US08276210B2

A tomographic atom probe uses electrical pulses applied to an electrode in order to carry out evaporation of the sample being analyzed. In order to produce these electrical pulses, the tomographic atom probe comprises a high-voltage generator connected to an electrode by an electrical connection comprising a chip of semiconductor material. The probe also comprises a light source which can be controlled in order to generate light pulses which are applied to the semiconductor chip. Throughout the illumination, the chip is rendered conductive, which puts the high-voltage generator and the electrode in electrical contact so that a potential step is applied to the latter. The probe also comprises means for applying a voltage step of opposite amplitude to the previous step at the end of a time interval Δt0, so that the electrode finally receives a voltage pulse of duration Δt0.
US08276207B2

A first user's trust level with regard to a second user can be determined by providing questions to the second user, with the questions based on a previously-collected knowledge base including information about the first user. The information about the first user may be partitioned into levels of trust, and the second user's responses to the questions may be evaluated to determine which level of trust the second user is entitled to. The knowledge base may be assembled by prompting the first user for information and/or by scanning or otherwise collecting already-existing data about the first user. The knowledge base and/or trust assessment may be distributed across a network, and in some embodiments the knowledge base or parts thereof is distributed to other users according to the trust level of those users.
US08276206B2

Systems and methods are provided for encryption allowing partial matching searches to retrieve data that is retained in a database. A user identification number or other characteristic is stored in unencrypted form such that a wildcard search may be performed to retrieve one or more encrypted indexes associated with the unencrypted user identification. These encrypted indexes are then unencrypted by use of a key to determined their associated unencrypted index and corresponding targeted retained data. The targeted retained data may then be accessed by an authorized entity such as a law enforcement agency.
US08276204B2

An apparatus relays packets transferred over a network and discards an attack packet detected among the packets. The apparatus includes: an inspection-packet outputting unit that outputs, when detecting the attack packet, an inspection packet in which a transmission-source address contained in the attack packet is set as a destination address and a destination address contained in the attack packet is set as a transmission-source address; a filter table storing unit that stores, when acquiring a response packet for the inspection packet, a transmission-source address, a destination address, and identification information of an interface, which has received the response packet, that are contained in the response packet, in a filter table in an associated manner; and a transfer control unit that determines whether to transfer a packet as a transfer object based on the filter table.
US08276198B2

A mechanism for segregating traffic amongst STAs that are associated with a bridge, referred to herein as the personal virtual bridged local area network (personal VLAN), is based upon the use of a VLAN to segregate traffic. The IEEE 802.1Q-1998 (virtual bridged LANs) protocol provides a mechanism that is extended by the invention to partition a LAN segment logically into multiple VLANs. In the preferred embodiment, a VLAN bridge forwards unicast and group frames only to those ports that serve the VLAN to which the frames belong. One embodiment of the invention extends the standard VLAN bridge model to provide a mechanism that is suitable for use within an AP. In a preferred embodiment, the Personal VLAN bridge extends the standard VLAN bridge in at least any of the following ways: VLAN discovery in which a personal VLAN bridge provides a protocol for VLAN discovery; VLAN extension in which a Personal VLAN allows a station to create a new port that serves a new VLAN, or to join an existing VLAN via an authentication protocol; Logical ports in which a Personal VLAN bridge can maintain more than one logical port per physical port, and bridges between ports of any kind; and cryptographic VLAN separation.
US08276196B1

Each of multiple computing devices of a user is registered by obtaining therefrom identifying indicia, obtaining from the user a device-specific password for the computing device, and storing the obtained identifying indicia and device-specific password for the computing device in an entry for the user in a credentials database. The user requests access to a restricted service by way of a particular one of the multiple computing devices with credentials including the device-specific password for the particular computing device, and identifying indicia are obtained therefrom. The obtained identifying indicia and the device-specific password of the particular computing device appear in the entry, and the user is thus granted access to the restricted service.
US08276189B2

A system that allows indirect access of a network by TE, comprising TE device information; a personal network (PN) server; a master UE of a personal network; a TE of a personal network; and a UE B connected to a WAN which forwards data to and from TEs. Using the master UE the user sets configuration details which is the TE device information and stored at the PN Server. The TE device information contains data which is used to allow and control access of TE to the network, when the TE uses other UEs to access the network. When the TE tries to access the network through another UE B, the PN Server uses the TE device information to authenticate and control access of TE. UE B acts as a forwarding device in this sequence between TE and the PN server.
US08276173B2

A system and a method for processing a program with inserted advertisements are provided. The system includes a plurality of program subscriber apparatuses, an advertising time server and a program-processing device, all of which are in communication with a network. At first, the program subscriber apparatuses generate a plurality of advertising time information in response to the operations of the program subscriber apparatuses by users. Then, the advertising time database integrated the advertising time information to provide an advertising time database having therein a plurality of representative advertising time information. The program-processing apparatus can process a specific program according to the representative advertising time information.
US08276164B2

A method and an apparatus that allocate one or more physical compute devices such as CPUs or GPUs attached to a host processing unit running an application for executing one or more threads of the application are described. The allocation may be based on data representing a processing capability requirement from the application for executing an executable in the one or more threads. A compute device identifier may be associated with the allocated physical compute devices to schedule and execute the executable in the one or more threads concurrently in one or more of the allocated physical compute devices concurrently.
US08276161B2

The present invention provides a method, apparatus, and computer program product for implementing a business systems management solution for end-to-end event management. The present invention realizes a number of business systems management functionalities, including defining event databases and means for event monitoring and correlating a customer's business functions by using an enterprise view focused on a system of applications, operating systems, connections, and physical components. Together these components make up a business system as defined by the customer. As such, a business system can cross technology platforms, physical space, and comprise multiple applications, or a business system could be limited to a single platform, location, and application. Components that comprise the business system and enterprise-level event management structure are defined, created, and modified to align the Information Technology with the business system's processes and to aid in the management of the information technology with respect to the business system.
US08276157B2

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a computer system monitors information assets providing data for constructing a logical entity. The information assets are dependent upon each other for data and form a topology. The computer system receives an event message associated with an information asset. The event message includes information relating to one or more conditions of that information asset. The computer system processes the received event message to determine the presence of a change within the associated information asset that affects the topology. The change is determined based on the information relating to the one or more conditions within the received event message. The computer system further transmits a notification of the change to one or more entities in response to determining the presence of the change. Embodiments of the present invention further include a method and computer program product for monitoring information assets.
US08276155B2

Exemplary embodiments include a system and storage medium for managing computer processing functions in a multi-processor computer environment. The system includes a physical processor, a standard logical processor, an assist logical processor sharing a same logical partition as the standard logical processor, and a single operating system instance associated with the logical partition, the single operating system instance including a switch-to service and a switch-from service. The system also includes a dispatch component managed by the single operating system instance. Upon invoking the switch-to service by standard code, the switch-to service checks to see if an assist logical processor is online and, if so, it updates an integrated assist field of a work element block associated with the task for indicating the task is eligible to be executed on the assist logical processor. The switch-to service also assigns a work queue to the work element block.
US08276142B2

A method, device, and system are disclosed. In one embodiment the method includes scheduling a thread to run on first core of a multi-core processor. The determination as to which core the thread is scheduled on uses one or more processes. These processes may include ranking all of the cores specific to a workload of the thread, establishing a current utilization of each core of the multi-core processor, and calculating an inter-core migration cost for the thread.
US08276133B1

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for determining a plurality of application settings utilizing a mathematical function. In operation, a plurality of application parameters are identified. Additionally, the application parameters are defined as a mathematical function. Furthermore, a plurality of application settings are determined utilizing the mathematical function.
US08276131B2

A method that provides for dynamic loop transfer for a method having a first set of instructions being executed by an interpreter is provided. An execution stack includes slots for storing a value of each local variable known to each subroutine while the subroutine is active. The method comprises suspending execution at a point for which a current execution state can be captured from the execution stack; assigning the value in each slot of the execution stack to a corresponding slot of an array of values; scanning the first set of instructions to identify a data type for local variable that is not known in the current execution state and shares a slot in the execution stack with a local variable that is known; and generating a second set of instructions for the method coded to be initially executed to declare each local variable that is known in the current execution state and each local variable for which a data type was identified, assign each declared variable with the value assigned to the slot in the array that corresponds to the slot of the execution stack in which the value of the variable is stored during execution of the first set of instructions, and branch to a target point in the second set of instructions that corresponds to the point at which execution was suspended.
US08276127B2

Devices, methods, and software program products for reverse execution of a simulation and/or tracing a value are provided. A state of a preceding checkpoint may be restored and a simulation may be run forward. Break points or watch points may be noted and the state of the last occurring breakpoint or watch point preceding the current simulation position may be restored. If no breakpoint or watch point occurred, an earlier checkpoint may be loaded and the previous steps may be repeated.
US08276119B2

Replacing an object in an object oriented model in a computer system, by interrogating the model to retrieve information defining the relationships between the object to be replaced and other components of the model is described. These relationship definitions are then used to configure the replacement object within the model so as to assume corresponding relationships with the other components. There may be established as a part of the model functions to detect changes to the relationships between objects belonging to the model, and recording the changes in a registry. This registry is then interrogated to retrieve relationship definitions necessary to replace an object.
US08276108B2

A circuit design apparatus for designing an LSI including a memory circuit for storing data and an error protection circuit for performing an error protection over the data stored in the memory circuit on the basis of design information, the circuit design apparatus includes: an extracting unit for extracting information of configuration of the memory circuit with error protection circuit from the design information; and a circuit arrangement controller for determining whether to insert a check circuit for supplying a check signal into the memory circuit to verify the error protection circuit on the configuration information.
US08276107B2

Systems and methods are disclosed to automatically synthesize a custom integrated circuit by encoding architecture level knowledge in a data model to generate and pass new constraints for physical synthesis of a chip specification uniquely customized to computer readable code. The system receives a look-ahead cost function during architecture optimization consistent with cost observed later in the flow after detailed physical synthesis is performed. The look-ahead cost function is generated from a prior iteration and supplied to a subsequent iteration through the data model.
US08276103B2

In one embodiment, a photomask designing method is disclosed. The method includes dividing design pattern data into predetermined regions and obtaining a pattern perimeter for each of the divided regions. The method includes obtaining the pattern perimeter for an entire region of the design pattern data by repeating the obtaining the pattern perimeter for the each of the divided regions. The method includes obtaining a dimension conversion difference for the entire region of the design pattern data using the pattern perimeter for the entire region of the design pattern data and a correlation obtained in advance between a predicted pattern perimeter and a predicted dimension conversion difference. The method includes performing process proximity correction on the design pattern data using a value of the obtained dimension conversion difference, and creating exposure pattern data from the corrected design pattern data.
US08276098B2

A computer-implemented method includes displaying, within a user interface, a view pane having a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, displaying, within the view pane, a plurality of poster frames, each poster frame representing a corresponding media item, a first poster frame being displayed as positioned in a first row extending across the event view pane in the horizontal direction such that the first poster frame is displayed substantially adjacent to a first vertical edge of the event view pane and subsequent poster frames are displayed substantially adjacent to one another in the first row until a poster frame in the first row is displayed substantially adjacent to a second vertical edge of the event view pane, and displaying a next poster frame in a second row vertically displaced from the first row. Photographs in a poster frame can be previewed by moving a cursor across the poster frame.
US08276090B2

A reference note is automatically generated in an electronic document when directly quoting information from another electronic document by receiving a first user-selected insertion point or replacement area to a destination electronic document by receiving a user selection of text content to be transferred from a source user interface to the first insertion point or replacement area; automatically copying the selected content to a transfer buffer without requiring the user to return to the first user interface; automatically capturing and recording one or more source reference data items corresponding to the selected content simultaneously with or subsequent to automatically copying the selected content to a transfer buffer; and automatically generating in the destination electronic document at least one reference note such as a footnote, an endnote, a table of references entry, or a bibliographical entry containing the recorded source reference data items.
US08276087B2

A method for making multi-divided display contents and a system thereof are disclosed. In the method for making multi-divided display contents and a system thereof, a user is able to freely make or edit a multimedia display content by using a DB design system provided on the web and a user interface without a professional skill or knowledge. A new image type can be expressed along with a change in part of the data in the thusly-created multi-divided display contents, a remaking or a change in a display construction combination. In case that the original data cooperating with a XML on a specific divided display in the multi-divided display is being changed in real time, the divided display cooperating with XML in the whole images can be automatically changed depending on the change of the contents.
US08276085B2

Various embodiments relate to a local computing device that includes a display and a touchscreen interface. The device is operable to establish a remote network computing session with a host computer system, transmit touch event information associated with touch events, receive graphical display information corresponding to a host image associated with the host computer system, translate the graphical display information from host coordinates to local coordinates, update the local image based on the graphical display information, the local image comprising a selected portion of the host image, and, in response to mouse movement events caused by associated touch events, change the selected portion of the host image while keeping a cursor in the center of the display, except when the center of the selected portion is within a predetermined limit of an edge of the host image, thereafter move the cursor relative to the local display.
US08276077B2

Automatic annotation of recorded lectures includes the annotation of recorded presentations as presented on a computer screen during a presentation. Such annotation is accomplished with metadata that indicates the original slide and the time in the presentation that the slide was presented. Registration of the presentation tags the presentation with this metadata, which uniquely identifies the presentation and each slide. The metadata enables future searching of the recorded presentation for the annotation, such that segments of recorded presentations in which the slide was presented can be recalled. The searching function can also be used in an integrated system with other applications to enable recall of segments of relevant recorded presentations.
US08276076B2

Visualizing and exploring a music library using metadata, such as genre, sub-genre, artist, and year, is provided. Geometric shapes, such as disks or rectangles, may be divided into sectors representing genre and each sector may be further divided into sub-sectors representing artists associated with each genre. The sector's relative size generally reflects the importance of the corresponding genre within the library. Likewise, the sub-sector's relative size generally reflects the importance of the corresponding artist within the genre which may be determined by the number of media items of the artist. Marks representing each media item may be arranged and displayed within the geometric shape to reflect the mark's corresponding genre, artist, and year. In addition, each mark may reflect an attribute, such as playcount, of the media item and each sector may reflect the mean value of an attribute of all media items within the sector.
US08276075B2

An information processing apparatus may include a controller for controlling the reproducing of a menu based on content recorded on a information recording medium. The controller may control producing a menu that allows the content to be selected and reproduced by chapter, the chapter defined by a mark as content delimitation information set in play list information corresponding to the content recorded on the information recording medium and recording the menu on the information recording medium.
US08276074B2

A computer-implemented method including displaying in a user interface, a first thumbnail representing a first video clip including a first plurality of frames; displaying in the first thumbnail, a first transition point positioned between a left edge and a right edge of the first thumbnail, the first transition point associated with a frame of the first plurality of frames, wherein, playback of the first plurality of frames starts with a first start frame positioned at the left edge and stops at the frame associated with the first transition point; receiving a first move input to move the frame associated with the first transition point to a new frame of the first plurality of frames; and in response to receiving the input, associating the new frame with the first transition point, wherein, in response to a playback input, playback starts with the first start frame and stops at the new frame.
US08276071B2

A multi-instance, multi-user animation platform includes a plurality of modeled parallel dimensions in a computer memory. Each of the parallel dimensions may be an independent model of a physical, three-dimensional space having corresponding features such that the parallel dimensions are recognizable as counterparts to each other. Avatars are located within corresponding ones of the parallel dimensions so as to prevent over-population of any one of the parallel dimensions by avatars. Avatars are animated within different ones of the parallel dimensions using input from respective users to provide virtual-reality data. The virtual-reality data may be configured to cause remote clients to output an animated display of a corresponding one of the parallel dimensions and avatars therein.
US08276070B2

A system for presentation of help files on a computer with an operating system and a display is provided. Presentation-independent information associated with an application is stored on the computer. A help application is adapted to access the presentation-independent information based on user interactions and automatically to select between available rendering applications at runtime for displaying the presentation-independent information on the display.
US08276069B2

A system and method for automatically generating an adaptive user interface for a plurality of appliances within a physical environment. Appliance description specifications of the appliances are generated from provided appliance functionality information and semantic information of related appliances and/or related environment information. The appliance description specifications can be analyzed to construct a semantic functionality relationship among the appliances and the adaptive user interface can be rendered based on an interface elements relationship which is a transformation of the semantic functionality relationship. The system has a user interface rendering module, which when run on a controller, implements the aforesaid appliance description specification generation and analysis, and adaptor modules, which when run on the appliances, maintain the appliance description specifications and allow exchange of same between the controller and appliances.
US08276066B2

Optimized digital operational encoding and input method of world character information and information processing system thereof are directed to digital encoding technology of world character information. It thoroughly solves the conflict between the simplicity and high efficiency for encoding the world character information, and according to the pronunciation and the glyph information of world characters, performs the digital operational encoding to the world character information with ten numerals 0-9 unifiedly by means of the encoding method operated with addition and subtraction by areas and positions. The method and device takes these number codes as the index codes of retrieving the literatures of world characters and the computer input codes of world characters, so as to build up a complete set of method and systems capable of using world character to design the operating system, computer language, chip instruction, wireless interface protocol, and wireless internet protocol, used widely for computer, communications, network system, and the sorting and retrieving system of world character codes.
US08276057B2

Systems and methods of the present invention provide for posting a search engine result to a feed from a social networking website. The feed may include an announcement of a registered domain name and a link to an associated website. A control panel for the registered domain name and associated website may be displayed on a client.
US08276056B1

A number of novel configurations for MPEG-4 playback, browsing and user interaction are disclosed. MPEG-4 playback systems are not simple extensions of MPEG-2 playback systems, but, due to object based nature of MPEG-4, present new opportunities and challenges in synchronized management of independent coded objects as well as scene composition and presentation. Therefore, these configurations allow significantly new and enhanced multimedia services and systems. In addition, MPEG-4 aims for an advanced functionality, called Adaptive Audio Visual Session (AAVS) or MPEG-J. Adaptive Audio Visual Session (AAVS) (i.e., MPEG-AAVS, MPEG-Java or MPEG-J) requires, in addition to the definition of configurations, a definition of an application programming interface (API) and its organization into Java packages. Also disclosed are concepts leading to definition of such a framework.
US08276055B1

Low-latency programmable encoders, and more particularly, low-latency programmable encoders which use low-density parity check (LDPC) codes in combination with an outer systematic code. The LDPC encoder is programmable for any irregular circulant-based LDPC code. The code profile, block length, number of block rows, and number of block columns can vary. The LDPC encoding and the outer systematic code encoding can proceed in a parallel manner (e.g., simultaneously) instead of in a serial manner.
US08276049B2

In an information processing device, error detection information is generated from additional information and a header is generated from error detection information. An encoded header is then generated by appending a header-error correction code to the header and encoded additional information is generated by appending an information-error correction code to the additional information. Finally, an information-appended image is generated by integratedly appending the encoded header and the encoded additional information to the target image.
US08276047B2

Continuously interleaved codewords are used in a communication system to provide error correction capability. In general, each codeword shares symbols with both preceding and subsequent codewords, when the codewords are arranged in an order, such that correction of symbols in any one codeword also corrects symbols in another codeword and correction of symbols in any codeword may allow, considering possible corrections of intermediate codewords, for further correction of any codeword in the order of codewords. In one embodiment received information may be arranged in subframes, with each subframe including terminal symbols of a plurality of codewords, each of the plurality of codewords including symbols in multiple subframes.
US08276029B2

A system and method are herein disclosed for managing memory defects in an information handling system. More particularly, a system and method are described for generating a usable memory map which excludes memory locations containing defect memory elements. In an information handling system, a memory defect map, which contains information about the location of defective memory elements, is coupled to the memory device. As a map of memory usable by the system is created, usable memory regions containing defective memory elements are excluded from the memory map. The memory map is passed to the operating system, which uses only those regions of memory designated as usable and non-defective.
US08276020B2

Systems and methods for automated determination of error handling. Data is received including one or more procedural operations to be tested. A first test is run on the data to capture one or more first tracebacks, where each traceback is associated with a procedural operation. A determination is made as to whether each captured first traceback is unique, where unique tracebacks are added to a unique traceback list. An error condition is simulated on each unique traceback on the unique traceback list by running a second test. The second test is run once for each unique traceback. One or more second tracebacks are captured during each run of the second test. When a unique traceback being tested matches a captured second traceback, an error code is returned and the second test may be run to completion. Errors encountered during each iteration of the second test running to completion are identified.
US08276015B2

Semiconductor device circuits and methods are provided for adjusting core processor performance based on usage metrics. Metric detection and adjustment are performed in digital logic hardware guided by registers providing maximum and minimum frequency settings, without intervening input from system software or firmware, thus greatly speeding the processor performance adjustment. Power-performance drivers provide applications or the operating system ability to specify maximum and minimum frequency requirements.
US08276014B2

A data processing circuitry for processing data is disclosed. The data processing circuitry comprises: a plurality of synchronization circuits for capturing and transmitting the data in response to a clock signal and a plurality of combinational circuits arranged between the synchronization circuits for processing the data, the plurality of synchronization circuits being arranged in at least two groups; an error detecting circuit for determining if the data input to one of the plurality of synchronization circuits is stable during a predetermined time and for signalling an error if the data input is unstable, the predetermined time being less than a half cycle of the clock signal; control circuitry responsive to said error detecting circuit signalling said error to transmit a control signal to at least one of said groups of synchronization circuits that contains a subsequent synchronization circuit that said synchronization circuit with said unstable input is configured to transmit said data to; each of said group of synchronization circuits being configured to respond to receipt of said control signal to stall for a clock cycle and to transmit a stall signal to at least one further group of synchronization circuits that said group of synchronization circuits is configured to transmit data to or receive data from; each of said group of synchronization circuits being configured to respond to receipt of said stall signal provided they have not stalled in a preceding clock cycle to stall for a clock cycle and to transmit a stall signal to said at least one further group of synchronization circuits.
US08276005B2

Provided is a digital image transmission system in a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) format or a digital visual interface (DVI) format. A transmission and reception reinforcement device of the digital image transmission system includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a power supply circuit. The power supply circuit includes a first power supply unit supplying power to the transmitter and a second power supply unit supplying power to the receiver. Power output terminals of the first and second power supply units are connected to each other. External-power supply voltages respectively input to the first and second power supply units are output to the power output terminals. When all of the external-power supply voltages input to the first and second power supply units are lower than a predetermined voltage, an internal-power supply voltage present in a communication line between the host device and the display device is output to the power output terminals.
US08275997B2

A method of encrypting and transmitting data and a system for transmitting encrypted data. The method includes one or more different encryption algorithms, and may include employing different encryption algorithms to achieve multiple levels of encryption. A first encryption algorithm is based upon multiple rearrangements of bits representing data to obtain encoded data. A second encryption algorithm is based upon performing multiple XOR operations on bits representing data so that each data word is at least encoded with previous data words. The system comprises first and second computers and a plurality of communication parameters. The two computers are communicably connected to a network, and the second computer is adapted to route a transmission to the first computer. The transmission includes a data part and a header part, both of which are encrypted by the second computer utilizing the communication parameters. The first computer decrypts the transmission utilizing the communication parameters.
US08275994B2

A password is effectively prevented from being leaked to enhance the degree of security and, at the same time, can be input without difficulty. There is provided a removable information storage apparatus equipped with a predetermined interface for connecting itself to an external appliance and a security section with limited accesses from the external appliance, which includes a password input unit to be used that inputs a password of a predetermined number of words to be notified only to the information storage apparatus without being output to the external appliance connected to it by way of the predetermined interface, a password collating unit that collates the password input by way of the password input unit, and an access authorizing unit that authorizes an access to the security section from the external appliance connected to it by way of the predetermined interface in response to the collation of the password by the password collating unit. The password input unit is adapted to be used for inputting a password of not greater than a predetermined number of words as the password to be collated by the password collating unit, and the password collating unit is adapted to collate the password of not greater than the predetermined number of words input by way of the password input unit.
US08275993B2

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for establishing trust in an electronic document. An electronic document is received. State dependent content in the electronic document is identified. The state dependent content is content that is renderable to have a several appearances. The electronic document is presented to a user, which includes disclosing the presence of any identified state dependent content in the electronic document.
US08275987B2

The invention describes a method for transmission of a DHCP message between a telecommunication network, especially a telecommunication network according to the WiMAX-standard, and an Internet Protocol (IP) subscriber (SS/MS; MN) to the telecommunication network. Therein, an information secured with an encryption key is added to the DHCP message. The encryption key is derived from a basic key being provided by a network component of the telecommunication network.
US08275982B2

In accordance with the present disclosure, a system and method for a managed BIOS is disclosed. A software for a BIOS in an information handling system is provided on a computer readable medium. A first code, for execution on a central processing unit (CPU), is operable to initiate a connection to a management controller through a controller, send a message to the management controller through the controller, and receive a message from the management controller through the controller in response to a system management interrupt. The first code is also operable to stall a power-on procedure if it is able to determine a plurality of bootable devices before the connection to the management controller is ready. The first code is further operable to stall the power-on procedure before releasing control to an operating system if the management controller is active.
US08275975B2

The invention proposes a simple method for controlling distributed functional units (FU) in a system. It offloads the main system processor from intermediate status monitoring. The sequencer controlled system comprises a plurality of functional units, a processor operatively coupled to the plurality of functional units through a bus, a sequencer having a set of registers, and an interrupt source register configured for interrupt polling. The registers are configured to control the timing of at least one operation of the functional units with stored instructions for each of the functional units. The processor sets up at least some of the registers through the bus for the initial configuration and the sequencer is activated by the processor.
US08275972B2

In various embodiments, dedicated mask pins are eliminated by sending a data mask on address lines of the interface. A memory controller receives a request for a memory write operation from a memory client and determines the granularity of the write data from a write data mask sent by the client. Granularity, as used herein, indicates a quantity of write data to which each bit of the received write data mask applies. In an embodiment, the memory controller generates a particular write command and a particular write data mask based on the granularity of the write data. The write command generated is typically the most efficient of several write commands available, but embodiments are not so limited. The write command is transmitted on command lines of the interface, and the write data mask is transmitted on address lines of the interface.
US08275969B2

A data storage area of a data storage device is partitioned logically between a user storage area and a device storage area. Source data stored securely in the device storage area is copied as derivative data to the user storage area, or is used as a basis for creating derivative data stored in the user storage area, whenever the data storage device is initialized. In one embodiment, the data storage area is read-write and the device storage area has embodied thereon device system code, executed by a controller of the data storage device, for writing source data to the device storage area only if the source data satisfies a predetermined condition. Examples of derivative data include an autorun file, a volume label and user identification. Data from a host may be stored reversibly in the user storage area but must be stored securely in the device storage area.
US08275966B2

A dispersed storage device within a dispersed storage network includes a processing module for determining whether to add a new generation for a vault, in which the vault identifies at least one user having data to be stored. When the new generation is to be added to the vault, the processing module further assigns a vault generation identifier to the new generation, assigns a virtual address range of a virtual memory associated with the dispersed storage network to the new generation and maps the virtual address range to a physical memory for storage of the data therein.
US08275964B2

Hardware support for collecting performance counters directly to memory, in one aspect, may include a plurality of performance counters operable to collect one or more counts of one or more selected activities. A first storage element may be operable to store an address of a memory location. A second storage element may be operable to store a value indicating whether the hardware should begin copying. A state machine may be operable to detect the value in the second storage element and trigger hardware copying of data in selected one or more of the plurality of performance counters to the memory location whose address is stored in the first storage element.
US08275963B2

A distributed data processing system includes: (1) a first node with a processor, a first memory, and asynchronous memory mover logic; and connection mechanism that connects (2) a second node having a second memory. The processor includes processing logic for completing a cross-node asynchronous memory move (AMM) operation, wherein the processor performs a move of data in virtual address space from a first effective address to a second effective address, and the asynchronous memory mover logic completes a physical move of the data from a first memory location in the first memory having a first real address to a second memory location in the second memory having a second real address. The data is transmitted via the connection mechanism connecting the two nodes independent of the processor.
US08275956B2

A translator circuit translates a memory access conforming to a native FB-DIMM (Fully Buffered Dual In-Line Memory Module) protocol to a memory access for addressing more than two ranks of parallel memory devices. The parallel memory devices are distributed among plural non-fully-buffered DIMMs (Dual In-Line Memory Modules).
US08275954B2

A device for copying performance counter data includes hardware path that connects a direct memory access (DMA) unit to a plurality of hardware performance counters and a memory device. Software prepares an injection packet for the DMA unit to perform copying, while the software can perform other tasks. In one aspect, the software that prepares the injection packet runs on a processing core other than the core that gathers the hardware performance counter data.
US08275953B2

A method for operating a memory system is provided. In this method, a sequential update block and preexisting data associated with the sequential update block are provided. Here, an option to convert the sequential update block to a chaotic update block also is provided. A write command is received to write data following a previous write command, where the write command and the previous write command have a discontinuity in logical addresses. If a logical address of the write command is different from logical addresses of the preexisting data, then the data are written to the sequential update block. If the logical address of the write command matches one of the logical addresses of the preexisting data, then the sequential update block is converted to a chaotic update block.
US08275944B1

Included are systems and methods for distributive network control. In addition, embodiment of a method includes receiving an indication related to recording data stored on a local cache and determining whether to remotely store at least a portion of the data. Some embodiments include sending a request for the stored data.
US08275933B2

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for managing physical regions in a solid-state storage device. The definition module defines a physical storage region on solid-state storage media of a solid-state storage device. The physical storage region includes a subset of total physical storage capacity on the solid-state storage media. The storage controller performs memory operations within the physical storage region such that the memory operations are bounded to the physical storage region. The implementation module implements the physical storage region definition with respect to the storage controller for the solid-state storage media.
US08275910B1

A communication function between ports on a node that does not require a common time base to be distributed across the network is disclosed. A data stream received over a first port is placed on an interlace between nodes using the time base of the first port; a second port samples the data stream on the interface and timestamps it using the time base of the second port. The data stream is timestamped by the second port and packetized before transmitted to the second node to another bridge or device. Alternatively, the first port extracts a time stamp from the data stream and calculates an offset using a cycle timer value from the bus connected to the first port. The offset is added to the cycle timer value on the bus connected to the second port and used to timestamp the data stream.
US08275896B2

A network entity comprising an input for receiving from a given IP device, a session initiation message for initiating a communication session over a packet based network via a session initiation message generated according to a particular session initiation protocol and a processing entity. The processing entity is operative for detecting a characteristic associated with the given IP device, determining, at least in part on the basis of the characteristic associated with the given device, a given interface module from a plurality of interface modules for processing the session initiation message generated according to the particular session initiation protocol and causing the first session initiation message generated according to the particular session initiation protocol to be processed by the given interface module for converting the first session initiation message into a second session initiation message generated according to a pre-determined session initiation protocol.
US08275893B1

The present application discloses systems and methods for accessing digital content between multiple devices. The systems and methods may be directed to providing access to an interaction with a first application on a head-mounted display (HMD) to a second device. Contextual information relating information of the HMD and information associated with the interaction to describe an interaction state may be stored. A second device may be selected upon which the interaction state may be accessed and a determination of attributes of the second device may be made. The HMD may transfer to the second device the stored contextual information such that the second device may provide via the second application access to the interaction state. Information associated with a user input to the first application may also be transferred. In one example, the contextual information may describe an identified occurrence of digital content accessed via the first application.
US08275890B2

A communication session is established between a first device and a second device. A message is transmitted from the first device to the second device. In response to the second device failing to actively respond to the message, the first device terminates the communication session with the second device.
US08275879B1

Modeling a data path of a network environment is disclosed. Components are identified at a source location of a data path, at a target location of the data path, and connections there between. The network environment includes a plurality of domains, and the data path traverses the plurality of domains. Components and the connections there between are assigned to one of: an input-output path pattern, a virtualizer pattern, and a meta pattern. The patterns represent common elements of components of the network environment. The patterns and relationships between patterns are defined to repeat within and across domains in the network environment. A model of the data path is created from the assigned patterns and the defined relationships between patterns. The created model of the data path is then presented.
US08275868B2

Systems of the present inventions allow for providing customer-selected solutions for multiple datacenter website hosting. An exemplary system may comprise a first datacenter comprising at least one hosting server, a second datacenter comprising at least one hosting server, and a hosting services website hosted on at least one customer interaction server. The hosting services website may be configured to offer and implement hosting of at least one customer website in the first datacenter, second datacenter, or both the first datacenter and second datacenter. The system also may comprise a network communicatively coupling the first datacenter, second datacenter, and customer interaction server.
US08275855B2

Generally, the present invention provides a method and computerized system for monitoring REST web services including generating a REST based web service client call operative to be used for monitoring web service activities. The web service client call is then deployed. The method and computerized system further includes monitoring the web service activities via the call invocation and a response analysis. The method and computerized system further includes receiving a plurality of feedback results from the monitoring of the web service functionality and thereupon adjusting the web service parameters based on the aggregated feedback.
US08275852B2

A system, method and computer program product for managing documents. The system includes a document manager that is configured to search for application services providers (ASPs) over a network and based on a user input. The document manager can search documents within the ASPs, retrieve documents and URLs, store documents and data, format documents, generate and issue unified bills from a plurality of bills from a plurality of ASPs. The documents manager can provide consulting advise to the user regarding document managing, and can manage the documents stored on a user storage device, for example by transferring these documents to a ASP storage device after storage time periods associated with the documents.
US08275850B2

Systems and processes for assembling de-identified patient healthcare data records in a longitudinal database are provided. The systems and processes may be implemented over multiple data suppliers and common database facilities while ensuring patient privacy. At the data supplier locations, patient-identifying attributes in the data records are placed in standard format and then doubly encrypted using a pair of encryption keys before transmission to a common database facility. The pair of encryption keys includes a key specific to the data supplier and a key specific to the common database facility. At the common database facility, the encryption specific to the data supplier is removed, so that multi-sourced data records have only the common database encryption. Without direct access to patient identifying-information, the encrypted data records are assigned dummy labels or tags by which the data records can be longitudinally linked in the database. The tags are assigned based on statistical matching of the values of a select set of encrypted data attributes with a reference database of tags and associated encrypted data attribute values.
US08275841B2

The present invention relates to a message delivery system and methods for delivering messages to a computing system. The system uses a message ID structure and a message ID database to allow a user to check whether he or she is recipient of a new message without having to contact the message server that holds messages to be delivered. The resource load related to users checking for messages is therefore left to a separate computing system, allowing the message server to dedicate its resources to the receiving and delivering of messages.
US08275831B2

In an information processing apparatus which is connected to a Web server and includes a Web browser for displaying an operation screen provided by the Web server: a request is transmitted to the Web server on the basis of a user operation performed through the operation screen displayed on the Web browser; if it is requested by the Web server to perform a process on the basis of the transmitted request, the requested process is performed; if the process requested by the Web server is being performed, the transmitted request is not invalidated; and, if the process requested by the Web server is not performed, the transmitted request is invalidated according to that there is no response from the Web server and a predetermined time out period elapses after the transmission of the request.
US08275828B1

A method and apparatus for allowing trials and court proceedings to occur in a virtual manner using a one way video session and a two way voice session are disclosed. During the trials or court proceedings, the defendants and their testimony can be viewed by judges and jurors who remain in isolated rooms with their identities masked. Judges and attorneys can verbally intercede during the proceedings via a two way voice session but the video session for the duration of the trial is one way.
US08275826B2

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for organizing resources into collections to facilitate more efficient and reliable resource access. Namespace managers communicate with one another to form a federation namespace infrastructure. The infrastructure can efficiently route, migrate, and process namespace requests, such as, for example, namespace registration requests from providers requesting to manage portions of namespaces and lookup requests from consumers requesting access to managed resources. Resources can be registered in and made accessible from multiple different namespaces. Resources can be identified using nested queries that filter results at multiple levels of a hierarchical namespace.
US08275821B2

A method, computer-readable medium, and an apparatus for generating a transcendental value. The method includes receiving an input containing an input value and an opcode and determining whether the opcode corresponds to a trigonometric operation or a power-of-two operation. The method also includes calculating a fractional value and an integer value from the input value, generating the transcendental value based on the fractional value by adding at least a portion of the fractional value with at least one of a shifted fractional value produced by shifting the portion of the fractional value and a constant value, and providing the transcendental value in response to the request. In this fashion, the same circuit area may be used to carry out both trigonometric and power-of-two calculations, leading to greater circuit area savings and performance advantages while not sacrificing significant accuracy.
US08275819B2

Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture for performing calculations using reduced-width data are disclosed. In particular, an example method determines reduced-width data values associated with generating and evaluating functions. Some of the reduced-width data values are stored within instructions in an instruction memory during a compile phase and retrieved from instruction memory during a runtime phase.
US08275796B2

The patent describes a single location and application on a network where a user can organize public, group, and private/personal information and have this single, location accessible to the public. A new, ontology-driven portal that organizes all three categories of data according to various “facets” using underlying ontologies to define each “facet” and wherein any type of information can be classified and linked to other types of information is disclosed. An application that enables a user to effectively utilize and manage knowledge and data the user posses and allows other users to effectively and seamlessly benefit from the user's knowledge and data over a computer network is also disclosed. A method of processing content created by a user utilizing a semantic, ontology-driven portal on a computer network is described. The semantic portal application provides the user with a content base, such as a semantic form or meta-form, for creating a semantic posting. The semantic portal utilizes a knowledge data structure, such as a taxonomy or ontology, in preparing a semantic posting based on the information provided by the user via the content base. The semantic portal application prepares a preview of a semantic posting for evaluation by the user. The semantic posting is then either modified by the user or accepted and posted by the user for external parties to view.
US08275794B2

One or more embodiments of the invention provide a data structure, method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for representing data in a self-expanding data package. The package comprises one or more basic table data having zero, one or more table rows, a set of one or more constant lists having one or more values, and one or more row validation calculations. Use of the set of constant lists and row validation calculations provides a mechanism for compact data storage, wherein the self-expanding data package may be expanded. To expand the package, each list member of a constant list is combined with all other basic table rows and additional list members to produce every possible combination of table rows. Row validation calculations are applied to test validity of each tow, and only those expanded table tows that are valid appear in the expanded table.
US08275793B2

A method and system for maintaining isolated data in an application is disclosed which data to be selectively isolated until a data client orders the changes to be committed or abandoned. A computer-readable medium for constructing an application capable of localized data isolation is also disclosed. An application specification is used to determine which data entities should be isolated, and one or more transaction transforms are implemented for each data entity to be isolated.
US08275792B2

A document type identifying apparatus includes in advance a database storing therein keywords used as keys that identify document types in association with each document type. The document type identifying apparatus aligns word strings written on a document and generates partial keyword strings for each keyword by using the keywords stored in the database. The partial keyword strings are to be checked for matching with the word strings written on the document. Then, the document type identifying apparatus checks matching of the grouped and aligned word strings with the partial keyword strings and obtains, for each keyword, each number of matched words with the highest matching rates between the grouped word strings that are successfully matched and the partial keyword strings. Then, each number of matched words is used to calculate each evaluation value to determine the document type.
US08275790B2

Upon receipt of a document request, a client assistant examines its cache for the document. If not successful, a server searches for the requested document in its cache. If the server copy is still not fresh or not found, the server seeks the document from its host. If the host cannot provide the copy, the server seeks it from a document repository. Certain documents are identified from the document repository as being fresh or stable. Information about each these identified documents is transmitted to the server which inserts entries into an index if the index does not already contain an entry for the document. If and when this particular document is requested, the document will not be present in the server, however the server will contain an entry directing the server to obtain the document from the document repository rather than the document's web host.
US08275789B2

A method and system for filtering tags in a collaborative bookmarking system wherein the collaborative bookmarking system includes confidential and/or proprietary information, whereby tag filters prevent access to certain confidential and/or proprietary information by permitting a user access to the collaborative bookmarking system, authenticating the user, permitting the user to submit a search request to the collaborative bookmarking system, whereby the search request retrieves search result tags, and filtering the search result tags to provide only authorized tags to the user.
US08275782B2

Systems and methods enabling search of a repository for the location of data that is similar to input data, using a defined measure of similarity, in a time that is independent of the size of the repository and linear in a size of the input data, and a space that is proportional to a small fraction of the size of the repository. The similar data segments thus located are further analyzed to determine their common (identical) data sections, regardless of the order and position of the common data sections in the repository and input, and in a time that is linear in the segment size and in constant space.
US08275775B2

In an embodiment of the invention, analytical data may be extracted from a business intelligence (BI) system on criteria specified in metadata of a business intelligence query. Once the data is extracted from the BI system, the extracted content may be provided in the context of semantic identifiers. In an embodiment, the semantic identifiers may provide a description of the extracted content associated with the identifier. In one embodiment, the semantic identifiers may be obtained from the criteria specified in the query. In another embodiment, the semantic identifiers may be defined in and obtained from a separate enterprise service repository. In an embodiment, a proposed mapping between query elements and semantic identifiers may be suggested by a processor.
US08275761B2

A method, apparatus and program product that determine a density of a key value referenced in a database query over at least one range of rows, and utilize the determined density to optimize the database query. By doing so, the density of various key values may be determined and compared, and a bit map may be generated over the range of rows of the key value that is denser, resulting in a reduction of resources to build and use the bit map. Moreover, from the bit map over the range of rows to be selected after using the determined density, dense regions may be identified that can be used to optimize block I/O's according to the number of rows to be selected based on the query.
US08275760B2

A system for dynamic headline switching. The system includes a database, a display module, an interface module, and a search engine. The database contains entry data for accessing content such as stories, pictures, or videos. The display engine generates a display including a current headline. The interface module indexes through each headline, for example, at a predetermined time interval, to provide new and updated information to the user. The search engine queries the database and generates a list of entries allowing the user to access content related to the current headline.
US08275759B2

Described is a search technology in which a search engine constructs a results page for a query that integrates suggested queries with the individual query results (e.g., displayed URLs). When rendered, the proximity of the suggested queries to their corresponding individual query result provides context as to the specific URL to which the suggested query is related. Suggested queries may appear alongside their associated search result, e.g., a displayed URL, and/or in an expandable panel proximate that individual search result. Suggested queries may appear within text accompanying a URL, and/or in a drop down menu following interaction with such text or the like. Related queries may be found by using a search result URL to find a query, by analyzing a search result's text snippet, by accessing historical data, and/or by accessing current user session data.
US08275758B2

A communications system is provided which can search for information about a communications device that is not registered in a network by designating time. The search system, which includes a plurality of communications devices, gateways and an entity management server, can execute a search method. The entity management server stores in a storage device the identification information of the communications device sent from the gateways with establishing correspondence with notification time. The entity management server receives from a mobile terminal the identification information of the communications device and designated time. The entity management server searches for the identification information stored in the storage device at the designated time, and identifies the location information of the gateways corresponding to the identification information included in the search request.
US08275757B2

A method is described for monitoring a plurality of process instances, such as business process instance. The method comprises: providing a model object reflecting a workflow common to the process instances, the model comprising a plurality of nodes with at least some of the nodes being capable of assuming at least active and blocked states; receiving events and changing the states of the nodes in corresponding model object instances in accordance with the events received so as to reflect the status of the process instances, repeatedly determining an “at risk” state indicator for the model instances, the “at risk” state indicator when set for a model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is in a state in which it cannot progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state.
US08275756B2

Systems and methods enabling search of a repository for the location of data that is similar to input data, using a defined measure of similarity, in a time that is independent of the size of the repository and linear in a size of the input data, and a space that is proportional to a small fraction of the size of the repository. The similar data segments thus located are further analyzed to determine their common (identical) data sections, regardless of the order and position of the common data sections in the repository and input, and in a time that is linear in the segment size and in constant space.
US08275754B1

One particular implementation conforming to aspects of the present invention takes the form of a method for tracking the stability of a data set for multiple observers. More particularly, a tracker object may be used to both mark a particular state of the data and to query if the data remains unchanged. Code that accesses the data set to calculate a result may fetch a reference to a current tracker object associated with the data set. The code may compare the current tracker object received from the data set against the tracker object associated with the last cached result. In an alternate arrangement, a state may be associated with the data set to indicate some characteristics of the data set. The state value associated with the data set may further simplify the action required by a code accessing the data set to receive an accurate calculation.
US08275750B2

A computer implemented method, data processing system, and computer program product for efficiently using disk space when unarchiving files in the same file system. An archive file is read to identify a total number of data files in the archive file. The number of headers in the archive file is determined based on the total number of data files. A location in a first disk space of a largest data file in the archive file is determined from an offset in a header corresponding to the largest data file. The largest data file is then copied from the first disk space to a second disk space. The first disk space occupied by the largest data file is then released by truncating the archive file. The obtaining, copying, and releasing steps are repeated for each data file in the archive file until all of the data files are unarchived.
US08275749B2

Systems and methods are described for service availability that provides automated recovery of server service in a timely and application intelligent manner, maintaining application consistency and integrity, while preserving server identity. The systems and methods, referred to herein as a Service Preservation System (SPS), manage complete recovery of server data and preserve continuity of server service, reestablishing user access to server(s) after an event or disaster in which in which primary or other server(s) fail. The failures, disasters, and losses referred to herein can be at many levels and include, but are not limited to, accidental deletion of an item, loss of an entire mailbox, loss of an entire disk drive, loss of an entire server, and/or loss of an entire server site.
US08275744B2

A dispersed storage network includes a dispersed storage device to store data. The dispersed storage device includes a processing module operable to slice a data segment of a data object into data slices, in which the number of data slices corresponds to a number of pillars for storing the data object. The processing module further creates a slice name for each of the data slices. The slice name includes routing information containing a vault identifier that identifies at least one user of the data object and a slice index based on the vault identifier and a pillar identifier that identifies a pillar associated with the data slice. In addition, the slice name includes a source data name containing an identifier of the data object.
US08275743B1

A method and apparatus for securing data volumes to a remote computer using journal volumes is provided. In one embodiment, a method for securing data volumes in memory to a remote computer using at least one processor includes accessing at least one data volume and at least one journal volume, replicating the at least one journal volume after each operation of a plurality of file system operations associated with the at least one data volume and creating at least one data volume copy at a remote computer using the at least one replicated journal volume.
US08275738B2

One embodiment provides a technique for analyzing a target electromagnetic signal radiating from a monitored system. During the technique, the monitored system is positioned at a first locus of an ellipsoidal surface to amplify the target electromagnetic signal received at a second locus of the ellipsoidal surface. Next, the amplified target electromagnetic signal is monitored using an antenna positioned at the second locus of the ellipsoidal surface. Finally, the integrity of the monitored system is assessed by analyzing the amplified target electromagnetic signal monitored by the antenna.
US08275730B2

States included in a deterministic finite automaton are classified into states having the same input symbols associated with outgoing transitions and the same finality, and a calculates an intersection set between each of the state sets and a set of transition destination states which is obtained by translating each of states included in the state sets, until the number of states included in the intersection set becomes equal to one, while regarding the set of the transition destination states for each of the input symbol included in the intersection set as new state sets, and plural indistinguishable states are merged into one state by tracing a route in a reverse direction to a transition direction, when the number of states has become equal to one.
US08275728B2

A neuromorphic computing device utilizing electronics to perform the function of neurons and synaptic connections. The invention provides variable resistance circuits to represent interconnection strength between neurons and a positive and negative output circuit to represent excitatory and inhibitory responses, respectively. The invention provides advantages over software-based neuromorphic computing methods.
US08275715B2

The disclosure details the implementation of apparatuses, methods, and systems for a deposit process manager (“DPManager”) including aspects of a decisioning engine, aspects of a deposit delay component, and of a de queueing component. The DPManager is supported by the first workflow process engine in the financial industry to provide end-to-end solutions for complex brokerage and retirement deposits and check clearing. The OPManger can automatically route checks to be cleared electronically at numerous banks/clearing entities based on routing number, time of day, bank fees and float expense. The DPManager can capture data electronically without manual intervention with deposit slips.
US08275714B2

A method for performing a digital monetary transaction between a payer and payee comprising the steps of receiving a digital-cash value requested to be withdrawn from an account of a payer; generating a digital-cash code that is associated with the requested digital-cash value and communicating the digital-cash code to the payer; receiving the digital-cash value and the digital-cash code from a payee requesting to deposit the amount specified by the digital-cash value; comparing the received digital-cash value and the digital-cash code to confirm an association; and transferring funds of the amount specified by the digital-cash value to the payee. A system including a central digital-cash system and a network interface preferably can preferably operate the method.
US08275709B2

A system for managing use of digital content within a trusted community. An access list defines the trusted community. License requests for use of content made from outside the trusted community are handled in accordance with a license request policy process.
US08275708B1

Funding source data, such as bank account information or credit card information, associated with a user is stored in an enterprise-wide database maintained by an institution, such as a financial services institution. The data in the enterprise-wide database may be accessible to entities associated with the institution upon the user's authorization. The user only has to provide the funding source data once and may then use that funding source to pay for any product, service, bill, etc. associated with any of the entities of the institution. A user may update funding source data once, and this updated funding source data may then be available to all the entities. After providing account details for the user's various funding sources, a user can assign any of the funding sources to a payment plan for any product or service in any entity of the institution.
US08275702B1

Systems and methods to process financial obligations of a customer are described. The method may include processing a payment for a pending financial obligation, receiving an indication that a payment source is unavailable, selecting an alternate payment source, and initiating a funds transfer from the alternate payment source to satisfy the pending financial obligation. The method may additionally include receiving a future financial obligation and determining if a first payment source is available to satisfy the future obligation, selecting an alternate payment source if the first payment source is unavailable and configuring a future electronic funds transfer. The system may include a transfer module to execute a funds transfer from a payment source to satisfy a financial obligation of a customer, the payment source selected by a payment processor module, the payment processor module configured to determine the availability of the payment source and to select an alternate payment source if the selected payment source is unavailable.
US08275695B2

Methods and systems for engaging in enhanced parimutuel wagering and gaming. In one embodiment, different types of bets can be offered and processed in the same betting pool on an underlying event, such as a horse or dog race, a sporting event or a lottery, and the premiums and payouts of these different types of bets can be determined in the same betting pool, by configuring an equivalent combination of fundamental bets for each type of bet, and performing a demand-based valuation of each of the fundamental bets in the equivalent combination. In another embodiment, bettors can place bets in the betting pool with limit odds on the selected outcome of the underlying event. The bets with limit odds are not filled in whole or in part, unless the final odds on the selected outcome of the underlying event are equal to or greater than the limit odds.
US08275693B2

An anonymous trading system includes a prime broker facility that allows a third party to trade on behalf of an institution. A deal is executed between the third party and a counter-party and a further deal is then executed between the third party and the party on whose behalf it has traded. The second deal may be for the same amount as the first deal or may be altered to include the third party's fee for conducting the first deal. Clients of the third party have prices available to them for trades made via the third party which are displayed at their trader terminals. The client sees that a better price is available though the third party than by dealing direct and selects to conduct a deal through the third party.
US08275691B2

An issuing system for issuing unmodifiable and/or unforgeable hardcopy documents or securities includes a server and a plurality of issuing machines connected to the server via a network. Each of the issuing machines receives an ID recording medium provided by a potential purchaser, retrieves an identification recoded in the received ID recording medium, requests the potential purchaser to input request for a transaction of the security or fixed rate financing instrument, processes the requested transaction by retrieving information via a network from the server, and prints out on demand a hardcopy of the security or fixed rate financing instrument as purchased by the potential purchaser and a checksum thereon. A method for forming a new market with the issuing system.
US08275690B2

Smaller investors can create and manage on a cost-effective basis a complex portfolio of securities using a mechanism that enables the investor to provide to the system the investor's preferences regarding his portfolio, to generate a portfolio, including fractional shares, that reflects the investor's preferences. The system then permits aggregation of the orders, and netting of orders, generated by multiple investors at various times during the day for execution. In addition, the structure of the computer-based system of the present invention allows its cost to be based on access to or usage of the system (such as a monthly fee) as opposed to by securities orders entered into the system as per common brokerage. The result is that the investor can create a portfolio of directly owned securities with attributes, such as diversification, similar to a mutual fund.
US08275687B2

The invention relates to systems and methods that allocate different types of commissions to participants based on at least one factor contributing to the liquidity to the market in which an item trades. The commission may accordingly depend on the order in which trading commands are received from different participants and/or the sides the participants are on. The systems and methods receive trade commands from different participants on the item, match these trade commands, determine a commission or reward based on the added liquidity and allocate the commission or reward to certain participants.
US08275679B2

A billing management system includes an image forming apparatus and a billing management apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes a process information receiving unit for receiving process information indicating a list of processes in a process flow; a registration unit for transmitting identification information for the process flow to the billing management apparatus; a process execution unit for performing a first process assigned to the image forming apparatus; a billing information transmitting unit for transmitting billing information for the first process to the billing management apparatus; and a data transfer unit for transferring output data of the first process to a service providing apparatus that is to perform a second process. The billing management apparatus receives the billing information for the first and second processes from the image forming apparatus and the service providing apparatus and records the billing information in association with the identification information.
US08275675B2

The present invention automates the process of receiving transportation documentation and producing advance loading manifests therefrom to optimize load planning and dynamic product shipment and delivery control. Methods provide for receipt of the transportation documentation, initial preparation, and transmission of the documentation from on board a vehicle or while the vehicle is in transit.
US08275662B2

Method and apparatus for generating a geo-targeted message with search results are disclosed. The method and apparatus allow client entities to present target messages to computer user recipients by providing geo-targeted messaging that provides search results to computer users along with a geo-targeted message. Client entities lease words based on specified geo-target criteria on specified platforms. Users initialize the apparatus and can perform word searches utilizing the method and apparatus where the word may be a client's leased word that is associated to the user's geographic profile. Thus, the user is provided a geo-targeted message along with search results and the client is able to effectively communicate a message to targeted recipients.
US08275652B2

Dependents of benefit plan participants can be given access to personal information of a plan participant. The dependents, who are not existing users or members of the plan, can be allowed access to some or all of the personal information associated with the plan participant.
US08275637B1

A method and system for determining and optimizing an insurance company's asset-liability risk is disclosed. The method and system comprises determining numerous earnings at risk (EaR) estimates to assess risks associated with asset and liability portfolios. EaR estimates may be determined through modeling of various risk factors. The EaR calculations may be processed through a distributed processing infrastructure to maximize efficiency and cycle time.
US08275627B2

A method of seed planting in a “serpentine” pattern called the wave planter is demonstrated. It consists of a manner of placing the seeds that essentially results in equally spaced rows of seeds placed in a serpentine-like layout or wave instead of a straight row. The preferred method creates a wave pattern equidistant from the next, yet creates a substantial increase over the density of straight row planting devices and drills (eg parallel, essentially straight rows). The use of the wave pattern provide concrete and substantial benefits to the business and economics of farming through labor, energy, and maintenance savings over current planting methods which results in a new farming business method. The method may be accomplished by several devices. Some of the devices include an oscillating draw Bar planter; oscillating tongue planter; elliptical row opener; steerable undercarriage for the planter and castor row openers under undercarriage.
US08275620B2

Assistive, context-relevant images may be provided. First, text may be received. Then a spell check indication may be received and a spelling check may be performed on the received text in response to the received spell check indication. Next, in response to the performed spelling check, a misspelling indication may be provided configured to indicate that at least one word in the received text is misspelled. A selection of the misspelling indication may then be received. Then, on a display device in response to the received selection of the misspelling indication, a plurality of suggested spellings for the at least one word and an image corresponding to a first one of the plurality of suggested spellings for the at least one word may be displayed.
US08275619B2

The present invention relates to a method for speech recognition of a speech signal comprising the steps of providing at least one codebook comprising codebook entries, in particular, multivariate Gaussians of feature vectors, that are frequency weighted such that higher weights are assigned to entries corresponding to frequencies below a predetermined level than to entries corresponding to frequencies above the predetermined level and processing the speech signal for speech recognition comprising extracting at least one feature vector from the speech signal and matching the feature vector with the entries of the codebook.
US08275613B2

A method of dictation in which authors may assign their own words or phrases (UnifiedWords) to introduce various subjects/document elements for a dictated document to be terminated with an ending word such as “end-it”. After transcription the UnifiedWords, with associated dictated text, are submitted and automatically recognized as introducing data that may then be processed by the invention backend database program. Each UnifiedWord allows technical subject identifiers and the author's assigned familiar words for their dictation captions. All dictation applications are associated with the author. Dictation applications can be created for one document, a plurality of documents including integration with respective file access methods to update specific information such as electronic medical records, legal case files, law enforcement investigative reports, and other resource databases. The invention does not transcribe the voice files however; all methods of transcription are supported.
US08275608B2

A soft clustering method comprises (i) grouping items into non-exclusive cliques based on features associated with the items, and (ii) clustering the non-exclusive cliques using a hard clustering algorithm to generate item groups on the basis of mutual similarity of the features of the items constituting the cliques. In some named entity recognition embodiments illustrated herein as examples, named entities together with contexts are grouped into cliques based on mutual context similarity. Each clique includes a plurality of different named entities having mutual context similarity. The cliques are clustered to generate named entity groups on the basis of mutual similarity of the contexts of the named entities constituting the cliques.
US08275602B2

The compact and portable interactive system allows person-to-person communication in a typed language format between individuals experiencing language barriers such as the hearing impaired and the language impaired. The communication system includes a custom configuration having a display screen and a keyboard, a data translation module for translating the original data from a first language type to a second language type. The display screen shows a split configuration with multiple dialogue boxes to facilitate simultaneous display of each user's input. The system supports multilingual text-based conversations as well as conversion from audio-to-text and text-to-audio conversations. Translation from one communication format to a second communication format is performed as messages are transmitted between users.
US08275587B2

A method for manufacturing a golf ball includes the step of designing plural dimples on a surface of the golf ball so as to satisfy the following parameters. A total number N of the dimples is approximately 400 or less; a surface roughness Rda of the golf ball is approximately 0.085 mm or less; and a value obtained by dividing an average convex part surface area Srt in the first cross-section and the second cross-section by an average concave part cross-section Sru in the first cross-section and the second cross-section is approximately 0.9 or less. The golf ball surface roughness Rda is the average value of a first golf ball cross-section surface roughness Rp, a second golf ball cross-section surface roughness Rm, and a third golf ball cross-section surface roughness Rs. The average convex part surface area Srt is the average value of a first convex part surface area Art that, in the first cross-section, is surrounded by the reference spherical surface and the golf ball surface that is higher than the reference spherical surface and a second convex part surface area Art that, in the second cross-section, is surrounded by the reference spherical surface and the golf ball surface that is higher than the reference spherical surface.
US08275579B2

An integrated circuit 300 includes a functional circuit 310 and a diagnostic circuit 330. The integrated circuit includes a signal interface controller 320 operable to monitor a signal associated with at least one of the functional circuit and the diagnostic circuit to control selective communication of a diagnostic signal and a functional signal for communication across a signal interface in dependence upon the monitored signal. A further integrated circuit has a signal interface providing a communication path and communicates a functional signal having at least one multi-bit value in which at least one bit is replaced by data of a diagnostic signal.
US08275578B2

The present invention provides a diagnostic method for a centrally managed computer system. The method provides central diagnostic expertise regarding central management software used for managing a system. The method further provides for managed software that integrates with the central management software; the managed software includes its own diagnostic expertise. The method further provides for importing the managed diagnostic expertise and combining it with central diagnostic expertise to define collective diagnostic expertise.
US08275573B1

An adaptive algorithm is tailored to fit the local fringe frequency of single-frame spatial-carrier data under analysis. Each set of data points used sequentially by the algorithm is first processed with a Fourier Transform to find the local frequency of the fringes being analyzed. That information is then used to adapt the algorithm to the correct phase step thus calculated, thereby optimizing the efficiency and precision with which the algorithm profiles the local surface area. As a result, defects are identified and measured with precision even when the slope of the surface varies locally to the point where the algorithm without adaptive modification would not be effective to measure them. Once so identified, the defects may be measured again locally with greater accuracy by conventional temporal PSI.
US08275566B2

An apparatus including a recording switch for recording a temperature of an object; a judging unit that measures the temperature of the object using a sensor at intervals and judges whether a difference in temperatures measured at the intervals is within a range of a pre-set value; a first acquisition unit that records and/or outputs, when a switch-on of the recording switch is detected and the difference in temperatures is within the range of the pre-set value, information including a first temperature measured using the sensor and has become valid by the switch-on of the recording switch; and a second acquisition unit that records and/or outputs, when the switch-on is detected and the difference in temperatures is outside the range information including a second temperature measured using the sensor and becomes valid when the difference in temperatures falls within the range after the switch-on is detected.
US08275560B2

A method and system to enable power measurements of a system-on-chip in various modes. In one embodiment of the invention, the system-on-chip has full controllability of its logic and circuitry to facilitate configuration of the system-on-chip into a desired mode of operation. This allows hooks or interfaces to access the system-on-chip externally for measurements. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, the hooks in the system-on-chip allow a backend tester to configure the system-on-chip into various modes easily to perform power consumption measurements of one or more individual components of the system-on-chip. The power consumption measurement of the individual components in the system-on-chip can be performed faster and can be more accurate. In addition, the overall yield of the SOC can be increased as it is easier to detect failure parts.
US08275559B2

A fault detector for use with a telephone wire-pair having a return conductor and an output conductor, a method of protecting a telecommunications network including the telephone wire-pair and a power supply for the telecommunications network. In one embodiment, the fault detector includes (1) a passive sensor coupled between Earth and the wire-pair to detect a ground fault thereon, (2) an amplifier having inputs coupled across the passive sensor and configured to characterize the ground fault in terms of a value and (3) a controller configured to receive the value via an output of the amplifier and compare the value to a threshold to determine if the ground fault exceeds a safety limit.
US08275529B2

A control unit 13 moves an engine throttle 15 to the wide open position whenever the driver wishes to decelerate. This maximizes the transfer of rotational energy from the vehicle wheels 6 to a flywheel 12 which is coupled to a drivetrain 7,8,9 because pumping losses in the engine 2 are much reduced due to the open throttle. The energy stored in the flywheel 12 can be used at a later time to supplement the engine's motive power. The control unit 13 also controls an electro hydraulic clutch 11 which couples and decouples the flywheel to and from the drivetrain through a continuous variable transmission (CVT) 10. The gear ratio of the CVT 10 is set by the ECU 13.
US08275525B2

A disc opener unit for an agricultural implement has a down pressure adjustment device that automatically adjusts the amount of down pressure applied on a furrowing disc based on strain measurements taken by a strain gauge or load cell. The strain gauge, which may be mounted to an arm that is used to set the position of a depth setting gauge wheel, provides feedback to a processor that in turn controls the amount of hydraulic fluid in a hydraulic cylinder to adjust the down force applied on the disc. The amount of down pressure is therefore adjusted in substantially real-time in response to changes in field conditions, which improves furrow depth consistency and reduces wear on the gauge wheel and its components.
US08275522B1

Selected types of information are collected from various sources and a portion thereof transmitted to a remote server. The remote server dynamically compiles and processes this data with information from other similar and separate sources and provides useful and relevant information, such as vehicle and location specific road maintenance radar, forecasts and treatment recommendations, and then transmits the data back to the vehicles in the field for one or more of the appropriate deployment of equipment, instructions and the automated or manual application of materials.
US08275517B2

The inventive control-assisting system for a motor vehicle comprises a power steering (1) associated with a steering wheel (2) and a power steering actuator (3) whose operation is controlled by a data processing unit (4) for applying power torque to the vehicle steering and is characterized in that said data processing unit (4) is connected to means (5) for controlling the power steering (1) return to at least one predetermined position by computing a return torque according to a disturbance rejection torque corresponding to a resistance torque applied to the steering system and to a reference torque corresponding to a torque required for controlling the steering wheel rotation.
US08275515B2

Apparatus and method for determining shock-absorber wear are presented. The device includes a shock absorber, a temperature sensor, and an electronics assembly. The temperature sensor may generate temperature data for the shock absorber. The electronics assembly may determine a condition of the shock absorber based on the temperature data. The temperature sensor may be inside, on the surface, or nearby the shock absorber. A condition of the shock absorber, such as a shock-wear value or a remaining useful life (RUL) is determined, based on the temperature data. A shock-wear state may be determined by comparing the shock-wear value to one or more thresholds. A shock-wear indicator and/or a combined indicator may indicate the shock-wear value, RUL, and/or the shock-wear state.
US08275511B2

A passive entry and start system includes a controller that calculates the cryptology required for each remote identification device during idle transmission time to reduce overall system actuation time.
US08275506B1

A sensor that detects the boundary between a first, relatively higher surface, such as the un-mowed vegetation and a second, a relatively lower surface, such as the mowed vegetation, and a controller for steering the semi-autonomous or autonomous vehicle along detected boundary. The boundary between the two surfaces is detected using a plurality of non-contact distance measuring sensors aligned in same direction, and processes these distance measuring sensors for determining the distance sensors that measure said first relatively higher surface and the distance sensors that measure the second relatively lower surface.
US08275503B2

A vehicle includes: an electric motor that outputs power to a drive shaft that is coupled to a first wheel, which is a primary drive wheel; an electrical storage device that exchanges electrical power with the electric motor; a braking system that can independently apply a braking force to the first wheel and a second wheel that is a free rolling wheel or a drive wheel other than the first wheel, regardless of a braking request by a driver; and a control unit that controls the braking system and the electric motor such that the braking system applies the braking force only to the second wheel and that output torque of the electric motor becomes equal to or lower than specified torque until rotational speed of the electric motor reach specified revolution when a start-up request is made by the driver while the vehicle is at a halt on a driving road surface whose inclination, which is acquired by an inclination acquisition device, is larger than or equal to specified inclination. The present invention also relates to a control method of the vehicle.
US08275499B2

The invention relates to a device for formulating a flight plan ensuring sufficient safety margins for a duration of a few minutes in relation to the set of flight constraints that could arise and comprising means for: detecting the surrounding moving objects (aircraft or meteorological phenomena), evaluating their type and the danger that they represent, formulating a reconfiguration flight plan ensuring a separation with these phenomena and taking best account of the constraints of the initially followed flight plan, avoiding prohibited or regulated airspaces and avoiding the surrounding relief with ad hoc operational margins.
US08275493B2

A system and method are provided for launching and recovering an unmanned, water-born vehicle (UWBV) from a mother ship. The UWBV mimics the behavior of dolphins and is positioned ahead of the ship in preparation for bow riding. The UWBV uses a guidance system to position and keep in the bow wave. A high-frequency (HF) sonar transceiver array aboard the ship computes and sends course corrections to maintain the UWBV within the bow wave. The frequency range of the HF array can be 100 kHz or higher due to the short distance between the ship and the UWBV. Accordingly, the HF array can have a small aperture allowing for accurate bearing resolution. Course corrections can be sent on a near-continuous basis such that changes in thrust and rudder angle can be minimized to allow for accurate control of the UWBV.
US08275487B2

A system for controlling and automating an electric power delivery system by executing time coordinated instruction sets to achieve a desired result. A communication master may implement the execution of time coordinated instruction sets in a variety of circumstances. The communication may be embodied as an automation controller in communication with intelligent electronic devices (IEDs). The communication master may also be embodied as an IED that is configured to coordinate the actions of other IEDs. The time coordinated instruction sets may include steps for checking status of power system equipment before executing. The time coordinated instruction sets may include reactionary steps to execute if one of the steps fails. The time coordinated instruction sets may also be implemented based on a condition detected in the electric power delivery system, or may be implemented through high level systems, such as a SCADA system or a wide area control and situational awareness system.
US08275468B2

The lead includes a helical fixation member coupled to the distal end of the lead body. The helical fixation member has at least one internal reservoir and a plurality of elution ports in fluid communication with the internal reservoir. A therapeutic agent composition is disposed within the internal reservoir. Additionally, the helical fixation member includes a sealed distal end to prevent coring of the cardiac tissue.
US08275466B2

A band stop filter is provided for a lead wire of an active medical device (AMD). The band stop filter includes a capacitor in parallel with an inductor. The parallel capacitor and inductor are placed in series with the lead wire of the AMD, wherein values of capacitance and inductance are selected such that the band stop filter has a Q with the resultant 3 dB bandwidth being in the megahertz range. The Q of the inductor may be relatively maximized and the Q of the capacitor may be relatively minimized to reduce the overall Q of the band stop filter to attenuate current flow through the lead wire along a range of selected frequencies. In a preferred form, the band stop filter is integrated into a TIP and/or RING electrode for an active implantable medical device.
US08275464B2

Implantable medical leads having resistance characteristics adapted to dissipate radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic energy during medical procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are disclosed. An illustrative medical device includes a lead having an inner electrical conductor operatively coupled to an electrode and a pulse generator, and one or more outer resistive shields that radially surround the inner conductor and dissipate RF energy into the surrounding body tissue along the length of the lead.
US08275457B1

A device for detecting cardiac ischemia is disclosed. The device includes a processor that is configured to distinguish between two different heart beats types such as ventricularly paced beats and supraventricular beats. The processor applies different ischemia tests to the two different beat types, and generates alert when it detects ischemia.
US08275456B2

An implantable medical device in which an electrogram is recorded and analyzed in order to detect changes indicative of cardiac ischemia. Cardiac ischemia may be detected by recording an electrogram from a sensing channel of the device and comparing the recorded electrogram with a reference electrogram. If cardiac ischemia is detected, a cardiac drug such as a thrombolytic agent is delivered.
US08275448B2

The invention relates to a method for reconstructing a 3D presentation of a hollow organ based on two-dimensional catheter images, comprising: detecting at least two fluoroscopy images at two different angles of the hollow organ; determining a start position of the catheter from the fluoroscopy images in a three-dimensional model of the hollow organ or a catheter guide; determining a probable withdrawal path of the catheter based on the three-dimensional model; withdrawing the catheter while recording the catheter images and assigning a withdrawal length to each catheter image; determining the deviation of the position of the catheter from a central path running through the middle of the hollow organ and the orientation of the catheter for each catheter image based on the withdrawal path and the withdrawal length; and reconstructing the 3D presentation from the two-dimensional catheter images as well as the deviation of the position of the catheter.
US08275445B2

The invention relates to a system and a method for a system featuring an electromagnetic position detection system and an instrument of which the position is able to be determined in at least one electromagnetic field created with the electromagnetic position detection system, with a device distorting the electromagnetic field being located at least partly in the electromagnetic field or a device distorting the electromagnetic field being able to be brought at least partly into the electromagnetic field, and with the position of the instrument being determined taking into account the position of the device or of a part of the device in the electromagnet field and the distortion of the electromagnetic field associated with it.
US08275442B2

Methods and system for treatment planning for non- and minimally-invasive alteration of body adipose tissue for reduction and contouring of body fat are described herein. Treatment plans can be generated by capturing current body part data (e.g., positioning, contour/shape, thickness of adipose tissue, etc.), determining desired outcome of treatment (e.g., percent reduction of adipose tissue thickness, degree of contour change, etc.), and determining treatment parameters to achieve desired results. Algorithms can be used to determine best-fit treatment parameters to use in treatment sessions. In some embodiments, the system can provide a predictive end-result image for communication to patient and/or for determining alteration of desired outcome. In various embodiments, real-time monitoring of feedback data can be used to determine treatment plan efficacy. Additional algorithms can provide real-time comparison of feedback data to anticipated feedback data, and can be used to change treatment parameters in real-time to achieve desired effects.
US08275438B2

Systems and methods of use for continuous analyte measurement of a host's vascular system are provided. In some embodiments, a continuous glucose measurement system includes a vascular access device, a sensor and sensor electronics, the system being configured for insertion into communication with a host's circulatory system.
US08275436B2

Method and apparatus to non-invasively measure fetal blood oxygen saturation levels. Optical sensors capable of producing and detecting multiple wavelengths of tissue penetrating light are placed on the surface of the maternal abdomen, and the light beams directed to pass through at least a portion of the uterus containing the fetus. The fetal heart rate is monitored by Doppler ultrasound, and pure maternal optical signal related to maternal arterial blood flow are also measured. The optical sensors collect composite signals containing both maternal and fetal hemoglobin absorption spectral data and modulated by their respective pulsatile blood flows. The composite signals processed in the time domain and frequency domain, the pure maternal pulsatile optical signal used to extract the maternal contribution to the composite signal, and the fetal pulsatile signal is used to lock onto and extract the fetal contribution to the composite signal, and a fetal blood oxygen level deduced.
US08275427B2

Disclosed herein is a method and system for measuring magnetoelectric susceptibility. The system includes a magnet supplying a DC magnetic bias to a magnetoelectric sample, an AC drive coil applying an AC magnetic field to the magnetoelectric sample, a charge amplifier amplifying an electric charge signal of the magnetoelectric sample oscillating by the AC magnetic field, and a phase sensitive detector detecting the voltage signal produced by the charge amplifier while supplying induction current to the AC drive coil. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a highly sensitive system for measuring magnetoelectric susceptibility, which is essential for research on multiferroic and magnetoelectric bulk and thin film materials at room temperature, and can also operate in the physical property measurement system (PPMS, manufactured by Quantum Design Co., Ltd.) for measurements under low temperature and high magnetic field environments.
US08275424B2

A method is provided for controlling operation of a wireless device, including: receiving an initial incoming signal from a remote device in a first operational mode, the initial incoming signal including information related to an initial remaining battery power in the remote device; determining that a second operational mode will be a first possible mode if the initial remaining battery power in the remote device is within a first power range; determining that the second operational mode will be a second possible mode if the initial remaining battery power in the remote device is within a second power range; and transmitting instructions to the remote device in the first operational mode to transmit and receive in the second operational mode.
US08275423B2

A power management scheme for a wireless communications device processor substantially implemented on a single CMOS integrated circuit is described. By incorporating controls for sleep and wake-up mode transitions in the processor's control logic, improved power savings with reduced latency is provided, obviating the need for hardware-focused solutions with elaborate signaling mechanisms. A fully integrated power management with staged wake-up operations controlled by the MAC solution consumes less power than the conventional wireless LAN solutions in standby mode.
US08275412B2

A portable electronic device having one or more proximity sensors. The portable electronic device comprises a housing, one or more signal emitters to direct source signal(s) based on the orientation of the housing, and one or more signal receivers to receive return signals corresponding to the source signal(s). For one embodiment, the device may include multiple signal emitters and a sensor to identify an orientation of the housing. The appropriate signal emitter may be selected based on the orientation of the housing as identified by the sensor. For another embodiment, the device may include a mechanism to redirect a source signal from a signal emitter in an appropriate direction based on the orientation of the housing.
US08275409B2

When a mobile device falls within a range in which the mobile device can communicate with an IC tag, the mobile device transmits a phone number acquisition request including an IC tag ID and a device number to a management apparatus. The management apparatus receives the phone number acquisition request, acquires a phone number corresponding to the IC tag ID and the device number included in the phone number acquisition request from a phone number management table, and informs the mobile device of the acquired phone number. The mobile device receives the phone number and modifies its own phone number to the received phone number.
US08275400B2

A Femtocell Access Point (FAP) is used to provision a ticket number service. Customers approach the FAP and are given a ticket number indicating their place in the queue through an SMS message. Follow up SMS messages are sent updating the customer of their current position in line, as well as when it is their turn. Statistics may be generated from information gathered at the FAP and sent to an external client module.
US08275399B2

Disclosed are a system, method, and article of manufacture of a dynamic context-data tag cloud. A context data from a context-enriched message is acquired. A context-data tag that corresponds to the context data is generated. A context-data tag cloud comprising at least one context-data tag is provided. A mobile device that generated the context-enriched message for an updated context data may be queried. A depiction value of the context data may be updated according to an updated context-data value. The context-data tag cloud may include a visual cue of an attribute of the context data.
US08275397B2

A system and method for observing a personal networking event which shares the position of a number of friendly participants with other participants within a group. In one form, the position of unknown participants meeting certain criteria is also displayed to a user or one or more friendly participants. The views are selectable by friendly participants on, for example, a GPS equipped cell phone, to include a view from the participant's position, zoom, pan, and tilt views, or views from another friendly location or from another geographic location, giving increased situational awareness and identification of participants. Other information can be shared among friendly participants, including social information, status and directions.
US08275391B2

In a method for estimating the position of a subscriber station of a radio communication system, a receiver station receives reports from the subscriber station, said reports containing information relating to the signal strength of a receiving signal of at least one transmitting station in the locality of the subscriber station. The reports are stored in a memory of a network device of the radio communication system and a position determining unit takes into account at least two reports stored prior to the request for position estimation, in order to estimate the position of the subscriber station.
US08275388B2

Controlling spectrum use in a first wireless communications system which takes part in a spectrum assignment process, in which one of the first wireless communications system and a second wireless communications system assigns a portion of spectrum to the other of the first and second wireless communications system. The first wireless communications system includes a plurality of network elements some or all located within a cell associated with a particular network element of the second wireless communications system. The controlling includes coordinating network elements of the first wireless communications system to identify a portion of spectrum which is either available for assignment from the network elements of the first wireless communications system to the particular network element of the second wireless communications system, or required to be assigned from the particular network element of the second wireless communications system to the network elements of the first wireless communications system.
US08275384B2

Techniques for organizing information in a user-interactive system based on user interest are provided. In one aspect, a method for operating a system having a plurality of resources through which a user can navigate is provided. The method includes the following steps. When the user accesses the system, the resources are presented to the user in a particular order. Interests of the user in the resources presented are determined. The interests of the user are compared to interests of other users to find one or more subsets of users to which the user belongs by virtue of having similar interests. Upon one or more subsequent accesses to the system by the user, the order in which the resources are presented to the user is based on interests common to the one or more subsets of users to which the user belongs.
US08275379B2

There is provided a method and apparatus for handling handover of a mobile terminal in a mobile communications network. The mobile communications network comprises both radio access network and core network portions. Handover is from a source cell served by a source Mobile Switching Center to a target cell served by a target Mobile Switching Center. The source Mobile Switching Center generates a request for handover message and sends it to a Handover Routing Router. At the Handover Routing Router, an identity of the target cell or a target node is determined from the request, and the target cell or node identity is mapped to the address of the target Mobile Switching Center. The request for handover is then sent from the Handover Routing Router to the target Mobile Switching Center.
US08275377B2

The disclosure is directed to an access terminal, and method for selecting an access point for handing off the access terminal. The access terminal may include a processor. The processor may be configured to access a list access points and select one of the access points on the list based on the current traffic state of the access terminal.
US08275375B2

Techniques relating to an apparatus in communications with a wireless terminal through a wireless network system are provided. The apparatus may include a wireless terminal communication unit in communication with the wireless terminal through the wireless network system and configured to receive a list of one or more data sources from the wireless terminal, a data source communication unit configured to receive source data from the one or more data sources in the list, and a source data integration unit configured to use the source data to generate integrated data for transmission to the wireless terminal.
US08275374B2

In one illustrative example, a network name displaying method utilizes a home network list and a preferred network list. The home network list identifies a plurality of home networks, and the preferred network list identifies a plurality of non-home roaming networks. An identification of a selected wireless network is compared with a plurality of home network identifications corresponding to the plurality of home networks. A home network display name is displayed in response to identifying a match between the identification of the selected wireless network and any one of the home network identifications. On the other hand, an alternate display name corresponding to the non-home roaming network is displayed if there is no match between the identification of the selected wireless network and the home network identifications.
US08275361B2

An information service provides search and notifications to inform when certain people (e.g., friends, family, business contacts, etc.) are nearby so as to facilitate communications with those people. Users may define lists of people whose locations may be tracked by positioning equipment based on personal communications/computing devices carried by the people. The information service processes this people and place data to identify those of the listed people that are in the user's vicinity, and provide notifications and user-initiated search results informing the user such as via the user's personal communications/computing device.
US08275359B2

A group of wireless device users are notified of an event. A location data determination algorithm is provided to a wireless device, where the algorithm determines a frequency at which the device interacts with network elements to determine its location. The location data is stored in a notification server and used to identify a user at a specific location. When a governmental or commercial entity wishes to issue a notification, a message is provided to those users whose location is identified as being in an area defined by the entity.
US08275343B2

A system and method of improving the power efficiency of a receiver for low duty cycle applications. In one aspect, the receiver includes a low noise amplifier (LNA) that is capable of being enabled in a relatively quick fashion so as to amplify an incoming signal when needed, and then being disabled to set the LNA in a low power consumption mode. In particular, the LNA includes a pair of complimentary devices, and an enable circuit adapted to quickly cause the complimentary devices to conduct substantially the same current. In another aspect, a bias voltage generating apparatus is provided that uses a residual voltage from a prior operation to establish the current bias voltage for the LNA. In particular, the apparatus includes a controller adapted to tune an adjustable capacitor to a capacitance based on a residual voltage applied to a fixed capacitor, and couple the capacitors together to establish the bias voltage.
US08275341B2

A fixed point finite impulse response (FIR) filter comprising: 1) an input stage for receiving an input signal as a sequence of input samples comprising: i) delay elements connected in series for receiving and shifting N sequential input samples; ii) multipliers, each multiplier receiving a selected one of the N sequential input samples from the delay elements and multiplying the selected input sample by a corresponding coefficient to produce an intermediate product; and iii) a summer for receiving and adding N intermediate products from the multipliers to produce an output sum signal comprising a sequence of output sum samples; and 2) an output stage for truncating k least significant bits (LSBs) from each of the output sum samples, wherein k is a variable number.
US08275330B1

The present disclosure relates to IQ modulation circuitry that during a data burst mode, modulates an RF carrier signal to provide a modulated RF signal, which is used for transmission of a transmit slot. During the data burst mode, a maximum energy spectrum peak of the modulated RF signal is about coincident with an RF carrier frequency of the RF carrier signal to comply with communications protocols. Further, during an energy-shifted ramp-down mode, which is coincident with ramp-down of the modulated RF signal, the IQ modulation circuitry modulates the RF carrier signal to provide the modulated RF signal. During the energy-shifted ramp-down mode, the maximum energy spectrum peak of the modulated RF signal is shifted away from the RF carrier frequency of the RF carrier signal to mitigate the effects of preparing for receiving an RF receive signal.
US08275322B2

An interference relay channel (IRC) utilizes a single relay to assist communications between multiple source-destination links under the half-duplex (HD) constraint. It is assumed that each source has an independent message and its transmitted signal may cause interference at the other destinations. It is also assumed that each node only estimates its backward channels and has no knowledge of its forward channels as well as the other links. The role of the relay is to generate signals to cooperate with the intended signal and mitigate the interference at all destinations.
US08275316B2

Aspects of a method and system for a fast power control mechanism for Bluetooth devices may include receiving from a first Bluetooth device, a request for a transmit power adjustment for one or more operating modes. A step size may be received for the transmit power adjustment via the received request. The transmit power may be adjusted as a function of the step size. A feedback message may be sent to the first Bluetooth device, wherein the feedback message may indicate a status of the adjusting. The transmit power adjustment may be requested via a Link Management Protocol (LMP) message. One or more operating modes may comprise a Bluetooth Basic Rate (BR) mode, and/or a Bluetooth Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) mode.
US08275312B2

A method for configuring a mobile communication device to perform transactions using a second communication channel that is different from a first communication channel through which the mobile communication device sends voice data. The method includes attaching a secure element to the mobile communication device. The secure element includes a memory storing an application, a processor configured to execute the application stored in the memory; and a wireless transceiver configured to send transaction data associated with the executed application through the second communication channel to a terminal that is remote from the mobile communication device.
US08275311B2

The invention relates to a method and system in connection with a wristop diving computer (1). According to the method, at least the pressure of a gas bottle (2) is measured and the pressure data is transmitted under water using a low first frequency f1 to a wristop computer (1). According to the invention, on the surface of the water a second frequency f2, higher than the first frequency f1, is used for two-way telecommunications between the gas bottle (2) and the wristop computer (1).
US08275301B2

A cleaning device including a cleaning blade configured to clean a surface of a cleaning target that is moving. A leading edge which is formed between lower and leading surfaces of the cleaning blade is obtuse-angled with respect to the lower surface and is in contact with the surface of the cleaning target during use. The leading surface of the cleaning blade is curved outward when the cleaning blade is not in contact with the cleaning target.
US08275297B2

An electronic photograph printer is provided for elastically biasing the developer apparatus having the photosensitive drum by the pressing mechanism and for pressing the developer roll onto the photosensitive drum. In this configuration, quality in the developed image can be ensured by the trackable movement of the developer roll relative to the photosensitive drum in the electronic photograph printer. In addition, adjustable range for positioning the developer roll and operability and maintainability within the developer apparatus can be achieved.
US08275295B2

A toner container which is mountable and removable at a main body of an image forming apparatus, the toner container comprising: at least one toner filling port provided in a casing body of the toner container; and a sealing member which covers the toner filling port and a predetermined range of surroundings of the toner filling port, from an outer side of the casing body, for sealing toner inside the casing body, is provided.
US08275290B2

An electrophotographic photosensitive body includes a substrate and a photosensitive layer. In the electrophotographic photosensitive body, a reflectance to an exposure light L1 is defined as a first reflectance, and a reflectance of an eliminating light is defined as a second reflectance. The first reflectance is positively correlated with a light intensity rate of the exposure light L1, and the second reflectance is positively correlated with the light intensity rate of the exposure light L1 in a first case, while is negatively correlated with the light intensity rate of the exposure light L1 in a second case. In the first case, an amount of change of the first reflectance to an amount of change of the light intensity rate of the exposure light L1 is less than 1. In the second case, an amount of change of the first reflectance to an amount of change of the light intensity rate of the exposure light L1 is more than 1.
US08275286B2

A process cartridge for use in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The process cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum having a photosensitive layer at a peripheral surface thereof, with the electrophotographic photosensitive drum being rotatable about an axis thereof. The process cartridge also includes a coupling member to receive a rotational force for rotating the electrophotographic photosensitive drum, with the coupling member capable of taking a rotational force transmitting angular position for transmitting the rotational force to the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. The coupling member is also capable of taking a disengaging angular position in which the coupling member is inclined away from the rotational force transmitting angular position.
US08275281B2

An image forming apparatus comprises a connection unit, a display unit, a detector unit detecting the connection of the vendor to the connection unit and detecting the receipt of at least either one of card insertion and coin insertion by the vendor, a fixing unit, a power supply unit distributing power to the display unit and the fixing unit, and a control unit causing the power supply unit to distribute power to the fixing unit so that the fixing unit maintains a second standby temperature lower than a first standby temperature being lower than a toner image heating temperature while causing the power supply unit to maintain the power distribution to the display unit when the detector unit does not detect the receipt of at least either one of the card insertion and the coin insertion by the vendor while detecting the connection of the vendor to the connection unit.
US08275272B2

Aspects of the disclosure can provide a method for replacing a customer replaceable unit (CRU) in a printing system. The method can include determining a historic usage pattern for a CRU during a usage of the CRU, calculating a remaining time for the CRU based on the historic usage pattern, and signaling a user for ordering a new CRC when the remaining time for the CRU is substantially equivalent to a pre-determined value.
US08275251B2

An interchangeable lens includes a focus lens for changing a focus state of an object image, a driving unit for driving the focus lens, a lens controller for controlling the driving unit so as to move the focus lens forward and backward along the optical axis at a predetermined drive frequency, and a storage unit for storing therein drive frequency information representing a drive frequency at which the driving unit can control. A camera body obtains the drive frequency information from the interchangeable lens and performs control while referring to the drive frequency information.
US08275248B2

This invention discloses a kind of garment steamer technology, which overcomes the defects of obvious condensation and return flow inside the steam duct and the low purity and temperature of steam. It comprises a main body, a steam duct and a brush head, being equipped with a water tank and a heating and vaporizing device inside, said heating and vaporizing device inside said main body comprising the first vaporizing device and the second vaporizing device, said brush head being equipped with the third vaporizing device; said first vaporizing device comprising a spiral vaporizing tube, an electric heating tube and a metal die cast; is provided with a water outlet pipe on the bottom, said water outlet pipe is connected with the water inlet of said spiral vaporizing tube via the pump. This product is featured by that the steam from said second vaporizing steam outlet has been provided with high purity and low humidity; after passing the third vaporizing device, the steam can be provided with guaranteed purity and temperature when being sprayed from the brush head, which greatly improves the ironing efficiency and effect of mites elimination and can be widely used in fashion stores, small clothing factories and some families with high requirements for dressing.
US08275240B2

On an optical disk, video object sets (VTST_VOBS) to be reproduced and video title set information (VTSI) serving as management information on the video object sets have been stored. In each video object set (VTST_VOBS), many data cells, each containing video, audio, and sub-picture data, are arranged. Management information on programs chains, which are combinations of programs to be reproduced one after another, has been written in a video title set PGC table (VTS_PGCIT). By referring to the program chain table (VTS_PGCIT) according to the user's input, the playback order of program chains can be changed, enabling the program chains to be reproduced one after another in various modes.
US08275236B2

An information-processing device including a recording unit configured to record a plurality of types of content-data items to be recorded onto at least one predetermined recording medium, a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the plurality of types of content-data items recorded onto the recording medium by the recording unit includes at least one content-data item of which reproduction is difficult for a purpose-built reproduction device to perform, the purpose-built reproduction device supporting a predetermined format, and a notification unit configured to make a notification according to a predetermined method when the determination unit determines that the content-data item of which reproduction is difficult to perform is included, the notification indicating details on the determination is provided.
US08275229B2

A sealing gland system having an upper half, a lower half, and a sealing material positioned between the upper and lower halves. Each of the upper and lower halves and the sealing material has at least one opening extending therethrough, and wherein the sealing material forms a seal around at least one cable extending through the sealing material upon compression thereof.
US08275220B2

An image processing apparatus includes an image area separation device, a compression device, an image storage device, an image area storage device, a data writing device, and an image output state monitoring device. The image area separation device separates input image data into image data and image area separation data. The compression device compresses the image data. The data writing device writes the image area separation data to the image area storage device, secures an initial compressed image storage region in the image storage device, and sequentially stores the compressed image data in the initial compressed image storage region. The image output state monitoring device monitors a compressed image data amount, and causes the data writing device to secure an additional storage region in the image storage device when the compressed image data amount has reached or exceeded a data amount storable in the initial compressed image storage region.
US08275216B2

Methods and systems for equalizing a holographic image page and for compensating nonlinearity of a holographic data storage channel are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for equalizing a holographic image page includes receiving the holographic image page and dividing the holographic image page into a plurality of local image regions. The method further includes generating a local alignment error vector for each local image region, computing a local finite impulse response kernel for each local image region according to the corresponding local alignment error vector, and adjusting misaligned pixels of each local image region using the corresponding local finite impulse response kernel.
US08275212B2

An image processing apparatus includes a pre-combination processing unit configured to perform a pre-combination process so that a plurality of frames of image data having continuity in time are used as combination-use image data to be combined, an operation detection unit configured to detect operation input information used for a combination process, a storage unit configured to store coefficient templates each having a pattern of weighting coefficients assigned to image data of frames, a template management unit configured to select one of the coefficient templates stored in the storage unit according to the operation input information, and a combination processing unit configured to perform a combination process on the combination-use image data of the plurality of frames obtained in the pre-combination process using the coefficient template selected by the template management unit so as to generate combined-image data representing a still image.
US08275211B2

This invention is to easily generate a normal map at a low cost. Hence, image data representing the characteristic of the surface of paper is inputted using an image input device. The type of finish of the paper is determined. Filtering processing corresponding to the type of finish is performed for the image data. A normal map is generated from the image data on which the filtering processing is performed.
US08275207B2

An encoding device includes: a difference generation unit for obtaining a first pixel difference value as a difference value between a first pixel value and a pixel value of a pixel having the same color as the first pixel positioned in the vicinity of the first pixel; a quantization width decision unit for deciding a quantization width in data generation by quantizing the first and the second pixel value according to the number of digits of an unsigned integer binary value of the first pixel difference value and the number of digits of an unsigned integer binary value of the second pixel difference value generated in the difference generation unit for the second pixel value of the second pixel; a quantization width information generation unit for generating quantization width information having a quantization width used for quantization/decoding of the first and the second pixel value; and a quantization unit for generating a first and a second compressed encoded pixel value of n-bit length.
US08275197B2

Techniques to manage a whiteboard for multimedia conference events are described. An apparatus may comprise a whiteboard manager component operative to manage whiteboard recording, image processing and reproduction operations for a multimedia conference event. The whiteboard manager component may comprise an image quantizer module operative to receive an image of a writing surface with pen strokes, and quantize each pixel of the image into a predetermined number of colors, an attribute extractor module communicatively coupled to the image quantizer module, the attribute extractor module operative to extract stroke attribute information for the pen strokes from the quantized pixels, and a whiteboard interface module communicatively coupled to the attribute extractor module, the whiteboard interface module operative to send the stroke attribute information to a meeting console for rendering as digital pen strokes on a digital writing surface. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08275183B2

A signal processing method that includes inputting sample values of a signal and considering the signal to have a plurality of portions. For each portion, a predetermined function is fitted to the sample values of that portion of the signal by calculating values of coefficients for that predetermined function. At least one statistical information function is evaluated for the signal to determine statistical information about the signal and the calculated coefficient values are used so that the form of the statistical information function has been determined for the predetermined function used to fit the signal portion and further includes using the statistical information obtained about the signal to process the signal.
US08275179B2

An apparatus for capturing the image of a wet/moist fingerprint. The apparatus includes: a prism having an imaging plane on which a finger having valleys and ridges is place, a bottom plane parallel to the imaging plane and a reflective plane intercepting the imaging plane and intercepting the bottom plane at an angle α; a light source for generating a light with an incident angle of approximately 0° with respect to a surface normal of the imaging plane; and a lens for capturing light reflected from the reflective plane. The apparatus further includes an image sensor for generating an image of the valleys and ridges of the finger, wherein the reflective plane is arranged in such a way to meet the equation of α>45 +(arc sin (n1/n2))/2, where n1 is a refraction index of medium filled between the valleys of the finger and the imaging plane, and n2 is refraction index of the prism.
US08275175B2

An automatic biometric identification method based on face recognition and support vector machines, includes enrolling a user to generate a user's reference template; and identifying the user based on the user's reference template, wherein generating a user's reference template includes acquiring a number of user's face images, and training a one-class support vector machine based on the user's face images only.
US08275174B2

An imaging unit capturing an image of a body surface with near-infrared light while changing a magnification, and generating multiple pieces of near-infrared light imaging data having different magnifications, a vein pattern extraction unit extracting multiple vein patterns corresponding to each of the multiple pieces of the near-infrared light imaging data from each of the multiple pieces of the near-infrared light imaging data, a fractal dimension calculation unit calculating a fractal dimension corresponding to each of the vein patterns for the extracted multiple vein patterns, and a pseudo-vein pattern determination unit determining presence of a pseudo-vein pattern intentionally formed on a part of the captured body surface based on the calculated fractal dimension are provided.
US08275172B2

Classification of a potential target is accomplished by receiving image information, detecting a potential target within the image information and determining a plurality of features forming a feature set associated with the potential target. The location of the potential target is compared with a detection database to determine if it is close to an element in the detection database. If not, a single-pass classifier receives a potential target's feature set, classifies the potential target, and transmits the location, feature set and classification to the detection database. If it is close, a fused multi-pass feature determiner determines fused multi-pass features of the potential target and a multi-pass classifier receives the potential target's feature set and fused multi-pass features, classifies the potential target, and transmits its location, feature set, fused multi-pass features and classification to the detection database.
US08275162B2

A method for operating a hearing device, an associated microphone system comprising at least two omnidirectional microphones, and a hearing device are provided. The microphones emit microphone signals and are electrically interconnected with one another in order to form directional characteristics. A damping of the upper frequency range of the microphone signals is determined from the lower frequency range of the microphone signals. The impression of a wide-band directional microphone is produced as a result.
US08275159B2

A media playback media playback apparatus having user-selectable shapes is disclosed. In accordance with the media playback apparatus having user-selectable shapes in accordance with the present invention, speakers are attached to a media playback unit via rotatable connecting means such that a user may select a shape of the media playback apparatus according to his or her preference.
US08275153B2

Embodiments of a system and method of controlling the loudness of an audio signal are disclosed. The method includes determining a long term loudness level for the audio signal over a first sliding time period, determining a short term loudness level for the audio signal over a second sliding time period where the second sliding time period is shorter than the first sliding time period, detecting a segment transition in the audio signal; and generating a gain control signal. The gain control signal is based on the short term loudness level for a first time interval after a segment transition and the gain control signal is based on the long term loudness level after the expiration of the first time interval. Other embodiments include addition signal analysis steps to identify different segments of a signal and to control the loudness of the segments.
US08275151B2

An improved speakerphone for a cellular telephone, portable telephone handset, or the like. In one embodiment, a receiver provides an audio signal, and a first phase-shifter phase-shifts the audio signal by a first phase-shift amount. A second phase-shifter phase-shifts the audio signal by a second phase-shift amount and drives a loudspeaker. A processor sets the first phase-shift amount to each one of a plurality of phase-shift amounts and determines a corresponding average-to-peak ratio value of the first phase-shifted audio signal. The processor then selects one of the plurality of phase-shift amounts having a corresponding average-to-peak ratio value that meets at least one criteria (e.g., the largest one of the average-to-peak ratio values), and then sets the second phase-shift amount to be the same as the selected phase-shift amount. This enhances the perceived loudness of sound from loudspeaker.
US08275144B2

An intelligent audio speaker that uses a power line communication element to provide audio distribution within homes, businesses, apartment complexes, and other buildings. Multiple intelligent audio speakers may be networked together, with common control. The intelligent audio speaker may, in some embodiments of the present invention, contain enhanced ambient backlight effects to further enhance the listener's experience. In some embodiments of the present invention, an existing audio speaker is retrofitted to an intelligent audio speaker using a retrofit kit.
US08275139B2

A linear full duplex system and method for acoustic echo cancellation is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes calculating a residual echo after subtraction of an echo estimate from a near end signal associated with a communication, refining a far end and a residual signal associated with the communication, updating, based on the far end signal, the echo estimate of an echo associated with the communication, subtracting the echo from the near end signal based on the echo estimate to cancel the echo associated with the communication, updating, based on the refined far end and refined residual signal, the adaptive filter module used for echo estimation, and detecting a steady state and, during the steady state, dynamically detecting internal substates and switching between the internal substates and detecting and managing double talk associated with the communication.
US08275135B2

A method for adjusting a loudness of an announcement sound signal relative to a loudness of an entertainment sound signal, the method including the steps of determining the loudness of the entertainment sound signal, and adjusting the loudness of the announcement sound signal relative to the entertainment sound signal by determining a self-adaptive gain offset of the announcement sound signal relative to the entertainment sound signal, the self-adaptive gain offset adapting to the auditory perception of a user to which the entertainment sound signal and the announcement sound signal are output.
US08275133B2

When a network pages the temporary user mobile identifier of a mobile station, the mobile station sends a response to the network. Next, the network checks the authenticity of the user using a ciphering key, corresponding to the temporary user mobile identifier and a random number. If the temporary user mobile identifier is authenticated, a normal incoming call acceptance procedure is executed. If the mobile station is authenticated although the temporary user mobile identifier is wrong, the network reassigns a new temporary user mobile identifier to the mobile station and stops the current communication. In communication, the network and the mobile station mutually notify encipherment-onset time and negotiate about encipherment manner with each other. In addition, diversity handover is commenced upon a call attempt. Furthermore, if a branch replacement is necessary, the current branch is replaced by new branches capable of executing the diversity handover. Additionally, when a new call occurs to or from the mobile station capable of treating a plurality of calls simultaneously, the mobile station uses the same branch structure and the same communication frequency band for all of calls. Additionally, when a new call occurs to or from the mobile station capable of treating a plurality of calls simultaneously, a branch structure and a communication frequency band, which can continue all of the calls, are selected and used. Therefore, the mobile communications system is suitable for transmission of various sorts of data in accordance with the development of multimedia.
US08275130B2

A secret key registration system which registers a secret key in a portable key device and vehicle. A first transformation equation is stored in a writer and the vehicle. A second transformation equation is stored in the portable key device and the vehicle. The writer transmits a registration code to the portable key device and generates intermediate data with the first transformation equation of the writer. The intermediate data is transmitted to the portable key device, which generates the secret key from the intermediate data with the second transformation equation. The portable key device transmits the registration code to the vehicle. The vehicle generates intermediate data from the registration code with the first transformation equation of the vehicle, and then generates the secret key from the intermediate data with the second transformation equation.
US08275115B1

A system and method for receiving information from a caller without the information being accessed by an agent handling the call. A call is received and routed to an agent, who may be remote. When predetermined information (e.g., credit card number, social security number) is to be provided by the caller, an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) unit or media server is bridged into the call. The caller's input is received by the IVR unit, but not by the agent. If the information is entered as DTMF tones, those tones may be muted or altered for the agent. The agent's voice connection may remain open, however, to receive and answer questions from the caller. If the information is provided verbally, the audio connection to the agent may be muted. The agent is signaled when the information is complete, at which time the IVR unit is disconnected and the call proceeds normally.
US08275104B2

Methods, apparatus, and computer program products provide dynamic replacement communication identification (ID) service. A request is received from a user for dynamic replacement communication ID from a current location of the user. The user requesting dynamic replacement communication ID is authenticated. A user profile of the user requesting dynamic replacement communication ID is retrieved. A current profile of the current location is replaced with the user profile of the user.
US08275103B2

A system and method for selecting callers on a communication device is disclosed. When a call is received from a caller, call history data are obtained from a call history database, and presented on a display. A user may then decide based on the call history whether to receive the call.
US08275099B2

A framework for creating a voice application in a world wide telecom web (WWTW) is provided. The techniques include using a pre-defined schema to create one or more voice application templates, using the one or more voice application templates to generate a first version of the voice application, using the first version of the voice application and a library of one or more components to generate a deployable version of the voice application and deploying the deployable version of the voice application onto a run-time execution engine.
US08275083B2

An integrated circuit for an asynchronous serial data transfer comprises a sampler to sample the asynchronous serial data using a sampling clock. A bit length counter determines a bit time by counting a number (m) of predetermined clock cycles, where the bit length terminal variably adjusts the number (m) of clock cycles of the bit length counter.
US08275074B2

A received OFDM signal is processed to determine a plurality of reference delays, which may include the path delays of a multipath channel. The effective channel estimates corresponding to each reference delay are determined, as is the covariance of the ISI and noise components observed at each delay. Combining weights resulting in maximum post-combining SINR are determined for all subcarriers. A corresponding plurality of FFTs is applied to the incoming sample stream, one at each of the reference delays. The individual subcarriers from each FFT output are then combined using the combining weights. This produces a single FFT output with suppressed ISI, which is used in further processing.
US08275073B2

Methods and systems are disclosed herein for discriminating phase-shift-key (PSK) modulated signals from frequency-shift-key (FSK) modulated signals in received signal streams. First, a bit frequency analysis is applied to a digital signal stream representing the received signal stream. The bit frequency analysis computes bit frequencies for bit segments within the digital signal stream. These bit frequencies are then summed in an array to form a bit frequency histogram. Second, a bit phase analysis is applied to the digital signal stream. The bit phase analysis computes bit phases for bit segments within the digital signal stream. These bit phases are then summed in an array to form a bit phase histogram. Spikes within the bit frequency and bit phase histograms can be used to determine whether the received signal stream includes FSK or PSK signals. An enhanced bit phase analysis can also used, if needed.
US08275065B2

A system and method for substantially reducing average transmit power by omitting the transmission of a majority of pulses by using a modified run length coding to reduce signal power. By lowering the average power, an opportunity is presented to either decrease the total power drawn by the transmitter (battery life) or raise the peak power of all symbols (Eb/No), thereby increasing range of a RF transmission system.
US08275062B2

A user scheduling method includes: determining a maximum temporary user set of a maximum capacity among temporary user sets obtained from combinations of M number of active users; and transmitting data to users belonging to the maximum temporary user set via multiple antennas by using a preceding matrix and a weight matrix with respect to the maximum temporary user set. Users to actually receive data can be selected from among active users in a multi-antenna system, and a corresponding precoding matrix and a weighting matrix can be obtained.
US08275058B2

Allocation of subcarriers of a wireless communications channel to antennas for transmission of said subcarriers from a multi-antenna transmitter, comprises selecting, for each subcarrier, the antenna with the most effective transmission performance against a predetermined performance criterion; and determining if subcarriers are evenly distributed amongst said antennas. If even distribution does not arise, then a reallocation sequence is performed. This comprises identifying, for an antenna having excessive subcarriers allocated thereto, the subcarriers allocated thereto and reallocating one of said subcarriers as required, said reallocated subcarrier being selected for reallocation on the basis of its impact on transmission performance.
US08275057B2

Methods and systems to determine channel frequency responses corresponding to multi-carrier signals, such as OFDM signals, including to filter or mask noise from channel frequency response estimates in a time domain.
US08275045B2

Adaptive variable length coding techniques may be used for entropy coding of residual block coefficients produced by predictive video coding. The techniques may be applied to schemes that code positions of nonzero transform coefficients using zero runs. Coding parameters such as end of block (EOB) shift and VLC codebook selection tables may be maintained as internal states, instead of sending them with coded video slice data. Table entries may be periodically updated based on statistics collected during a coding pass. A special EOB shift table may adapt the position of a special EOB symbol in a symbol set to probability of significant coefficients with magnitude greater than one for a coding condition, such as a coding cycle. Chroma blocks may be coded independently of luma blocks using separate EOB shift, special EOB shift, and VLC codebook selection tables.
US08275041B2

Two-stage interpolation can be provided for frame prediction samples with quarter-pixel and finer accuracy. All samples of quarter-pixel and finer accuracy can use either half or full/integer-pixels in a bi-linear interpolation to allow for the use of higher accuracy motion vectors, such as one-eighth-pixel accuracy motion vectors. The motion vectors can be restricted in a manner such that they are not allowed to point to every possible sub-pixel sample on a sub-pixel grid, but rather a subset of those sub-pixel samples. In addition, the same full/integer and half-pixel samples that can be used to obtain a quarter-pixel sample can also be used to obtain a one-eighth-pixel sample that the quarter-pixel sample is connected to. Hence, for every quarter-pixel sample, a motion vector could point to two additional positions/locations with one-eighth-pixel accuracy, where the two additional positions/locations can be calculated using the same half or integer-pixel samples which were used to obtain the quarter-pixel sample. Therefore, an arbitrary motion vector accuracy can be achieved without the need to perform additional interpolation stages or increase the complexity of a decoder configured to decode motion vector data.
US08275040B2

There are provided scalable video encoders, scalable video decoders, and corresponding methods for scalable video encoding and decoding. A scalable video encoder includes an encoder for encoding a block in a picture by performing a motion compensated temporal filtering (MCTF) prediction step for the block using a first weighting factor applied to a first reference picture, while using a different default update weighting factor applied to a second reference picture for a corresponding MCTF update step for the block.
US08275036B2

An object of the present invention is to express a predicted picture signal with light overheads, and to provide motion compensation of different pixel accuracy. A moving picture encoding device 20 according to the present invention includes a motion vector detection means 32 for detecting a motion vector of a predetermined area to be encoded in a frame picture, a prediction means 33c for predicting the motion vector of the predetermined area to be encoded by using an encoded motion vector of a predetermined area in the frame picture, a determination means 33d for determining whether or not the motion vector detected by the motion vector detection means 32 is a predetermined motion vector set in accordance with the motion vector predicted by the prediction means 33c, and a switching means 33e for switching a method of calculating a motion compensation value of the predetermined area to be encoded depending on whether or not the motion vector detected by the motion vector detection means 32 is the predetermined motion vector.
US08275026B2

An adjustable equalizer that includes a first branch including a low pass filter (LPF) and having a variable gain (β), and a second branch including a high pass filter (HPF) and having another variable gain (α). The equalizer can be implemented using CMOS technology so that the gain parameters β and α are independently adjustable and the equalizer is capable of equalizing an input indicative of data having a maximum data rate of at least 1 Gb/s. In some embodiments, the equalizer includes two differential pairs of MOS transistors and a controllable current source determines the tail current for each differential pair. When the equalizer includes purely resistive impedances Z0 and Z1, the equalizer's transfer function is Z1/Z0·(β+α·(1+s·C0·Z0)), where β is a gain parameter determined by the tail current of one differential pair and α is a gain parameter determined by the tail current of the other differential pair.
US08275018B2

A correlation device and method is provided. According to the present invention, the correlation device comprises a first signal path for receiving a received signal; at least one second signal path for receiving the received signal and eliminating effect of a subcarrier component of the received signal; and a correlation unit couple to the first signal path and each second signal path, for selecting an output of one of the first and second signal paths to execute signal correlation.
US08275014B2

A surface-emitting laser element includes a substrate; a plurality of semiconductor layers laminated on the substrate, the plural semiconductor layers including a resonator structural body including an active layer and semiconductor multilayer film reflection mirrors having the resonator structural body sandwiched therebetween; an electrode provided in such a manner as to surround a emitting region on a surface of the surface-emitting laser element from which light is emitted; and a dielectric film provided in the emitting region such that a reflection ratio of a peripheral part of the emitting region is different from a reflection ratio of a center part of the emitting region. Edge portions that are near edges of the dielectric film are tilted with respect to the surface.
US08274998B2

Systems and methods for performing timing offset and or fractional frequency offset for the purpose of time and/or frequency synchronization are provided. Timing packets are exchanged between a master device and a slave device. In addition, timing adjustment information is received by the slave device. The slave device uses the timing adjustment information in conjunction with the transmit and receive times for the timing packets to estimate at timing offset and/or fractional frequency offset.
US08274997B2

The invention relates to a transmission method in which at least two Ethernet data frames are combined to form one Ethernet telegram and the Ethernet telegram is transmitted via a communications network.
US08274996B1

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products for adaptive data unit transmission. A sliding window is filled with data units and designates a sliding window start position and a sliding window end position. A value for each of the data units in the sliding window is stored, the value representing a maximum number of times that each data unit is to be transmitted. The stored value is different among at least two of the data units. Data units are selected from the sliding window to be assembled into a packet. An assembled packet is transmitted to a receiving computerized device. A determination that the data unit positioned at the sliding window start position has been transmitted a maximum number of time is performed, and in response a different data unit is positioned at the sliding window start position.
US08274995B2

Transmitted signals are modified to facilitate the emulation of circular convolution in non-contiguous transmission environments. These modified signals may be derived from well-known signature sequences. In an exemplary method, a tail portion of a final segment of a base signal is prefixed to an initial segment of the base signal, to form a first transmit segment. One or more additional transmit segments are formed by prefixing, to each of the one or more segments of the base signal other than the initial segment, a tail portion of the immediately preceding segment of the base signal. The transmit segments so formed are transmitted in respective ones of the plurality of non-contiguous transmit-time intervals. Corresponding methods for receiving the transmitted segments and reconstructing the base signal are also described, as are corresponding transmitting and receiving apparatuses.
US08274992B2

A physical frame is generated and transmitted to a destination terminal. In this physical frame, one of a data frame, an acknowledgement frame, and an acknowledgement request frame, and a transmission permission frame which is used in place of a normal Ack frame associated with a delayed Block Ack, and permits the destination terminal to perform piggyback transmission, are aggregated.
US08274991B2

A system for controlling a contention state for a communication link between a base station controller and customer premises equipment in point-to-multipoint communication. The contention state is controlled using a state machine, which includes a grant pending absent state in which a unicast request slot is maintained open for use by the customer premises equipment. During the grant pending absent state, the customer premises equipment sends no upstream data to the base station controller but can use the unicast request slot to request a data slot for sending upstream data to the base station controller. In the grant pending state, the customer premises equipment preferably uses piggybacking to request grant of a next data slot while sending upstream data to the base station controller.
US08274990B2

A method for efficiently scheduling virtual resource blocks to physical resource blocks is disclosed. In a wireless mobile communication system that supports a resource block group (RBG) allocation scheme, for distributed mapping of consecutively allocated virtual resource blocks to physical resource blocks, there is proposed a mapping method capable of increasing the number of distributed virtual resource blocks to a maximum while satisfying gap limitations, when the length of the physical resource blocks is different from the length of the distributed virtual resource blocks. Also, the number of distributed virtual resource blocks and the structure of an interleaver are limited for efficient scheduling.
US08274986B2

A home node and a destination node, which are specified by node identifiers, acquire locators thereof and mapping of the node identifiers and the locators, prior to communication, and they are transmitted after the address of a packet specified by the node identifier is rewritten by the locator at the time of communication. Because roles of the node identifier and the locator are separated, the communication method is suitable for mobile communication and multi-homing. In addition, the communication method makes it possible to reduce use amount of global addresses, and thus solve an address exhaustion problem.
US08274976B2

Certain aspects of a method and system for transparent transmission control protocol (TCP) offload are disclosed. Aspects of a method may include collecting TCP segments in a network interface card (NIC) processor without transferring state information to a host system. The collected TCP segments may be buffered in a coalescer. The coalescer may verify that the network flow associated with the collected TCP segments has an entry in a flow lookup table (FLT). When the FLT is full, the coalescer may close a current entry and assign the network flow to the available entry. The coalescer may also update information in the FLT. When an event occurs that terminates the collection of TCP segments, the coalescer may generate a single aggregated TCP segment based on the collected TCP segments. The aggregated TCP segment and state information may be communicated to the host system for processing.
US08274973B2

In one embodiment, layer-2 (L2) ports of a network device may each be assigned to a particular virtual service domain (VSD). One or more virtual service engines (VSEs) may also be assigned in a particular order to each VSD, where each VSE is configured to apply a particular service to traffic traversing the VSE between ingress and egress service ports. Interconnecting the L2 ports and the ingress and egress service ports is an illustrative virtual Ethernet module (VEM), which directs traffic it receives according to rules as follows: a) into a destination VSD via the one or more correspondingly assigned VSEs in the particular order; b) out of a current VSD via the one or more correspondingly assigned VSEs in a reverse order from the particular order; or c) within a current VSD without redirection through a VSE.
US08274972B2

A communication system is provided, including a first master device to operate as a master of a communication according to a first protocol, a second master device to operate as a master of a communication according to a second protocol, a common slave device to operate as a slave of the communication according to the first protocol and the second protocol with respect to the first master device and the second master device, and a switch to control a connection between the common slave device and the first master device and between the common slave device and the second master device for a communication between the common slave device and one of the first master device to and the second master device. Thus, embodiments of the present invention provide a communication system that minimizes cost increases and improves communication speed in a system in which a plurality of master devices communicate with a slave device performing the same function as the master devices.
US08274963B2

Mobile station capabilities are made available to a radio access network note. The radio access network node determines whether the requested quality of service can be supported by the mobile station in its current cell. These capabilities are take into account in negotiating a quality of service for a packet flow involving the mobile station.
US08274957B2

Wireless mobile communication (WMC) devices located in near proximity of each other may be enabled to form a mesh (ad hoc wireless) network. WMC devices may form and/or tear down intra-mesh connection with other WMC devices in the same mesh network. WMC devices may utilize information related to other WMC devices in the mesh network in determining formation and tearing down of intra-mesh connections. This information may comprise relative speeds, locations, and directions of movement of the WMC devices forming/tearing intra-mesh connections. Other information including data bandwidth and/or power consumption may be utilized in such determination. This information may also comprise available services advertised by WMC devices in the mesh network.
US08274954B2

A method for communicating information in a base station is disclosed. A reverse link channel is allocated to be a shared acknowledgement channel for receiving acknowledgement information. Acknowledgement information associated with data payload from a field unit is then received over the shared acknowledgement channel by the base station.
US08274952B2

The present invention relates to a method of adjusting transmission power on a downlink radio channel in a communication system comprising a user equipment and a base station. In the method uplink power headroom is determined by dividing a maximum transmission power of the user equipment by a transmission power of a control channel of the user equipment and the determined uplink power headroom value is sent to the base station. Then uplink path loss estimate is determined between the user equipment and the base station based on the uplink power headroom. Then an estimate for the downlink path loss is derived and finally the transmission power of the downlink radio channel is adjusted taking into account the downlink path loss estimate.
US08274951B2

A wireless communication system includes a number of base stations capable of communicating with a plurality of subscriber stations. The base station coordinates transmission of resource blocks with a transmission of resource blocks from a second base station. The resource blocks include at least one reference signal (RS) patterns. In addition, base station punctures a plurality of resource elements in the resource blocks that might overlap with one of the CRS patterns in another resource block transmitted by the second base station such that no data is transmitted in the plurality of punctured resource elements. The subscriber station receives the resource blocks from at least two base stations and can avoid reading data from the resource elements that might overlap.
US08274947B1

Apparatus, techniques and systems are described for providing timing reference from acquired wireless communication signals of adjacent cells and synchronizing a base station to a network based on such a timing reference without directly relying on a satellite-based timing reference.
US08274946B2

A method for controlling behavior of lower layer links related to media independent handover (MIH) of a mobile user comprises sending a MIH link actions request primitive from a MIH User entity to a MIH function (MIHF) for requesting actions to be executed on a set of lower layer links to heterogeneous radio access technology (RAT) networks. The primitive includes parameters that indicate the requested actions and an execution time delay. Confirmation primitives are sent back the MIH User entity to convey the results of the execution attempts on the requested actions.
US08274941B2

A subcarrier scrambling method for use in a transmitter with multiple subcarriers, the transmitter being configured to allocate pilot symbols and data symbols for each of a plurality of resource units (RUs). The method includes: applying, for each of the plurality of RUs, a first intra RU sequence to the pilot symbols, to thereby generate a plurality of scrambled pilot symbols; applying, for each of the plurality of RUs, a second intra RU sequence to the data symbols, to thereby generate a plurality of scrambled data symbols; and combining the plurality of scrambled pilot symbols and the plurality of scrambled data symbols to form the plurality of RUs.
US08274929B2

Support for Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) devices is provided in an enterprise mobile network that provides wireless service within a coverage area associated with an enterprise using licensed radio frequency spectrum. In various embodiments, support SIP devices is provided by, for example, incorporating SIP user agent in a mobile switching subsystem or in a base station subsystem or by incorporating SIP server functionality into a mobile switching subsystem.
US08274922B2

Provided are a apparatus and method for transmitting data and a apparatus and method for receiving data, in which a transmitting station sets priorities among a plurality of data to be transmitted and a receiving station processes the plurality of data according to the priorities. The apparatus for transmitting data includes a packet-generation module which generates a plurality of data and a packet that includes the plurality of data and that specifies priorities between the plurality of data; and a communication module which transmits the packet through a communication channel.
US08274920B2

In a token bus system a node with the token can transmit on the bus a packet that contains two destination addresses. One address specifies the node that should receive the data component (payload) of the transmitted packet. The other address specifies the node that should receive the token. The network protocol specifies that a node with the token must immediately transmit a packet containing just the token or a packet with token and data if it has data to send. When no data is being passed from one node to another on the network, the token may be passed from one node to the next in order. Each node will pass the token to the next highest node number. If a node has the token has some data for sending it transmits a packet with the token for the next node and data for any of the nodes. The bus system requires every node to receive all packets and process them to determine whether the token or the data (or both) is destined for that node.
US08274918B2

An address resolution system is provided where network devices are arranged to share a common public network address in a public network environment. The address resolution system includes: an address resolution table residing at a router and configured to store a public network address and a source port assigned to each network device registered with the router in connection with a hardware address that uniquely identifies each of the registered network devices; a port management agent residing on a given network device that is configured to receive a request to assign a source port to an application residing on the given network device and transmit the assignment request to the router; and an address resolution service residing at the router that is configured to query the address resolution table in response to the assignment request from the agent and transmit a reply to the agent based on results from the query of the address resolution table.
US08274907B2

A network device for establishing quality of service (QoS) between two terminal devices includes a transceiver module and a state-machine setting module. The transceiver module is configured for receiving establishing requests, request responses, acknowledge messages, and QoS requests from any one of the two terminal devices. The state-machine setting module is configured for setting a state of the network device according to a current state of the network device and messages received by the transceiver module, and the state of the network device includes an idle state, an inviting state, a trying state, an acknowledge state, and a QoS state.
US08274906B2

A receiver monitoring the transmissions of a packet processing device such as a wireless access point analyzes the monitored transmissions to estimate the probability of packet loss due to buffer overflow in the processing device. The loss probability can be estimated for individual packets to follow rapid changes in communication conditions. An indication of the estimated loss probability can be used to adapt the forward error correction (FEC) parameters that are used to generate the packets, thereby improving the reliability of data delivery to a receiver while optimizing the use of communication channel bandwidth.
US08274899B2

A system and method for configuring Maintenance Intermediate Point (MIP) nodes of an Ethernet OAM network based on absolute level indicia as well as relative level indicia encoded in OAM frames generated by Maintenance End Point (MEP) nodes. A first OAM level field in a payload portion of an Ethernet OAM frame is encoded with an absolute OAM level associated with the originating MEP's OAM domain. A second OAM level field is encoded with a relative OAM level indicative of the number of OAM domain levels traversed by the Ethernet OAM frame.
US08274894B2

Apparatus, methods and computer program products provide quality of service and power aware forwarding rules for mesh points in wireless mesh networks by monitoring frame flow to and from a first mesh point in the wireless mesh network; and in dependence on the monitored frame flow, setting a power management mode of the first mesh point. The first mesh point monitors, for example, the power save mode and mesh deterministic access status of peer modes and selects power save and frame transmission modes in dependence on the monitored information.
US08274892B2

A transmission network includes network elements which accept client signals to be transported over a transmission network, particularly an optical transmission network, each of the client signals having one of a plurality of payload rates. The client signals are digitally mapped into first transport frames and, subsequently, digitally mapped into second transport frames for transport across the network infrastructure. The second transport frames having a universal frame rate throughout the transmission network infrastructure supporting a client signal of any frequency, whether the client signal includes a standard client payload or a proprietary client payload.
US08274890B2

A method is described for distributing a plurality of connections towards a receiving domain. The connections are established over at least two connection entities. Each connection entity handles traffic being associated to the connections. An initial procedure distributes the connections among the connection entities. First, a traffic load associated with the connections over each of the connection entities is determined. Further, the traffic load associated with the connections over at least two connection entities is compared. Finally a procedure for adapting the distribution of the connections according to the comparison is invoked.
US08274880B2

Systems and methods for OFDM channelization are provided that allow for the co-existence of sub-band channels and diversity channels. Methods of defining diversity sub-channels and sub-band sub-channels are provided, and systematic channel definition and labeling schemes are provided.
US08274879B2

A transmitter transmits data to a communicating opponent with a better channel condition with use of one or more frequency blocks including one or more carrier frequencies. The transmitter includes a communicating opponent selection unit evaluating the channel condition for each frequency block for each of plural communicating opponents and selecting one or more communicating opponents from the plurality of communicating opponents, a modulation scheme determination unit determining at least a modulation scheme depending on the evaluated channel condition, a control channel generation unit generating a control channel indicative of the determined modulation scheme and one or more frequency blocks available for the selected communicating opponents to receive a data channel, and a channel transmission unit providing the selected communicating opponents with the control channel and the data channel modulated in accordance with the modulation scheme.
US08274871B2

Detecting a defect on a storage device is disclosed. Detecting includes receiving a signal read from a storage device, sampling the signal to obtain a set of signal samples, wherein the sampling starts at an arbitrary time, computing a defect value for a defect type using the set of signal samples, comparing the defect value with a threshold associated with the defect type, determining whether there is a defect of the defect type based at least in part on the comparison, and in the event that a defect is detected, outputting an indication associated with the defect.
US08274852B2

A semiconductor memory apparatus includes a sense amplifier coupled to a plurality of bit lines, a switching unit configured to cause the plurality of bit lines to be coupled to a first node in response to a switching signal, a mode selecting unit configured to selectively couple the first node to a pad or a ground terminal in response to a mode selection signal and a testing unit configured to supply current to the pad during a test mode.
US08274851B2

A memory controller, a PCB and a computer system employing the memory controller, and a memory adjusting method using the memory controller. The memory controller interfaces data reading from and writing to a memory and includes: a characteristic estimating part estimating a characteristic of a memory output signal outputted from the memory for the data reading and writing; and a characteristic adjusting part controlling the memory so that the characteristic of the memory output signal is within a predetermined reference range if the characteristic of the memory output signal estimated by the characteristic estimating part is beyond the predetermined reference range.
US08274848B2

In a first aspect, a level shifter circuit for use in a memory array is provided that includes (1) a first voltage domain powered by a first voltage; (2) a second voltage domain powered by a second voltage; (3) level shifter circuitry that converts an input signal from the first voltage domain to the second voltage domain; and (4) isolation circuitry that selectively isolates the first voltage domain from the second voltage domain so as to selectively prevent current flow between the first voltage domain and the second voltage domain. Numerous other aspects are provided.
US08274829B2

An apparatus and method for operating an array of NOR connected flash nonvolatile memory cells erases the array in increments of a page, block, sector, or the entire array while minimizing operational disturbances and providing bias operating conditions to prevent gate to source breakdown in peripheral devices. The apparatus has a row decoder circuit and a source decoder circuit for selecting the nonvolatile memory cells for providing biasing conditions for reading, programming, verifying, and erasing the selected nonvolatile memory cells while minimizing operational disturbances and preventing gate to source breakdown in peripheral devices.
US08274827B2

The invention provides a memory device on a substrate. The memory device comprises semiconductor layers, common word lines, common bit lines and a common source line. The semiconductor layers are stacked on the substrate, wherein each semiconductor layer has a plurality of NAND strings, and each NAND string includes memory cells and at least a string selection transistor. The common word lines are configured above the semiconductor layers, wherein each common word line is coupled to the memory cells arranged in a same row of the semiconductor layers. The common bit lines are configured on the common word lines, wherein each common bit line is coupled to a first ends of the NAND strings arranged in the same column of the semiconductor layers. The common source line is configured on the common word lines and coupled to a second ends of the NAND strings of the semiconductor layers.
US08274818B2

Provided is a high-speed and ultra-low-power-consumption nonvolatile memory having a high temperature stability at a zero magnetic field. In a tunnel magnetoresistive film constituting a nonvolatile magnetic memory that employs a writing method using a spin-transfer torque, an insulating layer and a nonmagnetic conductive layer are stacked above a ferromagnetic free layer.
US08274816B2

According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile memory device includes a memory layer and a driver section. The memory layer has a first state having a first resistance under application of a first voltage, a second state having a second resistance higher than the first resistance under application of a second voltage higher than the first voltage, and a third state having a third resistance between the first resistance and the second resistance under application of a third voltage between the first voltage and the second voltage. The driver section is configured to apply at least one of the first voltage, the second voltage and the third voltage to the memory layer to record information in the memory layer.
US08274812B2

A method for programming a two terminal resistive memory device, the method includes applying a bias voltage to a first electrode of a resistive memory cell of the device; measuring a current flowing through the cell; and stopping the applying of the bias voltage if the measured current is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
US08274800B2

A digital signal processing circuit which performs average current control is disposed on a secondary side of a transformer of an isolated DC-DC converter, and a switching control signal output from the digital signal processing circuit is transmitted to a switching element included in a power factor correction converter through an isolated drive circuit. The digital signal processing circuit obtains an average value of currents supplied to an inductor in accordance with a voltage output from a bias winding of the inductor or an output from a secondary side of a current transformer which detects a drain current of the switching element. Furthermore, the average value of the currents corresponds to a waveform (full-wave rectification sine wave) of an input voltage Vi.
US08274793B2

A heatsink mounting system (10) is provided for containing and engaging a heatsink (16) against a heat generating component, typically an IC chip (18). The system (10) is includes a rectangular integrally formed resilient frame (12) defining a cavity (26) in which the heatsink (16) is contained. The frame (12) includes a pair of opposed lateral sides (30) and a pair of opposing gripping sides (28) with L-shaped corner blocks (32) depending from the intersections thereof. The gripping sides (28) include centrally positioned grip handles (38) with curved handle posts (39) extending upward and grip blocks (34) depending therefrom, each grip block (34) having a grip tongue (36) at the lower extent thereof extending inward into the cavity (26). Inward pressure on the grip handles (38) forces the grip tongues (36) outward to release objects captured thereby.
US08274792B2

A 3-Dimensional multi-layered modular computer (3DMC) is disclosed that comprises removable layers of at least one CPU layer, at least one volatile memory layer, and at least one Input/Output (I/O) interface layers. The layers are stacked in parallel and are electrically connected to create a computing apparatus. Each of the layers is formed from encapsulating material having one or more internal cavities for chip dice, passive components, active components, and conductor's traces. A plurality of Thermal Conducting Rods (TCRs) is capable of conducting and removing heat generated by the components in the layers from the 3DMC apparatus to an external medium. Each TCR perpendicularly passes through the layers.
US08274787B2

A thermal interposer for a heat-generating electronic component includes a thermally conducting body that is configured to be thermally coupled to the electronic component. The thermally conducting body may include a first region that is located on a first face of the thermally conducting body. The first region may be adapted to be in thermal contact with a surface of the electronic component. The thermally conducting body may also include a second region located on a second face that is opposite the first face of the thermally conducting body. The thermal interposer may also include a cold plate assembly that is removably coupled to the thermally conducting body. The cold plate assembly may be in thermal contact with the second region of the thermally conducting body. The cold plate assembly may include an inlet adapted to receive a cooling liquid into the cold plate assembly and an outlet adapted to discharge the cooling liquid from the cold plate assembly.
US08274783B2

The present invention is an avionics instrument and mounting bracket. In particular, the present invention is directed to an avionics instrument that can be mounted in a variety of positions on an aircraft instrument panel. The mounting bracket preferably comprises a cylindrical interior and an exterior with squared sides and rounded corners. The bracket has an adjustment gap with first and second ports on opposing sides and an adjustment screw spanning the adjustment gap to adjust the tightness of the bracket. The front of the bracket preferably has four panel screw ports. The avionics instrument has a display panel mounted to a cylindrical electronics housing where the diameter of the housing is less than the length of the display panel. The display panel preferably has four positional modes of display and a control button for switching between the display modes. The cylindrical electronics housing is inserted into the bracket.
US08274766B2

A magneto-resistive element includes: a first magnetic layer having a substantially fixed magnetization direction; a thin film layer disposed on the first magnetic layer and having at least one of oxide, nitride, oxynitride, and metal; and a second magnetic layer disposed on the thin film layer and having a substantially fixed magnetization direction.
US08274761B2

A magnetic head disposed in a slider arranged with an interval with respect to a magnetic disk includes a sensor that is positioned in a stepped-back position from an air bearing surface facing the magnetic disk, an insulating film that is positioned on the air bearing surface and that covers the sensor; a pair of lead films, the lead films being electrically connected to the sensor such that at least portions of the lead films are exposed on the air bearing surface, and being configured to transfer a temperature change of the air bearing surface to the sensor.
US08274755B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a magnetic disk unit capable of attaining miniaturization, lower cost, lighter weight, lower profile, and higher density. According to one embodiment, only a carriage and a spindle motor among respective constituent components of a hard disk drive (HDD) are securely attached to a support plate made of a hard metal material higher in rigidity than a shroud. All the constituent components of the HDD, except the carriage, and the spindle motor, (a voice coil motor, a ramp, a latch lever, an HDD connector and so forth), that is, the respective constituent components of the HDD, of which assembling precision, rigidity, and so forth are not required, are attached to the shroud small in wall-thickness, and lighter in weight, formed of a resin material such as plastics and so forth.
US08274754B2

An integrated bypass channel and diverter assembly for hard disk drives having small form factors is disclosed. A bypass channel is formed directly in the base plate to allow a partial bypass to exist with or without a diverter feature. The design addresses the issue of proper disk shrouding at the same time as providing the desired features for small form factor drives. The invention includes three datum planes for aligning the machined features of the bypass channel with the drive during assembly. The machined bypass channel and the upstream diverter may be combined to form the integrated assembly. The primary air flow direction from the disk stack is through the integrated partial bypass in the enclosure body and around the diverter into the main bypass channel. The invention provides a drop-in position for the diverter that has minimal encroachment into the VCM area of the drive.
US08274752B2

A digital control system, and in particular a tape drive system having a track-following servomechanism with a predictor (also referred to herein as a predictor filter), is described. In certain embodiments, the servomechanism includes an actuator, a servo channel, and a predictor coupled to the servo channel. The predictor receives from the servo channel a lateral position estimate signal and determines a modified lateral position estimate signal that reduces a difference, introduced by a tape velocity-dependent delay, e.g., introduced by the servo channel, between the modified lateral position estimate signal and an actual lateral position. The modified lateral position estimate may be used to modify a control signal sent to the actuator.
US08274750B1

A read and write system comprising a mark detection module, an offset estimation module, and a frequency adjustment module. The mark detection module is configured to generate (i) a first mark indicator when first servo data is read from a storage medium, and (ii) a second mark indicator when second servo data is read from the storage medium. The offset estimation module is configured to estimate at least one of a first distance or an offset angle based on (i) a first location of the storage medium, and (ii) a period between times when the first mark indicator and the second mark indicator are generated. The frequency adjustment module is configured to adjust a sampling frequency at which user data is read from the storage medium based on the at least one of the first distance or the offset angle.
US08274749B1

A control module for a rotating storage medium. The control module includes: a memory, a buffer control module, and a disk formatter module. The memory is configured to store a data wedge format table including a plurality of entries. The buffer control module is configured to maintain a queue, wherein each of a plurality of entries of the queue is based on a corresponding one of the plurality of entries of the data wedge format table, and wherein each of the plurality of entries of the queue includes a servo number. The disk formatter module is configured to compare the servo numbers of the plurality of entries of the queue to present servo information, wherein the present servo information is based on a present position of a read/write device in relation to the rotating storage medium.
US08274737B2

The present invention provides a retractable frame of a projection screen, which comprises: a receiving case; a rolling shaft; a rolling device; a first support rod having one end laterally extended with an engaging plate having a plate hole, two opposing sides of the engaging plate respectively having an engaging surface; a second support rod having one end extended with two engaging arms, and each engaging arm having an engaging hole; a combination member connected with the second support rod and the first support rod; a top supporter; and a projection screen. When being unfolded, the top supporter is upwardly pulled till the connection location of the second support rod and the first support rod being approximately a line, so the engaging arms can be tightly abutted against the end portions of the engaging surfaces for achieving the objective of support.
US08274732B2

The present invention relates to an optical module having a structure for reducing adverse contingencies such as increased number of fusion splicing points, drops in output, and higher costs associated with a greater number of optical components. The optical module comprises an amplification optical fiber, a transmission optical fiber, and a fusion splicing structure that fusion-splices the amplification optical fiber to the transmission optical fiber, in a state where a cover layer is removed at the tip portions, including the end faces, of these optical fibers. The fusion splicing structure includes a pumping light removing resin that covers directly the tip portions of the amplification optical fiber and the transmission optical fiber from which the cover layer is removed. The pumping light removing resin has a higher refractive index than a first cladding of the amplification optical fiber. The above configuration allows transmitted pumping light, for which the confinement effect by the first cladding of the amplification optical fiber is cancelled, to escape more efficiently out of the fusion splicing portion.
US08274729B2

Electro-optic elements are becoming commonplace in a number of vehicular and architectural applications. Various electro-optic element configurations provide variable transmittance and or variable reflectance for windows and mirrors. The present invention relates to various thin-film coatings, electro-optic elements and assemblies incorporating these elements.
US08274725B2

A shutter includes micro-optics having first and second concentrator arrays. A transducer laterally displaces one of the first and second concentrator arrays between transmissive and shuttered modes. In the transmissive mode, the arrays of concentrators are optically aligned to permit electromagnetic energy passing through the first array of concentrators to pass through the second array of concentrators. In the shuttered mode, the electromagnetic radiation is blocked from passing through the second array of concentrators. The concentrators may be compound parabolic concentrators, or lenslets positioned on opposing plates with pinholes printed therethrough. The shutter may increase f-number of radiation passing therethrough, and may be used in a limited f-cone radiation source with shuttering abilities, for example reducing f-cone of radiation output from the radiation source.
US08274720B2

An afocal beam relay has a concave reflective surface having a first center of curvature and a first vertex that define an optical axis. A convex reflective surface has a second center of curvature that is substantially coincident with the first center of curvature and a second vertex that lies along the optical axis. The convex reflective surface faces toward the concave reflective surface to relay a decentered entrance pupil to a decentered exit pupil. An aspheric corrector element is disposed in the path of input light that is directed to the decentered entrance pupil and has correction values that are substantially centered on the first center of curvature.
US08274719B2

A printing system is capable of displaying a preview of an image with a low resolution without causing degradation in performance and affinity for an operating system. When previewing is performed, preview printer information corresponding to the low resolution is set as printer information in a printer graphics driver by a print processor. The printer graphics driver produces a preview file by converting (rasterizing) an EMF spool file into low-resolution data. The resultant preview file is displayed as a print image on a display by a previewer.
US08274704B2

An information processing apparatus processes, for each pixel, multivalued image data for a unit area of a recording medium, so as to form an image on the unit area with a plurality of relative movements between a recording head and the recording medium. The apparatus has a selector that selects a first processing mode for dividing the multivalued image data into a plurality of pieces of multivalued image data corresponding to the plurality of relative movements, and then quantizing each of the plurality of pieces of multivalued image data, or a second processing mode for quantizing the multivalued image data into quantized image data, and then dividing the quantized image data into a plurality of pieces of quantized image data corresponding to the plurality of relative movements. The selector selects the processing mode based on a content (attribute, grayscale, color, etc.) of the multivalued image data.
US08274703B1

A method includes receiving an input file comprising input color values in a first color space. The at least one input color value includes an over-range color value in the first color space. The method also includes encoding the input color values including encoding each over-range color value as an in-range color value in the first color space to generate encoded input color values. The method further includes creating an output file that includes the encoded color values and an indicator. The indicator indicates that the output file includes encoded color values.
US08274693B2

Input data in which fixed data and variable data are mixed is processed in a system in which a plate offset press for processing fixed data and a plateless digital press capable of processing variable data are connected. A number of pages of fixed data to be printed in succession by the plate offset press is acquired. When the acquired number of pages of fixed data to be printed in succession by the plate offset press does not exceed a number of pages of fixed data to be printed in succession in the input data, a first job is generated to assign, for the plate offset press, pages of fixed data in the input data. A second job is generated to assign, for the plateless digital press, the remaining input data obtained by excluding the fixed data assigned for the plate offset press from the input data.
US08274692B2

In order to control printing of at least one of a plurality of digital images, zero or no value is set as a default value for a number of print copy of every one of the digital images. If any, an instruction for setting the number of print copy of at least one of the digital images is received. An instruction for printing the at least one of the digital images is received, under a condition that an identifier associated with one of the digital images is designated in a display. It is judged whether the at least one of the digital images includes at least one digital image to which one or more is set as the number of print copy, upon receipt of the instruction for printing. The at least one of the digital images is printed in accordance with the set number of print copy when it is judged the at least one of the digital images includes at least one digital image to which one or more is set as the number of print copy. One copy of the one of the digital images associated with the designated identifier is printed when it is judged the at least one of the digital images does not include at least one digital image to which one or more is set as the number of print copy.
US08274688B2

Methods and systems for determining print capacity are disclosed. A maximum job speed for a document processing device and information pertaining to a plurality of jobs performed by the document processing device may be received. The information may include a job speed and a job size for each job. Sets of first and second jobs may be identified from the plurality of jobs. Each first job may have a job speed greater than a percentage of the maximum job speed. Each second job may have a job speed less than the percentage of the maximum job speed. A job size threshold may be determined based on the job sizes for the first and second jobs. In response to such determination, a linear function based on the one or more second jobs may be obtained. The linear function may be a function of job speed based on job size.
US08274682B2

A method and system for using Unix commands with web services are described. The method includes reading at least one delimiter-separated string on a standard input, and preparing a request to a web service from the at least one delimiter-separated string, where the web service is specified by a command-line argument. The method further includes transmitting the request to the web service, and providing, to a standard output, a response of the web service to the request.
US08274676B2

An image output control apparatus includes a recognition unit for recognizing mounting of a recording medium, a reading unit for reading image-reproduction instruction data recorded in the recording medium based on the recognition of the mounting, and a generation unit for performing image generation for output by selectively reading necessary image data from the information recording medium in accordance with the image-reproduction instruction data.
US08274669B2

A disclosed image forming apparatus performs communications in a non-contact manner with a mobile terminal device storing print information. The image forming apparatus stores, in association with each other, identification information for identifying a reading unit configured to read the print information, function information indicating a function of processing the print information, and function setting information indicating process contents of the function; reads the print information stored in the mobile terminal device with a reading unit disposed in the image forming apparatus at a position according to the function information and the function setting information; acquires the stored function information and function setting information associated with the identification information held by the reading unit that has read the print information; and processes the print information based on the acquired function information and function setting information.
US08274665B2

A digital camera device includes a housing defining a slot for receiving a printed instruction card having printed thereon an array of dots representing a programming script, the housing stores therein a roll of print media; an area image sensor for sensing an image and generating pixel data representing the image; a linear image sensor for scanning the array of dots and converting the array of dots into a data signal; a microcontroller provided in the housing, the microcontroller for decoding the data signal into the programming script and applying the programming script on the pixel data; a printing mechanism for printing the pixel data, having applied thereto the programming script, on the roll of print media; a guillotine for cutting the roll of print media; and a print manager for activating the guillotine upon receiving a signal indicating a manual attempt to pull the print media from the housing.
US08274661B2

A method for calculating a shape includes dividing an aspherical test surface into a plurality of measurement regions configured to overlap with one another, receiving, at a light receiving unit, interference fringes which occur due to interference light generated by light reflected on a reference surface serving as a reference for calculating a shape of the test surface and light reflected by each of the measurement regions, and calculating surface shapes of the measurement regions, and calculating a shape of the test surface by joining the calculated surface shapes, wherein the calculation of surface shapes includes adjusting relative positions of the test surface and the reference surface and adjusting a position of the light receiving unit so that the test surface and the light receiving unit have a conjugate relationship with each other in a state in which the position of the test surface is adjusted.
US08274658B2

An optical measuring head for a duct gas monitoring system is provided, the measuring head being mounted to an outer wall of a gas duct through which the duct gas flows. The measuring head has a longitudinal chamber which at one end opens into the gas duct and at the other end contains an active optical component. The chamber is flushed with a purge gas which, after flushing the chamber, is discharged into the gas duct. A gas line is installed between the chamber and interior of the gas duct at a point upstream of a discharge point and the purge gas is a branch-off of the duct gas.
US08274655B2

Particle detection systems configured to identify a particle in a bulk sample volume are less efficient than those configured to measure a single particle. A particle detection system according to an inventive embodiment can identify a particle in a fluid stream. The detection system may employ one or more heating stations. Each heating station may be set to a distinct temperature. The heating stations may include a light source and a light detector, such that once a particle traverses a beam provided by the light source, the light detector may measure resultant optical scattering. Based on the optical scattering with respect to temperature or temperature variation, an identification of the single particle may be obtained, thereby eliminating measurement inaccuracies associated with bulk sample volumes. The particle detection system may detect organic particles among inorganic particles in various fluid flow environments, such as for safety or quality purposes.
US08274640B2

Flexibly deformable holding elements operate such that substrates can be held in a fixed manner at a surface of the holding element electrostatically or also by use of negative pressure and planar positional deviations or unwanted deformations can be compensated simply and reliably, where at least one cut-out having an opening arranged at the rear side is formed at the rear side of the holding element which is disposed opposite the surface, and an actuator is arranged there exerting compressive forces or pulling forces for a widening or narrowing of the cut-out and/or for a deformation of the holding element.
US08274634B2

A flexible printed circuit includes: a first wiring layer and a second wiring layer being in contact with one surface of a flexible substrate, a third wiring layer and a fourth wiring layer on the other surface of the flexible substrate, a first conductive member being formed on surfaces in proximity to a through hole of the second wiring layer and the fourth wiring layer; a second conductive member being formed on surfaces in proximity to the first end section of the first wiring layer and the third wiring layer; and an insulating layer being formed in a space between the first wiring layer and the second conductive member, and the second wiring layer and the first conductive member and a space between the third wiring layer and the second conductive member, and the fourth wiring layer and the first conductive member.
US08274630B2

Liquid crystal is sandwiched between a first substrate in rectangular form and a second substrate in rectangular form, pixel electrodes and a first alignment film are formed on the first substrate, a counter electrode and a second alignment film are formed on the second substrate, the second alignment film is rubbed in a direction at an angle in a range of 45°+/−3° relative to one side of the second substrate, the counter electrode is provided with a protruding pad portion, and the direction in which the pad portion extends is to an angle of 15° or more and 35° or less with the side of the second substrate.
US08274626B2

A diffuser prism sheet, an LCD back light unit including the same, and an LCD device including the same, the diffuser prism sheet including a base film made of a transparent material, and a light refracting part on a surface of the base film, the light refracting part including a plurality of unit prisms arranged in one direction, having a predetermined cross-sectional shape and valley regions between adjacent unit prisms, and light diffusing elements in the valley regions between the adjacent unit prisms.
US08274625B2

Disclosed is a cellulose ester film which rarely causes the attachment of foreign matters to the surface of a conveying roll or the failure of film transfer induced by the attachment of the foreign matters, which is free of the partial deformation caused by foreign matters on the conveying roll, exhibits high durability after saponification treatment, has good close adhesion to a polarizer, and has excellent processing suitability in the processing into a polarizer. Also disclosed is a method for producing the cellulose ester film by a melt-casting process. Further disclosed are; a protective film for a polarizing plate, which has high film strength; a polarizing plate having high durability; and a liquid crystal display having high image quality; each comprising the cellulose ester film. The cellulose ester film comprises a cellulose ester, a compound represented by the general formula (1) and a compound represented by the general formula (2).
US08274623B2

An LCD and a method for assembling the LCD are provided. The LCD includes a display assembly and a tape. The display assembly has a top surface, a bottom surface which is opposite the top surface, and a lateral edge connected the edge of the top surface with the edge of the bottom surface. The tape comprises a peripheral portion and a bending portion extending from the peripheral portion. The peripheral portion is utilized to attach to the peripheral area of the top surface, and the bending portion is bended to attach to the lateral edge and the peripheral area of the bottom surface.
US08274611B2

Systems and methods that facilitate the use and operation of a television (TV) with an integrated sound projection system. The sound projector preferably comprises an array of speakers configurable to project beams that reflect off the walls and ceiling to create surround sound. In one embodiment, the user can use a graphical user interface-base menu system to move the sound beams around the viewing room while being presented with a graphical representation of the same. In another embodiment, a TV remote control unit can be equipped with a embedded microphone and microprocessor control to measure the audio level and transmit the level back to the TV to be used to automatically setup audio levels and delays in surround systems. In another embodiment, individual audio settings could be saved per each activity for a preferred viewing experience for a given activity.
US08274608B2

In an image processing apparatus, an image processor includes: a matrix switcher, wherein intersecting input and output lines are connected by crosspoint switches; a signal processing block connected to output lines on the upstream side, and input lines on the downstream side by reentry paths; and an output block connected to output lines on the upstream side. An external reentry settings unit sets a first and second port of the matrix switcher as external reentry output ports, the first port being a matrix switcher output port, and the second port being a matrix switcher input port. A reentry stage information generator generates reentry stage information, which indicates the stage of the internal signal processing path where a special function unit is logically positioned, and wherein the special function unit corresponds to the external reentry output ports of the signal processing block and the output block.
US08274598B2

In an image capturing apparatus that is capable of selecting a display mode for live view display from multiple display modes, the difference between a measured subject brightness and an image brightness obtained from an exposure condition for acquiring live view images is obtained. Then, exposure conditions for acquiring the live view images are changed depending on a threshold corresponding to the selected display mode and on the value of the obtained difference. The image capturing apparatus allows for control of the exposure conditions for acquiring the live view images in accordance with the selected live view display mode.
US08274594B2

An image-capturing module for simplifying optical component includes a first substrate unit, an image-capturing unit, an optical imaging unit, a second substrate unit, a light-emitting unit and a cover unit. The second substrate unit is disposed on the outer surface of the optical imaging unit and electrically connected to the first substrate unit. The light-emitting unit has a light-emitting element electrically disposed on the second substrate unit. The cover unit has a reflective layer formed on an inner surface thereof. Therefore, the light beams generated by the light-emitting element are reflected by the reflective layer to form first reflected light beams projected onto the object, then the first reflected light beams are reflected by the object to form second reflected light beams projected onto the optical imaging unit, and then the second reflected light beams pass through the optical imaging unit and project onto the image-capturing unit.
US08274590B2

Photosensitive cells each includes a photodiode (1), a transfer gate (2), a floating diffusion layer portion (3), an amplifying transistor (4), and a reset transistor (5). Drains of the amplifying transistors (4) of the photosensitive cells are connected to a power supply line (10), and a pulsed power supply voltage (VddC) is applied to the power supply line (10). Here, a low-level potential (VddC_L) of the power supply voltage has a predetermined potential higher than zero potential. Specifically, by making the low-level potential (VddC_L) higher than channel potentials obtained when a low level is applied to the reset transistors (5), or channel potentials obtained when a low level is applied to the transfer gates (2), or channel potentials of the photodiodes (1), a reproduced image with low noise is read.
US08274583B2

A system, apparatus, computer readable medium, and method for radially-dependent noise reduction in image capturing devices involving an edge-preserving blur window are disclosed. In one embodiment, the edge-preserving blur includes only those pixels in the blur window that are within a threshold value of the blur window's current center pixel in its blurring calculation. By creating a threshold function that varies radially from the center of the image sensor's light intensity falloff function, a more appropriate threshold value can be chosen for each pixel, allowing for more noise farther from the center of the image, and allowing for less noise closer to the center of the image. Light-product information taken from the image's metadata may be used to scale the threshold value parameters dynamically. This allows the method to perform the appropriate amount of processing depending on the lighting situation of the image that is currently being processed.
US08274573B2

Embodiments of the invention disclose a system and a method for generating an output video having a first temporal resolution from input videos acquired synchronously of a scene by at least three cameras, wherein each input video has a second temporal resolution, wherein the second temporal resolution is less than the first temporal resolution. The method obtains frames of each input video, wherein the frames are sampled according to a code selected such that an integration time of the corresponding camera is greater than a frame time of the output video. Next, the method combines intensities of pixels of corresponding frames in a linear system; and solves the linear system independently for each corresponding frame to generate the output video.
US08274548B2

A network camera system which is capable of generating a panoramic image by smooth or seamless connection of images, even when a network camera having a wide-angle lens is used. A network camera system includes a network camera that has a wide-angle lens which can be controlled for zooming, and a PC that is connected to the image pickup device via a network, for controlling the network camera. The PC comprises a panoramic image generation unit for generating a panoramic image by connecting a plurality of images picked up by the network camera and a remote zoom unit for causing the wide-angle lens of the image pickup device to move to a predetermined position when the network camera system is in a panoramic shooting mode.
US08274543B2

Conferencing methods and systems are disclosed wherein tags are associated with conferencing endpoints. The tags provide information enabling a decision-making entity to determine the preferability of one or more processing aspects of the endpoints. In a multipoint conference a tag can allow a decision making entity such as an MCU to determine the most appropriate mode for rendering video or other signals sent from a tagged endpoint. The tag itself can indicate the most appropriate mode or can contain information from which the decision-making entity can determine the most appropriate mode using an algorithm. A tag can be associated with an endpoint manually, for example based on a user's or controller's inputs concerning the endpoint. Alternatively, the tag can be assigned automatically based on automatically sensing one or more conditions at an endpoint or analyzing one or more parameters of a data stream transmitted from the endpoint.
US08274541B2

A light scanning unit including: a housing including optical components disposed on an optical path, wherein an electrostatic latent image is formed by scanning light beams respectively onto a plurality of photosensitive drums, wherein a plurality of slits are formed, in a sub-scan direction, in both side frames of the housing which face each other; and a thermal expansion control unit disposed on both of the side frames and having a lower thermal expansion coefficient than the thermal expansion coefficient of the housing. Since the change of the scan line due to the thermal deformation may be reduced in the light scanning unit, the light scanning unit may be efficiently applied to electrophotographic imaging apparatuses in any orientation. For example, the light scanning unit may be installed in an electrophotographic imaging apparatus so as to be parallel to or perpendicular to the main body of the electrophotographic imaging apparatus.
US08274540B2

An image forming apparatus includes a photoconductive body on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, an exposure unit which exposes the photoconductive body, a first pressing member which presses the exposure unit toward the photoconductive body, a first positioning member which makes a contact with the exposure unit, a second positioning member which is arranged at a side nearer to the photoconductive body than the first positioning member in an optical axial direction of light, and a second pressing member which presses the exposure unit toward the second positioning member. A point of action at which the first pressing member presses the exposure unit is positioned at a side nearer to the photoconductive body, than the first positioning member in the optical axial direction. It is possible to suppress a degradation of an image quality by suppressing an effect of vibrations with respect to the exposure unit.
US08274538B2

The emission intensity of a laser beam source, at a time when a laser beam emitted from the laser beam source and scanned by an optical scanning device becomes incident to a laser beam detector provided in a predetermined position on the scanning path of the laser beam in order to hold a position of an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor constant in the main scanning direction, while at the same time, changing the emission intensity of the laser beam, is set so as to become the consistently same emission intensity regardless of a change in emission intensity at the time of electrostatic latent image formation onto a photoreceptor. This allows the detection timing of a laser beam by a laser beam detector to be kept constant.
US08274526B2

A method, apparatus and system for visual gamma correction of a display system includes retrieving input gamma information from input content, determining at least one pattern representing luminance of the received content based upon at least the retrieved gamma information, displaying the at least one determined pattern representing the luminance of the received image content and at least one corresponding reference image on the display system, and adjusting the brightness and contrast of the least one reference image on the display system to approach the luminance of a corresponding determined pattern to determine a corrected gamma for the display system.
US08274520B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a system for performing caching in an image-processing system. The system starts by receiving a filtering query for resources in a cache. The system then returning a subcache in response to the filtering query. Upon receiving a resource query for resources in the subcache, the system performs the filtering query on the cache, populates the subcache with addresses of resources returned by the filtering query until the resource query is satisfied, and returns available resources from the subcache in response to the resource query.
US08274517B2

Systems and methods for downloading algorithmic elements to a coprocessor and corresponding processing and communication techniques are provided. For an improved graphics pipeline, the invention provides a class of co-processing device, such as a graphics processor unit (GPU), providing improved capabilities for an abstract or virtual machine for performing graphics calculations and rendering. The invention allows for runtime-predicated flow control of programs downloaded to coprocessors, enables coprocessors to include indexable arrays of on-chip storage elements that are readable and writable during execution of programs, provides native support for textures and texture maps and corresponding operations in a vertex shader, provides frequency division of vertex streams input to a vertex shader with optional support for a stream modulo value, provides a register storage element on a pixel shader and associated interfaces for storage associated with representing the “face” of a pixel, provides vertex shaders and pixel shaders with more on-chip register storage and the ability to receive larger programs than any existing vertex or pixel shaders and provides 32 bit float number support in both vertex and pixel shaders.
US08274515B2

A method for converting an image includes the steps of: obtaining an inclination of a character in the image; obtaining apex pixels forming contours of the character; obtaining an identical line segment candidate pixel group from a portion supposed to be expressed by a single line segment; extracting, based on the inclination, the identical line segment candidate pixel group as an identical line segment pixel group; obtaining both-end pixels which are apex pixels located on both sides of the identical line segment pixel group thus extracted; approximating, by a line segment connecting between the both-end pixels thus obtained, a contour of the character in a portion corresponding to the both-end pixels; and approximating a portion, excluding the portion that has been approximated, by a straight line or a curved line by performing an outlining process using apex pixels other than the apex pixels of the identical line segment pixel group.
US08274509B2

A system, method, and computer program for component scattering, comprising calculating a bounding box for each of a plurality of parts; calculating a centroid corresponding to each of said bounding boxes; placing a first part having a bounding box and a centroid at said start position, and; placing said plurality of parts in a pre-determined direction from said first part; whereby in a single operation said plurality of parts are logically added to an assembly view in a pre-determined manner, and appropriate means and computer-readable instructions.
US08274507B2

In one embodiment, a three dimensional imaging system includes a portable housing configured to be carried by a user, microelectrical mechanical system (MEMS) projector supported by the housing sensor supported by the housing and configured to detect signals emitted by the MEMS projector, a memory including program instructions for generating an encoded signal with the MEMS projector, emitting the encoded signal, detecting the emitted signal after the emitted signal is reflected by a body, associating the detected signal with the emitted signal, comparing the detected signal with the associated emitted signal, determining an x-axis dimension, a y-axis dimension, and a z-axis dimension of the body based upon the comparison, and storing the determined x-axis dimension, y-axis dimension, and z-axis dimension of the body, and a processor operably connected to the memory, to the sensor, and to the MEMS projector for executing the program instructions.
US08274495B2

A touch screen that employs a lens-less linear IR sensor array and an IR light source from a single location at the periphery of the screen to illuminate one or more objects proximate to the screen surface and detect light reflected from such objects. The sensor array is paired with a proximal grid-like barrier/reflector to create Moiré patterns on the sensor array. Digital signal processing converts such patterns into discrete Fourier transforms. The peaks of the lower order discrete Fourier spectrum as well as the complex phases of the lower order peaks can be used to determine the locations of the objects proximal to the screen accurately. A small number of pressure or surface acoustic sensors at the periphery of the screen are utilized to improve positioning reliability by providing redundant positioning information and registering physical contacts with the screen.
US08274482B2

A system for managing a graphical user interface (GUI) pointer on a touch sensitive screen of a mobile communication terminal is provided. The system comprises a logic unit for displaying a pointer on a first display point on the screen in response to a user touching the screen at a first touch point on the screen, wherein the first display point is a first distance away from the first touch point.
US08274480B2

A contact sensitive device (10) comprising a member (12) capable of supporting bending waves, a first sensor (16) mounted on the member for measuring bending wave vibration in the member, the sensor (16) determining a first measured bending wave signal and a processor which calculates information relating to a contact on the member (12) from the measured bending wave signal, the processor applying a correction based on the dispersion relation of the material of the member (12) supporting the bending waves, characterized in that the device (10) comprises a second sensor (16) to determine a second measured bending wave signal which is measured simultaneously with the first measured bending wave signal and the processor calculates a dispersion corrected function of the two measured bending wave signals which is selected from the group consisting of a dispersion corrected correlation function, a dispersion corrected convolution function, a dispersion corrected coherence function and other phase equivalent functions to determine information relating to the contact.
US08274479B2

An input device that includes both a movement detector, such as mechanical switch, and positional indicator, such as touch pad touch screen, and/or touch sensing housing is disclosed. These two input devices can be used substantially simultaneously to provide a command to the device. In this manner, different commands can be associated with depressing a moveable member in different areas and a single moveable member can perform like several buttons.
US08274478B2

A telephone keypad for one touch text messaging the QWERTY pattern of keys in a matrix of nine keys. Using the multi position biasing keys only one touch is needed for each character, so in use to input the letter “C” you touch one key one time, decreasing the time spend text messaging from cell phones or desk tops and dialing phone numbers advertised in letters. The keypad also has a shift key to get upper case included in the nine keys, and a 2nd key to double functionality of the keys.
US08274477B2

A wireless computer mouse includes a first operating portion, a second operating portion, a circuit board, and a switch. A pair of LEDs is mounted on the circuit board. One of the LEDs corresponds to the first operating portion, and another LED corresponds to the second operating portion. An optic member is mounted on the circuit board. The optic member includes two opposite reflecting portions. Each of the reflecting portions corresponds to one LED, and each of the reflecting portions is configured to reflect the light of the corresponding LED to highlight a surface underneath the mouse. The switch is configured for selectively enabling the first operating portion and the second operating portion. When the first operating portion is enabled, the LED corresponding to the first operating portion lights. When the second operating portion is enabled, the LED corresponding to the second operating portion lights.
US08274475B2

A method for providing coordinate information to an external device and a video apparatus thereof. The coordinate information providing method includes receiving coordinate information input by a user from an input device; and transmitting a coordinate information delivery message containing the coordinate information input through the input device, to an external device connected according to a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) specification. Accordingly, the video apparatus can control the external device by transferring the coordinate information to the external device.
US08274474B2

To provide a character input device allowing a user to smoothly carry out a “character input operation which is carried out by initially selecting any character group from a plurality of character groups each corresponding to a plurality of characters, then selecting any character from among those corresponding to that group, and determining the selected character as an input character”. The display control unit (140) causes display means to display a character input screen which contains character group correspondence images corresponding to the plurality of character groups, and an input candidate presentation image for presenting characters corresponding to the focused character group, in which the character group correspondence image corresponding to the focus character group is distinctively displayed, and the character specified as a currently selected input candidate among the characters set corresponding to the focused character group is distinctively displayed in the input candidate presentation image. The input character determination unit (138) determines the character specified as the currently selected input candidate as the input character according to an input character determination operation.
US08274469B2

The invention relates to a display device that preforms gradation display. The display device comprising: a display area in which a plurality of pixels is arrayed, a first storing section that stores a gradation that is to be displayed, a first converting section that looks up the first storing section so as to convert an image signal into a first sub-field data, a temperature-data acquiring section that acquires a temperature of the display area; a second storing section that stores a temperature of the display area, a second converting section that looks up the second storing section so as to convert the temperature into a second sub-field data, a combining section that combines the first sub-field data and the second sub-field data, and a driving section that controls an ON/OFF state for each of the plurality of pixels on the basis of the combined sub-field data.
US08274467B2

An exemplary liquid crystal display (LCD) (200) includes an LCD panel having a plurality of display regions (240) arranged sequentially; a plurality of gate driving circuit (250) respectively connected to the display regions for providing scan signal to scanning the display region; at least a data driving circuit (230) for generating gradation voltages and providing the gradation voltages to the corresponding scanned display region; and a delay control circuit connected between the data driving circuit and the display regions for delaying the gradation voltages provided to each display region. The sum of the first delay value generated by the delay control circuit when the gradation voltages are applied to one of the display regions and the second delay value of the same gradation voltages being generated when the gradation voltages are transmitted from the gate driving circuit to the same one of the display regions is approximately constant for all of the display regions.
US08274463B2

A transflective liquid crystal display (TR LCD) including a display panel, a first reference voltage line and a second reference voltage line is disclosed. The display panel includes: a plurality of scan lines; a plurality of data lines, disposed substantially perpendicularly to the scan lines; a plurality of pixels arranged in an array, respectively coupled to a corresponding data line and a corresponding scan line. Each pixel has a transparent area and a reflection area, and each row of pixels is divided by definition into a first pixel-group and a second pixel-group. The above-mentioned first reference voltage line and second reference voltage line are respectively coupled to the reflection areas of the pixels of the first pixel-group and the second pixel-group of each row of pixels for respectively receiving a first reference voltage signal and a second reference voltage signal, wherein both the reference voltage signals are time-varying or periodic.
US08274450B2

A discharge sustain driver circuit for a plasma display device, the driver circuit comprising a first transistor switching circuit for switching a DC bus voltage across the plasma display device; a storage capacitance; at least one inductor; and first and second bi-directional switching circuits coupled in series and being coupled to the first switching circuit to transfer charge from the plasma display device through the at least one inductor to the storage capacitance, and back to the plasma display device; and a controller for the bi-directional switching circuits to control the bi-directional switching circuits so as to receive the charge on the storage capacitance and return the charge in an opposite charge direction to the plasma display device.
US08274443B2

A light weight stowable antenna lens array assembly is provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a stowable lens antenna array including at least one antenna pair including a transmit antenna on a first layered composite, a receive antenna on a second layered composite, a ground plane on a third layered composite, the ground plane being between and spaced apart from the transmit antenna and the receive antenna, and a balanced transmission line coupling the transmit antenna to the receive antenna, and an articulating structure attached to at least one of the first layered composite, the second layered composite and the third layered composite, the articulating structure having a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration, wherein at least one of the first layered composite, the second layered composite and the third layered composite includes a polymeric film.
US08274442B2

A slot antenna located on a substrate with a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface includes a feeding portion and a radiating portion. The feeding portion is located on the first surface of the substrate to feed electromagnetic signals. The radiating portion is located on the second surface of the substrate and defines a sector-shaped slot, a first rectangle-shaped slot, a second rectangle-shaped slot, and a third rectangle-shaped slot, wherein the sector-shaped slot is defined by a first semidiameter, a second semidiameter, and an arc connected one by one.
US08274439B2

An antenna may include an enclosure formed by a front wall and a back wall opposite to the front wall, and a front face and a back face opposite to the front face. Both the front face and the back face extend between the front wall and the back wall to form a cavity within the enclosure. The enclosure further includes a slot formed in the front face to form a cavity backed slot. A radio frequency (RF) connector is mounted in the front wall. A shaped feed line is mounted within the cavity and is electrically connected to the RF connector to transmit and receive RF energy. The shaped feed line extends across the slot to couple the RF energy between the slot and the shaped feed line. The shaped feed line has a predetermined structure to substantially reduce an electric field strength to improve power handing of the antenna.
US08274437B2

A mobile wireless communications device may include a housing and a multi-frequency band antenna carried within the housing. The multi-frequency band antenna may include a main loop conductor having a gap therein defining first and second ends of the main loop conductor, a first branch conductor having a first end connected adjacent the first end of the main loop conductor and having a second end defining a first feed point, and a second branch conductor having a first end connected adjacent the second end of the main loop conductor and a second end defining a second feed point. A third branch conductor has a first portion within the main loop conductor, and a second portion connected to the second feed point. A tuning branch conductor may have a first end connected to the main loop conductor between the respective first ends of the first and second branches.
US08274430B2

Systems, methods and devices for improving the performance of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers are disclosed. In particular, the improvement of the ability to calculate a satellite position or a receiver position where a receiver has degraded ability to receive broadcast ephemeris data directly from a GNSS satellite is disclosed. Correction terms can be applied to an approximate long-term satellite position model such as the broadcast almanac.
US08274420B2

There is provided a successive approximation analog-to-digital converter including only minimal capacitors to perform an analog-to-digital conversion operation, thereby making it possible to have very strong process change resistance characteristics while having reduced capacitance and circuit area. The successive approximation analog-to-digital converter may include a reference current supplying unit that supplies a reference current; a signal storage unit that stores a reference signal generated by charging the reference current and an input signal input from the outside; a comparing unit that compares the reference signal and the input signal; and a controller that controls the reference current supplying unit while generating the digital output signal based on the comparison result of the comparing unit to change the supply amount of the reference current supplied to the signal storage unit in proportion to the binary code.
US08274416B2

A digital-to-analog (DA) converter includes: an analog output section that generates an output current corresponding to a value of a digital signal in response to a bias voltage and outputs an analog signal which is obtained from the output current by current-to-voltage conversion; a current source; a current control section that converts a current from the current source to a voltage signal and outputs the voltage signal as the bias voltage; and a sample and hold circuit section that samples and holds the bias voltage from the current control section and supplies the held bias voltage to the analog output section.
US08274415B2

A discrete time sigma-delta modulator apparatus for class-D operation comprises a feed-forward path having an input at one end thereof and an output at another end thereof. A first summation unit is coupled in the feed-forward path to a first integrator. A quantizer is coupled in the feed-forward path after the first integrator and a feedback path arrangement is coupled to an input of the first summation unit. A low pass filter is arranged in the feedback path arrangement so as only to drive the first integrator.
US08274413B1

A timing loop for generating a channel clock signal for driving an analog to digital converter (ADC) includes a slicer bias loop configured to generate an asymmetry compensation signal for a digital output signal from the ADC, the first adder configured to asymmetrically compensate the digital output signal based on the asymmetry compensation signal from the slicer bias loop, a limit equalizer configured to limit a boost range of the asymmetrically compensated digital output signal from the adder, a slicer configured to generate a temporary decision signal based on the asymmetrically compensated digital output signal from the limit equalizer, a phase detector configured to generate a timing error signal based on the asymmetrically compensated digital output signal from the limit equalizer and the temporary decision signal from the slicer; and the first filter configured to generate a clock signal for driving the ADC based on the time error signal from the phase detector.
US08274406B2

The invention is related to methods and apparatus that use a visual sensor and dead reckoning sensors to process Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). These techniques can be used in robot navigation. Advantageously, such visual techniques can be used to autonomously generate and update a map. Unlike with laser rangefinders, the visual techniques are economically practical in a wide range of applications and can be used in relatively dynamic environments, such as environments in which people move. One embodiment further advantageously uses multiple particles to maintain multiple hypotheses with respect to localization and mapping. Further advantageously, one embodiment maintains the particles in a relatively computationally-efficient manner, thereby permitting the SLAM processes to be performed in software using relatively inexpensive microprocessor-based computer systems.
US08274401B2

The invention relates to a method of performing measurements with a portable meter and reporting measurement data from the portable meter to a central office over a secure channel. The method includes synchronizing the portable meter and the central office though a trusted interface prior to taking measurements at a customer location.
US08274399B2

A drilling system has multiple cutting structures, including a bit and one or more secondary cutting structures. A method balances the rate of penetration of the drilling system and the wear on the cutting structures by controlling weight on bit and RPM. The method includes calculating a predicted rate of penetration for the bit, using in the calculation the current predicted wear on the bit and the properties of the rock to be penetrated by the bit. The method includes calculating a predicted rate of penetration for at least one of the one or more secondary cutting structures, using in the calculation the current predicted wear on the secondary cutting structure and the properties of the rock to be penetrated by the secondary cutting structure. The method includes determining the slowest rate of penetration among those calculated for the bit and at least one the one or more secondary cutting structures. The method includes calculating the weight on bit and RPM for each of the bit and at least one of the one or more secondary cutting structures to substantially match the determined slowest rate of penetration. The method includes summing the calculated weights on bit to calculate a goal weight on bit for the drilling system and setting a goal RPM for a rotary portion of the drilling system to the slowest RPM calculated for the cutting structures that rotate at substantially the speed of the rotary portion of the drilling system.
US08274394B2

A faulted circuit indicator (FCI) for providing an indication of a fault on a monitored conductor, determining whether the FCI is near the end of its useful life (or entered into an end-of-life mode) and altering an operation of the FCI if the useful life of the FCI has reached a select threshold. The operation alteration may include an alteration of the display and/or deactivation of certain features and/or functions of the FCI. Thus, the useful life of the FCI will be increased. Further, utility personnel will be more likely to notice that the FCI is in end-of-life mode. The FCI may also include a battery discharge module and a thyristor for discharging the battery for disposal upon decommissioning of the FCI.
US08274377B2

Techniques, apparatus and systems for information collecting and decision making based on one or more tiered networks of sensors and communication nodes for security monitoring and warning, disaster warning, counter-terrorism, and other applications associated with information collecting and decision making. In implementations, the one or more tier networks in the plurality of different tier networks include network nodes at roadway intersections; the sensors include automatic license plate recognition sensors to obtain data on vehicle license plates; and the response produced by the processing mechanism includes controlling traffic controllers to alter traffic routes at one or more locations. In other implementations, each command center in a tier network comprises a database to store data, a situation awareness module to provide event detection, event forecasting, assessment and response, an analytic module to analyze data characteristics, and a communication module to provide communications with adjacent subordinate and superordinate tier networks.
US08274369B2

A RFID device having a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory includes an analog block. A power-on reset unit configured to sense a power voltage and output a power sensing signal is included in the analog block. A radio frequency signal sensing unit is configured to sense the level of a detecting signal corresponding to a radio frequency signal received by the antenna of the RFID device and outputs a radio frequency sensing signal. A power-on reset mixer is configured to synthesize the power sensing signal and the radio frequency sensing signal and outputs a power-on reset signal according to the voltage levels of the power sensing signal and the radio frequency sensing signal.
US08274365B2

An electronic access control and recording system includes a lock, a card reader, a key card configured to communicate with the lock and with the card reader, a database, and an administrator microprocessor configured to provide a user interface and to communicate with the database and with the card reader. At least one of the lock and the card contain a microprocessor and a non-volatile memory storing encrypted information. In use, the key card provides access to the lock and transfers the encrypted information between the lock and the database via the card reader and the administrator microprocessor. The administrator microprocessor provides a user interface for reviewing and administering the database. The user interface also provides account and password qualification for users.
US08274361B2

The invention relates to a control device (1) for controlling hue (H) and saturation (S) of light (L) emitted by a light source (2). The device comprises a body (20) with a surface (21) containing a visible representation (10,11,12,13) of a plurality of selectable combinations of hue and saturation available for said light source. The device further has means (26) for generating at least one selection signal in response to a selection of a combination of hue and saturation on said surface, said selection signal comprising said selected hue and saturation, and means (27) for communicating said selection signal to said light source to control said hue and saturation of said light in accordance with said selected combination of hue and saturation. The control device (1) is simple and user intuitive.
US08274355B2

A trip device is disclosed, the device comprising: a power source side heater connected to a power source side of a molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) to receive current; a load side heater connected to a load side of the MCCB to receive the current; and a bimetal including a direct heat unit contacting the power source side heater and an indirect heating unit facing the power source side heater, wherein the bimetal is partially fixed between the power source side heater and the load side heater and is curved when over-current or short-circuited current flows in the MCCB.
US08274353B2

An inductor circuit is disclosed. The inductor circuit includes a first in-silicon inductor and a second in-silicon inductor each having multiple turns. A portion of the multiple turns of the second in-silicon inductor is formed between turns of the first in-silicon inductor. The first and second in-silicon inductors are configured such that a differential current flowing through the first in-silicon inductor and the second in-silicon inductor flows in a same direction in corresponding turns of inductors.
US08274352B2

An inductor device comprising a first conductive pattern on a first layer of a substrate, a second conductive pattern on a second layer of the substrate, and a first region between the first layer and the second layer through which at least one hole is coupled between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer, wherein a magnetic field induced by at least one of the first conductive pattern or the second conductive pattern at the first region is more intensive than that induced by at least one of the first conductive pattern or the second conductive pattern at a second region between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.
US08274348B2

A single coil solenoid includes a permanent magnet with bi-directional assist capabilities. The solenoid includes an armature that during de-energization of a single coil of wire is attracted to the permanent magnet thereby maintaining a hold position and during energization of the single coil has a polarity that repels the permanent magnet thereby creating a push/pull force. In this regard, the permanent magnet operates to not only hold the armature but also is used to push the armature when current is induced in the single coil.
US08274338B2

A method is provided for generating local oscillator signals for a mixer. The method includes providing a reference frequency signal and generating a differential in-phase signal and a differential quadrature signal from the reference frequency signal. The method further includes re-clocking each of the differential in-phase and differential quadrature signals using the reference frequency signal. The re-clocked differential in-phase and differential quadrature signals are then provided as the local oscillator signals for the mixer.
US08274335B1

An apparatus for implementing a front end core for a transimpedance amplifier includes an input transimpedance stage that receives an FE core input signal and responsively generates an output transimpedance gain signal. A first output gain stage receives the output transimpedance gain signal and responsively generates an FE core output signal. A phase inverter stage also receives the output transimpedance gain signal and responsively generates an inverted output signal. A second output gain stage then receives the inverted output signal and responsively generates an inverted FE core output signal.
US08274323B2

A semiconductor device includes rectifying elements which are connected in series and has a rectifying function from a first input terminal portion to an output terminal portion; a first wiring and a second wiring, which are connected to a second input terminal portion; and a boosting circuit including a plurality of capacitor elements each having a first electrode, an insulating film, and a second electrode and storing a boosted potential. The plurality of capacitor elements includes a capacitor element in which the first electrode and the second electrode are formed using conductive films, and a capacitor element in which at least the second electrode is formed using a semiconductor film. In the plurality of capacitor elements, at least a capacitor element in a first stage is a capacitor element in which the first electrode and the second electrode are formed using conductive films.
US08274321B2

A fuse circuit includes a control signal generation unit configured to generate a control signal that is enabled after a moment when a power-up signal is enabled, a potential control unit configured to control potentials of both ends of a fuse in response to the control signal, and a fuse output unit configured to be initialized in response to the power-up signal and output a fuse signal in response to whether the fuse is cut or not.
US08274313B2

A wake-up circuit, comprising: a control signal generation circuit comprising: a pulse generator configured to receive a digital signal and generate a pulse sequence signal with a frequency thereof; a first comparison circuit and a second comparison circuit both coupled to the pulse generator and configured to receive the pulse sequence signal; the first comparison circuit is configured to compare the frequency of the pulse sequence signal with a first threshold frequency and generate a first control signal; the second comparison circuit is configured to compare the frequency of the pulse sequence signal with a second threshold frequency and generate a second control signal; the frequency detector further comprises: an indication generation circuit configured to generate a wake-up indication if the frequency of the pulse sequence signal falls within a frequency range defined by the first and second threshold frequencies.
US08274310B2

A method and apparatus of providing a programmable system using non-volatile programmable transistors are disclosed. A programmable logic circuit, in one embodiment, includes a first programmable transistor and a second programmable transistor. The first programmable transistor includes a first gate terminal, a first source terminal, a first drain terminal, and a first programming terminal. The second programmable transistor includes a second gate terminal, a second source terminal, and a second drain terminal, and a second programmable terminal. The first and second programmable transistors include non-volatile memory elements. The first and the second gate terminals are coupled to an input terminal, and the first drain terminal and the second source terminal are coupled to an output terminal to perform a logic function.
US08274306B1

A physically unclonable function (PUF) device, with corresponding method, is provided for characterizing an integrated circuit. The PUF device includes a digital clock manager (DCM), a Butterfly circuit incorporated within the integrated circuit, and a shift register. The DCM receives a clock input signal (CLK) and imposes a temporal offset to produce a phase-shift signal (PS). The Butterfly circuit receives a first excite signal as said CLK and a second excite signal as said PS. In response, the Butterfly circuit produces an output that shifts state in response to a non-concurrent change in the CLK and PS. The shift register increments a shift count in response to the output.
US08274305B2

A linear voltage generating device for testing performance of a power supply includes a comparator circuit, an analog to digital (A/D) conversion circuit, and an amplifier circuit. The comparator circuit is configured for receiving a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal, and comparing the PWM signal with a reference voltage to output a filtered PWM signal. The A/D conversion circuit is configured for receiving the filtered PWM signal, and converting the filtered PWM signal to a linear digital signal. The amplifier circuit is configured for receiving the linear digital signal, and outputting an amplified linear digital signal to an electric load electrically coupled to the power supply.
US08274304B2

An alternating current (AC) power supply measuring circuit includes a voltage dividing circuit, a measuring integrated circuit (IC), a control board, and a first power rectifying circuit. The voltage dividing circuit receives an AC voltage signal and divides the AC voltage signal to a first voltage dividing signal and a second voltage dividing signal. The measuring IC receives the first and second voltage dividing signals to obtain an AC voltage measuring signal. The control board receives the AC voltage measuring signal and processes the AC voltage measuring signal. The first power rectifying circuit provides a floating ground signal to the voltage dividing circuit.
US08274295B2

A method for testing an electronics unit, especially an electronics unit of an apparatus for ascertaining and/or monitoring a process variable, wherein the electronics unit has a plurality of electrical components. At least a part of the electrical components is grouped into at least one group, and this group is supplied with a query signal. A response signal is received from the group, and the response signal is evaluated. Furthermore, the invention relates to an apparatus for determining and/or monitoring a process variable.
US08274292B2

In a cell voltage detecting system detecting cell voltages of a fuel cell connected in series, a voltage detector detects cell voltages. An auxiliary power supply generates a voltage equal to or greater than a minimum voltage for driving the voltage detector at positive and negative terminals thereof. First and second diodes are connected to a positive drive terminal of the voltage detector to supply the power to the drive terminal of the voltage detector from a high voltage side between the fuel cell or the auxiliary power supply. A negative terminal of the fuel cell, the negative drive terminal, and the negative terminal of the auxiliary power supply are connected to have a same potential. A method of maintaining a drive voltage for the voltage detector is also disclosed in which the drive voltage for the voltage detector is supplied from the high voltage side.
US08274291B2

When a battery current is not larger than a limit current set depending on the battery temperature and is flowing continuously for a predetermined time set depending on the battery temperature or longer, a decision is made that a secondary battery is in stable state. When the secondary battery is in stabilized state, the battery voltage is considered to be equal to the open circuit voltage and SOC estimation is performed based on the open circuit voltage-SOC characteristics. When the product of the internal resistance of the secondary battery and the limit current is made substantially constant (constant voltage) by setting the limit current in association with temperature dependence of the internal resistance, estimation error can be kept within a predetermined range in the stabilized state even if SOC estimation is performed while the battery voltage is assumed as the open circuit voltage. Consequently, SOC can be estimated with high precision within a predetermined error by a simple and reliable system under stabilized state.
US08274287B2

The present invention relates to a sensor arrangement. In particular, a sensor for the measurement of magnetically active or ferrous debris, for example, as generated as a result of machine wear. There is provided a sensor (5) having a magnetic sensor head adapted to produce a magnetic field, —a magnetic field sensor (10) responsive to changes in the magnetic field; a temperature probe (15); and processing means (50) for determining the amount of debris accumulated on the magnetic sensor head based on both magnetic field and temperature data.
US08274285B2

Apparatus and methods for modification of the frequency response profile of steady-state free precession (SSFP) type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences. Using alternating dephasing moments within succeeding radiofrequency (RF) excitation pulses, the frequency response function of SSFP sequences can be modified to different shapes such as near triangular or bell shaped. The particular response function as produced by alternating dephasing moments can be used, among others, for functional brain MRI, MR spectroscopy or spatial encoding.
US08274281B2

A magnetic sensor circuit includes a Hall element, first and second switching circuits, an amplifier, a threshold voltage source, a comparator that can function as a voltage follower circuit, and a reference voltage source. The circuit elements are arranged such that an offset of the magnetic sensor circuit can be eliminated to detect a weak magnetic field with high precision. In operation, the reference voltage source charges an input capacitor of the comparator to a predetermined voltage.
US08274276B2

An arrangement for testing an elongated body 1 or a welded and bonded joint in the body for faults 60 has a device 4, 5 for production of an eddy current in the elongated body 1 or its welded and bonded joint. At least one magnetic field sensor 7 for sensing the magnetic field is provided on the elongated body 1 or the welded and bonded joint. The dimensions of the at least one magnetic field sensor 7 are equal to or less than the fault 60 to be investigated.
US08274272B2

A data processing device is configured so that, in a test mode of operation, the phase of an output signal of a second programmable delay module (PDM) is based on the phase of the input signal of the first PDM. To test the first and second PDMs, the output signal of the first PDM is set to each of a first set of phases and the corresponding phase of the output signal of the second PDM is compared to determine whether the performance of the first and second PDMs match a specification. Accordingly, the first and second PDMs are qualified based on their relative performance, reducing the need for test structures that consume an undesirably large amount of area.
US08274271B2

A motherboard with overclocking and overvolting functions is provided. The motherboard with an overvolting function includes a specified component, a voltage regulator and a micro-controller. The specified component receives an operating voltage. The voltage regulator generates the operating voltage according to a reference voltage. The micro-controller is electrically connected to an external input device for receiving a control signal issued by the external input device and adjusting the reference voltage according to the control signal.
US08274269B2

Provided are a switching circuit and a small-size high-efficiency direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) converter for portable devices including the same. Using dynamic threshold-complementary metal oxide semiconductor (DT-CMOS) transistors having dynamic threshold voltages as a switching device, the switching circuit maintains a low threshold voltage in a normal mode to improve current drivability while reducing conduction loss, and maintains a high threshold voltage in a standby mode to minimize power consumption. When the switching circuit is employed in a DC-DC converter, power conversion efficiency can be improved by reducing conduction loss in the normal mode, and power consumption can be minimized in the standby mode. Consequently, the DC-DC converter can maximize a use time of a battery of a portable device and can be useful in power supplies of portable devices that are gradually being miniaturized.
US08274266B2

A power supply system has an inductive device, a plurality of switching devices for providing connection of the inductive device to input and output nodes and a ground node, and a switch driver circuit for driving the switching devices so as to enable the power supply to operate in a boost mode to increase the input voltage, in a buck mode to decrease the input voltage, and in a solid-state flyback mode to transfer between the boost mode and the buck mode. In the solid-state flyback mode, the switching devices are controlled to provide switching of the inductive device between an input state in which the inductive device is connected between the input node and the ground node, and an output state in which the inductive device is connected between the ground node and the output node.
US08274261B2

A method for monitoring the voltage of each of a plurality of cells of a battery pack is provided. The method may include monitoring a voltage potential for each of a plurality of cells in a battery pack utilizing a single channel of battery control unit within the battery pack. If, during discharge of the battery, e.g., the battery is being used to power a hand tool, the voltage potential of any cell is determined by the battery control unit to be below a predetermined minimum voltage, the battery control unit discontinues a current flow from battery pack to the tool. Additionally, during charging of the battery pack, if a voltage differential between any one of the cells and any other one of the cells is determined to be above a predetermined maximum differential, the battery control unit reduces the voltage potential stored in the cell having the higher voltage potential.
US08274258B2

A portable charging apparatus for electrically charging one or more portable battery operated light units, comprising a container having one or more receiving means for receiving one or more portable battery operated light units, electricity supply connection means for electrically connecting with the one or more portable battery operated light units, and electricity supply regulating means.
US08274256B2

A battery charger (100) includes a base (102) which selectively receives first (104a) and second (104b) battery pods. The battery pods (104a, 104b), which are adapted to receive one or more batteries (212) for charging, have a form factor which facilitates the handling of the pods (104) and the batteries (212) received therein. Charging energy may be allocated between the pods (104) as a function of the temporal sequence in which the pods (104) are received by the base (102). Charging energy may also be allocated among the batteries (212) so that the batteries (212) are substantially charged at about the same time.
US08274255B2

The present invention is related to a multi-function remote control which is supplied power by a rechargeable battery. The multi-function remote control comprises a micro controller unit (MCU), a residual power display, a button unit, a current detector and a voltage detector. The MCU couples to the rechargeable battery and then charges or discharges the rechargeable battery. The current detector measures the current of the rechargeable battery and correspondingly outputs a current-value signal (Si) to the MCU. The voltage detector measures the voltage of the rechargeable battery and correspondingly outputs a voltage-value signal (Sv) to the MCU. Then, the MCU obtains the residual power of the rechargeable battery by means of analyzing the current-value signal (Si) and voltage-value signal (Sv), and then reveals the corresponding residual power by the residual power display. Whereby, the multi-function remote control might have functions of remote control, charging and revealing residual power.
US08274253B2

A single-phase AC motor control circuit for a dryer, including a starting control unit, a first drive circuit, a bidirectional triode thyristor BCR1, a second drive circuit, and a bidirectional triode thyristor BCR2. The bidirectional triode thyristor BCR1 is serially connected to a motor starting winding, and a starting capacitor, and then to a utility power AC input. The starting control unit is connected to a control end of the bidirectional triode thyristor BCR1 via the first drive circuit. The bidirectional triode thyristor BCR2 is serially connected to an electrically heated strip, and then to the utility power AC input. The starting control unit is connected to a control end of the bidirectional triode thyristor BCR2 via the second drive circuit. The first drive circuit is interlocked with the second drive circuit.
US08274251B2

A system and method for driving a drawer of a refrigerator and a refrigerator employing this system is provided. This system and method allows the drawer to substantially immediately and automatically stop when the drawer encounters an obstacle. This type of automatic control of the drawer may enhance the safe operation of the drawer, prevent injuries to users, and prevent overload and subsequent malfunction of a drive motor used to move the drawer.
US08274250B2

A method for controlling a direct current (DC) brushless motor, and a control circuit thereof are provided. The DC brushless motor is sensorless. In response to a digital output signal that is applied to drive the direct current brushless motor, detection of a back electromotive force (BEMF) is ceased in a predetermined time interval, so as to avoid detecting erroneous BEMF and keep normal operation of the direct current brushless motor.
US08274246B2

There is provided a current tracking PWM control circuit that directly generates PWM signals such that inverter output currents id, iq track PWM current references id**, iq**, using the results of comparison of the inverter output currents id, iq and PWM current references id**, iq**, in which, if current references id*, iq* exist, the result of adding the original current reference iq* and a correction signal iqC*, obtained by amplifying the deviation (iq*-iq) of the current reference iq* and iq, is used as the PWM current reference iq** on the q axis side for performing current control, but, in respect of the d axis side, the original current reference id* is used directly as the PWM current reference id** for performing current control.
US08274241B2

A lighting device comprises a mounting head having multiple facets each configured to retain an associated Light Emitting Diode (LED). The LEDs are mounted to the facets with a thermally conductive metal pad and thermally conductive adhesive. A connector for the lighting device inserts into a light socket and receives power for operating the LEDs. A heat transfer body is coupled between the mounting head and the connector and transfer heat generated by the LEDs downward from the mounting head and then radially outward. The mounting head, adhesive, metal pad, and heat transfer body form a heat transfer structure that more effectively removes heat generated by the LEDs. In one embodiment, a dimmer circuit is also provided that allows the LED lighting device to operate with conventional dimmer switches.
US08274239B2

An electronic high intensity discharge (HID) ballast (102) is presented which includes a dual mode buck converter (120) providing a DC output voltage (122) to drive an inverter (140), where the buck converter (120) regulates the DC output voltage (122) to a first value in normal operation and a clamp circuit (134) changes the converter mode to clamp the DC output open circuit voltage when the converter DC output exceeds a reference value (Vref).
US08274236B2

The current invention provides a power supply that includes an igniter that generates an ignition voltage for igniting a DC lamp; an auxiliary power stage that outputs an auxiliary voltage for sustaining sufficient current in the DC lamp after the DC lamp is ignited; a voltage conversion stage coupled to the auxiliary power stage and generating a voltage at a level that is higher than the auxiliary voltage; and a switch that couples the auxiliary voltage to the DC lamp and the voltage conversion stage for a predefined period of time.
US08274235B2

An inverter according to exemplary embodiment of the present invention generates a plurality of feedback voltages corresponding to driving voltages of discharge lamps. The inverter generates a first minimum voltage having a smaller feedback voltage of a plurality of feedback voltages and compares the first minimum voltage and a short circuit reference voltage to determine a short circuit of at least two discharge lamps. Also, the inverter generates a plurality of feedback voltages corresponding to driving currents of a plurality of discharge lamps, generates a second minimum voltage having a smaller feedback voltage of a plurality of the feedback voltages, and compares the second minimum voltage and an open circuit reference voltage to determine the open circuit of the at least two discharge lamps.
US08274233B2

A dimmer switch for controlling the amount of power delivered to and thus the intensity of a lighting load comprises a visual display operable to provide a visual indication representative of energy savings and usage information. The dimmer switch comprises an intensity adjustment actuator, such as a slider knob or a rotary knob, which may be coupled to a potentiometer for adjusting the amount of power delivered to the lighting load. The potentiometer may comprise a dual potentiometer including a resistive element and a conductive element having a cut. The visual display may comprise a single visual indicator, which may be illuminated a first color, such as green, when the intensity of the lighting load is less than or equal to the eco-level intensity, and illuminated a second different color, such as red, when the intensity of the lighting load is greater than the eco-level intensity.
US08274227B2

A high-efficiency ballast arrangement for a lighting fixture has an automatic polarity protection circuit for supplying an output DC voltage of constant polarity no matter in which orientation the fixture is mounted in a DC-powered suspended ceiling system having a DC power supply. A main DC ballast circuit includes a main DC ballast powered by the output DC voltage from the protection circuit to enable a lamp in the fixture to be illuminated during normal operation. An emergency back-up DC ballast circuit includes a battery charged to a charged DC voltage by the output DC voltage during the normal operation, and an emergency DC ballast powered by the charged DC voltage from the battery to enable the lamp in the fixture to be illuminated during emergency operation upon failure of the DC power supply.
US08274212B2

An organic light emitting device includes a first electrode; a second electrode; an emissive layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode; a first hole injection layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode; and a second hole injection layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first hole injection layer includes a metal fluoride and a first organic hole injection layer forming compound, and the second hole injection layer includes a metal oxide and a second organic hole injection layer forming compound.
US08274210B2

A halosilicate phosphor represented by Formula 1 p(Ca1-xM1x)O.qM2O2.rM3A2:sM4 wherein M1 includes at least one selected from a group consisting of Sr2+ and Ba2+; M2 includes at least one selected from a group consisting of Si4+ and Ge4+; M3 includes at least one selected from a group consisting of Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+; M4 includes at least one selected from a group consisting of Eu2+, Mn2+, Sb2+, Ce3+, Pr3+, Nd3+, Sm3+, Tb3+, Dy3+, Ho3+, Er3+, Yb3+ and Bi3+; A includes at least one selected from a group consisting of F−, Cl−, Br− and I−; and wherein 0≦x<1, 1.8≦p≦2.2, 0.8≦q≦1.2, 1
US08274209B2

A light emitting device, includes: a casing; a window; a semiconductor laser provided in an enclosed space formed by the casing and the window; and a fluorescent material in a form of any one of a crystal and glass, the fluorescent material being provided in the enclosed space, the fluorescent material absorbing laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser and emitting secondary light having a wavelength different from a wavelength of the laser light, and the secondary light being taken out through the window.
US08274204B2

A spark plug for an internal combustion engine has one or more electrodes with an electrode material of a platinum (Pt) based alloy. The alloy includes aluminum (Al) and one or more refractory metals selected from the group containing nickel (Ni), rhenium (Re), ruthenium (Ru), tantalum (Ta), molybdenum (Mo), and tungsten (W). In at least some of the disclosed alloys, the aluminum contributes to the formation of an aluminum oxide (Al2O3) layer on a surface of the electrode material.
US08274202B2

A spark plug include an insulator, a central electrode, which is in the form of a bar received in the insulator, a metal case, which surrounds the insulator and is grounded, and a ground elbow fixed to the metal case. The central electrode includes a discharge terminal exposed outside the insulator and defining an extension line as an imaginary line extending from the discharge terminal along a central axis of the central electrode. The ground elbow has a connection end and an opposite, sharp-tip-like receiving end. The connection end is fixed to the metal case. The receiving end is set close to but spaced from the discharge terminal and is locate by one side of the extension line.
US08274201B2

An electronic component includes: a functional piece having a predetermined function; a bump electrode formed on the functional piece, the bump electrode including a core with elastic property and a conductive film provided on a surface of the core; and a holding unit for holding a conductive contact state between the bump electrode and a connecting electrode which is electrically conducted to a driving circuit. The electronic component is coupled to the connecting electrode, and elastic deformation of the core causes the conductive film to make conductive contact with the connecting electrode.
US08274194B2

In the drive train of a combustion engine an auxiliary arrangement is arranged which is to be coupled with an axial flow machine including a stator and a rotor, in order to perform an actuating movement. The stator has a coil arrangement, and the rotor has an essentially cup-shaped support for permanent magnet elements. The coil arrangement of the stator has at least one cylindrical winding and is at least partially enclosed by two essentially pot-shaped magnetic flux yokes. Each of the pot-shaped magnetic flux yokes has side areas with magnetic flux poles whose outsides are oriented towards the permanent magnet elements of the rotor. The magnetic flux poles of the stator are arranged spaced apart from the permanent magnet elements of the rotor. The magnetic orientation of neighboring permanent magnet elements towards the air gap alternates.
US08274191B2

A stator arrangement of an electric machine, generator, and wind turbine includes a plurality of stator segments forming substantially the stator of the electric machine in a cylindric form around a radially centered shaft. The stator arrangement is radially surrounded by a rotatably mounted rotor arrangement. The stator segments are radially mounted on an outer surface of a support structure. The support structure is fixed via rigid connections to the shaft.
US08274188B2

A door suspension system comprises a horizontally suspended ferromagnetic shaft; a nonmagnetic bracket comprising a bracket cylinder for enclosing a linear bearing and an attached bracket hanger plate for securing a door panel; a nonmagnetic cylindrical linear bearing sized to slide into the bracket cylinder and over the shaft; at least two spaced bores in the upper surface of the bracket cylinder; at least two spaced bores in the upper surface of the cylindrical linear bearing arranged so as to align with the spaced bores in the bracket cylinder; a cylindrical permanent magnet positioned in at least one of the spaced bores of the bracket cylinder; and a ferromagnetic armature to complete the magnetic circuit through the shaft and the magnet or magnets.
US08274186B2

The present invention relates to a hybrid drive train for a motor vehicle, comprising a clutch arrangement having a first rotatable clutch part and a second rotatable clutch part, which clutch parts can be separated from one another and which can be connected to one another, and comprising an electrical machine which is arranged concentrically with respect to the first clutch part and has a rotor, wherein the rotor is connected with the first clutch part and comprises a plurality of magnetic flux influencing portions, the magnetic flux influencing portions being arranged distributed over the circumference of the rotor with a predetermined rotor pitch. Here, the first clutch part comprises a shaft toothing that is adapted to the rotor pitch.
US08274180B2

A pair of transmission lines 17a, 17b are provided in the train in such a manner that, at each of the two ends of each of the carriage groups, one of the train end detection switches 41 is connected to one of the pair of transmission lines. A resistor 34 is inserted in at least one of the pair of transmission lines, and a voltage detector measures a voltage V1, V2 between the pair of transmission lines at each of both ends of the resistor. A controlling unit controls a first and a second switches 33a, 33b in such a manner that there is only one location within the train where a power supply 31, 32 is inserted between the pair of transmission lines, and the controlling unit recognizes the configuration of the train based on the voltages that have been measured by the voltage detectors.
US08274166B2

A semiconductor device includes a substrate; an alignment mark formed on the substrate and composed of a metal film; a cover insulating film formed on the alignment mark and covering an entire surface of the alignment mark; and a polyimide film formed on the cover insulating film, and having an opening, which is opened on the alignment mark and has an end face aligning with an end face of the alignment mark, in plan view.
US08274156B2

An optoelectronic semiconductor device includes a substrate, a semiconductor system having an active layer formed on the substrate and an electrode structure formed on the semiconductor system, wherein the layout of the electrode structure having at least a first conductivity type contact zone or a first conductivity type bonding pad, a second conductivity type bonding pad, a first conductivity type extension electrode, and a second conductivity type extension electrode wherein the first conductivity type extension electrode and the second conductivity type extension electrode have three-dimensional crossover, and partial of the first conductivity type extension electrode and the first conductivity type contact zone or the first conductivity type bonding pad are on the opposite sides of the active layer.
US08274155B2

An interconnect is provided in a first insulating layer and the upper surface of the interconnect is higher than the upper surface of the first insulating layer. An air gap is disposed between the interconnect and the first insulating layer. An etching stopper film is formed over the first insulating layer, the air gap, and the interconnect. A second insulating layer is formed over the etching stopper film. A via is provided in the second insulating layer and is connected to the interconnect. A portion of the etching stopper film that is disposed over the air gap is thicker than another portion that is disposed over the interconnect.
US08274152B2

A transistor is formed on a semiconductor substrate, and thereafter a first insulating film is formed. Subsequently, a ferroelectric capacitor is formed on the first insulating film, and then a second insulating film is formed on the ferroelectric capacitor. Thereafter, the upper surface of the second insulating film is planarized. Subsequently, a contact hole which reaches one of impurity regions of the transistor is formed, and thus a plug is formed by embedding a conductor in the contact hole. Thereafter, a hydrogen barrier layer is formed of aluminum oxide or the like. Then, a third insulating film is formed on the hydrogen barrier layer. Subsequently, contact holes which are connected to the ferroelectric capacitor and the plug are formed. Thereafter, a conductor is embedded in the contact holes, and thus interconnections are formed.
US08274148B2

A first circuit element and a second element are mounted with their electrode forming surfaces facing a wiring layer. A first bump electrode formed integrally with the wiring layer on one face substantially penetrates a first insulating resin layer. A gold plating layer covering an element electrode of the first circuit element and a gold plating layer disposed on top of the first bump electrode are bonded together by Au—Au bonding. A second bump electrode formed integrally with the wiring layer on one face substantially penetrates the first and the second insulating resin layer. A gold plating layer covering an element electrode of the second circuit element and a gold plating layer disposed on top of the second bump electrode are bonded together by Au—Au bonding.
US08274145B2

A semiconductor package system including: providing a substrate having a thermal relief thereon; depositing a mask on the substrate and the thermal relief, the mask deposited on the thermal relief and having a regular pattern to partially cover the thermal relief; and die attaching a semiconductor die over the thermal relief.
US08274140B2

The invention relates to leadframes and semiconductor chip package assemblies using leadframes, and to methods for their assembly. A disclosed embodiment of the invention includes a semiconductor package leadframe with a chip mounting surface for receiving a semiconductor chip and a plurality of leadfingers. The leadfingers have a proximal end for receiving one or more wirebond, and a distal end for providing an electrical path from the proximal end. One or more of the leadfingers also has an offset portion at its proximal end for increasing the clearance between the leadfinger and underlying heat spreader, increasing the stiffness of the leadfinger, and increasing leadfinger deflection-resistance and spring-back. The offset is in the direction opposite the plane of a heat spreader thermally coupled to the mounting surface. Preferred embodiments of the invention further include a semiconductor chip affixed to the mounting surface and a plurality of bondwires operably coupling bond pads of the chip to the offset portions of the proximal ends of individual leadfingers.
US08274136B2

A semiconductor patch antenna for microwave radiation having a wide pin-junction or pn-junction with the depletion region or embodiments having a separating buried oxide (SiO2) layer between p- and n-doped regions as the natural resonator volume. Embodiments that do not include a metal ground plane and/or a metal patch are disclosed.
US08274130B2

A storage system and method for forming a storage system that uses punch-through diodes as a steering element in series with a reversible resistivity-switching element is described. The punch-through diode allows bipolar operation of a cross-point memory array. The punch-through diode may have a symmetrical non-linear current/voltage relationship. The punch-through diode has a high current at high bias for selected cells and a low leakage current at low bias for unselected cells. Therefore, it is compatible with bipolar switching in cross-point memory arrays having resistive switching elements. The punch-through diode may be a N+/P−/N+ device or a P+/N−/P+ device.
US08274122B2

A photoelectric conversion device comprises a plurality of photoelectric conversion units, a first antireflection portion including a first insulation film which has a first refractive index and a second insulation film which has a second refractive index, and a second antireflection portion including an element isolation portion which includes an insulator having a third refractive index and a third insulation film which has the second refractive index, wherein the first antireflection portion reduces reflection of light entering the photoelectric conversion unit in the photoelectric conversion unit, and the second antireflection portion reduces reflection of light entering the element isolation portion in the element isolation portion.
US08274120B2

By recessing drain and source regions, a highly stressed layer, such as a contact etch stop layer, may be formed in the recess in order to enhance the strain generation in the adjacent channel region of a field effect transistor. Moreover, a strained semiconductor material may be positioned in close proximity to the channel region by reducing or avoiding undue relaxation effects of metal silicides, thereby also providing enhanced efficiency for the strain generation. In some aspects, both effects may be combined to obtain an even more efficient strain-inducing mechanism.
US08274108B2

A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device, includes: a stacked body including a plurality of insulating films alternately stacked with a plurality of electrode films, the electrode films being divided to form a plurality of control gate electrodes aligned in a first direction; a plurality of semiconductor pillars aligned in a stacking direction of the stacked body, the semiconductor pillars being arranged in a matrix configuration along the first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction to pierce the control gate electrodes; and a connection member connecting a lower end portion of one of the semiconductor pillars to a lower end portion of one other of the semiconductor pillars, an upper end portion of the one of the semiconductor pillars being connected to a source line, an upper end portion of the one other of the semiconductor pillars being connected to a bit line. At least some of the control gate electrodes are pierced by two of the semiconductor pillars adjacent to each other in the second direction. Two of the semiconductor pillars being connected to each other by the connection member pierce mutually different control gate electrodes.
US08274107B2

In order to link a defect inspection process before forming contact holes with an exposure process for forming the contact holes, a position (physical coordinates) of a defect on a wafer is stored, the defect having been detected in the defect inspection process before forming the contact holes, an exposure (dummy exposure) is performed under the condition that no contact hole is formed on the above-mentioned position. In this method, no contact hole is formed in the region having the defect therein, the cell is considered as a defective one, yet a word line (control gate) and a bit line are not short-circuited through the contact hole, and makes it possible to avoid the short-circuiting by only applying a redundancy to the bit line as conventionally employed.
US08274106B2

DRAM cell arrays having a cell area of about 4F2 comprise an array of vertical transistors with buried bit lines and vertical double gate electrodes. The buried bit lines comprise a silicide material and are provided below a surface of the substrate. The word lines are optionally formed of a silicide material and form the gate electrode of the vertical transistors. The vertical transistor may comprise sequentially formed doped polysilicon layers or doped epitaxial layers. At least one of the buried bit lines is orthogonal to at least one of the vertical gate electrodes of the vertical transistors.
US08274100B2

A pixel array in an image sensor includes multiple pixels. The pixel array includes vertical shift registers for shifting charge out of the pixel array. The vertical shift registers can be interspersed between the pixels, such as in an interline image sensor, or the photosensitive areas in the pixels can operate as vertical shift registers. The pixels are divided into blocks of pixels. One or more electrodes are disposed over each pixel. Conductive strips are disposed over the electrodes. Contacts are used to connect selected electrodes to respective conductive strips. The contacts in at least one block of pixels are positioned according to one contact pattern while the contacts in one or more other blocks are positioned according to a different contact pattern. The different contact patterns reduce or eliminate visible patterns in the contact locations.
US08274097B2

A device includes a crystalline material within an area confined by an insulator. In one embodiment, the area confined by the insulator is an opening in the insulator having an aspect ratio sufficient to trap defects using an ART technique. Method and apparatus embodiments of the invention can reduce edge effects in semiconductor devices. Embodiments of the invention can provide a planar surface over a buffer layer between a plurality of uncoalesced ART structures.
US08274089B2

There is provided a light emitting diode operating under AC power comprising a substrate; a buffer layer formed on the substrate; and a plurality of light emitting cells formed on the buffer layer to have different sizes and to be electrically isolated from one another, the plurality of light emitting cells being connected in series through metal wires.According to the present invention, light emitting cells formed in an LED have different sizes, and thus have different turn-on voltages when light is emitted under AC power, so that times when the respective light emitting cells start emitting light are different to thereby effectively reduce a flicker phenomenon.
US08274081B2

Some embodiments include methods of forming isolation structures. A semiconductor base may be provided to have a crystalline semiconductor material projection between a pair of openings. SOD material (such as, for example, polysilazane) may be flowed within said openings to fill the openings. After the openings are filled with the SOD material, one or more dopant species may be implanted into the projection to amorphize the crystalline semiconductor material within an upper portion of said projection. The SOD material may then be annealed at a temperature of at least about 400° C. to form isolation structures. Some embodiments include semiconductor constructions that include a semiconductor material base having a projection between a pair of openings. The projection may have an upper region over a lower region, with the upper region being at least 75% amorphous, and with the lower region being entirely crystalline.
US08274079B2

A more convenient and highly reliable semiconductor device which has a transistor including an oxide semiconductor with higher impact resistance used for a variety of applications is provided. A semiconductor device has a bottom-gate transistor including a gate electrode layer, a gate insulating layer, and an oxide semiconductor layer over a substrate, an insulating layer over the transistor, and a conductive layer over the insulating layer. The insulating layer covers the oxide semiconductor layer and is in contact with the gate insulating layer. In a channel width direction of the oxide semiconductor layer, end portions of the gate insulating layer and the insulating layer are aligned with each other over the gate electrode layer, and the conductive layer covers a channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer and the end portions of the gate insulating layer and the insulating layer and is in contact with the gate electrode layer.
US08274077B2

An object is to provide a semiconductor device of which a manufacturing process is not complicated and by which cost can be suppressed, by forming a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor film typified by zinc oxide, and a manufacturing method thereof. For the semiconductor device, a gate electrode is formed over a substrate; a gate insulating film is formed covering the gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating film; and a first conductive film and a second conductive film are formed over the oxide semiconductor film. The oxide semiconductor film has at least a crystallized region in a channel region.
US08274076B2

A diode includes an organic composite plate, a first electrode and a second electrode. The organic composite plate includes a first portion, a second portion and a plurality of carbon nanotubes distributed therein. The carbon nanotubes in the first portion have a first band gap and the carbon nanotubes in the second portion have a second band gap. The first band gap and the second band gap are different from each other. The first electrode is electrically connected to the first portion. The second electrode electrically is connected to the second portion.
US08274073B2

The present memory device includes first and second electrodes, a passive layer between the first and second electrodes, and an active layer between the passive layer and the second electrode. In undertaking an operation on the memory device, ions moves into within and from within the active layer, and the active layer is oriented so that the atoms of the active layer provide minimum obstruction to the movement of the ions into, within and from the active layer.
US08274071B2

A semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate having a first lattice constant; a gate dielectric on the semiconductor substrate; a gate electrode on the semiconductor substrate; and a stressor having at least a portion in the semiconductor substrate and adjacent the gate electrode. The stressor has a tilted sidewall on a side adjacent the gate electrode. The stressor includes a first stressor layer having a second lattice constant substantially different from the first lattice constant; and a second stressor layer on the first stressor layer, wherein the second stressor has a third lattice constant substantially different from the first and the second lattice constants.
US08274061B2

A scanner includes a plurality of laser stimulating ray sources, a sample stage on which a sample containing a labeling substance is to be placed, a scanning mechanism, a photomultiplier for photoelectrically detecting light released from the labeling substance and producing analog image data, an A/D converter for converting the analog image data to digital image data, and a pixel density signal intensity simulating section for effecting simulation based on pre-scan digital image data produced by setting a voltage value of the photomultiplier to a given photomultiplier voltage value G0 to simulate density signal intensity of each pixel of digital image data that would be produced by setting the photomultiplier to a voltage value G different from the voltage value G0. According to the thus constituted scanner, it is possible to determine the voltage value of the photomultiplier simply and rapidly without causing on the degradation of a sample.
US08274058B1

A heterodyne terahertz transceiver comprises a quantum cascade laser that is integrated on-chip with a Schottky diode mixer. A terahertz signal can be received by an antenna connected to the mixer, an end facet or sidewall of the laser, or through a separate active section that can amplify the incident signal. The quantum cascade laser couples terahertz local oscillator power to the Schottky diode to mix with the received terahertz signal to provide an intermediate frequency output signal. The fully integrated transceiver optimizes power efficiency, sensitivity, compactness, and reliability. The transceiver can be used in compact, fieldable systems covering a wide variety of deployable applications not possible with existing technology.
US08274056B2

An apparatus, method, and system relating to radiation detection of low-energy beta particles are disclosed. An embodiment includes a radiation detector with a first scintillator and a second scintillator operably coupled to each other. The first scintillator and the second scintillator are each structured to generate a light pulse responsive to interaction with beta particles. The first scintillator is structured to experience full energy deposition of low-energy beta particles, and permit a higher-energy beta particle to pass therethrough and interact with the second scintillator. The radiation detector further includes a light-to-electrical converter operably coupled to the second scintillator and configured to convert light pulses generated by the first scintillator and the second scintillator into electrical signals. The first scintillator and the second scintillator have at least one mutually different characteristic to enable an electronic system to determine whether a given light pulse is generated in the first scintillator or the second scintillator.
US08274051B1

Semiconductor structures for optoelectronic sensors with an infrared (IR) blocking filter and methods for using such sensors with post-detection compensation for IR content that passes through the IR blocking filter are provided herein.
US08274049B2

There is provided a sample processing and observing method including irradiating a focused ion beam to a sample to form an observed surface, irradiating an electron beam to the observed surface to form an observed image, removing the surface opposite to the observed surface of the sample, forming a lamella including the observed surface and obtaining a transmission observed image for the lamella.
US08274048B2

In a scanning electron microscope, an optimum scanning method for reducing the amount of deflection of a primary electron beam and secondary electrons is determined to acquire stable images. An energy filter is used to discriminate between energy levels. The change in yield of obtained electrons is used to measure the variation in specimen potential. The time constant of charging created during electron beam irradiation is extracted. The scanning method is optimized based on the extracted time constant to reduce the distortion and magnification variation that appear in a SEM image.
US08274041B2

Methods and apparatus enable monitoring a hydrocarbon well for water within a flow stream of the well. A water detector includes a light source for emitting into a flow stream infrared light that includes a water absorbent wavelength band. A detector detects attenuation of the water absorbent wavelength band upon the infrared radiation passing through at least a portion of the flow stream. The water detector outputs a presence of water and/or a phase fraction or quantification of water as determined based on the attenuation. Detecting attenuation of a substantially transmissive wavelength band with respect to water simultaneously with detection of the attenuation of the water absorbent wavelength band can enable correction for non-wavelength dependent attenuation.
US08274038B2

A method for determining quantity and/or a type of dust control agent for controlling dust of a bulk material or flowability thereof comprises dispensing a bulk material into an agitator and agitating the bulk material in the agitator to create airborne dust from the bulk material. A test method for determining a quantity and/or a type of dust control agent effective for reducing a quantity of airborne dust that separates from a bulk material during handling comprises: 1) dispensing a dust-containing bulk material into an agitator; 2) agitating the bulk material in the agitator to a degree sufficient to produce airborne dust from the bulk material; and 3) measuring a quantity of airborne dust produced from the bulk material; repeating steps 1), 2) and 3) after applying a particular dust control agent to said bulk material; and comparing the quantity of airborne dust that separates from the bulk material with and without the dust control agent.
US08274037B2

A system and method for automatically calibrating a Time-of-Flight (TOF) transceiver system for proximity/motion detection, is provided. Moreover, the system comprises a component that senses a signal (e.g., current or voltage) at an light emitting diode (LED), an attenuator, a signal injector at a sensor and a switching circuit that toggles between a normal mode (e.g., when signal from the sensor is input to the sensor front end) and a calibration mode (e.g., when signal from the attenuator is input to the sensor front end). During the calibration mode, the sensor front end identifies the phase delay error within the signal path, including board and/or package parasitic, and accounts for the phase delay error during proximity/motion detection in the normal mode.
US08274032B2

Provided are a separation type unit pixel for preventing sensitivity reduction to prevent a depletion area from decreasing and a method of driving the unit pixel. The separation type unit pixel for preventing sensitivity reduction includes: a substrate; a photodiode constructed with a junction of a P-type diffusion area and an N-type diffusion area which are formed under a surface of the substrate in a vertical direction; a gate electrode conductor which is disposed on an upper portion of the surface of the substrate to be adjacent to the N-type or P-type diffusion area; a floating diffusion area formed to be adjacent to another surface of the gate electrode conductor; and a sensitivity reduction preventing conductor disposed on an upper portion of the photodiode area to cover the photodiode area.
US08274027B2

A laser energy detector may include at least one photodetector device formed on a semiconductor substrate. The photodetector device may have an active area effective to detect laser energy at a laser wavelength. The active area of the laser energy detector may be substantially transparent for a first wavelength band within an infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
US08274026B2

The invention relates to image focus. In particular, it relates to a focus assist system that conveys focus level data to a user. There are a wide variety of different display methods, including, but not limited to, graphs, highlights, symbols, and varied levels of brightness or color.
US08274025B2

An aircraft, such as a missile, has control surfaces that have segments that are hinged together. The control surfaces deploy from a closed position, for example with the segments folded against a fuselage, so as to allow for launching from a launch tube. Once the aircraft is launched the control surfaces deploy from the closed position to an open position, with the segments opening up farther from the body or fuselage. In the open position or deployed state the segments may be substantially planar. Locks of the control surfaces may be used to lock the segments in place in the open position. The locks may include hollow sleeves that slide over the control surface segments. The sleeves and the segments may include a protrusions and depressions that engage each other to hold the segments in the open configuration.
US08274022B2

An object of the present invention is to provide an induction heater and an induction heating method capable of heating by induction a work in which a gear portion and a shaft are integrated.An induction heater for a gear portion and a stepped shaft is arranged in such a manner that a first heating coil (annular coil) surrounds the gear portion and that a second heating coil (linear coil) faces the stepped shaft in an axial direction. Alternating currents of different frequencies are supplied to the first heating coil 1 and the second heating coil. Further, a part of the second heating coil is arranged so as to come opposite a boundary between the gear portion and the stepped shaft, thereby connecting a hardened pattern of the gear portion by the first heating coil and a hardened pattern of the stepped shaft by the second heating coil.
US08274020B2

A cooking appliance and method of operating the same is disclosed. The method includes energizing each of a first heating element, a second heating element, and a third heating element to a maximum power level to supply heat to a separately controlled cooking area, maintaining the second heating element at the maximum power level after a predetermined time interval has elapsed, and selectively energizing the first heating element and the third heating element to the maximum power level after the predetermined time interval has elapsed.
US08274013B2

A system and a method for tracking and analyzing welding activity. Dynamic spatial properties of a welding tool are sensed during a welding process producing a weld. The sensed dynamic spatial properties are tracked over time and the tracked dynamic spatial properties are captured as tracked data during the welding process. The tracked data is analyzed to determine performance characteristics of a welder performing the welding process and quality characteristics of a weld produced by the welding process. The performance characteristics and the quality characteristics may be subsequently reviewed.
US08274009B2

An automotive body framing system includes a setter supported by parallel spaced tracks for movement from a work position to a standby position and to a gate change position and driven by corresponding racks and synchronized pinion drive units. Opposing gate storage belt shuttles are located at the gate change position for receiving the setter therebetween, and a gate staging cart is supported in back of the setter by parallel tracks and is also moved between opposing gate storage belt shuttles by synchronized rack and pinion drive units. Power operated registration units are positioned on the setter to register each gate received at precise horizontal and vertical positions, and the setter, staging cart and gate storage belt shuttles each have a series of resilient guide and support rollers to provide for quiet operation during rapid transfer of the gates on the setter, staging cart and belt shuttles.
US08274007B2

A magnetic interrupter consisting of a stationary and moving butt contacts that open an electric circuit in dielectric gas (e.g., SF6) contained in a sealed, pressurized insulating housing. One or both of the contacts contain a magnet with poles spaced apart in a radial plane perpendicular to the axial direction to spin the arc in the radial plane about the center of the contacts. Permanent magnets may be used to spin the arc so that the magnetic field is not affected by the magnitude of the arcing current, which makes the magnetic interrupter suitable for interrupting currents below fault level currents. One or both of the magnets may also be a field coil and a permanent magnet may be used in combination with a field coil.
US08274006B2

A gas releasable key structure including a base, a thin-film circuit, a key cap and an elastic structure is disclosed. The elastic structure is disposed between the key cap and the thin-film circuit and includes a cap body, a ring-shaped flange, a motion pillar and a conductor. The cap body has a first opening and a second opening. The ring-shaped flange connects an edge around the first opening. The motion pillar in the cap body has a through hole, an upper surface and a lower surface. The through hole is extended to the upper surface from the lower surface, connecting the second opening. The conductor on the lower surface has an indent and a breach that connects the through hole. When the first opening is closed, the gas inside the cap body is dissipated to the exterior via the indent, the breach, the through hole and the second opening.
US08274002B2

A modular keyboard includes an upper casing, a lower casing corresponding to the upper casing, an electric conduction element and a circuit board. The upper casing includes a first side and a second side opposite to each other, and a plurality of press keys disposed on the first side. The lower casing is set for sealing the second side, and an enclosure space is formed between the upper casing and the lower casing. The electric conduction element is installed on the second side in the enclosure space, and the circuit board is installed between the electric conduction element and the lower casing. With a supersonic welding technique, the upper casing and the lower casing are engaged with each other to seal the enclosure space and isolate the electric conduction element in the enclosure space and the circuit board from the exterior.
US08274000B2

An electrical fitting having a gripping device with a plurality of gripping tabs forming a helix or spiral. The electrical fitting permits electrical metallic tubing or EMT to be quickly attached to and removed from the electrical fitting without disassembling the fitting or cutting the tubing. A body with a locking end having a plurality of griping tabs receives an end of the tubing pushed into the fitting. The gripping tabs securely hold the tubing preventing loosening or removal. The helix or spiral formation of the griping tabs permits easy removal of the tubing by rotating the tubing counter-clockwise.
US08273998B2

An outlet box assembly for separating and insulating higher voltage power conductors from lower voltage data conductors. The assembly includes a housing, a housing divider and a bracket. The housing including at least one vertically extending side wall defining an interior space therein. The housing divider disposed within the housing and extending across the interior space forming a vertical barrier between a first housing compartment and a second housing compartment. The bracket capable of having secured thereto at least one of the higher voltage power conductors and at least one of the low voltage data conductors. The bracket including at least one partition separating conductor compartments therein, the at least one partition extending vertically and substantially perpendicular to the divider. A floor of each conductor compartment extends across at least a portion of both the first housing compartment and the second housing compartment.
US08273992B2

The wiring board includes: a base material; a copper pattern which is formed in one surface of the base material, and made of a first metal; and a first nickel land and a second nickel land which are formed over the copper pattern in contact with the copper pattern, and made of a second metal having a higher ionization tendency than that of the first metal, wherein a groove reaching the base material is formed in the copper pattern around a region overlapping the first nickel land at least when seen in a plan view.
US08273989B2

A vertical cable manager includes a base, an interconnected double-spine assembly topped by a top frame, and a pair of doors. The double-spine assembly is supported by the base. Each door is removably coupled at each lower corner to the base and at each upper corner to the top frame, thus permitting each door to be opened or hinged along either of its lateral sides or removed entirely. The double-spine assembly may support selectively repositionable mounting members, which may in turn support a large cable spool, a selectively repositionable shelf-mounted handle spool assembly, and various other cable management accessories.
US08273988B2

A cable management system includes track units whose tracks are engageable to each other at longitudinal ends to ease installation of the tracks to a wall surface as a chain of longitudinally aligned tracks. The system also includes an adjustable track unit whose longitudinal length can be varied, so that a desired length of longitudinally aligned track units can be obtained without cutting a track unit of the system. In addition, the system includes a cap attachable at an end of a track unit for strengthening the engagement between the cover and the track of the track unit.
US08273984B2

A security latch device is provided. The device includes a bracket for being attached to a structure and having an outwardly extending flange having a lock pin slot defined therein, a hinged assembly defining a first hinged portion for being attached to the structure and a second hinged portion for being cooperatively engaged with the bracket, the second hinged portion defining a slot for allowing pass-through of the outwardly extending flange of the bracket, and a cup for attaching to the second portion of the hinged assembly and defining a cavity therein and an aperture therethrough that is in general alignment with the lock pin slot of the bracket so that the lock pin is configured for being received in the cavity and extending through the aperture of the cup and the lock pin slot of the bracket for securing the hinged assembly to the bracket.
US08273982B2

A photoelectric converting device comprises: a first electrode layer having conductivity; a metal filled dielectric layer formed on said first electrode layer and comprising a dielectric base material in which a plurality of micropores are formed, and a plurality of conductive fine metal bodies made of a metal material which fills said plurality of micropores formed in said dielectric base material; a photoelectric converting layer that is formed on said metal filled dielectric layer and is made of a photoelectric converting material; and a second electrode layer having conductivity that is formed on said photoelectric converting layer; each of said fine metal bodies including a protruding unit that protrudes from said dielectric base material to within said photoelectric converting layer, and being electrically connected to said first electrode layer; said photoelectric converting layer covering said protruding unit of each of said fine metal bodies.
US08273978B2

A solar panel tracking system that can simultaneously rotate large arrays of solar panels position in multiple rows utilizing a single drive system. The drive system comprises a single actuation device that drives multiple rotational translation stages at each solar array row for tilting the panels to the correct position. A dual beam structure within each row insure appropriate panel support during rotation and provide the framework for simplified installation and maintenance.
US08273974B1

This invention applies to a bolt-on neck guitar or similar instrument or device. The mechanism of this invention, a multiple section hinge with one end flap attached to the neck and the other end flap attached to the body while the center section stays sandwiched between the neck and the body in normal use, allows the removal of the neck screws with the strings under tension by the hinge absorbing the horizontal stress produced by the tension of the strings. The neck is then rotated 180 degrees to rest on top of the body where it can be secured with a clamp or a strap for transportation or stowage. The neck holding screws can be replaced with a large single one, reducing the time required to loosen the neck, while still maintaining the possibility of using the normal four screws in addition to or in lieu of the single one if so desired, since the tone of the guitar is improved when the pressure of the neck-body junction is increased and distributed over a larger area. By folding the neck on top of the guitar, the bulk and the chances of damaging the instrument are greatly reduced, since the neck can be secured at both ends and the instrument can fit in boxes or pieces of luggage in which an ordinary guitar would not fit, in particular a carry-on size piece of luggage, which allows the traveler guitarist to have full control of the whereabouts of the instrument at all times.
US08273973B2

Training devices for facilitating proper bow holds on bow sticks of bowed stringed instruments. An exemplary training device may include a fingers stabilizer having a body with one or more thumb opening walls that define a thumb opening in the body. The thumb opening walls and/or the thumb opening may guide a thumb to the bow stick and position an end of the thumb at an approximate intersection of a bow stick frog and a bow stick shaft. The body may also include a finger separator that helps position an index finger and a middle finger on the bow stick. The fingers stabilizer may also have contact areas for positioning a ring finger and a pinky finger on the bow stick.
US08273969B2

According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH110748. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH110748, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH110748 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH110748.
US08273964B2

The invention relates to the soybean variety designated A1015646. Provided by the invention are the seeds, plants and derivatives of the soybean variety A1015646. Also provided by the invention are tissue cultures of the soybean variety A1015646 and the plants regenerated therefrom. Still further provided by the invention are methods for producing soybean plants by crossing the soybean variety A1015646 with itself or another soybean variety and plants produced by such methods.
US08273962B2

The invention relates to the soybean variety designated A1016134. Provided by the invention are the seeds, plants and derivatives of the soybean variety A1016134. Also provided by the invention are tissue cultures of the soybean variety A1016134 and the plants regenerated therefrom. Still further provided by the invention are methods for producing soybean plants by crossing the soybean variety A1016134 with itself or another soybean variety and plants produced by such methods.
US08273947B1

A novel maize variety designated X8H451W and seed, plants and plant parts thereof, produced by crossing Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. proprietary inbred maize varieties. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprises crossing hybrid maize variety X8H451W with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into X8H451W through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. This invention relates to the maize variety X8H451W, the seed, the plant produced from the seed, and variants, mutants, and minor modifications of maize variety X8H451W. This invention further relates to methods for producing maize varieties derived from maize variety X8H451W.
US08273943B2

It is intended to provide an absorbent article provided with a composite sheet which comprises a film sheet and a fiber mass and is excellent in the ability to draw in a liquid and the ability to prevent the backward flow. Namely, an absorbent article provided with a composite sheet comprising a film sheet having multiple pores formed therein and a fiber mass laminated on one side of the film sheet, wherein the fiber mass has a projected section in which a part of the fiber mass projects through the multiple pores toward the other side of the film sheet.
US08273939B2

A disposable absorbent article suitable for receiving and containing bodily exudates, the article comprising a front region, a back region and a crotch region disposed between said front and back region, each region having two opposing longitudinal edges, and wherein said article further comprises a window on any one of said regions for viewing a removable sensor placed adjacent to and facing said window.
US08273936B2

A process for cracking a heavy hydrocarbon feed is disclosed. The heavy hydrocarbon feed is passed to a first zone of a vaporization unit to separate a first vapor stream and a first liquid stream. The first liquid stream is passed to a second zone of the vaporization unit and contacted intimately with a countercurrent steam to produce a second vapor stream and a second liquid stream. The second vapor stream is contacted with a wash liquid in a rectification section to form a rectified stream. The first vapor stream and the rectified stream are cracked in the radiant section of the steam cracker to produce a cracked effluent.
US08273930B2

A process for producing ethylene from ethanol combining the catalytic conversion of hydrocarbons: an ethanol feedstock is contacted with a Y-zeolite containing catalyst to give a product stream, and a coked catalyst and an target product of ethylene are obtained after separating the reaction stream; a hydrocarbon feedstock is contacted with a Y-zeolite containing catalyst to give a product stream, a spent catalyst and an oil vapor are obtained after separating the reaction stream, and the oil vapor is further separated to give the products such as gas, gasoline and the like; a part or all of the coked catalyst and a part or all of the spent catalyst enter the regenerator for the coke-burning regeneration, and the regenerated catalyst is divided into two portions, wherein one portion returns to be contacted with the hydrocarbon feedstock, and the other portion, after cooling, returns to be contacted with ethanol feedstock. This process not only reasonably utilizes the excessive thermal energy of the hydrocarbon conversion, but also solves the problem of heat supply for the conversion of ethanol, thus ensuring the continuous catalytic conversion of ethanol and generating enormous economic benefits. For the catalytic conversion of the ethanol, the content of ethylene is 95 vol % or more in the gas product; and the conversion of ethylene is not less than 99%. For the catalytic conversion of the hydrocarbons, the yield for the light olefins increases slightly by at least 2 mol %.
US08273918B2

The invention relates to an process for preparing Tamsulosin hydrochloride of Formula (I) which comprises (i) reacting (R)-(−)-5-(2-amino-propyl)-2-methoxybenzenesulfonamide of Formula (II) with substituted phenoxy compound of Formula (III), wherein Z represents a removing group, such as —OSO2CH3, —OSO2C6H4CH3, —F, —Br, —Cl, or —I, in a solvent in the presence of an alkaline earth metal oxide to obtain Tamsulosin base and (ii) converting Tamsulosin base into hydrochloride salt in a solvent by addition of aqueous hydrochloric acid.
US08273917B2

The present invention provides a novel method for preparing chiral Baclofen with higher yield, higher e.e. value, and lower cost via chiral Michael addition.
US08273915B2

The invention provides a process for preparing polyisocyanates, comprising the steps of a) reacting amines with phosgene, b) removing hydrogen chloride, excess phosgene and, if appropriate, the solvent from the reaction mixture, c) separating the liquid mixture from step b) into a liquid phase and a gaseous phase, d) working up the gaseous phase from step c) to give the polyisocyanate.
US08273905B2

Compounds corresponding to formula I, wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10 and n have the meanings given in the description, and also a process for the preparation of these compounds and intermediate products of this process. Furthermore, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds of Formula I and related methods of treatment.
US08273900B2

There are described cyclohexyl amide derivatives useful as corticotropin releasing factor (CRF1) receptor antagonists.
US08273899B2

A method for producing N-(2-amino-1,2-dicyanovinyl)imidates represented by the following formula (1-III) under low temperature conditions within a short period of time in high yield is provided. In addition, a method for producing N-(2-amino-1,2-dicyanovinyl)formamidine represented by the following formula (2-II) which is suitably applicable to a cyclization reaction for producing AICN, AICA or the like and which enhances yield of the cyclization reaction is provided. In addition, a method for producing aminoimidazole derivatives represented by the following formula (3-V) in high yield by using diaminomaleonitrile as a starting material is provided.
US08273898B2

Provided is a bipolar substance having high excitation energy, in particular, high triplet-excitation energy. An oxadiazole derivative represented by General Formula (G1) below is provided In the formula, Ar represents a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms in a ring. R1 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms in a ring. R2 represents hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms in a ring.
US08273895B2

A NK1 antagonist having the formula (I), wherein Ar1 and Ar2 are optionally substituted phenyl or heteroaryl, X1 is an ether, thio or imino linkage, R4 and R5 are not both H or alkyl, and the remaining variables are as defined in the specification, useful for treating a number of disorders, including emesis, depression, anxiety and cough. Pharmaceutical compositions. Methods of treatment and combinations with other agents are also disclosed.
US08273893B2

Pharmaceutical compositions containing new molecules capable of inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, thus being useful in the treatment of pathologies associated to cholinergic transmission, such as memory related disorders, neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease, Miastenia Gravis or in the treatment of intoxications induced by chemical agents of central action The production processes of pharmaceutical compositions.
US08273891B2

The present invention relates generally to the field of ligands for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nACh receptors), activation of nACh receptors, and the treatment of disease conditions associated with defective or malfunctioning nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, especially of the brain. Further, this invention relates to novel compounds (e.g., indazoles and benzothiazoles), which act as ligands for the α7 nACh receptor subtype, methods of preparing such compounds, compositions containing such compounds, and methods of use thereof.
US08273884B2

The present invention provides strategies for making cyclic triamines. Reactant media including certain precursors and/or certain types of catalysts can be converted into cyclic triamines with improved conversion and selectivity. The strategies can be incorporated into reactions that involve transamination schemes and/or reductive amination schemes. In the case of transamination, for instance, using transamination to cause ring closure of higher amines in the presence of a suitable catalyst leads to desired cyclic triamines with notable conversion and yield. In the case of reductive amination, reacting suitable polyfunctional precursors in the presence of a suitable catalyst also yields cyclic triamines via ring closure with notable selectivity and conversion. Both transamination and reductive amination methodologies can be practiced under much milder temperatures than are used when solely acid catalysts are used. Preferred embodiments can produce reaction mixtures that are generally free of salt by-products.
US08273882B2

The invention relates to compounds of formula (I) wherein the substituents are as defined in the specification, in free form or in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, solvate, ester, N-oxide thereof; processes for the preparation thereof; to pharmaceuticals containing such compounds, in particular for the use in one or more Protein tyrosine kinase mediated diseases.
US08273881B2

The invention discloses compounds, compositions and methods useful for preventing and/or treating autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases. The methods and compositions utilize water-soluble phenazine compounds, or salts, or solvates thereof. These molecules can be delivered alone or in combination with agents which treat or prevent autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases such as those caused by arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
US08273879B2

The present invention relates to a pyrimidine compound (I) useful as a pharmaceutical intermediate, to a process for preparing said pyrimidine compound, to intermediates used in said process, and to the use of said pyrimidine compound in the preparation of pharmaceuticals.
US08273878B2

A process for the preparation of a compound of Formula (1) and intermediates useful therein are provided. The process comprises reacting a compound of formula R1—CO—CH2-E with a compound of formula R2—CHX1X2 in the presence of a compound of formula R3R4N—C(═NH)NH2 and a catalyst, thereby to form a dihydropyrimidine; and oxidizing the dihydropyrimidine to form the compound of Formula (I). R1 is H or an alkyl group; R2 is H, an alkyl or aryl group; R3 and R4 are each independently H, alkyl or aryl, or R3 and R4 are linked to form, together with the nitrogen to which they are attached to form a 5 to 7 membered heterocyclic ring; E is H, an unsubstituted alkyl group, an aryl group or an electron withdrawing group; and X1 and X2 are each independently leaving groups, or X1 and X2 together represent ═O.
US08273874B2

The invention relates to an improved method of dynamic nuclear polarisation (DNP) of carboxylic acids and to compounds and compositions for use in the method.
US08273871B2

Provided is an improved design of shRNA based on structural mimics of miR-451 precursors. These miR-451 shRNA mimics are channeled through a novel small RNA biogenesis pathway, require AGO2 catalysis and are processed by Drosha but are independent of DICER processing. This miRNA pathway feeds active elements only into Ago2 because of its unique catalytic activity. These data demonstrate that this newly identified small RNA biogenesis pathway can be exploited in vivo to produce active molecules.
US08273866B2

The present invention concerns methods and reagents useful in modulating gene expression in a variety of applications, including use in therapeutic, diagnostic, target validation, and genomic discovery applications. Specifically, the invention relates to synthetic chemically modified small nucleic acid molecules, such as short interfering nucleic acid (siNA), short interfering RNA (siRNA), double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), micro-RNA (miRNA), and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) molecules capable of mediating RNA interference (RNAi) against target nucleic acid sequences. The small nucleic acid molecules are useful in the treatment of any disease or condition that responds to modulation of gene expression or activity in a cell, tissue, or organism.
US08273864B2

Variant costimulatory polypeptides, nucleic acids encoding such polypeptides, and methods for using the polypeptides and nucleic acids to enhance a T cell response are provided herein.
US08273858B2

In certain embodiments, this present invention provides polypeptide compositions, and methods for inhibiting Ephrin B2 or EphB4 activity. In other embodiments, the present invention provides methods and compositions for treating cancer or for treating angiogenesis-associated diseases.
US08273854B2

The invention provides specific GLP-1 analogs fused to specific IgG4-Fc derivatives. These fusion proteins have an increased half-life, decreased immunogenicity, and reduce effector activity. The fusion proteins are useful in treating diabetes, obesity, irritable bowel syndrome and other conditions that would be benefited by lowering plasma glucose, inhibiting gastric and/or intestinal motility and inhibiting gastric and/or intestinal emptying, or inhibiting food intake.
US08273851B2

A method for producing a polyimide film comprises the steps of: preparing a polar organic solvent solution of a polyimide precursor obtained by mixing a tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride compound and a diamine compound; adding a dehydrating agent and an imidization catalyst to the polar organic solvent solution so as to prepare a resin solution composition; and drying the resin solution composition by heating so as to imidize the resin solution composition after flowing the resin solution composition onto a support in a casting manner, wherein diethyl pyridine is used as the imidization catalyst. According to the production method, it is possible to obtain a polyimide film which is highly productive and is excellent in the film quality such as the mechanical property, the adhesive strength, and the like.
US08273847B2

A medical adhesive comprises a hydrophilic urethane prepolymer (UP) obtained by reacting a fluorine-containing nonaromatic polyisocyanate component (A) and a polyol component (B) having a hydrophilic polyol (B1), and a phenolic radical scavenger (PRS). The content of (PRS) is preferably 0.01 to 3% by weight based on the weight of (UP). The content of oxyethylene groups in (B) is preferably 30 to 100% by weight based on the weight of the oxyalkylene groups in (B). Preferably, (B) is a mixture of a random copolymer obtained by addition of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide to diols and polypropylene glycol. The content of isocyanate groups in the medical adhesive is 1 to 10% by weight based on the weight of (UP). The medical adhesive is suitable for bonding body tissues, such as lung, artery and heart in particular.
US08273829B2

The present disclosure relates to a method for making a conjugated polymer. In the method, polyacrylonitrile, a solvent, and a catalyst are provided. The polyacrylonitrile is dissolved in the solvent to form a polyacrylonitrile solution. The catalyst is uniformly dispersed into the polyacrylonitrile solution. The polyacrylonitrile solution with the catalyst is heated to induce a cyclizing reaction of the polyacrylonitrile, thereby forming a conjugated polymer solution with conjugated polymer.
US08273828B2

Biocompatible polymers having polymer backbones with at least one secondary amine suitable for diazeniumdiolation are disclosed. Specifically, methods for providing secondary amines-containing polymers using epoxide-opening reactions are provided. More specifically, nitric oxide-releasing medical devices made using these polymers are disclosed.
US08273827B2

Disclosed is an adhesive composition having adhesion properties, high-speed curing properties and moisture resistance. Also disclosed is an adhesion method. Specifically disclosed is a composition which comprises: a first preparation comprising (A) a nitrile-butadiene rubber, (B) a (meth)acrylic composition, (C) a compound having an enal structure, and (F) a radical polymerization initiator; and a second preparation comprising (A) the nitrile-butadiene rubber, (B) the (meth)acrylic composition, (D) a compound having an amine structure, and (E) a compound containing copper. Also disclosed is a composition which comprises: a first preparation comprising (A) a nitrile-butadiene rubber, (B) a (meth)acrylic composition, (D) a compound having an amine structure, and (F) a radical polymerization initiator; and a second preparation comprising (A) the nitrile-butadiene rubber, (B) the (meth)acrylic composition, (C) a compound having an enal structure, and (E) a compound containing copper.
US08273822B2

The present invention pertains to a reversible thermochromic system comprising a β-phenylvinylketone or a ω-phenyl polyacetylenyl ketone with at least one acidic hydrogen and a base and to a reversible thermochromic composition comprising the reversible thermochromic system and a carrier material and to novel substituted β-phenylvinylketones or ω-phenyl polyacetylenyl ketones with at least one acidic hydrogen.
US08273821B2

The present invention relates to an adhesive composition comprising a mixture of multi-block copolymers, in particular, an adhesive composition comprising a block copolymer represented by Formula 1, a hydrocarbon adhesive resin and a plasticizer. The adhesive composition according to the present invention can be easily processed due to its low melting point and shows improved adhesive properties such as loop tack, 180° peel strength and holding power.
US08273810B2

The invention disclosed herein relates to an improved process for making elastomeric polyisoprene articles. In particular, the process of the invention is a system which produces synthetic polyisoprene articles exhibiting tensile strength properties similar to that of solvent-based processes using natural rubber latex. The process comprises an accelerator composition at the pre-cure stage comprising a dithiocarbamate, a thiazole and a guanidine compound. In a preferred embodiment, the accelerator composition comprises zinc diethyldithiocarbamate (ZDEC), zinc 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (ZMBT) and diphenyl guanidine (DPG), in conjunction with a stabilizer, such as sodium caseinate. The invention also includes an elastomeric polyisoprene product made by the process, such as a surgeon's glove.
US08273809B2

The disclosure relates to a bitumen/polymer composition comprising at least one bitumen and at least one graft polymer, the grafts enabling the bitumen/polymer compositions to be thermoreversibly cross-linked. The disclosure also relates to the use of said bitumen/polymer compositions in fields of application relating to roads, especially in the production of asphalt binders, and in industrial fields of application. The disclosure further relates to the method for producing said thermoreversibly cross-linked bitumen/polymer compositions.
US08273803B2

Compositions and methods of their use to adhere a variety of materials together are disclosed herein. The compositions include at least tetra calcium phosphate, an effective amount of a compound that is structurally similar to phosphoserine, and can be mixed with an aqueous solution. The compositions provide adhesive and cohesive strength in both wet and dry environments and exhibit significant bond strength upon curing.
US08273797B2

The present invention features methods of treating a mammalian subject having renal cancer by administration of 4-[bis[2-[(methylsulfonyl)oxy]ethyl]amino]-benzaldehyde. The present invention further features administration protocols and dosing schedules for methods of treating patients having renal cancer and pharmaceutical compositions suitable for use in the treatment methods provided herein.
US08273789B2

The present invention relates to a novel chemical compound of formula S-(1): for use in the treatment of cancer, to compositions containing said compound, methods of manufacture and combinations with other therapeutic agents.
US08273786B2

In one aspect, the invention relates to compounds of formula I: where R1-6 are as defined in the specification, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The compounds of formula I are serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. In another aspect, the invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds; methods of using such compounds; and process and intermediates for preparing such compounds.
US08273779B2

The invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions containing at least one thiazolidin-4-one derivative to prevent or treat disorders associated with an activated immune system. Furthermore, the invention relates to novel thiazolidin-4-one derivatives notably for use as pharmaceutically active compounds. Said compounds particularly act also as immunosuppressive agents.
US08273763B2

Inhibitors of the endoplasmic reticulum associated degradation (ERAD) pathway, particularly inhibitors of mannosidase I, are used to treat sarcoglycanopathies.
US08273759B2

The present invention relates to heterocyclyl-pyrimidinyl-amino derivatives of formula (I) heterocyclyl-pyrimidinyl-amino derivatives of formula (I) wherein Het, Y, p, Ra, Rb, Rc, X, n, L1 and L2 represent various substituents, their process of preparation, preparation intermediate compounds, their use as fungicide active agents, particularly in the form of fungicide compositions, and methods for the control of phytopathogenic fungi, notably of plants, using these compounds or compositions.
US08273752B2

The invention relates to substituted imidazo- and triazolopyrimidines and processes for their preparation, and their use for the manufacture of medicaments for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of diseases, in particular of haematological disorders, preferably of leucopenias and neutropenias.
US08273739B2

The present invention provides a method for the preparation of mycophenolate mofetil wherein mycophenolic acid or an amine salt of mycophenolic acid is esterified with 2-morpholinoethanol, the resulting mixture is extracted into water at a pH-value between 1.0 and 3.0, and mycophenolate mofetil is back-extracted in a water-immiscible solvent at a pH-value between 3.0 and 5.0.
US08273738B2

A CB2 receptor modulator comprising an imidazole derivative represented by the general formula (I): [wherein, R1 represents optionally substituted lower alkyl or the like; R2 represents optionally substituted cycloalkyl or the like; R3 represents optionally substituted aryl or the like; and n represents an integer of 0 to 3] or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof as an active ingredient, and the like are provided.
US08273737B2

The present invention is directed to compounds of formula (I) which are M1 receptor positive allosteric modulators and that are useful in the treatment of diseases in which the M1 receptor is involved, such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, pain or sleep disorders. The invention is also directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds, and to the use of the compounds and compositions in the treatment of diseases mediated by the M1 receptor.
US08273735B2

This invention provides a process for preparing benzazepine compounds of the formula (1): wherein X1 is a halogen atom, R1 and R2 are a lower alkyl group, or salts thereof as well as intermediate benzoic acid compounds in high yield and high purity on industrial scale, which are useful as an intermediate for preparing a pharmaceutically active 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-1-benzazepine compound having vasopressin antagonistic activity.
US08273732B2

The invention describes a composition for combating beta-lactamase-mediated antibiotic resistance using beta-lactamase inhibitor useful for injection, capable of pharmaceutical application. The invention relates to pharmaceutical composition containing ceftriaxone (normally as ceftriaxone sodium) and sulbactam (normally as sulbactam sodium). Such compositions are found to be useful for intramuscular or intravenous administration as antibiotics for hospitalized patients with serious infections. Specifically, this invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition further including an aminocarboxylic acid chelating agent, for example, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The pharmaceutical compositions of this invention have been found normally to enhance resistance to particulate formation in solutions to be administered parenterally. The invention also gives details of the dosage forms stored in sealed containers to be reconstituted before use. The invention also gives a process to manufacture these compositions. The invention gives a method of treating a subject having a condition or disorder, wherein a treatment with ceftriaxone sodium and sulbactam sodium is indicated.
US08273731B2

The disclosure is directed at least in part to compositions and methods comprising nicotinic agonists for treating e.g., nervous system disorders, in particular, to combination therapies that include a nicotinic agonist (for example, nicotine) and a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor desensitization inhibitor (for example, opipramol).
US08273728B2

A pharmaceutical preformulation in the form of a solid, free-flowing dry extract of a natural mixture of conjugated equine estrogens, which is particularly suitable use in for solid galenic forms, e.g. tabletting. The conjugated estrogens are available for further galenic processing in a form which assures the chemical stability of the hormones and permits advantageous processing into solid galenic forms, for example a tablet. The invention furthermore relates to a method for producing these preformulations in the form of a dry extract.
US08273726B2

The present invention generally relates to the treatment and/or prevention of Alzheimer's disease, other neurodegenerative diseases, and/or diseases characterized by the presence of certain metal ions, by using certain compositions including organosilicon compounds. A composition of the invention may be administered to a mammal, such as a human. In some cases, the composition may include a silanol, a silandiol, a silantriol, or a cyclic organosilane, and/or be able to form a silanol, a silandiol, or a silantriol upon exposure to physiological conditions such as are found in the blood, in the stomach and/or gastrointestinal tract, or in the brain or other organ. In certain cases, the organosilicon compound may be bound to a moiety able to be transported across the blood-brain barrier into the brain, for example, an amino acid, a peptide, a protein, a virus, etc. The organosilicon compound may also be labeled (e.g., fluorescently or radioactively) in certain instances. In some embodiments, the composition, or a portion thereof, may sequester aluminum, copper, iron or other ions, for example, by electrostatically binding to the ions. The composition may also include other functionalities such as amines, certain alkyl and/or aryl moieties (including substituted alkyls and/or aryls), or hydrophobic moieties, for example, to facilitate transport of the organosilicon compound through the blood-brain barrier.
US08273725B2

A pharmaceutical composition comprising in admixture a hyaluronic acid related component (HARC) and a pharmaceutically effective amount of triamcinolone hexacetonide (TAH). The composition is stable in an accelerated shelf life test in which the composition is heated to 80° C. for 24 hours.
US08273720B2

The present invention discloses compounds of formula I, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, esters, or prodrugs thereof: which exhibit antibacterial properties. The present invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising the aforementioned compounds for administration to a subject in need of antibiotic treatment. The invention also relates to methods of treating a bacterial infection in a subject by administering a pharmaceutical composition comprising the compounds of the present invention. The invention further includes process by which to make the compounds of the present invention.
US08273706B2

This invention pertains to isobarically labeled analytes and fragment ions thereof.