US08220067B2
A disclosed chemical detection system for detecting a target material, such as an explosive material, can include a cantilevered probe, a probe heater coupled to the cantilevered probe, and a piezoelectric element disposed on the cantilevered probe. The piezoelectric element can be configured as a detector and/or an actuator. Detection can include, for example, detecting a movement of the cantilevered probe or a property of the cantilevered probe. The movement or a change in the property of the cantilevered probe can occur, for example, by adsorption of the target material, desorption of the target material, reaction of the target material and/or phase change of the target material. Examples of detectable movements and properties include temperature shifts, impedance shifts, and resonant frequency shifts of the cantilevered probe. The overall chemical detection system can be incorporated, for example, into a handheld explosive material detection system.
US08220060B1
Approaches for protecting design information are disclosed. In one approach, a request for an IP core from an integrated circuit device is received, and the request includes identification information. An identifier range is determined from the identification information. The identifier range includes a plurality of unique device identifiers identifying a plurality of integrated circuit devices that are allowed to receive the IP core. The identifier range is downloaded to the integrated circuit device, which evaluates whether or not a unique device identifier that is stored on the integrated circuit device is within the downloaded identifier range. The IP core is programmed into the integrated circuit in response to the unique device identifier that is stored on the integrated circuit device being within the downloaded identifier range.
US08220054B1
Generating an exception list by a service provider for use in behavior monitoring programs for malware detection is described. A feedback server controlled by a malware prevention service provider receives client process reports from client devices owned by the service provider's customers and others using the provider's behavior monitoring software. The process reports contain data on processes that were evaluated (on the client device) as being processes that require a significant amount of CPU resources (i.e., above a certain threshold) to monitor and that have previously executed on the client device and were considered safe or non-harmful to the device. The feedback server receives the process reports and creates a statistics summary report, which is used by the service provider in evaluating whether to include the processes in the provider's official exception list which is distributed to its customers for use in their behavior monitoring programs. While creating the process reports on the client devices, the devices are able to temporarily address issues caused by processes taking up too much of the behavior monitor's CPU usage by including the process on exception list only for that client. The final decision as to whether the process will be on the final or official exception list is made by the service provider.
US08220052B2
A method of detecting an intrusion into a computer. At least one communication to an application program is selectively evaluated by the application program accessing an intrusion detection service to evaluate the communication.
US08220049B2
Methods and apparatuses enable a traffic analyzer to monitor an internal connection of a computing system for one or more traffic patterns. The traffic analyzer compares traffic on the internal connection to an expected traffic pattern, and performs a policy based action based on the result of comparing the traffic pattern to the expected pattern. The traffic analyzer can exist in a stack of a VMM or a monitoring VM or be implemented in a management engine of the computing system. In one embodiment, the computing system includes traffic analyzer components in both a VMM or monitoring VM and a management engine.
US08220043B2
An information processing device that causes a router to open a new communication port and permits an active access from a terminal when the terminal connected to an outer network is provided. A multi function device (information processing device) accesses a POP server and acquires a mail. In a case where the mail from an outer terminal describes an access request, the multi function device transmits to a port-open-command that requests a router to open a new communication port. The multi function device transmits to the outer terminal a port identifier of the new communication port that was opened by the router. The outer terminal transmits data to the multi function device with the received port identifier designated therein. The multi function device, triggered by the mail from the outer terminal, can cause the router to open a new communication port that permits an active access from the outer terminal.
US08220042B2
Implementations of the present invention efficiently establish secure connections between a client and server, at least in part by authenticating the client and server early on in the connection setup phases. A client initiating a connection with a server identifies the secure communication protocols enabled at the client, and identifies these protocols in a connection request it sends to the server. The server processes the message and responds with a communication protocol it deems appropriate for the connection. The client and server then exchange appropriate authentication information, and then establish a connection session that implements the chosen communication protocol, and encrypts messages using the negotiated communication protocol. Additional implementations relate to reestablishing dropped connections behind virtual Internet Protocol addresses, without necessarily having to recommit much connection resource overhead.
US08220040B2
In an embodiment, a verifier receives requirements for membership in a group from a service and receives proof of attributes from users. The verifier verifies whether the proof of attributes meets the membership requirements and sends acceptance or rejection to the service. If the proof meets the requirements, the service allows the users to become members of the group and allows the members to transfer data to and from other members. If the proof does not meet the requirements, the service prevents the users from becoming members. In this way, the service and group members know that other group members satisfy the group membership requirements without needing to know the identity of the group members or other information unrelated to the group membership requirements.
US08220039B2
A portable mass storage device for use in two factor authentication systems and methods. A secure portable mass storage device protects content from being freely copied with security mechanisms and firmware. The security functionality also protects confidential user credentials and passwords, as well as algorithms and seeds needed for two factor authentication or asymmetric authentication methods. A client application residing in the mass storage device acts as both a password manager and an authentication manager that seamlessly performs the authentication procedures in the background while signing a user into various institutions of his choosing. A very high level of security is integrated into a mass storage device the user has for purposes other than two factor authentication, and the convenience of highly secure password management also comes in a convenient pocket sized package easy for the user to transport. This facilitates the acceptance of two factor authentication, and increases security for a wide variety of online transactions.
US08220023B2
A method and system is presented for personalizing an electronic program guide that enables a viewer easily and quickly to access to the subset of information that is personally most relevant.
US08220008B2
A slot-in type disk apparatus configured to prevent fine traverse base vibration at disk playback. A base body and a lid constitute a chassis outer sheath having a front surface formed with a disk insertion slot. The base body has a traverse base with a spindle motor, a pickup and a driving unit moving the pickup. A cam displaces the traverse base between the base body and the lid. The cam is provided on each of a main slider and a sub-slider. The main slider and the sub-slider are located sideways of the spindle motor and are connected to each other through a cam lever which is moved by the main slider, and the traverse base is displaced by moving the sub-slider. The cam lever has a resilient member which abuts against the traverse base at the time of playback of a disk.
US08220006B2
A device may include a first type of modeling environment, a second type of modeling environment, and an abstract interface. The first type of modeling environment may be associated with at least one of a first toolbox or a first function. The second type of modeling environment may include a model. The second type of modeling environment may be different than the first type of modeling environment and may be incompatible with the at least one of a first toolbox or a first function. The abstract interface may interface with the first type of modeling environment and the second type of modeling environment. The abstract interface may allow the at least one of a first toolbox or a first function to be used in the model in the second type of modeling environment.
US08220003B2
A system for programming point of sale devices is provided. The system includes a terminal programming system that can program point of sale devices provided by different manufacturers and having different proprietary operating systems. A communications interface is connected to the terminal programming system that receives update requests from the plurality of point of sale devices, such as when the point of sale devices call in to the system or when the point of sale devices respond to a poll.
US08219999B2
A system and associated method for determining a number of threads to maximize system utilization. The method begins with determining a first value which corresponds to the current system utilization. Next the method determines a second value which corresponds the current number of threads in the system. Next the method determines a third value which corresponds to the number of processor cores in the system. Next the method receives a fourth value from an end user which corresponds to the optimal system utilization the end user wishes to achieve. Next the method determines a fifth value which corresponds to the number of threads necessary to achieve the optimal system utilization value received from the end user. Finally, the method sends the fifth value to all running applications.
US08219998B2
A load balancing method incorporates temporarily inactive machines as part of the resources capable of executing tasks during heavy process requests periods to alleviate some of the processing load on other computing resources. This method determines which computing resources are available and prioritizes these resources for access by the load balancing process. A snap shot of the resource configuration and made secured along with all data on this system such that no contamination occurs between resident data on that machine and any data placed on that machine as put of the load balancing activities. After a predetermined period of time or a predetermined event, the availability of the temporary resources for load balancing activities ends. At this point, the original configuration and data is restored to the computing resource such that no trace of use of the resource in load balancing activities is detected to the user.
US08219994B2
A data processing device assigns tasks to processor cores in a more distributed fashion. In one embodiment, the data processing device can schedule tasks for execution amongst the processor cores in a pseudo-random fashion. In another embodiment, the processor core can schedule tasks for execution amongst the processor cores based on the relative amount of historical utilization of each processor core. In either case, the effects of bias temperature instability (BTI) resulting from task execution are distributed among the processor cores in a more equal fashion than if tasks are scheduled according to a fixed order. Accordingly, the useful lifetime of the processor unit can be extended.
US08219993B2
A device, system, and method are directed towards managing power consumption in a computer system with one or more processing units, each processing unit executing one or more threads. Threads are characterized based on a cycles per instruction (CPI) characteristic of the thread. A clock frequency of each processing unit may be configured based on the CPI of each thread assigned to the processing unit. In a system wherein higher clock frequencies consume greater amounts of power, the CPI may be used to determine a desirable clock frequency. The CPI of each thread may also be used to assign threads to each processing unit, so that threads having similar characteristics are grouped together. Techniques for assigning threads and configuring processor frequency may be combined to affect performance and power consumption. Various specifications or factors may also be considered when scheduling threads or determining processor frequencies.
US08219988B2
A partition adjunct is provided for a logical partition running above a hypervisor of a data processing system. The partition adjunct, which is a separate dispatchable partition from an instantiating logical partition, provides one or more services to the logical partition. A service request received from the logical partition is processed by the partition adjunct utilizing virtual address space donated to the partition adjunct from the logical partition. The partition adjunct and the logical partition share a common virtual address to real address page table, and context switching the current state machine from the logical partition to the partition adjunct occurs without invalidating or modifying state data of selected memory management and address translation hardware of the data processing system. In a hardware multithreaded system, the partition adjunct is dispatched on a single thread, while another thread continues to run in the logical partition initiating the service request.
US08219981B2
Code handling, such as interpreting language instructions or performing “just-in-time” compilation, is performed using a heterogeneous processing environment that shares a common memory. In a heterogeneous processing environment that includes a plurality of processors, one of the processors is programmed to perform a dedicated code-handling task, such as perform just-in-time compilation or interpretation of interpreted language instructions, such as Java. The other processors request code handling processing that is performed by the dedicated processor. Speed is achieved using a shared memory map so that the dedicated processor can quickly retrieve data provided by one of the other processors.
US08219980B2
An apparatus, program product and method identify a potential breakpoint location in a code path in a computer program based upon the frequency of execution of the code path as identified in collected profile data. By doing so, a potential breakpoint location may be identified for an infrequently executed code path and/or a frequently executed code path, and a breakpoint may be set at the identified breakpoint location. As such, breakpoints may be set in locations that may be more likely to assist a user in debugging the computer program and may result in more efficient debugging.
US08219979B2
Methods and arrangements for collecting tracing data from a plurality of threads of a program. A storage buffer is provided, a first number of units of tracing data for a first thread of the program is determined, and a second number of units of tracing data for a second thread of the program is determined. In the storage buffer, a first block of storage space is reserved for storing the first number of units of tracing data and a second block of storage space is reserved for storing the second number of units of tracing data. Tracing data are then written concurrently into the first and blocks.
US08219977B1
A method of testing software can include maintaining a cache within at least one of a plurality of farm machines of a testing farm. Each cache can include at least one version of test ingredients. The method can also include receiving, within at least one selected farm machine, a request to perform a test involving a test version of the test ingredients and comparing the test version of the test ingredients with versions of the test ingredients stored within the cache of the selected farm machine. The method can also include selectively updating a version of the test ingredients stored within the cache of the selected farm machine according to the comparison.
US08219971B2
A system and method of managing source code and, more particularly, a system and method for locking sections of source code to eliminate conflicts during concurrent use by multiple users. The method includes locking a first section of a file and at least a second section of the file to permit editing thereof by different users to the exclusion of other users. The method further includes merging edits of the locked first section with remaining sections of the file including any edits made to the at least second section without overwriting any edits.
US08219969B2
Programming the creation of a software system is facilitated by automating the generation of some of the program code that is necessary for the software system. The generation of program code may be automated based on a software design specification that can be created by developers. The software design specification may be scanned and code may be generated for implementing the software system based on information obtained from scanning the software design specification.
US08219968B2
Designing a computer program includes accessing invariant domain rules and displaying variable business rules. One or more business rules are selected in response to a user selection and are customized. The business rules are associated with a procedure, and the domain rules are associated with the procedure. A model representing the procedure is displayed, and a code corresponding to the procedure is generated to design a computer program.
US08219961B2
An automated method for compensating for process-induced variations in threshold voltage and drive current in a MOSFET integrated circuit. The method's first step is selecting a transistor for analysis from the array. The method loops among the transistors of the array as desired. Next the design of the selected transistor is analyzed, including the steps of determining threshold voltage variations induced by layout neighborhood; determining drive current variations induced by layout neighborhood. The method then proceeds by attempting to compensate for any determined variations by varying the length of the transistor gate. The method can further include the step of identifying any shortcoming in compensation by varying contact spacing.
US08219950B2
A circuit comprising a plurality of semiconductor inverting devices arranged in series is disclosed. Each of the semiconductor inverting devices comprise at least one NMOS transistor and at least one PMOS transistor and alternate ones of the inverting devices in the series comprise transistors having a first ratio of a width of the at least one PMOS transistor and the at least one NMOS transistor; and alternate ones of said inverting devices in the series comprise transistors having a second ratio of a width of the at least one PMOS transistor and the at least one NMOS transistor; wherein the first ratio and the second ratio are not equal and in some case, the first and second ratios are such that a sum of a delay in a rise time of a signal propagated by a first inverting device and a fall time of a signal propagated by a second inverting device is substantially equal to a delay in a fall time of a signal propagated by the first inverting device.
US08219948B2
A layout verification device according to the present invention includes a layout verification unit that outputs a first error graphic corresponding to an area where there is an inconsistency with a design rule in a first layout pattern, and includes a target error graphic setting unit that sets a processing target area including the first error graphic, an error graphic search unit that searches a second error graphic included in a processing target area of a second layout pattern where verification by the layout verification unit has already been performed, and an error graphic equivalence judgment unit that judges that the first error graphic and the second error graphic are non-equivalent when a second target vertex coordinate of the second error graphic does not match any one of a plurality of peripheral vertex coordinates set in grid intersections adjacent to the first target vertex coordinate of the first error graphic.
US08219944B2
A method, system, and computer program product are disclosed for performing RC extraction from the perspective of the block level. A translation mechanism is employed to convert from a full-chip design domain to a block-level design domain. This allows model-based prediction results to be used in the early design implementation flow when parasitic RC and timing extractions are performed, where the model-based prediction results relate to predictions of manufacturing variations such as thickness and topography.
US08219940B2
A method and apparatus to reduce occurrences of electrically non-functional elements, known as dummy features, from a source data structure is described. The source data structure may be image data, a vector based data structure or some other data format. Dummy features in the source data structure are detected and then deleted. Dummy features may be detected by selecting a representative dummy feature, using it as a reference pattern or polygon and comparing it to features in the source data structure. The step of comparing the selected reference to the comprises selecting a cut-off correlation threshold value, and computing the correlation coefficients between the reference and the feature. Features are selectively removed based on a comparison between their correlation coefficients and the selected cut-off correlation threshold value. This threshold value may require updating to remove all dummy features in the source data structure. When different shaped dummy features in the same data structure are encountered, a further reference feature may be selected and the process repeated.
US08219939B2
A method of creating photolithographic masks for semiconductor device features with reduced design rule violations is provided. The method begins by providing preliminary data that represents an overall mask pattern. The preliminary data is processed to decompose the overall mask pattern into a plurality of component mask patterns. Next, a design rule check is performed on the plurality of component mask patterns to identify tip-to-tip and tip-to-line violations in the plurality of component mask patterns. The method continues by modifying at least one of the plurality of component mask patterns in accordance with the identified violations to obtain a modified set of component mask patterns, wherein each mask pattern in the modified set of component mask patterns is void of tip-to-tip and tip-to-line violations. Photolithographic masks are then created for the modified set of component mask patterns.
US08219931B2
A method for prompting an outstanding event in screen lock state, an electronic device thereof, and a storage medium thereof are provided. In the present method, at least one outstanding event type is obtained first, wherein a corresponding occurrence time of each outstanding event type is greater than 0. Next, an amount of the outstanding event type is counted. Finally, a displaying position of an icon of each outstanding event type on a screen of the electronic device is adjusted according to the amount of the outstanding event types. As a result, a user can get the outstanding event type and the occurrence time thereof by the information shown on the screen, so as to increase the convenience of using the electronic device.
US08219928B2
A reproduction device including a reproduction unit configured to reproduce content data including at least one of audio, video, and text for which attribute data is assigned for each of a different plurality of attributes; a display unit; and a control unit configured to make the display unit display a playback screen containing at least one attribute data among the plurality of attribute data assigned to the content data when reproducing the content data and, when one attribute data among the attribute data composing the playback screen is selected, switch the display content of the content from the playback screen to the list relating to the selected attribute data.
US08219918B2
Various embodiments are disclosed for displaying multiple storage windows. One embodiment is a method that displays a first window having a depiction of storage capacity. The first window is expanded to nest two storage windows in the first window.
US08219908B2
A system and method for ink database searching using handwriting feature synthesis is disclosed which allows a digital ink database to be searched using a text-based query. Using a writer-specific handwriting model derived from a handwriting recognition system or suitable training procedure, a text query is converted into feature vectors that are similar to the feature vectors that would have been extracted had the author of the digital ink database written the text query by hand. The feature vectors are then used to search the database.
US08219907B2
A localization development system includes a platform that receives information to be localized to a target market that is distinct from a source market for which the information was originally authored. The platform calculates a recycle rate for the received information. The recycle rate is indicative of a portion of the information that has already been localized to the target market before the information to be localized was received from an authoring component.
US08219904B2
A system includes a meta-document, i.e., a document including content information which has a set of document service requests associated with it. A document service is a process which uses a portion of the document content as a starting point to obtain other information pertaining to that content. A scheduler selects a document service request from the set, then initiates and manages managing communication with a service provider to satisfy the selected document service. Any results received from the selected document service are integrated into the document.
US08219895B2
A DTV transmitter includes a pre-processor pre-processing enhanced data, a data formatter generating enhanced data packets including the pre-processed data and inserting known data place holders to the data packets, and a multiplexer multiplexing the enhanced data packets with main data packets. It further includes an RS encoder which RS-codes the multiplexed data packets, and a data interleaves which interleaves the RS-coded data packets. The RS encoder adds systematic RS parity data to each main data packet and adds non-systematic RS parity place holders to each enhanced data packet. The RS encoder adds the RS parity place holders such that the RS parity place holders are placed after the enhanced data within each interleaved enhanced data packet.
US08219883B2
Data accessing method for a flash memory, and a controller and a storage system using the same are provided. The data accessing method includes reading data from a physical address of a flash memory according to a physical address to be read corresponding to a logical address to be read in a read command, and determining whether or not the read physical address is the physical address to be read. The data accessing method also includes transmitting the data only if the read physical address is the physical address to be read. Accordingly, it is possible to ensure the transmitted data is data to be accessed by the read command.
US08219878B1
Systems and methods are provided for decoding received codewords using an LDPC code. An LDPC post-processor is disclosed for performing post-processing when standard LDPC decoding fails due to a trapping set. The LDPC post-processor may direct the LDPC decoder to decode the received codeword again, but may change some of the inputs to the LDPC decoder so that the LDPC decoder does not fail in the same way. In one embodiment, the LDPC post-processor may modify the symbol positions in the received codeword that correspond to a particular unsatisfied check. In another embodiment, the LDPC post-processor may modify the messages in the decoder's iterative message algorithm that correspond to the symbol positions.
US08219872B2
An extended deinterleaver the extended deinterleaver being responsive to at least one input signal, comprised of codewords, and operative to generate a deinterleaved output signal. The extended deinterleaver comprising a storage space organized into B number of appended storage branches, at least one appended storage branch having a storage branch and at least one element N, the received codewords being deinterleaved and buffered by the extended deinterleaver prior to being provided to the variable iteration decoder. Each appended storage branch further having a length that is extended by the length of N, N being at least one element, wherein as a codeword is provided to the variable iteration decoder, other codewords are provided to subsequent appended storage branches, and further wherein each appended storage branch, indexed by ‘b’, has a length of Lb+N, wherein Lb is the length of the storage branch prior to appending N.
US08219871B2
A system and method for dynamical decoupling of a quantum system includes forming a graph including elements to account for decoupling sequence effects represented as nodes in the graph and soft pulses applied being represented as edges in the graph. Sequences which visit edges and nodes in the graph are provided. Binary strings corresponding to the nodes in a coordinate system are mapped using a fixed linear error correcting code. A decoupling method is provided based upon a matrix formed using the error correcting code to determine features of the soft pulses to decouple environmental effects from the quantum system.
US08219868B1
Systems and methods are provided for a quasi-cyclic low-density parity check (QC-LDPC) encoders that have reduced memory requirements. In some embodiments, the LDPC encoder may store a quasi-cyclic parity seed matrix instead of a full code generator matrix. The LDPC encoder may receive a plurality of user symbols and compute a parity seed vector based at least in part on the received user symbols. The LDPC encoder may then use the quasi-cyclic parity seed matrix and the parity seed vector to generate a plurality of parity symbols for the user symbols. In some embodiments, the LDPC encoder may generate a full code generator matrix from a quasi-cyclic parity seed matrix instead of storing the full code generator matrix.
US08219865B2
A transmitter apparatus wherein a relatively simple structure is used to suppress burst errors without changing the block sizes of encoded blocks even when the number of modulation multi-values is increased. An encoding part subjects transport data to a block encoding process to form block encoded data. A modulating part modulates the block encoded data to form data symbols; and an arranging (interleaving) part arranges (interleaves) the block encoded data in such a manner that the intra-block encoded data of the encoded blocks, which include their respective single different data symbol, get together, and then supplies the arranged (interleaved) block encoded data to the modulating part. In this way, there can be provided a transmitter apparatus wherein a relatively simple structure is used to suppress burst errors without changing the block sizes of encoded blocks even when the number of modulation multi-values is increased.
US08219864B2
The invention relates to a circuit arrangement, comprising: a functional circuit with m (m=1, 2, . . . ) data inputs and n (n=1, 2, . . . ) data outputs for processing at least one m-dimensional binary data input (x1, . . . , xm) to form an n-dimensional data output (y1, . . . , yn), wherein the functional circuit comprises at least one combinatorial circuit part, at least two registers with a word length k (k=1, 2, . . . ; k≦n) which are coupled to at least some of the n data outputs of the functional circuit in order to store output values (y=y1, . . . , yk; y′=y′1, . . . , y′k) which are duplicated with respect to one another or are duplicated with bit-by-bit inversion with respect to one another, said output values being derived from the n-dimensional data output (y1, . . . , yn) of the functional circuit, at least one corrector with an input word length 2k and an output word length k, which is coupled to data outputs of the at least two registers and supplies a k-dimensional corrected data output (y[k](korr)=y1(korr), . . . , yk(korr)), and an error detection circuit for detecting errors during operation of at least one of the aforementioned circuit elements: the functional circuit, the at least two registers and the corrector.
US08219853B2
There is described a method for localizing faulty hardware components and/or system errors within a production plant comprising several hardware components, with the production plant and the individual hardware components thereof being managed and/or configured by means of automation software and with the production plant being visualized and/or controlled by means of HMI software. Provision is made for identification data of the hardware components and/or groups of hardware components to be detected by the automation software and for information relating to the site to be assigned to the individual hardware components and/or groups of hardware components by means of the automation software and/or HMI software on the basis of identification data such that in the event of error messages as a result of faulty hardware components or in the event of system errors, a localization of the affected hardware component and/or group of hardware components is enabled within the production plant.
US08219847B2
There is a need for providing a battery-less integrated circuit (IC) card capable of operating in accordance with a contact usage or a non-contact usage, preventing coprocessor throughput from degrading despite a decreased clock frequency for reduced power consumption under non-contact usage, and ensuring high-speed processing under non-contact usage. A dual interface card is a battery-less IC card capable of operating in accordance with a contact usage or a non-contact usage. The dual interface card operates at a high clock under contact usage and at a low clock under non-contact usage. A targeted operation comprises a plurality of different basic operations. The dual interface card comprises a basic arithmetic circuit group. Under the contact usage, the basic arithmetic circuit group performs one basic operation of the targeted operation at one cycle. Under the non-contact usage, the basic arithmetic circuit group sequentially performs at least two basic operations of the targeted operation at one cycle.
US08219846B2
A circuit of an integrated circuit for receiving video data having a plurality of data streams of pixel data and a pixel clock is disclosed. The circuit comprises a plurality of data recovery circuits, each data recovery circuit coupled to receive a corresponding data stream of the plurality of data streams and having a phase shifter generating a clock signal used to receive the data stream; and a channel deskew circuit coupled to receive the output of each data recovery circuit and the pixel clock. A method of receiving video data is also disclosed.
US08219845B2
A timer service uses a single timer function to perform timing services for both relative and absolute timers. The first timers from a sorted array of absolute timers and relative timers are used in a function that will return when the earliest absolute timer expires or will timeout when the earliest relative timer expires. The timer function may be interrupted when a new timer is added to one of the arrays. The function will operate in a predictable and consistent manner, even when a system clock is adjusted.
US08219835B1
Techniques for reducing power consumption in a data communications network are described where a power consuming component in a receiving node has a default disabled state and must be changed to an enabled state to enable the power consuming component. The receiving node includes a resonator that sends an enable signal to enable the power consuming component when the resonator receives an enabling data pattern. The power consuming component remains disabled until the enabling data pattern is received by the resonator.
US08219834B2
A mechanism is provided for predictively power gating a set of units within the data processing system. A second-level power gating controller monitors a set of events for each unit in a set of units within the data processing system. The second-level power gating controller identifies idle sequences of a predetermined set of cycles within the events from each unit where the unit is idle. The second-level power gating controller determines preceding sequences of a predetermined length that precede the idle sequences. The second-level power gating controller determines an accuracy of the preceding sequences. Responsive to the accuracy being above a threshold, the second-level power gating controller sends a permit command to a first-level power gating mechanism associated with the unit to permit power gating of the unit.
US08219832B2
A method for increasing efficiency of a voltage regulator in an information handling system (IHS) is provided. The method may include enabling one or more operating phases associated with the voltage regulator and initializing a switch configuration having at least one high-side switch and at least one low-side switch. In addition, the may method include initializing a dead-time value, sensing a load current, and adjusting the number of operating phases, the switch configuration, or the dead-time value in response to the load current.
US08219820B2
Execution of the ECMQV key agreement algorithm requires determination of an implicit signature, which determination involves arithmetic operations. Some of the arithmetic operations employ a long-term cryptographic key. It is the execution of these arithmetic operations that can make the execution of the ECMQV key agreement algorithm vulnerable to a power analysis attack. In particular, an attacker using a power analysis attack may determine the long-term cryptographic key. By modifying the sequence of operations involved in the determination of the implicit signature and the inputs to those operations, power analysis attacks may no longer be applied to determine the long-term cryptographic key.
US08219818B2
An information processing apparatus includes: a reproducing unit that reads, from a disc, a content and a content code file storing a content code that includes at least any one of a program or conversion data applied to a content reproducing process, to execute the content reproducing process; and a signature verification unit that verifies a digital signature set for the content code file. The signature verification unit verifies the signature using different pieces of set signature target data between a signature verification process executed in reproducing the content recorded in a ROM disc and a signature verification process executed in reproducing the content recorded in a non-ROM disc other than the ROM disc. The reproducing unit, when signature verification is successfully executed by the signature verification unit, applies the content code stored in the content code file, for which signature verification is successful, to reproduce the content.
US08219813B2
A method is provided for preventing a peripheral device such as an ATA disc drive, which is restricted to use with a designated host, being hot-plugged to another system after the drive is unlocked. Thus, violation of privacy of data (eg. music/video) stored on the drive through a hot-plug attack may be avoided. This is accomplished by maintaining time synchronization between the drive and its designated host so that both devices obtain the same seed from time information to generate a validation number at any time that a read/write command is issued from the host.
US08219808B2
A method and system for issuing anonymous, or user-independent, certificates for secure communication over a network, such as the Internet, to provide authentication and automated login to electronic services. A pool of user-independent certificates is generated. Once the user is identified, a user-independent roaming certificate is automatically transferred to the user's computer for encryption of communications during a single session. Once the user completes the online session or transaction, the issued digital certificate and associated key material is released back to the pool of digital certificates and can be re-used.
US08219805B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for identifying applications. In general, in one aspect, a method includes: obtaining a first certificate chain from certificates corresponding to a digitally signed application, and a second certificate chain from a successful validation of the digital signature using the certificates; and generating an identifier for the application based on one or more certificate owner names found in both the first certificate chain and the second certificate chain. Generating the identifier for the application can include finding a location in one of the first and second certificate chains that corresponds to a root of the other of the first and second certificate chains, and comparing the one or more certificate owner names found in both the first certificate chain and the second certificate chain, starting or ending with the root and the location.
US08219803B2
There is presented a system and method for unlocking a content associated with media. In one aspect, the method comprises identifying the media, generating an authentication key using at least one key data from a set of key data contained in the media, determining an address in the media of at least one content unit corresponding respectively to each of the at least one key data used to generate the authentication key; requesting the at least one content unit by providing the address; receiving user data in response to the requesting; comparing the user data with the at least one key data used to generate the authentication key; and unlocking the content associated with the media if the user data matches the authentication key.
US08219802B2
A first computer sends a request to the second computer to access the application. In response, the second computer determines that the user has not yet been authenticated to the application. In response, the second computer redirects the request to a third computer. In response, the third computer determines that the user has been authenticated to the third computer. In response, the third computer authenticates the user to the application. In response, the second computer returns a session key to the third computer for a session between the application and the user. The session has a scope of the second computer or the application but not a scope of a domain. In response to the authentication of the user to the second application and receipt by the third computer of the session key from the second computer for a session between the user and the second computer or the application, the third computer generates another session key with a scope of the domain and sends the domain-scope session key to the first computer. The first computer sends another request to the application with the domain-scope session key.
US08219800B2
In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving, by a router in a network, a router advertisement message on a network link of the network; detecting within the router advertisement message, by the router, an advertised address prefix and an identified router having transmitted the router advertisement message within the network; determining, by the router, whether the identified router is authorized to at least one of advertise itself as a router, or advertise the advertised address prefix on the network link; and selectively initiating, by the router, a defensive operation against the identified router based on the router determining the identified router is not authorized to advertise itself as a router, or advertise the advertised address prefix on the network link.
US08219795B2
According to one embodiment of an information processing apparatus includes: a storage medium including, a first partition that stores a first operating system and data, and a second partition that stores a second operating system and a data rescue program; a switch that allows a user to enter a command for booting the second operating system; and a boot control section that boots the second operating system when the command is entered. The data rescue program is executed when the second operating system is booted, and performs at least one of recovering and backing up the data stored in the first partition.
US08219793B2
A storage medium to manage a master boot record and a method of booting a computer system using the storage medium. The storage medium includes a master boot record sector area having a master boot record related to a booting operation being currently performed stored therein, a data storage area having a master boot record that is previously changed stored therein, and a firmware to communicate with a host device and to manage the master boot record sector area and the data storage area, wherein, when an error occurs in the master boot record stored in the master boot record sector area, the firmware selects a specific master boot record from the data storage area and stores the selected master boot record in the master boot record sector area.
US08219789B2
The invention provides a processor comprising a first port operable to generate a first indication dependent on a first activity at the first port, and a second port operable to generate a second indication dependent on a second activity at the second port. The processor also comprises an execution unit arranged to execute multiple threads; and a thread scheduler connected to receive the indications and arranged to schedule the multiple threads for execution by the execution unit based on those indications. The scheduling includes suspending the execution of a thread until receipt of the respective ready signal. The first activity and the second activity are each associated with respective corresponding threads.
US08219787B2
In one embodiment, a processor comprises a retire unit and a load/store unit coupled thereto. The retire unit is configured to retire a first store memory operation responsive to the first store memory operation having been processed at least to a pipeline stage at which exceptions are reported for the first store memory operation. The load/store unit comprises a queue having a first entry assigned to the first store memory operation. The load/store unit is configured to retain the first store memory operation in the first entry subsequent to retirement of the first store memory operation if the first store memory operation is not complete. The queue may have multiple entries, and more than one store may be retained in the queue after being retired by the retire unit.
US08219769B1
A system and method for identifying properties of virtual resources to efficiently perform backups and restores of cluster data. A cluster of nodes is coupled to a data storage medium. A node receives a request for a backup or a restore of cluster data. In response to this request, the node queries a cluster subsystem and a virtual subsystem of all other cluster nodes for identification of VMs, a subset of corresponding stored data, and an identification of VMs which are highly available (HA). In response to receiving query responses, the node aggregates the results and sends them to a backup server. These aggregated results may then be used to schedule subsequent backup and restore operations. In addition, the node may use the results to complete the current backup or restore operation.
US08219768B2
A replication system capable of automatically forming an authentic copy pair with a primary volume at a copy destination system without depending on an operator and realizing the pair formation without labeling a tape is provided.A system for performing initial copying of data of a copy source volume from a portable storage medium storing the data of the copy source volume to a copy destination volume is characterized in that the portable storage medium stores management information about the copy source volume, wherein a system to which the copy destination volume belongs copies data of the portable storage medium to copy destination volume information, reads the management information from the copy destination volume, and sends it to a system to which the copy source volume belong; and this system judges whether these pieces of information are authentic or not; and if an affirmative judgment is returned, it is determined that the copy source volume and the copy destination volume constitute an authentic copy pair.
US08219767B2
A information processing apparatus includes, upon instructing for writing back stored contents of a main memory unit to the stored contents of the main memory unit at the time of previous modification in a sequence number that is used for identifying whether write back to the main memory unit is needed, from a backup data stored in a backup memory unit, the sequence number stored in a sequence number memory unit. The information processing apparatus selects the backup data including an integrity verification data indicating that writing is carried out completely. The information processing apparatus extracts an original data and a write destination address included in the selected backup data and writes the original data, for each original data and the write address extracted from the backup data, to a storage area, of the main memory unit, indicated by the write destination address.
US08219763B2
A design structure for performing cacheline polling utilizing a store and reserve instruction are disclosed. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a first process initially requests an action to be performed by a second process. A reservation is set at a cacheable memory location via a store operation. The first process reads the cacheable memory location via a load operation to determine whether or not the requested action has been completed by the second process. The load operation of the first process is stalled until the reservation on the cacheable memory location is lost. After the requested action has been completed, the reservation in the cacheable memory location is reset by the second process.
US08219761B2
A device that includes multiple processors that are connected to multiple level-one cache units. The device also includes a multi-port high-level cache unit that includes a first modular interconnect, a second modular interconnect, multiple high-level cache paths; whereas the multiple high-level cache paths comprise multiple concurrently accessible interleaved high-level cache units. Conveniently, the device also includes at least one non-cacheable path. A method for retrieving information from a cache that includes: concurrently receiving, by a first modular interconnect of a multiple-port high-level cache unit, requests to retrieve information. The method is characterized by providing information from at least two paths out of multiple high-level cache paths if at least two high-level cache hit occurs, and providing information via a second modular interconnect if a high-level cache miss occurs.
US08219759B2
Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to send a window copy message including changed window identification information to a remote node when metadata associated with a changed foreground window at a local node has been cached, and otherwise, to locally cache the window metadata and send the window metadata and window pixel data to the remote node. When a preselected minimum bandwidth connection is not available between the local node and the remote node, additional operations may include sending a rectangle paint message including changed rectangle identification information to the remote node when rectangle metadata associated with a changed rectangle of a designated minimum size at the local node has been cached, and otherwise, to locally cache the rectangle metadata and send the rectangle metadata and rectangle pixel data to the remote node. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
US08219754B2
Improved thrashing aware and self configuring cache architectures that reduce cache thrashing without increasing cache size or degrading cache hit access time, for a DSP. In one example embodiment, this is accomplished by selectively caching only the instructions having a higher probability of recurrence to considerably reduce cache thrashing.
US08219751B2
A redundant array of independent disk (RAID) stack loads a parity block of RAID data from a main memory into a first register of a processing device and loading the parity block into a cache memory of the processing device. The RAID stack loads a first data block of the RAID data from the main memory into a second register of the processing device without loading the first data block into the cache memory of the processing device. The processing device performs a first parity calculation based on the parity block of the first register and the first data block of the second register.
US08219745B2
A method, an apparatus, and a computer program are provided to account for data stored in Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) write buffers. There is difficulty in tracking the data stored in DRAM write buffers. To alleviate the difficulty, a cache line list is employed. The cache line list is maintained in a memory controller, which is updated with data movement. This list allows for ease of maintenance of data without loss of consistency.
US08219740B2
A non-volatile flash memory comprises a plurality of non-volatile memories where a first non-volatile memory is pre-programmed (erased) with all ones, and at least a second non-volatile memory is pre-programmed with a seed value that takes advantage of the reduced programming time for less than six zeros. When writing (programming) a data byte, the memory system looks up the data byte in one or more seed tables to determine a portion of non-volatile memory to which the memory system may write the data byte with a reduced programming time. The memory system then records the location of the data byte in an address translation table so the data byte may be accessed.
US08219733B2
When initializing a device, an operation mode of the device is acquired and stored by a predetermined procedure using a predetermined pin. In response to a command, the device executes a signal assignment on a plurality of data pins peculiar to an operation mode indicated by the received command, thereby switching a data transfer width, and allowing the device to operate in the operation mode designated by the received command.
US08219730B2
In the novel device and the novel method the data to be transmitted is transmitted in units together with information that is required or useful for the transmission and/or the use of the data. At least some of the units comprise at least one region which defines a time slot within which freely selectable devices can output onto the bus data representing freely selectable information at freely selectable points in time.
US08219727B2
A bridge device for a disk drive has the I/O terminals to which an external automatic controlling apparatus is connected, so the external automatic controlling apparatus directly controls a disk tray of the disk drive to move in or move out without a computer. In addition, the bridge device also further has a computer connecting port, to which the external computer is connected. The computer controls operations of the disk drive.
US08219722B2
An emulator schedules emulation threads for DMA emulation and other emulation functions in a time-multiplexed manner. Emulation threads are selected for execution according to a load balancing scheme. Non-DMA emulation threads are executed until their execution time period expires or they stall. DMA emulation thread execution is allowed to execute indefinitely until the DMA emulation thread stalls. The DMA emulation thread prefetches additional adjacent data in response to target computer system DMA requests. Upon receiving a target computer system DMA request, the DMA emulation thread first checks to the prefetched data to see if this data matches the request. If so, the request is fulfilled using the prefetched data. If the prefetched data does not match the target computer system DMA request, the DMA emulation thread fetches and stores the requested data and additional adjacent data for potential future use.
US08219721B2
A mobile terminal and switching method for controlling data transmission interface thereof are provided. The mobile terminal includes an application processor, a communication processor and data transmission interfaces thereof, the application processor including a traffic monitor unit and an interface control unit, wherein the traffic monitor unit is configured to detect data traffic of data transmission, compare the data traffic with a preset threshold to obtain a comparison result, and output the comparison result; and the interface control unit is configured to control, on receipt of the comparison result, the connection or disconnection of a high-speed data line between the application processor and the communication processor, and to transmit a corresponding interface switching command to the communication processor for switching the data transmission interface. With the present system, the power consumption of the system can be reduced and the efficiency of the data transmission can be improved.
US08219720B2
A method and architecture for enabling interaction between a remote device and a host computer. A service provided by the remote device is discovered, and a description pertaining to the service is retrieved by the host computer. A network communication link is the established between the remote device and the host computer based on connection information provided by the description. Host-side and client-side software service modules are run on the host and remote devices to enable interaction between the devices using a service protocol that is specific to the service. Various service protocols are provided, including a display service protocol and an input service protocol. Using commands provided by each protocol, the host computer is enabled to control the service remotely by pushing data and appropriate commands to the remote device, whereupon these commands are processed by the client-side service module to perform service operations that employ the sent data.
US08219718B2
An electronic apparatus (10) has a plurality of functions. A key code recognizing unit (13) recognizes an input of a key code for requesting setting of a parameter about a setting particular related to each function. A storage unit (17) stores handling information (172) for handling setting restriction, for each setting particular whose parameter is restricted from being set in relation to other setting particulars. When the key code recognizing unit (13) recognizes an input of a key code for requesting setting of a parameter, a guidance process unit (15) determines whether setting of the parameter is restricted or not. If setting of the parameter is restricted, the guidance process unit (15) reads out handling information (172) for handling the setting restriction from the storage unit (17) and outputs it to a window control unit (14). The window control unit (14) displays the handling information (172) on a display unit (16).
US08219717B2
A port setting method of an application system comprises: requesting a naming server for object information corresponding to name information of the other components upon data transmission to the other components; determining whether there exists consistent information based on the object information of the other components received from the naming server; if there exists consistent information, selecting a first and certain protocol, and otherwise, selecting a second protocol; and establishing a connection with the other components by use of the selected protocol. The actual location of the components can be sensed based on Endpoint information of IOR without adding no particular information to the domain profile (xml profile), and a more efficient protocol can be selected depending on the position of each component, thereby enhancing data transmission performance and efficiency in SCA port communications between components.
US08219707B2
A storage network structure comprises a primary distributed storage network (a cluster distributed storage network or a DHT (Distributed Hash Table)-based peer-to-peer storage network) and a Peterson graph-based storage network. The storage network structure provides different reliability classes for applications and combines the advantages of a peer-to-peer based distributed network storage with Peterson graph-based network storage, solve the problem of a large quantity of data migrating by utilizing the better media data migrating non-movable property from the Peterson graph-based network storage, and screen the single failure of the cluster storage structure and avoid performance degradation of peer-to-peer wide area storage by combining with the availability and robustness of Distributed Hash Table.
US08219703B2
The present invention relates to a method and an electronic equipment for a communication system enabling information sharing, wherein desired information contents are transmitted by few user operations. Electronic equipment comprises a information processing means (16) for processing information according to the operation of the user, a detecting means (15) for detecting the information sharing command, an information content determining means (S2) for determining information content to be transmitted by detecting the current user action, a determine S2 recipient determining means (S3) for determining the recipient of said information content; and content to be transmitting means (S5) for transmitting said information content to the determined recipient via transmitted a communication link.
US08219697B2
A SIP server can be distributed over a cluster network and handle the processing of various SIP communications. A Diameter protocol web application can be deployed on the engine tier of the SIP server for enabling communication between the SIP server and an HSS. A profile service API can be provided that allows applications running on the SIP server to access user profile data stored on the HSS. The applications can also be allowed to subscribe to notifications about changes to the user profile data on the HSS. An Sh interface provider can be deployed on the SIP server for generating and responding to Diameter command codes. SIP servlets can access the user profile data in the form of an XML document.
US08219696B2
A method, system, and computer program product for providing VLAN capacity requirement estimation is provided. The method includes receiving at a computing system a VLAN configuration file that specifies VLAN access ports, VLAN switches and VLAN trunks in a VLAN. A target access port identifier is received at the computing system from a requestor. A target trunk and target switch corresponding to the target access port are determined at the computing system. A bandwidth contribution of the target access port to the VLAN is calculated at the computing system. The calculating is based on a least contribution algorithm that reflects an impact of provisioning the target access port with respect to trunk capacity, and is responsive to the target bandwidth requirement, the target class of service and placement of the target port in the VLAN. The bandwidth contribution is then transmitted to the requestor.
US08219694B2
A portable communication terminal apparatus which is connected to a router through a cable includes a storage which stores a plurality of allocated Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, a detector which detects information on the cable connected to the router, and an address setting part which sets one of the plurality of IP addresses as a network IP address based on the detected information on the cable.
US08219693B1
Techniques are described for providing enhanced access to stored data and related functionality, such as data stored by a system across multiple alternative storage partitions. At least some of the stored data may be specific to particular users who interact with the system, such as for users to perform tasks supplied by other users. The enhanced data access techniques may include storing at least a subset of each user's associated data on a single storage partition, and then efficiently identifying the storage partition corresponding to a user so that requests from that user may be handled by a computing node associated with that corresponding storage partition. Furthermore, additional data access enhancement techniques may relate to initially identifying an appropriate storage partition for a user and/or for migrating existing user data to a new partition identified as being appropriate for a user.
US08219691B1
In a method for waking up a computer, a data unit is received at a first port of a network switching device via a first network link. The first port of the network switching device is coupled to the first network link. The network switching device is used to determine whether the data unit includes data indicative of a wake-up event for the computer, and to change a state of a second network link to wake up the computer if the data unit includes data indicative of the wake-up event for the computer. The second network link is coupled to a second port of the network switching device.
US08219677B2
The invention disclosed herein enables a collection of computers and associated communications infrastructure to offer a new communications process which allows information providers to broadcast information to a population of information consumers. The information may be targeted to those consumers who have a precisely formulated need for the information. This targeting may be based on information which is inaccessible to other communications protocols. The targeting also includes a time element. Information can be brought to the attention of the consumer precisely when it has become applicable, which may occur immediately upon receipt of the message, but may also occur long after the message arrives. The communications process may operate without intruding on consumers who do not exhibit the precisely-specified need for the information, and it may operate without compromising the security or privacy of the consumers who participate.
US08219664B2
The invention relates to a method for defining the nodes of a management structure used in device management in a device management system. In the arrangement, case sensitivity information is associated with at least one node to define whether to distinguish between upper-case and lower-case letters. At least one node is defined according to the case sensitivity information.
US08219663B2
A method and apparatus is described for enabling an advanced notification rule. According to one embodiment, the advanced notification rule may be generated to suspend, redirect or automatically acknowlegde standard notifications, or transmit supplement notifications.
US08219660B2
A building automation system (BAS) network manager supporting a plurality of device protocols coupled to at least one communication network, and a plurality of logical connections to individual BAS networks to multiple end devices of a BAS. The BAS network manager can communicate with each of the end devices regardless of the protocol or protocol version of the BAS network by implementing a protocol stack above the link layer for each protocol or protocol version, providing an integrated multi-BAS network interface, and maintaining a device identifier for each BAS network the network manager is coupled to in the protocol stack.
US08219654B2
A highly available central controller to store and enforce valid state transitions of distributed components is provided for centrally controlling access to a service. Central control is provided by a database with an API according to a set of stored procedures, which provides a virtual view to requesters that seek to read or manipulate service entities.
US08219651B2
An incentive network equipped with methods for distributing incentives on a network-wide basis and for permitting user access to individual incentives from any network server. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method performed by a server for accessing incentives in an network, comprises steps of receiving an access request from a device associated with a user and connected to the network, transmitting identifying information corresponding to the access request to a host, receiving incentive information from the host reflecting available incentives corresponding to the identifying information, and transmitting a network document, including the incentive information, to the device associated with the user in response to the access request. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a computer-implemented method for accessing incentives in an network, comprises transmitting an access request to access a server in the network, receiving a subscriber request for a subscriber ID associated with the access request, transmitting the subscriber ID to the server, and receiving in response to the access request incentive information reflecting available incentives corresponding to the subscriber ID, wherein the server provides the subscriber ID to a host that selects and transmits the incentive information to the server.
US08219643B2
A method of information processing in a server/client system including a server for storing content and a client for receiving from the server and storing copy content of the content stored in the server. The method includes the steps of: the server generating at least either a content-ID list storing content-IDs corresponding to content for which use-expiration-date updating is permitted out of the copy content stored in the client or a content-ID list storing content-IDs corresponding to content for which use-expiration-date updating is not permitted, transmitting the content-ID list to the client; and the client selectively performing update processing of use-expiration date out of the copy content stored in that client or invalidation processing of the copy content stored in that client based on the content-ID list received from the server.
US08219640B2
Content item requests are identified in a web page source document. For each request, it is determined if a content item request has been generated, and if a content item request has not been generated, a content item request for all requests in the web page source document is generated.
US08219633B2
A method and system for acceleration of access to a web page using next page optimization, caching and pre-fetching techniques. The method comprises receiving a web page responsive to a request by a user; analyzing the received web page for possible acceleration improvements of the web page access; generating a modified web page of the received web page using at least one of a plurality of pre-fetching techniques; providing the modified web page to the user, wherein the user experiences an accelerated access to the modified web page resulting from execution of the at least one of a plurality of pre-fetching techniques; and storing the modified web page for use responsive to future user requests.
US08219631B2
Devices, systems, and methods are directed towards ranking of messages based on a hop distance a forwarded message travels through a social network. As a message is forwarded by a member of the social network the hop distance increases. As the message is forwarded, recipients and/or senders may view the hop distance in real-time. The hop distance may reflect a number of times the message is forwarded to reach a recipient, or the maximum number of times the message is forwarded. The message may be displayed to a member in a rank ordering based on the hop distance, and messages with hop distances below a defined value may be deleted from a displayed list after a period of time. In one embodiment, a message may be forwarded anonymously to, for example, encourage members to forward the message.
US08219630B2
A sending device locates and stores identifying information for each electronic message sent by the device. A receiving device, upon receipt of an electronic message, locates identifying information for the electronic message and the purported sending device of the message. The receiving device communicates a confirmation request to the purported sending device which contains identifying information for the message. The sending device receives confirmation messages and replies to such messages confirming that the message was sent if identifying information in the confirmation request corresponds to identifying information stored by the sending device and denying that the message was sent if the identifying information in the confirmation request does not correspond to stored data.
US08219624B2
An apparatus, system, and method for electronic communication initiation contingent on busyness. The method includes receiving a request from a requester to contact a user. The requested contact includes a request to engage in electronic communication. The method also includes determining a busyness of the user. The busyness is determined by accessing a quantity of active contact related tasks for the user. The method also includes comparing the busyness of the user to a condition. The condition is a complex condition having threshold levels for a plurality of contact related tasks. The method also includes contacting the user in response to satisfaction of the condition.
US08219623B2
A schema for a rule transport engine to be applied to an email having multiple recipients. The schema defines a rule which executes one or more specific actions for a particular recipient or a particular group of recipients receiving a message instance of a bifurcated message when the message meets certain conditions.
US08219622B2
A system includes at least one network device that allows users to establish peering connections between ports in different geographic locations via web-based interfaces.
US08219619B2
There is provided a data management server that is connectable to a plurality of content servers that store content data and metadata that includes content data attribute information and to a client device that acquires the content data based on the metadata. The data management server includes a data collection portion, a data processing portion, and a transmission portion. The data collection portion collects the metadata from each of the plurality of the content servers. The data processing portion hierarchically structures the metadata that the data collection portion collected, based on the attribute information that is included in the metadata. The transmission portion, in response to a request from the client device, transmits to the client device the metadata that was hierarchically structured by the data processing portion.
US08219617B2
The present invention provides a game system 100, a game terminal 10, and a server device 40. Game system 100 allows players to play a game in a unit of a group constituting one game terminal 10 that has been selected as a parent node and game terminals 10 that have been selected as child nodes. The parent node is capable of communicating with each node, and each child node is capable of communicating with the parent node. The selection of the parent node is performed by server device 40. A parent node is selected based on bandwidth notified from each game terminal 10.
US08219603B2
This disclosure concerns a waveform corrector comprising a first portion calculating an offset value of an intermediate value between a maximum value and a minimum value of a signal with respect to a reference value; a second portion calculating an actual amplitude of the signal by subtracting the offset value from the maximum value or the minimum value; a third portion generating a first correction signal by subtracting the offset value from the digital signal; a fourth portion subtracting a value obtained by shifting a figure of the actual amplitude from the actual amplitude so that the actual amplitude converges into a reference amplitude; and a fifth portion subtracting a value obtained by shifting the first correction signal by an amount identical to a shift amount of the actual amplitude from the first correction signal so that the first correction signal converges into a second correction signal.
US08219602B2
An apparatus for generating random data includes a raw random sequence source adapted to generate a raw random sequence and a digital post processor adapted to process the raw random sequence to generate the random data, wherein the digital post-processor includes a synchronous finite state machine having at least one input adapted to repeatedly receive a current value of the raw random sequence and at least one output to provide a current output value depending on previous values of the raw random sequence.
US08219601B1
A method for operating a computer for generating a comprehensive and exclusive list of prime numbers which are less than or equal to a selected large integer M, the method including steps of operating the computer to establish a row head series R, to establish an integer value A, to establish an integer value L, to establish a series of integer rows based on R and A, to cyclicly generate and regenerate the series of integer rows based upon cyclicly redefined values of R and A, and to perform prime and non-prime labeling of members of a very large finally generated series of integer rows in the manner of the method of the Sieve of Eratosthenes.
US08219588B2
In one aspect of the present invention, a software component for conducting digital forensic searches is described. The software component has a header; one or more search markup language programs, and a data features section. The software component, also referred to as a search pack, enables a first entity, such as a federal investigation agency, to share its suspect and sensitive data with a second entity, such as another investigative agency in a manner that allows the second agency to utilize the suspect data while not revealing the actual content of the sensitive data to the second agency. The second agency can perform comparisons and other operations on the sensitive data without having to know the actual content of the data. The search pack allows an investigative agency to define an investigative strategy for a particular case via the search markup language programs and by the data features that it includes in the search pack. Thus, by sharing search packs among agencies, an agency can share or inform others of that agency's theory of the case and investigative goal. Search packs can also be updated automatically as new information is learned about a particular case. A search pack is updated is determined by the agency that created it and manages it.
US08219582B2
A system, a method, and a computer readable media for identifying a user-initiated log file record in a log file are provided. The log file has a user-initiated log file record and a repeating pattern of log file records automatically generated by a software program. The system allows a user to identify first and second timestamp values corresponding to first and second times which identify a time interval of interest in the log file. The system further analyzes the log file to identify the user-initiated log file record having a timestamp value between the first and second timestamp values. The system further identifies the repeating pattern of log file records in the log file.
US08219580B2
Dynamic management of multiple persistent data stores is disclosed. One or more data objects are associated with a client context, e.g., an instance of a client application program. The one or more data objects are retrieved from one or more of a plurality of persistent data stores and provided to the client context in a manner such that the one or more data objects appear to the client context to come from a single source, even if in fact the objects have been retrieved from two or more different persistent stores.
US08219578B2
High-precision local search is performed on the Internet. A map image-rendering software provider embeds spatial keys into maps, which are then provided to producers of Internet content such as map providers. For example, a homeowner may post a message on a web bulletin board advertising his house for sale, and including a map showing the location of the house. When a search engine's web crawler encounters a page having a spatial key embedded in an image, the spatial key is indexed with the other content on the page. Because the spatial key identifies a small geographic area, indexing the content with the spatial key allows search queries to be limited by area and still provide useful results. Thus, a user of a search engine searching for “house for sale” in a specific area will be directed to web pages that meet the geographic and content search terms.
US08219575B2
A representative parameterized query in a second database query language is generated from a parameterized query in first database query language. By randomly generating a query in the first database query language, translating this query into the second database query language, and then identifying locations of relevant parameters in the translated query, parameter placeholders can then be substituted at the identified locations to provide a parameterized query in the second database query language. A representative parameterized query in the second database query language can be selected by randomly generating multiple parameterized queries and applying statistical methods including Monte Carlo methods.
US08219573B2
A method of the present invention includes: inputting a state transition diagram that represents first transitions between a plurality of states; inputting a mapping function that maps a given state to a value within a certain range; mapping each of the states with the mapping function to obtain mapping values, and perform grouping of the states into a plurality of groups based on the mapping values; for each of pairs of two groups obtained by combining two of the groups, setting a second transition from one group of the two groups to the other group when there is at least one first transition between therein; generating a representative transition path which is a sequence of the second transitions by tracing sequentially the second transitions; converting the representative transition path to a transition path in the state transition diagram; outputting the transition path as the test case.
US08219571B2
Provided are an object verification apparatus and method. The object verification apparatus includes a matching unit performing a plurality of different matching algorithms on a query image and generating a plurality of scores; a score normalization unit normalizing each of the generated scores to be adaptive to the query image; a weight estimation unit estimating weights of the normalized scores based on the respective matching algorithms applied; and a score fusion unit fusing the normalized scores by respectively applying the weights estimated by the weight estimation unit to the normalized scores.
US08219570B2
A system and method for automatically generating a query to a DICOM server are disclosed. The system comprises patient identification information encoded in a tangible medium. The system further comprises a reading device to read the encoded patient identification information from the tangible medium. The system also includes a computer-based platform hosting a medical software application. The computer-based platform operationally interfaces to the reading device to receive the read patient identification information from the reading device and to automatically generate a DICOM query, using the medical software application, such that the DICOM query includes at least a portion of the patient identification information. The system further comprises at least one DICOM server operationally interfacing to the computer-based platform to receive the DICOM query from the computer-based platform.
US08219562B1
A data object management scheme for storing a large plurality of small data objects (e.g., image files) in small number of large object stack file for storage in secondary storage (e.g., hard disks). By storing many individual data objects in a single object stack file, the number of files stored in the secondary storage is reduced by several orders of magnitude, from the billions or millions to the hundreds or so. Index data for each object stack file is generated and stored in primary storage to allow efficient and prompt access to the data objects. Requests to store or retrieve the data objects are made using HTTP messages including file identifiers that identify the files storing the data objects and keys identifying the data objects. A file server stores or retrieves the data object from secondary storage of a file server without converting the requests to NSF or POSIX commands.
US08219559B2
An information recording/reproducing apparatus is disclosed which includes: a recording section for recording files to a storage medium; an arranging section for arranging the files into groups by attribute so as to establish allocation of the files on the storage medium; and a controlling section for controlling the recording section so as to record the files to the storage medium based on the allocation established by the arranging section and to record concurrently allocation information reflecting the allocation to a predetermined location on the storage medium.
US08219557B2
A method, system and article of manufacture therefor, are disclosed for automatically generating a query from document content.
US08219556B2
A device of the invention includes a search inputting unit inputting a search object service and a search condition of content; a first search processing unit, when an accumulation method corresponding to an inputted search object service is a preliminary accumulation method, searching the metadata coincident with an inputted search condition in a first metadata storage; a second search processing unit, in case that the accumulation method corresponding to the inputted search object service is a search-based accumulation method, when the inputted search condition is registered in a second metadata storage in association with the inputted search object service, obtaining corresponding metadata from the second metadata storage, whereas when not registered, obtain and accumulate the metadata coincident with the inputted search condition in the second metadata storage in association with the inputted search condition; and a search-result displaying unit displaying the metadata acquired.
US08219555B1
Some embodiments provide an application for retrieving, tagging, analyzing, and delivering content. The application includes a tag receiver for receiving content from a content provider and for retrieving tags from a tag pool and a tag processor for receiving the content and tags from the tag receiver. The tag processor includes (i) a tag assignor for associating a set of tags to the content and (ii) a tag chain organizer for organizing the set of tags into a tag chain table. The application further includes a tag score calculator for computing a tag score metric for each tag from the set of tags and associating the tag score metric with a particular subset of tags from the set. In some embodiments, the tag processor is further for receiving feedback from a feedback manager. The tag chain table of some embodiments includes a list of tag chains, a user type associated with each tag chain, and an affinity score associated with each user.
US08219548B2
The execution of a process is analyzed by a data processing method using a data analysis device for processing a job by combining the processes of transforming input data and generating output data. The execution history of the process is recorded, and each time the process is executed, it is determined whether the process execution has a high anomaly probability based on a predetermined determination indicator. Upon determining that the process execution has a high anomaly probability, the process log information of the process including the determination indicator is recorded, and based on the process log information and the process execution history, the process with the high anomaly probability is further analyzed. By determining whether the process is anomalous or not, the process history analysis information including the analysis result and the execution history of the process to be analyzed is generated.
US08219539B2
Techniques and systems are disclosed for returning temporally-aware results from an Internet-based search query. To determine if a query is temporally-based one or more query features are collected and input into a trained classifier, yielding a temporal classification for the query. Further, if a query is classified as temporal, the query results are shifted by determining an alternate set of results for the query, and returning one or more alternate results to one or more users. Based on user interactions with the one or more alternate results, the classifier can be updated, for example, by changing the query to a non-temporal query if the user interactions identify it as such.
US08219529B2
A method and apparatus for retention of active data stored in memory using multiple indexing systems for data storage. An embodiment of a method for retention of active data in a storage server includes reading data into a first location of a main memory of the storage server. The data in the first location indexes data elements in a long-term data storage in a first manner. The method further provides for copying the data from the first location into a second location in the main memory of the storage server, where the data in the second location indexing the data elements in the long-term data storage in a second manner.
US08219522B2
Computer programs embodied in computer-readable media for managing temporal data in relational databases are provided. According to one embodiment, a computer program comprises logic for storing temporal data in tables stored in a database and using a single schema. The schema includes a first column designating an identifier of an object represented in a row of a table and columns designating an effective-time period. For a past effective-time period, the state of the object as it existed is described by atemporal data in the row. For a present effective-time period, the present state of the object is described. For a future effective-time period, the state of the object as it will exist is described by the atemporal data. Additional logic stores additional data in the tables, such as business data describing the state of the object.
US08219519B2
A method is provided for detecting trends in service repairs for vehicles. Service repair verbatims are accessed from a warranty database that includes information relating to an identified concern with the vehicle. A thesaurus of service repair related terms is provided. The service repair related terms are each associated with at least one of a component category, a concern category, a cause category, and a correction of repair category. Key terms are identified in each service repair verbatim that have an association with the service repair related terms in the thesaurus. The key terms are extracted from each of the service repair verbatims. A user selectively generates a report based on a key term in the component category and at least one other key term from at least one other category. The report identifies an aggregate number of service repair verbatims associated with the key terms selected by the user.
US08219517B2
A multi-class sampling component (MCSC) is described for selecting samples associated with two or more sampling classes to produce output information. The overall set of samples in the output information exhibits a desirable Poisson distribution. Further, each subset of samples associated with each respective class exhibits a Poisson distribution. The MCSC selects samples based on intra-class radius information (describing the minimum allowed distances between same-class samples) and inter-class radius information (describing the minimum allowed distances between different-class samples). The MCSC can be applied to different applications, such as an object placement application, a color stippling application, a sensor design application, and so on.
US08219507B2
A node, a computer program storage medium, and a method for a hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) network where at least one of its nodes generates a top-down message and sends the top-down message to one or more children nodes in the HTM network. The first top-down message represents information about the state of a node and functions as feedback information from a current node to its child node. The node may also maintain history of the input patterns or co-occurrences so that temporal relationships between input patterns or co-occurrences may be taken into account in an inference stage. By providing the top-town message and maintaining history of previous input patterns, the HTM network may, among others, (i) perform more accurate inference based on temporal history, (ii) make predictions, (iii) discriminate between spatial co-occurrences with different temporal histories, (iv) detect “surprising” temporal patterns, (v) generate examples from a category, and (vi) fill in missing or occluded data.
US08219501B2
Individuals, couples, and families subscribe to a community for facilitating the arrangement of their outings and social meetings. Subscribers fill in wish-lists to specify their level of interest in specific attractions, in getting together with specific other subscribers, and in arranging their specific schedules for outings. An encounter generator processes the subscriber wish-lists to identify matches of subscribers who are interested in the same attraction, who favor each other's company, and who are free at the same time. The system notifies the matched subscribers, optionally offering ticketing and/or reservation assistance. Partial matches are optionally referred to the respective subscribers for negotiating the unmatched schedule or attraction. The system is adaptable to serve singles who wish to identify and get to know a prospective mate through mutual visits to attractions, as well as individuals, couples, and families who want to go out with their existing friends or make new friends.
US08219499B2
The business review application provides a customer with a bank-hosted business review platform that provides an advertising and feedback service for the bank's business customers and provides a rating, review, feedback, and recommendation service for the bank's individual and business customers. Thus, the bank's customers can rate and review the bank's business customers. The bank uses its authentication systems used by its customers to access online banking services to authenticate the identity of the customer creating a business review in the business review platform. In some embodiments, the business review application only permits its customers to make one review of a business within a certain period of time or one review after a transaction with that business shows up in the customer's transaction information maintained by the bank. In this way, the bank can host a review platform that is much more accurate and trust-worthy than traditional business review platforms.
US08219494B1
Brokering use of media assets based on rights provided by rights holders and licensing terms requested by potential licensees. Rights include use attributes, geographic attributes, and time attributes. Use attributes include one or more parent categories of uses, such as print advertising, web promotion, etc. Each parent category includes one or more specific uses, such as magazine advertisement, newspaper advertisement, etc. Rights are obtained from rights holders and stored in a data structure that is searchable according to various rights attributes. A licensing request includes desired licensing terms, such as a specific use, time period, and geographic location. The licensing request may also reserve use for a later time and/or impose an embargo on use for a period after use. The data structure is searched for media assets whose rights encompass the desired licensing terms, such as media assets with a parent use that includes a desired specific use.
US08219486B2
A trading screen displays market information, such as working orders, buy and sell orders, and other items of interest, in association with values on a value axis. Each item of interest is therefore displayed in relation to the value axis to provide a trader with an intuitive display of the market. In one embodiment, a user can select a location associated with a particular value on the trading screen and upon an selection, for example, by a click of the mouse button, the value axis is repositioned so that the selected value is moved to a predefined location. During which, market information is moved to new locations that are associated with their respective values on the value axis.
US08219476B1
A financial analysis program includes an object oriented architecture having a number of abstract classes associated with performing financial calculations. The abstract classes include an instruments class that defines a number of financial instruments in a hierarchical manner. The abstract classes also include a models class that defines a number of objects or functions used to perform financial calculations. The program also includes an interface to allow a user to pass instrument parameters to the objects or functions and execute the object or function using the instrument parameters.
US08219471B2
A method and system for providing a contract between a property purchaser, e.g., the purchaser of a house, co-op or condo, and an investment fund in which a down payment or other financing is provided to the buyer from the fund in return for a portion of the capital appreciation of the real estate asset. The contract may be grouped with other such contracts and traded in an electronic market. Upon maturity or earlier sale of the property, a portion of the appreciated value of the property paid back to the Fund.
US08219463B2
Methods and apparatus for managing tote deliveries by a tote delivery service. The tote delivery service directs delivery of items ordered by customers via a network site to delivery addresses corresponding to the customers in reusable totes on upcoming tote delivery days. The totes are reusable totes configured to be delivered from a delivery facility to delivery addresses on tote delivery days and picked up from the delivery addresses on subsequent tote delivery days. The network site may allow the customers to place items into totes to be returned to the delivery facility; the totes are picked up and returned to the facility, where the returned items are removed and processed, for example to be placed into to inventory or returned to a vendor or manufacturer.
US08219462B1
A system and method for designing a plurality of customized embodiments of petal window valances utilizing an on-line design interface. The system includes an on-line design server that is connected to at least one client computer via a network. The on-line design server provides the customer with a process to enable the creation of a customized petal window valance that is derived from the inputs of the customer as the customer utilizes the process. During particular steps of the design process, the on-line design server provides choices for the customer wherein the customer must select at least on of the provided choices. The on-line design server includes a plurality of databases of design elements contain therein and are provided to the customer different design elements that can be selected to create the customized embodiment. The on-line design server provides a graphical representation of the designed petal valance and allows the customer to virtually construct a customized embodiment of a petal window valance. The on-line design server further facilitates the ordering of the elements so as to be shipped to the customer for final assembly or as an assembled unit.
US08219454B2
A printed calendar, method and system for preparing the printed calendar, and system for redeeming virtual goods are provided herein. The printed calendar includes at least one form sheet having printed thereon one or more occurrences of time. The one or more occurrences of time being coupled with at least one viewing panel capable of hiding and revealing an image. The printed calendar further includes at least one back sheet having printed thereon at least one graphical representation associated with the one or more occurrences of time. The at least one graphical representation being aligned with the form sheet, such that, the graphical representation is visible through the at least one viewing panel coupled to the one or more occurrences of time. The at least one graphical representation representing a virtual good accessible to the selected recipient at one of the one or more occurrences of time.
US08219450B2
A method is disclosed that provides an Internet wish list for deferred purchasing. A user clicks on an add to wish list button located on locations, such as, a product page, a banner ad, or search results to add an item to the wish list. A reminder system is used to remind a user to purchase an item at a future time. The shopping list service may be integrated at a high level of integration and a low level of integration. On a low level of integration a proxy platform is used to add functionality to a website.
US08219449B2
A system arranged to receive an authorization request from an application server using a first communication protocol; identify a charging server associated with the authorization request from a plurality of charging servers, each charging server associated with a respective charging server communication protocol; and communicate with the identified charging server using the respective charging server communication protocol.
US08219448B2
This invention relates to an electronic means by which people can select the exact seat or seats they want for any type of event or reserve an appointment for any activity. More specifically, a customer or a ticket re-seller or a venue operator can go, for example, to the internet and select the event or activity for which he wants a ticket or tickets or reserve a time and reserve and order the exact seat or seats or the time of his choosing directly online. The seat or seats or reserved time he selects is then removed from the inventory for that activity or event and made not available for any other buyer and such is so indicated by a graphical representation or other such indicator on the online map or picture representing availability of seating or time for that event.
US08219445B2
A data processing system employs a unique coded promotional vehicle to attract customers into retail establishments for the purchase of discounted goods. The promotional vehicle includes coupon styled graphics integrated with a code to allow data tracking by the store pursuant to purchases by that customer. The promotional vehicle is easier and less costly to distribute compared to the prior art, avoids cutting of coupons, and post purchase redemptions. The system further allows more targeted discounting at a lower cost, and substantially reducing fraud by eliminating post purchase coupon processing and redemption. Additionally, the system provides for selective deactivation of the code for each discount used by redemption of the vehicle without deactivating the code for the discounts not used so that the code may remain selectively active for future use.
US08219443B2
A method, a system and a computer program product are directed towards determination of a variable toll for a particular target vehicle using a particular point-to-point travel segment of a particular toll road. The variable toll is calculated predicated upon a deviation of an instantaneous point-to-point traffic volume for the particular target vehicle exiting the toll road in comparison with an arbitrarily determined baseline point-to-point traffic volume. The instantaneous point-to-point traffic volume includes vehicles traveling at least a portion of the same point-to-point travel segment as the target vehicle during an effective time interval when the target vehicle traveled the point-to-point travel segment.
US08219440B2
A system gathers real-time data about an enterprise over a network. A user device displays a dashboard showing a component business model map, a heat map, key performance indicators for components, key performance indicators for the enterprise, and gradients. The business is enhanced by making investments and changes to those operations having large gradients.
US08219439B2
An electric-power-generating-facility operation management support system includes an analyzing unit that calculates operation plan creating basic information based upon received information with regard to lifespan calculating expressions, present electric-power market information, and operation-history information with regard to an electric power generation. The electric-power-generating-facility operation management support system also includes an operation plan creating unit that calculates and outputs operational conditions of electric power generating facilities as a created operation planning based upon the operation plan creating basic information calculated by the analyzing unit. The analyzing unit includes a lifespan-consumption-costs calculating unit that calculates lifespan consumption costs of the electric power generating facilities. In addition, the analyzing unit includes a reserve-electric-power-price estimating unit that estimates a market price of reserve electric power. The analyzing unit further includes a reserve-electric-power supply -probability estimating unit that estimates a probability of a supply of the reserve electric power.
US08219438B1
Method and system for measuring shopper response to products based on behavior and facial expression
The present invention is a method and system for measuring human response to retail elements, based on the shopper's facial expressions and behaviors. From a facial image sequence, the facial geometry—facial pose and facial feature positions—is estimated to facilitate the recognition of facial expressions, gaze, and demographic categories. The recognized facial expression is translated into an affective state of the shopper and the gaze is translated into the target and the level of interest of the shopper. The body image sequence is processed to identify the shopper's interaction with a given retail element—such as a product, a brand, or a category. The dynamic changes of the affective state and the interest toward the retail element measured from facial image sequence is analyzed in the context of the recognized shopper's interaction with the retail element and the demographic categories, to estimate both the shopper's changes in attitude toward the retail element and the end response—such as a purchase decision or a product rating.
US08219436B2
A system and method for creating, scheduling, and managing time slots for installation appointments. Embodiments of the present invention permit a trading partner to offer a customer the ability to schedule installation of cable services on-line. A cable operator maintains an inventory of time slots. One or more time slots from the time slot inventory are offered to a customer based on ordering information received from the customer. A customer selects a time slot from the one or more offered time slots. A cable operator then assigns an installation appointment to the customer within the time slot selected by the customer. A cable operator may also determine the status of the inventory of time slots (e.g., time slots allocated, time slots consumed, and time slots available) for a system, a location, or a trading partner.
US08219427B1
Systems and methods provide customizable insurance according to consumer preferences. Demand simulators may be used to guide the creation of optimized packages of features, which consumers may select from to form an insurance product appropriate for their particular needs. Packages may be formed with a particular appeal to consumers with common characteristics. In addition, methods are provided for selling insurance products formed through an optimization process and providing corresponding insurance services.
US08219423B2
A server may receive from a trading system information on an insurance policy, in which the information may include privacy related information. The server may compare the privacy related information to at least one predefined characteristic and determine that there is a match between the privacy related information and the characteristic. Based at least in part on there being a match, the server may filter-out the insurance policy such that the information on the insurance policy is not provided to a workstation in use by a participant. Alternatively, the server may determine that there is not a match between the privacy related information and the characteristic and provide the information, minus the privacy related information, to the workstation.
US08219414B2
An improved method of appraising a mammal's health includes the steps of: measuring the values of a plurality of factors indicative of different health parameters at a first time; normalizing the measured values of said factors at the first time; and arranging such normalized measured values at said first time in a first sequence; thereby to have said first sequence represent the mammal's health at the first time. The method may include the additional steps of: measuring the values of such plurality of factors at a second time; normalizing the measured values of such factors at the second time; arranging such normalized measured values in a second sequence; and comparing the second sequence with the first sequence or with a similar sequences from a plurality of similar animals recording the same primary afflicting condition.
US08219410B2
A method of storing and viewing a collection of digital images includes the steps of: providing a plurality of users with a unique user ID associated with a URL identifying a network photoservice provider; providing each one of the plurality of users with a separate password to the unique user ID; at least one of the plurality of users transferring a set of digital images to the unique user ID employing their separate passwords; and viewing the images located at the unique user ID using the separate password.
US08219396B2
An apparatus for evaluating the performance of speech recognition includes a speech database for storing N-number of test speech signals for evaluation. A speech recognizer is located in an actual environment and executes the speech recognition of the test speech signals reproduced using a loud speaker from the speech database in the actual environment to produce speech recognition results. A performance evaluation module evaluates the performance of the speech recognition by comparing correct recognition results answers with the speech recognition results.
US08219395B2
A frame compensation method is provided. The method includes: obtaining a length of a lost frame and a length of a correct frame; determining that the length of the correct frame is integral power of 2 times of the length of the lost frame, and then obtaining a data sequence with the same length as the length of the lost frame according to the correct frame; and compensating the lost frame according to the data sequence to obtain a compensated data frame. A frame compensation system is also provided. Lost frames in various formats are compensated according to correct frames in various formats, so that the limitation of the related art that a lost frame in a single format can be merely compensated according to a correct frame in a single format is eliminated, and the effect of the compensated data frames is better than that of filling comfort noises.
US08219393B2
An error concealment method and apparatus for an audio signal and a decoding method and apparatus for an audio signal using the error concealment method and apparatus. The error concealment method includes selecting one of an error concealment in a frequency domain and an error concealment in a time domain as an error concealment scheme for a current frame based on a predetermined criteria when an error occurs in the current frame, selecting one of a repetition scheme and an interpolation scheme in the frequency domain as the error concealment scheme for the current frame based on a predetermined criteria when the error concealment in the frequency domain is selected, and concealing the error of the current frame using the selected scheme.
US08219390B1
A system and method are disclosed for modifying an audio signal. A pitch associated with the audio signal is detected. A portion of the audio signal that is associated with the detected pitch is modified. Controlling the modification of a primary audio signal is disclosed. The level of a secondary audio signal is monitored. Modification of the primary audio signal is enabled if the level of the secondary audio signal rises above a first prescribed threshold at a time when the primary audio signal is not being modified. Modification of the primary audio signal is disabled if the level of the secondary audio signal drops below a second prescribed threshold at a time when the primary audio signal is being modified.
US08219387B2
Frames containing audio data may be received, the audio data having been derived from a microphone array, at least some of the frames containing residual acoustic echo after having acoustic echo partially removed therefrom. Probability distribution functions are determined from the frames of audio data. A probability distribution function comprises likelihoods that respective directions are directions of sources of sounds. An active speaker may be identified in frames of video data based on the video data and based on audio information derived from the audio data, where use of the audio information as a basis for identifying the active speaker is controlled by determining whether the probability distribution functions indicate that corresponding audio data includes residual acoustic echo.
US08219382B2
A domain-adapted portable machine translation device for closed captions using dynamic translation resources and a method thereof are provided. The device and method improve translation performance with respect to various specialized domains by automatically recognizing style and domain of a caption sentence, dynamically constructing specialized translation module and knowledge, and performing automatic translation with optimal translation resources suitable for a corresponding sentence.Not only does the domain-adapted portable machine translation device for closed captions exhibit improved translation performance for sentences in various domains, but it can also be freely linked with various media devices through input/output terminals.
US08219381B2
A storing unit stores therein dictionary information in which a first text in a first language is associated with a second text that is a translation of the first text into a second language. An extracting unit extracts, when an input text includes an unregistered text that is not registered as the first text in the dictionary information, the unregistered text from the input text. A translating unit translates an input similar text that expresses the unregistered text with a different text, into the second language. A registering unit registers the unregistered text in association with translated similar text on the dictionary information.
US08219379B2
Software is tested for execution on data processing apparatus with plural processors that share access to a memory. The memory has a memory ordering type specifying an ordering freedom which allows memory access requests to be processed out of order from an original program order. A simulator for each processor executes a sequence of instructions in program order. An access buffer associated with one of the processor simulators receives and stores access requests issued by that simulator when executing access instructions within the sequences. A controller selects and applies an eviction policy to determine an order in which access requests are output from the access buffer to the memory so that the ordering freedom is exercised in a manner compliant with the memory ordering type but to a degree exceeding that expected within the data processing apparatus.
US08219376B2
A computer-implemented method for verifying a design includes representing a verification directive, which pertains to the design and includes a local variable, by a finite state machine. The state machine includes multiple states, with transitions among the states, transition conditions associated with the transitions, and procedural blocks, which correspond to the transitions and define operations to be performed on the local variable when traversing the respective transitions. The finite state machine is executed by traversing the transitions in accordance with the respective transition conditions and modifying the local variable in accordance with the respective procedural blocks of the traversed transitions, so as to verify the design with respect to the verification directive.
US08219371B1
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for efficiently performing N-body computations using parallel computation systems. The technique involves a first processing step whereby a force matrix is partitioned into tiles, which are assigned to a one or more thread groups for processing. An off-diagonal tile may be aligned to include no diagonal cells, while an on-diagonal tile includes diagonal cells. One approach for computing either type of tile involves assigning each row from a tile to a thread within a thread group. Each thread operates on an offset pattern to avoid access conflicts to a shared memory. A net force for each atom within an N-body system is then computed by efficiently adding constituent forces stored within the force matrix using reduction operations on the force matrix.
US08219370B1
A method, system, and computer-readable storage medium are disclosed for simulating shallow viscoelastic flows. In one embodiment, input representing a deposition of a fluid in a shallow bed may be received. The fluid may have a set of fluid properties including a viscoelastic property. In one embodiment, a motion of the fluid in the shallow bed may be simulated. The motion may be simulated based on the set of fluid properties including the viscoelastic property. The simulation of the motion may comprise determining a viscoelastic force acting on the fluid based on the viscoelastic property.
US08219367B2
A method of estimating information on the projection states of projection elements (P) by using an analysis model in which discharged projection elements (P) repeatedly collided with rotation blades (13) in a projection machine having rotating blades (13). The method includes the steps of determining initial conditions including information on the size and rotation of blades (13), discharging information on the projection elements(P), and information on projection elements with respect to the blades (13) the step of storing the initial conditions, a computing step of computing the position of each projection element (P), and its velocity and direction after collision with a blade(13) based on the initial conditions, and the step of estimating information on projection state based on computation results.
US08219366B2
Systems and methods for processing PCR curves, and for identifying the presence of a parabolic-shaped PCR curve. Use of a piecewise linear approximation of a PCR curve enables a more realistic elbow value to be determined in the case of parabolic shaped PCR curves.
US08219362B2
A system and method for providing a layout of equipment in a data center, the equipment including a plurality of equipment racks, and at least one rack-based cooling provider. In one aspect, the method includes receiving data regarding airflow consumption for each of the plurality of equipment racks and cooling capacity of the at least one cooling provider, storing the received data, determining a layout of the data center, and displaying the layout of the data center.
US08219360B2
A signal x is reconstructed from sparse sign measurements y. Estimated measurements {tilde over (y)} are obtained from a previous estimate {circumflex over (x)}l−1 and a measurement matrix Φ according to {tilde over (y)}l=Φ{circumflex over (x)}l−1. A correction signal is applied to inconsistent measurements, so that consistent reconstruction can be performed.
US08219354B2
A bolus that is intended to be irradiated during radiotherapy. Advantageously, the bolus is made from a polyurethane gel.
US08219353B2
A measurement apparatus calibrated to measure an absolute diameter of a part in a shop floor environment. The measurement apparatus includes a calibration that includes compensation factors for thermal expansion, shifting of measurement parts (arm, support tower, and related laser), and variances of these parts. The resulting measurements report an absolute diameter of a part to a higher degree of accuracy than previously possible. Also, the calculated compensation factor eliminate the need for an isolated, climate-controlled measurement room.
US08219347B2
A game apparatus calculates a gravitational vector Vg, which represents a gravitational direction viewed from an input device, based on operation data. Then, a motion acceleration vector VA, which represents an acceleration applied by a motion of the input device, is calculated based on an acceleration represented by acceleration data and the gravitational vector Vg. The gravitational vector Vg is corrected such that the motion acceleration vector VA approaches a motion acceleration (vector VA′) satisfying a relationship with an angular rate (vector Vω) represented by angular rate data, the relationship being predefined between the motion acceleration and the angular rate for the input device making a predetermined motion (rotational motion). Furthermore, the game apparatus calculates an orientation of the input device corresponding to the corrected gravitational vector.
US08219337B2
In order to determine the operational parameters of a high-frequency power amplifier (1) (for example, complex forward and return voltage or power, complex load impedance, reflection or voltage standing wave ratio) on the connecting line (3) between the output of the high-frequency power amplifier (1) and a complex load, in particular, an antenna (4), an analog measured voltage Uu proportional to the complex voltage {right arrow over (U)} on the connecting line and an analog measured voltage Ui proportional to the complex current {right arrow over (I)} on the line (3) is determined by a Buschbeck coupling device. These measured voltages are digitized, and the required operational parameters can then be calculated in a computing unit (7) from these digital values.
US08219332B2
Electromagnetic field distribution is measured by considering time variations of a measured electric and/or magnetic field value. In response to scanning performed with a probe at an arbitrary set of measurement coordinates in a predetermined measurement plane in the vicinity of an object to be measured, a signal is detected at each of plural sets of coordinates in a measurement plane. Electric and magnetic fields are computed during a measurement time period at each set of measurement coordinates in the measurement plane based on measurement coordinates where the probe is positioned and the signal is detected with the probe. Amplitude probability distribution during the time period at each set of measurement coordinates in the vicinity of the object is computed based on the computed intensity, then mapped and displayed.
US08219317B2
A system and method is provided that uses one or more points, e.g., “smart via” input points, e.g., a center of a city such as a large city, to determine one or more points, e.g., smart via output points. A smart via output point determined from a smart via input point can be used, together with origination and destination points, to identify an optimal navigational route between the origination and destination points. A navigational route generated using the smart via output point, an origination point and a destination point travels in proximity to the smart via input point.
US08219314B2
Location information transmission apparatus for exchanging information about the on-road location on a digital map, characterized in that apparatus at an information provider comprises a location information converter for converting transmit on-road location information to road shape data including the on-road location consisting of a string of coordinates representing the road shape of a road section having a length that depends on the situation and relative data indicating the on-road location in the road section, and that apparatus at a party receiving the on-road location information comprises a shape matching section for performing shape matching by using the road shape data, identifying the road section on a digital map and identifying the on-road location in the road section by using the relative data. This makes it possible to correctly exchange information about the location on a digital map without defining node numbers or link numbers on a road network.
US08219312B2
Systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products are provided for assigning parameters to a geographic area, wherein the parameters may be used to associate a speed limit with the geographic area. For example, in one embodiment, a geofenced area that (a) corresponds to a geographic area and (b) comprises one or more street segments is identified. Additionally, speed data associated with one of more of the street segments is received. After receiving the speed data, a speed limit is (a) determined for one or more of the street segments and (b) associated with the geofenced area.
US08219311B2
A headway distance maintenance supporting system may include an obstacle detector, a controller configured for determining an operation reaction force to be generated in a driving operation equipment, and an operation reaction force generator for generating the operation reaction force in the driving operation equipment. The controller is configured for controlling the operation reaction force based on the status of a detected obstacle. The operation reaction force comprises a principal operation reaction force and an auxiliary operation reaction force, the auxiliary operation reaction force being no greater than the principal operation reaction force. The controller is configured for generating the auxiliary operation reaction force before a generation of the principal operation reaction force in the driving operation equipment.
US08219304B2
An ECU includes: a feedforward torque calculation unit for calculating a feedforward term of torque which reduces vibrations of a vehicle, by inputting a sum of a first requested driving force, which is identified as torque requested by a driver, and brake force into a vehicle model; a feedback torque calculation unit for calculating a feedback term of the torque which reduces vibrations of the vehicle, by inputting second requested driving force calculated from a revolution speed of wheels into the vehicle model; a second driving force calculation unit for calculating driving force to be achieved by an MG, by subtracting driving force to be achieved by an engine and an MG from a sum of the first requested driving force, the brake force, and the feedforward term and the feedback term of the torque which reduces vibrations of the vehicle; and an MG control unit for controlling MG to achieve the calculated driving force.
US08219302B2
When a specified learning executing condition is established, a command furl injection quantity ratio (CFIQ-ratio) between two fuel injectors is compulsorily changed and a fuel injection quantity error of each fuel injector is learned respectively based on the CFIQ-ratio and an air-fuel-ratio feedback correction value. Based on the learning value of fuel injection quantity error, a fuel injection period of each fuel injector is respectively corrected, whereby each fuel injection quantity error of two fuel injectors is respectively corrected with respect to each cylinder. Thereby, a ratio of fuel injection quantity between two fuel injectors is accurately controlled.
US08219282B2
A control system (18) and method for an automotive vehicle (10) includes a pitch rate sensor (37) generating a pitch rate signal, a longitudinal acceleration sensor (36) generating a longitudinal acceleration signal, and a yaw rate sensor (28) generating a yaw rate signal. A safety system (44) and the sensors are coupled to a controller. From the sensors, the controller (26) determines an added mass and a position of the added mass, a pitch gradient and/or a pitch acceleration coefficient that takes into account the added mass and position. The controller controls a vehicle system in response to the added mass and the position of the added mass, the pitch gradient and/or pitch acceleration coefficient variables.
US08219273B2
A method of starting an internal combustion engine of a vehicle with a hybrid-electric powertrain having an internal combustion engine, a generator, and a high-voltage battery pack, is provided. An internal combustion engine start input signal is received. A load on an electric motor and generator is determined. The internal combustion engine receives torque transmitted from the electric motor and generator when the load on the electric motor and generator is below a predetermined load threshold. The internal combustion engine receives torque from an exogenous starting device when the load on the electric motor and generator is above the predetermined load threshold.
US08219269B2
A control apparatus for a marine propulsion unit, which can activate an engine even when a computer system in an engine control unit is reset, includes a computer system arranged to actuate a starter motor using power from a battery on a hull in order to activate an engine, a reset state detection device arranged to detect a reset state of the computer system when the computer system is reset, and an analog circuit arranged to actuate the starter motor for a predetermined time period to activate the engine once the reset state is detected by the reset state detection device.
US08219258B1
A method of queuing access to a power supply shared by a set of electrical access points. The access points turn on independently from one another and thus have independent power draws. Each access point has a specific power draw when on. The on state and associated power draw of each of access point is identified, and a load duration curve for each access point is normalized (i.e., combined with load duration curve(s)) from the other access points) into a probability distribution function. The probability distribution function is a normalized load duration curve that thus accounts for a varying set of “operating states” that may occur with respect to the set of access points (when viewed collectively). Each operating state has an associated probability of occurrence. As the operating state of the set (of access points) changes, access to the power supply is selectively queued, or de-queued (if previously queued).
US08219241B2
A targeted product distribution system is described herein with respect to an exemplary management of product flow through a distribution center. Specifically, the system and method described herein is directed to the management and display of direct and easily-understood instructions, such that average individuals, as well as those with mental disabilities, will be able to contribute equally to the overall process.
US08219232B2
An objective of the present invention is to provide an assembly system capable of reducing the equipment space while various kinds of automotive parts are assembled on one production line. The assembly system assembles plural kinds of automotive parts consisting of a main body and a part to be installed to the main body. This assembly system comprises an operator area at which an operator is assigned, a plurality of travel carts on which a main body of each of automotive parts is placed, traveling along the operator area, a part pallet on which a part to be installed to each of the automotive parts is placed, a belt conveyer conveying this part pallet along the operator area, and a control device controlling thereof. The control device drives the travel carts and the belt conveyer so as to convey the travel carts and the part pallet synchronously.
US08219227B2
A printing imposition method for creating packaging imposition schemes includes providing target printing sheet properties; providing at least one designed package element (23, 26, 27) wherein the designed package element includes at least one variable information object (92, 93, 94); providing variable information data (44, 45, 46, 47) to be inserted in at least one variable information object; creating variable package elements (95, 96, 97) by merging the variable information data (44, 45, 46, 47) and at least one variable information object (92, 93, 94) in at least one designed package element (23, 26, 27); and performing step and repeat of the variable package elements on the target printing sheet (70) according to the target printing sheet properties.
US08219221B2
A multicore processor for industrial control provides for the execution of separate operating systems on the cores under control of one of the cores to tailor the operating system to optimum execution of different applications of industrial control and communication. One core may provide for a reduced instruction set for execution of industrial control programs with the remaining cores providing a general-purpose instruction set.
US08219218B2
A plant controlling system includes: a velocity-type PID controlling unit to receive a control deviation between a process value and control set value, and calculate and output a manipulated variable deviation for operation targets; a switching unit to switch and then output the manipulated variable deviation from the velocity-type PID controlling unit to the operation targets; manual operating units, having an integration function, that are associated with the operation targets and output either one of the manipulated variable calculated by the integration of the manipulated variable deviation output from the switching unit and a manipulated variable based on a manually set value to the respective associated operation targets based on a control mode of the operation targets; and a switch controlling unit configured to control operation of the switching unit based on the control mode of the operation targets and the manipulated variables output to the operation targets.
US08219215B2
A device with controllable mechanical characteristics makes available a list of controllable characteristics for use by a controller or host computer. The list may include not only controllable characteristics but also the available range for each control, the impact of each adjustment, or both. The host computer can evaluate an operating state of the computer or electronic device and determine how best to set the device for compatible operation with the operating state. When controllable characteristics have multiple effects and/or interact with other controllable characteristics, macros may be developed to perform multiple settings as a group to achieve the desired outcome. The list may also be downloaded from a web service.
US08219212B2
A medical electrical lead includes a canted lead body distal portion extending from an approximately straight lead body proximal portion; the canted distal portion includes an approximately straight segment and a hump-like segment extending from a first end, in proximity to the approximately straight segment, to a second end. The lead further includes a first electrode coupled to the approximately straight segment of the distal portion and a second electrode coupled to the distal portion in proximity to a second end of the hump-like segment.
US08219209B2
Lead body designs for forming a fluid tight seal between a multilumen tube and other portions of a lead body are provided. One lead body design has a multilumen tube having a first portion defining a first number of lumens and a second reduced dimension portion defining a second number of lumens, the second number of lumens being smaller than the first number of lumens. The reduced dimension portion is attached to a distal tip portion of the lead body, forming a fluid tight passageway through the multilumen tube to the distal tip portion. Also provided are methods for forming such multilumen tubes and incorporating such multilumen tubes into a lead body.
US08219207B2
An implantable medical device includes an electrode having a thermal switch. The thermal switch is configured to electrically decouple components of the implantable medical device when in contact with tissue at temperatures above normal body temperature.
US08219205B2
This invention provides a flexible antenna module for wireless energy transmission, which uses an antenna size controlling device to adjust the antenna's size to conform a living body's outer portion wearing the flexible annular antenna. An antenna energy transmission control module is provided to adjust the power for driving the flexible annular antenna according to the deformation of the flexible annular antenna. This invention can adjust both the antenna size to fit the individual and the power for driving the antenna. The individual can use the present antenna module under a comfortable, safe and reliable circumstance.
US08219196B2
Techniques for determining whether a medical device will be able to deliver stimulation according to a particular program throughout a useable voltage range of a power source of the medical device are described. According to some examples, the medical device configures a DC to DC converter of the medical device in a specified output configuration and delivers electrical stimulation from the medical device according to a program while at the specified output configuration. Whether the medical device will be able to deliver stimulation according to the program when the power source is at a power source voltage level lower than a present voltage level used during therapy delivery is determined based on a value of a voltage drop across a regulator module determined while delivering the electrical stimulation according to the program. The determination for a program may be performed, as an example, when the program is created or modified.
US08219195B2
For cardiac rhythm management, a combination of cardiac pacing and a noninvasive heart monitoring is proposed for the determination of a set of programmable pacing parameters hemodynamically beneficial to the patient. The apparatus incorporates a cardiac pacemaker and a thoracic electrical bioimpedance (TEB) heart monitor. This combination allows the creation of a closed-loop system that obtains pacing parameter settings providing hemodynamically beneficial pacing therapy to the patient as determined by measuring and recording of stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), and other indices of ventricular performance by the heart monitor during an optimization cycle automatically employing different permutations of values of pacing parameters such as atrioventricular delays, inter-atrial delay, inter-ventricular delay, or heart rate, that are sequentially programmed to the pacemaker. The hemodynamically beneficial permutation of pacing parameter values is determined from all recordings and programmed to the pacemaker for permanent or temporary pacing therapy.
US08219193B2
An active implantable medical device for cardiac resynchronization with automatic optimization of atrioventricular and interventricular delays is disclosed. The device collects an endocardial acceleration signal EA and calculates the atrioventricular delay AVD and the interventricular delay VVD. The device isolate in the EA signal a component EA4 corresponding to the fourth EA peak and measure a temporal parameter related to a time interval between the detection of an atrial event (P/A) and the occurrence of the EA4 component. The device isolates an EA1 component corresponding to the first EA peak and measures a non-temporal parameter (APEA1) related to the peak amplitude or a signal energy of the EA1 component. The optimal AVD (AVDO) is determined by the temporal parameter related to the EA4 component, and is calculated for a plurality of different values of VVD to obtain a plurality of pairs of optimal values {AVDO, VVD}. The device selects one of these pairs of values based on the non-temporal parameter related to the EA1 component.
US08219192B2
A transcutaneous cardiac stimulation system delivers pacing pulses according to a cardioprotective pacing protocol. The pacing pulses are delivered through body-surface electrodes attached onto a patient. The cardioprotective pacing protocol specifies pacing parameters selected to augment cardiac stress on the patient's myocardium to a level effecting cardioprotection against ischemic and reperfusion injuries.
US08219190B2
The invention relates to an implantable biomedical chip with modulator for a wireless neural stimulating system. The implantable biomedical chip comprises a power regulator, a demodulator, a baseband circuit, a D/A converter, an instrumentation amplifier, an A/D converter and a modulator. According to the invention, the modulator is mounted on the implantable biomedical chip, and can achieve full-duplex communication to improve the controllability and observability. Besides, the power consumption and area occupation is reduced as compared with using discrete components. Therefore, the integration of the implantable biomedical chip can be easily accomplished.
US08219188B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus for treating a medical condition of a patient, involving detecting a physiological cycle or cycles of the patient and applying an electrical signal to a portion of the patient's vagus nerve through an electrode at a selected point in the physiological cycle(s). The physiological cycle can be the cardiac and/or respiratory cycle. The selected point can be a point in the cardiac cycle correlated with increased afferent conduction on the vagus nerve, such as a point from about 10 msec to about 800 msec after an R-wave of the patient's ECG, optionally during inspiration by the patient. The selected point can be a point in the cardiac cycle when said applying increases heart rate variability, such as a point from about 10 msec to about 800 msec after an R-wave of the patient's ECG, optionally during expiration by the patient.
US08219183B2
A generation of sectional images of tissue is provided. In this arrangement a first light-conducting fiber of a device for generating sectional tissue images according to the optical coherence tomography principle, which light-conducting fiber is rotatably accommodated within a catheter tube, is additionally connected to a device for generating light in a further wavelength range and for detecting fluorescent light. With its use sectional tissue images produced according to the optical coherence tomography principle can be superimposed with fluorescent images.
US08219174B2
The invention relates to a method for calibrating an analyte-measurement device that is used to evaluate a concentration of analyte in bodily fluid at or from a measurement site in a body. The method involves measuring a concentration, or calibration concentration, of an analyte in blood from an “off-finger” calibration site, and calibrating the analyte-measurement device based on that calibration concentration. The invention also relates to a device, system, or kit for measuring a concentration of an analyte in a body, which employs a calibration device for adjusting analyte concentration measured in bodily fluid based on an analyte concentration measured in blood from an “off-finger” calibration site.
US08219172B2
A system and a method for creating a stable and reproducible interface of an optical sensor system for measuring blood glucose levels in biological tissue include a dual wedge prism sensor attached to a disposable optic that comprises a focusing lens and an optical window. The disposable optic adheres to the skin to allow a patient to take multiple readings or scans at the same location. The disposable optic includes a Petzval surface placed flush against the skin to maintain the focal point of the optical beam on the surface of the skin. Additionally, the integrity of the sensor signal is maximized by varying the rotation rates of the dual wedge prisms over time in relation to the depth scan rate of the sensor. Optimally, a medium may be injected between the disposable and the skin to match the respective refractive indices and optimize the signal collection of the sensor.
US08219168B2
This invention provides an article of manufacture and method for controlling the application of a coupling agent, such as a silicone oil or mineral oil, on a surface of a tissue prior to contacting the tissue with an apparatus for non-invasive optical measurement of the concentration of an analyte. The article ensures that a specific quantity of the coupling agent is deposited in a uniform layer over the entire target area of the tissue, thereby enhancing both the optical signal and the repeatability of thermal and optical coupling with the components of the apparatus. The article comprises a backing and a layer of coupling agent on at least one major surface of the backing.
US08219167B2
An exemplary protective envelope for a portable electronic device includes a hollow main body and a cleaning roller arranged in the hollow main body. The hollow main body defines therein an opening for insertion of the portable electronic device therethrough. The cleaning roller is rotatably fixed in the hollow main body.
US08219157B2
Electronic devices are provided that contain wireless communications circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry may have antenna diversity circuitry that allows an optimum antenna in an antenna structure to be switched into use during device operations. The antenna structure may be shared between multiple radio-frequency transceivers in a radio-frequency transceiver circuit. The radio-frequency transceiver circuit may be coupled to the antenna structure using switching and filtering circuitry. The filtering circuitry may include a diplexer that divides radio-frequency signals into a divided signal path based on frequency. The filtering circuitry may also include bandpass filters that are interposed in each branch of the divided signal path. Switching circuitry in the switching and filtering circuitry may be used to selectively configure the wireless communications circuitry in transmit and receive modes using multiple communications bands.
US08219145B2
A multi-band wireless system includes a wireless device and a detachable radio card. The wireless device includes an application processor, an electric interface, and an antenna. The detachable radio card can be mounted onto the electric interface. The detachable radio card includes a base band processor, a radio-frequency transceiver, a multi-band power amplifier module, and a radio controller.
US08219140B2
A combined battery and wireless-communications apparatus and method. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a support, a first conductive layer deposited on a first surface area of the support, a thin-film battery including a cathode layer, a solid-state electrolyte layer, and an anode layer deposited such that either the anode layer or the cathode layer is in electrical contact with the first conductive layer, an antenna mounted to the support structure, and an electronic communications circuit mounted to the support and electrically coupled to the battery and the antenna to transceive radio communications. Other embodiments include an energy-receiving device mounted to the support structure, and an electronic communications circuit mounted to the support structure and including a recharging circuit, the recharging circuit electrically coupled to the battery and the energy-receiving device to recharge the battery using energy received by the energy-receiving device.
US08219126B2
A device, system, and method are directed towards sending a status of a user in a social network to a recipient. A status of the user is received over a channel. The recipient is selected based on a membership in the social network, a preference of the recipient, or a type of the status. Another channel is selected based on information about a mode of communication between the recipient and the user and/or another member related to the user in the social network. The status may be modified from one type to another type based on the recipient. The status is forwarded to the recipient over the other channel. Forwarding may comprise unicasting, multicasting, and/or delaying sending the status until the other channel is available. A channel may include an application protocol.
US08219125B2
Coincident with the evolution, maturation, etc. of wireless messaging ecosystems, today and in the future the addressing of a message needs to include—and all of the different entities that process messages (e.g., Wireless Carriers, intermediaries, enterprises, Content Providers, Service Providers, etc.) need to support—additional (i.e., enhanced, flexible, extensible, etc.) message addressing capabilities. The present invention provides an infrastructure that supports such additional (i.e., enhanced, flexible, extensible, etc.) message addressing capabilities through, among other things, the availability of Dynamic Tags (DynaTags). The infrastructure may optionally leverage the capabilities of a centrally-located Messaging Inter-Carrier Vendor.
US08219124B2
A method for planning cellular mobile telecommunications network including at least one network cell and intended to provide network services to user equipment located in the network cell, wherein the network services include at least one network service deliverable at a plurality of provisioning rates, including evaluating an uplink coverage of the network in a predetermined service area. The evaluation of the uplink coverage includes: a) forecasting a number of user equipment located in the service area; b) setting a current provisioning rate to the highest of provisioning rates; c) estimating a power required for each user equipment for accessing the at least one network service in the service area at the current provisioning rate; and d) comparing the estimated required power to a maximum power deliverable by each user equipment. If the estimated required power exceeds the maximum deliverable power: e) determining a reduced service area wherein the estimated power required to each user equipment of a reduced number of user equipment located therein for accessing the at least one network service at the current provisioning rate does not exceed the maximum deliverable power; f) updating the current provisioning rate to the immediately lower provisioning rate of the plurality; and g) repeating steps c) and d) and, if required, steps e) and f).
US08219119B2
In order to avoid system malfunction, the present invention provides a method for improving Discontinuous Downlink Reception (DRX) operation for a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communications system. The method includes stopping a timer when the UE allocated with a dedicated HS-DSCH Radio Network Temporary Identifier (H-RNTI) moves from a CELL_PCH state to a CELL_FACH state due to an uplink data transmission, wherein the timer is started when the UE enters the CELL_PCH state and is utilized for determining a time length for using a first DRX cycle.
US08219115B1
A computer-implemented user alert method includes identifying a task for a user, associating a location with the task, monitoring a location of a mobile device associated with the user, and notifying the user about the task when the mobile device comes within a defined proximity of the associated location.
US08219113B2
When a GPS terminal (8) is located in a cell (1), positioning is performed by acquiring cell information and position information (ResPos) of the cell (1). Furthermore, since the ResPos acquired by the GPS terminal (8) in the cell (1) includes surrounding cell information about surrounding cells (cell 2 to cell 7), the surrounding cell information is also stored in the GPS terminal (8) in association with the ResPos acquired in the cell (1). When the GPS terminal (8) moves between a plurality of cells, positioning is performed using the ResPos stored in the cell (1) as is if the number of handovers is smaller than a predetermined threshold. On the other hand, if the number of handovers exceeds a predetermined threshold, positioning is performed using the ResPos acquired in the destination cell.
US08219110B1
A system, method, and computer readable medium for providing information to a mobile device based on an event comprising detecting an occurrence of the event, determining if the event is a specific event and if the event occurred at or near a geographical location and sending an alert of the event to at least one mobile device if the event is the specific event, if the event occurs at or near the geographical location, and if the at least one mobile device is located at or near the geographical location.
US08219106B2
A reverse link load control strategy utilizes a total call load metric in place of a reverse signal strength indicator metric for managing reverse link resources. In a disclosed example, a load control module (40) measures the reverse signal strength indicator (62) and measures an active cell load (64) using known techniques. A relationship between the reverse signal strength indicator, the active cell load, an other cell load component and a jammer component provides the ability to determine the other cell load component and the jammer component. Once the other cell load component has been determined, a total call load based upon the active cell load component and the other cell load component provides a useful metric for allocating reverse link resources between existing users and for determining whether to allow a new user, for example.
US08219096B2
A method and corresponding equipment for transferring information of a neighboring cell in a wireless communications system are provided. The method includes obtaining position information of a user equipment (UE) when detecting that the UE is in a service connection state. It is determined whether the UE is in a coverage threshold range of a micro-cell adjacent to a current macro-cell according to the position information of the UE. Information of the micro-cell is transferred to the UE when the UE is in the coverage threshold range of the micro-cell adjacent to a current macro-cell.
US08219091B2
A method and system for conveying media independent handover (MIH) capability information are disclosed. A wireless communication system includes a plurality of wireless networks deployed under different wireless communication protocols. A multi-mode wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) may perform a handover from one wireless network to another for continuous reception of services. The wireless network sends a message to the WTRU which indicates whether the wireless network supports MIH services and a supported MIH mode. The WTRU receives the message and makes a handover decision based on the message.
US08219090B2
A system and method in a wireless communication device for receiving a System Identification Number (SID) from multiple wireless carriers operating within communication range of the wireless communication device, determining a signal quality level associated with each of the wireless carriers, determining a preference level for each of the wireless carriers based on a Preferred Roaming List (PRL), and selecting one of the wireless carriers based on the signal quality level of each wireless carrier and based further on the preference level for each wireless carrier.
US08219079B2
A radio communication system has a primary communication pathway and a secondary communication pathway. When the primary communication pathway is implemented by a microwave radio link, it is susceptible to poor performance under adverse weather conditions. A system evaluates the available data bandwidth under adverse conditions and provides control instructions to a data switch to reduce the data flow to the primary communication pathway. In addition, the data switch may receive priority control data to prioritize data queues to the primary communication pathway and the secondary communication pathway in accordance with the received instructions.
US08219078B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems of transmitting data signals from at least one transmitting terminal with a spatial diversity capability to at least two receiving user terminals, each provided with spatial diversity receiving device. The methods and systems are useful, for example, in communication between terminals, e.g., wireless communication. In certain embodiments, transmission can be between a base station and two or more user terminals, wherein the base station and user terminals are each equipped with more than one antenna.
US08219073B2
A method for presenting multiple communications in a wireless communication device (100) comprising presenting (308) a plurality of communications concurrently with at least one output device of a wireless communication device. The method further comprises formatting the plurality of communications on the at least one output device as a function of the number of communications of the plurality of communications and of at least one condition and a function of a communication characteristic.
US08219063B2
One embodiment is a method of controlling usage in a virtualized mobile device including virtualization software that supports one or more virtual machines, the method including: (a) receiving control information at the virtualized mobile device that includes one or more limits pertaining to one or more uses of the virtualized mobile device; (b) collecting usage information relating to the one or more uses; (c) determining whether usage information corresponding to one of the one or more uses exceeds a corresponding one of the one or more limits; and if so; (d) carrying out a predetermined action relating to the one of the one or more uses.
US08219062B2
Embodiments that indicate usage information of services for wireless communication devices via ambient elements are disclosed. Some embodiments determine usage of a service for a wireless communication device and manipulate one or more ambient elements to indicate the usage to a user of the device. Various embodiments may determine usage by measuring a quantity of data transferred or measuring a number of voice minutes consumed according to a rate plan. Changing ambient elements may comprise activating vibration modules or changing colors of screen elements, or changing screen brightness of the devices, as examples. Examples of wireless communication devices are cell phones, smartphones, satellite phones, and other types of mobile communication devices that use wireless communication services.
US08219059B2
The present invention offers significant improvements in the performance of a radio receiver operating in an environment with high desired band interference. The present invention comprises a high selectivity RF circuit that is located between the antenna and the radio receiver, and utilizes superheterodyne technology to filter adjacent channel interference in the desired band frequency spectrum. This type of interference is problematic for IEEE 802.11 radio receivers that are implemented with the popular direct conversion radio receiver architectures. The present invention may be utilized in many types of radio receivers. The high selectivity RF circuit comprises channel select filters, a down-converter, an up-converter and a programmable local oscillator. The radio receiver provides control signals to the high selectivity RF circuit that permits the selection of an appropriate channel select filter and permits the generation of a local oscillator that subsequently generates the proper intermediate frequency in a mixer.
US08219057B2
The application relates to a method for operation of an active antenna array and to an active antenna system. The active antenna system has a signal processing unit and an active antenna array adapted to be operated with a main antenna pattern correlated to a main receive beam and with at least one test antenna pattern correlated to a test receive beam having an orientation different from the main receive beam. A main radio frequency signal is received based on the main antenna pattern and a test radio frequency signal is received based on the test antenna pattern. The main radio frequency signal comprises communications traffic. Performance of the main receive beam is assessed based on the main radio frequency signal and performance of the test receive beam is assessed based on the test radio frequency signal. The main antenna pattern is adjusted based on a comparison of the performance of the main receive beam and test receive beam.
US08219052B2
An information providing system is provided. An in-vehicle apparatus is provided in a vehicle. The in-vehicle apparatus receives a broadcasting. An information providing apparatus transmits area information related to a broadcast channel that is receivable in a traveling area of the vehicle to the in-vehicle apparatus. A storage unit stores the area information for each traveling area. A receiving unit receives probe information including a predetermined reference position or a position of the vehicle from the in-vehicle apparatus. A deciding unit decides a reference area set including a plurality of traveling areas which are within a predetermined distance from the reference position included in the received probe information for each vehicle. An accumulating unit accumulates the received probe information. A determining unit determines a traveling record of the vehicle in each traveling area on the basis of the accumulated probe information. An update unit updates the reference area set on the basis of the traveling record. A transmitting unit transmits the area information corresponding to the reference area set before the update to the in-vehicle apparatus corresponding to the reference area set when the update unit has not yet performed the update, and transmits the area information corresponding to the reference area set after the update to the in-vehicle apparatus corresponding to the reference area set when the update unit has performed the update.
US08219041B2
A design structure embodied in a machine-readable medium used in a design process provides a transmitter having a frequency response controllable in accordance with an operational parameter, and may include a storage operable to store operational parameters for controlling a frequency response of the transmitter under each of a plurality of corresponding operating conditions. A sensor can be used to detect an operating condition. In response to a change in the detected operating condition, a stored operational parameter corresponding to the detected operating condition can be used to control the frequency response of the transmitter.
US08219033B2
To broadcast synchronized radio waves in at least one frequency band in a predetermined territory, antennas (AS, ATI, AE) emit waves to respective coverage areas in which receivers (RQ, RB) measure characteristics of the emitted waves and transmit to a central server (SC) . The server analyzes the characteristics (CO) as a function of prediction models for broadcasting waves in the territory in order to determine adjustment parameters for the antennas. The server transmits the adjustment parameters to the antennas to control them in order to offer a greater diversity of radio broadcasting services and to optimize coverage areas according to different wave propagation modes.
US08219032B2
Aspects of a method and system for compensating for estimated distortion in a transmitter by utilizing a digital predistortion scheme with a quadrature feedback mixer configuration are presented. Aspects of the system may include an RF transmitter that enables generation of an RF output signal in response to one or more generated input signals. One or more feedback signals may be generated by performing frequency downconversion on the RF output signal within a corresponding one or more feedback mixer circuits. The generated one or more feedback signals may be inserted at a corresponding one or more insertion points in an RF receiver. Each insertion point may be between a receiver mixer circuit and corresponding circuits that generate a baseband signal based on the corresponding one of the feedback signals.
US08219022B2
The present invention relates to a data communication method, a data communication system and a communication device. In particular, the present invention relates to a wireless communication device, wherein a broadband internet connection between said communication device and a data network is used. Said broadband internet connection has a high security between said wireless communication device and a data network by the usage of a unique port secured access by means of public known keys.
US08219005B2
A developing device includes: a developer carrying member that supplies developer to an image carrying member; plural developer supply members, containing different color developers, that supply the developers to the developer carrying member in a developer supply position; a conveyance member that sequentially conveys the plural developer supply members to the developer supply position; and a peeling member that peels off developer, remained after supply of the developer by the developer carrying member to the image carrying member, from the developer carrying member.
US08219000B2
A roller device that can be exchangeably used in an image forming apparatus includes a roller, a shaft, and two grip members. The roller is configured to cover the shaft along the rotation axis and have two roller ends from which the two shaft end portions of the shaft are projected outwardly along the rotation axis. A shaft is configured to have a rotation axis at a center thereof and have two shaft end portions. The two grip members are each configured to be rotatably disposed to a respective shaft end portion of the two shaft end portions.
US08218997B2
A cleaning member includes a core bar, an elastic coating layer, and high-friction coefficient parts provided on both ends of the cleaning member. The high-friction coefficient parts include an elastic material. Outer peripheries of the high-friction coefficient parts are inclined with respect to an axial direction of the core bar. The cleaning member is roller-shaped and is configured to clean a surface of a roller member to be cleaned in contact therewith. A charging device and a process cartridge also include the cleaning member.
US08218994B2
The image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion that synthetically prints image data and ID image data specific to a user on a recording paper, a paper discharge tray that discharges and accumulates the recording papers, and an ID image reading portion that reads the ID images of the recording papers accumulated in the paper discharge tray, and notifies an external device specified by a user corresponding to the read ID image that the recording papers in the paper discharge tray must be removed. The image forming apparatus includes an output condition setting portion that sets output conditions of the recording papers, and the image forming portion prints the image data on a recording paper and the ID image data on an edge of the recording paper in accordance with the output conditions set by the output condition setting portion.
US08218980B2
An image forming device includes a main body, a replaceable unit, a determination unit, a first memory, a second memory, a temporary memory, a first control unit, and a second control unit. The determination unit determines whether the replaceable unit is a genuine product or a non-genuine product with respect to the main body. The first memory is configured to store a physical value increasing with a use of the main body mounted with the genuine product. The second memory is configured to store the physical value increasing with the use of the main body mounted with the non-genuine product. The temporary memory is configured to temporarily store the physical value increasing with the use of the main body mounted with the non-genuine product.
US08218978B2
A method of and a receiver(20) for detection of a received signal in an optical fiber communication system using Viterbi algorithm methodology in which branch metrics are obtained using approximated expressions to calculate the branch metrics. Use of the expressions results in practically the same performance as a receiver based on exact metrics.
US08218973B2
Provided are an optical transmitter device and an optical transmitter module which are capable of reducing the optical transmitter module size while maintaining a state where an excellent optical transmission waveform quality is obtained over a wide range of frequencies. The optical transmission module (2) includes a semiconductor laser diode device (10), an optical modulator device (12), and a first termination resistor circuit (14-1). A printed circuit board (4) includes a driver IC (16) and a second termination resistor circuit (14-2). A lower cutoff frequency of the first termination resistor circuit (14-1) and an upper cutoff frequency of the second termination resistor circuit (14-2) correspond to each other. An impedance of the first termination resistor circuit (14-1) in a pass frequency band thereof and an impedance of the second termination resistor circuit (14-2) in a pass frequency band thereof correspond to each other.
US08218967B1
An optical switching system and method that provide fault tolerant optical switching without duplicating the entire system. Two optical switches are provided, each of which receives a portion of a transmitted optical signal. Should one switch fail, the other switch is still able to perform the required optical routing of the optical signal to the desired receiving node. The two switches can be the same type of optical switch that have identical switching functionality, or each switch could have a distinct switching functionality. In one example, one switch could be a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) switch that has fast switching speed but uses more power, and the other switch could be a micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) switch that has slower switching speed but uses less power, thereby combining the benefits of fast switching and low power switching into a single architecture.
US08218964B2
An interface between a network component and an optical fiber section communicates with a remote interface and a remote network component at an opposite end of the optical fiber section through over-modulation of optical signals sent between the interfaces and network components. The over-modulation is at frequencies much lower than the ordinary modulation of the optical signals. The over-modulation allows communication between the interfaces for performing management, testing and maintenance operations and permits superior detection of faults in the optical fiber section.
US08218960B2
A lens apparatus includes an imaging optical system including a focus lens unit, a branching optical unit disposed at the image side of the focus lens unit, a focus-state detecting unit including a focus detecting element having a focus detection area that receives light beams from the branching optical unit, and detecting a focus state by using the focus detecting element, an actuator that drives the focus lens unit in an optical axis direction thereof, a controller that controls the actuator, in accordance with an output from the focus-state detecting unit, and a movable image-side optical unit disposed at the image side of the branching optical unit. The controller changes the size of the focus detection area of the focus detecting element within a range in accordance with the position of the image-side optical unit.
US08218956B2
A driving system is provided. The driving system includes a fixed substrate, a coil unit which generates an electromagnetic force if an electric current applied, a magnet unit formed on the fixed substrate to face the coil unit, and a plurality of driving units which are interconnected with each other on the fixed substrate, and which are moved respectively in parallel direction with respect to a surface of the fixed substrate in accordance with an interaction between the electromagnetic force and a magnetic force of the magnet unit, if the electric current is applied. As a result, a non-contact driving is provided.
US08218955B2
An exemplary embodiment includes a booster water heater for fluids, e.g., water, that has a reservoir for the fluids, at least one electrical heating element extending into the reservoir and a control system for applying an overload voltage to the heating element. In a more preferred embodiment, the booster water heater is used to preheat water in commercial dishwashing applications.
US08218953B2
A television personal computer 40, when saving video data 43 by recording a video content, extracts a section containing a predetermined type of scene from within the video content, and displays, when instructed to reproduce the video data, a picture framing area and a time line. The time line includes blocks specifying the section containing the predetermined type of scene together with this type of scene, and an indicator indicating a reproducing point is displayed on the time line.
US08218950B2
A recording device includes: a first irradiation unit that irradiates first light to an optical-recording-type display medium during a recording period on the basis of image data, the display medium being configured to display an image recorded in the display medium using light; and a second irradiation unit that irradiates second light having given energy to the display medium during the recording period.
US08218939B2
A method, system and computer program provide a mechanism for intelligently synchronizing a portable video device with a digital video recorder. The intelligent synchronization handles conditions under which a complete transfer of difference content is not possible due to available storage limitations of the portable video device. The synchronization process determines a content difference between the content on the portable video device and the content on the DVR, determines available storage space on the portable video device and compares the available storage space on the portable video device to a size of the content difference. If the size of the content difference is greater than the available storage space, the size of the content difference is reduced, by compression or truncation, without completely excluding video programs from the transfer.
US08218937B2
An optical film of the present invention comprises a polyimide-based polymer represented by the following general formula (V). The optical film of the present invention exhibits an optical property such that wavelength dispersion of retardation scarcely changes ranging from the short wavelength side to the long wavelength side.Typically, the optical film of the present invention may be used as a retardation film of a liquid crystal display device.
US08218931B2
A Radiation Curable Coating composition, which may be used as an inner primary coating, an outer primary coating, single coats, a matrix, or a buffer resin composition, comprising: A Radiation Curable Coating composition, which may be used as an inner primary coating, an outer primary coating, single coats, a matrix, or a buffer resin composition, comprising at least one radiation-curable oligomer wherein said at least one radiation curable oligomer is a fatty-acid modified epoxy acrylate; at least one ethylenenic unsaturated reactive diluent; wherein said oligomer(s) and diluent(s) are selected from the group that does not include moieties with Urethane chemistry. This composition, when tested, is found to have resistance to thermal degradation as measured by less than 10% weight loss after exposure of cured specimens in a natural convection furnace for 100 hours at 180° C.
US08218926B2
A cable, provided with at least one signal conductor (5), for instance glass fiber and/or glass fiber bundle, received in a cable inner space (3), such that a signal conductor take-out part can be taken out of the cable inner space (3), wherein the length of said take-out part is at least 1% of a cable length over which the take-out part can be taken out of the cable, preferably more than 2%, in particular more than 4% and more in particular more than 10%.
US08218922B2
There is disclosed an optical device for dispersion compensation of channels within a predetermined wavelength band, comprising: a waveguiding structure; and a grating structure formed in said waveguiding structure; characterized in that said grating structure has a Bragg frequency profile that is divided into contiguous periods, wherein the Bragg frequencies within each period vary between a lower Bragg frequency and an upper Bragg frequency, said lower and upper Bragg frequencies for each period both corresponding to wavelengths outside of said predetermined wavelength band.
US08218919B2
A MEMS-based display device is described, wherein an array of interferometric modulators are configured to reflect light through a transparent substrate. The transparent substrate is sealed to a backplate and the backplate may contain electronic circuitry fabricated on the backplane. The electronic circuitry is placed in electrical communication with the array of interferometric modulators and is configured to control the state of the array of interferometric modulators.
US08218915B2
Asymmetrical interleavers and deinterleavers. In one example embodiment, an asymmetrical deinterleaver includes first, second, third, fourth, and fifth filter cells interleaved with first, second, third, and fourth waveplates and followed by a fifth waveplate. The filter cells are configured to filter optical signals propagating on first and second legs of an optical loop. The asymmetrical deinterleaver also includes a retro reflector optically coupled with the filter cells and waveplates. The retro reflector is configured to reflect the optical signals between the first leg and the second leg to form the optical loop. The asymmetrical deinterleaver further includes a single-fiber collimator optically coupled to the first leg of the optical loop and a dual-fiber collimator optically coupled to the second leg of the optical loop.
US08218910B2
A method of computing a continuous interpolation of a discrete set of three-dimensional (3D) balls, including generating an initial skin, wherein the initial skin is a surface comprised of splines and wherein the splines touch each ball along a circle that is tangent to the ball, solving a first differential equation to minimize the initial skin's surface area or solving a second differential equation to minimize a squared mean curvature of the initial skin's surface, wherein the result of solving the first or second differential equations is an updated skin; and repeating the steps of solving the first or second differential equations for the updated skin, and then, repeating the steps of solving the first or second differential equations for each subsequently updated skin until a desired skin is realized.
US08218907B2
A method for reconstructing a high quality image from undersampled image data is provided. The image reconstruction method is applicable to a number of different imaging modalities. Specifically, the present invention provides an image reconstruction method that incorporates an appropriate prior image into an iterative image reconstruction process as well as utilizing an image frame from a previous time frame to constrain the reconstruction of a current image frame.
US08218900B1
A system and method for expansion and reduction of images uses a hybrid resizing technique that combines seam carving and image scaling techniques to reduce or expand an image. Seam carving techniques may be used to identify one or more low-cost seams of an input image, and these low-cost seams may be scaled up or down to expand or reduce the overall input image and produce a resized image. A different scaling factor may be applied to different ones of the low-cost seams, dependent on the average or total energy value of each of the seams. The scaling factor applied to each seam may be dependent on the number of low-cost seams identified for scaling, which may be configurable by a user. A configurable look-up table may map seam costs to scaling factors, and may be accessed to determine a respective scaling factor to be applied to each identified seam.
US08218898B2
A method of reducing noise in an image including steps for obtaining a first value for a target pixel, obtaining a respective second value for each neighboring pixel surrounding the target pixel and having the same color as the target pixel, for each neighboring pixel, comparing a difference between said first value and said second value to a threshold value, and replacing the first value with an average value obtained from the first value and at all second values from the neighboring pixels which have an associated difference which is less than or equal to the threshold value based on a result of the comparing step.
US08218889B2
The present invention provides methods, systems and machine readable medium including machine readable code for deblurring data corrupted by shift variant blurring. A first version of data having shift variant blurring characterized by a first shift variant point spread function is provided. A target shift invariant point spread function is selected. A second shift variant point spread function is derived wherein a combination of the first and second shift variant point spread functions generates the target shift invariant point spread function. The second shift variant point spread function is applied to the first version of the data thereby generating a second version of the data having shift invariant blurring characterized by the target shift invariant point spread function. A linear shift invariant filter is applied to the second version of the data thereby generating a deblurred version of the data.
US08218879B2
A method for removing shutter areas in an image, in particular an x-ray image is provided. Edges are examined in a multi-resolution image pyramid and evaluated to determine potential shutter blade candidates defining the shutter areas. Heuristic rules and/or an automatic classifier such as a Neuronal Network, are applied to distinguish true shutter blades from false positives. The rule set and the classifier are based on a set of features extracted from the potential shutter blade candidates as well as predetermined knowledge of the expected placement of the shutter, human anatomy. Up to four shutter blades are expected to be detected and based on these blades, the bright areas in the image that occur due to the shutters are removed.
US08218872B2
An information processing system includes an image output unit, an image reception unit, and a determination unit. The image output unit outputs an image to a document to include first and second images. The first image includes at least one of a character and a symbol which represent at least part of a pair of an attribute name and an attribute value which are included in electronic data. The second image includes a first information image representing at least part of the attribute value, or a second information image representing a storage location of the electronic data. The image reception unit receives the output image of the document and an image of a paper document. The determination unit determines as to whether or not allowing the image of the paper document to be registered.
US08218864B2
A method maintaining an image background by multiple Gaussian models utilized to a device includes the following steps. First, the device captures an image frame having pixels to obtain background information, and then calculates the background information to establish a primary Gaussian model. Next, the device captures continuous image frames in a time period to obtain and calculate graphic information for establishing a secondary Gaussian model, and then repeates the steps to establish multiple secondary Gaussian models. Finally, the device compares two secondary Gaussian models, and then updates learning for the primary Gaussian model by the secondary Gaussian model if the graphic information of the secondary Gaussian models are attributable to the background information, or maintains the background information of the primary Gaussian model without updating the learning if anyone of the graphic information of the two secondary Gaussian models is unattributable to the background information.
US08218859B2
This disclosure describes various exemplary method and computer program products for transductive multi-label classification in detecting video concepts for information retrieval. This disclosure describes utilizing a hidden Markov random field formulation to detect labels for concepts in a video content and modeling a multi-label interdependence between the labels by a pairwise Markov random field. The process groups the labels into several parts to speed up a labeling inference and calculates a conditional probability score for the labels, the conditional probability scores are ordered for ranking in a video retrieval evaluation.
US08218856B2
Disclosed is an information presentation system that includes a plurality of information presentation apparatuses movable and displaying images of a plurality of objects, and a control apparatus outputting control signals for controlling the information presentation apparatuses. Each information presentation apparatus includes a display unit, a moving unit, a driving unit, a position sensor, a first communication unit, and a control unit. The control apparatus includes an object position information obtaining unit, a second communication unit, and a control unit. The control unit of the information presentation apparatus control to display an image of the object, for which position information has been obtained by the object position information obtaining unit of the control apparatus, on the display unit and control to drive the driving unit based on the control signal received by the first communication unit.
US08218853B2
A change discrimination device capable of discriminating an alteration of a photographing target only from an aerial photograph or irrespectively of a difference in lighting conditions or photographing conditions at the time of taking a photo, and at minute distance intervals on a pixel basis, which receives input of a plurality of aerial image data at a new time point and an old time point, generates three-dimensional data (DSM) by subjecting the applied aerial image data to stereo-matching processing, generates ortho-image data and ortho-DSM data by normalizing the aerial image data and the generated DSM data, compares colors by using the generated ortho-image of the new time point and ortho-image of the old time point and compares heights by using the generated ortho-DSM data of the new time point and ortho-DSM data of the old time point to discriminate an alteration of a feature on the earth.
US08218839B2
A method for automatically localizing left ventricle in medical image data includes acquiring a sequence of three-dimensional medical images spanning a cardiac cycle. Each of the images includes a plurality of two-dimensional image slices, one of which is defined as a template slice. The template slice of each medical image of the sequence is automatically cropped to include the heart and a margin around the heart based on temporal variations between pixels of the template slice throughout the sequence of medical images. The template slice of each medical image of the sequence is automatically contoured to determine the endo-cardial and epi-cardial boundaries for at least the end-diastolic and end-systolic phases. Localization information is generated for the left ventricle based on the determined endo-cardial and epi-cardial boundaries for at least the end-diastolic and end-systolic phases.
US08218820B2
An image processing method includes the steps of extracting edges from each of a plurality of original images, thereby obtaining edge images; extracting straight lines from the edge images, thereby obtaining line images; assuming extensions of the straight lines constituting the line images and setting vanishing points on the basis of the extensions; and trimming the plurality of original images so that positions of the vanishing points in the respective original images mutually match, thereby obtaining final images.
US08218807B1
An apparatus that allows a standard straight microphone stand to be used as a boom-style microphone stand is herein disclosed comprising an extender having a tapered cylindrical section that essentially converts the standard straight microphone stand to a boom-type stand. In use, a person would insert the standard microphone into the tapered cylindrical extender while routing the microphone cable through the slot running the length of the cylinder. Next, the small tapered end is then secured to a standard microphone stand using a friction fit to keep it in place. The device therefore provides a useable microphone extension without the possibility of tipping the stand over. The device is to be provided in various lengths suitable to various microphone applications.
US08218802B2
A method is described for reduction of occlusion effects in an acoustic appliance which closes an auditory channel, wherein an audio signal in the transmission path of the acoustic appliance is processed by a signal processing unit and is emitted via an output transducer, which is arranged in the auditory channel, as an acoustic signal. A resultant sound signal is then detected by an auditory channel microphone and is supplied to a variable loop filter which is arranged in a feedback loop of an occlusion reduction unit for the acoustic appliance. The output signal from the loop filter is injected into the transmission path of the audio signal. The occlusion reduction unit is in this case controlled adaptively, with at least one signal from the transmission path of the audio signal and/or from the feedback loop being used to control the loop filter for the occlusion reduction unit.
US08218796B2
A microphone unit includes a substrate. The substrate includes a first face formed with a first recess, a second face opposite to the first face, and a through hole communicating the second face to a bottom part of the first recess. A diaphragm unit includes a diaphragm, and at least a part of which is disposed in the first recess so that the diaphragm opposes the through hole.
US08218785B2
An infrared (IR) emitter having a broad emission pattern driven by a frequency-modulated (FM) carrier signal enables electronic communication between multiple talkers and multiple listeners. A narrow reception pattern on the listener's receiving unit combined with the inherent capture effect of FM coding provides each listener with the means of easily and naturally selecting one of many talkers from a group. A close microphone for the talking party and a close earphone for the listening party enables the system to assist conversation particularly in the case of noisy environments by improving the signal to noise ratio. A similar system of broad emission transmitters and narrow reception can be used in other systems, such as a teleconferencing unit in which users have transmitters and receivers and a teleconferencing unit has multiple receivers arranged to receive signals in multiple different sectors.
US08218779B2
A portable communication device is disclosed. The portable communication device comprises a speaker adapted to be held to an ear of a user for conveying sound to the user, at least one sensor for sensing sound emanating from said sound conveyed to the user, and a control unit. The control unit is adapted to estimate, based on an electrical input signal supplied to an input port of the speaker and an electrical output signal received from an output port of the at least one sensor, a transfer characteristic from the input port of the speaker to the output port of the sensor. Furthermore, the control unit is adapted to estimate, based on the estimated transfer characteristic, a degree of sound leakage from the user's ear. A corresponding method is also disclosed.
US08218777B2
According to an aspect of an embodiment, a multipoint communication apparatus comprises: a receiving unit for receiving a plurality of signals containing voice signal elements and noise signal elements from the plurality of other communication apparatuses, respectively; a noise estimating unit for estimating the plurality of noise signal elements in the plurality of received signals, respectively; a gain control unit for adjusting gains of the plurality of signals passing therethrough so as to equalize the levels of the plurality of noise signal elements outputted from the gain element on the basis of the estimated levels of the noise signal elements; a combining unit for combining the plurality of signals passed through the gain control unit; and an output unit for outputting a sound signal on the basis of the a combined signal by the combining unit.
US08218773B2
A method for secure bidirectional communication between two systems is described. A first key pair and a second key pair are generated, the latter including a second public key that is generated based upon a shared secret. First and second public keys are sent to a second system, and third and fourth public keys are received from the second system. The fourth public key is generated based upon the shared secret. A master key for encrypting messages is calculated based upon a first private key, a second private key, the third public key and the fourth public key. For re-keying, a new second key pair having a new second public key and a new second private key is generated, and a new fourth public key is received. A new master key is calculated using elliptic curve calculations using the new second private key and the new fourth public key.
US08218770B2
Described embodiments provide a server for transferring data packets of streaming data sessions between devices. The server includes an accelerator that, for received data packets, i) extracts header fields of the packets, ii) determines, based on the header fields, a destination for the packets, and iii) provides the packets to the destination. For data to be transmitted, the accelerator i) groups the data into packets, ii) generates header fields for the packets, and iii) provides the packets to the network. A memory arbiter manages accesses to memory that buffers data and stores keys corresponding to the data sessions. A storage medium stores media files corresponding to the data sessions. A key manager includes i) a first memory for storing a master key of the server, ii) a second memory for storing one or more keys corresponding to the data sessions, and iii) a processor to encrypt and decrypt data.
US08218765B2
A trusted service which publishes information describing security attributes of computing platforms in a defined physical area, for use by a visitor to a building, for example, who is unfamiliar with the computing platforms available for use therein. In a preferred embodiment, the system provides only details and/or a list of public keys of genuine trusted computing platforms within the area.In another embodiment of the invention, the information system comprises a trusted computing platform for providing selected information to a user's portable computing apparatus.
US08218764B1
A method for delivering media content in full motion video to users via the Internet in a collaborative media production process is disclosed. The method includes: receiving encoded, production digital media files and a meta-data file; wherein the meta-data file contains meta-data at least from film, video, television, or commercial production or post-production; parsing the meta-data, wherein the meta-data is read by parsing software; associating the meta-data with the production digital media files; and enabling viewing and collaborative interaction with the production digital media files by a user using the collaborative display interface, wherein the collaborative interaction includes interacting with other users during production and post-production by notating comments that includes inserting a link to a specific digital media file and an actual media clip frame using a production time code.
US08218752B1
In a telecommunication system configured to provide a connection between a caller and a callee via a telephone network, wherein the telephone network is configured to connect the caller and the callee, a method for allowing the callee to prevent the caller from establishing the connection with the callee. The method includes receiving an instruction from the callee to prevent the caller from establishing the connection with the callee and identifying a first telephone number associated with the caller. The method also includes preventing one or more phone calls from the first telephone number from being forwarded to a second telephone number associated with the callee.
US08218739B2
An apparatus and methods for implementing a garage door monitoring system coupled to a garage door opener. The door monitoring system allow a user to actuate the door under control via a network connection. In at least one embodiment, the door monitoring system is controlled by a cell phone or networked appliance capable of transmitting information and data via a cellular telephone network. The door monitoring system provides the added advantage of allowing a remote user to view the areas or regions near to the door under control prior to actuating the door. At least one embodiment comprises a method to validate reception of the pictures or video clips of the areas or regions near to the door prior to enabling the system to actuate the door. In another embodiment a pass code is embedded into the pictures or video provided to the remote user.
US08218738B2
A technique is disclosed that enables the managing of environmental conditions within an enterprise workplace and, in doing so, provides an improvement in facilities cost management over some techniques in the prior art. A data-processing system such as a private-branch exchange monitors the workplace by using one or more telephones, or other “telecommunications endpoints” to which the exchange is connected, in the workplace area. The exchange determines whether people are present in the workplace area by monitoring which endpoints are in use. Additionally, the exchange monitors the sounds that are received by the microphones of the endpoints. Based on knowing which endpoints are in use, the exchange generates control signals for the purpose of controlling one or more environmental conditions such as temperature, lighting, and so forth. In some embodiments of the present invention, the exchange examines the audio content of the received signals and bases the control signals on the audio content analyzed.
US08218737B2
A system and method for providing message-based communications via a centralized voice message server is provided. A plurality of communication devices are interfaced over a data network. A session is initiated upon receipt of a sign-in request from one of the communication devices. An identity of a user associated with that communication device is verified. The user is assigned to at least one discussion group, which includes one or more other signed-in users each associated with an other communication device located at a location removed from the communication device. A voice message is received on a message server from the user. The voice message is encrypted for each of the other signed-in users using keys unique to the other communication devices associated with the other signed-in users. The encrypted voice message is provided from the message server to the other signed-in users.
US08218733B2
An emergency system includes a gateway and a database in communication with the gateway. The database comprises first routing information for establishing a first communication link between a communication device and a controller, second routing information for establishing a second communication link between the gateway and the controller, wherein the second routing information is correlated to the first routing information; and location data associated with the communication device. Upon receiving identification information related to the communication device, the gateway retrieves the first routing information from the database and provides the first routing information to a switch. The gateway retrieves the second routing information from the database and uses the second routing information to establish a second communication link with the controller, and the gateway retrieves the location data from the database.
US08218729B2
A control apparatus for controlling an X-ray irradiation area, in which an acquisition circuit acquires information relating to an effective area of a sensor, and a control circuit controls the X-ray irradiation area based on the information relating to the effective area.
US08218718B1
The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for reconstructing images from data acquired during radiotherapy. The approach is based on summing the imaging data acquired while both therapeutic and imaging source are active, with that acquired when only the therapeutic source is active. Further correction of the summed data can lead to reconstructed images of excellent quality.
US08218708B2
A phase splitter uses digital delay locked loop (DLL) to receive complementary input clock signals to generate a plurality of output signals having different phase shifts. When the DLL is locked, the delay resolution of the phase splitter is equal to two delay stages of the DLL.
US08218697B2
An OFDMA-MIMO receiver performs a recursive interference cancellation across several correlated subbands and several receive antenna elements to demodulate complex source symbols for several users that have been coded across several subbands and transmit antennas. The iterative parallel interference canceller (PIC) is configured to work in the presence of both spatial and frequency structure introduced by the transmitter space-frequency mapping and the actual frequency selective wireless channel. The interference canceller uses mixed decisions, confidence weights, and stabilizing step sizes in a PIC receiver, which may be used with a successive decoding architecture in a receiver that employs a combination of modulation level interference cancellation with successive decoding.
US08218694B2
A transmitter (106) for transmitting a signal, the signal comprising a plurality of signal values, the signal values being grouped to at least one signal value block. The transmitter comprises a pre-transformation unit (101) adapted to process each signal value block by a pre-transformation to produce a block of modulation symbols, wherein the pre-transformation comprises a phase rotation of the signal block values, which corresponds to the multiplication of the signal value block with a phase rotation matrix. The transmitter also comprises a modulation unit (102) adapted to modulate at least one carrier signal based on the modulation symbols and a sending unit (104) adapted to send the modulated carrier signal.
US08218690B1
A mechanism for performing timing offset compensation for channel estimation in a receiver of a wireless device. A timing offset associated with a received RF signal is estimated based on an estimated carrier frequency offset for the received RF signal. An integer multiple of the estimated timing offset is applied to each of a plurality of high throughput long training field (HT-LTF) symbols associated with the received RF signal to compensate for the timing offset associated with the received RF signal. Channel estimation is performed using the plurality of HT-LTF symbols compensated for the timing offset associated with the received RF signal.
US08218681B2
An OFDM transmitter and receiver realizing high-speed cell search and having a reducible circuit scale. An OFDM transmitter includes an SCH inserting section for constructing a frame where a synchronization sequence in a predetermined position from the head of a first sub-frame is arranged and a synchronization sequence composed of the symbols of the former synchronization sequence and the symbols whose I, Q components are interchanged is arranged in a predetermined position from the head of a second sub-frame adjacent in the time-axis direction to the former sub-frame, an IFFT section, a P-SCH conversion section, and an RF transmitting section for transmitting this frame. Thus, the receiving end of the frame can locate the position of either synchronization sequence and determine the frame timing from that position, thereby increasing the speed of the cell search.
US08218668B2
A multi-user multi-input multi-output (MIMO) method for transmitting signal with a includes: performing a Tomlinson-Harashima pre-coding (THP) on raw data; decomposing a channel matrix to a product of a block triangular matrix and a unitary matrix, and generating a signal to be transmitted by performing a forward filtering on the THP coded data by using the unitary matrix. A multi-user MIMO apparatus for transmitting signal includes an interference pre-eliminating unit, a modulo unit, a forward filtering unit, and a channel matrix decomposing unit. A multi-user MIMO communication system is further provided.
US08218657B2
A system and method for automatically sets the encoding bit-rate across a network. The method includes encoding an original media stream with an encoding bit rate having an adjustable rate, transmitting the encoded media stream to a receiver, monitoring a throughput of the encoded media stream, computing an adjustment to the encoding bit rate, and adjusting the encoder's encoding bit rate. A throughput monitor (which can be freestanding, part of the transmitter, or part of the receiver), is operable to monitor the encoded media stream, wherein the transmitter is operable to adjust the encoding bit rate using a result of the monitored throughput. The transmitter and receiver both contain a buffer, and respective buffer monitors. Conditions (e.g., overflow, full, empty) at the transmitter or receiver buffer are detected by the respective transmitter or receiver buffer monitor, where upon a repeated condition the encoded bit rate is adjusted higher or lower.
US08218655B2
A method, system and device are provided for pre-filtering device for filtering a video signal prior to digitally encoding. The method includes receiving at least one input picture and at least one reconstructed picture from an encoding process and performing an in-loop temporal filtering process using at least one input picture and at least one reconstructed picture from an encoding process to output a pre-filtered video signal for use in an encoding process. The result is enabling an encoding process to produce an output with increased temporal correlation between adjacent pictures regardless of the coding type, since the artifacts introduced by the encoding process are also considered by the process.
US08218650B2
An apparatus comprising a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit may be configured to present a video signal and macroblock data in response to decoding one or more bins on a binary signal. The second circuit may be configured to, in parallel (i) generate the binary signal in response to a bitstream signal and an initial context information and (ii) calculate subsequent context information.
US08218643B2
A method for performing motion estimation is provided. The method includes the following steps: selecting a current block in a current frame; comparing the current block with an initial reference block in a reference frame to obtain an initial comparison parameter, wherein position of the initial reference block in the reference frame is corresponding to position of the current block in the current frame; determining a predicted search window corresponding to the current block based on the initial comparison parameter; and comparing the current block with reference blocks in the predicted search window to obtain comparison parameters respectively, whereby a best-match reference block in the predicted search window is determined.
US08218637B2
An image data processing method includes selecting a motion compensating vector of a noticed region based on additional information added to student data. The image data processing method also includes classifying the noticed region into one of a plurality of classes based on the motion compensating vector selected by the selecting. In addition, the image data processing method includes constructing a prediction tap of the noticed region based on the motion compensating vector selected by the selecting and learning a prediction coefficient based on the one of the plurality of classes using teacher data corresponding to the constructed prediction tap. The image data processing method additionally includes producing prediction coefficient data for each class, based on the prediction coefficient. The image data processing method further includes storing the prediction coefficient data in a coefficient memory based on a quantization scale and a bit rate.
US08218634B2
Nonlinear, in-the-loop, denoising filter for quantization noise removal for hybrid video compression
A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for using an in-the-loop denoising filter for quantization noise removal for video compression. In one embodiment, the video encoder comprises a transform coder to apply a transform to a residual frame representing a difference between a current frame and a first prediction, the transform coder outputting a coded differential frame as an output of the video encoder; a transform decoder to generate a reconstructed residual frame in response to the coded differential frame; a first adder to create a reconstructed frame by adding the reconstructed residual frame to the first prediction; a non-linear denoising filter to filter the reconstructed frame by deriving expectations and performing denoising operations based on the expectations; and a prediction module to generate predictions, including the first prediction, based on previously decoded frames.
US08218630B2
A video frame arithmetical context adaptive encoding and decoding scheme is presented which is based on the finding, that, for sake of a better definition of neighborhood between blocks of picture samples, i.e. the neighboring block which the syntax element to be coded or decoded relates to and the current block based on the attribute of which the assignment of a context model is conducted, and when the neighboring block lies beyond the borders or circumference of the current macroblock containing the current block, it is important to make the determination of the macroblock containing the neighboring block dependent upon as to whether the current macroblock pair region containing the current block is of a first or a second distribution type, i.e., frame or field coded.
US08218628B2
A video coder performs a motion-compensated prediction both in the base layer and in an enhancement layer to determine motion data of the enhancement layer by using the motion data from the base layer and/or to predict sequences of residual error pictures after the motion-compensated prediction in the enhancement layer by using sequences of residual error pictures from the base layer via an intermediate layer predictor. On the decoder side, an intermediate layer combiner is used for canceling this intermediate layer prediction. Thereby, the data rate is improved compared to scalability schemes without intermediate layer prediction with the same picture quality.
US08218622B2
System and method for processing videos and images to a determined quality level. According to an embodiment, the present invention provides a method for enhancing video. The method includes providing a first video element that is uncompressed. The method also includes determining motion information associated with the video element. The method further includes providing a second video element by removing at least a defect from the first video element. The second video element includes a color luminance and a luminance. In addition, the method includes de-interlacing the second video element using the motion information. Furthermore, the method includes scaling the second video element. Also, the method includes providing a third video element by enhancing the chrominance and enhancing the luminance of the second video element. The method additionally includes outputting the third video element.
US08218620B2
Disclosed herein is a picture processing apparatus including: an attribute information detection section configured to detect attribute information about a plurality of pictures included in moving picture data; an index data creation section configured to create index data for indexing the attribute information to the positions in the moving picture data of those of the plurality of pictures which correspond to the attribute information; and a stream data creation section configured to create stream data including the moving picture data and the index data.
US08218619B2
Disclosed are a transcoding apparatus and method between two codecs each including a deblocking filter. The transcoding method between first and second codecs each including a deblocking filter, may include decoding input data encoded according to the first codec, according to the first codec so as to generate decoded data; and encoding the decoded data according to the second codec. The decoded data may include data on which deblocking filtering is not performed by the first codec, or data on which deblocking filtering is adaptively performed by the first codec. The decoded data may further include data on which deblocking filtering is performed by the first codec. The decoded data may be used as input data when the second codec performs encoding and/or when the second codec performs motion estimation.
US08218617B2
Techniques for generating utility-based descriptors from compressed multimedia information are disclosed. A preferred method includes the steps of receiving least a segment of compressed multimedia information, determining two or more portions of utility based descriptor information based on one or more adaptation operations, each corresponding to a unique target rate, adapting the compressed multimedia segment by each the portions of utility based descriptor information to generate adapted multimedia segments, using a quality management method to generate measurement for each adapted multimedia segment, and generating a utility based descriptors based on the portions of utility based descriptor information and corresponding quality measurements.
US08218611B2
A device and method for producing Inter Symbol Interference (ISI) scaling of S-Parameter Touchstone files for the generation of ISI scaling effects on serial data patterns by direct digital synthesis is described. The features of the present invention allow user to set parameters such as data rate, voltage amplitude, encoding scheme etc. as per requirements for the serial data patterns. An ISI scaling value is selected and applied to an S-Parameter Touchstone file representing transmission path effects. The serial data pattern parameters and the ISI scaling value used with the S-Parameter Touchstone file are compiled to generate a digital data waveform record file. The digital waveform record file is applied to a waveform generation circuit for converting the digital data into an analog serial data pattern with ISI scaling effects.
US08218607B2
A plurality of communication signals is received. Each communication signal has an associated code. At least two of the communication signals has a different spreading factor. The associated codes have a scrambling code period. A total system response matrix has blocks. Each block has one dimension of a length M and another dimension of a length based on in part M and the spreading factor of each communication. M is based on the scrambling code period. Data of the received plurality of communication signals is received using the constructed system response matrix.
US08218604B2
A receiver that provides interference cancellation in conjunction with RAKE processing. Signal parameters corresponding to each of a plurality of fingers corresponding to RAKE processing are maintained. Synthesized pilot signals are estimated using the signal parameters by interpolating waveforms for respective ones of the plurality of synthesized pilot signals to a common sampling lattice of the received set of data, and are then cancelled out. According to another aspect, a receiver ensures completion of a time-critical process such as signal demodulation and adaptively applies a non-time-critical process such as interference cancellation to the extent that computational resources become available subject to ensuring the completion of the time-critical process.
US08218598B1
Disclosed is a circuit and method to program the starting phase of the spread spectrum of a clock output. The circuit includes a plurality of phase locked loop (PLL) circuits for generating a plurality of spread spectrum waveforms. The circuit also includes a spread control circuit for controlling each of the plurality of PLL circuits in accordance with a plurality of respective spread profiles. The spread profiles are configured to vary a starting phase of each spread spectrum waveform such that a total energy of each spread spectrum waveform is out of phase with other spread spectrum waveforms.
US08218586B2
A wavelength tunable system including a laser having a lasing cavity and an external cavity, the cavities having a common optical axis; a reflective grating fixed in the external cavity; a collimating lens between the lasing cavity and the reflective grating; and an adjustable reflective mirror defining one end of the external cavity and optically coupled to the fixed reflective grating, the adjustable reflective mirror pivots about the fixed reflective grating, and a method of use as defined herein.
US08218585B2
Provided is a fiber laser including a mode filter for selectively attenuating, among modes included in laser light propagating through a multi-mode fiber, any mode other than a radially polarized mode. Among the modes included in the laser light propagating through the multi-mode fiber, the fiber laser causes the radially polarized mode to resonate, so as to emit radially polarized laser light. The mode filter includes a long-period fiber grating obtained by writing, to a multi-mode fiber capable of guiding the radially polarized mode, a grating for selectively attenuating any waveguide mode other than the radially polarized mode.
US08218583B2
A compressively-encoding-resultant video signal resulting from compressively encoding a video signal, a first compressively-encoding-resultant audio signal resulting from compressively encoding a first audio signal having a synchronized relation with the video signal, a reference clock information signal relating to synchronization between the compressively-encoding-resultant video signal and the first compressively-encoding-resultant audio signal, and an indication timing information signal designating an indication timing of the video signal are multiplexed to get an AV multiplexing-resultant signal. A second audio signal is compressively encoded to get a second compressively-encoding-resultant audio signal. A sound-production-timing information signal is added to the second compressively-encoding-resultant audio signal to get a substitution playback audio signal. During playback, the substitution playback audio signal can be reproduced instead of the first audio signal while being synchronous with the video signal. The sound-production-timing information signal responds to the reference clock information signal, and relates to synchronization with the video signal.
US08218579B2
A self-adaptive jitter buffer adjustment method for packet-switched network is presented in this invention, which involves both positive adjustment to jitter buffer and negative adjustment to jitter buffer. The positive adjustment part performs a positive adjustment to the jitter buffer according to an indication of a sequence number of the packet delaying, to absorb larger network jitters by dynamically detecting sequence numbers of the packets in the jitter buffer. The negative adjustment part performs a negative adjustment to the jitter buffer when the filling level descends, to match smaller network jitters by periodically detecting a filling level of the jitter buffer. This invention realizes the dynamic tracking of network jitter, so that a self-adaptive adjustment to the jitter buffer working parameters can be achieved. Comparing with traditional methods for self-adaptive buffer adjustment, the present method reduces the complicacy and computational costs of the self-adaptive jitter buffer adjustment algorithm. At the same time, the impact of self-adaptive jitter buffer adjustment on the performance of the entire system is greatly reduced.
US08218575B2
A method for shortening the length of time gaps between data units in a data switching network; the method comprising: arranging a group of K data units received consecutively at an input of a first device in K time units, where K is a positive integer; sending the arranged K data units to the inputs of M devices, where M is a positive integer; transferring a group of Hj data units of the arranged K data units by a device j of the M devices from its inputs to its outputs within a time unit Tx in the K unit time period, where Hj is a positive integer and the sum of Hj for j=1, . . . M is equal to K, where HjK; arranging the data units sent to the devices of the M devices transferring at time unit Tx such that no two inputs of the devices of the M devices transferring at time unit Tx receive the same data unit at any moment; and repeatedly combining and arranging the K data units from the outputs of the M devices by a second device such that the K data units appear at the output of the second device consecutively.
US08218569B2
System and method for providing a termination point for service emulation instances in an access network is provided. In an embodiment, the service emulation instances are implemented utilizing, for example, pseudowires. Communications to and from the access network are aggregated and transmitted via one or more pseudowires to a service emulation instance terminator. The service emulation instance terminator converts the traffic to its native form and, if necessary, converts the traffic to a different type of format or service. The service emulation instance terminator then frames the traffic for the appropriate type of service and transmits the traffic to the service edge. Traffic received from the service is removed prepended with a pseudowire label and aggregated with other traffic. The aggregated traffic is transmitted to the customer via the access network. If necessary, an interworking function may convert the traffic from one type of service to another type of service.
US08218562B2
A technique for distributing channel allocation information in a demand access communication system. Multiple access codes are used that have a defined code repeat period or code epoch. For each such epoch duration, a schedule of assignment of traffic channels to active terminals for each epoch is determined. For each terminal designated as active during the epoch, a list of active channels for such terminal unit is assigned. Prior to the start of each epoch, a channel set up message is sent on one of the forward link channels, such as a paging channel, indicating the lists of active channels for epochs of the associated traffic channel(s) that are to follow.
US08218559B2
In accordance with an embodiment, a best-effort service is divided into packets for best-effort digital broadcast transmission. The packets are encapsulated with an encapsulation protocol that uses a packet order defining field. The encapsulated packets are inserted into an unused portion of a slot of a digital broadcast transmission frame. Then, the encapsulated packets are repeatedly inserted into the unused portion of the slot of the digital broadcast transmission frame in a packet-carousel fashion. And the transmission frame is digitally broadcast. In accordance with an embodiment, a digital broadcast transmission is received. Encapsulated packets that have been repeatedly broadcast in a packet-carousel fashion are accessed from a best-effort portion of a digital broadcast transmission frame slot. And a best-effort service is composed from the encapsulated packets by combining the encapsulated packets in an order based on a packet order defining field of the encapsulated packets.
US08218558B2
A data transfer system enabling access to multiple subnets and method thereof is disclosed. The data transfer method includes the following steps: executing a virtual private network (VPN) client installed on an electronic system; connecting the VPN client to a VPN router; the VPN client assigning a virtual IP address to a virtual interface; and the VPN client accessing a subnet corresponding to the virtual IP address through the virtual IP address.
US08218554B2
The CRC for the CPS Header of an ATM AAL2 cell is generated by a CRC generator which uses the 8 bits of the CID field to generate partial 5 bits CRCs which are loaded in a first table. The 6 bits LI field and 5 bits UUI field are added to the partial 5 bits CRC to form 16 bits. The CRC generator uses the 2.sup.16 bits to generate a second CRC table. The CRC for a particular CPS header is generated by correlating bits in the CID field, LI field and UUI field with the two tables.
US08218548B2
The present invention provides an information processing apparatus which is a component of an information processing system in which real time data for which transmission and reception assurance within a predetermined period of time after every fixed period is necessary is communicated through an asynchronous network. The apparatus includes a generator and a transmission controller. The generator is configured to generate time synchronizing information, which is to be utilized upon setting of transmission and reception schedules of the real time data, as packets having a first region into which a sequence number which varies after every period of time corresponding to the fixed period is to be described. The transmission controller is configured to control the packets generated by the generator such that one packet is transmitted to the asynchronous network at each transmission timing after the fixed period.
US08218547B2
Networked control systems and methods include a plurality of devices connected to a network. At least one device has a logical address that includes a device type and a device location in an environment of the device in a user readable and understandable format, such as English or other languages. The system further includes a processor connectable to the network and configured to execute control logic using the logical addresses. A memory is provided for storing a mapping from the logical address to a physical network address of the device.
US08218545B2
An arrangement and method for implementing multicasting in IP networks, in which multicast packets are transmitted along a multicast tree from one transmitter through several multicast controllers to several recipients is discussed. In the method at least one multicast tree intended for control messages is generated in the network from a network multicast controller to cell-level multicast controllers. The network multicast controller transmits along the multicast tree control messages to the cell-level multicast controllers. The control messages contain information on the network multicast and a command to connect to the network multicast tree intended for multicasts.
US08218526B2
A cell within cellular network includes user equipments (UEs) that transmit data to a base station (eNB). UEs are synchronized to the eNB upon entry to the cell. If a particular UE has data to transmit, it will be placed in a connected state and scheduled for transmission. Over a period of time, not all of the UEs will have data to transmit. The UEs are tracked as a scheduled portion and an unscheduled portion, wherein a UE is included in the scheduled portion in response to receiving a scheduling request from the UE. Synchronization is maintained between the eNB and each UE in the scheduled portion by sending a timing adjustment (TA) command if needed in response to receiving a scheduled transmission from each respective UE in the scheduled portion; Synchronization is maintained between the eNB and each UE in the unscheduled portion by allocating a periodic reference signal (sync-RS) to each UE in the unscheduled portion and by sending a respective timing adjustment (TA) command if needed to each respective UE in the unscheduled portion in response to a respective sync-RS received from each UE in the unscheduled portion.
US08218521B2
In a signal generation device in a wires transmission system, a calculation amount is greatly reduced compared with a convention FFT Pre-Processing method which performs oversampling, and peak power is reduced to substantially the same extent as in the convention method. A transmitter 100 includes a slope estimation unit 102 and a slope reference attenuation signal selection unit 103. The slope estimation unit 102 generates and outputs a slope estimation value indicating an inclination of a data signal waveform at a data signal point. The slope reference attenuation signal selection unit 103 estimates a data signal which may cause a peak after oversampling, based on an amplitude value of a data signal and a slope estimation value, and determines an attenuation amount for a selected data signal. The slope reference attenuation signal selection unit 103 generates information concerning a selection result and the determined attenuation amount, and outputs the information as a data attenuation coefficient.
US08218513B2
A base station forms a communication area communicable with a mobile communication network through a local network that includes the base station. The base station includes an obtaining unit that obtains a local-network address assigned to a mobile terminal in the communication area to communicate with a communication terminal in the local network; another obtaining unit that obtains a mobile-network address assigned to the mobile terminal to communicate with the mobile communication network; a storing unit that correlates and stores therein the local-network address and the mobile-network address; a receiving unit that receives, from the communication terminal, data having a destination address that is the local-network address; a converting unit that converts the destination address into the mobile-network address correlated with the local-network address and stored in the storing unit; and a transmitting unit that transmits, to the mobile terminal, the data whose destination address has been converted.
US08218510B2
A relay station and a method of operating a relay station are disclosed. The method includes decoding a received signal to restore the received signal into an information packet, and obtaining a first probability sequence representing probability information of respective information bits constituting the information packet, encoding the information packet to obtain a coded packet, and obtaining a second probability sequence representing probability information of respective coded bits constituting the coded packet by using the first probability sequence, and obtaining a modulated symbol by using the second probability sequence.
US08218507B2
Methods for improving communication performance in a wireless communication system where the wireless communication system has at least one mobile wireless communication device and a plurality of transmitter/receiver sites. The transmitter/receiver sites have a geographic area, defined as a cell, within which the mobile wireless communication devices can communicate with at least one of the transmitter/receiver sites. The methods determine when the mobile wireless communication device should rate shift or roam based on connection quality measurement data or position information such as GPS. In one method, the measurement data is subjected to configurable parameters to create a functional relationship value that is recorded. The recorded functional relationship values are trended and extrapolated to determine whether a rate shift or roam should be performed. In a second method, the measurement data taken prior to a communication connection failure is stored in at least one data vector with there being at least one data vector for each rate shift and one for roam. A functional relationship utilizing current measurements, last data rate, and the respective data vectors determines whether a rate shift or roam should be performed. In a third method, the position information for the wireless communication device is compared to at least one transmitter/receiver site and a determination is made as to the optimal transmitter/receiver site for communication.
US08218506B2
A W-LAN communication unit, a personal handyphone communication unit and an EV-DO communication unit include communication functions corresponding to their communication systems. A W-LAN quality measurement unit detects a value corresponding to RSSI, which is the reception power. An EV-DO quality measurement unit periodically obtains EV-DO quality values. A throughput measurement unit measures the throughput values for the individual communication systems. A condition setting unit designates a condition for the selection of the W-LAN communication unit, the personal handyphone communication unit or the EV-DO communication unit. A threshold value storage unit stores threshold values. A first determination unit compares the throughput values for the W-LAN and the RSSI with threshold values. A second determination unit compares the EV-DO quality values with threshold values. And a selector performs the switching of communication systems.
US08218497B2
An apparatus and method for synchronization in an uplink spatial division multiple access (UL SDMA) mode of a WiMAX wireless communication system includes a first step (500) of allocating a mixed sequence of first and second tile patterns for mobile station uplink slots. A next step (502) includes detecting embedded pilot signals in mobile station data traffic. A next step (504) includes calculating first and second pilot signal phase difference within the respective first and second tile patterns. A next step (506) includes estimating a time error and a frequency error of the pilot signals. A next step (508) includes sending information about the time and/or frequency error to the mobile station for use in synchronization (510).
US08218491B2
A data transmission method includes receiving information about a plurality of shared control channels, selecting at least one of the plurality of shared control channels using a User Equipment (UE) identity, receiving a message indicating the use of a shared data channel through the selected shared control channel, and receiving data through the shared data channel according to the message. When receiving a RRC message, such as a RRC connection setup message, transmitted through a shared data channel, a user equipment can decide a shared control channel to be monitored.
US08218489B2
The present invention relates to a scheduling apparatus of a base station supporting Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ) method. In particular, the present invention discloses scheduling a data unit transmitted to a mobile station from a base station providing ARQ method for correcting an error in wireless data communication and generating a high rate frame.According to the present invention, there is provided a transmission controlling apparatus comprising a receiver to receive mobile station status information from a mobile station connected with a base station, a schedule managing unit to determine transmission priority of a plurality of data units to be transmitted to the mobile station based on the received mobile station status information, and a transmitter to transmit the data units to the mobile station based on the determined transmission priority.
US08218485B2
A client in a home entertainment network can communicate with other components, including the server, over both a wired and a wireless link, with the particular path being selected based a component preference, and/or a bandwidth capability, and/or an occupancy ratio. Both links may be simultaneously used.
US08218483B2
A method and device for transmitting a data signal including a plurality of data packets from a base station to a radio device that perform acts of subdiving each data packet into at least a first data sub-packet and a second data sub-packet; transmitting simultaneously the first data sub-packet on a first portion of total resources, having a first reuse frequency factor, and the second data sub-packet on at least one second portion of total resources having second reuse factor, said first reuse factor being different from said second reuse factor.
US08218481B2
Disclosed is a data transmission method in a mobile communication system. The data transmission method through a code sequence in a mobile communication system includes grouping input data streams into a plurality of blocks consisting of at least one bit so as to map each block to a corresponding signature sequence, multiplying a signature sequence stream, to which the plurality of blocks are mapped, by a specific code sequence, and transmitting the signature sequence stream multiplied by the specific code sequence to a receiver.
US08218480B2
A system and method are disclosed for transmitting/receiving a signal in a communication system in which a first communication system and a second communication system coexist, the second communication system being evolved from the first communication system and being capable of using a control signal and a broadcast signal used in the first communication system. The method of transmitting a signal includes the steps of transmitting a first message including common control information and frame control information for the first communication system in a first frame, transmitting a second message including common control information and frame control information for the second communication system in a second frame, and signaling location information of the transmitted second message in the second frame.
US08218476B2
Systems and methods for supporting more flexible coverage areas and spatial capacity assignments using satellite communications systems are disclosed. Antenna elements are arranged in one or more phased arrays. The phased arrays may be used to receive uplink communications, transmit downlink communications, or both receive uplink communications and transmit downlink communications. Beam forming networks (BFN's) associated with the one or more phased arrays may be dynamic, allowing for movement of the locations of the receive beams, the transmit beams, or both the receive beams and transmit beams. The beams may then “hop” from location to location according to a predefined or dynamic hopping pattern. In some embodiments, the hopping patterns may be time-varying and may be changed or updated on-the-fly.
US08218472B2
Systems and methods for scheduling transmission that leverages both diversity and spatial reuse gains in the presence of finite user buffers in a two-hop wireless relay setting are disclosed. The system includes partitioning a set of relays to enable spatial reuse while accounting for half-duplex nature of relays, and assigning and reusing of channels to the relays (and associated users) in the two partitions to maximize the aggregate system throughput while ensuring proportional fairness.
US08218469B2
A wireless relay communication system and method are provided. The system includes a BS, at least one RS and subscriber terminals. The method includes: configuring a downlink relay zone and an uplink relay zone in downlink sub-frame and uplink sub-frame of physical layer frame structure of a BS, respectively, configuring a downlink relay zone and an uplink relay zone in uplink sub-frame and downlink sub-frame of physical layer frame structure of an RS, respectively, to define one or more combinations of OFDMA symbols and relay subchannels or relay timeslots for communication between the RS and BS; performing relay communication between the BS, the RS and a subscriber station. In the invention, an advanced relay mode is supported, i.e. an MSS/SS may access BS via the relay of RS, thereby broadening the effective coverage of BS, and improving the throughput of MSS/SS.
US08218467B2
Methods and apparatus for optimizing idle mode stand-by time in wireless device operable in a multicast system are disclosed. In order to maximize or optimize the stand-by time for idle mode, a time line for decoding of overhead information symbol (OIS) data received in one or more superframes in the wireless device. Based on the determined time line, an offset time period can be determined for setting an idle mode timer period used by the wireless device to decode the OIS information. By offsetting the timer period, a wireless device can be ensured to wake up and prepared to latch OIS information before the start of a superframe boundary, thus minimizing the wake up time of the device operating in an idle mode and, in turn, optimizing stand-by time.
US08218464B2
Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, bit and power loading may be utilized to select a modulation rate and subcarrier power scaling based on channel state information. As a result, a higher data rate may be utilized for a given signal-to-noise ratio while maintaining a constant bit error rate.
US08218459B1
An administrative interface is provided between a first network and a second network, where the administrative interface is separate from one or more communications session signaling interfaces between the first network and second network. At least one of authorization, authentication, and accounting messages is communicated over the administrative interface. A module associated with the administrative interface is provided to perform topology hiding of the first network such that topology information of the first network is hidden from the second network.
US08218437B2
A method for sharing an aggregate bandwidth among a group of traffic classes may include allocating a portion of the aggregate bandwidth to one of the group of traffic classes having a first priority associated therewith, where the allocated portion is referred to as a first bandwidth. The method may include allocating an unused portion of the aggregate bandwidth to a second one of the group of traffic classes having a second priority associated therewith in conjunction with a parameter associated with a downstream device.
US08218435B2
An entry in an authentication database of an enterprise network is activated responsive to generation of an alarm by a corresponding product that is part of a set of internal resources of the enterprise network. A dynamic URL or other resource identifier based on the activated entry is supplied to an external service provider associated with the product. The external service provider is granted access to the product responsive to submission of the resource identifier by the service provider.
US08218427B2
A method of configuring a preamble of a downlink frame for synchronization in data frame transmission of a 60 GHz a wireless local area network system, the method comprising arranging a short preamble having a plurality of repetitive S symbols, and an IS symbol, and arranging a long preamble having a long cyclic prefix (CP) and a plurality of L symbols for frame synchronization and symbol timing by performing auto-correlation according to the length of window of the auto-correlation.
US08218422B2
System and methods are disclosed for optimizing wireless communication for a plurality of mobile wireless devices. The system uses beamforming vectors or precoders having a structure optimal with respect to the weighted sum rate in a multi-cell orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) downlink. A plurality of base stations communicate with the mobile devices and all base stations perform a distributed non-convex optimization exploiting the determined structure.
US08218418B2
An optical information medium measurement method, for measuring a degree of modulation in an optical information medium of a multilayered structure having a plurality of information layers, includes a first step of measuring a modulation degree of each layer of the optical information medium, and a second step of obtaining a thickness between layers of the optical information medium. Further, the method includes a third step of obtaining a reflectance of each layer of the optical information medium, and a fourth step of converting the modulation degree of each layer, as measured in the first step, into a modulation degree at a reference optical system differing from the measurement optical system, based on a value indicative of the thickness between layers, the thickness being obtained in the second step, and a value indicative of the reflectance of each layer, as obtained in the third step.
US08218413B2
An optical disc drive according to the present invention writes information on an optical disc, which includes a substrate on which a number of pre-pits have been formed on its tracks and a recording film that is supported on the substrate. The optical disc drive includes a writing control section for instructing an optical pickup to record marks on the tracks by irradiating the recording film with a writing light beam. In accordance with information that defines, on the tracks, recordable areas Aa1 through Aa4 where the marks are recordable and pre-pit reading areas Ab1 through Ab4 where no marks are recordable, the writing control section controls the optical pickup so that the marks are recorded on at least some of the recordable areas. On the tracks on which the marks are recorded, each recordable area is shorter than any of the pre-pit reading areas.
US08218412B2
A method for determining a disc format is disclosed. Data from at least one address of the disc is retrieved, wherein the at least one address is selected from a plurality of predetermined addresses related to the disc format. The disc format is determined according to the retrieved data.
US08218407B2
This DVD replay device with incorporated hard disk includes a DVD drive which reads data from a DVD, and a HDD which performs recording of data upon, and reading of data from, a HD which has a first storage region and a second storage region. Furthermore, this DVD replay device with incorporated hard disk includes a control means which, when dubbing of data is commanded, decides whether or not the data upon the DVD is recorded in the DVD-VIDEO format, and a selection means which receives a selection as to whether the speed of the dubbing should be a first speed or a second speed. And, if the data upon the DVD is recorded in the DVD-VIDEO format, if the second speed has been selected, the HDD records the data recorded upon the DVD into the first storage region of the HD just as it is in the DVD-VIDEO format.
US08218399B1
A sound source comprises a bubble configured to be filled with a gas, an actuator configured to perturb the gas within the bubble, and a processing circuit configured to provide a control signal to the actuator to cause the actuator to perturb the gas within the bubble at a frequency defined by the control signal.
US08218398B2
An omni-directional acoustic horn for applications in a liquid transmission medium deploys a plurality of transducers distributed along an interior face of the horn to radiate against an opposed surface. The arrangement mimics operation at a greater depth of submergence to depress development of acoustic cavitation bubbles.
US08218397B2
Estimating the proximity of an audio source is accomplished by transforming audio signals from a plurality of sensors to frequency domain. The amplitudes of the transformed audio signals are then determined. The proximity of the audio source is determined based on a comparison of the frequency domain amplitudes. This estimation permits a device to differentiate between relatively distant audio sources and audio sources at close proximity to the device. The technique can be applied to mobile handsets, such as cellular phones or PDAs, hands-free headsets, and other audio input devices. Devices taking advantage of this “close proximity” detection are better able to suppress background noise and deliver an improved user experience.
US08218395B2
A moving object detecting apparatus includes: a transmitting/receiving unit for radiating an ultrasonic wave and receiving a reflective wave reflected from an object present in a monitoring space; a phase detection circuit for mixing reference signals with a reflective signal and obtaining a pair of Doppler signals each having an amplitude depending on a phase difference from the reference signal, each of the Doppler signals having a different phase from each other; a rotation angle calculation unit for calculating a rotation angle; a cumulative addition unit for accumulating the rotation angle; and a comparison unit for comparing the accumulated rotation angle with a threshold value. In the moving object detecting apparatus, a single ultrasonic vibrator is commonly used in the transmitting unit and the receiving unit.
US08218387B2
In a 4F2 memory cell designed using an SGT as a vertical transistor, a bit line has a high resistance because it is comprised of a diffusion layer underneath a pillar-shaped silicon layer, which causes a problem of slowdown in memory operation speed. The present invention provides a semiconductor storage device comprising an SGT-based 4F2 memory cell, wherein a bit line-backing cell having the same structure as that of a memory cell is inserted into a memory cell array to allow a first bit line composed of a diffusion layer to be backed with a low-resistance second bit line through the bit line backing cell, so as to provide a substantially low-resistance bit line, while suppressing an increase in area of the memory cell array.
US08218378B2
A dual word-line level shifter circuit and associated SRAM. A circuit is disclosed that includes a first transistor gated by a data input at the lower voltage, and a second transistor gated by a restore input at the higher voltage, wherein the first and second transistors are coupled along a series path to a source at the higher voltage; a control node along the series path; an output node coupled to the control node via a first pair of parallel transistors; and a feedback circuit having a second pair of parallel transistors and a feedback transistor, wherein the feedback transistor couples the second pair of parallel transistors to the control node and is gated by the output node.
US08218368B2
A semiconductor memory device and an erase method in the same are disclosed. The semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array configured to have a cell string in which memory cells are coupled, a block switch configured to switch a global word line and a word line of the memory cell array, a block decoder configured to control the block switch, and a recycle switch configured to use an erase voltage charged in a P-well of the memory cell array as a supply voltage of the block decoder.
US08218364B2
An integrated circuit includes a memory array having a plurality of memory cells arranged in rows and columns, each memory cell including two doped regions and a channel region therebetween, each pair of adjacent memory cells sharing a common doped region, each memory cell having a charge storage member over the channel region and a control gate over the charge storage member. A first word line is coupled to the memory cells in the same row, each of the memory cells designated as the Nth memory cell. Each of a plurality of bit lines is designated as the Nth bit line, the Nth bit line coupled to a doped region shared by the Nth memory cell and the (N−1)th memory cell. The integrated circuit also has a plurality of global bit lines, each of which coupled to two of the bit lines via a switch.
US08218360B2
Phase-change and resistance-change random access memory devices are provided which include a phase-change or resistance-change memory cell array and a sense amplifier that is configured to amplify data read from the phase-change memory cell array. These random access memory devices are configured to read data from a first word line of the phase-change or resistance-change memory cell array and to insert a dummy burst in which no data is read when a first boundary crossing occurs during a burst mode operation. Related methods of operating phase-change and/or resistance-change random access memory devices in burst mode are also provided.
US08218352B2
A semiconductor device includes a memory cell which includes a first inverter and a second inverter, the first inverter includes a first drive transistor and a first load transistor, the second inverter includes a second drive transistor and a second load transistor, and an input terminal and an output terminal thereof, respectively, connected to an input terminal and an output terminal of the first inverter, a first transmission transistor provided between the output terminal of the first inverter and a line of a first bit line pair, a second transmission transistor provided between the output terminal of the second inverter and another line of the first bit line pair, a third transmission transistor provided between the output terminal of the first inverter and a line of a second bit line pair, a fourth transmission transistor provided between the output terminal of the second inverter and another line of the second bit line pair, and a first isolation transistor which isolates the second drive transistor and the first transmission transistor. A first active region in which the first transmission transistor, the second transmission transistor, the second drive transistor, and the first isolation transistor are formed, is formed in a continuous region. The first isolation transistor is provided between the second drive transistor and the first transmission transistor.
US08218348B2
Memory devices where ends of series-coupled strings of memory cells are selectively coupled to different bit lines may facilitate increased memory densities, reduced fabrication steps and faster read operations when compared to traditional NAND memory array architectures. Programming and erasing of the memory cells can be accomplished in the same manner as a traditional NAND memory array. However, reading of the memory cells may be accomplished using charge sharing techniques similar to read operations in a DRAM device or by using one bit line as a ground node for sensing current flow through the strings. The use of bit lines for virtual grounding is further suitable to other array architectures.
US08218341B2
An integrated power conditioning unit includes a DC bus, a first terminal for connection to first AC equipment, a second terminal for connection to second AC equipment, a first inverter circuit providing bi-directional AC-DC conversion between a first AC power signal and a first DC power signal, and a converter assembly providing bi-directional AC-DC conversion between a second AC power signal and a second DC power signal. A control module controls the first inverter circuit such that the first DC power signal may flow from/to the DC bus and the first AC power signal may flow from/to the first terminal. The control module also controls the converter assembly such that the second AC signal power signal may flow from/to the second terminal and the second DC power signal may flow from/to the DC bus.
US08218339B2
Disclosed is a power converter including a switching circuit; a transformer having a primary winding connected to the switching circuit and a secondary winding; a main control circuit connected to the switching circuit for outputting a main control signal to manipulate the switching circuit; at least one synchronous rectifier connected to the secondary winding; at least one current transformer connected to the synchronous rectifier for outputting a detecting signal according to a current flowing through the synchronous rectifier; and at least one synchronous rectification control circuit connected to a control terminal of the synchronous rectifier, the current transformer, and a control terminal of the switching circuit for receiving the detecting signal and the main control signal for manipulating the synchronous rectifier. In case that the main control circuit manipulates the switching circuit to turn on, the synchronous rectification control circuit manipulates the synchronous rectifier to turn on, and thereby allowing the synchronous rectification control circuit to manipulate the synchronous rectifier to turn off according to the detecting signal.
US08218338B2
A universal input switching power supply has the rectifier, a signal detecting unit detecting a voltage of an external AC power and outputting a detecting signal, a PFC circuit converts a first DC power from the rectifier to a second DC power with different voltage according to the detecting signal; and a parallel and serial type DC to DC converter converting the second DC power with different voltage to a constant voltage of the third DC power. The parallel and serial type DC to DC converter has a transformer having a primary and secondary coils and physically changes a turn ratio of the primary and secondary coils of a transformer thereof according to a voltage ratio of the second DC power and the third DC power. Accordingly, the universal input switching power supply has good transforming efficiency at different AC power source conditions.
US08218327B2
According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes an electronic component and a circuit board. The electronic component includes a metal material. The circuit board includes a first surface on which the electronic component is mounted and a second surface opposite the first surface. The electronic component includes a contact surface configured to be in contact with the first surface, and is configured to have the center of gravity at a location displaced from the center of the contact surface. The electronic component is temporarily fixed by a magnetic force that attracts the metal material from the second surface with the contact surface being in contact with the first surface.
US08218323B2
According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an apparatus is disclosed that includes a small form factor mobile platform including a system-on-package architecture, the system-on-package architecture arranged as a stack of layers including a first layer having a first conformable material; a second layer having a second conformable material; one or more electronic components embedded within the stack of layers; and a heat dissipating element configured dissipating heat generating from the one or more electronic components, wherein the first conformable material, the second conformable material, or both are configured to allow high frequency signal routing.
US08218322B2
A computer system may include a connecting hub having a plurality of docking regions and be configured to provide to each docking region electrical power, a data network interface, a cooling fluid supply and a cooling fluid return; and a plurality of shipping containers that each enclose a modular computing environment that incrementally adds computing power to the system. Each shipping container may include a) a plurality of processing units coupled to the data network interface, each of which include a microprocessor; b) a heat exchanger configured to remove heat generated by the plurality of processing units by circulating cooling fluid from the supply through the heat exchanger and discharging it into the return; and c) docking members configured to releaseably couple to the connecting hub at one of the docking regions to receive electrical power, connect to the data network interface, and receive and discharge cooling fluid.
US08218315B2
A mounting apparatus for fixing a storage device to a chassis defining an opening includes two opposite fixing arms for supporting the storage device, a main body connecting the fixing arms, a latching member pivotably received in the main body, and an operating member slidably coupled to the main body. When the mounting apparatus is received in the chassis through the opening, and the operating member is pushed to drive the latching member to rotate, the latching portion protrudes outwardly from the main body and engages with an inside surface adjoining the opening of the chassis.
US08218307B2
An information terminal device includes a first case including an operation section, and a second case movably connected to the first case with a connection mechanism, wherein an edge portion is formed around the operation section of the first case, the edge portion being raised toward the second case, and wherein an elastic sheet member is attached to a surface of the second case, the surface facing the first case, and the elastic sheet member includes a protruding portion, the protruding portion protruding toward the first case and having an outer side surface that elastically and slidably contacts an inner side surface of the edge portion.
US08218294B2
A removable transformer system is described. The system comprises a switchboard structure, a removable transformer moveable into and out of the switchboard structure, and a transformer mounting and supporting assembly for supporting the removable transformer. During operation of the system, the removable transformer is horizontally displaceable along the supporting.
US08218284B2
An apparatus for increasing electric conductivity to a wafer substrate when exposures to electron beam irradiation is disclosed. More specifically, a more free mechanical contact between a wafer and electric contact pins (within an electrostatic chuck) is provided to significantly reduce the scratch and damage on the wafer backside.
US08218281B2
A power distribution system and method has a controller and at least one semiconductor switch. The power distribution system additionally has an on status detector which detects the status of the semiconductor switches, and an overcurrent status circuit which checks for overcurrent conditions.
US08218256B1
A disk spindle assembly cartridge is described. The disk spindle assembly cartridge includes a base, a spindle motor attached to the base, a disk seated on the spindle motor, a disk clamp attached to the spindle motor, wherein the disk clamp secures the disk to the spindle motor, and a cover attached to the base. The base is configured to detachably mount a head stack assembly cartridge, where the disk is accessible to a head stack assembly pivotally mounted in the head stack assembly cartridge via an opening defined by the base and the cover.
US08218251B2
A lens barrel includes a drive ring having a hollow cylindrical shape and configured to rotate around an optical axis, and a lens holder configured to move in an optical axis direction relative to the drive ring, the lens holder including a body located inside of the drive ring and configured to hold a lens, and an arm extending to outside of the drive ring. The drive ring has a notch, and the arm of the lens holder is configured to enter the notch of the drive ring.
US08218249B2
A lens barrel includes: a holding frame; a cam ring rotatable relative to the holding frame around a rotational axis substantially parallel to an optical axis of an imaging optical lens system; and a cam follower and a cam groove that engage with each other so that the holding frame and the cam ring move relative to each other along the optical axis when the holding frame and the cam ring are rotated relative to each other.
US08218247B2
Disclosed herein is a zoom lens formed by arranging a first lens group having a negative refractive power, a second lens group having a positive refractive power, and a third lens group having a positive refractive power in order from an object side to an image side, wherein at a time of varying power from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, the first lens group is moved and the second lens group is moved to the object side integrally with a diaphragm such that an air interval between the first lens group and the second lens group is decreased and such that an air interval between the second lens group and the third lens group is increased.
US08218246B2
The zoom lens with a wide angle of view, a high zoom ratio and high optical performance includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power, a third lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a fourth lens unit having a positive refractive power. The second and fourth lens units are moved on an optical axis for zooming. The second lens unit is constituted by, in order from the object side to the image side, three negative lens elements and one positive lens element. The zoom lens satisfies 0.54<|f2|/√(fw·ft)<0.66, where f2 represents a focal length of the second lens unit, fw and ft represent focal lengths of the entire zoom lens at a wide-angle end and at a telephoto end, respectively.
US08218233B2
The invention relates to a light source optical system for endoscopes which is compatible with various viewing modes, prevents an associated light source apparatus from growing bulky, and makes sure brightness. The light source optical system comprises, in order from the light source 1, the collective optical system 2 for collecting light from the light source, the magnification conversion optical system 3 for reducing a pupil magnification, and the positive lens group 4 for collecting light from the magnification conversion optical system 3, and satisfies Condition (1) with respect to the principal point-to-point distance d of the collective optical system 2 and magnification conversion optical system 3, the rear focal length f2B of the collective optical system 2 and the front focal length f3F of the magnification conversion optical system 3.
US08218225B2
An electrolyte for electrochromic devices is manufactured by mixing (210) a solvent, an ionisable substance and a solvated polymer. The solvent comprises a substance having an amide group and selected from a specified group of substances. The ionisable substance comprises an anion and a cation, where the cation preferably is selected among the alkaline ions. The anion is selected from simple anions, such as hydroxide ions, halide ions or more or less complex organic anions. The polymer is solvated in the mixture of the two other components.
US08218216B2
An object of the present invention is to provide an image projector capable of projecting a high-quality image while realizing small size. In the image projector, a light flux is deflected two-dimensionally by turning a reflector for reflecting a light flux emitted from a light source around a second axis almost orthogonal to a first axis as a center by resonant drive while turning the reflector around the first axis as a center by non-resonant drive. Shape of one or more optical surfaces of a projection optical system for projecting an image onto a projection plane by guiding light onto the projection plane includes a shape for performing a correction for maintaining scanning speed of the light flux along one scan direction on the projection plane almost constant and a shape for performing a correction for suppressing a distortion in an image along the other scan direction almost orthogonal to the one scan direction on the projection plane. By controlling turn of the reflector, at least one of a correction for maintaining scanning speed of the light flux along the other scan direction on the projection plane almost constant and a correction for suppressing a distortion in an image along the one scan direction on the projection plane is performed.
US08218212B2
A device for the production of holographic reconstructions having light modulators is disclosed. The device comprises at least one pixelated light modulator illuminated by at least one light source, and a focusing optical element field arrangement which images the light sources in an image plane after the light modulator. For the reconstruction, only one order of diffraction of the Fourier spectrum of the hologram should be used. The light modulator is provided with an assigned filter-aperture field arrangement which is located in the area of the image plane of the light source images and which has a plurality of aperture openings. Said aperture openings are designed in such a way that they each allow the passage of a prespecified area of the overall dimensions either smaller or the same as a diffraction order of the diffraction spectrum following Fourier transformation and produced from the holographic coding of the light modulator.
US08218205B2
A multi-functional device comprising an image forming apparatus to form a printing image and a scanner module to scan an image in a first scanning direction. The scanner module includes an illuminator to illuminate a light to a document mount, a sensor unit to read an image information of an object placed on the document mount, and an imaging lens which is disposed between the document mount and the sensor unit and focuses the light reflected from the object onto the sensor unit. The illuminator includes a light source to emit light, a light guiding unit which is lengthened in a second scanning direction, faces the document mount and changes a traveling path of the light emitted from the light source to illuminate the document mount, and a guide holder which comprises an installation part where the light guiding unit is installed, and a mounting part where the light source holder is mounted to provide the light source at least one side of the light guiding unit.
US08218192B2
The printing process system for laying out and printing images for two pages on one side of each sheet for creating a booklet, comprises: a generating unit for generating, in order to cause a plurality of printing devices to print the images on the sheets to form a booklet, print sheet data and insertion sheet data intended for each of the printing devices; a calculating unit for calculating a shift amount of the image for each of the sheets referenced in the print sheet data based on the print sheet data and the insertion sheet data, the shift amount ensuring that the image gets closer to the center of the sheet as the sheet gets closer to the innermost of the booklet; and an instructing unit for instructing a relevant printing device to print the images on the sheets referenced in the print sheet data, based on the shift amount.
US08218169B2
An information processing apparatus which is capable of reducing a burden on both an administrator and users when a job accounting system is introduced, to thereby enable efficient execution of job management. A client computer 1010 has a printer driver 1015 installed therein for generating an output job to be output to a peripheral apparatus, and delivers the output job to the peripheral apparatus via a first port monitor 1017 preset to a port as the output destination of the printer driver 1015. A second port monitor 1016 receives the output job generated by the printer driver 1015 and delivers the output job to the peripheral apparatus and collects job information on the output job. The port as the output destination of the device driver is switched from the port monitored by the first port monitor 1017 to a port monitored by the second port monitor 1016 when a system in which the job information is acquired using the second port monitor is constructed.
US08218161B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a selection section which selects a print target to be printed; an input section which inputs a print job for printing the print target selected by the selection section; an instruction section which instructs to continue the print job; and a printing section which executes a trial printing of printing a part of the print job including a plurality of pages input by the input section as a trial page, and thereafter, restarting and finishing the print job in response to that the instruction section instructs to continue the print job.
US08218156B2
A system and method for parsing data formatted in a plurality of encoding schemes at a printer is provided. The method comprises receiving data from at least one host computer at the printer, wherein at least a portion of the data is encoded in a plurality of encoding schemes. The method also includes determining a parser state of the data based on a plurality of characters and/or at least one printer control command associated with the plurality of encoding schemes.
US08218155B2
A method of printing an image on a substrate comprises determining a pile height differential for the image. A clear marking material is added to the image printed on the substrate in response to the determined pile height differential. Adding the clear marking material substantially reduces the pile height differential between two areas of the printed image. The clear marking material may be a clear ink or a clear toner material. The substrate on which the image is printed may comprise a plurality of sheets, a roll or other length of print media. The step of adding clear marking material to the image may include substantially leveling the printed image using the clear marking material. In at least one alternative embodiment, the step of adding clear marking material to the image includes adding at least one patch of clear marking material to the printed image.
US08218148B2
A method of measuring scattered light on an optical system includes: providing a first measuring field and a second measuring field, both measuring fields respectively being either of a first light manipulation type or a second light manipulation type, which first light manipulation type is configured to cause incoming light to enter the optical system and which second light manipulation type is configured to prevent incoming light from entering the optical system, and both measuring fields respectively having a second light manipulation type reference structure and a respective measuring structure, which measuring structures are of the second light manipulation type in the case where the measuring fields are of the first light manipulation type, and are first light manipulation type regions of the measuring fields in the case where the measuring fields are of the second light manipulation type, wherein the measuring structures of the respective measuring fields are offset in different directions in relation to the respective reference structure, imaging the first measuring field with the optical system into an image plane and measuring a first light intensity produced herewith at a location in the region of the image of the reference structure of the first measuring field, and imaging the second measuring field with the optical system into the image plane and measuring a second light intensity produced herewith at a location in the region of the image of the reference structure of the second measuring field.
US08218147B2
A system for detecting engine fluid constituents includes an engine having a sample channel having a conduit for a working engine fluid. The system includes an electromagnetic (EM) source that emits EM radiation through a first metal tube, where the EM radiation is EM energy at a wavelength of interest. The system further includes an EM detector that receives a remainder radiation through a second metal tube, the remainder radiation including the remaining EM radiation after passing through the sample channel. The system includes a controller that determines a composition indicator signal representative of an amount of a constituent in the working engine fluid in response to a strength of the remainder radiation, and determines a concentration of a component of interest according to the composition indicator signal.
US08218143B2
A method of detecting oxygen and/or chemical content in a subject, comprising generating at least one spectral image of the subject; generating at least one spectral image of a reference object; comparing spectrum from the subject image to the reference image to thereby reveal the relative oxygen content of the subject. A system for determining the level of oxygenation of the blood of a subject body part comprising: a hyperspectral image generator for generating a plurality of spectral images; an image capture device for capturing the spectral images; a processor for generating hyperspectral image cubes such that the spectrum of the body part is extracted and normalized using the spectrum from the reference object to cancel out the spectral response of the light source and the imager; said processor comparing spectral from a subject image to reference images to thereby reveal the relative oxygen content of the subject.
US08218135B2
A system and method for stereo photography is provided. The system comprises a first light source, a second light source and a photodetector. The first light source is configured to illuminate one or more first non-white colors on an object. The second light source is configured to illuminate one or more second non-white colors that are different from the first non-white colors on the object. The photodetector is configured to detect a three dimensional representation of the object at a single moment in time in response to the first light source illuminating the first non-white colors and the second light source illuminating the second non-white colors on the object.
US08218134B2
A sensor may simultaneously sense the angular position of a first rotatable member relative to a frame of reference and the angular position of a second rotatable member relative to the first rotatable member. The sensor may include a first and second disk, each having an annular pattern which alternates between two different levels of optical transparency. One disk may be coupled to the first rotatable member, the other disk may be coupled to the second rotatable member. A signal processing system may determine both angular positions based on sampling a consolidation of the first and the second annular patterns at locations that are not at a transition in the consolidated pattern.
US08218133B2
Refractive index tools and method. A refractive index tool includes a wave source configured to generate a wave; a transparent rod configured to receive the wave from the wave source; and a wave detector configured to receive the wave from the transparent rod. The wave source is provided at a first end of the transparent rod and the wave detector is provided at the first end or a second end of the transparent rod so that the wave emitted by the wave source travels through the transparent rod and experiences total internal refraction prior to arriving at the wave detector.
US08218129B2
By moving a wafer stage while monitoring an XY position of a wafer stage WST using an interferometer system, and scanning a Y scale in an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction using a surface position sensor, an XY setting position of the surface position sensor is measured. Based on information of the setting position obtained, by measuring a position coordinate of the wafer stage in a perpendicular direction with respect to an XY plane and a tilt direction, the wafer stage is driven in a stable manner and with high precision.
US08218127B2
An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by forming a liquid immersion region on the substrate, and projecting a pattern image onto the substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid that forms the liquid immersion region. The exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system having a plurality of optical elements, by which a pattern image is projected onto a substrate via a liquid to expose the substrate and a liquid recovery system that recovers the liquid along with a gas and has a separator that separates the recovered liquid and the recovered gas.
US08218123B2
A polarization converting system and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The polarization converting system includes a polarization splitting unit splitting incident unpolarized light into two orthogonal polarizations and a polarization converting unit converting incident light into specific polarized light. The polarization converting unit has first and second regions that correspond to the polarization splitting unit and are different in a polarization converting extent from each other.
US08218109B2
A liquid crystal display includes a first flat glass substrate, an opposite second flat glass substrate, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched therebetween, a backlight module disposed adjacent to the first flat glass substrate, a color filter disposed adjacent to the second flat glass substrate, a bandpass filter member disposed on the color filter. The bandpass filter member is configured for allowing light of a given spectrum emitted from the backlight module to pass therethrough and blocking light that is not in the given spectrum from passing therethrough, and a touch panel disposed adjacent to the bandpass filter member.
US08218108B2
The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device excellent in display qualities, capable of suppressing coloring of stains such as a fingerprint which has adhered to a surface of a display so that the stains are not recognized. The present invention is a liquid crystal display panel having a structure in which the first polarizer, the first substrate, a liquid crystal layer, the second substrate, and the second polarizer are stacked in this order toward a display surface, wherein the second polarizer includes an anti-reflective film on a display surface side, a reflection spectrum of the anti-reflective film having a bottom wavelength of less than 550 nm, at least one of the first and second substrates includes a color filter including three colors of blue, green, and red, and in the color filter, blue has the highest depolarization property of all the three colors.
US08218107B2
A lamp guide includes: a horizontal part; at least one supporting part extending from a front surface of the horizontal part and having a cone shape; a plurality of holding parts on the front surface of the horizontal part, each of the plurality of holding parts holding a lamp; at least one coupling part extending from a rear surface of the horizontal part and having a trident shape; and a plurality of ribs protruding from the rear surface of the horizontal part and corresponding to the plurality of holding parts.
US08218100B2
An conductive coating serves as a light shield film and is kept at a give voltage. A metal interconnection is located in the same layer as a source line and connected to the drain of a thin-film transistor. An interlayer insulating film is constituted of at least lower and upper insulating layers and formed between the conductive coating and the source line. According to one aspect of the invention, an auxiliary capacitor is formed by the metal interconnection and the conductive coating serving as both electrodes and at least the lower insulating layer film serving as a dielectric. The auxiliary capacitor is formed in a region of the interlayer insulating film in which the upper insulating layer has been removed by etching. According to another aspect of the invention, the conductive coating has a portion that is in contact with the lower insulating layer in a region where the conductive coating coextends with the metal interconnection.
US08218089B2
A video signal processing apparatus includes: a gain inverse correction means for giving an inverse correction gain resulting in an inverse correction characteristic to a gain to a video signal subjected to automatic gain control and outputting the video signal; a texture component removing means for removing a texture component from the video signal output from the gain inverse correction means; a gain inverse-inverse correction means for giving an inverse-inverse correction gain to the video signal output from the texture component removing means; a texture component extracting means for extracting a texture component signal, utilizing the video signal output by the gain inverse correction means and the video signal output by the texture component removing means; and a signal synthesizing means for synthesizing a structure component signal based on the video signal output by the gain inverse-inverse correction means and the texture component signal to output a video signal.
US08218080B2
A digital system is provided that combines a digital video camera with television displays, and controlled by a controller module to enhance television performance according to personal television settings, parental controls and energy saving functions, achieved by utilizing the camera and face detection/recognition methods implemented in the controller module.
US08218079B2
A stream generating apparatus includes an acquirer which acquires from an external source a reference signal synchronized with the video signal, a self-driven counter which has a first count mode in which the number of clocks in the frame period is counted in synchronization with a reference signal acquired by the acquirer thereby to generate and supply a first frame sync signal to the first and second signal processing units, and a second count mode in which the number of clocks in the frame period is counted independently not in synchronization with the reference signal thereby to generate and supply a second frame sync signal to the first and second signal processing units, and a controller which switches a count mode between either from the first count mode to the second count mode or from the second count mode to the first count mode based on predetermined conditions.
US08218070B2
An image pick-up apparatus comprising an area sensor in which detecting elements are two-dimensionally arranged on a substrate, and a reference supply circuit, for supplying a reference voltage to the detecting elements, which comprises a regulator for regulating the reference voltage. A low-pass filter is arranged between the regulator and the detecting elements. The reference voltage is supplied through the low-pass filter from the reference supply circuit.
US08218068B2
A method for producing a digital image from pixel signals captured by an image sensor array is disclosed. The method includes: providing an image sensor array having at least two groups of pixels wherein the pixels of each group are uniformly distributed over the sensor; exposing the image sensor array to scene light and reading pixel charge from only the first group of pixels to produce a first set of pixel signals; after producing the first set of pixel signals, exposing the image sensor array, and then reading pixel charge from the second group of pixels and reading again pixels from the first group to produce a second set of pixel signals; and using the first and second sets of pixel signals to produce the digital image.
US08218063B2
An image capturing apparatus previously captures a calibration image that serves as a reference when a distance to an object is calculated, and calculates, when an image of the object is captured using a monocular camera, the distance from the lens of the camera to the object using the calibration image and the distance from the lens of the camera to the calibration image. In this case, the image capturing apparatus measures the distance from the lens of the camera to one or more arbitrary points on the object, calculates the diffuse reflection coefficient of the object using the measured distance, the luminance on each of one or more arbitrary points, the distance to the calibration image, and the luminance, and calculates the distance to the object from the lens of the camera to the object using the calculated diffuse reflection coefficient.
US08218060B2
An imaging apparatus includes: an image-forming element; an optical element including a light-transmitting portion disposed so as to face an image surface of the image-forming element; a vibration-application member arranged at a position other than a position of the light-transmitting portion of the optical element, for vibrating a surface of the optical element and inside of the optical element; and a vibration-absorption member arranged at a position opposed to the vibration-application member, for absorbing a part of vibration of the optical element in a predetermined cycle, wherein when a wavelength of vibration generated in the optical element by vibration of the vibration-application member is defined as λ, and an odd number as k, the vibration-application member and the vibration-absorption member are arranged separately from each other at positions on the optical element such that a distance between centers of the members is expressed by k×λ/4.
US08218058B2
A drive control unit of the present invention includes: a first external force detecting section for detecting that an external force is applied to a first moving object body movable back and forth in a single direction; and a second initialization processing section which when it is detected that the external force is applied to the first moving object body by the first external force detecting section, moves at least one of second moving object bodies movable back and forth in the single direction to a predetermined second initial position and when it is not detected that the external force is applied to the first moving object body, does not move the second moving object body.
US08218057B2
A currently captured image R of an object is displayed nearly at a center portion of a display frame SC on a display screen ST1 that is a shooting mode. When a time dial 22 is rotated for one step in the counterclockwise direction, the currently captured image R is moved rightward. A reproduced image P1 captured before the currently captured image R is displayed on the left thereof. A reproduced image P2 captured before the reproduced image P1 is displayed on the left thereof. The currently captured image R and the reproduced images P1 and P2 are displayed at the same time on a display screen ST2 as a co-existent state of a shooting mode and a reproducing mode. When the time dial 22 is rotated for one step in the counterclockwise direction, only the reproduced images P1 to P4 are displayed on a display screen ST3 that is a reproducing mode. As a plurality of reproduced images, the reproduced images P1 to P4 are displayed along a time axis.
US08218056B2
There are provided an imaging apparatus and a video camera which allow an image being recorded and an image being reproduced to be easily discriminated from each other when an already recorded image signal is reproduced while a photographed image signal is being recorded. A recording section records an image signal obtained by an image pickup section on a randomly accessible recording medium, and a reproducing section is capable of reproducing an image signal recorded at a random location on the recording medium while the image signal is being recorded on the recording medium by the recording section. The recording section and the reproducing section are controlled such that the image signal recorded at a random location on the recording medium can be reproduced while the image signal obtained by the image pickup section is being recorded. A first display means and a second display means are controlled such that either the first display means or the second display means displays a first image according to the image signal obtained by the image pickup section while the other displays a second image according to the reproduced image signal.
US08218054B2
An image display apparatus disclosed in the present application is made up of a detection precision calculating module, a detecting module, and an image providing module. The detection precision calculating module calculates a detection precision that satisfies a designated restrictive condition. Based on the calculated detection precision, the detecting module detects a projection of a designated object from each image based on the calculated detection precision, and calculates the number of projections of the designated object included in each image. The image providing module arranges the respective pieces of image information according to the number of detected projections of the object and provides a list of arranged images as a search result.
US08218048B2
By providing dummy pixels separately from effective pixels, the total number of pixel rows is equalized with the number of horizontal sync signals included in one frame interval (which is called an “HD number”). A period during which a reset signal for an electronic shuttering operation is being supplied to an arbitrary pixel row overlaps with a period during which another pixel row is selected to perform a readout operation thereon. Thus, it is possible to suppress a variation in reset potential among effective pixels.
US08218044B2
The objective of this invention is to provide a solid-state imaging device and drive method with which sampling before the output values from pixels have reached a constant value can be avoided. The solid-state imaging device comprises photosensitive pixels arranged in the form of an array on a photosensitive surface and that have a photodiode that generates and stores a photocharge, a transfer transistor that transfers the photocharge, a floating diffusion to which the photocharge is transferred, and an amplifying transistor that converts the photocharge into a voltage signal and that amplifies the signal; photosensitive-surface output line connected to the source/drain of one of the amplifying transistors; power source connected thereto; sampling circuit connected to the photosensitive-surface output line; and current source regulating circuit, which regulates the current source current, connected to the current source so that, for sampling of the output values, the sampling circuit samples the output values after the output values have essentially become constant by comparing the output values immediately after they are output to the photosensitive-surface output lines.
US08218043B2
The prevent invention is to provide a solid-state imaging device having a electrode configuration applicable to a progressive scan, and able to reduce a obstruction of incident light at the periphery of a light receiving portion, a method of producing the same, a camera including the same. A first transfer electrode, a second transfer electrode, and a third transfer electrode which have a single layer transfer electrode configuration are repeatedly arranged in a vertical direction. The first transfer electrodes are connected in a horizontal direction by an inter-pixel interconnection formed in the same layer. Shunt interconnections are formed in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction above the transfer layers. The shunt interconnection connected to the second transfer interconnection is formed on the inter-pixel interconnection. The shunt interconnection connected to the third transfer electrode is formed above the transfer electrodes.
US08218039B2
The invention relates to an electronic camera having self-detection function of foreign materials and a control program thereof. The electronic camera includes: an image sensor having an image pickup plane on an image plane of an optical system; a formation changing section changing a state of image formation of the optical system on the image pickup plane; and a control section driving and controlling the image sensor and formation changing section. The control section drives the formation changing section to set a plurality of states of image formation different from each other, and it drives the image sensor to obtain a plurality of images in each of the states and compares the plurality of images to find a part of the image which has not varied with a change in the state of image formation, and determines the found part as image of a foreign material.
US08218032B2
A plurality of imaging regions are provided in one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of optical systems and are disposed on optical axes of the respective optical systems. Each imaging region has a plurality of pixels. The imaging apparatus further comprises an origin detecting means for detecting an origin of each imaging region, a pixel position specifying means for specifying positions of a plurality of pixels included in each imaging region using the origin as a reference, and a combination means for combining a plurality of images captured by the respective imaging regions. Thereby, it is possible to make a thin imaging apparatus capable of being easily assembled.
US08218028B2
An imaging apparatus includes: determination means for determining whether a capture image is a frontlit image or a backlit image; detecting means for detecting a flesh-color area in the capture image; calculation means for setting weights, in a luminance histogram on the flesh-color area, on luminance of pixels included in a high-luminance area having a relatively high luminance value and luminance of pixels included in a low-luminance area having a relatively low luminance value in accordance with the determination result, and calculating modified luminance produced by modifying luminance on the flesh-color area on the basis of the weights; and correcting means for correcting brightness of the capture image on the basis of the modified luminance.
US08218023B2
Provided are a method and apparatus for processing continuous image data captured by a digital image processor which encodes/decodes a plurality of continuous images in a Moving Picture Expert Group (MPEG) format. The apparatus includes a digital signal processing unit which compresses the continuous image data into video data in consideration of correlations between neighboring images, or converts the compressed video data into displayable data.
US08218019B2
An image shake correction apparatus, comprising: a correction optical system which corrects a camera shake; a moving member in which the correction optical system is provided; two first guide shafts by which the moving member is held so as to be movable in parallel with a first direction perpendicular to an optical axis; a first voice coil motor which is provided at the moving member and which moves the moving member in the first direction; a slider to which the two first guide shafts are fixed; two second guide shafts by which the slider is held so as to be movable in parallel with a second direction perpendicular to the optical axis and the first direction; and a second voice coil motor which is provided at the moving member and which moves the slider in the second direction, wherein the second voice coil motor is provided substantially on the extension line of at least one of the two first guide shafts.
US08218015B2
Method for avoiding unauthorized images of a proprietor's information from being transmitted outside the proprietor's control. A photographic image captured with a camera incorporated upon the wireless handheld communication device is wirelessly transmitted to a proprietor's server. The image is stored on the server after capture and transmission, preferably while the device is still in the photography-restricted geographical area that is under the control of the proprietor of the server. Once at the server, the photographic image is analyzed to determine whether or not the image is authorized for dissemination outside the proprietor's control. Local storage of the photographic image can be prevented on the device which assures that the transmission and storage of the photographic image on the proprietor's server is exclusive.
US08218007B2
A camera system for a vehicle includes a camera unit mounted on the vehicle for viewing an area outside the vehicle. A image processing unit receives image data from the camera unit. A control unit receives vehicle operation data including vehicle speed data. A display unit is configured to transition between a screen image defined by a first viewing angle and a screen image defined by a second viewing angle. The first viewing angle and the second viewing angle extend substantially in a vertical plane, and the first viewing angle is greater than the second viewing angle. The display unit further displays supplemental information based on the vehicle operation data, the supplemental information includes vehicle speed information and information indicating a transition behavior of the display unit configured to transition between the first viewing angle and the second viewing angle. A method for controlling a camera system is also provided.
US08217997B2
An interactive display system including a wireless pointing device including a camera or other video capture system. The pointing device captures images displayed by the computer, including one or more human-imperceptible positioning targets. The positioning targets are presented as patterned modulation of the intensity (e.g., variation in pixel intensity) in a display frame of the visual payload, followed by the opposite modulation in a successive frame. At least two captured image frames are subtracted from one another to recover the positioning target in the captured visual data and to remove the displayed image payload. The location, size, and orientation of the recovered positioning target identify the aiming point of the remote pointing device relative to the display. Another embodiment uses temporal sequencing of positioning targets (either human-perceptible or human-imperceptible) to position the pointing device.
US08217994B2
The invention relates to a DLP-projector for the active projection of stereoscopic images, with the projector comprising a DMD, at least a first driver circuit interacting with a memory (6) and controlling at least one DMD (4), and at least a first signal input (1) for the input of image data of at least a first image channel and a second image channel. In order to enable simplest possible construction of such a DLP-projector, there are provided: A second driver circuit interacting with a memory (6′); and a switching device (7), which is connected on one side with the two driver circuits and on the other side with at least the one DMD (4); with the first driver circuit processing image data of the first image channel and the second driver circuit processing image data of the second image channel; and the switching device directing to the DMD (4) alternately one or more images or frames from the first driver circuit and one or more images or frames from the second driver circuit.
US08217993B2
Apparatus to capture three-dimensional images of a subject selected from the group consisting of an animate object, an inanimate object, a human, an animal, a biological mass or a portion of a subject comprises a plurality of image capturing device modules, each module comprises a plurality of image-capturing devices; and a rigid support structure supporting the plurality of image capturing device modules to define a space wherein said subject may be disposed. The rigid support structure supports all of the modules in predetermined relationship to each other and to the space. The rigid support structure further supports the modules in positions such that each module is positioned to capture a group of first images of a corresponding surface portion of the subject disposed within the space such that each group of first images captured by the corresponding module captures a substantially different surface portion of the subject disposed within the space.
US08217992B2
A method of performing 3D photoactivation microscope imaging includes providing a sample having a plurality of probes, each of the plurality of probes including a photo-activatable material. Probes from the plurality of probes are activated to form a sparse subset of probes, the sparse subset of probes having probes that are spatially separated by at least a microscope resolution. The sample is illuminated with a readout light source, and light emitted from activated probes is detected. Based on the light emission detected from the activated probes, localized three-dimensional positions of the activated probes are obtained.
US08217991B2
A stereoscopic image processing method capable of preventing occurrence of undesirable cutout of image when a stereoscopic combined image is printed out is provided.A stereoscopic combined image can be created and recorded using a digital still camera 1. This stereoscopic combined image is a single image formed by arranging a plurality of view-point images. At first, left view-point image data and right view-point image data are stored in a memory by performing photographing twice. Then, the data of the two images are arranged laterally into a single image. Through this processing, original stereoscopic combined image data is created. Padding areas (dummy areas) are added to the original stereoscopic combined image data at the upper and lower sides thereof. Namely, a processed image containing the original stereoscopic combined image is created.
US08217986B2
A videoconferencing system includes a first videoconferencing unit coupled to a network and associated with a first e-mail address. The first videoconferencing unit receives a second e-mail address and automatically sends a request e-mail requesting connection information to the second e-mail address. A second videoconferencing unit is coupled to the network and is associated with the second e-mail address. The second videoconferencing unit receives the request e-mail and automatically returns a response e-mail including connection information to the first e-mail address. The first videoconferencing unit receives the response e-mail and automatically obtains the connection information from the response e-mail. Using the connection information, the first videoconferencing unit initiates a videoconference call with the second videoconference unit.
US08217973B2
An exposure device includes plural light-emitting elements, a light amount detection unit, a controller, plural holding units and a connection unit. The controller sequentially determines control values of the light-emitting elements based on comparison between the light amounts detected by the light amount detection unit and a predetermined reference value. The holding units are provided for the light-emitting elements, respectively. Each holding unit holds a control voltage of the controller. When the controller is to sequentially determine control values of a part of the plurality of light-emitting elements, the connection units connects the controller and the holding units corresponding to one or more light-emitting elements for which control values are determined earliest among the part of the plural light-emitting elements, before the controller determines the control values of the one or more light-emitting elements.
US08217969B2
A display device and a display controlling module are provided. The display controlling module includes a data analyzing unit, an interference data storage unit and a data adjustment unit. The data analyzing unit receives a plurality of display data of a corresponding frame, analyzes the display data to obtain a plurality of grayscale distributions of the corresponding display regions of a display panel and generates a backlight signal for adjusting a brightness of each of a plurality of light emitting groups of a backlight module according to the grayscale distributions. The interference data storage unit outputs a plurality of interferences of the corresponding display data according to the backlight controlling signal. The data adjustment unit receives the display data and the interferences and correspondingly adjusts grayscales of the display data according to the interferences.
US08217962B2
Embodiments for single-pass bounding box calculation are disclosed. In accordance with one embodiment, the single-pass bounding box calculation includes rendering a first target to a 2-dimensional screen space, whereby the first target includes at least six pixels. The calculation further includes producing transformed vertices in a set of geometry primitives based on an application-specified transformation. The calculation also includes generating six new points for each transformed vertex in the set of geometry primitives. The calculation additionally includes producing an initial third coordinate value for each pixel by rendering the at least six new points generate for each pixel to each corresponding pixel. The calculation further includes producing a post-rasterization value for each pixel by rasterizing the at least six new points rendered to each pixel with each corresponding pixel. Finally, the calculation includes computing bounding box information for the set of geometry primitives based on the produced third coordinate values.
US08217958B1
A method for invising objects includes receiving information indicating an intersection between a first object and a second object. Visibility of the first object is modified based on the amount of interpenetration between the first object and the second object. A predetermined threshold may be received. The visibility of the first object may be reduced while the amount of the interpenetration fails to exceed the predetermined threshold. The first object may be made invisible when the predetermined threshold is exceeded.
US08217955B2
Wrinkles are produced by computing directional stress, whether compression or stretching, for each pixel within each face of the mesh representing the skin, and then perturbing a surface normal based on the computed stress at each pixel in that face of the mesh. Directional stress at a given frame in an animation is determined, in general, by comparing the current state of the mesh at that frame (called a “current pose”) to the original state of the mesh (called a “rest pose”). An artist specifies a wrinkle pattern by defining a texture that is mapped to the surface, using conventional techniques. A gradient texture is created from this wrinkle texture by computing the gradient at each pixel in the wrinkle texture. For each location in a face of the surface, the vector from the gradient texture is mapped to the corresponding face of the rest pose skin model and the current pose skin model, to produce two surface vectors. These two vectors are compared to provide an estimate of the surface stress at this location in the face. A wrinkle effect may be implemented using bump mapping, but the surface normal is perturbed differently for each location in the face of the mesh based on the skin stress estimated at that location. Other effects also may be created using the estimated stresses.
US08217954B2
Circuits, methods, and apparatus that provide texture caches and related circuits that store and retrieve texels in an efficient manner. One such texture circuit can provide a configurable number of texel quads for a configurable number of pixels. For bilinear filtering, texels for a comparatively greater number of pixels can be retrieved. For trilinear filtering, texels in a first LOD are retrieved for a number of pixels during a first clock cycle, during a second clock cycle, texels in a second LOD are retrieved. When aniso filtering is needed, a greater number of texels can be retrieved for a comparatively lower number of pixels.
US08217925B2
Provided is a display panel driver with an improved driving characteristic by use of an amplifier output having excellent symmetry of an output characteristic. The display panel driver according to the present invention includes a first input differential stage circuit, a first output stage circuit, a second output stage circuit, and a first switch circuit. The first input differential stage circuit outputs two first input stage output signals according to one of a positive voltage and a negative voltage. The first switch circuit selects one of the first and second output stage circuits, and connects the selected circuit to the first input differential stage circuit. The output stage circuit connected to the first input differential stage circuit outputs a single-ended signal based on the two first input stage output signals from the first input differential stage circuit.
US08217916B2
The display device with a touch panel includes: a display panel; and a touch panel formed to be overlaid on the display panel, in which: the touch panel includes X electrodes and Y electrodes which intersect the X electrodes; the X electrodes and the Y electrodes include intersection portions at which the X electrodes and the Y electrodes intersect each other, and electrode portions each formed between the intersection portions; and either the electrode portions of the X electrode or the electrode portion of the Y electrodes are smaller in area than another thereof so that a capacitance of one line of the X electrodes and a capacitance of one line of the Y electrodes are equal to each other. The display device with a touch panel has a large S/N ratio and a high detection sensitivity.
US08217910B2
A device displays one or more display elements on a touch screen associated with the device, and detects interaction of a finger, associated with a user of the device, with the touch screen. The device also calculates one or more touch areas associated with the finger based on the detected interaction, and resizes, reshapes, and/or relocates the one or more display elements based on the calculated one or more touch areas.
US08217909B2
Touch sensor methods, devices and systems are disclosed. One embodiment of the present invention pertains to a method for reporting a sub-gesture on a touch sensing surface, e.g., laid over a display of a user interface device. The method comprises determining a number of fingers simultaneously placed on the touch sensing surface. The method also comprises periodically sampling respective position data of the fingers moving along the touch sensing surface and calculating event data based on the position data, wherein each of the event data includes a geometric shape associated with the number of fingers and a centroid of the geometric shape. The method further comprises forwarding the event data to a presentation layer of application of the user interface device, where the application is configured to identify a gesture based on a subset of the event data.
US08217905B2
A method and apparatus for a touchscreen based user interface (UI) interaction that controls a volume through circular UI graphics and switches between different application images by dragging an indicator on a touchscreen of a terminal device. The method includes: displaying an application image on a touchscreen; sensing whether the touchscreen is touched on the displayed application image; if the touchscreen is touched, displaying a volume image to control an audio volume at a touch position; and changing a size of the volume image whenever the touchscreen is touched and controlling the audio volume to corresponding to the size of the volume region.
US08217904B2
A mobile terminal and a screen display method of the mobile terminal are disclosed. The mobile terminal includes: a display that comprises a user interface display region and an information display region; and a controller that changes positions of display regions and displaying the changed positions on the display according to a user selection.
US08217894B2
A system and method for controlling a digital TV, the system including the DTV; and a 3D pointing device. The DTV includes a receiver to receive control signals from the 3D pointing device; and a control unit to select one of a plurality of functions provided by the DTV in response to a selection signal received from the 3D pointing device, each function having a corresponding execution profile, and execute the selected function in accordance with the corresponding execution profile and a motion parameter sensed by the 3D pointing device including a direction of movement and one of a distance and velocity corresponding to the direction of movement. The 3D pointing device includes a transmitter to transmit the control signals and motion parameter; and a sensor to sense within the 3D pointing device the motion of the 3D pointing device and generate the corresponding motion parameter.
US08217889B2
A pulse-width modulated backlight control for a video display restarts the pulse-width modulated pulse train on occurrence of a video refresh pulse. In order to prevent an undesirable momentary increase in brightness in the event that the last pulse of the pre-refresh pulse train occurs too close to the first pulse of the post-refresh pulse train relative to the normal pulse interval, the width of the first pulse following refresh may be reduced from a first value determined by the desired brightness to a second value that bears the same proportion to the first value that the interval between the beginning of the previous pulse and the occurrence of the refresh pulse bore to the normal pulse interval. In that way, the duty cycle during the shortened pulse interval is the same as during a normal pulse interval, avoiding or minimizing perceptible increase in backlight brightness.
US08217886B2
An LCD device includes a plurality of first data lines, a plurality of second data lines, a plurality of display units, a source driver and a gate driver. Each of the second data lines is disposed between two corresponding first data lines, while each display unit is coupled to a corresponding first data line and a corresponding gate line or to a corresponding second data line and a corresponding gate line. The source driver is coupled to the plurality of first data lines and the plurality of second data lines for providing a plurality of data signals. Each of the data signals is outputted to a corresponding first data line during a first period in a write period, and outputted to a corresponding second data line during a second period in the write period.
US08217875B2
A liquid crystal display system including a signal processing device uses interpolation to generate an intermediate image frame using previous image frame data and present image frame data. The system converts data of the intermediate image frame into transposed image data that is to be used to drive a liquid crystal display panel and display a corresponding image. The transposed image data and the present image data are subjected to a prespecified DCC process (dynamic capacitance compensation process) to thereby generate respective first and second compensation image data. Since the first compensation image data is generated based on the transposed image data and the transposition is configured to prevent over-compensation by the DCC process, over-compensation by the dynamic capacitance compensation process can be reduced or prevented.
US08217867B2
A method of compensating for changes in the characteristics of transistors and electroluminescent devices in an electroluminescent display, includes: providing an electroluminescent display having a two-dimensional array of subpixels arranged forming each pixel having at least three subpixels of different colors, with each having an electroluminescent device and a drive transistor, wherein each electroluminescent device is driven by the corresponding drive transistor; providing in each pixel a readout circuit for one of the subpixels of a specific color having a first readout transistor and a second readout transistor connected in series; using the readout circuit to derive a correction signal based on the characteristics of at least one of the transistors in the specific color subpixel, or the electroluminescent device in the specific color subpixel, or both; and using the correction signal to adjust the drive signals.
US08217855B2
A system generates a plurality of display signals. The system includes a source of data representing a plurality of display images. A processor combines the data representing the plurality of display images into a single composite data matrix in which the data representing the plurality of display images are interleaved. A DVI signal generator produces a DVI signal representing the single composite data matrix. A splitter is responsive to the DVI signal representing the single composite data matrix. The splitter extracts the respective data representing the plurality of display images and generates corresponding DVI signals respectively representing the plurality of display images.
US08217848B2
RET antenna with motor and clutch assembly that is operative to mechanically disengage the DC motor and drive unit (also called the gear-motor unit) from the phase shifter adjustment shaft during a manual tilt operation. Disengaging the gear-motor unit removes the drag of the motor and the high gear ratio gear box from the phase shifter control rod making it easier to manually turn the phase shifter control knob. In addition, the clutch disengages the gear-motor without disengaging the position detector from the phase shifter control rod so that position calibration is not lost during manual tilt adjustment. When the manual tilt operation is completed, the mechanical tilt clutch enables the gear-motor unit to be reliably re-engaged with the phase shifter control rod for motorized electrical tilt operation without having to re-calibrate the position detector.
US08217847B2
There is disclosed reflect array including a dielectric substrate having a first surface and a second surface. The first surface may support a first array of phasing elements and a second array of phasing element, where the elements of the first array have a first shape and the elements of the second array may have a second shape different from the first shape. The second surface may support a conductive layer.
US08217844B2
An antenna for receiving electric waves, a manufacturing method thereof, and an electronic device with the antenna are provided. The antenna includes a substrate, a grounding unit, a radiator, a coupling unit, and a signal transmission line. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface which are opposite to each other. The grounding unit is disposed on the first surface of the substrate. The radiator is disposed on the second surface of the substrate and connected to the grounding unit. The coupling unit is disposed on the first surface of the substrate and partially overlaps the projection of the radiator. The signal transmission line includes a signal line and a ground line, the signal line being connected to the coupling unit while the ground line being connected to the grounding unit.
US08217842B2
An electronic device may include a multilayer circuit board having opposing major surfaces and edge surfaces extending between the opposing major surfaces, wireless processing circuitry on at least one of the opposing major surfaces, and an antenna element on at least one of the edge surfaces. The multilayer circuit board may include a conductive trace coupling the antenna element to the wireless processing circuitry.
US08217837B2
A system and a method for enabling a Home-SUPL Location Platform (H-SLP) to rapidly identify a currently available positioning method of a target SUPL-Enabled terminal (target SET) are provided. To this end, a message, including positioning capabilities (SET capabilities) which represent whether one or more positioning methods exist, to be transmitted from the target SET to the H-SLP is configured to additionally include information representing whether each positioning method is currently available. Accordingly, even if an electric wave environment of the target SET is changed or a positioning method is changed, the H-SLP can rapidly and efficiently perform a positioning because it always recognizes a currently available positioning method.
US08217835B2
A base station is capable of transmitting a signal in a wireless communication network. The base station decides channel state information matrices of respective channels by determining a state of the channels corresponding to respective transmission antennas. The base station calculates transmission beam forming vectors for the respective transmission antennas by a combination of a dot product and a cross product of the channel state information matrices. Thereafter, the base station beam-forms signals for the respective transmission antennas by using the respective transmission beam forming vectors, and transmitting the beam-formed signals.
US08217833B2
A multi-frequency down converter includes first and second signal paths. A common local oscillator/synthesizer drives both of the signal paths. Exemplary applications include GNSS systems operating across superbands. The down converter is adapted for use in a GNSS receiver system.
US08217827B2
A method and system for locating objects in a region having a high degree of multipath susceptibility comprises a plurality of transducers, each being a transmit or receive antenna, and being arranged about the region in known locations, to form a bistatic or multistatic radar, with some embodiments being MIMO systems. Signals transmitted by the transmit antenna(s) are received at each receive antenna and processed to form a set of channel impulse responses, or power delay profiles, representative of the region at a given time. A second set is formed at a different time, and the difference between the two sets is calculated, the difference containing information on movement within the region. The difference may be processed to localize the moving object(s) by graphical means, e.g. by generating an x-y image representative of the region, and accumulating at each pixel appropriate values of the profile difference selected according to the propagation delay between a transmit-receive antenna pair via a region point represented by the pixel.
US08217826B1
A process for enhancing radar system survivability against a threat includes the construction of multiple computational radar function chromosomes with each of the chromosomes having values for geometric configuration and operational parameters for at least one radar station emitter and at least one decoy. A genetic algorithm analysis is performed on a computer including a crossover operator and a mutation operator to determine a fitness value for multiple chromosomes against the threat. By configuring and operating the radar system based on a survivability value for the fitness value of the genetic algorithm analysis, radar system survivability against a threat is enhanced. A radar system employing genetic algorithm analysis is also provided.
US08217825B2
A remote controller, a method of setting an operating mode thereof, and a method of determining a host device. The remote controller includes an angle detection unit to set a direction of an end of the remote controller to be a reference axis if a manipulation is input, and to detect a rotational angle between the reference axis and the front end axis of the remote controller if the remote controller rotates, and a controlling unit to control the remote controller to operate in an operating mode corresponding to the rotational angle.
US08217823B2
A method for converting analog data into digital data for analog input module is disclosed, wherein the analog input module adds at least one or more digital data determined at previous conversion periods (k−1th, . . . k−dth, said k and d being a natural number) to n numbers of digital data converted to the current conversion period (kth), and determines a value corresponding to a mean level in size among the digital data as a final digital conversion value of the current conversion period (kth), and outputs the value, and as a result, even if the n numbers of digital data converted to the current conversion period (kth) are greatly deviated from an original value by noise, a stable result having a minimum influence by the noise can be provided in industrial sites where many noises are introduced, by allowing a digital data value approximate to the original value to be outputted.
US08217816B2
A Sigma-Delta Modulator (SDM) has a summing junction that receives an input signal and a feedback signal, a multi-level analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that receives the SDM input signal and generates an ADC output, a first analog switch that receives the ADC output and generates a plurality of reference voltages, a second analog switch generating the feedback signal, where the feedback signal is selected from one of the reference voltages.
US08217810B2
Techniques for resource management of a PPM context model are described herein. According to one embodiment, in response to a sequence of symbols to be coded, contexts are allocated, each having multiple entries and each entry representing a symbol that the current context is able to encode, including a counter value representing a frequency of each entry being used. For each symbol coded by a context, a local counter value and a global counter value are maintained. The global counter value represents a total number of symbols that have been coded by the context model and the local counter value represents a number symbols that have been coded by the respective context. Thereafter, a resource management operation is performed for system resources associated with the plurality of contexts based on a global counter value and a local counter value associated with each of the plurality of contexts.
US08217809B2
Embodiments are disclosed that relate to input devices. In one embodiment, an input device comprises a sensor matrix having first and second pluralities of conductors, a plurality of first resistors, a voltage-applying mechanism configured to apply a selected voltage to each second conductor of the plurality of second conductors, a plurality of sensors, a scanning sensing circuit, and a wake-up sensing circuit. Each first resistor is connected in series between a first voltage and a conductor of the plurality of first conductors. Each sensor includes a switch in series with a matrix resistor, and each sensor is connected to one of the plurality of first conductors and one of the plurality of second conductors. The scanning sensing circuit is connected to each of the plurality of first conductors, and the wake-up sensing circuit is connected to each of the plurality of second conductors.
US08217807B1
An operational flight phase determination and indication system for an aircraft includes input/output circuitry for receiving an operational flight phase selector output signal and aircraft sensor signals. A processor is coupled to the input/output circuitry. A flight phase data table is coupled to the processor. The flight phase data table includes a list of the defined operational flight phases for the aircraft. A flight phase transition rules set is coupled to the processor. The flight phase transition rules set includes flight rules for defining flight phase transitions. Program memory and working memory are coupled to the processor. The processor uses input from the input/output circuitry, the flight phase data table, the flight phase transition rules set, the program memory and the working memory to provide an operational mode signal indicating the operational mode of the aircraft. A flight phase selector is coupled to the processor for providing the flight phase selector signal to the processor in accordance with the pilot selected flight phase input. A display indicator driver is coupled to the processor for providing display indicator driver signals to an operational flight phase indicator in accordance with the operational mode signal. The input/output circuitry preferably receives on-board automation systems input.
US08217800B2
When a wireless communications device is traveling a speed exceeding a first predetermined threshold but less than a second predetermined threshold, the device is presumed traveling in a motor vehicle. In order to inhibit operation of the wireless communication device when traveling, access to certain device functions or applications such as e-mail, text messaging, etc. are limited by requiring the user of the device to respond correctly to a randomly generated visual challenge, such as, for example, a CAPTCHA (in which a user is prompted to recognize the characters in a visually distorted string of text). This visual challenge presents a sufficient obstacle that the user will be less likely to use the wireless communications device for e-mailing or texting while operating a motor vehicle.
US08217799B2
The system comprises a multiplicity of control and signaling devices (3), at least one for each line segment, each provided with a circuit able to detect the presence, in the segment of contact line (1), of the traction voltage and to signal its presence or absence locally.
US08217790B2
A portable security alarm system including a movement detecting and signal transmitting member for mounting on or proximate to the object whose movement is to be detected, a signal receiving and alarm generating member for receiving a signal from the movement detecting and signal transmitting member and producing a security response, a remote control for actuating and deactuating the signal receiving and alarm generating member, an environmental monitoring member for sensing an environmental condition and providing a signal to the signal receiving and alarm generating member, a visual information gathering member for gathering visual information and providing a signal to the signal receiving and alarm generating member, an audio output member for receiving a signal from the signal receiving and alarm generating member and generating an audio output, and components for delivering a security notification to remote recipients. A security network that includes the alarm system is also disclosed. An inertial sensor for alarm system or for activating or deactivating a device is additionally disclosed.
US08217776B2
A sensor location identification system may include a plurality of front and rear sensors, a transmitter, and a receiver module. The plurality of front sensors may be connected to a plurality of front tires and may generate first wireless signals indicative of a rotational direction of a corresponding one of said plurality of front tires. The plurality of rear sensors may be connected to a plurality of rear tires and may generate second wireless signals indicative of a rotational direction of a corresponding one of the plurality of rear tires. The transmitter may transmit a location signal received by the plurality of rear sensors. The receiver module may receive the first and second wireless signals and may determine a location of each of the plurality of front and rear tires based on the first and second wireless signals. The second wireless signals may indicate receipt of the location signal.
US08217775B2
To warn the driver as a function of the driver condition, a standing acoustic wave is generated. The head of the driver is positioned in this standing wave in such a way that, in a setpoint position of the head, the ears of the driver come to lie in nodal points of the standing wave, and an acoustic warning signal is able to be perceived by the driver in a deviation therefrom.
US08217771B2
A method and a system of determining the deviation of dynamic position are provided. The determining method includes the follow steps. First, a server receives a plurality of first position data from a first mobile device. Next, the server receives a plurality of second position data from a second mobile device. Then, the server transmits the first position data to the second mobile device. Thereon, the server transmits the second position data to the first mobile device. Later, the server determines whether the first mobile device and the second mobile device deviate from each other according to the first position data and the second position data.
US08217767B2
A vehicular horn device of an existing electromagnetic type is used as a dynamic speaker so as to generate a false engine sound. The shortage of a low-pitched sound in a parametric speaker device is complemented with a false engine sound which the vehicular horn device generates. Thereby, without need of mounting a large-sized dynamic speaker such as a woofer in a vehicle, a false engine sound is generated so as to model for a real engine sound. In addition, as the vehicle approaches a pedestrian, a sound tone of the false engine sound which the pedestrian hears changes, enabling the pedestrian to easily notice the approach or presence of the vehicle.
US08217766B2
A vehicle presence notification apparatus uses several ultrasonic transducer devices to generate a notice sound by emitting an ultrasonic wave in mid air based on an ultrasonic signal modulated according to an audible sound. At least one of the speaker-use ultrasonic transducer devices is a two-way transducer device that is enabled to perform not only transmission but also reception of an ultrasonic wave. When a vehicle velocity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the two-way transducer device is caused to function as an ultrasonic sensor. Thus, even when the generation of any notice sound is unnecessary due to the vehicle velocity being fast, the vehicle presence notification apparatus can be used as an ultrasonic sensor to measure a distance with an obstacle outside of the vehicle.
US08217763B2
The invention relates to a lighting device, particularly a lighting tile (100, 100′) for paving e.g. a floor area (1), comprising a light emitting unit and an associated control unit. The control unit is adapted to detect the presence of a first nearby object (3) and to receive wireless signals from a second nearby object, for example from an RFID-tag (2) and/or an NFC-based device, carried by the first object (3). The lighting device may for instance be used in a method for guiding passengers through a public space like an airport.
US08217758B2
In an information processing apparatus in which a sheet having an RFID tag is transported, the transport speed is changed or the sheet is stopped to enable data to be communicated to or from the RFID tag without the need for setting a fixed speed in advance. Common communication standards are identified between the RFID tag and an RFID reader/writer, and common communication speeds are identified. Among the common communication speeds, the maximum common communication speed is identified. Based on the size of the data that needs to be communicated and the maximum common communication speed, a read/write required time is calculated. Based on the access range of the RFID reader/writer and the read/write required time, the maximum transport speed is calculated. When the maximum transport speed is lower than the minimum transport speed at which the sheet can be transported stably, the sheet is stopped.
US08217757B2
A wearable mobile computer communicates with a headset worn by an operator using a communication channel established between the computer and a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) tag located in the headset. The headset may be configured for receive only (voice travels only from the computer to the headset) or configured for two-way voice communication. For two-way communication backscatter from the RFID tag is used to carry voice signals.
US08217753B2
Locked electronic device, e.g., a device which produces a video output, such as a game console or TV. The device is shipped in a locked state, and cannot be used as a game console or a TV until it is unlocked. The unlocking is carried out by a code. The code is provided separately from the device, and only once authorized sale is detected.
US08217750B2
The 3-electrode surge protective device includes: a surge protective device body including: an earth electrode; a ceramic cylinder; and a pair of line electrodes; and a fail-safe spring including: an elastic mount portion; and a short-circuit portion, a conductive material that is sandwiched between the fail-safe spring and the body; and a pair of first lead pins provided on the pair of line electrodes; a second lead pin provided on the earth electrode. In a normal state, the conductive material support the short-circuit portion at a separation position where the short-circuit portion is separated from the outer peripheral face of the body and the first lead pins. In case where the body is overheated and the conductive material is melted, the short-circuit portion is moved to a contact position where the short-circuit portion comes into contact with the second lead pin and the first lead pins.
US08217748B2
An inductive power electronics package is disclosed. It has a circuit substrate with power inductor attached atop. The power inductor has inductor core of closed magnetic loop with an interior window. The closed magnetic loop can include air gap for inductance adjustment. The circuit substrate has bottom half-coil forming elements constituting a bottom half-coil beneath the inductor core. Also provided are top half-coil forming elements interconnected with the bottom half-coil forming elements to form an inductive coil enclosing the inductor core. An inner connection chip can be added in the interior window for interconnecting bottom half-coil forming elements with top half-coil forming elements. An outer connection chip can be added about the inductor core for interconnecting bottom half-coil forming elements with top half-coil forming elements outside the inductor core. A power Integrated Circuit can be attached to the top side of the circuit substrate as well.
US08217747B2
A planar inductor (50) comprises a conductive path in the form of a spiral pattern (53A-53D, 54A-54D). A conductive connecting path (62A, 63) connects a terminal (60) to an intermediate tap point (61A). The connecting path comprises at least one path portion which is radially directed with respect to the spiral pattern (53A-53D). The connecting path (62A, 63) can be routed via the inside of the spiral pattern. Where the connecting path comprises only radially-directed path portions, they are commonly joined at the center (64) of the spiral pattern. Multiple path portions (62A, 62B) can each connect to the intermediate tap point of a respective conductive path. The connecting path can use a further conductive track (85) which is parallel to the conductive path which forms the spiral pattern.
US08217745B2
An inductor includes a base and a winding assembly. The base includes an outer frame, a middle part and a connecting part. The outer frame has a first upper surface. The middle part has a second upper surface. The connecting part is connected with the outer frame and the middle part and has a third upper surface. The connecting part, the outer frame and the middle part collectively define a receptacle. The winding assembly is accommodated within the receptacle. The second upper surface of the middle part is disposed at a higher level with respect to the first upper surface of the outer frame. A first height is defined by the level difference between the second upper surface and the third upper surface. A second height of the winding assembly is smaller than the first height, so that a fourth upper surface of the winding assembly is disposed at a lower level with respect to the second upper surface after the winding assembly is accommodated within the receptacle.
US08217734B2
Apparatuses and methods for coupling a signal to and from a twisted pair cable by non-contact coupling with twisted pairs in the twisted pair cable, such that the signal propagates along the cable between at least two of the twisted pairs. In particular, a coupling unit for coupling a voltage signal to and/or from such a cable, the coupling unit having a first electrode and a second electrode. The electrodes may be electrically isolated from a voltage signal generator and/or a voltage signal processor.
US08217730B1
A waveguide circulator includes a waveguide junction made from a thermally conductive material and having three ports, and a ferrite cluster housed within the waveguide junction so as to be in communication with the ports. The ferrite cluster includes a plurality of ferrite segments extending from a central point of the ferrite cluster. Each ferrite segment is spaced apart from an adjacent ferrite segments by a gap. Thermal spacers made of a thermally conductive material are disposed in the gaps. Each thermal spacer is thermally coupled to the adjacent ferrite segments and the waveguide junction so as to conduct heat away from the adjacent ferrite segments to the waveguide junction. The ferrite cluster can also be used with other junction circulators including stripline junction circulators designed for high peak power applications.
US08217728B2
An LC voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is provided. The LC VCO includes an LC resonant circuit including at least one inductor whose both terminals are connected to output nodes and at least one capacitor connected in parallel with the inductor, and an amplifier circuit including at least one pair of switching transistors. Here, drains of the pair of switching transistors are connected to the output nodes respectively, and gates of the switching transistors are connected with the drains through a variable capacitance block exhibiting different characteristics according to an input signal.
US08217727B1
A slew rate enhancing system is disclosed. The slew rate enhancing system includes a first switch and a second switch each having a control terminal, a first terminal, and a second terminal. The first terminals of the first and second switches receive a first signal of a differential signal pair. The control terminals of the first and second switches receive a second signal of the differential signal pair. A first output is connected to the second terminals of the first and second switches.
US08217726B2
A semiconductor device according to an exemplary aspect of the invention is capable of being selectively switched between an oscillation circuit and a signal input-output circuit, and includes first and second external connecting terminals that are connectable to an oscillation device; an inverting amplifier an input side of which is electrically connected to the first external connecting terminal through a coupling capacitor and an output side of which is electrically connected to the second external connecting terminal; a feedback resistor connected to the input side and the output side of the inverting amplifier; a bias stabilization circuit that stabilizes a bias applied to the coupling capacitor; a first signal input-output portion connected to the first external connecting terminal; and a second signal input-output portion connected to the second external connecting terminal.
US08217724B2
An atomic clock comprises endohedral fullerene systems which provide the standard frequency oscillations. A magnet device applies a magnetic field to the endohedral fullerenes. The applied magnetic field is adjustable. An excitation device both excites each endohedral fullerene system to cause it to undergo transitions which generate the time-keeping oscillations, and also probes the systems such that the oscillations can be measured and the device controlled. A detection device senses the response of the systems induced by the excitation device. The output of the detection device is fed to a controller. The controller produces the atomic clock output, which is the clock signal or frequency standard, and also controls the magnet device and the excitation device. The controller controls the magnetic field applied by the magnet device such that the energy difference of the time-keeping transition is insensitive to variations in magnetic field, thereby stabilizing the frequency of the oscillations and avoiding the effects of changes in external magnetic field.
US08217712B2
To provide a semiconductor device including: a MOS transistor formed in a semiconductor substrate and have a threshold voltage to be adjusted, a replica transistor of the MOS transistor, a monitoring circuit monitors a gate/source voltage needed when the replica transistor flows a current having a given designed value, a negative voltage pumping circuit generates a substrate voltage of the MOS transistor, based on an output from the monitoring circuit, and a limiting circuit defines the operation of the negative voltage pumping circuit, regardless of a monitoring result of the monitoring circuit, in response to an excess of the substrate voltage with respect to a predetermined value.
US08217711B2
With conventional charge pumps, significant noise is present due at least in part to large changes in the supply current. To combat this problem, a charge pump is provided that includes a number of stages. These stages are coupled to receive periodic alternating voltages having a phase shift with respect to each other so that the changes in the supply current are reduced, which reduces noise.
US08217708B2
A temperature sensor performs more precise temperature measurement, even when manufacturing fluctuations are present in semiconductor elements forming a circuit for generating a temperature-dependent current. The temperature sensor includes: a temperature-dependent voltage generation circuit for generating a temperature-dependent potential that is dependent on temperature; a current generation circuit for allowing a temperature-dependent current to flow based on the temperature-dependent potential; a reference current generation circuit for generating a reference current that is independent of temperature; a capacitor that is charged alternately with the temperature-dependent current during a first charge period and the reference current during a second charge period; a pulse generation circuit for comparing a charged voltage of the capacitor with a reference voltage to generate a pulse; and a control circuit for alternately supplying the temperature-dependent current and the reference current to the capacitor. The temperature-dependent voltage generation circuit includes switches for switching connection relations between MOS transistors forming a current source circuit included in the temperature-dependent voltage generation circuit and bipolar transistors each serving as a load of the current source circuit.
US08217699B2
An apparatus for generating a plurality of signals is provided. The apparatus provided includes a first signal generation unit, including an input receiving a reference signal, and a plurality of outputs providing a first plurality of output signals being generated based on the reference signal, wherein any two of the output signals have a different phase. The apparatus provided further includes a second signal generation unit, including at least two inputs receiving at least two signals selected from the first plurality of output signals generated by the first signal generation unit, and a plurality of outputs providing a second plurality of output signals generated by interpolating the respective phases of the received at least two signals selected from the first plurality of output signals. The apparatus provided further includes a selection unit, including a first plurality of inputs receiving the first plurality of output signals generated by the first signal generation unit, a second plurality of inputs receiving the second plurality of output signals generated by the second signal generation unit, and a plurality of outputs providing the plurality of signals wherein each of the signals is selected from the first plurality of output signals generated by the first signal generation unit and the second plurality of output signals generated by the second signal generation unit, wherein any two signals of the plurality of signals have a different phase.
US08217678B1
A logic element includes memory elements, multiplexers, and controls. The multiplexers are arranged in levels including a highest level of multiplexers with inputs connected to the memory elements and outputs connected to inputs of a next-to-highest level of multiplexers and a first level of multiplexers with inputs connected to outputs of a second level of multiplexers and at least one output. The controls are connected to the multiplexers. In a first operational mode the controls determine a first-mode output at the at least one output of the first level of multiplexers, and in a second operational mode the controls determine a plurality of second-mode outputs at selected outputs of multiplexers not at the first level of multiplexers.
US08217674B2
Open and short systems and methods for testing integrated circuits are disclosed. An example implementation includes engaging an integrated circuit testing module with an integrated circuit testing apparatus, the integrated circuit testing module for receiving an integrated circuit, a first set of contact points, and a second set of contact points; engaging a first probe onto at least one of the contact points of the first set of contact points, controllably engaging at least one of a second probe onto at least one contact pair of the integrated circuit testing module, and providing an electrical stimulus to the integrated circuit testing module.
US08217672B2
An apparatus includes: a strip line cell 100 having a first conductor board that has the width larger than the width of RFID tag T1 that receives a predetermined radio wave signal and reacts, to which first conductor board an electric signal that corresponds to the radio wave signal is supplied from outside, and a second conductor board opposed to the first conductor board, wherein the RFID tag T1 is arranged on other side with the opposite side opposed to the second conductor board, of the first conductor board that transmits the radio wave signal with an output according to an electric power that the electric signal possesses; a reader writer 20 that supplies the electric signal to the first conductor board of the strip line cell 100; and a computer 30 that confirms presence of reaction in the RFID tag T1.
US08217667B2
A method for assessing the status of a piezoelectric sensor of interest is disclosed. The sensor of interest is located adjacent a surface of a mattress supporting a person. In some instances, the sensor of interest may be coupled to a mattress or coupled to a bed frame that supports the mattress. The method involves analyzing the complex impedance of the excited sensor relative to a complex impedance profile. A system for implementing the method is also disclosed.
US08217665B2
A patch-clamp system employs a high-frequency characterization of cell wall membranes. Changes in the frequency response of a tank circuit incorporating the cell wall membrane impedance provides highly sensitive and highly time-resolved measurements of ion channel activity.
US08217658B2
An object of the present invention is to easily detect a short circuit failure in a current collector of a prismatic battery and prevent a short circuit caused by an existence of a burr generated while cutting or a spatter generated while welding the current collector to an electrode plate. A battery unit is housed in a metallic battery case. In the battery unit, current collectors having bent portions on both sides are fixed to face surfaces of an electrode plate group of a prismatic battery. The portions of the battery case, which correspond to the bent portions, are pressed in a thickness direction. Under the pressure, a short circuit inspection for a short circuit between the battery case and the current collectors of the battery unit is executed. When a projected object exists on the bent portion, a short circuit is generated between the battery case and the current collector by pressing so that a short circuit failure caused by a shape of the current collector can be detected.
US08217654B2
A magnetic resonance tomography device has a magnet system that generates a gradient field; with a local coil that receives a magnetic resonance signal; and with a localization system that is fashioned to locate the local coil. The localization system has a number of magnetic field sensors that are integrated with the local coil and fashioned to detect the gradient field. Such a device is used in a corresponding method for localization of a local coil in a magnetic resonance tomography device, and a local coil is fashioned so as to be suitable for this purpose.
US08217653B2
An RF coil system for magnetic resonance applications includes a multi-channel RF coil transceiver and a multi-channel RF coil. The RF coil system is structured for reconfiguration between a plurality of operational modes.
US08217651B2
An imaging system including an imaging apparatus having a plurality of coils, wherein an imaging target is at least partially disposed proximate the coils with at least one excitation source providing pulse sequences. A switch switchably connects the pulse sequences from the excitation source to the coils and switchably connecting to spatially encoded images from the coils during data acquisition. There is an amplified radiation damping feedback section providing amplified radiation damping feedback to the imaging target, wherein the amplified radiation damping feedback provides recovery of longitudinal magnetization subsequent to the data acquisition, and a receiver section for processing the spatially encoded images.
US08217647B2
A method and system for measuring agglutination in a target-induced agglutination assay with one or more magnetic particles is performed in a reaction chamber. After the magnetic particles, which are capable of binding to a target are provided in the assay, an agglutination process is performed resulting in agglutinated particles. Further an alternating current magnetic field (HAC) is applied to the assay. The method further includes measuring an effect of the HAC on the one or more magnetic particles unattached to any surface. The measured effect is indicative of one or more agglutination parameters.
US08217643B2
A current detector includes a plate conductor (4) that is folded in one portion in a longitudinal direction to have two parts parallel to and facing each other having a predetermined width (w1) therebetween, so as to compose a looped current path (2a) in the conductor, and a magneto-electric transducer (2) that is placed between the two parts of the conductor (4; 4a, 4b) so that a magnetic sensing axis is parallel to a width direction of the conductor (4), of which a length (a) in a direction of the magnetic sensing axis is smaller than the width (w1) of the conductor.
US08217640B2
A method and device for determining the phases in a multi-phase electrical system includes detecting a first waveform on a phase of the multi-phase system In a first position of the multi-phase electrical system timed data is stored, synchronized with the first waveform. A second waveform is detected in a second position of the multi-phase electrical system, on an indeterminate phase of the system. Data is obtained relative to the phase on which the second waveform was read on the basis of the phase shift between the timed data and the second waveform.
US08217635B2
In one implementation, an apparatus includes a first input terminal configured to receive a bias voltage, the bias voltage received from a low-dropout voltage regulator (LDO) error amplifier, and a second input terminal configured to receive a supply voltage; a first output terminal configured to supply a feedback voltage, the feedback voltage supplied to the LDO error amplifier, and a second output terminal configured to supply regulated power to an associated load; a regulating portion configured to regulate power supplied to the associated load; and a switching portion configured to enable or disable the load from receiving the regulated power.
US08217632B2
The present invention discloses a synchronous driver circuit, comprising: an inductor having one end coupled to an input voltage; a first power transistor having one end coupled to the other end of the inductor and another end supplying an output voltage; a second power transistor having one end coupled to the other end of the inductor and another end coupled to ground; a control circuit for controlling the operation of the first and second power transistors; a gate driver coupled to the control circuit and having an output controlling the gate of the first power transistor; and a bootstrap capacitor having one end coupled to a voltage node and the other end coupled to the other end of the inductor, the voltage across the bootstrap capacitor being provided as the operational voltage of the gate driver.
US08217623B2
The present invention relates, in general, to a battery voltage equalization apparatus and method, and, more particularly, to a charge equalization apparatus and method, which decrease the withstand voltages of semiconductor switching elements while maintaining charge equalization performance, thus making it easy to implement the secondary windings of transformers while reducing the costs of the charge equalization apparatus. The charge equalization apparatus includes N first transformers (T1 to Tn) connected in series with N series-connected batteries (B1 to Bn) and adapted to decrease voltages of overcharged batteries among the N batteries. A charge storage device (Cdump) stores energy supplied from the first transformers. A second transformer (TS) redistributes energy stored in the charge storage device to the N series-connected batteries. A voltage detection and drive signal generation unit (20) detects voltages of N respective series-connected batteries, and generates a first drive signal and a second drive signal.
US08217618B2
The present invention relates to an energy-saving system for three-phase induction motors and is based on the principle of variable voltage control at constant speed. It is composed of a microprocessor, exampling circuit, sensing circuit, acquiring circuit, firing circuit, and AC to AC converter. The system is to automatically adjust the voltage to the induction motor with the variation in the motor load, in order to obtain high operating power factor and efficiency. The system will result in considerable energy-savings when a three-phase induction motor runs under constant light-load or variable-load with low duty ratio.
US08217606B2
A rotating electromechanical machine has a rotor having at least one current-carrying winding and at least one rotor-mounted sensor configured to sense a machine property or parameter during machine operation. Rotor-mounted circuitry dynamically modifies at least one property of the current-carrying winding during machine operation in response to the sensed machine property or parameter.
US08217596B1
A method of avoiding CSR induced beam quality defects in free electron laser operation by a) controlling the rate of compression and b) using a novel means of integrating the compression with the remainder of the transport system: both are accomplished by means of dispersion modulation. A large dispersion is created in the penultimate dipole magnet of the compression region leading to rapid compression; this large dispersion is demagnified and dispersion suppression performed in a final small dipole. As a result, the bunch is short for only a small angular extent of the transport, and the resulting CSR excitation is small.
US08217583B2
A gas-discharge lamp controller utilizing a novel preheating frequency generation mechanism, including: a resistance sensing means, used to generate a sensed voltage when coupled to an external series resistor-capacitor network, the external series resistor-capacitor network being biased between a first supply voltage and a reference ground; a sample and hold circuit, used to generate a sampled voltage of the sensed voltage under the control of a latch signal; and a mapping circuit, used to generate a control voltage according to a function of the sampled voltage.
US08217582B2
A light source device includes: a discharge lamp provided with two electrodes; a discharge lamp lighting section adapted to light the discharge lamp by supplying the discharge lamp with electrical power while alternately switching a polarity of one of the electrodes of the discharge lamp with respect to the other of the electrodes; and a time-division color separation section adapted to receive light emitted from the discharge lamp in a lighted state and sequentially emit light beams with colors different from each other, wherein the discharge lamp lighting section switches the polarity in sync with a change in the color of the light beam emitted from the time-division color separation section, and provides, as retentive periods in which a duty ratio, which is a ratio of a positive polarity period with the polarity kept positive to a period of the polarity switching, is retained at a constant value over a predetermined period of time, a first retentive period and a second retentive period different in the duty ratio from the first retentive period, thereby modulating the duty ratio.
US08217573B2
An organic EL element having a functional layer with a uniform film thickness is provided. The organic EL element of the present invention contains a substrate; an anode electrode set on the substrate; an organic EL layer set on the anode electrode; a cathode electrode set on the organic EL layer; and a bank having a forward tapered shape, which define the organic EL layer. The bank contains a fluorine resin, the fluorine concentration at a top of the bank is higher than the fluorine concentration at a bottom surface of the bank, and a height of the top of the bank from the substrate is 0.8 to 1.2 μm.
US08217567B2
LED lighting systems operate their LED above a junction temperature of 85° C. and space apart from the LED, components of the LED lighting system that reduce an expected lifetime of the LED lighting system to less than 25,000 hours as a result of operating the LED above the junction temperature of 85° C. Accordingly, the LED itself may be driven hotter than is conventionally the case, without impacting its lifetime. By allowing the LED to operate hotter, reduced heat sinking may be needed for the LED itself, which can decrease the cost, size and/or complexity of the thermal management system for the LED lighting system and/or can allow a thermal budget for the LED lighting system to be used elsewhere. Related structures are also described.
US08217564B2
An electrodeless bulb has a hollow quartz tube, with a solid stem extending from one end and a short hollow tip extending from the other end. The hollow interior of the tube extends into the tip with the same diameter as in the tube, but the wall thickness of the tip is reduced from that of the tube. The bulb is charged with an amount of indium bromide and traces of other metal halides to adjust light spectrum and a filling of xenon gas.
US08217563B2
A spark plug having sufficient durability for an internal combustion engine can restrain a sharp increase in resistance of a resistor in spite of its reduced size. The spark plug comprises an insulator having an axial hole, a metallic shell provided on the outer circumference of the insulator, a center electrode inserted into a front end portion of the axial hole, a terminal electrode inserted into a rear end portion of the axial hole, and a ground electrode. A circular columnar resistor is disposed within the axial hole between the center electrode and the terminal electrode, thereby electrically connecting the center electrode and the terminal electrode. The resistor is composed of carbon black that serves as a conductive material, a glass powder, and ceramic particles. Each of the ceramic particles has a maximum particle size of 0.5 μm or less.
