). This may be done by (i) decoupling a forwarding equivalency class (FEC) element from the routing information, and (ii) specifying a next hop on which the FEC relies. An LDP messaging structure (e.g., an LDP type-length-value (TLV)) that includes a label, FEC information (e.g., a host address or prefix of an egress LSR of the LSP) and a next hop (e.g., a host address or prefix of a border node, such as an AS border router (ASBR)) may be provided. This messaging structure may be included in one or more of (a) label mapping messages, (b) label withdraw messages, and (c) label release messages. If an LDP message including the expanded LDP messaging structure is received at a node, the node may determine whether or not to propagate the LSP using the next hop information, rather than the FEC information. If, on the other hand, the LDP message includes a normal LDP messaging structure, the node may determine whether or not to propagate the LSP as usual.
US08176197B2
When the content data recorded in the server device 100 is reproduced in the client device 200 through communication, the contents transmitting system shorten the time to reproduction of content data in reply to a reproduction request from the client device 200. In order to shorten the time up to the reproduction, in the server device 100, a start portion of the content data for an arbitrary time is prepared, which is encoded at a different rate from the encode rate of the content data as for the transmission bandwidth at the previous reproduction of the content data, and it is transmitted to the client device 200 and reproduced at the reproduction starting time. At the time of transmitting the content data, the server device 100 transmits the initial portion of the content data while encoding it for an arbitrary time at real time at a different encode rate as mentioned above, and client device 200 reproduces it.
US08176195B2
System and methods for media distribution are described. In one embodiment, a method of media distribution includes rendering of a media to a user, stopping the rendering of the media, and storing remaining media not rendered to the user in a user server. The method further includes receiving a request to stream the remaining media to the user, dividing the remaining media into segments, and assigning a priority to each segment. The remaining media is streamed, leaving out segments with priority lower than a threshold priority.
US08176193B2
Dynamic media asset delivery is described. In embodiments, a request for a media asset can be received from a client device. A transmission rate of a communication network is determined to deliver the media asset to the client device. The client device can be monitored to determine whether the media asset is initiated for playback at the client device. The media asset is then communicated to the client device in a highest quality display format as can be delivered according to the transmission rate of the communication network and whether the media asset is initiated for playback at the client device.
US08176191B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide an automated scheme for identifying high/low value content. Playback data from users in a social network may be periodically submitted by users of the social network. The playback data indicates segments of content, such as audio or video that the user has skipped over or tagged as low value. The playback data may also indicate segments of content that the user has repeated or tagged as high value. The playback data is then analyzed in aggregate and various clips are identified. In addition, the playback data may be compiled and organized among the users for future use. The playback data may be used to indicate segments of high/low interest to peers in the social network or to arbitrary users.
US08176179B2
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to computationally efficient methods and systems for managing connection-associated and exchange-associated resources within network proxies. In one embodiment of the present invention, a circular connection-switch queue is employed for allocating, de-allocating, and maintaining connection-based or exchange-based data resources within a proxy. The connection-switch queue includes a free pointer that identifies a next connection-switch queue entry for allocation, and an idle pointer that is incremented continuously or at fixed intervals as timers associated with connection-switch entries expire. In an alternate embodiment, the connection-switch queue includes a free pointer, an idle pointer, and a clear pointer.
US08176175B2
In one embodiment, a method can include: (i) receiving flow records from a plurality of network devices on asymmetric paths; (ii) reconstructing a network transaction from the received flow records; and (iii) deriving response times using the reconstructed network transaction.
US08176174B2
A power meter or other electrical device is provided having two independent and communicatively isolated Ethernet ports. The first Ethernet port is addressable by a first unique identifier and is configured for enabling full access to the power meter via an internal LAN. This enables a LAN operator to remotely access the power meter via the internal LAN for performing metering functions, such as full telemetry, control and programming. The second Ethernet port is addressable by a second unique identifier and is configured for being connected to the Internet. Since the second Ethernet port is communicatively isolated from the first Ethernet port, a user can access the power meter via the Internet, but cannot access the internal LAN by connecting to the power meter via the Internet.
US08176156B1
A method and apparatus are provided for assigning/obtaining enclosure identification numbers in a distributed switch storage system. The method takes advantage a network topology wherein one port on the switch is always used as a downstream connection (towards a control station) and one always used as an upstream connection (away from the control station). Using single-hop type packets an assignment arbitration protocol ensures that each enclosure is assigned a unique and predictable Enclosure ID.
US08176155B2
Disclosed is a remote network management system for coupling a series of remote domain servers, file/print servers, headless servers, network appliances, serial IT equipment, switches, routers, firewalls, security interfaces, application servers, load balancers, and environmental controls to one or more user workstations allowing for selective access of the remote devices. The remote devices are all connected to a remote management unit which interfaces each user workstation to the remote devices. The power supply of each remote device is similarly connected to the remote management unit through a controllable power supply. An option menu containing a list of all of the remote devices allows a user to select and operate any of the remote devices from the workstation. The option menu is also utilized to selectively control the power to the remote devices, servers, and computers.
US08176152B2
A system and method is provided for optimizing a SyncML slow sync between a proprietary client and server. When a slow sync is detected, the client and server can depart from the normal SyncML protocol and process summary data without having to compare all items on a field-by-field basis.
US08176145B1
A system architecture for providing remote access to insurance applications from a remote location is provided, including: a presentation layer located at the remote location that provides tools for navigating within one of the insurance applications and executing business transactions, wherein the presentation layer is based on web browser technology; an application layer that enforces predetermined rules of business on commands and transactions input from the remote location; a data access layer that manages physical storage of data relating to the insurance applications in databases and provides the application layer with access to application data; and a distributed technical layer separating a presentation logic of the presentation layer from an application logic of the application layer, wherein the distributed technical layer is configured to coordinate an execution of the insurance applications on one or more different platforms.
US08176143B2
A Web service providing apparatus is disclosed for controlling a sequence of processes to cause a Web service providing apparatus to copy or print out a target document stored therein to another Web service providing apparatus in cooperation with the Web service providing apparatuses and a terminal connected to each other via a communication network. The Web service providing apparatus includes a server processing part controlling receipt of a process request from a connected requesting apparatus and transmission of a process response corresponding to the process request to the requesting apparatus in accordance with a predetermined protocol; a condition acquisition control part controlling acquisition of target information designated by the process request based on a first processable condition; and a service providing part performing the requested process and sending a result of the process to the server processing part.
US08176141B1
Systems and methods are described for accelerating a user experience involving transactions with a remote file server by identifying and prefetching simple message block (SMB) requests. Embodiments exploit applications' usage of certain SMB request offset value patterns to reliably prefetch SMB requests. Requests from a user to a remote file server are intercepted by a proxy server disposed in the communications network relatively local to the file server. When a known SMB request offset value is detected and other conditions are met, a set of other SMB request offset values is prefetched by the proxy server according to a predetermined pattern. These prefetched requests may be sent, along with the original request, in a single transaction over the communications link from the proxy server to the requesting user (e.g., via a proxy client associated with the requesting user).
US08176138B1
Method and apparatus for system description and provisioning. In one embodiment, a system description and provisioning mechanism may be provided as a component of system firmware that, during the pre-boot process of the system, may collect information about the system and represent the information in a peer-to-peer platform advertisement. The advertisement may be broadcast or multicast on the network and intercepted by a control station. The control station may assign an IP address to the new system and, based on the information in the advertisement, provision the system to the specific needs of the data center/network environment. In one embodiment, provisioning may be accomplished by issuing commands such as boot from disk and partition or boot from the network (given a particular network address) with a specific image.
US08176137B2
A management system communicates with at least one remote data processing system, associated with a trading participant, on a technical parameter of at least one remote data processing system. A technical parameter may refer to software configuration data, hardware configuration data, operational status of a data processing system, operational status of a software component of the data processing system, operational status of a hardware component of the data processing system, or otherwise. The management system receives a report message on the technical parameter via a communications network. The management system interprets or processes the report message for a presentation on a user interface of the management system.
US08176136B2
An e-mail filter may be associated with a schedule defining a recurrent active time period. As such, some e-mail filters may be active at specific times of day and on specific days of the week and inactive the rest of the time. Before applying any filters, the current time is determined and it is determined which filters are active. The determination of which filters are active is based on the current time being within the active time period.
US08176126B2
A system, method and program product for managing e-mails from a source suspected of sending spam. The e-mails are received at a firewall or router en route to a mail server. A determination is made whether a source has sent an e-mail which exhibits characteristics of spam. In response, subsequent e-mails from the source destined for the mail server are rate-limiting at the firewall or router such that the firewall or router limits a rate at which the subsequent e-mails are forwarded from the firewall or router to the mail server. The rate is predetermined and less than a maximum rate at which the firewall or router can physically forward e-mails to the mail server absent the rate limit. A determination is made whether another source has sent another e-mail which exhibits more characteristics of spam than the first said e-mail. In response, subsequent e-mails from this other source are blocked at the firewall or router. The rate limit can be a limit on a number of e-mails per unit of time from the source that will be forwarded from the firewall or router to the mail server.
US08176120B2
A method of composing a web page is described. The method includes transmitting an authoring web page including an embedded authoring tool to a client computer using a network. The authoring tool may be used to compose the web page. Web-page content corresponding to the composed web page is received from the client computer. The composed web page may include one or more regions for displaying one or more advertisements having one or more links to one or more content locations. In another aspect of the disclosure, an advertising program registration module may include a link or other mechanism for sending the authoring web page to a publisher registering to participate in the advertising program.
US08176119B2
A host Web page includes an evolving interactive dialog box wherein an Internet user may enter user data to be processed. When the user completes entering user data in a first revolution of the interactive dialog box, the first revolution is replaced with a second revolution of the evolving interactive dialog box without disturbing or affecting any other part of the host Web page being displayed. Beneficially, the first and second revolutions may be communicated to a user computer together with and at a same time as the host Web page. Also, the second revolution may include a variety of data which is selected or customized to match the user data submitted in the first revolution. Each revolution of the evolving interactive dialog box may be comprised of any combination of general textual data entry fields, category (pull-down) menus, contact information data entry fields, and opt-in/opt-out buttons. The evolving interactive dialog box may also include dynamically selectable features, such as font type, font size, font color, box shape, box dimension(s), background colors, foreground colors, etc.
US08176116B2
A potential communication partner receives an inquiry which prompts it to notify the inquiring party of its interface in machine-readable form. When the interface data for the potential communication partner are available, the interface data can be transferred to a program, and communication with the remote partner can be started, the communication including a request for a functionality which is provided by the remote partner.
US08176112B2
Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for a multimedia applications gateway. A home network management application is downloaded to the multimedia applications gateway operating in a home network. An anomaly that occurs in the home network is observed. An alert is sent to an external network controller, and the alert describes the anomaly in the home network. An instruction is received from the external network controller to remedy the anomaly.
US08176108B2
A first representation of an electrical network includes a first set of simultaneous linear algebraic equations (SLAE's). A second representation of an electrical network includes a second set of SLAE's. The equations of the SLAE's include a number of unknowns and have coefficients for the respective unknowns. A number of the coefficients are expressed in algebraic form. The coefficients of one such equation from one of the sets of SLAE's are for respective elements of the set's respective electrical network and the unknowns are for respective operating properties of the set's respective electrical network. Results are derived in pairs for each unknown of each respective one of the SLAE's. The pairs of results are compared in a specified manner to determine a network equivalence. The results are derived from the SLAE's and expressed in algebraic form, so that the comparing of the pairs of results includes comparing algebraic expressions.
US08176105B2
A computer-implemented method, system and computer program product for managing computer file storage is presented. In one embodiment the method includes receiving a file for storage. In response to determining that the file exceeds a pre-determined size, the file is stored in a pre-designated folder that is reserved for oversized files.
US08176104B2
Provided are techniques for space recovery with storage management coupled with a deduplicating storage system. A notification is received that one or more data objects have been logically deleted by deleting metadata about the one or more data objects, wherein the notification provides storage locations within one or more logical storage volumes corresponding to the deleted one or more data objects, wherein each of the one or more data objects are divided into one or more extents. In response to determining that a sparse file represents the one or more logical storage volumes, physical space is deallocated by nulling out space in the sparse file corresponding to each of the one or more extents.
US08176093B2
A method for managing information includes: forming a meta data structure containing first information; forming an application data structure containing second information; establishing an association between the meta data structure and the application data structure wherein the first information has the second information associated therewith using a server; and displaying the association on a display.
US08176092B2
A consistency enforcement system includes an XML object of an SOA-registry. The XML object includes a plurality of processing task XML elements that define a processing task to be performed the SOA. An updated XML object is received through an interface. The updated object includes at least one additional processing task XML element that defines at least one further processing task to be performed by the SOA. A validation unit is use to query the SOA-registry in order to obtain one or more predefined processing task identifiers. The validation unit matches a processing task identifier of the at least one additional processing task XML element of the updated XML object against the one or more predefined processing task identifiers obtained from the SOA-registry and approves or rejects the updated XML object (20′) depending on the result of the match.
US08176079B1
In one example, a server-based system may provide a recursive classification of the contents of a URL by: 1) receiving a request for a URL-classification list associated with a base URL, 2) constructing the URL-classification list, and 3) providing, in response to the request, the URL-classification list. The resulting URL-classification list may comprise: 1) content categories occurring in the base URL and 2) content categories occurring in any URLs embedded in the base URL. In another example, a client-based system may restrict access to network resources, based on the contents of a base URL, by: 1) identifying a request from a user to access a base URL, 2) requesting a URL-classification list associated with the base URL, 3) receiving the URL-classification list, and 4) determining, based on the URL-classification list, that access to the base URL is authorized. Corresponding computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08176076B2
The frequency of occurrences of an exclusion process is reduced so as to enhance the efficiency of handling accesses to a database. A system is provided for controlling accesses to a database. The system includes a database identifying section that identifies a database corresponding to an input of a first access command, an access judging section that judges whether a series of accesses to the identified database initiated by a second access command still continue, a frequency determining section that determines how often accesses to the identified database occur with reference to a history of accesses. The system further comprises an access control section that checks the accesses made by the first access command to the identified database when the series of accesses to the identified database initiated by the second access command still continue and the frequency of accesses to the identified database determined by the frequency determining section is higher than or equal to a predetermined value.
US08176072B2
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to facilitating tag assignment to data objects as data objects are added to a tag-associated data-object storage system by users of the tag-associated data-object storage system and to facilitate subsequent display, access, and further characterization of data objects that already reside in the a tag-associated data-object storage system. Methods and systems of the present invention provide for automated tag suggestion to users in order to both increase usability of the interface provided to the tag-associated data-object storage systems as well as decrease the likelihood of unnecessary and unproductive tag proliferation within the tag-associated data-object storage system.
US08176071B2
Techniques are described herein for providing protocol extensions to the WS-Enumeration protocol. A selection protocol extension to the WS-Enumeration protocol enables retrieval of partial representations of objects from a directory server. The partial representations include attributes of the objects that are designated via the selection protocol extension. A sorting protocol extension to the WS-Enumeration protocol enables sorting of objects (or partial representations thereof) to be retrieved from a directory server. The selection and sorting protocol extensions are defined in respective XML elements that are distinct from an XML element that defines an object request including a query filter for selecting objects in the directory server. The selection and sorting protocol extensions may be used independently from each other. The computer languages utilized by the aforementioned XML elements need not necessarily be the same. For instance, a different computer language may be used for each.
US08176065B2
A photograph in an album of photographs is selected as the cover for the album based on metadata, e.g., most frequently viewed, last viewed, EXIF data, etc.
US08176064B2
In general, the present invention purposes a method for automated information based selective data provision by an identification device is provided. Information data associated with a plurality of data records stored in a data storage are scanned in order to obtain filter information relating to the plurality of data records from the informational data. Then at least one data record out of the plurality of data records is selected. The selection of the data records is obtained on the basis of the obtained filter information which are compared with a predefined filter rule for identifying relevant data records which match with the filter rule. The at least one selected data record is subsequently configured at the identification device and the identification device provides at least one configured data record as an identification information to be retrievable wirelessly by an external inquiring entity. Further general aspects of the present invention relate to a method for automated information based selective data maintenance and a method for obtaining a data record applicable for information based selective data provision by an identification device. Additionally, devices, means and systems are defined which enable the performing of the purposed methods.
US08176055B1
A first content entity and one or more associated second content entities are presented to one or more arbiters. Arbiter determinations relating to the association of at least one of the second content entities with the first content entity are received. A determination as to whether the at least one of the second content entities is to be disassociated from the first content entity based on the arbiter determinations can be made.
US08176054B2
The present invention relies on the two-dimensional information in documents and encodes two-dimensional structures into a one-dimensional synthetic language such that two-dimensional documents can be searched at text search speed. The system comprises: an indexing module, a retrieval module, an encoder, a quantization module, a retrieval engine and a control module coupled by a bus. A number of electronic documents are first indexed by the indexing module and stored as a synthetic text library. The retrieval module then converts and input image to synthetic text and searches for matches to the synthetic text in the synthetic text library. The matches can be in turn used to retrieve the corresponding electronic documents. It should be noted that a plurality of matches and corresponding electronic documents may be retrieves ranked by order according the similarity of the synthetic text. In one or more embodiments, the present invention includes a method for indexing documents by converting them to synthetic text, and a method for retrieving documents by converting an image to synthetic text and comparing the synthetic text to documents that have been converted to synthetic text for a match.
US08176050B2
This invention is to appropriately support creation of a classification rule for a new data item. This method includes: storing a new data item and a category of the new data item into a storage; extracting feature patterns each including a condition including a feature element of the new data item stored in the storage and a corresponding category from data stored in a correct answer data storage, which stores data items and categories of the data items, and storing the feature patterns into a feature pattern storage; and grouping the feature patterns stored in the feature pattern storage into a first set whose feature pattern matches with the category of the new data item stored in the storage and a second set whose feature pattern does not match with the category of the new data item, and storing a grouping result into a group data storage. Accordingly, the feature pattern, which is a candidate of the classification rule, is automatically generated, and furthermore, it becomes possible to select a specific feature pattern as a classification rule to be applied hereinafter from the first set.
US08176049B2
Regular expressions used for searching for patterns in captured objects can be grouped into attributes. Such attributes can be associated with captured objects using tags stored in a database. In one embodiment, the present invention includes capturing an object being transmitted over a network, and determining that a regular expression appears in the object, the regular expression belonging to a group of one or more regular expressions associated with an attribute. If a regular expression associated with the attribute is found in the object, then an attribute field of a tag containing metadata related to the captured object is set to indicate the presence of the attribute in the captured object. The presence of the attribute in the captured object can now be determined from the tag, which can be stored in a database.
US08176045B2
Aspects of the invention relate to the use of electronic maps and providing information about intersecting streets. A given region of interest on a map may include any number of features. Features of interest, including road segments and intersections, can be filtered to remove non-street data. The results may be analyzed according to individual street segments. Each segment may be identified by a feature ID, and the relationship each segment has with a given intersection is analyzed. Thus, the direction of a segment into or out of an intersection is determined, along with the physical locations of the beginning and end of the segment. This information is used to provide robust map information that may be displayed to a user. Heuristics can be applied to the map information to provide coherent address or direction information to the user for a given point of interest.
US08176044B2
A method and apparatus are provided for ranking documents according to relevancy scoring. In one implementation, a computer-implemented method is provided for receiving, from a database over a network, a document resulting from a search on a database, the document containing terms that match the search criteria. The method may calculate a standard deviation of a probability distribution function representing a distribution of the terms in the document that match the search criteria. The method may further determine relative distances between the terms in the document that match the search criteria according to the standard deviation. The method may further calculate a proximity boost value using the relative distances, and apply the proximity boost value to a base relevancy score of the document to determine a relevancy ranking. The document may then be ranked according to the relevancy ranking.
US08176021B2
Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to optimized reverse key indexes. In aspects, a dispersion function disperses index values such that they are distributed across multiple pages of an index. The dispersion function utilizes a dispersion factor that indicates to what extent the index values are dispersed. Because the index values are dispersed, contention regarding inserts may be reduced or eliminated and other advantages realized.
US08176020B2
An image forming apparatus which is capable of performing more appropriate control of access to files which grant different access rights on a versions basis. The image forming apparatus is communicably connected to a file server. In a system controller of the image forming apparatus, a reading control section reads an original to thereby generate image data. The reading control section extracts version information on the original from the generated image data. Then, the system controller identifies, out of at least one version of an original file stored in the file server as electronic data corresponding to the original, a version that permits the image forming apparatus to perform image formation, based on the extracted version information on the original.
US08176019B2
A method and system enable a user to develop domain-specific policy workbench. Domains may include, but are not limited to security, autonomic computing, workload management and systems management. The method and system in one aspect determines syntax of a policy in a selected domain and creates an instance of policy workbench specific to the selected domain. In one aspect, the instance of policy workbench includes at least machine-readable encodings of the selected policy and associated mapping. The instance of policy workbench also includes a compliance auditing tool enabled to check events logged at a target system against the selected policy and associated mapping to determine if one or more policy rules have been complied with. In another aspect, domain-specific policy workbench creation machine is provided that automatically creates an instance of domain-specific policy workbench.
US08176017B2
This document describes tools capable of enabling an entity requiring exclusive access to data and metadata of a volume to have that exclusive access while also permitting another entity to have access to data and metadata of that volume. The tools, for example, may permit a ChkDsk program to detect and correct data/metadata integrity errors while permitting users to maintain access to a live volume having that data and metadata. In one embodiment the tools create a copy of a logical volume, permit exclusive access to the copy while permitting access to the live volume, and, when the exclusive access is no longer needed, merge the copy and the live volume.
US08176013B2
Systems and methods are disclosed that provide an indexing data structure. In one embodiment, the indexing data structure is mirrored index tree where the copies of the nodes of the tree are stored across devices in a distributed system. In one embodiment, nodes that are stored on an offline device are restored, and an offline device that comes back online is merged into the distributed system and given access to the current indexing data structure. In one embodiment, the indexing data structure is traversed to locate and restore nodes that are stored on offline devices of the distributed system.
US08176012B1
A system and method that provides users of network data storage with the ability to gain advantages of a clustered storage server system, in which volumes from multiple server nodes are linked into a virtual global hierarchical namespace, without first having to migrate their data to the clustered storage server system. The system and method extends the global namespace of the clustered storage server system to allow access to one or more volumes stored on one or more remote storage servers over at least one network pathway communicably connecting the remote storage servers and the clustered storage server system. In addition, the system and method allows loads to the clustered system and to the remote storage servers to be balanced or shared by generating at least one set of mirrored volumes accessible via the extended global namespace of the clustered system.
US08176006B2
Route changes are processed and filtered to notify a client of those routing updates of interest to a client. In one configuration, a set of network addresses are received from a client indicating route updates of interest to the client and a set of types of routing changes that are of interest. One or more data structures are accordingly populated with this information. In response to receiving a route update, one or more lookup operations are performed on the data structure to identify whether this particular route is of interest to a particular client and/or whether any route dependent on the particular route are of interest to a client. The client is notified of the changes of interest. In one embodiment, the type of change to a route is also matched against a set of types of routing changes that are of interest, and a client is only notified if the change to a route of interest also matches a type of routing change of interest.
US08176003B2
The embodiments described herein generally relate to new and alternate systems and methods to associate XBRL tags with financial data. A business user creates a design template that can be used one or more times to create an instance of an XBRL document. A user can select a user interface element to have a system automatically map the XBRL taxonomy tags with portions of financial information. Upon selecting the user interface element, the system determines the best matches for the financial information and the XBRL taxonomy. The matches are recorded or stored in the design template.
US08176002B2
Disclosed are methods usable by non-experts for altering a configuration of a data warehouse. The initial configuration of the data warehouse is represented in terms of metadata, and that metadata configuration is presented to a user. The user can choose to alter the metadata configuration. If alterations are made to the metadata, then the underlying configuration of the data warehouse is altered accordingly. Because there may be multiple users wishing to alter aspects of the data warehouse, some embodiments of the present invention enforce approval guidelines so that proposed changes to the data warehouse configuration are only implemented after the appropriate approvals have been secured. By presenting a metadata representation of the data warehouse configuration, the present invention both allows non-experts to have a hand in converting a data warehouse and prevents user errors from corrupting the data warehouse conversion process.
US08176000B2
Discovering communication traffic in a computer network is useful to administrators of computer networks. Communication packets from a communication transaction on the network are read to determine a source computing device and to determine whether the communication transaction contains a data pattern match to one of a plurality of defined data patterns. If a match is made to an exact data pattern, the source computing device is associated with an application or service corresponding to that exact data pattern. If a match is made to a statistical data pattern, the source computing device is associated with an application or service corresponding to that statistical data pattern if a threshold number of data pattern matches have occurred for that statistical data pattern for the source computing device.
US08175980B2
A hot video prediction system is provided. A video comments database stores video comments submitted by a plurality of users. A user social network constructor establishes a user social network according to the video comments. When new comments of a new video are received, a hot video predictor uses the user social network to determine a similar theme between the new video and hot videos that have been hot for a period of time, and predicts whether the new video will become popular accordingly. A social network adaptor checks the prediction, and modifies the user social network accordingly.
US08175977B2
A method and apparatus for digital content license management is disclosed that provides one or more license management devices that manage licenses for playback of digital content. The license management devices create licenses having an associated cardinality that determines the number of playback devices that can be authorized by the license. The license is stored in a set of playback devices, where the number of playback devices in the set corresponds to the cardinality of the license. The license is also included in digital content that the license authorizes for playback. Playback devices that have a license that matches a license included in the digital content are authorized to play the digital content. A single license can be used to provide authorization to play digital content from multiple sources and/or multiple types of content. Playback devices can store multiple licenses, which allows playback devices to belong to multiple sets of playback devices authorized to playback various digital content. In one embodiment digital content files can contain multiple licenses to allow the content files to be shared by multiple sets of playback devices.
US08175972B2
A loan transaction for a pre-paid card is approved for a borrower so that release of the loan proceeds is pending an activation of a pre-paid card. A pre-paid card transaction computer activates a pre-paid card responsive to an activation request on behalf of the borrower. The pre-paid card transaction computer indicates the activated pre-paid card is to be used with a loan transaction pending the activation of the pre-paid card. The pre-paid card transaction computer loads the pending loan proceeds to the pre-paid card so that the loan proceeds are released to the approved borrower and are immediately available to thereby convert the pre-paid card into a loan delivery apparatus.
US08175966B2
A method for selecting a service provider includes receiving a selection of a provider of telecommunications services, the selection being associated with a buyer. The method further includes determining that the buyer does not meet credit requirements of the provider and selecting at least one of a plurality of alternative providers of telecommunications services in response to determining that the buyer does not meet the credit requirements of the provider.
US08175965B2
A system and method are disclosed for providing prepaid services via an open network architecture system having access to a network, such as the Internet via an Internet protocol. The architecture system is operated by a system operator and includes a customer profile database which stores various customer-related information, such as customer names and their respective payment and contact information, a plurality of databases each storing prepaid accounts for a particular prepaid service, such as telephony, Internet access, paging, and cellular, and web-site system hardware connected to the customer profile database and the plurality of databases and to a network, such as the Internet, for ubiquitously accessing the databases via the Internet for viewing and managing one's prepaid services, as well as purchasing additional prepaid services and/or usage rights. The architecture system further includes network hardware connected to the web-site system hardware for enabling outside system operators, e.g., wholesalers, online retailers, system developers and ISPs, to utilize the architecture system to brand their own prepaid services and offer them through the architecture system.
US08175958B2
A system and method of trading combined orders in an exchange configured for trading by a combination of electronic and open-outcry trading mechanisms is provided. One method includes receiving an incoming order having a first order component and a second order component at an electronic trade engine and routing the first and second order components to a first electronic database. The first and second order components are matched and executed against order components maintained in the first and second electronic databases, respectively. Any unexecuted first and second order components are placed in an electronic book according to a predetermined program if the first or second order component cannot be completely matched against any order components maintained in one of the first or second electronic databases. The system includes a trade engine configured for receiving combined orders from market makers.
US08175952B2
According to one embodiment, a method for managing a group life insurance policy with a plurality of certificates is provided. The group life insurance policy is at least partially funded by a financial account comprising one or more payments paid by a sponsor. The one or more payments are expected to fund the group life insurance policy for a multi-year period. The group life insurance policy is configured to provide life insurance coverage for a plurality of persons pursuant to the plurality of certificates.
US08175947B2
A system for administering an insurance account includes a processor; a memory in communication with the processor; the processor being adapted to: access data indicative of a value of an index calculated based on a formula including as factors prices of individual equity securities; access data indicative of dividend yield; access data indicative of an asset value of an insurance account having a value based on the index; determine an updated asset value of the insurance account based on change in the index and on the dividend amount paid; store the determined updated asset value in the memory; and provide an output signal indicative of the determined updated asset value.
US08175944B2
A method is are provided to administer an investment company. The investment company issues one or more classes of shares that are bought from and redeemed with the investment company at a net asset value. The investment company also issues one or more classes of shares that are listed for trading on a securities exchange and that are bought and sold in a secondary market at negotiated market prices. One or more computers maintain information regarding portfolio holdings of the investment company and outstanding shares in the investment company. Dividends are periodically declared at a first time interval for the outstanding shares that are bought from and redeemed with the investment company at a net asset value. The amount of dividends to declare is calculated from the information maintained in the one or more computers. Dividends are periodically declared at a second time interval that is different from the first time interval for the outstanding shares that are exchange-traded. Again, the amount of dividends to declare is calculated from the information maintained in the one or more computers.
US08175940B2
A method and system of administering a financial product having a volatility reduction feature comprises providing a life insurance policy having a cash surrender value, creating at least one subaccount associated with the policy, storing a number of accumulation units associated with the subaccount, storing a plurality of accumulation unit values, calculating an average of stored accumulation unit values and using the average to determine a target unit value. The surrender value of the subaccount is periodically determined by multiplying the number of accumulation units by the target unit value. The surrender value of the subaccount is used to periodically determine the cash surrender value of the insurance policy.
US08175935B2
Methods and apparatus for providing multiple shipping options to customers of a network site. A user interface to the network site may provide two or more shipping options to customers of the site when ordering items offered by the site. The shipping options include a tote delivery service that directs delivery of items ordered by the customers via the network site to delivery addresses corresponding to the customers in reusable totes on scheduled tote delivery days. Selecting the tote delivery service option for an item may automatically place the item in a tote order to be delivered in a reusable tote on a specified upcoming tote delivery day. Alternatively, selecting the tote delivery service option may open a user interface that allows the customer to specify a particular tote delivery day and/or delivery address before completing the order.
US08175933B2
The present invention provides a method and computer-readable medium for executing a method of placing an order for a sub-component (part) of a product, including generally three steps: displaying a diagram depicting sub-components of a product in an exploded view on a user screen; receiving a user selection of a sub-component to be ordered; and processing the selection of a sub-component to be ordered. Optionally, the method may allow the user to selectively view further information pertinent to displayed sub-components, such as their prices and specifications, or to selectively zoom in on and zoom out of the exploded view or to scroll the exploded view. The method thus assists the user when attempting to identify and/or order a sub-component for the product. The method may also be implemented in a stand-alone computer system.
US08175925B1
Positional placement guidelines for storing items in an inventory area may allow determination and tracking of the position of the items in the inventory area. Position information may be associated with each item in a materials handling facility to assist in locating an item in an inventory area. The position information may represent a position relative to the inventory area and/or to the other items therein. Position information may be determined based on a count of items in the inventory area or based on a time stamp corresponding to the time the item was stored in the inventory area. Position information may be presented to an agent to facilitate picking the item with or without descriptive information. Feedback may provide an indication that the position information is incorrect and may trigger a review or a reset of position information for one or more items in the inventory area.
US08175924B2
A method of validating and activating a purchase card includes providing a purchase card that is removably attached to a card carrier. The purchase card has an account identifier associated therewith and has a card indicium affixed thereto. The purchase card includes a machine-readable information encoding region into which the account identifier is encoded. The card carrier has a carrier indicium affixed thereto. The method includes populating a database with a stored card indicium that relates to the card indicium, a stored carrier indicium that relates to the carrier indicium, and a stored account identifier that relates to the account identifier, thereby uniquely coupling the account identifier to the card indicium. Activating the card by associating value to it includes comparing the information from the card indicium and the information from the carrier indicium with the stored card indicium and the stored carrier indicium.
US08175901B1
The health care payment techniques include a system, and/or a machine-readable storage media. In some embodiments of these techniques, the system includes a processor that executes instructions. The system further includes machine-readable storage media having the instructions stored therein, the instructions when executed by the computer system causing the computer system to implement a health care claim payment method. The method includes receiving a plurality of claims for a plurality of health care services provided by a plurality of health care service providers to a patient. The method further includes remitting payment for each claim in the plurality of claims in a single payment. The remitting step is performed before the participant has acknowledged the participant's obligation to pay for the health care service. The method further includes combining the claim from the health care provider and a plurality of additional health care providers into a master bill. The method further includes sending the master bill to the participant. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.
US08175900B2
The present disclosure includes devices, methods, and systems for determining the strategic value of a life insurance strategy at a future point in time. One device embodiment can include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and program instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to perform a statistical sampling method to determine a strategic value of a life insurance strategy at a number of particular future points in time using a death benefit value of a life insurance policy, a cash surrender value of the policy, a mortality probability for an insured subject of the policy, and a projected investment return on a reinvestment of the death benefit value, at each of the number of particular future points in time.
US08175885B2
A device may receive over a network a digitized speech signal from a remote control that accepts speech. In addition, the device may convert the digitized speech signal into text, use the text to obtain command information applicable to a set-top box, and send the command information to the set-top box to control presentation of multimedia content on a television in accordance with the command information.
US08175872B2
Enhancing noisy speech recognition accuracy by receiving geotagged audio signals that correspond to environmental audio recorded by multiple mobile devices in multiple geographic locations, receiving an audio signal that corresponds to an utterance recorded by a particular mobile device, determining a particular geographic location associated with the particular mobile device, selecting a subset of geotagged audio signals and weighting each geotagged audio signal of the subset based on whether the respective audio signal was manually uploaded or automatically updated, generating a noise model for the particular geographic location using the subset of weighted geotagged audio signals, where noise compensation is performed on the audio signal that corresponds to the utterance using the noise model that has been generated for the particular geographic location.
US08175869B2
A method, apparatus, and medium for classifying a speech signal and a method, apparatus, and medium for encoding the speech signal using the same are provided. The method for classifying a speech signal includes calculating classification parameters from an input signal having block units, calculating a plurality of classification criteria from the classification parameters, and classifying the level of the input signal using the plurality of classification criteria. The classification parameters include at least one of an energy parameter of the input signal, a cross-correlation parameter between a specific block of a present frame and the input signal, and an integrated cross-correlation parameter obtained by accumulating the cross-correlation parameter.
US08175868B2
A voice judging system including feature value extraction means that analyzes a sound signal input from a sound signal input device, and extracts a time series of the feature values, sub-word boundary score calculating means that calculates a time series of sub-word boundary scores, by having reference to sound models of voice stored in a voice model storage unit, temporal regularity analyzing means that analyzes temporal regularity of the sub-word boundary scores, and voice judgment means judges whether the input sound signal is voice or non-voice using of the temporal regularity of the sub-word boundary scores.
US08175860B2
A method of identifying a drug candidate to a target protein for inhibiting shikimate pathway comprising (a) performing a molecular program for computing a molecule conformation and orientation relative to an active site of the target protein and selecting top-rank molecules, (b) generating protein-molecule interacting profiles and identifying conserved interactions and pharmacophore spots, (c) developing homologous pharmacophore models for identifying pharmacophore hot spots, (d) rescoring molecules selected from step (a) by their homologous pharmacophore scores, (e) selecting potential molecules having the highest homologous pharmacophore scores, and (f) acquiring corresponding real compounds of the potential molecules selected from step (c) and identifying their inhibitory activity on the target protein by bioassay.
US08175858B2
A machining simulation apparatus (1) includes a model storage (4) for storing information about machining models (11) that define mechanical elements, such as spindle heads and tables, jig models (12) that define jigs, such as chucks and holders, material models (13) that defines the shapes of workpieces, and tool models (14) that defines the shapes of tools for machining the workpieces. Each tool model comprises a machining tool model (14A) and an interference check tool model (14B). A material model is machined with the machining tool model (14A) according to an axis movement command for cutting feed so as to update the shape of the material model. Subsequently, interference of the interference check tool model with the material model, jig models, and machine models are checked for according to an axis movement command for rapid traverse.
US08175855B2
A method and system for predicting the quality factor of a mechanical resonant (MR) device. The system and method simulates uncoupled elastic vibration of the MR device to produce simulated dilatation and collects data relating to the dilatation and maximum stored elastic vibration energy. It determines the internal heat source data of the MR device caused by dilatation based on the thermal expansion effect of the MR device material, conveying the internal heat source data along with transient heat conduction data to a simulation engine, which simulates and determines the temperature variation. Thermoelastic damping over one cycle of vibration is determined, enabling the prediction of the quality factor relating to thermoelastic damping over one cycle of vibration of the MR device, and the maximum elastic vibration energy stored over one cycle of vibration.
US08175852B2
A method of process-driven analysis of operations includes defining an abstract process, defining at least one metric over the abstract process using a metric definer and computing metric values using a metric computation engine. The method further includes building an analysis model and a prediction model using an analysis and prediction engine to provide analysis on the computed metric values and optimizing the abstract process based on the computed metric values.
US08175838B2
In a running test, vehicle wheels are mounted on rollers. Each roller receives torque corresponding to the running resistance, which is a value corresponding to the running resistance applied to the vehicle on actual ground. The actual friction coefficient between the wheels and the rollers is calculated. The running resistance is corrected such that the actual friction coefficient becomes equal to the friction coefficient on actual ground that is calculated based on the slip ratio of the wheels with respect to the rollers. This approximates the running resistance applied to the vehicle by the rollers to the running resistance applied to the vehicle on actual ground as the torque is applied to the rollers in correspondence with the corrected running resistance. This prevents the drive force produced by the vehicle in the running test from becoming different than the drive force that is produced when running on actual ground.
US08175832B2
Provided is an automatic sensor-calibration method in which a state change of a sensor, caused by aging characteristics or contamination of the sensor, is sensed by a sensor input unit to adjust, according to the sensed state change of the sensor, a slice level used as a criterion for a light receiving device to determine whether a medium exists, or the slice level is adjusted according to the sensed state change of the sensor and a current level of a light emitting device is adjusted when the slice level reaches a preset absolute slice level, or when contamination of the sensor is removed, the current level of the light emitting device is reduced to a minimum step, the slice level is set, and then the current level of the light emitting device is adjusted based on the set slice level, thereby preventing malfunction of the sensor.
US08175826B2
An apparatus for estimating an OCV of a battery includes a voltage sensing unit for measuring a battery output voltage; a temperature sensing unit for measuring a battery temperature; a data storing unit for periodically receiving the battery output voltage and temperature data from the sensing units and storing the data in a memory; an OCV variation estimating unit for calculating an OCV variation from a varying pattern of battery output voltages measured in the past and at the present, stored in the memory, by applying a mathematical model defining a correlation between the varying pattern and the OCV variation, and estimating an OCV at a current stage by reflecting a correction factor corresponding to the battery temperature on the calculated OCV variation; and an OCV estimating unit for estimating an OCV at the current stage by reflecting the estimated OCV variation on the OCV estimated at a last stage.
US08175820B2
An object of the present invention is to quantitatively evaluate a distribution of defects which are generated within an inspection material. In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a defect inspection apparatus comprising: an ultrasonic wave probe; an ultrasonic wave transmitting and receiving device that irradiates ultrasonic waves via the ultrasonic wave probe onto a surface of an inspection material on which a predetermined propagation medium has been provided, and that also receives as noise signals ultrasonic waves that have been scattered by defects present in the interior of the inspection material; a frequency spectrum calculation device that performs time division on the noise signals so as to divide them into time widths that correspond to positions in the depth direction of the inspection material, and calculates a frequency spectrum for each one of the time-divided noise signals; and a defect distribution detection device that, based on the frequency spectrums, calculates values showing a level of defect progression corresponding to a position in the thickness direction of the inspection material.
US08175818B2
A monitoring device of environmental parameter values of an environment surrounding a system. The device includes a sensor to these parameters, and includes a capability to transmit, in real time, each measurement to a processing unit. The processing unit is installed in the system and includes a capability to filter the transmitted measurements. This processing unit comprises a capability to determine cycles from the measurements thus simplified as well as a capability to calculate, in real time, of a percentage of length of consumed life of the system, from the thus determined cycles.
US08175812B2
A method and system for calculating daily weighted averages of glucose measurements (or derived quantities) with time-based weights are disclosed. The present invention computes an average daily glucose value using the time based weights based on only consecutive glucose measurements in the plurality of glucose measurements with acceptable time intervals that do not exceed a predefined maximum time interval. The invention further relates to a computer program for implementing the method for calculating daily weighted averages of spot monitoring glucose measurements (or derived quantities) with the time-based weights.
US08175811B2
The scientist domain-centric user interface system may prompt the user to supply scientist-centric information expressed utilizing terminology of a scientific domain, such as biology or analytical chemistry. A translation system then generates control parameters to control the search algorithm, thus relieving the user from having to learn how select and configure the algorithm control parameters directly.
US08175799B1
One embodiment of the present invention provides a ground surface location system for identifying an object and its location within a coverage area. The ground surface location system includes a location transmitter and a location identifier. The location transmitter is positioned at a location within the coverage area and has a physical location code corresponding to the location stored therein, and is configured to provide an optical signal representative of the physical location code. The location identifier is adapted to couple to the object and has an object identification code representative of the object stored therein, and is configured to receive the optical signal and to transmit an identification signal representative of the physical location code and the object identification code.
US08175792B2
A method for measuring traffic information, conducted by a traffic information analyzing device interworking with a radio operating device connected to BSS (Base Station Subsystem) of a synchronous CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) network or RNC (Radio Network Controller) of an asynchronous WCDMA (Wideband Division Multiple Access) network, includes acquiring a location information message of MS (Mobile Station), which is provided from the BSS or RNC and stored in the radio operating device; analyzing location information of the MS by utilizing the location information message; and calculating traffic information of the MS including a moving speed of each measurement region by using the analyzed location information.
US08175773B2
In an electric power steering system (10) for use in a vehicle incorporated with a vehicle behavior control system (30), a failure detecting unit (12) detects a failure of the electric power steering system according to the steering torque and actual electric current. A criterion for detecting a failure by the failure detecting unit is changed when the vehicle behavior control system is activated. Thereby, even when the vehicle behavior control system is activated and it causes a corrective current to be supplied to the electric motor, because the failure detection criterion is changed, the failure detecting unit is prevented from confusing the corrective current due to the operation of the vehicle behavior control system with an erroneous current caused by a failure of the electric power steering system. Therefore, an unnecessary interruption of the operation of the electric power steering system can be avoided, and the convenience of the electric power steering system can be enhanced.
US08175772B2
An electronic control unit receives a detection value from each sensor, and determines a familiarity degree coefficient indicating the degree of driver's familiarity with steering characteristics, using the received detection values. When the coefficient has a value near “0”, a desired actual steering angle is calculated to be a small value, and when the coefficient has a value near “1”, a desired actual steering angle is calculated to be a large value. When the coefficient has a value near “0”, a time constant of an actual steering actuator is set to a large value, and when the coefficient has a value near “1”, the time constant is set to a small value. A reaction torque is determined based on the coefficient.
US08175771B2
There is provided a control apparatus that controls a motor of an electric power steering system to assist a steering effort of an operator. The control apparatus includes a sensor, a parameter computer, a difference computer, a target torque computer, and a motor driver. The parameter computer computes a current value of one of physical parameters of one of constituents of the electric power steering system based on a steering parameter determined by the sensor referring to an equation of motion. The difference computer computes a difference between the current value of the one of the physical parameters computed by the parameter computer and a predetermined value of the one of the physical parameters. The target torque computer computes a target torque of the motor which compensates for the difference between the current value and the predetermined value of the one of the physical parameters.
US08175761B2
A method for displaying information on a flight deck display element of an aircraft begins by obtaining a user interface command that represents a user-entered selection of a designated target. Relevant data is accessed and processed in response to this command, including aircraft status data for the aircraft, terrain data corresponding to terrain proximate the designated target, and graphics data corresponding to the designated target. Then, a target-focused display is rendered on the flight deck display element. The target-focused display includes a real-time synthetic perspective view of the designated target and the terrain proximate the designated target, wherein content of the target-focused display is influenced by the aircraft status data, the terrain data, and the graphics data.
US08175755B2
Systems and methods for monitoring power devices that are connecting in a loop to a main power line are provided. A plurality of power devices that are connected in a loop to a power grid line may be provided. The loop may include a plurality of power lines. A disturbance within the plurality of power devices may be identified, and an impact of the identified disturbance on the plurality of power lines may be determined. A power output of one or more of the plurality of power devices may be adjusted based at least in part on the determined impact.
US08175753B2
Methods of managing computer equipment: the methods may comprise receiving data indicating a power dissipated by computer equipment in a portion of the server room and receiving data indicating an actual airflow through the portion of the server room. The methods may also comprise calculating a target airflow in the portion of the server room considering the power dissipated by computer equipment in the portion of the server room and an expected difference in temperature between at least one hot aisle and at least one cold aisle in the portion of the server room, and calculating a recommended action for reaching the target airflow. The recommended action may be selected from the group consisting of: changing a static pressure generated by at least one cooling unit servicing the portion of the server room; changing a number of perforated tiles present in the portion of the server room; and changing the type of one or more perforated tiles present in the portion of the server room. The methods may also comprise displaying the recommended action and/or implementing the recommended action.
US08175745B2
A method to audit portable cassettes removeably disposed in a data storage library comprising a plurality of storage slots, a plurality of portable cassettes removeably disposed in one or more of said plurality of storage slots, and a pass-through accessor comprising a moveable fixturing apparatus, wherein the pass-through accessor is moveably disposed in said data storage library. The method disposes the pass-through accessor adjacent a first one of said plurality of storage slots, removes a first portable cassette from the first storage slot, and attaches the first portable cassette to a first fixturing assembly disposed on the fixturing apparatus. The method then removes a second portable cassette from the first storage slot, and attaches the second portable cassette to a second fixturing assembly disposed on the fixturing apparatus.
US08175744B2
In order to plan the performance of heat treatment of metal workpieces before the beginning of the heat treatment in the particular industrial furnace and perform it autonomously thereafter, the invention proposes a method and computer program and an apparatus having a computer (1) for the automatic preparation of technological formulas for the heat treatment, firstly loading parameters of a selected material of the metal workpiece and a formula structure template of a selected treatment method from a material databank (10) and providing data from a user interface and compiling a formula structure, then establishing the parameters of the metal workpiece, the compiled formula structure, and the data from the user interface as values of formula segments, from which the technological formula for heat treatment is finally generated, this technological formula being able to be readjusted, stored in a program databank (12), and retrieved for the heat treatment of metal workpieces in industrial furnaces (5)(FIG. 1).
US08175742B1
Disclosed are apparatus and methods for manufacturing complex gears includes the creation of a data set to control a robotic machine tool enabling the tool to machine the contours of the gears accurately after the gear has been cut. Each gear is mounted to an indexable chuck which is used to position the gear for machining operations such as chamfering and deburring that heretofore have been done by hand. A machine cabinet allows debris from machining to be recovered by a vacuum-operated system and an air-cooling system cools the gear during machining without requiring the use of cooling oils or other liquids.
US08175739B2
A conversion control system is described for spatially synchronizing data gathered from a plurality of operations performed on a web. The conversion control system applies a set of fiducial marks to a web, performs a plurality of operations on the web, generates a first and a second set of digital information for first and second operations, respectively, in accordance with respective first and second coordinate systems using the set of fiducial marks such that the each of the sets of digital information includes position data for respective first and second sets of regions on the web. The conversion control system may then register the position data of the first set of regions and the position data for the second set of regions to produce aggregate data and outputting a conversion control plan.
US08175714B2
This invention is a retinal electrode array assembly and methods of using the same that facilitate surgical implant procedures by providing the operating surgeon with visual references and grasping means and with innovations that reduce actual and potential damage to the retina and the surrounding tissue.
US08175710B2
An implantable microstimulator can include a housing with a surface containing a metal region. The housing defines an exterior and an interior. At least one conductive electrode is disposed on the exterior of the housing over the metal region of the housing. Adhesive is disposed between the metal region of the housing and the conductive electrodes. An electronic subassembly is disposed in the interior of the housing and coupled to the conductive electrodes through the housing.
US08175708B1
Systems and methods are provided for use by an implantable medical device capable of automatically adjusting the sensitivity with which electrical cardiac signals are sensed within a patient, i.e. a device equipped with Automatic Sensitivity Control (ASC.) In a first example, ASC parameters are automatically adjusted by the device itself based on parameters derived from both R-waves and T-waves and further based on a detected noise floor. In a second example, a profile representative of the shape of cardiac signals is generated by the device. ASC parameters are then adjusted based on the profile. In various embodiments, histograms are used to determine sizes and shapes of the R-waves and T-waves via statistical prevalence techniques. The histograms are also employed to derive the aforementioned profile.
US08175703B2
Systems and methods involve determination of CRT parameters using a number of CRT optimization processes. Each CRT optimization process attempts to return recommended parameters. The CRT parameters are determined based on the recommended parameters returned by one or more of the CRT optimization processes. The CRT optimization processes may be sequentially implemented and the CRT parameters may be determined based on the recommended parameters returned by a first CRT optimization process to return recommended parameters. The CRT parameters may be determined based on a combination of the recommended parameters returned. The CRT optimization processes implemented may be selected from available CRT optimization processes based on patient conditions.
US08175691B2
An electrically non-conductive back plate for supporting the back of a patient in a supine position comprises on its front face facing the back of the patient a pair or more of ECG electrodes capable of maintaining electrically conductive skin contact with the patient's back. The pair of ECG electrodes is disposed at a sharp angle with the mean heart vector, in particular so as to form an angle β of about 45°±25° with the projection S of the patient's spine on the back plate. Also disclosed is an ECG electrode for mounting in a recess of the back plate and an apparatus for treating cardiac arrest by compression of the sternum comprising the back plate.
US08175685B2
Apparatus, arrangement and method are provided for obtaining information associated with an anatomical structure or a sample using optical microscopy. For example, a radiation can be provided which includes at least one first electromagnetic radiation directed to be provided to an anatomical sample and at least one second electro-magnetic radiation directed to a reference. A wavelength of the radiation can vary over time, and the wavelength is shorter than approximately 1150 nm. An interference can be detected between at least one third radiation associated with the first radiation and at least one fourth radiation associated with the second radiation. At least one image corresponding to at least one portion of the sample can be generated using data associated with the interference. In addition, at least one source arrangement can be provided which is configured to provide an electromagnetic radiation which has a wavelength that varies over time. A period of a variation of the wavelength of the first electromagnetic radiation can be shorter than 1 millisecond, and the wavelength is shorter than approximately 1150 nm.
US08175683B2
A method and system may be used to design and control the manufacture of a surgical guide for implanting a prosthetic component. The system includes a bone surface image generator, a surgical guide image generator, and a surgical guide image converter. The bone surface image generator receives three dimensional bone anatomical data for a patient's bone and generates a bone surface image. The surgical guide image generator generates a surgical guide image from the bone surface image and an image of a prosthesis imposed on the bone surface image. The supporting structure of the generated surgical guide image conforms to the surface features of the three dimensional bone surface image. The surgical guide image is converted by surgical guide image converter into control data for operating a machine to form a surgical guide that corresponds to the surgical guide image.
US08175677B2
An MRI-guided interventional system includes a frame with a cooperating targeting cannula. The frame is configured to be secured to the body of a patient, and is configured to translate and rotate such that the targeting cannula can be positioned to a desired intrabody trajectory. The frame may include one or more MRI-visible fiducial markers that allow frame location/orientation to be determined within an MRI image. A plurality of user-activatable actuators are configured to translate and rotate the frame relative to the body of a patient so as to position the targeting cannula to a desired intrabody trajectory. The targeting cannula includes an axially-extending guide bore therethrough that is configured to guide placement of an interventional device in vivo. Various instrumentation and equipment, such as stimulation leads, ablation catheters, injection catheters, etc., can be inserted through the targeting cannula to execute diagnostic and/or surgical procedures.
US08175676B2
A method of inducing thermal effect at a moving target includes receiving a first data characterizing a repeated motion of the moving target; processing the first data to determine a treatment plan, including determining a plan for directing a signal at the moving target; and controlling the signal directed at the moving target according to the treatment plan to induce a thermal effect.
US08175675B2
A deformable marker device for adapting to a human or animal body includes a plurality of marker elements, and a connecting device that connects at least some marker elements of the plurality of marker elements to each other. The connecting device enables the at least some marker elements to be moved relative to each other so as to adapt a shape of the marker device to a course of a curved surface.
US08175674B2
The belt device comprises a torso portion, a collar portion, sensor elements and at least a first and a second closure element. The first closure element is part of the collar portion on the front side and a second closure element is part of the torso portion on the front side. The closure elements arranged in such a way that they can be opened by a wearer in a comfortable way. The user is able to put on and off the belt system without help of a third person. By the ability to combine different sized collar portions with different sized torso portions a belt device system is provided.
US08175673B2
An analyte monitor includes a sensor, a sensor control unit, and a display unit. The sensor has, for example, a substrate, a recessed channel formed in the substrate, and conductive material disposed in the recessed channel to form a working electrode. The sensor control unit typically has a housing adapted for placement on skin and is adapted to receive a portion of an electrochemical sensor. The sensor control unit also includes two or more conductive contacts disposed on the housing and configured for coupling to two or more contact pads on the sensor. A transmitter is disposed in the housing and coupled to the plurality of conductive contacts for transmitting data obtained using the sensor. The display unit has a receiver for receiving data transmitted by the transmitter of the sensor control unit and a display coupled to the receiver for displaying an indication of a level of an analyte. The analyte monitor may also be part of a drug delivery system to alter the level of the analyte based on the data obtained using the sensor.
US08175666B2
An improved method for non-invasively measuring a concentration of a target analyte dissolved in a fluid flowing through a sample is presented. It includes directing a probe beam of electromagnetic radiation, having time multiplexed components of different wavelengths, where at least one of the time-multiplexed components consists of two different simultaneous wavelengths through the sample and measuring the difference of the absorption of the radiation of the time-multiplexed components at different sample states. During sample state changes, the amount of fluid containing the target analyte within the sample is changing, varying the total amount of target analyte in the sample, and the absorption properties of the sample. The sample states may be produced by compressing and uncompressing the tissue sample. The method is useful in measuring the concentration of a target analyte, such as glucose, in tissue containing blood.
US08175652B2
A mobile terminal having a display including a touch screen, and a control unit configured to display on the touch screen a plurality of key buttons, and when a first key button of the plurality of key buttons is touched, to display at least one item that is relevant to the first touched key button in an area of the touch screen defined by the key buttons.
US08175640B2
A mobile terminal and method of generating a content therein are disclosed, by which a video file can be created using an image captured by a camera and playback music. The present invention includes a camera for capturing a picture, an audio output module outputting a played music, a display unit displaying the captured picture, a controller controlling the camera to capture a plurality of pictures in the course of playing the music, the controller creating a video file by inserting a plurality of the captured pictures in a specific playtime of the music matching a capture timing point of the picture, and a memory storing the created video file.
US08175638B2
Enabling a user of a video chat application to a virtual video message answering machine to contextually provide a video message to at least one other user of the video chat application for play back if the user is unavailable. The video message can be arranged to be played when another user attempts to initiate a video communication session with the unavailable user or during an existing video chat session after the user becomes unavailable. Also, the user can choose one or more contexts for playing back a video message to one or more other users that are likely to be participants in a future video communication session. The other user is provided with a user interface that enables the other user to record a video message reply for subsequent playback by the unavailable user.
US08175633B2
A wireless communication apparatus includes a first storage unit configured to store each of a plurality of upper limit values of absolute values of additional signals that are set for a corresponding one of a plurality of first wireless communication apparatuses and are added when a plurality of modulation symbols to be transmitted to the first wireless communication apparatuses are precoded, a coding unit configured to decide each of a plurality of first values of the additional signals for a corresponding one of the first wireless communication apparatuses within ranges defined by the upper limit values, and precode the modulation symbols using the first values to obtain a plurality of transmission signals, and a first transmission unit configured to transmit, using multi-user MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output), the transmission signals to the first wireless communication apparatuses.
US08175616B2
A location reporting paging communication system comprising space satellites, ground stations and a remote receiving unit adapted to resolve a global position from signals transmitted from a communication transmitter. The subscriber in possession of the remote receiving unit updates the paging network with global positioning information. A caller paging a subscriber in possession of the remote receiving unit may request the global location of the remote receiving unit. The paging network could divulge or block such information from a caller depending on the requirements of the subscriber.
US08175613B2
Systems and methods for determining a location of a device with a wireless network. Characteristics of signals received from the device at a plurality of nodes are measured. Based upon the measurements, estimates of the range from the device to the nodes are made. Then, based upon the estimated ranges, and knowing the location of the nodes, a location of the device is determined.
US08175608B2
The disclosure includes a method of and associated system for placing nodes in a wireless local area network (WLAN). The method includes receiving user-specified parameters regarding the network. The parameters can include a layout of a building or other space, and requirements for the WLAN. An algorithm then employs these parameters to automatically create and optimized layout of multiple wireless access points for the WLAN. The method can display the layout and provide various types of information to the user.
US08175580B1
The present invention is a system and method for establishing a secure connection using a public a wireless telephone network. The method utilizes a proxy base station and establishes an encrypted session over the public wireless network between a wireless handset and the proxy base station. The proxy base station further establishes a connection with second communication station such as a landline phone. The proxy base station determines a most secure channel between the base station and the second communication station by consulting a database of channels and associated measures of security.
US08175576B2
A method and apparatus for registering a mobile node such as a User Equipment (UE) of a UMTS telecommunications network with a subsystem of the network such as an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). A Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) node provides policy and charging rules, and a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) enforces the rules for traffic flows. The UE sends a registration request to the GGSN, which selects a PCRF. When a Proxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) receives the registration request, the P-CSCF selects a candidate PCRF and validates the selection. If the candidate PCRF is the PCRF selected by the GGSN, the registration is successful. If not, the P-CSCF may select another PCRF and repeat the validation process.
US08175567B2
Techniques to search for signals while in an out-of-service state are described. In an aspect, a network entity may collect information for wireless devices within a designated area, determine at least one search parameter (e.g., a scan rate) based on the collected information, and provide the search parameter(s) to wireless devices within the designated area. The wireless devices may perform searches for signals in accordance with the search parameter(s) when they are out of service. In another aspect, a wireless device may collect information related to out-of-service events encountered by the wireless device, send the collected information to the network entity, receive the search parameter(s) from the network entity, and perform searches in accordance with the search parameter(s) when out of service. In yet another aspect, the wireless device may determine the search parameter(s) based on the collected information.
US08175565B1
An RF receiver image rejection scheme. The RF is received and mixed in two quadrature channels allowing separation of the undesired image portion within the RF signal from the desired portion. The two channels can be summed to allow the image portions to cancel out and form a signal which is predominantly based on the desired portion. Another sum of the two channels can also be made to provide a signal which is primarily based on the image portion. Since there are some components of the image portion even in the compensated desired signal, that signal indicative of the image portion is used to compensate for that undesired portion.
US08175558B2
A radio communication apparatus includes a first acquisition unit configured to acquire a first frequency use status of a first frequency band having a first center frequency, a second acquisition unit configured to acquire a second frequency use status of a second frequency band having a second center frequency which is a value M/N times (M and N are natural numbers, and M≠N) of the first center frequency, and a decision unit configured to determine whether a harmonic is detected in the first frequency band using the first frequency use status and the second frequency use status, and to decide, if it is determined that the harmonic is detected, a radio communication parameter in the first frequency band so as to use a frequency band used by the harmonic in radio communication.
US08175554B2
One embodiment relates to a radio frequency (RF) communication device. The RF communication device includes a coupler having a plurality of ports and an adjustable termination coupled to one of the plurality of ports. The adjustable termination is adjustable based on an operating condition of the RF communication device. Other methods and systems are also disclosed.
US08175552B2
A filter circuit is constructed of a passive mixer and a frequency response device. The passive mixer generates a frequency-converted signal by mixing an input signal transmitted through a transmission line and a local oscillation signal, and outputs the frequency-converted signal to the frequency response device, thus shifting a frequency characteristic of the frequency response device to high frequency by a local oscillation frequency of the local oscillation signal and applying the frequency characteristic shifted to high frequency on the input signal.
US08175548B2
Methods and device for transmitting a sequence of transmission bursts in a wireless device. The method includes transmitting a sequence of transmission bursts according to a transmission schedule. The method is characterized by: receiving, at a radio frequency integrated circuit, prior to a transmission of at least one transmission burst of the sequence, information representative of the timing of the transmission of the at least one transmission burst; and generating timing signals, by the radio frequency integrated circuit that implement the transmission schedule. A wireless device includes a base band integrated circuit adapted to determine a transmission schedule of a sequence of transmission bursts. The wireless device is characterized by including a radio frequency integrated circuit that is adapted receive information representative of the timing schedule and to autonomously control a transmission of the sequence of transmission bursts.
US08175544B2
A system and method providing variable-frequency IF conversion in a multimode communication device. Various aspects of the present invention provide a multimode communication device comprising at least one RF signal receiver adapted to receive at least a first RF signal corresponding to a first communication protocol and a second RF signal corresponding to a second communication protocol. A controllable frequency source may, for example, be adapted to output a mixing signal characterized by one of a plurality of selectable frequencies. Such selectable frequencies may, for example, comprise a first frequency corresponding to the first communication protocol and a second frequency corresponding to the second communication protocol. A mixer may, for example, receive a received RF signal from the RF signal receiver, receive a mixing signal from the controllable frequency source, and convert the received RF signal to an IF signal utilizing the received mixing signal.
US08175543B2
A method and system for wireless communication using integrated clock generation for Bluetooth and FM transmit and FM receive functions may include generating a clock signal to enable transmission and/or reception of Bluetooth signals; and clocking a Direct Digital Frequency Synthesizer (DDFS) via the generated clock signal to generate one or more signals by the DDFS that enable transmission or reception of FM signals. The generated clock signals for the Bluetooth and for the FM transmit and receive functions may include an in phase and quadrature phase component. Time Division Duplex of FM transmission and reception and simultaneous FM transmission and FM reception may be simulated by switching the control frequency word at a certain rate. The DDFS may also receive control words to compensate for frequency changes in the Bluetooth LO. The FM signals reception and transmission may be controlled by a bi-directional coupler.
US08175533B2
An electrical receptacle assembly having a housing that includes a wireless transceiver electrically coupled to one or more antennas that can be integrated into the receptacle housing itself or in the receptacle's faceplate. The one or more antennas can be one or more dipoles or a single loop antenna. The housing also houses a power converter that derives its power directly from the line connection to the outlet. A junction box includes an integrated antenna reflector for improved radio direction and propagation relative to the antenna(s). Or, an antenna reflector insert is placed within the junction box behind the electrical receptacle assembly. The electrical receptacle assembly further includes a temperature sensor, a PLC module, or a current/voltage sensor and communicates associated data via its wireless transceiver. A status indicator is disposed on the front of the housing. A reset switch on housing resets the electronics to a default state.
US08175532B2
Techniques for using at least one of omni-directional and directional antennas for communication are described. A station may be equipped antenna elements selectable for use as an omni-directional antenna or one or more directional antennas. The station may select the omni-directional antenna or a directional antenna for use for communication based on various factors such as, e.g., whether the location or direction of a target station for communication is known, whether control frames or data frames are being exchanged, etc.
US08175525B2
A system and method for converting a note-based audio object to a Pulse Code Modulated (PCM) audio format is disclosed. An electronic computer device includes a memory containing a note-based audio object and a lookup table, the note-based audio object containing note frequency information. A processor is configured for converting the note-based audio object to a Pulse Code Modulated (PCM) stream having a plurality of sample points, the converting including: generating a PCM value for each sample point based upon the note frequency and the trigonometric function evaluations, selecting an entry from the look-up table based upon the note frequency information, a sampling frequency, and a sample point number, and determining a step size within the look-up table based upon a ratio between the note frequency information and the sampling frequency.
US08175522B1
Systems include configuring a first mobile device to enable communication between the first mobile device and one or more processing devices; receiving a message from a computing device that is directed to a second mobile device, where the message is a text message or a voice message, and where the computing device is different from the first mobile device; and routing the message to the first mobile device for transmission to the second mobile device from the first mobile device.
US08175515B1
A digital television terrestrial satellite conversion apparatus comprising a transformer assembly that houses a matching transformer, and an insulator assembly. A bolt assembly has mounting means to mount the transformer assembly and the insulator assembly onto a satellite dish assembly. Means to increase a digital radio frequency signal exists by reflective gain from a rear of an array for receiving terrestrial digital and high-definition broadcast signals by the satellite dish assembly. A bridge coaxial cable extends from the matching transformer. The bridge coaxial cable transmits the terrestrial digital and high-definition broadcast signals.
US08175513B2
A method is presented for providing information associated with a geographical area to users of broadcast communication receivers. The information, as well as an indication of the geographical area associated with the information, are transmitted to, and received by, each of the broadcast communication receivers. In each of the receivers, the indication of the geographical area is compared with a geographic code associated with, and stored within, the receiver. Each of the receivers also provides at least one alert to a user of the respective broadcast communication receiver if the geographic area is located on a travel vector of the respective broadcast communication receiver indicated by the geographical code.
US08175508B2
A planar heat generating element includes an insulating layer and a resistance heat generator formed on one surface in a thickness direction of the insulating layer, for generating heat under a passage of electric current therethrough, the resistance heat generator constituting a plane of certain configuration as a whole and forming a heat generating pattern. The resistance heat generator includes a plurality of linear portions formed on one surface of the insulating layer that extend transversely with respect to a longitudinal direction of the insulating layer, the linear portions being arranged side by side substantially in parallel to each other; and a low-volume resistivity portion formed on the one surface so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the insulating layer, and connecting the adjacent linear portions at their extending direction-wise ends to form a single line composed of the adjacent linear portions and the low-volume resistivity portion.
US08175506B2
A belt driving controller includes a driving roller connected to a driving axis, a plurality of driven rollers, an endless belt provided to surround the driving roller and the driven rollers in a tensioned state, a motor connected to the driving axis via a reduction mechanism; a first detector provided near the driving axis and configured to detect a rotation angle of the driving axis, a second detector configured to detect a displacement of the endless belt, and a control unit configured to control driving of the endless belt.
US08175500B2
A toner cartridge includes: a toner storing portion for storing toner; a toner discharging portion having a toner discharge port; and a screw auger having a rotary shaft and a helical blade for conveying the toner in the toner storing portion to the toner discharging portion. The helical blade includes a first helical blade portion located over the toner discharge port and a second helical blade portion located in the toner storing portion. The first toner thrust face of the first helical blade portion, located on the downstream side with respect to the toner conveying direction is formed at a first inclination angle to the axial direction of the rotary shaft. The second toner thrust face of the second helical blade portion, located on the downstream side with respect to the toner conveying direction is formed at a second inclination angle to the axial direction of the rotary shaft. The first inclination angle is formed to be smaller than the second inclination angle.
US08175498B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a latent image carrier; a first charging unit which charges the latent image carrier; a second charging unit which supplies a charge having a reverse polarity of the charged polarity of the toner; a toner carrying roller which carries a toner layer containing both a contact toner which comes in direct contact with the surface of the toner carrying roller and a non-contact toner which comes in contact with the contact toner and does not come in contact with the surface of the toner carrying roller; an electric field forming unit which develops the electrostatic latent image by the toner by generating an alternate electric field as a toner fly electric field between the latent image carrier and the toner carrying roller; and a transfer unit which transfers a toner image formed by developing the electrostatic latent image to a transfer medium.
US08175496B2
The present invention provides an endless belt superior in peelability even under a low temperature and low humidity environment. An endless belt includes: a first region and a second region, which contain a polyimide-based resin, a contact angle to water of an outer peripheral surface of each of the first region and the second region differing from each other, and a ratio of a sum total of an area of the first region and a sum total of an area of the second region being in the range of about 80:20, to about 20:80.
US08175491B2
An image forming apparatus includes: upper frames opposed to each other across an image forming unit; a scanner supporting member that couples the upper frames and supports the scanner unit; and a frame coupling member that couples the upper frames on an opposite side of the scanner supporting member across the photoconductor unit; lower frames, each of which has an upper surface including a plurality of lower supporting portions each contacting a lower end of a respective one of the upper frames, and a lower surface including a bottom supported portion opposed to a placing surface. A stiffness of each of the upper frames in a substantially planar direction along the vertical direction is greater than a stiffness of each of the lower frames along the vertical direction between the lower supporting portions and the bottom supported portion.
US08175469B2
An image forming device includes an imaging apparatus configured to form an image according to image data and to maintain information associated with performance of the imaging apparatus, a replaceable member that is mounted in the imaging apparatus and used for forming an image, a consumed amount calculation unit configured to calculate a usage value of the replaceable member, and a notification control unit configured to control a replacement notification. Wherein the notification control unit controls a timing of the replacement notification based on the usage value calculated by the consumed amount calculation unit and the information associated with performance of the imaging apparatus.
US08175466B2
Multilevel soft-equalizer detectors, such as a maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) detector, suitable for use in polarization multiplexed optical communications using multilevel modulations and coherent detection are disclosed. Detection systems and methods may consider two symbols transmitted over two orthogonal polarization states as a two-component symbol, which is effective in eliminating the bit error ratio (BER) floor phenomenon introduced by conventional soft equalizers.
US08175463B2
A method for connecting an AC powered device, which has an optical receiver, with a control circuit, which has an optical transmitter, using at least on optical medium cable includes the steps of terminating the cable at both of its ends, introducing the processed cable between the receiver and transmitter, attaching and securing one end of the processed cable to the transmitter and the other end of the processed cable to the receiver, and propagating a one way optical signal including control commands from the control circuit to the powered device.
US08175453B2
An imaging apparatus includes an imaging sensor configured to convert a subject image passing through a photographing optical system into an electrical signal, a holding member configured to hold the imaging sensor, and a dust-proofing member configured to surround the circumference of a light reception surface of the imaging sensor. An urging portion is integrally formed with the dust-proofing member urging the holding member in a direction that the holding member is apart from the photographing optical system.
US08175452B1
A system and associated method for imaging high density biochemical arrays comprises one or more imaging channels that share a common objective lens and a corresponding one or more time delay integration-type imaging cameras with optical alignment mechanisms that permit independent inter-channel and intra-channel adjustment of each of four degrees: X, Y, rotation and scale. The imaging channels are configured to independently examine different spectra of the image of the biochemical arrays.
US08175446B2
An instrumented heater sleeve is provided that has a plurality of zones, a dielectric layer disposed over an outer surface of the sleeve, a resistive element layer disposed over the first dielectric layer, and a plurality of pairs of lead wires secured to a portion of the resistive element layer. Each pair of lead wires is connected to and corresponds with each of the zones and a protective layer is disposed over the dielectric layer. An amount of power is supplied to each of the zones and adjusted during a test run, or multiple test runs, to achieve a desired temperature profile along a heating target such as a hot runner nozzle. Methods of designing a hot runner nozzle heater using the instrumented heater sleeve are also provided.
US08175444B2
A method of reproducing from a storage medium video data and graphics data for displaying a menu screen. The method includes: decoding graphics data; and outputting, on the basis of the decoded graphics data, the decoded graphics data when an activation command is generated by a user or displaying the decoded graphics data at a designated time.
US08175439B2
A curable composition for an optical material including a specific silicon-containing polymer (A), a specific epoxy resin (B) and an energy ray-sensitive cationic polymerization initiator (C) as essential components.
US08175432B2
A method of adjusting the optical axis of an optical waveguide element which can improve a manufacturing yield of the optical waveguide element, an alignment yield between the optical waveguide element and an input waveguide means, etc. and can equalize the branch ratio in a Y-branch waveguide; and an optical waveguide element which can be made compact and also inhibited from complication in structure by using this method. The optical waveguide element (5) formed on a substrate comprises at least a linear waveguide (6) and a Y-branch waveguide (7) branched from the linear waveguide. The method of adjusting the optical axis of the optical waveguide element (5) when connecting the optical waveguide element (5) and an input waveguide means (3) for inputting a light wave into the optical waveguide element (5) is characterized in that a wide band light or two or more single-wavelength lights (light sources (1, 2)) having a different wavelength are inputted into the linear waveguide via the input waveguide means (3) and then the optical axes of the optical waveguide element (5) and input waveguide means (3) are so adjusted that light waves (10, 11) output from individual branch arms (8, 9) of the Y-branch waveguide may have nearly identical light intensity.
US08175429B2
Various embodiments of the present invention are related to microresonator systems that can be used as a laser, a modulator, and a photodetector and to methods for fabricating the microresonator systems. In one embodiment, a microdisk comprises: a top layer; a bottom layer; an intermediate layer having at least one quantum well, the intermediate layer sandwiched between the top layer and the bottom layer; a peripheral annular region including at least a portion of the top, intermediate, and bottom layers; and a current isolation region configured to occupy at least a portion of a central region of the microdisk including at least a portion of the top, intermediate, and bottom layers and having relatively lower index of refraction than the peripheral annular region.
US08175427B2
Apparatus and methods for using a tunable optical source in safety curtain applications provide for enhanced operation of the safety curtain. In an embodiment, a safety curtain includes a transmit unit and a receive unit to operate as the safety curtain, where a single tunable light source generates different wavelengths of light and a single detector is used to detect the generated light.
US08175419B2
In an image search apparatus, a data manager responds to an instruction for a first search condition issued via a user interface to manage data of a target model acquired from a database and generates an image to be displayed on a user interface. A determination processor responds to an instruction for a second search condition issued by positioning a pointer on the whole model image to compare a closed area defined by the specified position with boundary information of each part image, retrieves candidate part images, and prioritizes the candidate part images in order of increasing area calculated based on the boundary information. A parts selection processor displays the retrieved candidate part images on the user interface according to the order of increasing area in response to an instruction for a third search condition for choosing a target part image from among the candidate part images.
US08175412B2
A method and apparatus for finding correspondence between portions of two images that first subjects the two images to segmentation by weighted aggregation (10), then constructs directed acylic graphs (16,18) from the output of the segmentation by weighted aggregation to obtain hierarchical graphs of aggregates (20,22), and finally applies a maximally weighted subgraph isomorphism to the hierarchical graphs of aggregates to find matches between them (24). Two algorithms are described; one seeks a one-to-one matching between regions, and the other computes a soft matching, in which is an aggregate may have more than one corresponding aggregate. A method and apparatus for image segmentation based on motion cues. Motion provides a strong cue for segmentation. The method begins with local, ambiguous optical flow measurements. It uses a process of aggregation to resolve the ambiguities and reach reliable estimates of the motion. In addition, as the process of aggregation proceeds and larger aggregates are identified, it employs a progressively more complex model to describe the motion. In particular, the method proceeds by recovering translational motion at fine levels, through affine transformation at intermediate levels, to 3D motion (described by a fundamental matrix) at the coarsest levels. Finally, the method is integrated with a segmentation method that uses intensity cues. The utility of the method is demonstrated on both random dot and real motion sequences.
US08175406B2
A method for dynamically adjusting an image taken by a webcam. After providing a first threshold value, an environmental reference value is calculated according to an exposure time and an average brightness value. The environmental reference value is compared with the first threshold value to determine whether to enter a noise-reduction mode to reduce noises of the image.
US08175402B2
A drawing apparatus which can create an exposure pattern rapidly. The drawing apparatus has a raster conversion processing module for converting vector images as wiring patterns into bitmap image data, an image cache module for temporarily storing a predetermined-size cached image supplied from the raster conversion processing module, a first compression module for compressing the cached image stored in the image cache module, a second compression module for compressing the cached image stored in the image cache module in a compression ratio differing from that of the first compression module, a comparison module for comparing data sizes of compressed data generated by the first and second compression modules and selecting one having a smaller data size, a memory access module for writing the compressed data selected by the comparison module, into a storage module, and a cache region control module for controlling a compression status of the cached image.
US08175395B2
A video compression system includes a compression module to compress each of a plurality of segments of an input signal using an initial quality setting. A rate calculation module calculates, for each compressed segment, a data rate for an output signal that would result from adding a compressed segment to the output signal. A selection module automatically selects, in response to the calculated data rate deviating from a target range, a quality setting for each segment that results in a data rate this is within the target range when a segment compressed using the automatically-selected quality setting is added to the output signal.
US08175387B1
Two images are compared to determine how similar they are. First, a process normalizes each image, then horizontal and vertical byte sequences are derived from each image. A similarity formula is used to obtain a similarity value that represents the similarity between the two images. An approximate pattern matching algorithm is used to determine the error distance between the horizontal byte sequences for the images and to determine the error distance between the vertical byte sequences for the images. The error distances and the length of the byte sequences are used to determine the similarity value. Padding is used to make the aspect ratios the same.
US08175385B2
A digital segmentation method and apparatus determines foreground and/or background within at least one portion of a captured image. The determining includes comparing a captured image to a pre-captured or post captured reference image of nominally the same scene. One of the images is taken with flash and the other without. The system can be implemented as part of a digital camera acquisition chain having effective computation complexity.
US08175363B2
A method for decomposing digital medical images includes providing a digital medical image, segmenting the image into one or more biological structures, extracting one or more segmented biological structures from the image by extracting all voxels within a spatial extent of each of the biological structures to construct one or more new component volumes of the biological structures. For each of the one or more new component volumes, generate a sequence of 2-dimensional projective views by moving a projection viewpoint around each the biological structure in the one or more new component images, and generate a 2-dimensional projective view from each viewpoint, and display a cine loop of the sequence of projective views where the biological structures appear to be rotating in the display.
US08175360B2
A method and system are provided for improving the quality in positron emission tomography (PET) images. PET input data is masked using raw dynamic PET data (sinograms) as input for primary component analysis (PCA) that generates primary components which in turn are used to create a mask. This mask can be used to allow object pixel data to be extracted from the sinograms into masked sinograms where background pixels outside the reference object are set to zero. A volume-wise approach to PCA uses masked sinograms as input data. Pixel-wise noise pre-normalization may then be performed generating pre-normalized sinograms from the masked PET input data. PCA is then performed on the pre-normalized sinograms resulting in PCA sinograms recreated into PCA-modified sinograms by adding background pixel values of zero. These PCA-modified sinograms may optionally be scaled and may then be reconstructed into dynamic PET images with improved image quality.
US08175351B2
Methods are presented that detect and classify mass-like regions exhibiting spiculated and/or dense characteristics with high sensitivity and at acceptable false positive rates. One or more suspicious masses are identified in medical imagery of the breast. In certain embodiments, a quantitative measure of spiculation and quantitative measure of density are computed for each suspicious mass located. At least one classification scheme, developed using true and false positives with similar quantitative measures, is then selected for each suspicious mass according to both quantitative measures. In certain other embodiments, a measure of breast location is computed for each suspicious mass. In one embodiment, the location determines whether a suspicious mass appears inside or outside of the parenchyma region of the breast.
US08175349B2
A method for segmenting vertebrae in digitized images includes providing a plurality of digitized whole-body images, detecting and segmenting a spinal cord using 3D polynomial spinal model in each of the plurality of images, finding a height of each vertebrae in each image from intensity projections along the spinal cord, and building a parametric model of a vertebrae from the plurality of images. The method further includes providing a new digitized whole-body image including a spinal cord, fitting an ellipse to each vertebrae of the spinal cord to find the major and minor axes, and applying constraints to the major and minor axes in the new image based on the parametric model to segment the vertebrae.
US08175346B2
A number of biometric systems and methods are disclosed. A system according to one embodiment includes an illumination subsystem, an imaging subsystem, and an analyzer. The illumination subsystem is disposed to illuminate a target space. The imaging subsystem is configured to image the target space under distinct optical conditions. The analyzer is provided in communication with the illumination subsystem, the imaging subsystem, and the three-dimensional subsystem. The analyzer also has instructions to operate the subsystems to collect substantially simultaneously a plurality of images of the object disposed at the predetermined spatial location under multispectral conditions.
US08175344B2
In a fingerprint matching processor which has an electrostatic capacity semiconductor sensor 14 for detecting fingerprint information based on electrostatic capacities between a plurality of detection electrodes 21 arranged on a semiconductor substrate 24 at a predetermined interval in a two dimensional manner and a target object, and which executes a fingerprint matching process for the detected fingerprint information, a water repellent film 30 is formed on a protective film 26, the protective film 26 protecting ground electrodes 22 that are disposed between the detection electrodes 21 and configured to ground the target object and the detection electrodes 21, and serves as a surface of the semiconductor sensor 14 for placement of the target object.
US08175330B2
The implementations of digital watermarks can be optimally suited to particular transmission, distribution and storage mediums given the nature of digitally-sampled audio, video and other multimedia works. Watermark application parameters can be adapted to the individual characteristics of a given digital sample stream. Watermark information can be either carried in individual samples or in relationships between multiple samples, such as in a waveform shape. More optimal models may be obtained to design watermark systems that are tamper-resistant given the number and breadth of existent digitized sample options with different frequency and time components. The highest quality of a given content signal may be maintained as it is mastered, with the watermark suitably hidden, taking into account usage of digital filters and error correction. The quality of the underlying content signals can be used to identify and highlight advantageous locations for the insertion of digital watermarks. The watermark is integrated as closely as possible to the content signal, at a maximum level to force degradation of the content signal when attempts are made to remove the watermarks.
US08175329B2
Digital watermark methods for encoding auxiliary data into a host signal are used to authenticate physical and electronic objects. One such method computes a content specific message dependent on the host signal, encodes the content specific message into a watermark signal, and embeds the watermark in the host signal such that the watermark signal is substantially imperceptible in the host signal. One specific implementation embeds data representing salient features of the host signal into the watermark. For example, for photo IDs, the method embeds the spatial location of salient features of the photo into the watermark.
US08175324B2
Methods for reversible data hiding are disclosed herein. These methods may be applied to images for reversible image data hiding. In one embodiment, a method for reversible data hiding comprises identifying carrier data having a plurality of components and establishing prediction-errors for each of the components of the carrier data. A first threshold and a second threshold are established. The prediction-errors of the components are evaluated against the first threshold to identify components for possible hiding. The components identified for possible hiding are evaluated against the second threshold to identify components for hiding. To-be embedded data is embedded into the carrier data identified for hiding to create marked data. The marked data is evaluated for overflow or underflow. If overflow or underflow is detected, histogram modification is performed. Marked data is then established.
US08175321B2
A diaphragm for a speaker includes two portions. The first portion is made of metallic material for producing a high frequency tone. The second portion is made of a non-metallic material for producing a low frequency tone. The first portion is joined at a first peripheral edge to a voice coil while a second peripheral edge is joined at a first peripheral edge of the second portion to form the diaphragm.
US08175309B2
The invention relates to a hearing aid device, in particular a hearing aid, preferably an in-the-ear hearing aid, with a long-stretched out removal device and a guide for the removal device, wherein the guide is embodied on or within the hearing aid device and the removal device is accommodated displaceably in the guide. The invention further relates to a hearing aid device set, in particular an in-the-ear hearing aid set, with a hearing aid device according to the invention and an electrical recharging device.
US08175304B1
A loudspeaker configuration capable of generating stereophonic sound separation from relatively loudspeaker drivers that are not necessarily widely separated. For example, such a loudspeaker configuration can be used to generate relatively good sound separation from a single chassis, such as a single speaker box, a boom box, a clock radio or the like. This can advantageously save space in many environments. One embodiment uses four mid-tweeter speaker drivers and a bass driver. The four mid-tweeter speaker drivers are arranged facing outward approximately 90 degrees apart from each other. A speaker driver facing the listener reproduces a mid channel signal, for example, L+R. A speaker driver facing away from the listener reproduces the same mid channel signal or a delayed version of the mid channel signal. A left facing speaker reproduces a side channel, for example, L−R. A right facing speaker reproduces a side channel, for example, R−L. The acoustic combination of the sound produced by the four speaker drivers creates a virtual left and right loudspeaker as experienced by the listener.
US08175303B2
A sound field in a vehicle can be further readily and optimally corrected without forcing a user to do troublesome work. As an embodiment of the present invention, a measurement sound emitted through a left speaker or a right speaker at a further position in a view from a driver's listening point that was assumed on the head touching surface of the headrest of the driver's seat or the passenger seat is picked up, with a microphone provided as buried on a front panel of a head unit to be attached to the almost center position between the driver's seat and the passenger seat in the vehicle. And the frequency characteristic of the above sound is corrected, based on a tendency that the frequency characteristic of an audio sound reaching from the left speaker or the right speaker to the microphone is almost approximate to the virtual frequency characteristic of an audio sound that will reach from the left speaker or the right speaker to the driver's listening point assumed on the head touching surface.
US08175295B2
An apparatus for processing an audio signal and method thereof are disclosed. The preset invention includes receiving a downmix signal including at least one object, preset information to render the downmix signal and preset attribute information indicating attribute of the preset information; rendering the downmix signal by applying the preset information to all data regions of the downmix signal, if the preset information is included in a configuration information region based on the preset attribute information; and rendering the downmix signal by applying the preset information to one corresponding data region of the downmix signal, if the preset information is included in a data region based on the preset attribute information, wherein the preset information is obtained based on preset number information indicating a number of the preset information and output channel information indicating a number of output channel of the rendered downmix signal. Accordingly, one of a plurality of preset information is selected using a plurality of preset metadata without user's setting on each object, whereby a level of an output channel of an object can be adjusted with ease.
US08175289B2
A digital audio distribution network includes a plurality of nodes and at least one transmission line that interconnects the nodes to form the digital audio distribution network. A first node in the plurality of nodes receives a user command, encodes the user command, and sends the encoded user command and digital audio over the transmission line. A second node in the plurality of nodes receives the encoded user command and the digital audio over the transmission line.
US08175277B2
Intercepting a secure communication session includes distributing a key from a key distribution point to establish a secure communication session between a first endpoint and a second endpoint. A secure channel is established between the key distribution point and an intercepting point. The intercepting endpoint may be determined to be authorized to intercept the secure communication session. The key is provided to the intercepting endpoint only if the intercepting endpoint is authorized to intercept the secure communication session, where the key provides the intercepting endpoint with access to intercept the secure communication session.
US08175271B2
A method for implementing a security protocol, involving receiving a packet from a network connection, obtaining an identifier for one of a plurality of security association database (SADB) partitions associated with the packet, wherein each of the plurality of SADB partitions is associated with one of a plurality of packet destinations, applying a security association from the one of the plurality of SADB partitions to the packet, and sending the packet to the one of the plurality of packet destinations associated with the SADB partition, wherein the packet is processed at the one of the plurality of packet destinations.
US08175260B2
A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that in an embodiment determine a degree of correlation between a speaker output signal and a microphone input signal and modulate an adaptive gain of an acoustic echo canceller based on the degree of correlation.
US08175253B2
A system and method for monitoring and reporting automated call-processing performance is disclosed. Initially, performance metrics can be established for normal or acceptable system performance. Performance metrics may be determined for individual components and/or a combination of components in a system, wherein the individual metric may help to provide a performance indicator for the call processing system. The performance metrics can be established by utilizing historical data gathered from past operating characteristics or operating parameters. The performance metric can be calculated from past operating characteristics and could be a statistical distribution or a statistical value. This statistical distribution will often conform to a Gaussian distribution also known as a bell curve. However, acceptable performance limits can be set based on nearly any statistical distribution. A monitor can collect data over a predetermined time interval and process the monitored data to provide a “near” real-time performance data. When the near real time performance data falls within a pre-defined range of normal operation (based on the statistical distribution) system operation is most likely acceptable and operation proceeds. However, when the system performance data is outside of a normal range of operation, beyond a performance metric or exceeds a threshold value an alarm can be set to notify a human or an electronic device.
US08175244B1
Method and system for tele-conferencing with simultaneous interpretation and automatic floor control
A system and method for conducting a conference between a plurality of geographically-dispersed participants, with simultaneous interpretation in a plurality of languages, wherein the method comprises establishing an audio bridge for each of the languages, connecting through a network each participant of a plurality of participants to an appropriate one of the bridges based upon a preferred language of the respective participant, and connecting an interpreter to a first one of the bridges and a second one of the bridges, wherein the interpreter simultaneously listens to a speaking one of the participants through the first one of the bridges and speaks a translation into the second one of the bridges, and wherein the audio connections within the system are configured automatically according to the language being spoken and the abilities of the interpreters. Order is maintained by allowing a participant to make a request to speak, and by granting said requests in turn.
US08175242B2
A method includes determining information regarding a conference among a plurality of participants. The information may include a respective cumulative talk time of each of the plurality of participants. In accordance with a particular embodiment of the present invention, the respective cumulative talk times of each of the plurality of participants is graphically presented to at least one of the plurality of participants.
US08175237B2
An audio interface includes interface circuitry configured to translate audio signals received from a military handset to audio signals compatible with a plain old telephone system (POTS) network. The interface circuitry presents a 6-pin (or 5-pin) audio port configured to couple the military handset to the interface circuitry. The interface circuitry further features a 2-wire POTS connector configured to couple the interface circuitry to the POTS network.
US08175233B2
An integrated messaging system for performing various types of messaging across different types of networks, including integrated user interfaces and administrator interfaces. Embodiments include a communication server that couples among networks of different types, and an interface module that couples to the communication server. The interface module may be hosted on a messaging server of a network. The interface module pulls various user information from the messaging server, including information relevant to at least the network that includes the messaging server. A cache couples to the communication server and to the interface module to hold information from the communication server and/or the user information pulled from messaging server. The interface module directs a message from the messaging server and/or the cache to at least one device on the networks using the user information.
US08175226B2
Methods, systems, and products provide emergency services. A sender's communications address and an emergency response communications address are associated to a profile. A current geographic location associated with the sender's communications address is retrieved and communicated to the emergency response communications address.
US08175225B2
The invention discloses a method and system for preventing emergency communication system notification congestion by automatically identifying the telecommunications site transmitting an emergency call or through reporting of an address from which the call is made.
US08175222B2
One example embodiment includes an electron emitter. The electron emitter comprises a conductive member that defines a plurality of filament segments that are integral with each other. Each filament segment includes an intermediate portion and an interconnecting portion attached to an adjacent filament segment. The intermediate portions are substantially coplanar with each other and each intermediate portion includes a substantially planar electron emission surface.
US08175218B2
A method of computed-tomography and a computed-tomography apparatus where a flying focal spot x-ray interpolation interlacing is used. Weighted or non-weighted interlacing of zero values is performed, or interpolation interlacing is performed. The interpolation interlacing may be implemented as part of backprojection and or may be a separate process prior to backprojection. In both cases interlacing is performed on post-logged convolved data. The interpolation interlacing may also be incorporated into different parts of the processing chain, such as before convolution.
US08175216B2
A shift register circuit is provided that can decrease a power consumption caused by a clock signal and can achieve a high driving capacity. A unit shift register has a first transistor that activates an output signal when a power supply potential is provided to an output terminal. A pull-up driving circuit for driving the first transistor has a second transistor for providing a clock signal to a node connected to the gate of the first transistor and a boosting circuit for the node. When an output signal of a preceding stage is activated, the second transistor turns on. Thereafter, when the clock signal is activated, and the node is charged, the second transistor turns off. The boosting circuit increases the potential at the node when the second transistor turns off. Therefore, the first transistor can operate in non-saturation region and activate the output signal.
US08175214B2
A frequency divider having a plurality of programmable latches connected in a feedback shift register configuration. A programmable latch of said plurality of latches comprises a program input to receive a program signal configured to select a polarity of the programmable latch among two opposite polarities. The frequency divider having a configuration module structured to provide at least the program signal to the program input to modify a divisor parameter of the frequency divider.
US08175213B2
A system and method for configuring threshold values for fixed time delay counters of a System on a Chip (SoC) uses a reference clock signal and one or more frequency sub-range control signals corresponding to a frequency sub-range of the reference clock signal. A frequency sub-range of the reference clock signal is determined using the frequency sub-range control signals and the determined frequency sub-range is used to select a counter threshold value. The selected counter threshold value is provided to a counter and the counter then is updated at each cycle of the reference clock signal for a predetermined count based on the counter threshold value.
US08175209B2
Respective pulsed power supplies for plasma opening switches each produce a first current and a second current during a power pulse and a difference between the first current and the second current during a terminal portion of the power pulse. The pulsed power supplies are initiated or adjusted in response to measured opening times of the plasma opening switches in order to minimize or eliminate a need for command triggered opening of the plasma opening switches. Command triggered opening may occur in real time for a shot as needed in response to asymmetry of opening times of the plasma opening switches in the array during the shot.
US08175205B2
A phase comparison circuit detects a phase difference between a data signal and the output from a variable delay circuit. A Code Operator detects a value of a control code corresponding to a delay equal to one period of an output clock. Then, when a delay amount of the variable delay circuit exceeds one period of a clock during synchronization of the output clock with the data signal while the control code is changed in accordance with the detection result by the phase delay circuit, a control code corresponding to a delay equal to one period of the output clock is added or subtracted to/from the control code at a time. Therefore, even if there is a difference in frequency between a data signal and a clock, it becomes possible to synchronize the data signal and the clock with application of the same clock phase.
US08175204B2
A receiving device includes: a pilot extracting section; a first estimating section; a second estimating section; a third estimating section; a distortion correcting section; and a filter controlling section.
US08175203B2
A communication system comprises a receiver, which may generate broadcast coefficients that represent the characteristics of a channel using the channel information encoded in the segment synchronization units. The receiver may also use the channel information encoded in both the segment synchronization units and the field synchronization units to accurately determine the characteristics of a long channel.
US08175198B2
A matched filter and receiver is provided to delete the tap coefficients of a matched filter used in an OFDM receiver. In the matched filter and receiver, a transmitting signal is generated by using a symmetric series (Y) obtained from C[k]=exp[j*π*M/N*(k+0.5)^2], where X=[0, C[N/2], C[N/2+1], . . . , C[N−1], 0, 0, . . . , 0, C[0], C[1], . . . , C[N/2−1]], and Y=inverse FFT (X) as a base symbol. The matched filter, which detects the signal, reduces the number of multipliers by using the coefficient symmetric property.
US08175197B2
A system includes a correlation module and a control module. The correlation module is configured to generate correlation values based on a correlation of modulated signals with a plurality of preamble sequences and generate correlation values. The modulated signals include sub-carriers modulated using orthogonal frequency domain multiplexing (OFDM). The control module is configured to select a largest correlation value from the correlation values and detect one of the preamble sequences in the modulated signals upon determining that a magnitude of the largest correlation value is greater than or equal to a first predetermined threshold. The control module divides N of the sub-carriers into L bands in response to a channel gain of the sub-carriers not being substantially the same for all of the sub-carriers, where N and L are integers greater than 1, and where each of the L bands includes N/L of the sub-carriers.
US08175194B2
According to one embodiment, a signal receiving apparatus includes a first setting module, a calculator, a detection module, a generator, and a determination module. The first setting module is configured to set a rising or falling of an arbitrary high pulse as a starting point. The calculator is configured to calculate a sampling period based on intervals between a plurality of high pulses. The detector is configured to set a multiple of the sampling period from the starting point as reference points and to detect positions where the plurality of high pulses are generated from each of the reference points. The generator is configured to generate a histogram for the positions where the plurality of high pulses are generated. The determination module is configured to determine positions obtained by adding a value of a peak in the histogram to each of the reference points as sampling points.
US08175188B2
A reduced complexity precoder provides an efficient method and structure to precode a vector-signal-point sequence for transmission through a band-limited channel. The precoder enables a block-oriented receiver to recover an underlying data stream in the presence of inter-symbol interference and noise. The precoder structure is applicable to multicarrier systems such as DMT (discrete multitone) or related transform domain and vector communication systems. The inventive precoder reduces the cost of precoding by an order of magnitude and eliminates the need for a cyclic prefix in DMT and related communication systems. Related multicarrier transmitter and receiver structures and methods which reduce computation, increase transmission bandwidth and reduce transmission power are also developed.
US08175187B2
A wireless communication apparatus for performing communication using a first communication scheme which transmits a signal using amplitude shift keying and a second communication scheme which suppresses communication with others except a communication counterpart by transmitting a transmission suppression signal before communication is started. The apparatus includes: a first signal generation unit configured to generate transmission data; a modulation unit configured to generate first and second signals having different amplitudes by amplitude-shift keying the transmission data; a second signal generation unit configured to generate the transmission suppression signal having a signal length corresponding to that of the first signal; and a transmission unit configured to transmit the transmission suppression signal at the timing when the first signal is transmitted.
US08175185B2
A radio frequency (RF) transmitter includes a transmitter processing module that generates a processed signal and a modulating signal based on outbound data. An up-conversion module up-converts the processed signal to generate an up-converted signal. A programmable filter module generates a first plurality of delayed signals from the up-converted signal and that generates a filtered up-converted signal by combining the up-converted signal and the first plurality of delayed signals, wherein a delayed signal of the first plurality of delayed signals is scaled based on one of a first plurality of coefficients, wherein the first plurality of coefficients are selected based on a control signal. A polar amplifier amplifies and amplitude modulates the filtered up-converted signal based on the modulating signal to generate a transmit signal. A processing module generates the control signal to attenuate at least one RF spur of the up-converted signal.
US08175183B2
A digital broadcasting receiving apparatus is characterized in that the digital broadcasting receiving apparatus is provided with an antenna combination determination processing unit for selecting at least two antennas from among a plurality of antennas which have directivities in different directions and each of which receives a digital broadcasting wave transmitted from outside the digital broadcasting receiving apparatus, and for providing an instruction for switching among the above-mentioned plurality of antennas on the basis of a state of reception of the digital broadcasting waves received by the selected antennas, and switches for switching among the above-mentioned plurality of antennas according to the instruction from the above-mentioned combination determination processing unit.
US08175181B1
An indication of modulation constrained capacity of a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) communication channel is determined. The indication of modulation constrained capacity corresponds to one modulation scheme from a plurality of modulation schemes. The indication of modulation constrained capacity corresponding to the one modulation scheme is compared to a threshold corresponding to the one modulation scheme. A modulation scheme is selected from the plurality of modulation schemes based on the comparison of the indication of modulation constrained capacity to the threshold.
US08175175B1
A method for rate-shaping media streams; the method includes: receiving multiple input media streams, transmission parameters, wired transmission limitations and wireless transmission limitations that represent a current status of a wireless medium; and rate-shaping at least one input media stream out of the multiple input media streams, in response to: (i) the transmission parameters, (ii) the wireless transmission limitations, and (iiii) input media stream parameters. A system for processing media streams; the system includes: a controller, adapted to determine rate-shaping parameters in response to: (i) the transmission parameters, (ii) the wireless transmission limitations, and (iii) input media stream parameters; and a rate-shaper, connected to the processor, adapted to receive multiple input media streams and perform rate-shaping according to the rate-shaping parameters.
US08175173B2
Provided herein are systems and methods for transmitting signals across a pair of wires. In accordance with specific embodiments, a differential signal is transmitted across the pair of wires during one period of time, and two single-ended signals are transmitted across the same pair of wires during another period of time. Low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) can be used to transmit the differential signal across the pair of wires. In contrast, non-differential signaling can be used to transfer the two singled-ended signals across the same pair of wires.
US08175168B2
Aspects of the present invention relate to systems and methods for picture up-sampling using direct interpolation. Some aspects of the present invention provide an up-sampling procedure designed for the Scalable Video Coding extension of H.264/MPEG-4 AVC.
US08175165B2
Apparatus, systems and techniques based on an integer transform for encoding and decoding video or image signals, including an order-16 integer transform from a Microsoft Media Video order-8 integer transform with a high energy-packing ability and an improved data compression in the field of image and video coding. For example, a method and an apparatus are provided for deriving an order-16 integer transform from an order-8 integer transform in the standard transform of Microsoft Media Video. Eight additions and eight subtractions are used to assign the data elements to be transformed to an intermediate matrix; and then two fast algorithms for the computation of the order-8 transform may be applied to the first 8 vectors of the intermediate matrix, and the last 8 vectors of the intermediate matrix, respectively. The derived order-16 integer transform tends to produce small magnitude and high frequency transformed coefficients, and thus achieve high compressibility.
US08175161B1
A parallel processor for motion estimation including: a matrix of elementary processors configured in rows and columns, local connections between the elementary processors for transmitting partial results, and row outputs for outputting a set of best match values (for example, SAD values), one value for each pixel row of a current block of image pixels; and search area delay buffers coupled to each row inputs, for accepting pixels of the search area as input and forming a reference block row. The processor further includes current block delay buffers coupled to each row inputs, for accepting pixels of the current block as input; a sum module coupled to the row outputs for computing a final match value from the row outputs; and a sorting module for sequentially selecting a best match value from the final match values outputted from the sum module, and generating a corresponding motion vector.
US08175159B2
Moving picture motion compensation coding/decoding predicts a motion vector in a coding block from a motion vector of the adjacent position and codes a differential motion vector calculated from the motion vector to be coded and its prediction motion vector. The coding is performed by switching the coding accuracy between a coding accuracy of the differential motion vector (1) and a coding accuracy of the prediction motion vector and the coding motion vector (2) for each block. Moreover, when decoding the motion vector from the differential motion vector coded by the aforementioned coding, a reversed processing with respect to the coding is performed.
US08175157B2
An apparatus and method for writing and/or reading data in an image processing system are provided. The apparatus for writing data includes: a memory formed with at least one or more banks capable of being accessed independently; and a memory control unit controlling so that a luminance component, a first chrominance component and a second chrominance component belonging to one macroblock are written based on respective structures different to each other, in the memory. The apparatus for reading data includes: a memory formed with one or more banks capable of being accessed independently in which a luminance component, a first chrominance component, and a second chrominance component belonging to one macroblock are written based on respective structures different to each other, in each bank of the memory; and a memory control unit controlling so that a luminance component, a first chrominance component, and a second chrominance component required are read from the memory.
US08175145B2
The invention relates to the processing of a signal that is compression encoded (COD) according to a predetermined encoding type applying a quantification operation (Q) and then decoded (DEC) so that the quantification noise is present in the decoded signal (S*). The signal processing of the invention comprises applying a quantification noise reduction (TBQ) to the decoded signal (S), preferably in the following manner: first obtaining information (INF) on the type of compression encoding, selecting a model for the reduction of the quantification noise adapted to said information by estimating the quantification noise (BQ) that the encoding may have generated; and applying to the decoded signal (S*) a processing for reducing the quantification noise (FIL) according to the selected model.
US08175140B2
A multi-carrier information transceiver that exhibits robustness against radio frequency interference (RFI) signals present in the communications channel. The transceiver includes a RFI mitigation technique that operates not only during the steady state operation of the transceiver but also during the training stage of the transceiver. That requires dynamically modifying the training signals when the presence of RFI is detected. The modification of the training signals facilitates the estimation of RFI, improving the performance of the multi-carrier transceiver.
US08175133B2
A laser-induced optical wiring apparatus is provided wherein optical wiring is realized by digital operations of a laser oscillator. The apparatus includes optical ring resonator formed of a loop-shaped optical waveguide on substrate. At least two optical gain sections are provided on the optical ring resonator. When each optical gain section is activated, a laser oscillator including the optical ring resonator and optical gain sections is enabled to oscillate. In this state, the gain of at least one of the optical gain sections is changed in accordance with an input signal, thereby changing the optical route gain of the optical ring resonator to change the oscillation state of the laser oscillator. A change in the laser oscillation state is detected by the optical gain section other than the at least one optical gain section, whereby an output signal is acquired.
US08175121B2
An image processor includes a motion vector acquisition section for acquiring and outputting an image motion vector in pixel or a predetermined block unit from plural frames included in an input image signal; and a frame interpolation section for generating an interpolated frame by using the motion vector provided by the motion vector acquisition section and for combining the interpolated frame with a frame of the input image signal, thereby composing a signal of a new frame sequence. The motion vector acquisition section includes a first motion vector acquisition section acquiring a motion vector by matching process and a second motion vector acquisition section acquiring a motion vector based on a relative misalignment of a predetermined edge component between two temporally successive frames in a specific area of an input image signal's frame.
US08175114B2
In a base station apparatus, signal processing units are connected to a corresponding antenna unit and another antenna unit, a part of resources for processing a signal received by the antenna unit corresponding to each signal processing unit is allocated to processing of a signal received by the other antenna unit, and the signals received by the corresponding antenna unit and the other antenna unit are subjected to multi-antenna reception processing using the resources.
US08175113B2
Embodiments of the present invention route a wavelength division multiplexed signal across multiple communication paths using skew characteristics of at least some of the communication paths. The network is a wavelength division multiplexed optical transport network. The plurality of communication paths involves different signal and path attributes such as a plurality of carrier wavelengths, optical carrier groups, physical communication paths (different nodes, different fibers along a same path, or any combination of the foregoing), or any other differentiating factors between two paths.
US08175111B2
A network relay apparatus and method using a software module that easily support various network protocols and new network protocols. The network relay apparatus includes a first modem unit communicating with a first network using a first protocol, a second modem unit communicating with a second network using a second protocol, a bridge unit converting data to be suitable for the first and second protocols when the data is exchanged between the first modem unit and the second modem unit, and a controller generating the first and second modem units and the bridge unit in a software manner.
US08175108B2
A configurable memory includes an interface section, a plurality of memory modules, and an internal configuration section. The interface section includes a millimeter wave (MMW) transceiver and interfaces with one or more external components. Each the plurality of memory modules includes a memory MMW transceiver and a plurality of memory cells. The internal configuration section includes a memory management unit and a memory management MMW transceiver. The memory management unit is operable to determine configuration of at least some of the plurality of memory modules to form a memory block, identify an interface MMW transceiver to provide a wireless link to the memory block, and generate a configuration signal based on the determined configuration and the identified interface MMW transceiver. The memory management MMW transmits the MMW configuration signal to the identified interface MMW transceiver and the MMW transceivers of the memory modules.
US08175100B2
A wireless user equipment device transmits a control channel and a data channel. Each of the control channel and the data channel include a plurality of time slots. The control channel is configured to transmit control information and includes both transmission time slots and non-transmission time slots. The data channel is configured to transmit data packets. The device further includes a processor configured to schedule at least one data packet for transmission in at least one data channel time slot that is concurrent to at least one control channel transmission time slot, and a transmission module configured to transmit the at least one data packet in the at least one data channel time slot that is concurrent to the at least one control channel transmission time slot.
US08175079B2
A device and method enable reestablishing a wireless connection in a wireless network. A first wireless device detects that a previous wireless connection has been lost with a second wireless device that employs dynamic frequency selection (DFS). The first wireless device then uses a routing table to identify a third wireless device as a next hop of a route to the second wireless device, and transmits a request message to the third wireless device, where the request message requests identification of a current DFS channel over which the second wireless device is operating. Next, the first wireless device receives a response message from the third wireless device, where the response message identifies the current DFS channel over which the second wireless device is operating. Using the current DFS channel, the first wireless device establishes a new wireless connection with the second wireless device.
US08175077B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a transmitter, a receiver and methods of operating a transmitter and a receiver. In one embodiment, the transmitter includes a synchronization unit configured to provide a primary synchronization signal and a secondary synchronization signal having first and second segments. The transmitter also includes a secondary scrambling unit configured to provide a scrambled secondary synchronization signal, wherein scrambling agents for the first and second segments are derived from a primary synchronization sequence of the primary synchronization signal. The secondary scrambling unit is further configured to provide an additional scrambling of one of the first and second segments, wherein a second scrambling agent is derived from the remaining segment of a secondary synchronization sequence of the secondary synchronization signal. The transmitter further includes a transmit unit configured to transmit the primary synchronization signal and the scrambled secondary synchronization signal.
US08175076B2
A system provides synchronization between different medical signal (e.g., EKG and ICEG signal) acquisition and processing devices. A system synchronizes multiple different patient medical parameter processing devices, using a master clock generator. The master clock generator is adaptively programmable to provide synchronization clocks having frequencies compatible with multiple different medical devices for acquiring patient medical parameter data and for synchronization of processing of medical parameter data concurrently acquired from a single particular patient. The master clock generator is programmed by dividing a clock signal to provide a desired clock frequency in response to received frequency selection command data. An output interface provides synchronization clocks to the multiple different medical devices for acquiring patient medical parameter data and providing synchronized output patient medical parameter data from the different medical devices for presentation to a user in synchronized format on a display. An input interface receives the command data for determining clock division and generating the desired clock frequency.
US08175063B2
Systems and methods for Walsh code assignment are provided. In accordance with the disclosed exemplary embodiments, when a set of mobile communication units (MU) is in a control/hold state, instead of a base transceiver station (BTS) assigning Walsh codes for respective dedicated control channels (dcch ) to the set of mobile communication units (MU) on a one-to-one basis, the base transceiver station (BTS) circulates the Walsh codes among the set of mobile communication units (MU). Thus, at a given time, the base transceiver station (BTS) has assigned the available Walsh codes to only a subset of the mobile communication units (MU) in the control/hold state. Accordingly, this Walsh code assignment allows the system to support more mobile communication units (MU) in the control/hold state.
US08175059B2
A method and apparatus for transferring buffer data from a first network node to a second network node during a mobile handover between cells. In order to improve the speed at which buffer data is transferred during a handover, a connection using a congestion control protocol is established between the two nodes prior to the handover. Dummy data is sent over this connection, in order to approach or reach the available data transfer rate, and at the handover, the dummy data is replaced with buffer data.
US08175056B2
A system is provided for managing mobility of an Access Terminal (AT) in a Proxy Mobile Internet Protocol (PMIP) communication system. As the AT performs a handoff, a target Signaling Radio Network Controller (SRNC) delivers session information of the AT, acquired from a source SRNC of a source network, to a target Access Network (AN). An Authentication, Authorization and Accounting server (AAA) performs an AT access authentication process. Then, a target Access Gateway (AGW) performs a proxy registration procedure, with the target AN, and receives, from the AT, a message indicating a need to establish an interface with the HA. A Home Agent (HA) performs mobility management for the AT, receives a message for requesting proxy registration for mobility management for the AT, sends an access request message to the AAA, receives an access accept message, and sends a response message for proxy registration to the target AGW.
US08175052B2
A method for transmitting radio resources in a mobile communication system is disclosed. The method includes receiving a random access channel (RACH) preamble from a plurality of UEs and transmitting response information associated with the received preambles over a common channel wherein the plurality UEs can access the common channel and receive corresponding information. If a HARQ scheme is used when a UE transmits data to the eNode-B using uplink radio resources allocated over the RACH, the eNode-B does not pre-allocate uplink radio resources required for re-transmission and performs allocation of radio resources for a first transmission of HARQ. If the re-transmission is required, the eNode-B allocates the radio resources required for the re-transmission with the NACK signal. If re-transmission is not required, the present invention can reduce an amount of wasted radio resources.
US08175047B2
Provided are a method for transmitting data in wireless mesh networks and A-MSDU format for the method. In the method, in case the receiving MPs of all of the plural MSDUs to be transmitted are identical, a transmitting MP generates an A-MSDU using the plural MSDUs and transmits the A-MSDU to the receiving MP. The A-MSDU includes a plurality of A-MSDU sub-frames each of which includes a sub-frame header unit, an MSDU unit for containing data of each of the plural MSDU, and a padding unit for making each A-MSDU sub-frame a multiple of 4 octets in length. The sub-frame header unit comprises a mesh DA field for specifying an MAC address of the destination MP of the data contained in the MSDU unit, a mesh SA field for specifying an MAC address of the source MP of the data contained in the MSDU unit, and a mesh header field for containing information of the mesh header of each of the plural MSDUs.
US08175038B2
A server and method are described herein that can influence the invoking of a service provided by an application server to a user-user equipment. The server includes a database that stores a service profile for the user-user equipment, where the service profile has a number of filter criteria wherein at least one includes: (1) a first trigger point and at least one first service point trigger that specifies one or more conditions which when satisfied will be downloaded to and checked by a remote control function before a service is invoked for the user-user equipment; and (2) a second trigger point and at least one second service point trigger that specifies one or more conditions which are checked against internally stored data associated with the user-user equipment and need to be satisfied before the service profile with the filter criteria including the first trigger point and the at least one first service point trigger is downloaded to and checked by the remote control function to invoke the service for the user-user equipment.
US08175035B2
A method allocates resources in an orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) network including a set of base stations (BSs), and a set of mobile stations (MSs) for each BS. Each cell includes a center and edge zone. A node weighted constraint graph is constructed for the network. Maximal independent sets in the graph are searched as sub-channels are allocated to the MSs in edge zones. Remaining bandwidth is allocated to the MSs in the center zones. Power is assigned to the sub-channels so that inter-cell interference is minimized and traffic load is maximized.
US08175030B2
A system and method which improve the performance of a wireless transmission system by intelligent use of the control of the flow of data between a radio network controller (RNC) and a Node B. The system monitors certain criteria and, if necessary, adaptively increases or decreases the data flow between the RNC and the Node B. This improves the performance of the transmission system by allowing retransmitted data, signaling procedures and other data to be successfully received at a faster rate, by minimizing the amount of data buffered in the Node B. Flow control is exerted to reduce buffering in the Node B upon degradation of channel qualities, and prior to a High Speed Downlink Shared Channel (HS-DSCH) handover.
US08175029B2
Disclosed is an apparatus and method for transmitting the synchronization signal in an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) based cellular system. The cell search process widely used in the OFDM based cellular system is divided into two steps for obtaining the frame timing synchronization and obtaining the cell-specific scrambling code. When designing the channel for obtaining the frame timing synchronization and the channel for obtaining the cell-specific scrambling code, different frequency reuse factors are applied to the synchronization channels of different steps according to the characteristics of each synchronization obtainment step in order to improve the performance of each step.
US08175013B2
Disclosed is a radio frequency (RF) switch including: a circulator having first to third nodes, which are connected to first to third ports, respectively; and a slot line pattern unit installed in a connection line between the third node of the circulator and the third port so as to carry out signal transmission or interception, wherein the slot line pattern unit includes a switching circuit, which is installed at a predetermined location so as to transmit or intercept a signal by maintaining or short-circuiting a gap of a slot line corresponding to the installed location according to an external switching control signal.
US08175011B2
The present invention provides a centralized home controller that is used to coordinate a plurality of associated packet communication clients. The home controller provides a centralized and unified control and messaging system for the various packet communication clients. The home controller also allows the packet communication clients to establish and control packet sessions among the associated packet communication clients, as well as between any one of the packet communication clients and remote clients. The packet communication clients are provided in consumer electronics devices, and the associated packet sessions support data, voice, audio, or video content. In one embodiment, the home controller acts as a proxy for the various communications between the packet communication clients.
US08175010B2
A system and method provide simultaneous multiple push-to-talk (PTT) over cellular (PoC) multimedia service, and enable a PoC client performing an OMA PoC multimedia communication service to be simultaneously provided with a plurality of media streams, and also allows efficient media transmission through media adaptation adjusting capacity of each of the media streams provided at the same time.
US08175005B2
Techniques are provided for coordinated neighbor discovery in a wireless network served by radio access point devices that provide service in relatively small coverage areas in the wireless network. A controller apparatus sends to radio access point devices, data identifying a group of radio access point devices to which each radio access point device is assigned. The controller apparatus sends coordinating data for a neighbor discovery session during which a particular radio access point device in the group is configured to transmit a signal at maximum power during a time interval while all other radio access point devices in the group are configured to attempt to receive the signal, and to repeat the same during other time intervals during the neighbor discovery session when a different particular radio access point is configured to transmit a signal at maximum power until all of the radio access point devices in a group have transmitted. Each radio access point device generates discovery results data for signals received from one or more other radio access point devices during the neighbor discovery session. A neighbor list is generated for each radio access point device based on the discovery results. The neighbor list comprises a list of identifiers of radio access point devices that are candidates for handover of service.
US08175001B2
A method for managing a computer or communication network by obtaining connectivity configuration information from a plurality of networked devices; analyzing the connectivity configuration information from the plurality of networked devices; and, determining a state of connectivity between any two of the plurality of networked devices.
US08174985B2
There is disclosed a method and controller for controlling an information flow in a data transmission system. In one embodiment, the method and controller receives a plurality of data packets. The method and controller further generate a modified information flow by providing a variable spacing between the data packets that is exponentially distributed. The variable spacing between the data packets may be random or pseudo-random.
US08174967B2
In a network comprising a provider edge router coupled to each of a mated pair of core routers in a core network, a system and methodology for rerouting upstream traffic destined for the provider edge router in the event of a link failure between one of the core routers and the provider edge router. By detecting a link failure between a first of the mated pair of core routers and the provider edge router, and directing the upstream traffic destined for the provider edge router to a second of the mated pair of core routers, internal gateway protocol (IGP) reconvergence events are not triggered.
US08174962B2
A global broadcast communication network system having a plurality of subnets. The system may incorporate a building and automation control network (BACnet) protocol. Each subnet may have a one active BACnet broadcast management device (BBMD) for broadcasting messages to other subnets. Also, there may be BIP (BACnet over IP) devices, such as controllers, tools and stations, in the subnets. One of the BIP devices in each subnet may be configured or enabled as a passive BBMD. If there is a failure of the active BBMD in a subnet, then the passive BBMD of the same subnet may detect the failure and assume the role of the active BBMD to minimize or eliminate possible disruption of communication across the subnets. Each BBMD may have and maintain a broadcast distribution table (BDT) which contains information about BBMDs in other subnets. Each BBMD may provide updated BDT information to the other BBMDs.
US08174960B2
A time division duplex wireless communication system based on Code Spreading-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (CS-OFDMA) and a smart antenna includes: an antenna array and multichannel transceiver, a space processor, a demodulator, an L2 processor and a modulator. The CS-OFDMA system provided by the present invention combines synchronous CDMA technique and OFDMA technique, overcomes the severe ISI caused by spectrum-spreading by the conventional CDMA system while transmitting wideband data, effectively counteracts frequency-selective fading and inter-cell interference, and is beneficial to reliable transmission of narrowband voice and wideband data and also beneficial to co-frequency networking.
US08174953B2
An input current channel device is described. This device comprises a first terminal for receiving a reference signal; a second terminal for receiving a first target signal; a pass through device coupled to the first terminal, the pass through device operative for transmitting a delayed reference signal in response to receiving the reference signal; a first combination logic device coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal, the first combination logic device operative for transmitting a first combination logic signal in response to receiving the reference signal and the first target signal; a selection device coupled for receiving the delayed reference signal, the first combination logic signal, and a first synchronization signal, the selection device operative for selectively transmitting a second synchronization signal, and wherein selectively transmitting the second synchronization signal reduces skew between the reference channel and the first target channel.
US08174952B2
A light source unit comprises a plurality of light sources emitting a plurality of light beams. A plurality of volume hologram elements are provided for the plurality of light sources respectively, each volume hologram element having a plane of incidence of an incoming light beam and a plane of outgoing radiation of a diffracted light beam which are perpendicular to each other, the plurality of volume hologram elements having mutually different Bragg conditions in which an optical intensity of a diffracted light beam is set to a maximum.
US08174951B2
In a recording apparatus capable of performing a curing process at high speed by curing a plurality of books at a time during recording and capable of performing recording of a recordable type, when recording is stopped once, the unit of books to be cured at a time is set smaller than that during continuous recording, in order to realize inexpensively both performing a curing process at high speed in hologram recording and realizing recording of a recordable type freely in a book unit. It is therefore possible to terminate recording in the unit of arbitrary books irrespective of the unit of books to be cured, and perform recording of a recordable type without loss.
US08174950B2
Disclosed herein are aspects of optical tape technology, tape manufacturing, and tape usage. Methods and systems of tape technology disclose optical tape media including: configurations, formulations, markings, and structure; optical tape manufacturing methods, systems, and apparatus methods and systems including: curing processes, coating methods, embossing, drums, testing, tracking alignment stamper strip; optical tape methods and systems including: pick up head adapted for the disclosed optical tape; and optical tape uses including optical storage media devices for multimedia applications
US08174949B2
Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems, methods and media formats for processing user data derived from a storage medium. As an example, a system is described that includes a storage medium with a series of data. The series of data includes a servo data and a user data region. The user data region includes a first synchronization pattern and a second synchronization pattern located a distance from the first synchronization pattern. A storage buffer is provided that is operable to receive at least a portion of the series of data. A retiming circuit calculates an initial phase offset and frequency offset for a defined bit within the storage buffer using a first location of the first synchronization pattern and a second location of the second synchronization pattern. An error correction loop circuit re-samples the series of data from the storage buffer based at least in part on the initial phase offset and a frequency offset.
US08174948B2
According to one embodiment, an optical recording medium is provided in which interlayer crosstalk is low and in which stable and high-quality recording characteristics can be obtained. To this end, an optical recording medium comprises a first recording part which includes a first recording layer and a first light reflecting layer and which is disposed on a side closer to a light receiving surface, and a second recording part which includes a second recording layer and a second light reflecting layer and which is disposed on a side farther from the light receiving surface, the first recording part and the second recording part being stacked, wherein the thickness of the second light reflecting layer is larger than the thickness of the first light reflecting layer.
US08174947B2
An evaluation apparatus includes: a signal reading block; a first waveform equalization block; a boundary detection block; a selective output block; and an evaluation value generation block.
US08174944B1
Laser write parameters in an optical drive are calibrated. A parameter range for the write parameters is set based on a recordable medium, and a number of test runs are recorded on the recordable medium while varying the write parameters. Write performance characteristics over the test runs are measured. Based on the measured performance characteristics, actual write parameters are selected for use in writing actual data.
US08174942B2
Disclosed data recording techniques prevent extremely decreasing writing/reading speed due to consecutive defects, which often occur when using a disk of large storage capacity, while allowing the size of a spare area used for alternate processing of a recordable optical disk to be changed. The disclosed data recording method comprises receiving from a higher-level device a write command to write data at a first address in a user area; writing the data at the first address; and reading the written data to thereby judge whether or not the first address is defective. If the first address is defective, a second address in a spare area is determined by use of a flag value that has been written to a lead-in area or a lead-out area at the time of initialization; and the data is written at the second address received from the higher-level device.
US08174934B2
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, a process for determining a direction vector of a sound source is described. The process may be implemented to detect, by a first sound sensor, a first sound pressure of a sound wave propagated from the sound source, and detect, by a second sound sensor, a second sound pressure of the sound wave. The process may further be implemented to determine, by a processor, the direction vector of the sound source relative to the first sound sensor and second sound sensor, wherein the direction vector is based on the first sound pressure, the second sound pressure, and a first distance between a first physical location of the first sound sensor and a second physical location of the second sound sensor.
US08174932B2
Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems and methods for multimodal object localization using one or more depth sensors and two or more microphones. In one aspect, a method comprises capturing three-dimensional images of a region of space wherein the object is located. The images comprise three-dimensional depth sensor observations. The method collects ambient audio generated by the object, providing acoustic observation regarding the ambient audio time difference of arrival at the audio sensors. The method determines a coordinate location of the object corresponding to the maximum of a joint probability distribution characterizing the probability of the acoustic observations emanating from each coordinate location in the region of space and the probability of each coordinate location in the region of space given depth sensor observations.
US08174917B2
Each memory block has a plurality of memory cells, and word lines and bit lines connected to the memory cells. Precharge switches connect the bit lines to a precharge line. A switch control circuit controls an operation of the precharge switches and sets a cutoff function that turns off connection switches in a standby period in which no access operation of the memory cells is performed. Since connections of the bit lines and the precharge switch and those of the bit lines and the sense amplifier are cut off in the standby period, if a short circuit failure is present between a word line and a bit line, a leak current can be prevented from flowing from the word line to a precharge voltage line and so on.
US08174900B2
The apparatus and systems described herein may comprise a plurality of memory cells coupled to a local wordline, and a wordline drive circuit that includes a regulator coupled to a plurality of pass transistors and a string driver. The regulator may comprise a regulator transistor having a threshold voltage that is substantially the same as the threshold voltage of the string driver during memory cell program operations. In some embodiments, the regulator may comprise a cascode-connected pair of transistors. Methods of manufacturing and operating the apparatus and systems are also described.
US08174899B2
When data is written to a memory cell transistor, a write controller controls in such a manner that a verification operation subsequent to a program operation is carried out while a program voltage is increased stepwise for each program operation. The write controller controls in such a manner that a verification operation subsequent to a program operation by which a threshold voltage of a memory cell transistor to be written has become equal to or higher than a verification level for the first time is carried out twice or more at the same verification level, verification operations of the second and subsequent times are carried out after a second program operation which is carried out with the memory cell transistor set in an unselected state.
US08174895B2
A set of non-volatile storage elements are subjected to a programming process in order to store data. During the programming process, one or more verification operations are performed to determine whether the non-volatile storage elements have reached their target. Non-volatile storage elements being programmed to a first set of one or more targets are verified to determine whether they have reached their target and are locked out of further programming if it is determined that they have reached their target. Non-volatile storage elements being programmed to the second set of one or more targets are tested to determine the number of fast programming bits. When the number of fast bits for a particular target is greater than a threshold, then programming stops for the non-volatile storage elements being programmed to the particular target.
US08174890B2
A memory cell array has plural memory strings arranged therein, each of which including a plurality of electrically-rewritable memory transistors and selection transistors. Each memory string includes a body semiconductor layer including four or more columnar portions, and a joining portion formed to join the lower ends thereof. An electric charge storage layer is formed to surround a side surface of the columnar portions. A first conductive layer is formed to surround a side surface of the columnar portions as well as the electric charge storage layer. A plurality of second conductive layers are formed on side surfaces of the joining portion via an insulation film, and function as control electrodes of a plurality of back-gate transistors formed at a respective one of the joining portions.
US08174883B2
A memory cell array is connected to a word line and a bit line, and configured so that a plurality of memory cells storing one level of n levels (n is a natural number more than 4) in one memory cell are arrayed in a matrix. A control circuit controls a potential of the word line and the bit line in accordance with input data, and writs data in the memory cell. The control circuit applies a write voltage corresponding to write data to a memory cell. The write voltage differs for each write data. A verify operation is executed for each write data after a write voltage application operation ends with respect to all n levels.
US08174879B2
A biosensor and a sensing cell array using a biosensor are disclosed. Adjacent materials containing a plurality of different ingredients are analyzed to determine the ingredients based on their magnetic susceptibility or dielectric constant. A sensing cell array includes such as a magnetization pair detection sensor including a MTJ (Magnetic Tunnel Junction) or GMR (Giant Magnetoresistive) device, a magnetoresistive sensor including a MTJ device and a magnetic material (current line), a dielectric constant sensor including a sensing capacitor and a switching device, a magnetization hole detection sensor including a MTJ or GMR device, a current line, a free ferromagnetic layer and a switching device, and a giant magnetoresistive sensor including a GMR device, a switching device and a magnetic material (or forcing wordline). Ingredients of adjacent materials are separated based on electrical characteristics of ingredients by sensing magnetic susceptibility and dielectric constant depending on the sizes of the ingredients.
US08174878B2
Provided are a nonvolatile memory and related method of programming same. The nonvolatile memory includes a memory cell array with a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells and a write circuit. The write circuit is configured to write first logic state data to a first group of memory cells during a first program operation using an internally generated step-up voltage, and second logic state data to a second group of memory cells during a second program operation using an externally supplied step-up voltage.
US08174876B2
A fusion memory device having phase change memory devices that have different resistance distributions and a corresponding data processing system is presented. The fusion memory device includes a first and a second phase change memory group arranged on the same chip. Because the second phase change memory group exhibits a resistance distribution different from that of the first phase change memory group, then the fusion memory device can be configured to simultaneously function as both a DRAM device and as a flash memory device. Because the first and second phase change memory groups can be composed of similar PRAM components, the corresponding manufacturing and driving circuitry is markedly simplified as compared to other fusion memory devices that have dissimilar DRAM and flash memory components.
US08174870B2
A magnetic recording element is disclosed for which current density required for writing is low and structure of the element is simple. It comprises a ferromagnetic fine wire formed on a Si substrate, current electrodes that contact ends of the ferromagnetic fine wire, and voltage electrodes joined to the ferromagnetic fine wire and current electrodes to measure voltage across part of the ferromagnetic fine wire in cooperation with the current electrodes. A magnetic domain wall is induced in the ferromagnetic fine wire when the element is manufactured. A depression is formed in the surface on top of the ferromagnetic fine wire between the voltage electrodes, and between one of the current electrodes and one of the voltage electrodes. Voltage is measured between the two voltage electrodes when reading current is applied, to determine whether the magnetic domain wall is present between the two voltage electrodes, whereby recorded data can be identified.
US08174867B2
An integrated circuit structure includes a static random access memory (SRAM) cell; a first power supply node connected to the SRAM cell, wherein the first power supply node is configured to provide a first positive power supply voltage to the SRAM cell; and a bit-line connected to the SRAM cell. A negative-voltage generator is coupled to, and configured to output a negative voltage to, the bit-line, wherein the negative-voltage generator is so configured that the negative voltage decreases in response to a decrease in the first positive power supply voltage and increases in response to an increase in the first positive supply voltage.
US08174866B2
A semiconductor storage device includes: a memory cell array that includes a plurality of memory cells having a cell transistor formed on a well subjected to application of a predetermined substrate potential; a memory cell array control circuit that switches the number of memory cells, for use in storage of data of 1 bit in a normal operation state, to m (m is a natural number) and switches the number of memory cells, for use in storage of data of 1 bit in a standby state, to n (n is a natural number larger than m); and a substrate potential control circuit that controls the substrate potential in the normal operation state to a first substrate potential and controls the substrate potential in the standby state to a second substrate potential (the second substrate potential>the first substrate potential).
US08174864B2
A resistance-changing memory device has a cell array having memory cells, each of which stores as data a reversibly settable resistance value, a sense amplifier for reading data from a selected memory cell in the cell array, and a voltage generator circuit which generates, after having read data of the selected memory cell, a voltage pulse for convergence of a resistive state of this selected memory cell in accordance with the read data.
US08174856B2
An apparatus, device, and system for generating an amount of output power in response to a direct current (DC) power input includes a configurable power supply, which may be electrically coupled to the DC power input. The configurable power supply is selectively configurable between multiple circuit topologies to generate various DC power outputs and/or and AC power output. The system may also include one or more DC power electronic accessories, such as DC-to-DC power converters, and/or one or more AC power electronic accessories such as DC-to-AC power converters. The power electronic accessories are couplable to the configurable power supply to receive the corresponding DC or AC power output of the configurable power supply.
US08174855B2
A power factor correction integrated circuit housed in an integrated circuit package for controlling a boost converter circuit having an input inductor coupled in series with a boost rectifier between a rectified AC line input voltage and a DC bus voltage, on a DC bus, the rectified AC line input voltage provided by a rectifier coupled to an AC line input voltage to be power factor corrected. The integrated circuit including a first input circuit sensing the DC bus voltage; a second input circuit sensing current through the inductor and determining when the current through the inductor discharges to substantially zero current, a power switch coupled between a common connection of the inductor and boost rectifier and a return line of the DC bus for allowing the inductor to be charged by current from the rectified AC line input voltage when the power switch is turned on; and a control circuit having inputs coupled to outputs from the first and second input circuits to control the On-Time of the power switch to regulate the DC bus voltage to a desired voltage level and to achieve power factor correction of the AC line input voltage.
US08174854B2
A switching power supply system has a control circuit that controls an output voltage by causing a switching device to turn ON and OFF. The control circuit includes a control pulse supplying unit that supplies a pulsed signal that keeps the switching device turned-ON and -OFF. A protection circuit shuts down the switching power supply system upon occurrence of an abnormality. A delay circuit produces a delay signal that delays by a specified time duration the termination of a state of the pulsed signal in which the pulsed signal keeps the switching device turned-ON. The protection circuit is responsive to the pulsed signal or the delay signal to switch between an operation state and a stand-by state.
US08174850B2
A half bridge switching dc-dc converter an input dc voltage to an output dc voltage. The converter includes a switching circuit for receiving the input dc voltage and generating a periodic square wave voltage oscillating from a high value corresponding to the input dc voltage to a low value corresponding to a reference voltage. The periodic square wave voltage oscillates at a main frequency with a main duty cycle equal to about 50% when the converter operates in a steady state. The converter further includes a conversion circuit for providing the output dc voltage from the square wave voltage based on the main frequency and on the main duty cycle. The converter still further comprises a switching control circuit controlling the switching circuit for temporarily varying the main duty cycle during at least one period of the square wave after a power on of the converter.
US08174837B2
A wireless enable/disable locking system comprises a locking element configured to physically cooperate with a switch, the switch for enabling/disabling a wireless communication capability of a device, to lock the wireless communication state of the switch to either enabled or disabled.
US08174830B2
A circuit board includes a pump and a channel. The channel includes a liquid metal and a coating. The liquid metal is pumped through the channel by the pump and the coating reduces diffusion and chemical reaction between the liquid metal and at least portions of the channel. The liquid metal can carry thermal energy to act as a heat transfer mechanism between two or more locations on the substrate. The substrate may include electrical interconnects to allow electrical components to be populated onto the substrate to form an electronics assembly.
US08174827B2
A portable computing device is disclosed. The device may be based upon a laptop/a netbook computer according to the preferred embodiment. The device comprises a pivotable display screen. The device is operated as a general purpose computing device when the display screen is in a conventional unfolded position. The device is used as a media player when the display is pivoted to be on the top face of the device. The device operated as the media player with a low power processor consumes much less power than as the general purpose computing device.
US08174823B2
A computer monitor is supported by a stand connected to the back of the monitor. A shelf is positioned behind the computer monitor, where the shelf is connected to either the stand or the computer monitor back surface. The shelf has a flat portion which is essentially horizontal for holding various items.
US08174819B2
A solid electrolytic capacitor comprises an insulating substrate in which an anode terminal and a cathode terminal are formed. The anode terminal comprises a first anode section formed on a first surface of the insulating substrate, and a second anode section formed on a second surface of the insulating substrate, which are electrically connected to each other. A connection part is formed integrally with the first anode section. The cathode terminal comprises a first cathode section formed on the first surface and a second cathode section formed on the second surface, which are electrically connected to each other. A distance between the first anode section and the first cathode section is smaller than a distance between the second anode section and the second cathode section. And an anode section and a cathode section of a capacitor element are electrically connected to the connection part and the first cathode section respectively.
US08174818B2
The present subject matter includes a first capacitor stack including a first plurality of anode layers and a first plurality of cathode layers and a second capacitor stack including a second plurality of anode layers and a second plurality of cathode layers. In various embodiments, a flexible bus is welded to the first capacitor stack and to the second capacitor stack. The flexible bus is adapted to conduct electricity between the first capacitor stack and the second capacitor stack. Also, the present subject matter includes embodiments where the first capacitor stack and the second capacitor stack are disposed in a case filled with an electrolyte.
US08174817B2
At least one wound film/foil or metalized film capacitor is sealed between its electrodes to form a sealed enclosed annular region between the interior of the enclosure, the electrodes and the exterior of the wound capacitor to form a sealed capacitor assembly. A fluid dielectric can be introduced into the sealed enclosed annular region under a vacuum to form a sealed and impregnated wound capacitor assembly.
US08174813B2
An access control system dissipates voltage transients while allowing access control equipment to operate normally. The access control system utilizes an isolation patch panel which is provided with circuitry to prevent voltage transients from damaging access control equipment, while also enabling the access control equipment to be wired with standard Ethernet cabling.
US08174810B2
A filter device reduces reflections on power lines from the motor drive to AC motors by providing a differential mode choke in series with a common mode choke both shunted by resistances tailored to the characteristic impedance of the power cable for differential mode and common mode reflections respectively. By treating both common mode based and differential mode based reflections, superior transient control and motor drive performance may be obtained.
US08174807B2
An integrated circuit includes a substrate of semiconductive material, a first circuit environment made from the substrate which includes an output terminal and a first pair of power supply terminals for receiving a first power supply voltage applicable between the terminals. The integrated circuit also includes a second circuit environment made from the semiconductor substrate which includes an input terminal electrically coupled to the output terminal and also includes a second pair of power supply terminals for receiving a second power supply voltage applicable between the second pair of terminals of said second pair. The circuit further includes a device providing protection from electrostatic discharges which includes an integrated resistive device coupled between the input and output terminals.
US08174796B2
An actuator and associated method is provided, the actuator having an arm defining an aperture, an electrical circuit supported by the arm and terminating at a contact, a flexure assembly defining a boss and supporting a second electrical circuit terminating at a second contact, wherein the contacts are resultingly positioned in operable mating engagement with each other placing the electrical circuit in electrical communication with the second electrical circuit when the boss is operably disposed within the aperture and there affixed to the arm.
US08174791B2
According to one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a magnetic pole layer including a magnetic pole extending along a layer, a coil layer configured to adjoin the magnetic pole layer and including a plurality of conductor patterns constituting a part of a coil wound around the magnetic pole and a resin which fills up a gap between the conductor patterns, a heater layer configured to adjoin the coil layer and including a heater extending in the heater layer via an area along a coil-forming region in which the conductor patterns in the coil layer are formed and an area along a no-coil region off the coil-forming region, and a transition-reluctant portion in that part of the no-coil region which adjoins the heater and having a glass transition temperature higher than that of the resin or not having any glass transition temperature.
US08174783B2
Magnetic disk drive systems and associated methods are described for testing magnetic disk performance for certification with a plurality of magnetic disk drive systems prior to installation. The test system may position a slider at a first spacing between the magnetic disk in the slider and simulate the recording performance of a disk drive system with the magnetic disk at the first spacing. The disk drive test system may then transfer a control signal to a heating element in the slider to move the slider to a different spacing between the magnetic disk and the slider to simulate the recording performance of another disk drive system. The test system may, thus, use a single slider to certify a magnetic disk with a plurality of disk drive systems.
US08174781B2
A method for screening a magnetic-recording head utilizing a simulated-cross-track-gain profile of the magnetic-recording head to provide a manufacturing-qualified, magnetic-recording head. The method includes measuring a track profile of the magnetic-recording head, and providing the simulated-cross-track-gain profile of the magnetic-recording head synthesized utilizing the track profile of the magnetic-recording head. The method also includes calculating a peak-to-peak value of the simulated-cross-track-gain profile, and applying a selection criterion based on the peak-to-peak value of the simulated-cross-track-gain profile to screen the magnetic-recording head for use as the manufacturing-qualified, magnetic-recording head.
US08174778B2
Ceramic is molded to produce a molded ceramic product, using a mold that has a portion for forming the trough of a first thread formed on the molded ceramic product. The trough of the first thread is higher than the crest of a second thread formed on a mating component to be engaged with the first thread. Subsequently, the molded ceramic is fired. The trough of the first thread formed on the molded ceramic product thus produced has a depth that allows the trough of the first thread to avoid interference with the crest of the second thread of the mating component.
US08174773B2
An anamorphic imaging objective having multiple effective optical surfaces. One of the effective surfaces is implemented as anamorphic and one of the effective surfaces is implemented as a free-form surface, which has an aspheric contour in at least one of the two main sections and which has precisely two planes of mirror symmetry, the main sections lying in the planes of mirror symmetry.
US08174767B2
The present invention provides a viewfinder, characterized by comprising a reflection type display device on which an object image is displayed, an eyepiece optical system having a front group and a rear group, an illumination optical system for illuminating the reflection type display device and an optical device for putting an optical path taken by the illumination optical system over an optical path from said reflection type display device to the eyepiece optical system at a position of the widest of lens-to-lens spaces in the eyepiece optical system. The eyepiece optical system is located between the reflection type display device and an eye point, and satisfies the following condition (1): 0.1
US08174761B2
A total internal reflection microscope for epi-fluorescence illumination observations includes an objective through which an object to be observed is illuminated by an excitation illumination light at an angle to an observation axis of the microscope. The angle is adjustable to be within the range suitable for a total internal reflection observation. The microscope also has a source of collimated excitation light. An interferometer is arranged in the optical path of the collimated excitation light and is configured to produce an interference pattern. A focusing lens system focuses the interference pattern produced by the interferometer into the back focal plane of the objective. The objective and the focusing lens system image the interference pattern produced by the interferometer into the conjugated image plane of the objective, thereby producing excitation illumination light that modulated spatially in intensity in a plane orthogonal to the observation axis of the microscope.
US08174751B2
Apparatus for marking a bitmap image on tape includes a scanning mirror which is incorporated in a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS). The MEMS is torsionally resonant at two frequencies one being about three time the other. The MEMS is excited to resonance by applying an AC signal to the actuators, causing the mirror to oscillate. The AC signal has components at the two frequencies. The magnitude and phase-relationship of the components can be selected such that the mirror oscillates in an approximation of a triangle-wave.
US08174750B2
An optical deflector, including a fixed base; a mirror having a light reflection surface; a pair of elastic support members oscillatably supporting the mirror; and a pair of drive beams formed of a beam-shaped member on which a piezoelectric is fixed, wherein the elastic support members and the drive beams in longitudinal directions are almost orthogonally located and connected with each other, other ends of the drive beams are fixed on the fixed base, the mirror and the pair of elastic support members are cantilevered by the pair of drive beams relative to the fixed base, and bending oscillation of the drive beams causes torsional deformation of the elastic members to rotationally oscillate the mirror.
US08174748B2
A mirror includes a substrate, a reflection layer, and a protection layer. The substrate includes a surface having an attachment area and a reflection area. The reflection layer is formed on the reflection area. The protection layer is formed on the reflection area on which the reflection layer is formed and the attachment area. Material of the protection layer is homogeneous across the reflection area and the attachment area.
US08174743B2
A holographic effect generating structure (HEGS), either stand alone or integrated with a security diffractive image, generates a holographic optically varying image by a process of diffraction of light, this image under white light illumination generates a smoothly and continuously variable structureless optically variable apparent motion effect which moves along a pre-determined track within pre-determined limits, the device characterized that it generates 3 planes of images under white light illumination—an image plane image located at or near the image plane corresponding to the real plane of the device which defines the predetermined movement track of the apparent motion effect and its bounds, a second virtual image plane situated away from the image plane of the device forming a virtual viewing zone corresponding at which an observer would be positioned to observe the visual effect and a third image plane, which defines a region where all the light rays from the image plane artwork to the viewing zone pass through or appear to originate from which defines the defines the viewing track of the apparent motion effect.
US08174733B2
A tint block image generation program generates tint block image data which forms a tint block image including a latent image portion, which is reproduced during copying, and a background portion, of which output density drops during copying, on a print medium. The program causing a computer to execute: a latent image portion generation step of generating data of a plurality of first dots on the latent image portion; and a background portion generation step of generating data of a plurality of second dots having a second screen ruling, and data of a plurality of third dots which are dispersed among the second dots, and of which size is smaller than that of the second dots, in the background portion.
US08174730B2
In Step S230, an ICM P3a1 calculates an ink amount set φ capable of reproduction of the same spectral reflectivity R (λ) as a target spectral reflectivity Rt (λ) indicated by a spectral reflectivity data RD. An ECM P3a3 multiplies a weight function w (λ) obtained by adding the color-matching functions x (λ), y (λ), and z (λ) in respective wavelengths, when calculating a mean square error of a difference D (λ) between the target spectral reflectivity Rt (λ) indicated by the spectral reflectivity data RD and an estimation spectral reflectivity Rs (λ) as an evaluation value E (φ). In addition, the ink amount set φ is calculated as an optimum solution for minimizing the evaluation value E (φ).
US08174729B2
A printing apparatus having a print unit and a print controller with a first density correcting component performing a density correction to image data transmitted to the unit is provided. The correction accords with a printing capacity of the unit. The apparatus comprises a component notifying a separate apparatus of an order to make a second density correcting component perform a density correction an amount of which is the same as that of the density correction by the first correcting component. The separate apparatus is provided with a transmitter and the second correcting component, the transmitter being capable of transmitting image data to the unit bypassing the first correcting component provided in the controller, and the second correcting component being capable of performing a density correction to the image data. The correction accords with the printing capacity of the unit.
US08174723B2
An apparatus (such as a printer) including a combination engine controller circuit board having a integrated circuit (IC) chip configured to process (format) incoming data as well as to control the operations of the apparatus is disclosed. The IC chip is adapted to receive and process data as well as to control the operations of the apparatus. For this reason, the IC chip is referred to as a combined controller IC.
US08174722B2
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that minimizes the consumption of power during physical formatting of the hard disk drive or the deletion of data therefrom and to a control method thereof. The image forming apparatus has a non-volatile storage unit that stores image data and a controller that executes at least one of the operations of initialization of the storage unit and deletion of the image data stored in the storage unit, and further includes as operating modes an image forming mode during which image formation is enabled and a power-saving mode during which power consumption is minimized, wherein the controller switches the operating mode to power-saving mode when initialization processing or image data deletion processing is begun.
US08174719B2
A method for testing skew in a printer includes receiving at a printer a request to print a test page, and in response to the request, printing a test page. The test page includes (a) a first symbol defining a first symbol boundary and (b) a second symbol sized smaller than the first symbol boundary such that the second symbol fits inside the first symbol boundary when the test page is folded. The relationship between the size of the first symbol boundary and the size of the second symbol corresponds to a predetermined acceptable amount of skew in the alignment of the first and second symbols on the test page.
US08174718B2
A facsimile machine includes an image data generating unit that reads a original and generates image data, an information transmitting and receiving unit that transmits and receive the digital data, a first data generating unit that generates first digital data used for a real-time communication method without using analog data, and a second data generating unit that generates second digital data used for a deemed voice communication method without using analog data.when using the real-time communication method, the first data generating unit generates the first digital data and the information transmitting and receiving unit transmits the first digital data to the destination.When using the deemed voice communication method, the second data generating unit generates the second digital data and the information transmitting and receiving unit transmits the second digital data to the destination.
US08174712B2
A system and method for generating passive metadata from user interface selections at an imaging device includes an imaging device and at least one destination having at least one controllable setting. The imaging device preferably includes a document imaging system for capturing an image file, a user interface system for accepting passive data user input pertaining to the image file, a data conversion system for converting the passive data into a metadata file, and a transmission system for transmitting the image file and an associated metadata file through a network to at least one destination. The passive data affects at least one controllable setting of the destination. Passive data may be, for example, routing information, user information, file formatting instructions, and/or billing information. The present invention may also include a method for delivering documents that includes the steps of capturing an image file, accepting user input as passive data using a user interface system, converting the passive data into a metadata file, transmitting the image file and an associated metadata file through a data transmission network to a destination, and affecting at least one controllable setting of the destination according to the passive data in the metadata file.
US08174706B2
A system and method for dispersion-force-based actuation are disclosed. In some embodiments, a light beam is used to change the dispersion force between two spaced apart surfaces. The change in the dispersion force causes a change in the gap between the surfaces. The actuation system can be used in conjunction with a deformable mirror to provide an improved adaptive optics system.
US08174696B2
A device for sorting and concentrating electromagnetic energy impinging a surface of the device, the surface including at least one plasmonics-based surface structure or similar structure of periodic or quasi-periodic surface topography. The device is characterized in that the surface (V) is provided with at least two such surface structures (2), acting as individual concentrator structures, which are at least partially spatially overlapped or superposed.
US08174693B1
A system for calibrating a spectrometer includes wide field-of-view (WFOV) optics providing a first light path to a WFOV spectrometer, and narrow field-of-view (NFOV) optics providing a second light path to a NFOV spectrometer. A de-focusing optic is selectively positioned in the first or second light paths. A scan controller selectively controls the WFOV or NFOV optics to scan a celestial body. A processor is configured to calibrate the de-focusing optic, while the WFOV optics scan the celestial body. First, the WFOV optics scan the celestial body without the de-focusing optic positioned in the first light path. Second, the WFOV optics scan the celestial body with the de-focusing optic positioned in the first light path. Next, the processor calibrates the NFOV spectrometer, while the NFOV optics and the de-focusing optic scan the celestial body. After the NFOV spectrometer is calibrated, the NFOV spectrometer may be used to measure the albedo of the earth.
US08174692B2
In high spatial resolution imaging, a structure in a specimen is marked with a substance which, in a first electronic state, is excited by light of one wavelength to emit fluorescent light, which is also converted from its first into a second electronic state by that light, and which returns from its second into its first electronic state. The specimen is imaged onto a sensor at a spatial resolution not resolving an average spacing between neighboring molecules of the substance, and exposed to the light at such an intensity that the molecules in the first state are alternately excited to emit fluorescent light and converted into their second state, and that at least 10% of the molecules presently in their first state lie at a distance from their closest neighboring molecules in their first state which is greater than the spatial resolution of the imaging onto the sensor.
US08174691B1
A device is provided for detection and analysis of a component of interest in a sample comprising a small sample cell used with an ultra violet laser. The energy of the laser is spread over an area such that energy density is above desorption threshold, but the sample not ablated. The device provides for rapid and reliable detection of a component of interest, and a method of using the same. The sample cell provides decreased dispersion of the sample.
US08174689B2
According to an apparatus for inspecting defects of a honeycomb structure that is provided with a current plate and an air current formation means (air source and a header tube), fine defects or defects taking place in the vicinity of an outer periphery of the honeycomb structure can be detected with high sensitivity.
US08174665B2
Disclosed is a liquid crystal display (LCD) device and a method for manufacturing the same, capable of maintaining a cell gap and preventing press defects caused by application of a predetermined external pressure via the use of ball spacers.
US08174662B2
A display circuit for a display panel is disclosed. The display circuit comprises a circuit board, a flexible printed circuit board (FPC), and a driver. The circuit board has at least one test pad. The flexible printed circuit board is electrically connected and disposed between the circuit board and the display panel. The driver is disposed on the flexible printed circuit board and has at least one test pin. The at least one test pin is electrically connected to the at least one test pad.
US08174657B2
An LCD include a gate line, a first data line and a second data line arranged to cross each other, thereby defining a unit pixel region, a TFT disposed at a region where the gate line, the first data line and the second data line cross, and having a passivation layer on an exposed channel layer, a common line disposed in parallel to the gate line, a first storage electrode integrally formed with the common line for forming a storage capacitance in the unit pixel region, a second storage electrode disposed to overlap with the first storage electrode, common electrodes branched from the first storage electrode and disposed at the unit pixel region, and pixel electrodes branched from the second storage electrode and alternately disposed with the common electrodes.
US08174654B2
A wiring structure of a liquid crystal display device and a liquid crystal display device are disclosed. The wiring structure of the liquid crystal display device includes a substrate, plural electrical elements, and plural wirings. The electrical elements are disposed on the substrate to generate plural electrical signals. The wirings are coupled to the electrical elements to transmit the electrical signals. The wirings include inner wirings and an outermost peripheral wiring. The outermost peripheral wiring and the inner wirings have different wiring patterns. Each of the electrical elements is positioned at a side of the outermost peripheral wiring facing the center of the substrate. After the liquid crystal display device is cut and polished, by distinguishing the wiring patterns of both the outermost peripheral wiring and the inner wirings, the existence of the outermost peripheral wiring shows that the outermost peripheral wiring is not polished and removed.
US08174646B2
A liquid crystal panel of the present invention comprise a liquid crystal cell, a first polarizer arranged on one of both sides of the liquid crystal cell, and a second polarizer arranged on the other side of the liquid crystal cell, wherein at least one of the first and the second polarizers is dyed with a dichroic material, and the dichroic ratio thereof is from 40 to 100. At least one of the polarizers preferably has a polarization degree of 99% or more and a single transmittance of 35% to 45%. Further, at least one of the polarizers preferably exhibits the following birefringence: Δnxy is from 0.015 to 0.030.The liquid crystal panel of the present invention has the above polarizers, therefore the liquid crystal panel attains high contrast ratio in oblique directions and excellent display characteristics.
US08174641B2
A liquid crystal display panel according to the present invention includes: a liquid crystal display panel including an electrical element substrate on which switching elements for controlling the light transmittance of a liquid crystal layer are formed so as to respectively correspond to pixels; a microlens array provided on a light-incident side of the liquid crystal display panel; a support provided on the light-incident side of the liquid crystal display panel so as to be in a peripheral region of the microlens array; a rear-face side optical film attached to the liquid crystal display panel via the support; and a wiring connection substrate mounted to the electrical element substrate. The electrical element substrate includes an overhang which projects from the support in the direction of the wiring connection substrate, and the wiring connection substrate is mounted to the overhang.
US08174637B2
A thin-film transistor substrate includes; gate lines which extend in a first direction, the gate lines including a first gate line and a second gate line, the first gate line disposed adjacent to and previous to the second gate line, data lines which are insulated from the gate lines and extend in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, a pixel electrode formed in a region where the first gate line and the second gate lines cross the data lines and connected to the second gate line, and a repair pattern which at least partially overlaps the first gate line, the repair pattern comprising a plurality of connection patterns, wherein the connection patterns extend from the pixel electrode in the second direction toward the first gate line, have a predetermined width measured in the first direction, and are arranged at predetermined intervals along the first direction.
US08174636B2
An exemplary thin film transistor (TFT) substrate assembly includes a substrate, a plurality of gate lines disposed on an inner surface of the substrate, a plurality of data lines disposed insulated with the gate lines. The plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines define a plurality of pixel regions. Each pixel region includes a first switch element, a second switch element, a first pixel electrode, and a second pixel electrode. The first switch element and the second switch element are connected with a same gate line from the plurality of gate lines. The first pixel electrode is applied with data signals from a data line from the plurality of data lines via the first switch element. The second pixel electrode is applied with data signals from the data line from the plurality of data lines via the second switch element and a voltage dividing element.
US08174633B2
The invention is directed to reduction of a leak current of a TFT of a pixel caused by light from a backlight or external light to improve a display quality of a liquid crystal display device. The display device of the invention includes a plurality of pixels on a first substrate, where each of the pixels includes a gate line intersecting a semiconductor layer with a gate insulation film interposed therebetween, a drain line connected to a drain region through a first contact hole and covering an upper side of the semiconductor layer extending from an intersection, and a source electrode connected to a source region through a second contact hole and covering an upper side of the semiconductor layer extending from an intersection. The device further includes a light shield layer formed under the semiconductor layer with a buffer film interposed therebetween and shielding the semiconductor layer from light.
US08174629B2
A vehicle display system having both an untwisting function and a position restoring function is provided. The vehicle display system includes a main body, a display panel, one or more drive means, a microcontroller, one or more clutch means, and windup springs. The main body is mounted on the ceiling of a vehicle. The display panel is coupled to the main body so as to be rotated. The drive means rotate two connection members connected to respective ends of the display panel. The microcontroller operates the drive means so that the display panel is unfolded when receiving basic signals. Each of the clutch means causes a corresponding connection member to run idle over a corresponding rotational shaft. Each of the windup springs is mounted to the corresponding rotational shaft and is wound when the display panel is unfolded.
US08174624B2
An apparatus outputs an image signal for each frame, divides a frame into sub-frames, acquires a first signal of high frequency components and a second signal of low frequency components of a sub-frame, and generates a third signal by multiplying the second signal by K. If a fourth signal obtained by adding the third signal to the first signal falls within a predetermined range, the apparatus outputs the third signal, whereas if the fourth signal includes a portion exceeding the range, the apparatus outputs a signal obtained by correcting the third signal. The apparatus also generates a composition signal of the output signal and the first signal and a fifth signal by multiplying the third signal by a correction amount y of the third signal. As a sub-frame of interest, either the composition signal or the fifth signal is output.
US08174616B2
A letterbox detector includes a detection module configured to determine aspect ratio changes in an input signal. A transition module is configured to transition between a plurality of display modes associated with the aspect ratio changes. A first display mode to a second display mode transition is performed over a first period of time, and a second display mode to a first display mode is performed gradually over a second period of time, that is different from the first period of time. The letterbox detector may be included in digital and analog displays.
US08174602B2
A unit cell includes a MOSFET and an integration capacitor. The MOSFET includes a source, a drain, and a gate. The drain is coupled to the source, and the MOSFET is operable to store a first portion of an electric charge corresponding to a detected light intensity. The integration capacitor includes a first end and a second end. The first end is coupled to the drain of the MOSFET and the second end is coupled to a ground. The integration capacitor is operable to store a second portion of the electric charge corresponding to the detected light intensity.
US08174600B2
An image sensing apparatus comprises a transfer block including a first transfer unit and a second transfer unit, wherein the first transfer unit includes a first impedance converter which transfers a first signal to the output unit, and the first transfer unit transfers, as a third signal, a difference signal between a first offset of the first impedance converter and a signal obtained by superimposing the first offset on the first signal, the second transfer unit includes a second impedance converter which transfers a second signal to the output unit, and the second transfer unit transfers, as a fourth signal, a difference signal between a second offset of the second impedance converter and a signal obtained by superimposing the second offset on the second signal, and the output unit calculates a difference between the third signal and the fourth signal, generating and outputting an image signal.
US08174592B2
A color interpolation device may include a gradient grade calculation block calculating horizontal derivatives and vertical derivatives using composite video signals output from a current pixel and adjacent pixels and calculating a gradient grade using a linear composition of the horizontal derivatives and vertical derivatives, a horizontal/vertical YUV calculation block calculating horizontal YUV components and vertical YUV components of the current pixel from the composite video signals, and a YUV/RGB conversion circuit mixing the horizontal YUV components and the vertical YUV components based on the gradient grade and converting mixed YUV components generated as a result of the mixing to RGB components.
US08174591B2
Disclosed is a photographing apparatus of interlace transferring type comprising a photographing device which carries out transfer of electrification of all pixels stored in the photographing device by dividing into a plurality of fields when transferring the electrification, which has a plurality of color filters and which includes a color signal of at least RGB or YeCyMgG in the transfer data of each field for transferring the electrification, an extraction unit for extracting characteristic data of an image from transferred data before processing for the image is started, a generating unit for generating control value carrying out correction of image based on the extracted characteristic data, and a photographing processing unit for processing the image by use of a control value formed by said characteristic data.
US08174570B2
A sign recognition device includes a sign effective range data recording unit for prestoring effective range conditions shown by a sign and an auxiliary sign, a sign recognition unit for recognizing a sign and an auxiliary sign by using a captured image of a roadway in front of a vehicle, a vehicle information acquiring unit for acquiring vehicle information, a map information acquiring unit for acquiring map information about a map of an area surrounding the vehicle, and a sign effective range determining unit for determining whether or not the vehicle is staying in the effective range specified with the sign and the auxiliary sign which have been recognized by the sign recognition unit by using the effective range conditions stored in the sign effective range data recording unit, the vehicle information, and the map information.
US08174568B2
A system and method for efficiently locating in 3D an object of interest in a target scene using video information captured by a plurality of cameras. The system and method provide for multi-camera visual odometry wherein pose estimates are generated for each camera by all of the cameras in the multi-camera configuration. Furthermore, the system and method can locate and identify salient landmarks in the target scene using any of the cameras in the multi-camera configuration and compare the identified landmark against a database of previously identified landmarks. In addition, the system and method provide for the integration of video-based pose estimations with position measurement data captured by one or more secondary measurement sensors, such as, for example, Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) and Global Positioning System (GPS) units.
US08174567B2
A digital photographing apparatus is provided that reduces the number of instances in which an image including a subject having closed eyes is obtained. A method of controlling the apparatus and a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method are also provided. The apparatus includes an image capture device that generates data from light incident thereon, and a blink determination unit that determines whether eyes are closed in an image from the generated data. The blink determination unit performs the determination as to whether eyes are closed only on an image from first still image data obtained in response to a signal received from a user. If the blink determination unit determines that eyes are closed in an image from still image data generated by the image capture device, still image data is obtained again from light incident on the image capture device.
US08174561B2
A system for presenting recorded data includes an electronic device and a database connectable to the electronic device over a communications network, the electronic device including a recording unit to record data from a first direction, a positional arrangement to determine positional data of the electronic device, a directional arrangement to determine directional data indicating the direction of the recorded data relative the position data; a memory including a first application stored thereon; and a control unit to execute the application to associate the directional data and the positional data to the recorded data and to transmit the recorded data with the associated positional and directional data to the database.
US08174558B2
A method of automatically calibrating a video conference environment is disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes initiating a calibration sequence in the video conferencing system, routing a test signal through the audio and video components of the video conferencing system, measuring a time delay associated with the test signal and utilizing the time delay to calibrate subsequent audio and video signal transmissions by the video conferencing system.
US08174548B2
An image forming apparatus, includes: a latent image carrier that moves in a first direction; an exposure head that includes a first imaging optical system, a second imaging optical system that is distanced from the first imaging optical system in the first direction, a light emitting element that emits a light to be imaged on the latent image carrier by the first imaging optical system and a light emitting element that emits a light to be imaged on the latent image carrier by the second imaging optical system; and a controller that is adapted to control a light quantity of the light emitting element that emits a light to be imaged on the latent image carrier by the first imaging optical system in accordance with an imaging characteristic of the first imaging optical system.
US08174539B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating a design image for manufacturing a designed object. In one aspect, a method includes receiving input specifying a visual design of an object in a first image, generating a second image based on the received input, mapping the second image to a surface having one or more contours based on one or more flow lines to generate a third image, presenting a composite of the third image with the first image, and providing the second image to an automated process for manufacturing the designed object.
US08174536B2
This invention provides a display control apparatus and control method, which allow the operator to easily identify the correspondence between the patch icons and their color difference values. To accomplish this, the display control method of this invention includes an icon displaying step of displaying a plurality of color difference values computed based on a first data group and second data group associated with spectral reflectance characteristics as a plurality of patch icons. The display control method includes a numeric value displaying step of displaying the color difference values represented by the patch icons in one of a first display format that displays, as numeric values, the color difference values within display regions of the patch icons, and a second display format that displays, as numeric values, the color difference values above display regions of a plurality of patch icons.
US08174519B2
A liquid crystal display is provided, which includes: a plurality of pixel row groups, each pixel row group including at least one pixel row that includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix and including switching elements; a plurality of gate lines connected to the switching elements and transmitting a gate-on voltage for turning on the switching elements; and a plurality of data lines connected to the switching elements and transmitting data voltages, wherein the switching elements in adjacent pixel row groups are connected to the data lines at opposite sides.
US08174514B2
A demultiplexer, a light emitting display using the same, and a display panel thereof. The light emitting display includes: an image signal line for supplying a data signal for displaying an image through a plurality of first signal lines; a display area including a plurality of data lines for transmitting the data signal, a plurality of scan lines for transmitting a selection signal, and a plurality of pixels coupled to the data lines and the scan lines; a data driver for sequentially outputting a plurality of first control signals; a scan driver for sequentially applying the selection signal to the scan lines; and a demultiplexer including a plurality of switches for transmitting the data signal to at least two data lines in response to the first control signals. One of the first control signals is transmitted in at least two directions to switches in at least one of the switching units.
US08174513B2
An apparatus and method for driving a display panel, and more particularly, an apparatus and method for easily generating a programmable signal to drive a digital display panel without re-designing a drive signal generating apparatus according to the specifications of the digital display panel including its size, the number of scan lines, and types of input signals. The apparatus includes a memory, a decoder, and an output waveform generating circuit. The memory stores information to generate a plurality of drive pulse signals necessary for driving the display panel. The decoder reads information stored in an address assigned according to a predetermined control sequence from the memory and then edits the read information so as to be suitable for specifications of the display panel. The output waveform generating circuit generates drive pulse signals corresponding to the information read by the decoder.
US08174510B2
One embodiment in accordance with the invention can include a capacitive touch screen. The capacitive touch screen includes a substantially transparent substrate and a plurality of electrodes formed on the substantially transparent substrate. The plurality of electrodes are substantially parallel in a first direction and each of the plurality of electrodes includes a layer of light altering material.
US08174505B2
A touch screen display device and a driving method of the same are provided. The touch screen display device includes a touch screen display panel including a plurality of first sensing lines that extend in a first direction, a plurality of second sensing lines that extend in a second direction and cross the first direction, and a plurality of touch sensing elements respectively arranged at areas where the first sensing lines and the second sensing lines cross each other; and a read-out unit that receives output signals of the respective first sensing lines and second sensing lines, reading at least one sensing position, and outputting one of the at least one read sensing positions as a touch position, wherein if the number of sensing positions of the current frame is equal to or greater than two, the read-out unit compares the at least two sensing positions of the current frame with a touch position of the previous frame, and outputs the sensing position that is closest to the touch position of the previous frame as a touch position of the current frame.
US08174504B2
Input devices and methods are provided for effecting adjustment, in which a sensing system is adapted to detect motion of a first object and a second object in a sensing region and a processing system coupled to the sensing system. The processing system is adapted to detect a change in position of the first object relative to the second object, the first and second objects being simultaneously present in the sensing region, and effect a change in a parameter in response to a motion of the first object in the sensing region.
US08174498B2
A method and apparatus for navigating between different focus points displayed on an electronic device, comprising, for each of said different focus points, maintaining a list of any adjacent ones of said focus points to which focus can move in each direction responsive to a navigation event in said direction, for each said list having only one adjacent focus point moving focus to said one adjacent focus point responsive to said navigation event, and for each said list having more than one adjacent focus point accessing a memory setting and moving focus to a predetermined one of said adjacent focus points responsive to said navigation event in accordance with said memory setting.
US08174495B2
An electronic apparatus is provided. The electronic apparatus includes a contact detection section for detecting contact from a user, a vibration output section for outputting an acoustic vibration that can be sensed by the user as a sound and a haptic vibration for stimulating the haptic sense of the user, a pattern generation section for generating an output vibration pattern including the acoustic vibration and the haptic vibration in response to the contact detection section detecting the contact from the user, and a drive section for driving the vibration output section in accordance with the output vibration pattern to make the vibration output section output the acoustic vibration and the haptic vibration.
US08174492B2
The display of after-images is prevented in an electrophoretic display by applying one gray of at least three different grays through at least some of the pixels, applying a middle gray through at least some of the plurality of pixels, and applying a final compensation voltage to refresh the plurality of pixels.
US08174486B2
A light sensing circuit includes a sensor unit, a voltage generator and a readout circuit. The sensor unit includes a first sensor that detects an external light to output a first current value, a third sensor that detects an internal light generated from the backlight unit to output a third current value, and a second sensor that detects a peripheral light isolated from the external light and the internal light to output a second current value. The sensor unit outputs a first differential value between the third current value and the second current value and a second differential value between the first current value and the second current value. The voltage generator generates a reference voltage based on the first differential value and a sensing voltage based on the second differential value. The readout circuit outputs brightness information of the external light using the reference voltage and the sensing voltage.
US08174484B2
A signal processing method is provided and includes the following steps. A first synchronizing signal having a synchronizing frequency and a next expected pulse with an expected rising edge is provided. A second synchronizing signal having a selected frequency being within a frequency range is produced when the synchronizing frequency of the first synchronizing signal is out of a frequency range. A third synchronizing signal having a first pulse with a first rising edge is produced when the synchronizing frequency is within the frequency range, wherein the first rising edge is produced at an expected time point. Whether the next expected pulse appears in a period from the expected time point to a certain time point is detected as a detecting result. And a first falling edge of the first pulse is produced based on the detecting result. A picture-field flicker phenomenon of an LCD is eliminated through the method.
US08174469B2
A display device which can provide configuration information to the driver circuit and methods of manufacturing and operating the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, a display device comprises a display array and a collection of links configured to store information related to the display array.
US08174467B2
A display device including: a display portion with gate lines, a plurality of data lines, TFTs and OLED elements, a scanning line driving circuit which feeds scanning signals for the gate lines; a data line driving circuit which feeds picture image signals for the data lines; a display control controller which provides timing control signals to the scanning line driving circuit and the data line driving circuit and the picture image signals to the data line driving circuit. The timing control signals include a first control signal for driving the TFTs and introducing a light emitting period within each frame period in which the OLED elements are caused to emit light and a second control signal for driving the TFTs and introducing a no-light emitting period within each frame period in which the oled elements are caused to be quenched.
US08174465B2
It is made possible to prevent luminance falling and moire occurrence and change over between a two-dimensional image and a three-dimensional image partially. When displaying one of a three-dimensional image and a two-dimensional image on a background and displaying the other image in a window, a flag bit indicating whether the first and second electrodes overlap the window is set. Waveforms differing according to the flag bit are applied to the first and second electrodes as pulses applied to the opposed first and second electrodes of a variable polarization cell. As a result, three-dimensional image display is partially conducted in the window and two-dimensional image display is conducted in areas other than the window. Or two-dimensional image display is partially conducted in the window and three-dimensional image display is conducted in areas other than the window.
US08174462B2
An electronic label wirelessly connected to an information updating system having a server. The electronic label includes a wireless communication interface to receive information from the server to be displayed on a display, a means for label processing connected to the communication interface, a means for updating the display connected to the means for label processing, and at least one dot matrix display to display a dot matrix image, where the dot matrix display is connected to the means for updating the display. The communication interface receives the information to be displayed from the information updating system. The label includes a layout script such that the means for label processing generates the dot matrix image from the received information using the layout script.
US08174452B2
Wireless portable electronic devices such as laptop computers are provided with cavity-backed monopole antennas. A wireless device may have a housing. Conductive portions of the housing such as a conductive outer metal layer and internal frame structures may form a cavity having conductive walls. An antenna resonating element structure may be formed from monopole antenna resonating element arms of dissimilar lengths. One of the arms may be straight and another of the arms may be implemented using a meandering path. The antenna resonating element may be mounted over the cavity to form a cavity-backed monopole antenna. A display within the device may be covered by a cover glass. An opaque bezel region around the periphery of the cover glass may cover the antenna and block it from view. The antenna resonating element arms may run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cavity.
US08174439B2
An indoor transmitter is capable of programmably changing a format of a transmitter signal. A process to be performed by a position information providing apparatus comprises the step of acquiring a received positioning signal, and the step of identifying an emission source of the positioning signal, wherein, if the emission source of the positioning signal is an outdoor source, the process further comprises the step of acquiring a navigation message included in the positioning signal, and the step of performing a processing for calculating a position based on the signal, or, if the emission source of the positioning sign is an indoor source, the process further comprises the step of acquiring message data from the positioning signal, the step of acquiring coordinate values from the data, and the step of displaying position information based on the coordinate values.
US08174438B2
A positioning apparatus and the associated positioning method are provided. The positioning apparatus includes a wireless communication unit, a storage unit, a positioning module and a control unit. The wireless communication unit generates a detection signal. The storage unit coupled to the wireless communication module stores assistance positioning data. The positioning module coupled to the storage unit generates coordinate information according to a satellite signal and the assistance positioning data. The control unit coupled to the wireless communication module, the storage unit and the positioning module determines whether the assistance positioning data is valid. When the assistance positioning data is invalid, the control unit controls the wireless communication module to generate the detection signal.
US08174430B1
A process is provided to detect an object within a defined region using standing longitudinal cavity mode waves. The process includes disposing first and second conductive lines substantially parallel to the axis, transmitting an electromagnetic signal through the first line at a set frequency, returning the transmitted signal through the second line, measuring power from a reflected signal through the first line, adjusting the set frequency based on the measured power; extracting an appropriate parameter from the reflected signal to obtain a reflected characteristic, comparing the reflected characteristic to an established characteristic that lacks the object to obtain a characteristic differential, and analyzing the characteristic differential to obtain a position of the object along the length. The first and second conductive lines have specified length and width that bound a defined region. The analyzing can be performed by Fourier transform across wave modes.
US08174424B2
In general, a method includes comparing a first input signal with a second input signal to produce an output signal. The first input signal corresponds to an amount of light detected by a sensor, and the second input signal corresponds to an aggregated value of the output signal. The method may also include aggregating the output signal in a digital accumulator and converting a digital signal from an output of the digital accumulator to an analog signal.
US08174408B2
A system for wirelessly controlling marker lights comprising a remote controller comprising a transmitter and one or more marker lights. Each of the marker lights comprise a receiver and processing means, and each of the marker lights have a configuration mode in which the processing means is adapted to cause the receiver to wirelessly receive data from the transmitter. This data comprises one or more group identifiers to assign one or more groups to the marker light. In addition, the processing means of each of the marker lights is adapted to cause the receiver to wirelessly receive one or more commands from the transmitter for controlling the operation of the marker light. The processing means is adapted to carry out the command when the commands comprise the same one or more group identifiers that correspond to the one or more groups to which the marker light was assigned.
US08174406B2
A method, system, and computer usable program product for detecting and sharing road traffic condition information are provided in the illustrative embodiments. A system receives a set of image inputs from a set of cameras that are stationary relative to a road and monitoring road traffic. The system combines the image inputs forming a view. The system determines whether an alarm condition exists in the view. If an alarm condition exists, the system maps the alarm condition on the view using a characteristic of the alarm condition, thus forming a part of a condition information. The system transmits the part of the condition information, such that the part of the condition information can be received by a motorist. The system may also receive a set of sensor inputs from a set of sensors and may combine the set of sensor inputs with the set of image inputs to form the view.
US08174405B2
Different adapters and applications may publish information on the messaging bus and retrieve information from the bus simultaneously in a manner that does not cause interference or problems in the publication or retrieval. Meter data is cleaned, validated and estimated by separate applications using the above-described application and retrieval processes via the message bus for flexible and efficient processing.
US08174402B2
A machine condition monitor resides in close proximity to a machine train, such as an AC inductive electric motor coupled to a driven unit such as a centrifugal pump or fan. A plurality of sensing devices are connected to the machine and the machine condition monitor. Machine state and condition parameters sensed by these devices are utilized by the machine condition monitor to derive machine condition values for each component and for the machine train as a whole. These derived condition values are transmitted via an industrial communications network to a control center where they can be trended and monitored. With no particular knowledge of machine analysis techniques or severity of specific machine faults, and no special training, Operators and Production Planners can use the condition values to plan production schedules, adjust process parameters, and request appropriate maintenance action.
US08174398B2
A sensor leak monitor device that consists of well known elements arranged in a novel manner such that it can detect an involuntary consumption and alert a person when such is occurring. A pressure gage coupled with a timing device measures in a constant manner the internal pressure of a pipe and establishes a reference pressure. Upon the opening of any outlet of the network, the measured pressure will fall below this reference pressure value. If the measured pressure does not return to the reference pressure value within a stipulated time, it would be safe to assume that involuntary consumption is happening. Temperature is monitored and reported whenever it reaches a very low or freezing level. The device provides for audio and visual alerts to bring about the correction of the involuntary situation.
US08174396B1
An apparatus for visually communicating to a pilot in the cockpit of a parked aircraft the status of a preconditioned air (PCA) unit associated with the gate has an electrically controlled PCA indicator box positioned so that it is visible to the pilot in the cockpit. The PCA indicator box has a first appearance when the preconditioned air unit is not operating and a second appearance when the preconditioned air unit is operating. A method of assisting aircraft operators to reduce fuel costs and emissions of an aircraft parked at a gate includes mounting to the gate an electrical PCA indicator and electrically coupling it to a preconditioned air unit at the gate.
US08174392B1
A medical item hanging storage system for medical items having stand-off readable tags, such as RFID tags, comprises storage devices comprising fixtures for holding hanging medical items, and readers for reading tags associated with each of the medical items, and tags that attached to the hanging medical items to be read by the readers. Tagging devices are used for attaching the RFID tags. The tagging devices each comprise a substrate, possibly including a hook, an adhesive portion for attaching the substrate to the medical item, and at least one spreader for separating RFID tags of adjacent medical items and/or other tags to facilitate reading of the tags.
US08174388B2
A combination Electronic Article Surveillance/Radio Frequency Identification (“EAS/RFID”) tag and method and system for deactivating said combination EAS/RFID tags without the need to physically contact the tag with a deactivation device. The EAS/RFID tag replaces the conventional diode with a non-linear device such as a capacitor with a given breakdown voltage threshold. Inducing a predetermined voltage across the capacitor results in destruction of the capacitor rendering the EAS/RFID tag undetectable in the interrogation systems.
US08174385B2
A radio frequency identification (RFID) reader includes a plurality of signal antennas, which are respectively arranged in directions that are not parallel to and co-linear with each other. Each of the signal antennas has a predetermined antenna field pattern and operates with a predetermined carrier wave frequency. A wireless receiver is connected to the signal antennas. A signal conversion unit is connected to the wireless receiver. A frequency generator generates the carrier wave frequency to the signal antenna. A microprocessor is connected to the signal conversion unit and the frequency generator.
US08174377B2
A system is provided for determining a distance between a first portion of a vehicular suspension assembly and a second portion of the suspension assembly. The system comprises a transceiver coupled to the first portion for emitting a first signal toward the second portion, and for receiving a reflection of the first signal from the second portion, and a processor coupled to the transceiver for determining the distance between the first portion and the second portion.
US08174367B1
RFID reader systems, readers, components, software and methods for causing RFID tags to backscatter a combination made from at least portions of a first code and a second code stored in tag memory, without transmitting any commands in the interim. In a number of embodiments, therefore, a separate command does not have to be sent for also reading the second code, thereby saving time in inventorying the tags. Plus, the combination can enable reading tag codes during tag manufacturing that are not otherwise readily available to read in the field.
US08174361B2
Aspects of a communication system include phase shifters, interrogators, methods of shifting a phase angle of a signal, and methods of operating an interrogator. One example provides a phase shifter that include a first power divider configured to receive a signal and provide plural quadrature components of the signal; plural mixers coupled with the first power divider and configured to scale the quadrature components using a phase shift angle; and a second power divider coupled with the mixers and configured to combine the scaled quadrature components to shift the phase angle of the input signal by the phase shift angle.
US08174360B2
The invention relates to a communication apparatus for automatically setting up a data connection between two intelligent devices (10, 20, 30). The apparatus comprises a coil (13, 23, 33) for carrying out a contactless data exchange which is part of a transmission oscillator (50), a communication element (12, 22) which is connected to the coil (13, 23, 33) and the data processing component (11, 21) of an intelligent device (10, 20, 30) and emits search signals via the coil (13, 23, 33) to receive a response from another intelligent device (10, 20, 30), a measuring device (14, 24) for monitoring a property of the transmission oscillator (50), which outputs a control signal when ascertaining a change in the monitored property, and a switching apparatus (15, 25) which is connected to the measuring device (14, 24) and the communication element (12, 22) and which switches on the communication element (12, 22) when it has received a control signal from the measuring device (14, 24).
US08174350B2
A thermal overload relay has a case, a main bimetal bending upon detection of an overload current, a release lever rotatably supported by an adjusting link and rotating according to a shifter displaced in response to the bending of the main bimetals, and a contact reversing mechanism for change-over contacts responsive to a rotation of the release lever. The main bimetal, release lever and contact reversing mechanism are disposed in the case. The contact reversing mechanism has a movable plate, and a reversing spring stretched between the other side of the movable plate and a spring support. The other end of the movable plate and the spring support is positioned opposite a support point. The release lever has a release lever supporting part, a reversing spring pushing part, a cam contact part, and a displacement input part, in which the release lever supporting part is pivoted on the adjusting link.
US08174346B1
Portable magnetizer systems designed for on-site use, related to magnetizing magnetizable sheets, enclosed in a case which is hand-carryable.
US08174345B2
A vibration generator 1 has an attachment structure of a spring by which the attachment error of the spring elastically supporting a mover composed of a magnet and a yoke does not become the error of the span of the spring to make it possible to improve the ease and yield of manufacture. The vibration generator 1 includes a mover which is composed of a magnet 5 and yokes 4, 7a and 7b, and a spring 6 which is composed of an integrally molded article made of an elastomeric material and elastically supports the mover to allow the mover to vibrate in the central axis direction C. The spring is arranged on the outside of a coil 3 in a radial direction thereof and extends along the radial direction. An outer end portion 6a in the radial direction is nipped by two parts 2 and 8 in the central axis direction to be fixed to the housings 2 and 8, and an inner end portion 6b in the radial direction is nipped by two parts 7a and 7b constituting the outer circumferential part of the yoke in the central axis direction to be fixed to the outer circumferential part of the yoke. The outer end portion and the inner end portion have projecting parts formed to project from an elastic deformation section 6c, connecting the outer end portion and the inner end portion to each other, into two directions along the central axis.
US08174342B2
The invention relates to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and more particularly, to MEMS switches using magnetic actuation. The MEMS switch may be actuated with no internal power consumption. The switch is formed in an integrated solid state MEMS technology. The MEMS switch is micron and/or nanoscale, very reliable and accurate. The MEMS switch can be designed into various architectures, e.g., a cantilever architecture and torsion architecture. The torsion architecture is more efficient than a cantilever architecture.
US08174339B2
A duplexer includes a transmit filter connected between a common terminal and a transmission terminal, a receive filter connected between the common terminal and a reception terminal, a capacitor connected in parallel with one of the transmit filter and the receive filter and provided between two terminals of the common terminal, the transmission terminal, and the reception terminal, and a package. The package includes an insulating layer, foot pads that include the common terminal, the transmission terminal and the reception terminal and are formed on one surface of the insulating layer, and interconnections formed on another surface opposite to the one surface of the insulating layer. The capacitor is composed of two capacitor forming units that are connected in parallel with each other and are formed with at least one foot pad of the foot pads and two of the interconnections that overlap with two opposing sides of the at least one food pad respectively.
US08174337B2
Embodiments of the invention generally provide a radio frequency switch, for example for use in a satellite receiver. The switch includes a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports, where output ports independently select signal paths from any of the input ports. The entire switch is embodied in a compact single-board layout. In another embodiment, a satellite receiver includes at least one antenna for receiving a signal from a satellite transponder and a radio frequency switch for selecting the satellite transponder from among a plurality of satellite transponders.
US08174336B2
A first transmission line is formed on a first surface of a substrate. A first end of the first transmission line is connected to a transmission line of an unbalanced line. A second end is connected to a first transmission line of a balanced line. A second transmission line extends from a first end of the unbalanced line, alongside the first transmission line and spaced therefrom, and is connected to a second of the transmission lines of the balanced line. A ground plane is formed on a second surface of the substrate, extends from a first end of the balanced line, and is formed along the second transmission line to which the ground plane is connected through one or more vias. A width of a portion of the ground plane adjacent to the unbalanced line is greater than a portion thereof adjacent to the balanced line.
US08174331B2
A temperature compensated crystal oscillator includes an oscillation circuit including a crystal oscillator; a variable capacitor inserted in series in the oscillation circuit; a thermosensitive circuit element whose resistance value changes in accordance with a temperature of the crystal oscillator, the thermosensitive circuit element being formed on the crystal oscillator by vapor deposition; and a correction circuit configured to correct capacitance of the variable capacitor based on a current value that is used when applying current to the thermosensitive circuit element.
US08174329B2
A method and system for modulating logic clock oscillator frequency based on voltage supply. The system comprises a logic unit having a logic operation and a device to produce self-adjusting clocks to match the logic operation. The device is configured to use supply voltage as an independent variable to optimize device parameters for voltage variations. The invention is also directed to a design structure on which a circuit resides.
US08174321B1
An amplifier circuit includes a first amplifier stage having a first output node; a second amplifier stage having a second output node; and a compensation block electrically coupled between the first and second output nodes. The compensation block has a compensation capacitor electrically coupled to the first node and electrically connectable to the second node, and has an impedance electrically connectable to the compensation capacitor. The compensation capacitor is electrically coupled via a switch to the impedance such that the compensation capacitor can contribute a zero to shunt branch formed by the compensation capacitor and impedance when the compensation capacitor is disconnected from the second node.
US08174315B1
According to an embodiment, a method is provided that includes: adapting the impedance of the load dependent on working conditions of the active device using a controllable output-side adaptation network coupled between an output-side terminal of a transformer and an output-side node, to generate an adapted impedance of the load, adjusting the adapted impedance independent of the working conditions of the active device, using the transformer including a first inductor having a first terminal to receive the output of the active device via the input-side node, a second inductor having an output-side terminal, where the second inductor is magnetically coupled to the first inductor.
US08174314B2
A method and an apparatus. The apparatus includes at least one sensor for sensing at least one parameter that affects a non-linearity of the non-linear amplifier and for generating at least one parameter indicator; a memory module for storing multiple sets of pre-distortion coefficient values; a retrieval module, coupled to the memory module, for receiving the at least one indicator, for selecting a selected set of pre-distortion coefficient values based on the at least one indicator, and for sending the selected set of pre-distortion coefficient values to a signal processing module; and a signal processing module, configured to receive an input signal, to receive the selected set of pre-distortion coefficient values, and to pre-distort the input signal, using the selected set of pre-distortion coefficient values such as to at least partly compensate for the non-linearity of the non-linear amplifier.
US08174312B2
Signal processing circuit for voltage signals from electrodes of a magneto-inductive, flow measuring device, wherein two measuring electrodes are connected with a fully differentially working amplifier having two inputs and two outputs.
US08174309B2
Provided is a reference voltage circuit in which a temperature characteristic of a reference voltage is excellent and a circuit scale is small. In the reference voltage circuit, for example, a temperature correction circuit separated from the reference voltage circuit is not used and a difference voltage between threshold voltages of two E-type NMOS transistors (14 and 15) is added to a threshold voltage of a D-type NMOS transistor to generate a reference voltage (Vref). Therefore, the influence of the D-type NMOS transistor on the reference voltage (Vref), which is a degradation factor of the temperature characteristic of the reference voltage (Vref), may be reduced to suppress a change in tilt and curve of the reference voltage (Vref) with respect to a temperature.
US08174304B2
A key module includes a key, a light emitting component, and a drive circuit. The key is operable between on and off states. The light emitting component is disposed adjacent to the key, and is capable of providing indicating light for the key. The drive circuit is electrically connected to the key and the light emitting component. The drive circuit is triggered upon switching of the key from the off state to the on state to provide a drive signal for driving the light emitting component to provide the indicating light. The drive signal has an intensity that gradually decreases over time once the key switches from the on state to the off state such that the indicating light provided by the light emitting component has a luminance that gradually decreases over time.
US08174301B2
Phase-error-reduction circuitry for an IQ generator, wherein the phase-error-reduction circuitry is arranged to receive I and Q input signals from the IQ generator and to produce I and Q output signals, and wherein the phase-error-reduction circuitry is arranged to sample the I and Q input signals to tend to reduce a phase error between the I and Q output signals.
US08174298B2
A delay module, includes a first delay unit, a second delay unit and an inverter. Each of the first and second delay units includes: a logic gate for gating and a logic gate for delaying. The input port of the logic gate for gating of the first delay unit is electrically connected to the output port of the inverter; the output port of the logic gate for delaying of the first delay unit is electrically connected to the input port of the logic gate for delaying of the second delay unit; the input port of the inverter is electrically connected to the input port of the logic gate for gating of the second delay unit; the input port of the inverter is adapted to input a clock signal to be delayed, and the logic gate for delaying of the second delay unit is adapted to output a delayed clock signal.
US08174295B2
An embodiment of a discharge circuit comprises an output circuit with one output connected to an electrical load to absorb a discharge current given by the load when a logic signal commands a discharge of the load. The discharge circuit also comprises a control circuit to give the output circuit an appropriate control signal so that a slope of an output potential of the output circuit diminishes gradually when the logic signal commands a discharge of the load. Limiting the slope of the output potential gradually (and not suddenly) may limit the electromagnetic radiation generated by these variations.
US08174292B2
A current sensing circuit for a pulse width modulation (PWM) application may include first and second input terminals to be coupled to ends of a sensing resistance, an output terminal, and first and second internal circuit nodes. The current sensing circuit further may include an input block comprising a first transconductance amplifier to be coupled to a supply voltage. The first transconductance amplifier may be coupled to the first and second input terminals and to the first and second internal circuit nodes. The current sensing circuit may also include an amplifier block comprising an amplifier to be coupled to a reference voltage, and coupled to the first and second internal circuit nodes and the output terminal, and a feedback block comprising a second transconductance amplifier to be coupled to the supply voltage and being coupled to the output terminal and the first and second internal circuit nodes. The input block may further include a third transconductance amplifier coupled in cascade to the first transconductance amplifier and to the first and second input terminals.
US08174285B2
In order to protect an integrated circuit provided with a cryptoprocessor from attacks aiming to reveal secrets, it is anticipated to use a component sensitive to the activation of a parasitic (latchup) thyristor and/or to the activation of a parasitic bipolar transistor, or to design a circuit having this property. If the component is stressed due to the presence of this circuit, it is immediately deactivated, actually preventing the revelation of the secrets thereof.
US08174276B2
Various exemplary embodiments provide probes, systems and methods for measuring an effective electrical resistance/resistivity with high sensitivity. In one embodiment, the measuring system can include an upper probe set and a similar lower probe set having a sample device sandwiched there-between. The device-under-test (DUT) samples can be sandwiched between two conductors of the sample device. Each probe set can have an inner voltage sense probe coaxially configured inside an electrically-isolated outer current source probe that has a large contact area with the sample device. The measuring system can also include a computer readable medium for storing circuit simulations including such as FEM simulations for extracting a bulk through-plane electrical resistivity and an interface resistivity for an effective electrical z-resistivity of the DUT, in some cases, having sub-micro-ohm resistance.
US08174270B2
A high voltage power transmission system includes an insulator arranged to electrically isolate a live power transmission line and a testing device in physical contact with the insulator, The teat device measures properties of the insulator by conducting electrical tests of and/or optical examination on the insulator while it is in-service to electrically isolate the live power transmission line.
US08174266B2
An apparatus, method and computer-readable medium for obtaining a resistivity image of an earth formation. The apparatus includes a downhole assembly configured to be conveyed in a borehole penetrating the earth formation; a plurality of sensor electrodes on the downhole assembly, each of the plurality of sensor electrodes having a different capacitance to a wall of the borehole; and at least one processor configured to: (i) process measurements using each of the sensor electrodes; (ii) process a subset of the measurements substantially unaffected by the different capacitances to produce an image of the borehole wall; and (iii) record the image on a suitable medium.
US08174252B2
Methods and systems for transmitting and receiving data from points along voltage transmission lines
A method of receiving signals transmitted through a voltage carrying power line using an antenna module including the steps of: positioning a housing of the antenna module proximate to the voltage carrying power line such that an antenna being supported in the housing is oriented at an angle with respect to the voltage carrying power line, and receiving a signal via the antenna from the voltage carrying power line.
US08174245B2
A device and method for using a field-responsive material that changes temperature when subjected to a respective field in combination with a thermal to electrical energy converter to accomplish the generation of electrical energy. The field-responsive material, such as an electrocaloric or magnetocaloric material, changes temperature when subjected to a change in a respective electric or magnetic field. The changing field applied to the field-responsive material causes a temperature change in the field-responsive material to heat or cool the field-responsive material. A thermal to electrical energy converter is in thermal contact with the field-responsive material, such that temperature changes in the field-responsive material in turn changes the temperature of the thermal to electrical energy converter, which the converter then converts into electrical energy. In this manner, the application of an appropriate electric or magnetic field can be utilized to generate thermal energy changes that can be converted into electrical energy.
US08174233B2
Inductively coupled battery charging systems and methods are provided. Transmit circuitry can include a transmit coil operatively part of a transmit resonant circuit that exhibits resonance at a transmit resonant frequency and an unloaded Q value of at least about 20. Transmit coil can generate a magnetic field at about the transmit resonant frequency. Rechargeable battery assembly can include a receive coil configured to receive inductively coupled current, and circuitry configured to rectify the current and communicate charging power to a storage cell. Receive coil can be part of a receive resonant circuit that exhibits resonance at about the transmit resonant frequency and an unloaded Q value of at least about 10. Transmit circuitry can include multiple transmit coils and can selectively discontinue production of alternating current in the coils generating fields that are not most strongly coupled to the receive coil.
US08174231B2
The methods, system, and infrastructure described herein generally relate to methods for charging a rechargeable battery of a vehicle. The methods described provide a method of charging a rechargeable battery of a vehicle. The method includes the following steps: (a) while the vehicle is stationary, rotating a shaft of an electric traction motor of the vehicle using mechanical energy; (b) converting the rotation of the shaft into electrical energy by using the electric traction motor as an electrical generator; and (c) storing the electrical energy in the rechargeable battery of the vehicle. A system for charging a rechargeable battery of a vehicle is also described. The system includes a rechargeable battery of a vehicle, an electric traction motor of the vehicle, and an external vehicle interface configured to rotate the shaft of the electric traction motor using mechanical power while the vehicle is stationary. An infrastructure for charging a rechargeable battery of a vehicle is also described. The infrastructure includes one or more charging stations, each station including an external vehicle interface configured to rotate a shaft of an electric traction motor of the vehicle using mechanical power while the vehicle is stationary.
US08174230B2
A switch section includes a common terminal connected to a terminal at one end of each of a pair of motors, a first terminal connected to a terminal at the other end of one of the motors and a second terminal connected to a terminal at the other end of the other of the motors, and three-contact switches each including one common contact and two switching contacts. In the switch section two switches corresponding to one direction selected from the up and down directions form a switch group, at least one switch corresponding to the other direction selected from the up and down directions is provided, two switches corresponding to one direction selected from the left and right directions form a switch group, and at least one switch corresponding to the other direction selected from the left and right directions is provided.
US08174222B2
Methods, systems and apparatus for dynamically controlling an electric motor that drives an oil pump
Methods, system and apparatus are provided for sensorless control of a vector controlled motor drive system that includes an electric motor used to drive an auxiliary oil pump.
US08174216B2
A lid assembly for a container includes a lid engaging device, a transmission assembly mounted on the lid engaging device, and a lid including a first pivotal section and a second pivotal section disposed opposed to each other. The first and second pivotal sections define an imaginary axis “A” extended therebetween, and the first and second pivotal sections are mounted on the lid engaging device. The first pivotal section is engaged with the transmission assembly. The lid is pivoted automatically by the transmission assembly. The lid is pivotal about the imaginary axis “A” and is moveable between an open position that enables items to be put in the container and a closed position in which the lid prevents items to be put in the container.
US08174215B2
In a motor speed controller, feedback control is implemented at a gain independent of the target rotational speed ωT while the increase in the circuit size or processing load is reduced. The rotational speed ω of the motor is controlled on the basis of a pulse signal in which a pulse period τP varies in inverse proportion to ω. A count clock generation circuit varies the clock frequency FC in proportion to ωT. The pulse period measurement section counts the count clock CLK during τP at the present ω and determines a measured count value C. The feedback filter inputs, as an error signal Ve, the difference between C and a target count value CN that corresponds to ωT, and generates an instruction signal to provide compensation for Ve. The feedback filter scales the instruction signal at a scaling factor that is proportional to ωT.
US08174209B2
The invention relates to an electronic device, comprising a DC-DC converter for converting a primary supply voltage into an output voltage at an output node to be coupled to a super capacitor and a control stage for operating the regulated DC-DC converter in a forward direction in a boost mode providing a boost voltage level at the output node and for operating the regulated DC-DC converter in a reverse direction in a buck mode providing a buck voltage level at an auxiliary node arranged between a primary voltage supply providing the primary supply voltage and the output node, wherein the control stage is adapted to control the DC-DC converter when operating in reverse direction to provide a current to the auxiliary node using the super capacitor as a power source.
US08174205B2
A lighting device comprises groups of solid state light emitters, a sensor and circuitry. If the emitters are illuminated, the sensor is exposed to combined light from the groups, and senses only a portion of the combined light. The circuitry adjusts current applied to at least one of the emitters based on an intensity of the light sensed. Also, a device comprising emitters, a circuit board and a sensor, at least one of the emitters being positioned on the first circuit board and the sensor being spaced from the circuit board. Also, a lighting device comprising emitters, a sensor, and circuitry which adjusts current applied an emitters based on detection by the first sensor, the circuitry comprising a differential amplifier circuit. Also, a lighting device, comprising light emitters and circuitry which adjusts current applied to only some of the emitters based on ambient temperature. Also, methods of lighting.
US08174200B2
A piezoelectric transformer driving device including: an oscillator; a frequency-divider outputting a pulse by dividing a clock signal from the oscillator by a frequency-divide ratio received thereto; a switching element driven by the pulse and intermittently applying a voltage to a primary side of a piezoelectric transformer; a frequency-divide ratio instructing unit holding a frequency-divide ratio instruction value of a real number having an integer part and an fractional part; a binarization unit binarizing the frequency-divide ratio instruction value into two different integer frequency-divide ratios and selectively outputting the frequency-divide ratios. The binarization unit adjusts an appearance ratio of the frequency-divide ratios such that an average of the frequency-divide ratios output from the binarization unit is equal to an average of the frequency-divide ratio instruction value.
US08174196B2
An alternating light diode device is provided and includes a substrate, a rectifier and a light emitting diode. The rectifier, a bridge rectifier with four diodes, includes a first alternating terminal and a second alternating terminal receiving an alternating signal and a first electrode and a second electrode outputting a rectified signal. The light emitting diode is electrically connected with the first electrode and the second electrode. Furthermore, the rectifier and the light emitting diode are mounted on the hexagonal star-shaped aluminum substrate wherein the rectifier is arranged around the substrate.
US08174194B2
A discharge lamp includes: an emitting portion in which a pair of electrodes are disposed, an electric discharge being generated between the pair of electrodes so as to emit light; at least either one electrode of the pair of the electrodes including: a small-diameter portion; and a large-diameter portion provided on an end of the small-diameter portion closer to the other electrode, the large-diameter portion having a larger diameter than the small-diameter portion; and the large-diameter portion including a projecting part, the projecting part projecting outward from the large-diameter portion.
US08174192B2
A plasma display panel includes a front panel having a front substrate having a plurality of arrays of display electrodes each including a scanning electrode and a sustain electrode opposed to each other with a discharge gap being defined therebetween and a rear panel having a rear substrate opposed to a front substrate and having partition walls for partitioning a discharge space between the rear panel and the front panel, data electrodes formed between partition walls in such a fashion that the data electrodes intersect with the display electrodes, and phosphor layers formed between partition walls, wherein the rear panel forms partition walls so as to divide the discharge space in a plurality of regions along a direction parallel to the data electrodes, and blue phosphor layers are formed on boundary parts of the plural regions.
US08174190B2
To improve an optical property of a near-infrared-absorbing PDP filter and suppress a manufacturing cost. The present invention provides a dispersion liquid for near-infrared-absorbing adhesive-body. The dispersion liquid includes, in a solvent, one or more types of nanoparticles selected from a tungsten oxide nanoparticle and a composite tungsten oxide nanoparticle, and an acryl-based polymer dispersant is added to the dispersion liquid. The average dispersed nanoparticle diameter of the tungsten oxide nanoparticles and the composite tungsten oxide nanoparticles is equal to or smaller than 800 nm.
US08174187B2
A light-emitting OLED device that includes one or more light-emitting OLED elements also includes first and second spaced-apart electrodes with one or more light-emitting organic layers formed there-between, at least one light-emitting organic layer being a light-emitting layer. At least one of the electrodes is a transparent electrode. A first hermetic inorganic encapsulating layer is formed over the transparent electrode opposite the light-emitting organic layer. A light-scattering layer is formed over the first hermetic inorganic encapsulating layer opposite the transparent electrode. An organic encapsulating layer is formed over the light-scattering layer opposite the first hermetic encapsulating layer. Finally, a second hermetic inorganic encapsulating layer is formed over the organic encapsulating layer opposite the light-scattering layer.
US08174181B2
A light-emitting device comprising a population of quantum dots (QDs) embedded in a host matrix and a primary light source which causes the QDs to emit secondary light and a method of making such a device. The size distribution of the QDs is chosen to allow light of a particular color to be emitted therefrom. The light emitted from the device may be of either a pure (monochromatic) color, or a mixed (polychromatic) color, and may consist solely of light emitted from the QDs themselves, or of a mixture of light emitted from the QDs and light emitted from the primary source. The QDs desirably are composed of an undoped semiconductor such as CdSe, and may optionally be overcoated to increase photoluminescence.
US08174178B2
The present invention provides a semiconductor device by which a light-emitting device that is unlikely to cause defects such as a short circuit, can be manufactured. One feature of a semiconductor device of the present invention is to include an electrode that serves as an electrode of a light-emitting element. The electrode includes a first layer and a second layer. Further, end portions of the electrode are covered with a partition layer having an opening portion. Moreover, a part of the electrode is exposed by the opening portion of the partition layer. One feature of a semiconductor device of the present invention is to include an electrode that serves as an electrode of a light-emitting element and a transistor. The electrode and the transistor are connected electrically to each other. The electrode includes a first layer and a second layer. Further, end portions of the electrode are covered with a partition layer having an opening portion. Moreover, the second layer is exposed by the opening portion of the partition layer.
US08174174B2
An apparatus and method comprising a cathode structure which can be a cylindrical filament coiled in a helix or which can be constructed of a ribbon or other suitable shape. The cathode structure can be heated by passage of an electrical current, or by other means such as bombardment with energetic electrons. Selected portions of the surface of the cathode structure have an altered property with respect to the non-selected portions of the surface. In one embodiment, the altered property is a curvature. In another embodiment, the altered property is a work function. By altering the property of the selected portions of the surface, the electron beam intensity is increased, and the width is decreased.
US08174173B2
A rotating electric machine includes a rotor, a stator and a load side bracket. The rotor has an outer rotor surface around a rotational axis. The stator is provided to surround the outer rotor surface. The stator includes a stator core and a stator coil. The stator core has teeth. Each of the teeth is inserted in the stator coil. The stator coil includes a coil end which is provided on a load side of the stator. The stator coil has an inner coil surface facing the teeth, an outer coil surface which is a reverse side of the inner coil surface. One end and another end of the wire are formed on the outer coil surface. The load side bracket has a groove in which the coil end is provided.
US08174169B2
A piezoelectric transformer with a body that includes a first functional part and a second functional part is disclosed. The second functional part has inner electrodes, located in the body, which are connected to outer electrodes of this part. The first outer electrode of the first functional part is arranged parallel to the inner electrodes of the second functional part, wherein the minimum distance between the first outer electrode of the first functional part and the respective outer electrodes of the second functional part is selected greater than the distance between the first outer electrode of the first functional part and a terminal inner electrode of the second functional part facing it.
US08174157B2
An electrically commutated DC motor (1) for a liquid pump (2) with a pump housing (3) with a suction connector (4) and a pressure connector (5) for connection to a hydraulic circuit, an essentially disk-like pump rotor (6) mounted to rotate in the pump housing, consisting of an impeller (7) with several pump vanes and a permanent magnet (8), a partition (11) separating a pump space (9) from a dry space (10), in which the partition is arranged in an axial gap (12) between the pump rotor (6) and several axially aligned wound stator poles (14) of the DC motor. The present invention configures a DC motor, so that it can be installed simply and reliably, is designed particularly robust and therefore has a very long operating lifetime.
US08174150B2
A power generating system includes an energy source coupled to a DC link through a first power converter and a second power converter to couple the DC link to a power grid. A first controller in the power generating system regulates voltage on the DC link and a second controller regulates a parameter of the energy source. A dynamic parsing controller coupled to the first power converter and the second power converter selectively parses the output signals of the first and second controllers and generates operating commands for the first and second power converters based at least in part on the parsed output signals.
US08174149B2
A system and method (“utility”) for providing power to an electrically powered device from alternate, redundant power sources via a single power cord. The utility is operable to provide redundant power to an electrical device having a power cord terminating in a standard plug. The utility is operable to sense a loss of power quality from one power source, and to switch a connection to another power source in response to the loss. The utility may be configured to match the form factor of a standard (e.g., NEMA or other electrical standard) duplex receptacle unit. The utility may be incorporated into a standard outlet box or may plug into a standard outlet box.
US08174142B2
A wind turbine 20 has a turbine wheel 22 with a perimeter rim 24 and/or an intermediate rim 117 that are concentric with the axis of rotation of the turbine wheel. Electrical generators 46 and 48 are placed in engagement with the rims, with the generators formed in pairs that engage opposite surfaces of the rims. The electrical generators are mounted so that they may move laterally in response to the axial “wobble” likely to occur in the rims of the turbine wheel.
US08174136B2
An adaptive method for adjusting blade pitch angle, and controllers implementing such a method, for achieving higher power coefficients. Average power coefficients are determined for first and second periods of operation for the wind turbine. When the average power coefficient for the second time period is larger than for the first, a pitch increment, which may be generated based on the power coefficients, is added (or the sign is retained) to the nominal pitch angle value for the wind turbine. When the average power coefficient for the second time period is less than for the first, the pitch increment is subtracted (or the sign is changed). A control signal is generated based on the adapted pitch angle value and sent to blade pitch actuators that act to change the pitch angle of the wind turbine to the new or modified pitch angle setting, and this process is iteratively performed.
US08174128B2
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor package that includes: forming a first board; forming second boards, in each of which at least one cavity is formed; attaching the second boards to both sides of the first board, such that the second boards are electrically connected with the first board; and connecting at least one component with the first board by a flip chip method by embedding the component in the cavity. The method can prevent damage to the semiconductor chips and lower manufacturing costs, while the connection material may also mitigate stresses, to prevent cracking in the boards and semiconductor chips, while preventing defects such as bending and warpage. Defects caused by temperature changes may also be avoided. Furthermore, it is not necessary to use an underfill in the portions where the semiconductor chips are connected with the printed circuit board, which allows for easier reworking and lower costs.
US08174127B2
A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit packaging system includes: providing an inner lead and an outer lead, the inner lead having an inner peripheral side with a non-linear contour; forming a bump contact, having a groove in and a mesa from the inner lead or the outer lead, the groove adjacent to the mesa; mounting a first device adjacent to the inner lead; connecting a second device to the mesa; and forming an encapsulation material over the first device, the inner lead, and the outer lead and covering the second device.
US08174125B2
A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device comprises: providing a first insulating film whose relative dielectric constant is at most a predetermined value above a substrate; providing a second insulating film whose relative dielectric constant is greater than the predetermined value on a surface of the first insulating film; forming a recess for a wire through the second insulating film and extending into the first insulating film, and also forming a recess for a dummy wire through the second insulating film and extending into the first insulating film spaced from a formed area of the recess for the wire; providing a conductive material inside the recess for the wire and the recess for the dummy wire; and providing a wire inside the recess for the wire and providing a dummy wire inside the recess for the dummy wire by polishing and removing the conductive material.
US08174123B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an I/O buffer provided in a semiconductor chip, single-layer pads, and multilayer pads. The single-layer pads are formed above the I/O buffer. The multilayer pads are formed above the I/O buffer separately from the single-layer pads. The single-layer pads are pads dedicated to bonding, and the multilayer pads are pads on which both probing and bonding are performed.
US08174122B2
A trench is formed in an insulation film formed on top of a semiconductor substrate, and a barrier metal film is formed on the surface of the trench. After a copper or copper alloy film is formed on the barrier metal film, an oxygen absorption film in which a standard energy of formation of an oxidation reaction in a range from room temperature to 400° C. is negative, and in which an absolute value of the standard energy of formation is larger than that of the barrier metal film is formed, and the assembly is heated in a temperature range of 200 to 400° C. A semiconductor device can thereby be provided that has highly reliable wiring, in which the adhesion to the barrier metal film in the copper interface is enhanced, copper diffusion in the interface is suppressed, and electromigration and stress migration are prevented.
US08174118B2
A method for manufacturing a detection device includes the steps of providing bonding bumps on at least one of a light-receiving element array and a read-out circuit multiplexer, fixing a bump height adjusting member for adjusting the heights of the bumps to the light-receiving element array and/or the read-out circuit multiplexer on which the bumps are provided, and pressing a flat plate on the tops of the bumps and deforming the bumps until the flat plate comes in contact with the end of the bump height adjusting member.
US08174117B2
Provided is a semiconductor device having a substrate, a semiconductor chip flip-chip mounted on the substrate, and a stacked film provided in a gap between the substrate and the semiconductor chip. The stacked film is composed of a protective film covering the surface of the substrate, and an underfill film formed between the solder resist film and the semiconductor chip. The protective film is roughened on the contact surface brought into contacting said underfill film.
US08174106B2
A package design is provided where a chip module is connected to a printed circuit board (PCB) via a land grid array (LGA) on the top surface of the PCB, and where a power supply is connected to the PCB via a second LGA on the bottom surface of the PCB. The stack of the chip module, power supply, and LGA is held in place and compressed with actuation hardware forming an adjustable frame. The package allows field replacibility of either the module, or the PS, and provides the shortest possible wiring distance from the PS to the module leading to higher performance.
US08174103B2
A particular chip is designed having a first variant (front side connected chip) of the chip and a second variant (back side connected chip). The first variant of the chip is attached to a carrier. The second variant of the chip is attached to the carrier inverted relative to the first variant of the chip. The first and second variants of the chip are attached to the carrier such that a vertical surface (side) of the first variant of the chip faces a corresponding vertical surface of the second variant of the chip. A circuit on the first variant of the chip is electrically connected to a corresponding circuit on the second variant of the chip.
US08174097B2
An electric sub-assembly has an integrated circuit, which contains at least one power semi-conductor component and additional electronic components, the latter being interconnected and linked to connections by the conductors of a lead frame (1, 2, 3). The lead frame (1, 2, 3) has at least one cooling surface (3), which is connected in a thermally conductive manner to a thermal contact (4) of the integrated circuit or circuits. The cooling surface has a greater surface area than the thermal contact surface (4) of the integrated circuit or circuits and is wider than the parts (1) of the lead frame that are used as electric conductors.
US08174091B2
An electrical fuse and a method of forming the same are presented. A first-layer conductive line is formed over a base material. A via is formed over the first-layer conductive line. The via preferably comprises a barrier layer and a conductive material. A second-layer conductive line is formed over the via. A first external pad is formed coupling to the first-layer conductive line. A second external pad is formed coupling to the second-layer conductive line. The via, the first conductive line and the second conductive line are adapted to be an electrical fuse. The electrical fuse can be burned out by applying a current. The vertical structure of the preferred embodiment is suitable to be formed in any layer.
US08174084B2
A stress sensor is disclosed herein. The stress sensor includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes in a substrate, and first and second contacts electrically connectable with the plurality of carbon nanotubes. Methods of making and using the stress sensor are also disclosed.
US08174083B1
A dual-suspension system for MEMS-based devices includes a proof mass, an upper spring system, and a lower spring system. The proof mass is formed from a handle wafer, a first layer of silicon coupled to one side of the handle wafer, and a second layer of silicon coupled to the other side of the handle wafer. The upper spring system is formed from the first layer of silicon and the lower spring system is formed from the second layer of silicon. The upper and lower spring systems comprise one or more springs extending from the proof mass. The springs may be spaced at even intervals along the perimeter of the proof mass, may be symmetric or out of phase with each other, may comprise different geometries, and may be curved in shape. The upper and lower spring systems are coupled to a support structure that surrounds the proof mass.
US08174078B2
An embodiment is a method and apparatus to fabricate a flat panel display. A poly-last structure is formed for a display panel using an amorphous silicon or amorphous silicon compatible process. The poly-last structure has a channel silicon precursor. The display panel is formed from the poly-last structure using a polysilicon specific or polysilicon compatible process.
US08174076B2
A method manufactures a vertical power MOS transistor on a semiconductor substrate comprising a first superficial semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type, comprising: forming trench regions in the first semiconductor layer, filling in said trench regions with a second semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type, to form semiconductor portions of the second conductivity type contained in the first semiconductor layer, carrying out an ion implantation of a first dopant type in the semiconductor portions for forming respective implanted body regions of said second conductivity type, carrying out an ion implantation of a second dopant type in one of the implanted body regions for forming an implanted source region of the first conductivity type inside one of the body regions, carrying out an activation thermal process of the first and second dopant types with low thermal budget suitable to complete said formation of the body and source regions.
US08174073B2
A semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate; and a first Fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) and a second FinFET at a surface of the semiconductor substrate. The first FinFET includes a first fin; and a first gate electrode over a top surface and sidewalls of the first fin. The second FinFET includes a second fin spaced apart from the first fin by a fin space; and a second gate electrode over a top surface and sidewalls of the second fin. The second gate electrode is electrically disconnected from the first gate electrode. The first and the second gate electrodes have a gate height greater than about one half of the fin space.
US08174069B2
A power semiconductor device has a top surface and an opposed bottom surface below a part of which is a thick portion of semiconductor substrate. At least a portion of a drift region of the device has either no or only a thin portion of semiconductor substrate positioned thereunder. The top surface has a high voltage terminal and a low voltage terminal connected thereto to allow a voltage to be applied laterally across the drift region. At least two MOS (metal-oxide-semiconductor) gates are provided on the top surface. The device has at least one relatively highly doped region at its top surface extending between and in contact with said first and second MOS gates. The device has improved protection against triggering of parasitic transistors or latch-up without the on-state voltage drop or switching speed being compromised.
US08174067B2
Exemplary power semiconductor devices with features providing increased breakdown voltage and other benefits are disclosed.
US08174066B2
A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor layer; a first conductivity type region of a first conductivity type formed in a base layer portion of the semiconductor layer; a body region of a second conductivity type formed in the semiconductor layer to be in contact with the first conductivity type region; a trench formed by digging the semiconductor layer from the surface thereof to pass through the body region so that the deepest portion thereof reaches the first conductivity type region; a gate insulating film formed on the bottom surface and the side surface of the trench; a gate electrode buried in the trench through the gate insulating film; a source region of the first conductivity type formed in a surface layer portion of the semiconductor layer on a side in a direction orthogonal to the gate width with respect to the trench to be in contact with the body region; and a high-concentration region of the second conductivity type, formed in the body region on a position opposed to the trench in the direction orthogonal to the gate width, having a higher second conductivity type impurity concentration than that of the periphery thereof.
US08174050B2
A method for fabricating a transistor and the resulting transistor is disclosed. The method generally includes steps (A) to (E). Step (A) may form a high mobility layer. The high mobility layer is generally configured to carry a two-dimensional electron gas. Step (B) may form a planar layer on the high mobility layer. Step (C) may form a barrier layer on the planar layer. Step (D) may form a doped layer on the barrier layer. The doped layer is generally a low bandgap III-V semiconductor. Step (E) may form a gate in contact with the doped layer. The gate may be separated from both a source and a drain by corresponding ungated recess regions. The high mobility layer, the planar layer, the barrier layer, the doped layer, the source, the gate and the drain are generally configured as a pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor.
US08174046B1
Method and apparatus for an integrated circuit having memory including thyristor-based memory cells is described. A pair of the thyristor-based memory cells are commonly coupled via a bitline region, where a parasitic bipolar junction transistor is defined therebetween responsive to the bitline region being common. In another implementation, the pair of the thyristor-based memory cells are commonly coupled via the anode region, where a parasitic bipolar junction transistor is defined therebetween responsive to the anode region being common. The common bitline or anode region, respectively, has a locally thinned region to inhibit charge transfer between the pair via the parasitic bipolar junction transistor. Moreover, a method for forming a field-effect transistor on a silicon-on-insulator wafer is described, where charge transfer facilitated by a parasitic bipolar transistor is reduced responsive to an increase in dopants at least proximate to an insulator layer.
US08174043B2
In a light-emitting apparatus using a silicone resin as a sealant of its light-emitting element, it is intended to prevent discoloration of its lead frame. A light-emitting element fixed to a lead frame is sealed with a sealed portion formed by a silicone resin. An average spin-spin relaxation time of the silicone resin is equal to or smaller than 100 microseconds at 25° C. at a resonance frequency of 25 MHz.
US08174040B2
A light emitting device is provided. The light emitting device comprises: a reflective layer; and a semiconductor layer including a light emitting layer on the reflective layer. A distance between the reflective layer and a center of the light emitting layer corresponds to a constructive interference condition.
US08174034B2
An OLED is thus specified which includes a layer construction comprising at least an anode, a cathode and a functional layer arranged in between, the layer construction being arranged on a substrate. At least one electrode, selected from the anode and cathode, is transmissive to the light emitted by the functional layer and is arranged on the light-emitting side, emission side, of the layer construction. The at least one color conversion layer has quantum dots and is arranged on the emission side above or below the layer construction.
US08174032B2
Semiconductor white light sources presented herein include special combinations of a blue source and a yellow source where these light fields are substantially overlapped. The source of blue light includes a blue emitting semiconductor operating in a conventional manner. However, this blue light source is combined with a special yellow light source and the light produced by each is mixed together. The yellow light source is primarily comprised of a high output ultraviolet emitting semiconductor coupled to a wavelength shifting medium whereby the semiconductor pumps the wavelength shifting medium causing re-emission at longer wavelengths; namely those corresponding to yellow colored light. These two sources operating in conjunction with each other operate to produce higher outputs than those attainable in competitive white light semiconductor systems. In special versions, provision is made whereby the color coordinates may be tuned by a variable current applied to the blue emitting semiconductor.
US08174027B2
A semiconductor light emitting device, includes: a substrate including a first major surface and a second major surface, the first major surface including a recess and a protrusion, the second major surface being formed on a side opposite to the first major surface; a first electrode provided on the first major surface; a semiconductor light emitting element provided on the first electrode and electrically connected to the first electrode; a second electrode provided on the second major surface; and a through-electrode provided to pass through the substrate at the recess and electrically connect the first electrode and the second electrode.
US08174025B2
A light emitting device includes a semiconductor structure having a light emitting layer disposed between an n-type region and a p-type region. A porous region is disposed between the light emitting layer and a contact electrically connected to one of the n-type region and the p-type region. The porous region scatters light away from the absorbing contact, which may improve light extraction from the device. In some embodiments the porous region is an n-type semiconductor material such as GaN or GaP.
US08174024B2
In one aspect, a device includes a gallium nitride (GaN) layer, a first diamond layer disposed on the GaN layer, a gate structure disposed in contact with the GaN layer and the first diamond layer, and a second diamond layer having a first thermal conductivity and disposed on a second surface of the GaN layer. The gate and the first diamond layer are disposed on a first surface of the GaN layer opposite the second surface of the GaN layer.
US08174022B2
A method for forming a flat panel display includes disposing a light guide plate below a display panel, disposing at least one optical film between the display panel and the light guide plate, and disposing at least one illuminating device package in proximity to the light guide plate. The method for forming the illuminating device package includes forming a light emitting diode device over a substrate and forming a lens encapsulating the light emitting diode device. The lens includes two reflective surfaces disposed substantially symmetrically at either side of a central axis. The reflective surfaces is configured to reflect portions of light beams to at least one of the diffractive surfaces. The lens also includes a plurality of diffractive surfaces separating the reflective surfaces. The diffractive surfaces are configured to diffract the reflected light beams into a convergent angle. Each of the diffractive surfaces having a tilt angle respective to the central axis.
