US08321958B1

A software-based security agent that hooks into the operating system of a computer device in order to continuously audit the behavior and conduct of the end user of the computer device. The detected actions of the end user can be stored in a queue or log file that can be continuously monitored to detect patterns of behavior that may constitute a policy violation and/or security risk. When a pattern of behavior that may constitute a policy violation and/or security risk is detected, an event may be triggered. A frequency vector string matching algorithm also is disclosed. The frequency vector string matching algorithm may be used to detect the presence or partial presence of subject strings within a target string of alphanumeric characters. The frequency vector string matching algorithm could be used to detect typos in stored computer records or to search for records based on partial information. In addition, the frequency vector string matching algorithm could be used to search communications for sensitive information that has been manipulated, obscured, or partially elided. In addition, an anomaly analysis is disclosed for comparing behavior patterns of one user against the behavior patterns of other users to detect anomalous behaviors.
US08321953B2

A system to authorize access to secured data storage can comprise a user interface configured to receive a user code offline from a user to allow access to stored data, circuitry configured to authorize access to the stored data based, at least in part, on the user code and provide access to the stored data, and a storage system configured to store the stored data.
US08321942B1

A candidate signature for a known malware entity is selected for analysis. A set of malware entities that contain the candidate signature is identified. A diversity measurement for the candidate signature is determined. The diversity measurement describes the diversity of the set of malware entities that contain the candidate signature. A determination is made whether to use the candidate signature to identify the known malware entity based at least in part on the diversity measurement. Responsive to the determination, the candidate malware signature is stored as a signature for the known malware entity.
US08321939B1

A method and an apparatus to perform multiple packet payload analysis have been disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a plurality of data packets, each of the plurality of data packets containing a portion of a data pattern, determining whether each of the plurality of data packets is out of order, and making and storing a local copy of the corresponding data packet if the corresponding data packet is out of order. Other embodiments have been claimed and described.
US08321933B2

Methods and systems are provided for securing electronic control unit code. In one implementation, a method is provided. According to the method, an order for the program code may be transmitted to a developer. The order may include specifications and an authentication key. The method may further include receiving the program code and the authentication certification from the developer and verifying the authentication certificate to determine whether the developer was an authorized source of the program code. The method may generate metadata identifying the authorized source of the program code and embed the metadata in the program code.
US08321926B1

A system and method to selectively isolate one or more unprotected computer devices from the rest of the computer system and/or from the network. The ability to isolate and/or authenticate the software and/or hardware on or interacting with the unprotected software and/or hardware provides for a secured system despite the presence or use of an unprotected computer device.
US08321924B2

The present invention provides a method for protecting software based on network, which combines a client program that communicates with a server in C/S (or B/S) architecture with a key device, the client program authenticates a user using the key device for protecting software, the method includes the steps of: running the client program; authenticating the user using the key device by the client program; and continuing to run the client program with a server if the user has passed the authentication. In the prior art, the username and password are easy to intercept in transmission as plain text over network. In the method, the client program is combined with a key device. In addition, the complete client program cannot be executed without involving the server. Therefore, the strength of software protection is increased.
US08321918B2

The present invention provides an apparatus for sharing a user control enhanced digital identity that allows a user to have all controls and control the flow of identity sharing on the user basis when the user shares user's personal information. According to the present invention, a user can decrease infringement of personal information due to illegal usage of the personal information by allowing a user to control usage of user's personal information and prevent the user's personal information from being carelessly used. Further, a provider that provides the services can efficiently associate the services between providers.
US08321911B2

A method for gaming terminals, gaming kiosks and lottery terminals to ensure that the code-signing verification process of downloaded game software can be trusted. Drivers independently developed from the operating system supplier are embedded within the operating system kernel to verify that the micro-coded hardware components, the BIOS, the operating system components and the downloaded game software can be trusted.
US08321903B2

Integrating external on-demand services is performed through embedding a pseudo on-demand video-title for each new on-demand external service, which is activated by an original session manager (SM) once a particular set-top converter box (STB), which belongs to a particular group_id, initiates a request for the external service. An STB application intercepts SM tuning information on the selected transport_id and service_id of the pseudo service and recovers the address of the selected edge device and QAM in the original system, associated with the intercepted transport_id, through the inverse mapping the couple (group_id, transport_id) to the edge and QAM IP and UDP port addresses which map is set by external management system. The STB application initiates the external on-demand service with same edge and QAM but with a different unique external_service_id , through streaming of the external service to the recovered edge IP address and to a new UDP port number where the new UDP port number encodes the original QAM address with the new unique external_service_id number of the external service, and tunes to the new external_service_id.
US08321897B2

A system and method for controlling the transmission of contents among a plurality of audio/video (AV) devices by using a general purpose network In case of transmitting the contents held in a first device (source) to a second device (sink) by way of a designated transmission path, information relating to the transfer protocol for transmitting the contents is added to each content when the contents information held in the first device is disclosed to a controller on the network. Transmission management is performed based on the information on the transfer protocol added to each content when starting transmission of the contents between the first device and the second device.
US08321890B2

A content distribution device includes a first receiver which receives, from the broadcasting station, the program content having the commercial image data and electronic program information; an commercial extractor which extracts the commercial image data and creates commercial metadata based on the electronic program information; a first storage which stores the commercial image data and the commercial metadata that are associated with each other; a second storage which stores distribution contents; a content selector which selects the distribution content according to a request from the view terminal from the second storage; a third receiver which receives, from the viewer terminal, viewing history information of program contents; an commercial inserter which selects the commercial metadata from the first storage based on the viewing history information and inserts the commercial image data corresponding to the selected commercial metadata in the distribution content; and a distribution unit which distributes the distribution content to the viewer terminal.
US08321887B2

A video content network having a plurality of program channels is operated, and a target time slot for an enhanced advertisement is identified. At least some of the plurality of program channels have programs scheduled during the target time slot. The target time slot is signaled to a plurality of terminals connected to the video content network. Each of the terminals is viewing a given one of the program channels prior to the signaling. Responsive to the signaling, the programs scheduled during the target time slot are effectively paused at a program time corresponding to a beginning of the time slot, and the enhanced advertisement is caused to be displayed on the terminals. Responsive to an end of the enhanced advertisement, the programs scheduled during the target time slot are resumed at the program time corresponding to the beginning of the time slot. Thus, substantially all viewers of the video content network during the target time slot are exposed to the enhanced advertisement regardless of which of the plurality of program channels the viewers were watching during the target time slot.
US08321872B2

Hardware resources sharing for a computer system running software tasks. A controller stores records including a mutex ID tag and a waiter flag in a cache. Lock and unlock registers are readable by the controller and loadable by the tasks with a mutex ID specifying a hardware resource. The controller monitors whether the lock register for loading with a mutex ID, and then determines whether it corresponds with the tag of a record in the cache. If so, it sets the record's waiter flag. If not, it adds a record having a tag corresponding with the mutex ID. The controller also monitors whether the unlock register for loading with a mutex ID, and then determines whether it corresponds with the tag of a record in the cache. If so, it determines whether that record's waiter flag is set and, if so, it clears that record from the cache.
US08321864B2

A framework whereby mobile terminals are configured and managed by a central server. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile telecommunications terminal including a first execution environment and a second execution environment, each execution environment being arranged to execute a respective device management agent and each agent issuing, in accordance with instructions from a device management server, management actions that act upon one or more respective management entities running within one or more of the execution environments; wherein the management entities of the second execution environment are grouped into a management structure, the management structure being one of the management entities within the first execution environment, whereby the he first and second execution environments permit the device management server is permitted to manage applications and/or services running within both.
US08321858B1

The present invention comprises systems and methods, and computer readable media comprising the methods, for updating software applications. The systems and methods of the present invention provide automation and flexibility to the updating process. Processor usage and network usage are monitored and software updates are initiated and/or continued during periods where processor and/or network usage are low. The update process may be halted when the processor and/or network connection are called upon for other uses. Processor and/or network usage may also be throttled, for example limiting the bandwidth available for the download to maintain sufficient processor share and/or bandwidth for other tasks. Adverse impact on a computer user is minimized.
US08321853B2

Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to type and property definition support for software. In aspects, new types can be added to an application model after the software has been created without changing the software. After software is created and embodied in computer code, a new type definition may be received by a user type service. The user type service may then place the new type definition in a data store in which other types native to the software are located. The software may then use the new type definitions and properties associated therewith in queries and in user interfaces provided by the software.
US08321852B2

A system and method for dynamically associating an application with an extension service to generate an extended, dynamically linked version of the application. The application is configurable for deployment on an electronic device and for subsequent interaction with the extension service during execution through communication messages defined in a structured definition language. The system and method include a parser module configured for analyzing a set of service metadata descriptors to identify a communication interface associated with the extension service, such that the service metadata descriptors describe the communication interface including structure and type of parameters expected by the extension service for use in manipulation of the communication messages. The system and method also include a linking module coupled to the parser module for using the communication interface and a reference to the extension service in the code of the application to build a runtime dynamic link between the extension service and the application to produce the executable application.
US08321840B2

Methods, systems and machine readable media are disclosed for performing dynamic information flow tracking. One method includes executing operations of a program with a main thread, and tracking the main thread's execution of the operations of the program with a tracking thread. The method further includes updating, with the tracking thread, a taint value associated with the value of the main thread to reflect whether the value is tainted, and determining, with the tracking thread based upon the taint value, whether use of the value by the main thread violates a specific security policy.
US08321835B2

A technique for generating good system decompositions is disclosed. The illustrative embodiment uses evolutionary programming in combination with a fitness function to generate a system decomposition that has a low degree of coupling and a high degree of coherence. A system is represented by an object-oriented specification using the Unified Modeling Language (UML); the UML specification is then represented by an eXtended Markup Language (XML) document, and the contents of the document are transformed into a nested-list data structure that resembles source code in a functional programming language such as Common LISP. The nested-list data structure and an appropriate fitness function are input to an evolutionary programming engine that operates on the nested-list data structure as though it were a source code program, and generates an output source code program. A system decomposition is then derived from the output source code program.
US08321834B2

A method of generating a tool for merging customizations made to a first version of a software artifact when migrating to a second version includes instantiating a mapping element for each top-level element in a first code set that does not have a complementary element in a second code set; requesting and receiving merge instructions for each top-level element for which merge instructions are not provided in the corresponding mapping element; determining whether the merge instructions for each top-level element for which merge instructions are provided require that customizations be merged into the second code set; determining whether the merge instructions for each top-level element set that requires customizations to be merged are valid; requesting and receiving merge instructions for each top-level element for which the merge instructions are not valid; and storing the merge instructions received for each top-level element in the corresponding mapping element.
US08321818B2

Mechanism are provided for model-based retargeting of photolithographic layouts. An optical proximity correction is performed on a set of target patterns for a predetermined number of iterations until a counter value exceeds a maximum predetermined number of iterations in order to produce a set of optical proximity correction mask shapes. A set of lithographic contours is generated for each of the set of optical proximity correction mask shapes in response to the counter value exceeding the maximum predetermined number of iterations. A normalized image log slope (NILS) extraction is performed on the set of target shapes and use the set of lithographic contours to produce NILS values. The set of target patterns is modified based on the NILS values in response to the NILS values failing to be within a predetermined limit. The steps are repeated until the NILS values are within the predetermined limit.
US08321809B2

A method and apparatus for displaying grouped display information by variable sizevariable-sized, grouped display information on a touch screen are provided. The apparatus includes an input unit that receives input from a user on a touch screen on which several pieces of display information are grouped and displayed in a predetermined number of groups, a determination unit that determines which group was input by calculating a location on the touch screen with respect to the user's input, and a display unit that displays the several pieces of display information in groups, and changes a size of the group region input as a result of the determination and the size of the other groups corresponding to the input group region size.
US08321793B1

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for recommending web content to a user. In one embodiment, a user is directed to a page of a website, the page including links to a plurality of subpages. Additionally, a number of visits by the user directed from the page to each of the subpages are tracked. Further, one of the subpages with a highest number of visits is designated as a new entry page for the user. Moreover, the user is automatically redirected to the new entry page during subsequent visits by the user to the website.
US08321792B1

A computer system includes a display interface, a user input device interface, and a processor cooperatively operable with the display interface and the user input device interface. The processor is configured to facilitate displaying, via the display interface, a mashup or service; interacting with the user to input, via the user input device interface, an indication to take a snapshot of the mashup or service being currently displayed via the display interface; and storing a snapshot artifact of live data from the mashup or service at the instant the snapshot is taken.
US08321790B2

A system management human-machine interface application for use in a process control system is described herein that enables users to view/monitor information regarding system status and performance and to initiate changes to the operation of system equipment, checkpoint control stations and execute diagnostics. A system management graphical user interface includes a number of features that enhance the accessibility of system status information to users. Such enhancements include rendering selectable diagnostic information (e.g., online/offline status) on a system component navigation view. The GUI also provides access to a variety of system information including: alarms, messages, watched system management parameters, and a legend for symbols displayed in a system management navigation tree. Other enhancements include: a search function for quickly locating a device in the system to render detailed information, a navigation tree that displays equipment status via icons, and propagating fault statuses up to a highest level of the navigation tree.
US08321788B2

An information processing apparatus includes a pattern extraction unit, a rule extraction unit, and a reflection information generation unit. The pattern extraction unit is configured to extract an operation pattern of each of users from operation history information obtained from a plurality of devices to be operated, the operation history information at least including information regarding operation histories of the users and device states. The rule extraction unit is configured to extract incorrect operation patterns from the operation patterns extracted by the pattern extraction unit, the incorrect operation patterns being operation patterns caused by incorrect operations performed by the users. The reflection information generation unit is configured to identify a cause of the incorrect operations from types of the incorrect operation patterns and generate, based on the cause of the incorrect operations, reflection information configured to be reflected in functions of the devices to be operated.
US08321786B2

Error checking and correction techniques for web based applications use an error checking routine on a server or a client station to find errors in electronic text of an E-mail message. The disclosed error checking routine detects errors such as spelling errors in the electronic text and creates a correction file of the electronic text containing tags, markers and other information allowing errors to be displayed and corrected using the user's graphical interface. The graphical interface allows the user to review all the errors concurrently in the correction file and to correct the errors in any order. In a preferred embodiment, correction is facilitated in response to the user moving a mouse pointer over an error of interest, which provides correction options to be displayed in-line with the original text. The user can then select a suitable correction to correct the error.
US08321776B2

An error correction method corrects and replaces erroneous digital signal samples (having N companded bits) in a receiver after ascertaining by parity check that a sample is erroneous. The method chooses M MSBs where M is less than or equal to N, and produces M test samples, each of the M test samples being obtained by inverting a single bit from the M bits, keeping other bits unaltered. Each test sample is expanded and passed through a selected low pass filter (e.g., 15 kHz) to obtain a filtered output and a differential value between the test sample and its filtered output. The test sample producing the least differential value is chosen to replace the erroneous signal sample. The technique is especially applicable in NICAM demodulators receiving 14 bit sample signals (at 32 kHz) companded to (N) 10 bits from which (M) 6 MSB parity encoded bits are chosen for producing test samples.
US08321771B1

Systems and methods are provided for generating error events for decoded bits using a Soft output Viterbi algorithm (SOYA). A winning path through a trellis can be determined and decoded information can be generated. Path metric differences can be computed within the trellis based on the winning path. A plurality of error event masks and error event metrics can be generated based on the decoded information and the path metric differences.
US08321768B2

In a method and system for calculating CRC, a Partial CRC is first calculated directly according to a segment of a message. Then, a First Code including the Partial CRC appended with a plurality of zero-bytes is generated. Finally, the Adjusted CRC is calculated according to the First Code. Therefore, an Adjusted CRC can be derived directly from each segment of a message. After all segments of a message are received, all the derived Adjusted CRCs are merged to obtain a Final CRC of the message. The method and system can be quickly prototyped and implemented to various systems due to its simplicity.
US08321767B2

A packet processing apparatus includes a packet identifying unit and a packet modifying unit. The packet identifying unit is utilized for receiving a plurality of packets and checking identification information derived from the received packets to identify first packets from the received packets. The packet modifying unit is coupled to the packet identifying unit, and is utilized for checking payloads of the first packets to identify second packets from the first packets, where each of the second packets has specific data included in a payload thereof, and for modifying at least the payload of each of the second packets.
US08321760B2

Provided are a semiconductor memory device and a data processing method thereof. The semiconductor memory device includes a nonvolatile memory and a memory controller. The nonvolatile memory stores data a plurality of memory cells. The memory controller rearranges data by various operations such as a modulation code operation and processes the data according to an ECC operation to reduce the interference between the memory cells.
US08321759B2

A method and apparatus for distributing dynamically reconfigurable content to a mobile device is provided. One embodiment of a method for encoding a data stream to enable error correction by a receiver of the data stream includes storing a block of the data stream in a first memory array, processing the first memory array to produce a second memory array, inverting the second memory array, and storing the second memory array, as inverted, as a third memory array.
US08321748B2

The present invention provides a method that protects symbol types by characterizing symbols as one of two types—DATA or NON_DATA, generating a symbol characterization bit, placing the symbol characterization bit at both ends of the symbol, and transmitting the symbol with the symbol characterization bits at both ends. Thus, a single byte error may affect a type bit in two consecutive symbols, and will affect one or the other of the type bits in a single symbol, but cannot affect both type bits in a single symbol.
US08321746B2

Various approaches related to systems and methods for LDPC based data processing.
US08321744B2

A channel adaptive iterative turbo decoder for computing with MAP decoders a set of branch metrics for a window of received data, computing the forward and reverse recursive path state metrics and computing from the forward and reverse recursive path state metrics the log likelihood ratio for 1 and 0 and interleaving the decision bits; and identifying those MAP decoder decision bits which are non-convergent, computing a set of branch metrics for the received data, computing from the forward and reverse recursive path state metrics the log likelihood ratio (LLR) for 1 and 0 for each non-converged decision bit and interleaving the non-convergent decision bits.
US08321741B2

A system for providing an adaptive control mechanism may include a mobile station within a multicast broadcast service group and a base station in communication with the mobile station. The base station may be configured to control provision of data to the mobile station, receive feedback with respect to receipt of at least a portion of the data provided, and determine a configuration of the base station for future transmissions based on the feedback received. The mobile station may be configured to determine a status with respect to receipt of data expected to be received from the base station, generate the feedback indicative of the status determined, and provide for communication of the feedback generated to the base station.
US08321732B2

An embodiment includes encoding parallel digital data into encoded and parallel digital data in an encoder and generating parallel test data in a pseudo-random binary sequence generator circuit. The encoded and parallel digital data is coupled through a multiplexer to be serialized in a serializer in a normal mode of operation and the parallel test data is coupled through the multiplexer to be serialized in the serializer in a test mode of operation. Encoded and serial digital data are transmitted to a transmission medium in the normal mode, and serial test data are transmitted to the transmission medium in the test mode. The encoder, the serializer, the sequence generator circuit, and the multiplexer may be fabricated in a single integrated circuit chip. The parallel test data may be parallel pseudo-random binary sequence data. The parallel digital data may include data to generate colors in a visual image.
US08321727B2

Systems and methods are disclosed that are responsive to a rate of change of a performance parameter of a memory. In a particular embodiment, a rate of change of a performance parameter of a non-volatile memory is determined. The rate of change is compared to a threshold, and an action is performed in response to determining that the rate of change satisfies the threshold.
US08321714B2

A serial controller is adapted to receive an external clock and an input data, and output an inverted clock and an output data. The serial controller includes an inverter, a serial position detector, a synchronous clock generator, a serial register, and a half-cycle delay unit. Thereby, through the serial controller, the problem that the data signal and the driving clock are not synchronous when the clock series are inverted is avoided. Besides, a bi-directional serial controller further includes an identification unit and a data directing unit, and the serial controller is enabled to return the current status to a central control unit to serve as the reference for error detection.
US08321712B2

There is provided a system and methods for segmenting datapath resources such as reorder buffers, physical registers, instruction queues and load-store queues, etc. in a microprocessor so that their size may be dynamically expanded and contracted. This is accomplished by allocating and deallocating individual resource units to each resource based on sampled estimates of the instantaneous resource needs of the program running on the microprocessor. By keeping unused datapath resources to a minimum, power and energy savings are achieved by shutting off resource units that are not needed for sustaining the performance requirements of the running program. Leakage energy and switching energy and power are reduced using the described methods.
US08321711B2

The invention provides a semiconductor device that power is stabilized by suppressing power consumption as much as possible. The semiconductor device of the invention includes a logic portion and a memory portion each including a plurality of transistors, a detecting portion for detecting one or both of operation frequencies of the logic portion and the memory portion, a Vth control for supplying a Vth control signal to one or both of the logic portion and the memory portion, and an antenna. Each of the plurality of transistors has a first gate electrode which is input with a logic signal, a second gate electrode which is input with the Vth control signal, and a semiconductor film such that the second gate electrode, the semiconductor film, and the first gate electrode are provided in this order from the bottom.
US08321709B2

An exemplary embodiment of notebook computer includes a main body, a display, and a proximity sensor. The display is pivotably connected to the main body. The proximity sensor is installed in the main body and includes an emitter and a receiver. The emitter is configured for emitting an emission. The receiver is configure for receiving the emission, determining if an included angle between the main body and the display is in a predetermined range based upon the received emission, and, if yes, generating a signal indicative of placing the notebook computer in the sleep mode.
US08321694B2

A power supply circuit for south bridge chip includes a voltage conversion chip, a control circuit, and a voltage increasing circuit coupled electrically to the voltage conversion chip and the control circuit. The voltage conversion chip is configured for outputting a driving signal. The control circuit is configured for receiving the driving signal and a first voltage, and converting the first voltage to a second voltage according to the driving signal. The voltage increasing circuit is configured for increasing voltage level of the second voltage, wherein the second voltage is supplied to the south bridge chip via the voltage increasing circuit.
US08321692B2

An information processing apparatus includes a plurality of storage units, a mirroring control unit configured to execute mirroring processing, which includes writing processing for writing same data on each of the plurality of storage units and reading processing for reading data from either one of the plurality of storage units, and a power control unit configured to independently control supply of power to the plurality of storage units. If the supply of power to the plurality of storage units is reduced, if the mirroring control unit starts the writing processing, the information processing apparatus resumes the power supply to the plurality of storage units, and if the mirroring control unit starts the reading processing, the information processing apparatus resumes the power supply to a specific storage unit from which the data is read, and configured to execute control not to resume the power supply to the other storage unit(s).
US08321691B2

A method for masking a digital quantity used by a calculation executed by an electronic circuit and including several iterations, each including at least one operation which is a function of at least one value depending on the digital quantity, the method including at least one first step of displacement of at least one operand of the operation in a storage element selected independently from the value.
US08321684B2

Digital process for authentication of a user of a telecommunications or data network for access to protected data or a service reserved for a defined circle of users or for the use of data currently entered by the user, wherein a voice sample currently enunciated during an access attempt by the user on a telecommunications or VoIP terminal device is routed to a voice analysis unit and, herein, a current voice profile is computed and this is compared in a voice profile comparison unit against a previously stored initial voice profile and, in response to a positive comparison result, the user is authenticated and a first control signal enabling access, but in response to a negative comparison result a second control signal disabling access or triggering a substitute authentication procedure is generated.
US08321680B2

Embodiments describe a system and/or method for multiple party digital signatures. According to a first aspect a method comprises establishing a first validity range for a first key, establishing a first validity range for at least a second key, and determining if the validity range of the first key overlaps the first validity range of the at least a second key. A certificate is signed with the first validity range of the first key and the first validity range of the at least a second key if the validity ranges overlap. According to another embodiment, signage of the certificate is refused if the first validity range of the first key does not overlap with the first validity range of the at least a second key.
US08321668B2

The inventive method for controlling access to data which is used by reference in a program execution system (including processes and aims) during the program execution consists in memorising by the system the totality of references obtainable by said program with the aid of means considered legal, before any operation which can be prohibited if it relates to values which are not legal references, in verifying by the system whether said values are amongst the legal references memorized for the program and in accepting or rejecting the operation, respectively.
US08321667B2

A security model is provided in a transactional logging infrastructure that is arranged as a protected subsystem built on an underlying secure file system. Files in the underlying file system used by virtual log streams are protected from direct user writes, and are written-to only through the protected subsystem that is brokered by a machine-wide principal so that virtual log files sharing the same multiplexed physical log are kept secure from each other. Log file handles and user- and kernel-mode objects are exposed to log clients through interfaces using consistent security semantics for both dedicated and virtual logs. Log clients are agnostic of the underlying secure file system and can only manipulate file system containers—abstract objects that implement the physical log and used to virtualize the file system by normalizing input/output operations—by using the interfaces brokered by the principal in the protected subsystem.
US08321664B2

Revocation of digital certificates in a public-key infrastructure is disclosed, particularly in the case when a certificate might need to be revoked prior to its expirations. For example, if an employee was terminated or switched roles, his current certificate should no longer be valid. Accordingly, novel methods, components and systems are presented for addressing this problem. A solution set forth herein is based on the construction of grounded dense hash trees. In addition, the grounded dense hash tree approach also provides a time-communication tradeoff compared to the basic chain-based version of NOVOMODO, and this tradeoff yields a direct improvement in computation time in practical situations.
US08321650B2

In various embodiments, the present invention provides virtual disk formatting by intermediate devices including: (1) a storage shelf router and the storage shelf in which the storage-shelf is included, to external computing entities, such as disk-array controllers and host computers; (2) an I/O controller; and (3) a storage-bridge device. Additional embodiments of the present invention enhance virtual formatting by using additional padding, in a dual-abstraction method, to efficiently align virtual-block reads with underlying device blocks. Yet additional embodiments of the present invention allow for tracking and correcting device blocks corrupted during READ-MODIFY operations that occur during virtual-block WRITE operations. Various intermediate devices may employ two or more of the virtual formatting, dual abstraction, and corrupted-device-block tracking methods.
US08321629B2

The present invention calculates the power consumption of the storage system for each device which supplies power with a storage system, and controls the storage system to keep the power consumption not to exceed the upper limit. In order to achieve this, the power consumption of the chassis configuring the destination storage system is calculated with reference to the number of logical volumes configuring the pool which includes virtual logical volumes, and the logical volumes included in the source storage system are migrated to the virtual logical volumes included in the destination storage system, keeping the power consumption specified in advance per device supplying power to the chassis configuring the destination storage system not to exceed the upper limit value. (Refer to FIG. 27.)
US08321626B2

According to an aspect, the values corresponding to each group of parameters are stored in successive memory locations of a set of blocks, and pointer locations are maintained to point to the area where the groups of values are stored. When a new value is received for a parameter of a group, the values of parameters (with the new value substituted for the corresponding old value) of the group are replicated to a new set of locations in the same set of blocks if sufficient number of successive unwritten memory locations are available. A pointer data from the prior set of locations to the new set of locations is also maintained. According to another aspect, when there is insufficient space for the replication, all the present valid values of all groups are first written to a new set of blocks, and then only the earlier set of blocks are erased.
US08321623B2

In a nonvolatile memory, that includes cells organized in a plurality of bit lines and a plurality of word lines, user data are stored in respective portions of each of two of the word lines. Control information is stored in a cell that is common to one of the bit lines and one of the two word lines. A cell that is common to the bit line and the other word line is used as a reference cell. A flash memory, that includes a plurality of primary cells and a plurality of spare cells, is interrogated to determine which spare cells have been used to replace respective primary cells. At least some of the other spare cells are used as reference cells.
US08321622B2

The first controller includes a first relay circuit which is a circuit that controls data transfer, and a first processor coupled to the first relay circuit via a first second path. The second controller includes a second relay circuit which is a circuit that controls data transfer, and is coupled to the first relay circuit via the first path, and a second processor coupled to the second relay circuit via a second second path. The first processor is coupled to the second relay circuit not via the first relay circuit but via a first third path, and accesses the second relay circuit via the first third path during an I/O process. The second processor is coupled to the first relay circuit not via the second relay circuit but via a second third path, and accesses the first relay circuit via the second third path during an I/O process.
US08321620B2

A computer system includes multiple ports to which at least one external device is connected and which are connectable to multiple power supplying lines branched from a power supplying line for supplying electric power to the at least one external device; a switching unit which controls connections between the power supplying lines and the ports; and a controller which controls the switching unit so that two or more power supplying lines among the power supplying lines are connected to a first port, to which one of the at least one external device is connected, among the ports.
US08321619B2

A portable power and/or memory device is disclosed, which device includes integrated management circuitry enabling on-board management of energy storage, power management, and memory management. In a preferred embodiment, the device of the present invention can store and make available both memory and power, and provides an on-board means for displaying the various memory and/or power parameters associated with the device, using a USB interface to receive power for storage and to communicate between onboard memory and a device to which the portable power and/or memory device is connected.
US08321616B2

Systems and methods for reducing problems and disadvantages associated with traditional approaches to providing dedicated network interface card access are provided. An information handling system may include a processor, a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, a non-dedicated network interface communicatively coupled to the processor, a dedicated network interface, and a baseboard management controller. The non-dedicated network interface may have a first sideband interface. The dedicated network interface may have a second sideband interface communicatively coupled to the first sideband interface. The baseboard management controller may be communicatively coupled to the second sideband interface.
US08321605B2

Techniques are disclosed relating to detecting and interjecting a programmed input/output (PIO) operation into a direct memory access (DMA) operation. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit may include a DMA controller that may contain a control circuit, a DMA unit, and a PIO unit. The control circuit may be configured to detect a pending PIO operation during a DMA operation and interject the PIO operation onto a shared path during the same clock cycle as or the first clock cycle following the detection of the pending PIO operation. The DMA operation may consist of multiple single-clock-cycle beats. In one embodiment, a PIO operation may be interjected onto the shared path between beats of a DMA operation, on consecutive clock cycles. At the next clock cycle following the PIO operation, the control circuit may resume the next beat of the DMA operation.
US08321601B2

Improved techniques for providing status information associated with an electronic device to its user in an audible manner are disclosed. The status information can pertain to one or more conditions of the electronic device. The conditions can vary depending on the nature of the electronic device. As an example, where the electronic device is battery powered, one condition of the electronic device that can be monitored is a battery charge level.
US08321596B2

An input port is assigned to a SAS expander device. An output port is assigned to the SAS expander device. The output port and the input port are defined to be paired with each other as a primary subtractive port. Only a SAS initiator address is programmed in the route table of the SAS expander. An OPEN command is sent out the output port upon receiving the OPEN command into the input port if the DEST of the OPEN command is not a direct attached device of the SAS expander device and the DEST is not in the route table of the SAS expander device. An OPEN command is sent out the input port upon receiving the OPEN command into the output port if the DEST of the OPEN command is not a direct attached device of the SAS expander device and the DEST is not in the route table of the SAS expander device.
US08321589B2

The present application relates to methods and systems for intelligently routing requests to one of a plurality of redundant servers. The methods and systems route the requests to a most highly ranked redundant server. The redundant servers are dynamically rank according to ranking information, wherein the ranking information may include server performance information, server response information, next step performance information, next step response information, historic information and other like information. Next step response information and next step performance information corresponds to information pertaining to servers the plurality of redundant servers depend upon. The methods and systems may further randomly re-rank the plurality of redundant servers. The methods and systems may further re-route unprocessed requests meeting non-performance criteria.
US08321583B2

Methods of tuning a receive window. A receiving device and a sending device may be in communication over a network. The receiving device may advertise a receive window to the sending device. The size of the receive window may be adjusted over time based on one or more connection parameters, application parameters and/or operating system parameters.
US08321571B2

A local game-area network includes a plurality of gaming devices and local game-area servers. Each local game-area server is associated with a corresponding gaming device. Each local game-area server in the local game-area network is operatively associated with every other local game-area server in the local game-area network. Additionally, one of the local game-area servers is a host local game-area server while the remaining gaming devices and associated local game-area servers are clients. Furthermore, the host status of the host local game-area server moves dynamically to an available local game-area server in the local game-area network in response to the host local game-area server becoming non-operational.
US08321565B2

Systems and methods for throttling network usage are disclosed. An exemplary method includes at least one network device monitoring usage of a wide area network, selecting a throttling command based on the monitored usage of the wide area network, and broadcasting the throttling command to a plurality of access devices connected to the wide area network. The throttling command is configured for interpretation and use by each access device within the plurality of access devices to conform at least one operation to a network usage throttling level in accordance with the interpretation of the throttling command. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.
US08321561B2

A load caused by an information sharing message in an upper layer is reduced. A node, which shares information by exchanging a message between neighboring nodes in a lower layer and an upper layer of a network, includes a unit for determining whether or not to transmit a message for information sharing in the upper layer according to the contents of a state change in the neighboring nodes detected when a state change in the neighboring nodes in the lower layer is detected.
US08321550B2

In one embodiment, a method comprises receiving a request from a computing device for an address. The request is to include a unique value associated with the computing device. The method also comprises generating a username based on the unique value. The username is associated with the computing device. Additionally, the username is bound to a context within a network element. The method also comprises assigning an address to the computing device within the context. A circuit is generated between the computing device and the network element based on the address.
US08321547B2

A method for planning a multi-phase network includes storing initial parameter values for parameters associated with first and second growth phases in a multi-phase network plan, wherein each of the first and second growth phases is characterized by sets of the parameters. The method also includes calculating an initial growth scenario including the first and second growth phases based on the initial parameter values, and adjusting a value for at least one of the parameters to produce a modified parameter value. The method further includes automatically calculating a new growth scenario based on the modified parameter value and at least a portion of the initial parameter values, and displaying the new growth scenario. A computer readable medium for implementing the method described herein is also provided.
US08321543B2

A system and method for solving the weak membership problem in a system of nodes that might include redundancies. Each node is given the same random seed. Each node uses a link state protocol to determine the current system topography, and then an optimization such as simulated annealing is run on the topography at each node, independently of the other nodes, to determine the optimum weak membership for use thereof in subsequent system operations. Since each node starts with the same random seed, the nodes all arrive at the same solution without having to communicate a common solution between nodes.
US08321531B2

A method for verifying the identity of users connected to a computer network comprises providing fractional information queries to users, wherein responses to these individual queries are not sufficient to identify the user. This method further comprises receiving responses to these fractional information queries and comparing these responses to data available from within a computer network. A set of potential matches to the user is generated according to these responses and is used in determining whether the set of potential matches is sufficient to identify the user.
US08321526B2

Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for enabling a first end-user communications device to use a plurality of applications to access a plurality of data services via a plurality of data access networks; storing a first service policy for assisting with separately accounting for a use of a first data service of the plurality of data services by the first end-user communications device via a first particular combination of one of the plurality of applications and one of the plurality of data access networks; using the first service policy to monitor the use of the first data service by the first end-user communications device via the first particular combination to separately account for the use of the first data service via the first particular combination; and displaying by the first end-user communications device first service usage information based on the separate accounting.
US08321514B2

A trust relationship may be established between a first email user and at least a second email user. At least one email message received by the second user is automatically propagated to the first user based upon, at least in part, the trust relationship.
US08321510B1

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for automatically updating metadata. In one aspect, a method includes determining that metadata associated with an item of electronic content has been updated on a first device, and automatically communicating a notification of the update between the first device and one or more servers. The method also includes selecting a second device that is associated with a user of the first device, automatically communicating the notification between the one or more servers and the selected second device, and automatically updating, by the second device, metadata that is stored on the second device and that is associated with the item of electronic content, based on the notification.
US08321507B2

XML appliances/routers may be organized to implement one or more XML distribution rings to enable XML documents/messages to be distributed efficiently. The rings may be logical or physical. The XML distribution rings enable the XML documents/messages to be exchanged without requiring the XML appliances/routers to run a routing protocol to determine how XML documents/messages should be distributed through the network. Documents may be transmitted in one way on the ring or may be transmitted in both directions around the ring to enable the ring to tolerate failure of an XML appliance/router. Each XML appliance/router will receive all XML documents/messages and will make routing decisions for those clients that have provided the XML appliance/router with XML subscriptions. The subscriptions may be formed according to the XPath standard or in another manner.
US08321504B2

The present method and system relate to monitoring a subscriber base in an IP data network. The method and system receive at a subscriber base system information extracted from collected data of IP data sessions. The extracted information comprises at least a unique identifier and a timestamp. The subscriber base system queries a subscriber database with the extracted information to correlate with a corresponding subscriber record. If the extracted information is correlated to the corresponding subscriber record, the extracted information is used to update the subscriber database. If the extracted information cannot be correlated to an existing subscriber record, the extracted information is used to create a new subscriber record in the subscriber database.
US08321496B2

A method and system for identifying and sorting items of content, such as product/service reviews in a database coupled to a distributed communication network such as the Internet. Content from the database is displayed on a client display connected to the database over the network. An interactive element associated with the displayed content item is provided on the client display, which a user clicks to indicate that the user has found the displayed item helpful (such as in determining whether or not to purchase or to use a product/service in the case of a displayed product or service review). The database keeps track of the number of indications and stores the number as a count of the number of indications for the content. The number of indications associated with an item of content on the client display is then displayed together with the content. A client may sort content items according to the number of indications received.
US08321495B2

A mobile intelligent agent is used in a Byzantine fault-tolerant computing network. The mobile intelligent agent ensures that only a single instance of the mobile intelligent agent performs processing in the processing host. The agent interrogates an environment in the processing host for presence of a sibling mobile intelligent agent or a trace left by a sibling mobile intelligent agent. If a sibling mobile intelligent agent or a trace left by a sibling mobile intelligent agent is detected, further execution by the mobile intelligent agent in the processing host is ended. The agent will then be forwarded onward to find a processing host wherein the agent has not been executed.
US08321494B2

The present invention provides an apparatus for reporting about a download of an item of digital data to an end user from a plurality of logged data sources. The item of digital data is downloadable in one or more sessions but also divisible into portions. The apparatus comprises multiple event logs being associated with the logged data sources of the plurality of logged data sources. The apparatus further comprises a retrieving device for retrieving the multiple event logs from the logged data sources. The apparatus further comprises multiple event logs indicating the portions of the item of digital data downloaded in at least one of the one or more sessions. The apparatus further comprises a reporting device for combining the at least one event log and producing a report of the download of the item of digital data.
US08321490B2

An instruction-based parallel median filtering processor and method sorts in parallel each combination of pairs of inputs into greater and lesser values; determines from that sorting the minimum, maximum and median filter values of the inputs; processes one of those values and provides the processed value as an input; and applies an instruction for providing one of the values to the processing step, and at least one other instruction for enabling indication of at least one of the maximum, minimum, median filter values.
US08321489B2

A novel and useful apparatus for and method of software based phase locked loop (PLL). The software based PLL incorporates a reconfigurable calculation unit (RCU) that is optimized and programmed to sequentially perform all the atomic operations of a PLL or any other desired task in a time sharing manner. An application specific instruction-set processor (ASIP) incorporating the RCU includes an instruction set whose instructions are optimized to perform the atomic operations of a PLL. The RCU is clocked at a fast enough processor clock rate to insure that all PLL atomic operations are performed within a single PLL reference clock cycle.
US08321486B2

According to one embodiment of the invention a method of updating schema in a directory system having a reference layer adapted to provide directory functionality and an intermediate layer adapted to provide supplemental directory functionality is provided. The intermediate layer is provided between the reference layer and the client is provided. The method includes determining that a new attribute type is not defined in a schema associated with the system, and in response, registering the new attribute type in the schema.
US08321485B2

To achieve high speed document search, an inverted index is compressed at high compressibility by an encoding method decodable in a high process speed. In compressing an identification number of a document to obtain a byte sequence by the variable byte method, w bits are used to represent the number of occurrences of the indexing term in the document, and x bits are used to represent additional information of the posting, where x and w are integers given as parameters. When the number of occurrences cannot be represented within w bits, a certain value indicating a numeric value that cannot be represented by w bits is stored is written to the said w bits, and anther byte sequence that represents the value by the variable byte method follows. Additionally provided is a means for reading a compressed posting from any position of a list of postings called inverted lists, allowing a binary search on an inverted list.
US08321481B2

Persistent memory in an integrated circuit cars (ICC) must be managed in such a way that removal of power from the device at any moment does not leave the data stored in this memory in a faulty or inconsistent state. The mechanisms of this disclosure accomplish this end using the tag-length-value data structures found extensively in ICC software and standards.
US08321477B2

A method is provided for organizing data sets. In use, an automatic decision system is created or updated for determining whether data elements fit a predefined organization or not, where the decision system is based on a set of preorganized data elements. A plurality of data elements is organized using the decision system. At least one organized data element is selected for output to a user based on a score or confidence from the decision system for the at least one organized data element. Additionally, at least a portion of the at least one organized data element is output to the user. A response is received from the user comprising at least one of a confirmation, modification, and a negation of the organization of the at least one organized data element. The automatic decision system is recreated or updated based on the user response. Other embodiments are also presented.
US08321475B2

Sorting and displaying data objects is facilitated by displaying a collection of tags, each representing a respective data object, and each including identifying information for its respective data object. The organization of the tags with respect to one another is correlated with the organization of the data objects. Responsive to user input, the tags are displayed in a specified arrangement, and a new tag and an associated new data object associated with the new tag are created. A user is permitted to specify parameter values for the new data object, which is added to the existing data objects at a location that corresponds to a location of the new tag within the organization of the tags. The new data table thus includes the new data object arranged in order with the previous data objects as determined by the organization of the tags and the new tag.
US08321468B2

The method and system of the present invention provides an improved technique for replacing, implementing and managing computer-related assets. A technician accesses the World Wide Web through a user's computer. The information resident on the computer, including information regarding the computer and the user's preferences, are downloaded to a remote storage medium through the World Wide Web. Once downloaded, all information may be removed from the user's computer. Subsequently, the technician accesses another computer such as, for example, a new computer that has been assigned to the same user. The technician accesses the World Wide Web through the new computer and downloads the information previously stored on the remote storage medium. This information can then be used to install the user's prior applications, settings and preferences on the new computer.
US08321466B2

Metadata regarding program content is created by monitoring a manner in which a first rendering of the program content is affected by a user whereupon the metadata will include data which defines one or more segments within the program content. The data within the metadata is then usable during a second rendering of the program content to inhibit, e.g., advance over during playing or omit during copying, the rendering of the one or more segments within the program content defined by the data within the metadata.
US08321464B2

Project property sheets store project compiler and tool properties that are shared across multiple software projects. Property sheets enable a global repository of compiler and tool settings, so that changes in a global project property sheet will automatically propagate to the project property sheets that inherit from the global project property sheet, or from other project property sheets that inherit from the global project property sheet. Users of project property sheets are able to customize their project property sheet by defining their own compiler and tool properties. Defined compiler and tool properties override or supplement compiler and tool properties found in the global project property sheet.
US08321462B2

A custodian profile, e.g., a user profile, associated with a first content item, e.g., an associated web page in a social network, can be identified as a first content item. The first content item can be utilized to identify one or more second content items, e.g., advertisements, that are displayed when the first content item is presented, e.g., viewed by another user of the social network.
US08321458B2

In one embodiment, a description of a product design is received. The description is analyzed to determine terms describing the product design. The determined terms are compared to a plurality of stored records. A subset of the stored records is determined based on the comparison. The stored records are considered relevant to the description of the product design. A set of recommended contacts associated with the subset of stored records is then determined. The recommended contacts are considered to have knowledge relevant to the description of the product design. At least one of the subset of stored records and the set of recommended contacts is output. For example, at least one of the subset of stored records and the list of recommended contacts may be displayed on an interface that is being used to input the description of the product design.
US08321452B2

An information processing system includes a plurality of first information processing apparatuses, each of the plurality of first information processing apparatuses being configured to add search information and post content, and a second information processing apparatus for holding the search information matching the content posted from at least one of the plurality of first information processing apparatuses. Upon receipt of a request to provide the content which is previously retrieved from one of the first information processing apparatus, the second information processing apparatus performs another search based on a search condition stored at a last search by the second information processing apparatus itself or by the one of the first information processing apparatuses, and provides the content which is newly retrieved to the one of the first information processing apparatus in response to the request.
US08321448B2

Click-through log mining is described. Raw search click-through log data is processed to generate ordered query keywords, utilizing an algorithm to expand user-submitted keywords to include high frequency user queries, managing the keywords for a keyword expansion file, analyzing the algorithm performance on a bidding criteria, and identifying related phrases with similar page-click behaviors for advertisements.
US08321436B2

To enhance the targeting accuracy in providing services such as provision of samples for members by performing management of member information and authentication while securing personal anonymity. There is provided a center server and a store terminal. The center server gives a unique ID to a member application, sends it to a particular mobile information terminal and manages it as authentication information about a member who is the user of the mobile information terminal. In response to purchases of a particular article by the member, the store terminal inputs the ID from the mobile information terminal and inputs purchase information about the article the member purchases. The center server then acquires attribute information about a member identified by the ID. Then, by checking the purchase information, the attribute information and service information set in association with attribute information about the member and kinds of articles and stored in particular storage means, information about a service to be provided for the member is identified.
US08321435B2

Methods, program products, and systems for automatically searching data in multiple data fields are described. A user can view data retrieved from a database and formatted based on a layout. While viewing the data, the user can perform a search using one or more search terms. A system can automatically examine the database and identify on which tables and on which data fields of the tables to perform the search. The system can identify searchable tables and data fields by analyzing the database schema as well as characteristics of the tables and data fields.
US08321421B2

According to one embodiment, a storage device includes an interface, a first and second memory blocks and a controller. The interface receives a content search request. The first memory block stores files and inverted files corresponding to contents included in the files. The second memory block stores a file search table. The controller creates the inverted file for each content included in the files and stores IDs of the files including the content in the inverted file. The controller obtains, by search of the content, a corresponding inverted file from the inverted files stored in the first memory block and stores, in the file search table, the IDs of the files included in the obtained inverted file. The controller outputs the IDs of the files stored in the file search table from the interface as a search result for the content search request.
US08321419B1

The invention provides an evaluation system for reliably evaluating large amounts of content. The evaluation system is managed by a primary authority that designates one or more contributing authorities by delegating to each a specific quantity of authority. Each contributing authority may in turn designate and delegate authority to one or more additional contributing authorities, subject to the restriction that the total quantity of authority delegated does not exceed the quantity of authority the contributing authority was itself delegated. Each contributing authority, and optionally the primary authority itself, may evaluate one or more portions of content by associating a rating with each evaluated portion of content. A composite rating for a particular portion of content may then be determined based upon the ratings associated with the portion of content.
US08321407B2

One non-limiting embodiment of the invention comprises the steps of accessing at least two impact analysis repositories, calculating a combined impact analysis repository from the at least two impact analysis repositories, and utilizing the combined impact analysis repository for supplying better quality impact analysis results.
US08321406B2

Methods and systems for submitting media object queries and receiving suggested answers for the media object queries. In one aspect, a method includes receiving from a first user a first media object and a first query relating to content in the first media object, presenting the first media object and the first query to multiple second users, receiving a suggested answer to the first query from each of two or more second users of the multiple second users, where at least two of the suggested answers are distinct, ranking the suggested answers, and presenting one or more of the ranked suggested answers to the first user.
US08321399B2

A method and system for searching data is provided. An index of a search engine is accessed. Distribution data is extracted from the index of the search engine. A value index is generated from the distribution data. A search request is received from a client. A query is generated based on the search request and the value index. The query is forwarded to the search engine for execution.
US08321396B2

A by-line extraction system detects a set of potential headlines from a title meta-tag of a crawled document, selects a candidate headline from the set of potential headlines, and extracts the by-line information from the document using the location of the selected candidate headline. The system constructs the set of potential headlines based on the title meta-tag. The system selects a candidate headline by evaluating the set of potential headlines in order of the lengths of the potential headlines. The system extracts the by-line information from the document by using the location of the selected candidate headline to extract a string representing a date, a name, or a source located within a minimum distance from the location of the potential headline.
US08321395B2

Methods and systems are disclosed for identifying waypoints. In one aspect, a method performed by an application executing on a computer system, includes receiving at least two sets of digital images including a first set of digital images for which image acquisition times are known and a second set of digital images for which image acquisition times and image acquisition locations are known. The method further includes overlaying waypoint identifiers over a map image. The waypoint identifiers correspond to geographical coordinates and to time acquisitions of one or more of the second set of images. Furthermore, the method includes receiving from a user associated with the application a waypoint selection of the overlaid waypoint identifiers and one or more image selections of the first set of images. In response to receiving the selections, the method includes associating the selected ones of the first set of images with the selected waypoint, and generating a trip-descriptor including the first set of images associated with the overlaid waypoint identifiers.
US08321390B2

Disclosed are methods and apparatus for organizing data in a database in a set-oriented manner. Data is organized by linking data in the form of key-value pairs stored in storage media of the database to corresponding key-value pair identifiers. A set having a corresponding set identifier is then associated with one or more of the key-value pair identifiers where the set includes the stored key-value pairs linked to the key-value pair identifiers.
US08321389B2

A cached version of a file system directory is synchronized with a server version of the directory in a distributed file system. Both a server and a client specify version numbers for their directory versions. On receiving a request from the client specifying a directory update, the server updates its version, increments its version number, and transmits a reply to the client containing a change log with the incremented version number. Upon receiving the reply, the client compares the received version number with that of its cached version. If the version number matches that of the next expected update, the client applies the updates to its cached version and increments its version number. Otherwise, it adds the received change log to a change log queue for the directory without incrementing the last applied version. Mechanisms are provided for handling parallel read and update requests without awaiting replies from the server.
US08321379B2

An apparatus, system, and method are presented for scaling storage media to improve data access performance. A scaling module is provided and configured to receive a dataset, identify storage characteristics of the dataset, make a determination based upon user-defined storage criteria, and select a storage instruction. In one embodiment, the storage instruction is configured to scale the storage medium to a predefined capacity. The predefined capacity of the storage medium is configured to optimize data access performance. Alternatively, the storage instruction is configured to not scale the storage medium. Additionally, the present invention may be configured to map and track the storage medium while the dataset is being written to or read from the storage medium.
US08321377B2

A host server hosting one or more virtual machines can back up host volumes and the one or more virtual machines installed thereon in an application-consistent manner. In one implementation, a host-level requestor instructs a host-level writer to identify which virtual machines qualify for application-consistent backups. The host-level requestor then instructs the host-level writer to initiate virtual machine backups through guest-level requesters in each appropriately-configured virtual machine, wherein the virtual machines create application-consistent backups within the virtual machine volumes. The host-level requester then initiates snapshots of the server volumes on the host-level. The virtual machine-level snapshots can thus be retrieved from within the host-level snapshots of the server volumes.
US08321372B1

A process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, and improvements, illustratively as method of using a machine, the method including: storing data of a population in memory; computing, by a computer accessing the data stored in the memory, a probability of at least one future medical treatment needed by at least one individual having data in the data of a population; ascribing, by the computer applying the computed probabilities, each said individual with one of a plurality of risk stratifications for each said future medical treatment; and producing, by the computer communicating to an output device, output including at least one said ascribed individual in association with the one of the risk stratifications. The method can also include forming, by the computer accessing the data stored in the memory, an association of travel by an individual and a health consequence as a result of the travel by the individual; and generating, at the output device, output including the association. The method can also include determining, by the computer accessing the memory, whether at least one alternative treatment for the future medical treatment may be appropriate for the individual; and producing, at the output device, output tailored responsive to the determination of whether said alternative treatment may be appropriate for the individual.
US08321363B2

Embodiments of the invention relate to systems, methods, and computer program products for evaluating and selecting technology. Specifically, present embodiments provide for assessing the relative importance of various capabilities and constraints to determine weighting factors and applying the weighting factors to potential technology solutions rated in terms of the applicability of the capabilities and constraints. The result is a capability fit score and a constraint fit score for each potential technology solution, which can be combined to form an overall technology fit score for each potential technology solution. Thus, present embodiments assess capabilities and constraints of various potential technology solutions and balance the capabilities and constraints to result in a quantitatively measurement of which technology solution is the best fit for the project at hand.
US08321362B2

Example methods and apparatus to dynamically optimize platforms are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes configuring a processor to operate in a first mode, executing a workload on the processor, and sampling a plurality of registers associated with a performance monitoring unit (PMU). The example method also includes transforming the sampled plurality of registers into a Gaussian signal, partitioning the probabilistic model representation into a plurality of discrete output symbols, and associating one of the plurality of discrete output symbols with the workload based on a probability value associated with the one of the plurality of discrete output symbols.
US08321355B2

The present invention is embodied in adaptive rating methods and systems. The adaptive rating method includes receiving a first rating for a first product from a user, receiving a second rating for a second product from the user, identifying a conflict with a processor by comparing the first rating and the second rating, soliciting feedback from the user to remedy the conflict, and adjusting at least one of the first or second ratings with the processor responsive to feedback from the user. The steps of the method may be embodied in computer executable instructions stored on a non-transient machine readable medium that cause a processor to perform the method when executed by the processor. The system includes a processor configured to perform the steps of the method.
US08321353B2

A method of improving electronic security establishes a secure trusted path between a user and an institution seeking an electronic signature to verify a transaction before any request for signature and completing electronic transaction activities occurs. The secure trusted path providing the user with a first predetermined portion of a branded watermark, for instance an advertisement, provided from the institution in conjunction with the request, and a second predetermined portion of the branded watermark being provided upon a personalized device that cannot be intercepted or manipulated by malware, allowing the user to verify that the request as displayed upon the user's primary computing device is valid.
US08321351B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure describe methods, apparatus, and system configurations for device management in a wireless communication network. A method includes determining, by a server of a communication network, that one or more updates are designated for a mobile station, initiating a re-authentication of the mobile station based on the determining to trigger the mobile station to establish communication with the server of the communication network to receive the one or more updates, and sending the one or more updates to the mobile station. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
US08321329B1

A method, machine, article for a specified event bond. The method can include: storing in memory terms of a bond indenture for a bond, the indenture including a contingent liability obligation whereby an issuer of the bond is obligated to pay to an investor in the bond if a specified event occurs; determining, by a computer accessing the memory and receiving market data, an amount of contingent liability corresponding to the obligation; and outputting, by the computer, the determined amount of the contingent liability.
US08321310B1

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a computer-implemented interactive account management system operated in cooperation with a financial institution on behalf of multiple account holders. The interactive account management system may include a financial networking engine implemented by a processor for defining a financial network for each account holder and for identifying each member of an account holder financial network based on stored account information and account holder input. The system may additionally include interactive processing components for processing information to provide collaborative interaction between the members of the account holder financial network defined by the financial networking engine and user interface presentation tools for displaying financial guidance and collaborative interaction interfaces and inviting active participation from the financial network members.
US08321309B1

A method and system for streamlined payroll set up and compliant paycheck generation whereby a computing system implemented payroll system is provided that maintains a payroll record for each employee. In one embodiment, data indicating the minimum information required by the law to generate a compliant paycheck is obtained. When a user begins the process of generating a paycheck for a given employee, the given employee's payroll record data is analyzed and compared with the data indicating the minimum information to determine if the given employee's payroll record data includes all of the minimum information. If the given employee's payroll record data includes the minimum information, then the given employee's payroll record is marked as having the compliant paycheck data and the requested paycheck is generated. If the given employee's payroll record data does not include the minimum information, then the user is asked to provide at least enough missing data to extrapolate the minimum information and when the missing data is obtained, the given employee's payroll record is marked as having the compliant paycheck data and the requested paycheck is generated.
US08321308B2

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for implementing a software architecture design for a software application implementing manual invoicing. The application is structured as multiple process components interacting with each other through service interfaces, and multiple service operations, each being implemented for a respective process component. The process components include a Customer Invoice Processing process component, a Due Item Processing process component, a Payment Processing process component, an Accounting process component, a Project Processing process component, and a Balance of Foreign Payment Management process component.
US08321307B2

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.
US08321304B2

A stocked product sensing system that can be used with a product display, displaying product items on one or more shelves thereof, to determine the level of product availability and/or configuration of product items on one or more shelves of the product display. According to one embodiment of this invention, the stocked product sensing system utilizes capacitive sensing at the shelf-level. According to another embodiment of this invention, the stocked product sensing system utilizes optical sensing at the shelf-level. The stocked product sensing system of this invention may utilize a store-level management system and/or a central management system and generate low stock alarms based on user-defined criteria in a software system.
US08321295B1

A fact checking system verifies the correctness of information and/or characterizes the information by comparing the information with one or more sources. The fact checking system automatically monitors, processes, fact checks information and indicates a status of the information.
US08321294B2

Techniques for improved interaction between online retailers and traditional brick-and-mortar retailers that provide patron-accessible networks are disclosed. The location and/or the fact that any given purchase was made from a particular retailer's patron-accessible network can be tracked for various purposes. The invention can facilitate partnering between online retailers (i.e., online stores) and traditional ‘brick-and-mortar’ business establishments. As an example, the invention can be used to track and give credit for online purchases at an online retailer that are facilitated by a brick-and-mortar retailer.
US08321292B2

One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a system for exhibiting at least visual content in one or more physical retail stores. Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for exhibiting at least visual content in one or more physical retail stores. Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a programmed computer for exhibiting at least visual content in one or more physical retail stores. Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a computer readable medium for exhibiting at least visual content in one or more physical retail stores. In one example, the visual content may comprise advertising and/or operating specifications and/or performance specifications and/or dimensions and/or price displayed on a television, a computer monitor, a laptop computer display, a notebook computer display and/or a netbook computer display.
US08321290B2

An online shopping basket is acquired by a buyer from an online store and is customized according to rules specified by the buyer. The buyer places zero or more items in the online shopping basket(s) before they are given to at least one shopper by the online store. The shopper(s) may further customize the online shopping basket(s) with rules that do not conflict with those specified by the buyer. The shopper(s) then place zero or more items in the online shopping basket(s) and return the basket(s) to the online store. Multiple online shopping baskets are merged into a single basket, and the buyer reviews the items in the merged online shopping basket and adds or removes items as necessary. The buyer then purchases the remaining items from the online store.
US08321286B2

Methods and apparatuses for calculating an optimal revenue total yield for both sleeping and function space in a hospitality establishment for a set of demand that includes both group and transient demands. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the revenue optimization problem is characterized as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problem and solved using MILP techniques. Preferably, a small value is assigned to the “cost” of a room upgrade and the cost of room upgrades are included in the revenue function to be optimized. In some embodiments of the invention, the actual revenue yield is compared to the optimum revenue yield.
US08321284B2

A system, program product, and methods related to enhanced medical services delivery to geographically distributed patient populations by remotely located physicians are provided. An embodiment of the system includes a remote medical services server, a plurality of patient electronic medical records stored in the memory of the remote medical services server, and a remote medical services program product stored in the memory of the remote medical services server adapted to access the plurality of patient electronic medical records to thereby allow display of and data entry in a selected patient electronic medical record. A patient medical service delivery station captures patient video images and displays remote physician video images. A remote physician medical service delivery suite in communication with the patient medical service delivery station through the communications network captures remote physician video images and displays patient video images and patient electronic medical records, to allow the remote physician to perform remote patient medical service delivery.
US08321283B2

Methods, systems and computer program products alert pharmacies of formulary alternatives. A claim generated by a provider and including at least one drug is received, where the claim is directed to a payer recipient. The claim is reviewed to identify the at least one drug. The at least one drug is then compared to a pre-established formulary alternative table, which may be created or managed, at least in part, by the payer recipient. A preferred drug alternative may then be forwarded to the provider when the at least one drug has a match in the pre-established formulary alternative table.
US08321282B2

According to one embodiment, an article sales data processing apparatus includes a storage unit, a selection acceptance unit, a confirmation unit, and a payment processing unit. The storage unit stores, for each article sold, sales data and information indicating a payment method prohibited for that article, of plural payment methods. The selection acceptance unit accepts selection of payment method. The confirmation unit refers to the information stored in the storage unit and confirms whether articles sold include an article for which payment by the payment method with its selection accepted by the selection acceptance unit is prohibited. If it is confirmed that the articles sold include an article for which payment is prohibited, the payment processing unit notifies that the articles sold include an article for which payment is prohibited, and executes payment for articles for which the same payment method is not prohibited, by the same payment method.
US08321278B2

Targeted advertisements are provided to an advertisement consumer based on a user profile, a page profile, or a combination thereof. In embodiment where a user of a search engine is an advertisement consumer, the user utilizes a search engine to obtain search results relevant to a search query. A user profile of the user's interests is used to select advertisements for inclusion with search results. The user profile is evaluated by an advertisement server which determines which advertiser(s) offers a highest price for the user profile. Advertisements from these advertisers are then selected. In another embodiment, where the user is accessing a page on a third party website, the page may include a request for advertisements. A page profile is evaluated by an advertisement server that determines which advertiser(s) offers a highest price for the page profile. Advertisements from these advertisers are then selected, and provided to the user, where they are included in the retrieved page.
US08321270B2

The loyalty system allows a consumer to accumulate general loyalty points from one or more merchants, and convert any desired subset of general points to loyalty dollars associated with a specific merchant. The system stores, for each consumer, the merchant loyalty dollars (or monetary equivalent) by merchant within a remotely-accessible host database or within a smart card database. Upon conducting a purchase at a particular merchant, the consumer may utilize a code key to facilitate access to the consumer's own loyalty dollars for the particular merchant. The loyalty dollars are then applied to the purchase transaction as a discount or rebate. The consumer may also re-load the merchant loyalty dollar accounts.
US08321260B2

A product assortment planning system determines scaled performance metric values for an assortment of products. The system includes a data store storing performance metric values for an assortment of products including a target assortment of products and a source assortment of products, an equivalization unit and a scaling unit. The equivalization unit equivalizes the performance metric values for the source assortment of products. The scaling unit determines incrementality assumptions. The incrementality assumptions are an estimation of an amount of cannibalization that occurs for the target assortment of products as a result of combining the source assortment of products with the target assortment of products. Scaled performance metric values are calculated for each product in the assortment of products based on the equivalized performance metric values and the incrementality assumptions.
US08321257B2

A project management system manages project schedule data using separate current and historical task schedule data structures. In general, current schedule data is stored separately from historical schedule data, so that the current schedule data may be retrieved separately from the historical task schedule data. The project management system may also maintain unscheduled tasks as “to-do lists.” Tasks may be added to a member's schedule without specifying any planned dates and the tasks are added to the database. The tasks have an associated revision number of 0 to indicate that the tasks were added, but not yet scheduled. The tasks are displayed in the member schedule editor and in Web page schedules. The tasks may then be displayed in the member schedule editor and in Web page schedules in a manner that allows a user to readily determine that the tasks are “to-do list” tasks.
US08321255B1

A method for resource management and planning includes receiving manufacturing information associated with multiple distributed enterprise facilities; generating manufacturing plans based at least in part on the manufacturing information; receiving feedback regarding execution of the manufacturing plans; identifying at least one of the manufacturing plans describing manufacturing activities planned to occur within a fixed time period in the future; modifying the identified manufacturing plan based on the feedback; and communicating the modified manufacturing plan to the distributed enterprise facilities.
US08321251B2

A method for implementing a closed-loop business process management lifecycle. The method comprising producing at least one to-be process model during a process analysis phase. Storing a copy of the at least one to-be process model. Automating the at least one to-be process model during a process automation phase. Producing data logs by applications implementing the automated to-be process models. Data mining the produced data logs during a process monitoring phase, to produce emerging to-be process models and updated to-be process models of automated to-be process models. Storing the emerging to-be process models and the updated to-be process models; and selecting ones of the stored emerging and updated to-be process models to provide to a new process analysis phase.
US08321240B2

A method is provided for providing a user with the ability to access and collect records associated with the user in a secure and private manner. The method includes assigning a phone number to the user for private fax and voice communications from service providers, associating access information with the user for the user to use to access a web site, receiving a private fax communication comprising a record associated with the user for which the user has requested and given permission to the service provider to send to the phone number, converting the private fax communications into an image file format, storing the record encoded in the image file format, and providing the user with access to the web site using the access information and providing on the web site an interface to the records of the user for the user to access the record.
US08321238B2

In a method and system for automated association of an assessor with an assessment task (in particular an evaluation of an image data set) an assessor database is used that contains assessors as well as selection information associated with assessors and task information associated with assessment tasks. A medical assessment is automatically associated with an assessor using at least one decision rule, starting from the task information and with consideration of the relevant selection information.
US08321237B2

In one aspect, a method to integrate different profiles to form a process includes providing to a user a list of actors by profile using a graphical user interface (GUI) of a computer system. An actor includes one of a system or an application stored on a machine-readable medium. The method also includes providing to a user through the GUI a list of transactions by profile performed by the actors, receiving from a user a selection of actors from different profiles to group made by the user using the GUI, receiving from a user definitions of the transactions provided by the user using the GUI, grouping the selection of actors based on at least precedence rules and rendering to the user an integrated profiles graph representing the grouping of the actors from different profiles.
US08321216B2

Packet loss concealment (PLC) systems and methods are described that use time-warping to merge a concealment signal generated to replace one or more bad frames of an audio signal with a received signal representing one or more subsequent good frames of the audio signal in a manner that avoids signal discontinuity and audible artifacts resulting therefrom. Prediction-based PLC systems and methods are also described that use time-warping to conceal the loss of one or more frames containing a transition region in a manner that will not result in an audible artifact.
US08321215B2

The perceived quality of a speech signal is improved by estimating the average power of first and second signal components and applying a first gain factor to the second signal components to generate adjusted second signal components. The first gain factor is selected such that on application of the first gain factor to the second signal components, the ratio of the average power of the first signal components to the average power of the adjusted second signal components would be a first predetermined value, the first predetermined value being such as to inhibit perceptual distortion of the improved speech signal.
US08321213B2

Acoustic Voice Activity Detection (AVAD) methods and systems are described. The AVAD methods and systems, including corresponding algorithms or programs, use microphones to generate virtual directional microphones which have very similar noise responses and very dissimilar speech responses. The ratio of the energies of the virtual microphones is then calculated over a given window size and the ratio can then be used with a variety of methods to generate a VAD signal. The virtual microphones can be constructed using either an adaptive or a fixed filter.
US08321206B2

A system and method are disclosed for transient detection and modification in audio signals. Digital signal processing techniques are used to detect transients and modify an audio signal to enhance or suppress such transients, as desired. A transient audio event is detected in a first portion of the audio signal. A graded response to the detected transient audio event is determined. The first portion of the audio signal is modified in accordance with the graded response. The extent of enhancement or suppression (as applicable) may be determined at least in part by a measure of the significance or magnitude of the transient.
US08321203B2

A method of generating information on relationships between characters of a content includes dividing a text extracted from the content into one or more predetermined units, determining one or more dominant relationships between characters of the content by comparing the divided units with relationship keyword information in which keywords contained in categories are defined, wherein the categories represent one or more relationships between the characters, and generating information on the relationships between the characters in accordance with the determined dominant relationships.The dominant relationships are determined by matching the divided units of text to the categories with reference to the relationship keyword information, counting the number of divided units of text corresponding to each of the categories, and determining the relationship represented by the category measured by the highest number of divided units of text.
US08321195B2

A method for improving word alignment quality in a multilingual corpus including a plurality of corresponding sentence pairs between any two languages among a first language, a second language and at least one other language and word alignment information between each of the plurality of corresponding sentence pairs, the method includes inducing word alignment between a first sentence of the first language and a second sentence of the second language by using the word alignment information between the first sentence of the first language and a third sentence of the other language corresponding to the first and second sentences and the word alignment information between the second sentence of the second language and the third sentence of the other language, and combining induced word alignment and the word alignment information between the first sentence of the first language and the second sentence of the second language in the multilingual corpus.
US08321194B2

Systems and method for providing a microgrid power analytics portal for mission critical power systems are provided. The techniques disclosed herein provides for real-time modeling, evaluation, and commodity market pricing and optimization for an electrical network that includes microgrids using data collected from virtually any digital data source. The portal is platform independent and can be configured to collect and aggregate real-time data from sensors interfaced with components of the electrical network regardless of proprietary architectures or vendor-specific limitations imposed by the sensors or data collection software.
US08321193B2

An integrated circuit including an I/O register, wherein based on the behavior level design data, I/O register access information is generated. Then, based on the I/O register access information and association of an SW address with an HW address, address map information is generated. The SW address being used when the processor device accesses the I/O register, and the HW address being used when the user logical circuit accesses the I/O register. Based on the behavior level design data and the address map information, behavior level design data is generated.
US08321187B2

Methods and apparatuses are provided for simulating components and processes using discrete, variable-granularity, component-specific data relating to energy consumption or other sustainability factors. Simulations can be analyzed and optimized to facilitate forecasting of sustainability factors and determine advantageous modifications to the components or processes.
US08321181B2

A computer-implemented land planning system is designed to generate at least one conceptual fit solution to a user-defined land development problem. The system electronically creates at least one candidate solution to the land development problem. The candidate solution incorporates a number of engineering measurements applicable in development of an undeveloped land site. A fitness function quantitatively evaluates the candidate solution based on its fitness. A heuristic problem-solving strategy manipulates the engineering measurements of the candidate solution to achieve a more quantitatively fit solution to the land development problem. A computer output device outputs to a user documentation illustrating the fit solution to the land development problem.
US08321176B2

A method for determining an angle between a first shaft section and a second shaft section is provided. The 0° position of the first shaft section is determined by a first shaft signal, and the 0° position of the second shaft section is determined by a second shaft signal. The first shaft signal and the second shaft signal are subsequently each decomposed using Fourier analysis into frequency components of harmonic oscillations, wherein frequencies are calculated for the first shaft signal, and frequencies are calculated for the second shaft signal. The frequencies are each calculated as complex pointers from absolute value and phase of the order thereof wherein each pointer describes the angular velocity of the particular frequency. For each frequency, the particular angle of the complex number is then divided by the order, wherein standardized complex pointers are calculated. The standardized complex pointers are added complexly.
US08321167B2

The present invention provides a surveying instrument, which comprises rotating units operated rotatably, supporting units to support the rotating units, a reflection mirror portion provided on one of the supporting unit or the rotating unit, tilt sensors arranged on the other of the supporting unit and the rotating unit and for projecting a detecting light and for detecting a relative tilting of the reflection surface of the reflection mirror portion with respect to the supporting unit by receiving the detecting light reflected by the reflection mirror portion, and a control unit for calculating an unsteadiness of rotation of the rotating unit based on a signal from the tilt sensor.
US08321165B2

An information processing apparatus including: a test program 2 that acquires a first voltage value which is a voltage value at which a target apparatus operates, allows the target apparatus to operate at the first voltage value, and determines an operating state of the target apparatus; a voltage change controller 12 that changes, in the case where a result of the determination is abnormal state, a voltage value difference which is a difference between a voltage value at the next stage and the first voltage value or a time difference so as to reduce the change rate obtained by dividing the voltage value difference by the time difference and outputs, when a time obtained by adding the time difference to the current time has come, a second voltage value obtained by adding or subtracting to/from the first voltage value to the test program 2 as the first voltage value.
US08321154B2

Markers are provided for detecting coronary artery disease. Levels of these markers are indicative of a patient being at risk of having or developing coronary artery disease.
US08321153B2

Disclosed herein is a method of finding an isotopic cluster in a polypeptide and determining the monoisotopic mass of the cluster. The method comprises an algorithm for finding an isotopic cluster based on a probabilistic model, defined by each of peaks in the isotopic cluster, and determining the monoisotopic mass of the isotopic cluster. The probabilistic model of the isotopic cluster includes characteristic functions for mass, that is, a function of the ratio of two peak intensities, and a function of the product of two ratios obtained from three peaks. These characteristic functions for mass define the shape of peaks acceptable in an actual isotopic cluster for the mass of any isotopic cluster. The algorithm of finding the isotopic cluster based on the functions uses the characteristics to score the degree of the approximation of any isotopic cluster to the spectral shape of a theoretical cluster.
US08321151B2

Methods and systems such as those described herein include accepting input, identifying CYP450-family enzymes, identifying at least one modulator of an enzyme, and communicating one or more treatments to a system user.
US08321150B2

Embodiments include a system for determining cardiovascular information for a patient. The system may include at least one computer system configured to receive patient-specific data regarding a geometry of at least a portion of an anatomical structure of the patient. The portion of the anatomical structure may include at least a portion of the patient's aorta and at least a portion of a plurality of coronary arteries emanating from the portion of the aorta. The at least one computer system may also be configured to create a three-dimensional model representing the portion of the anatomical structure based on the patient-specific data, create a physics-based model relating to a blood flow characteristic within the portion of the anatomical structure, and determine a fractional flow reserve within the portion of the anatomical structure based on the three-dimensional model and the physics-based model.
US08321147B2

This invention provides a novel means of predicting plant phenotypes that incorporates previously unusable dense marker data derived from historical pedigrees. The method operates by collecting information from a population pertaining to one or more loci, which is used to build one or more matrices by calculating, for the alleles present at the measured loci, the probability that the alleles are identical by descent. These matrices are then used to develop a second set of one or more matrices in which each value represents the probability that a certain individual in the population descended from a certain ancestral (founder) genotype. This set of second matrices can then be used as part of a breeding program for selecting and breeding individuals from the population or can be used to better classify the individuals in the population, leading to improved plant phenotypes.
US08321146B2

A gene classifying method is provided and includes acquiring expression levels of a plurality of genes at a plurality of observation points, generating a binary string by taking a positive or negative difference in expression level in a temporal passage direction of the observation points for each gene, and classifying the genes on the basis of all plus and minus patterns that the binary strings can have and the generated binary strings.
US08321139B2

Methods and system/apparatus as can be used to determine a material mechanical modulus on length scales as can be of biological cell dimension.
US08321137B2

Methods, computer systems, and computer readable medium for testing a plurality of models in order to classify a biological specimen. A determination is made as to whether a model precondition associated with a model in the plurality of models has been satisfied. The model is skipped when the model precondition has not been satisfied. When the model precondition has been satisfied, the first model is tested by selecting a calculation from the first model. The selected calculation is computed using cellular constituent abundance values from the biological specimen in accordance with a calculation algorithm set forth in the selected model. This selecting and computing is repeated for one or more calculations in the selected model. Then, each of these calculations is aggregated in accordance with an aggregation algorithm associated with the selected model. These steps are repeated for at least one other model in the plurality of models. A computer medium comprising a classifier for classifying a biological specimen into a biological sample class that includes one or more models. Each of the one or more models comprises (i) an optional model precondition, (ii) a calculation algorithm, (iii) a plurality of calculations, and (iv) a calculation aggregation algorithm.
US08321130B2

Well logs are selected, annotated and correlated. In one example, a display of a well log showing logged information and well depths corresponding to the information is presented. Data related to the well log is searched to find a named formation near a selected depth and a name of a formation near the named formation is selected. The selected adjacent formation name is then presented on the display of the well log in association with the displayed depth.
US08321127B2

Disclosed is an information display method whereby an information processing apparatus displays a map on a display screen such that a cursor is displayed at a position measured as the current position of a position indication object on the map. The method includes the steps of, when the moving speed of the position indication object is equal to or less than a threshold speed, scrolling the map on the display screen in accordance with the movement of the position indication object in a first display mode, and when the moving speed of the position indication object is greater than the threshold speed, fixing the map on the display screen in a second display mode or reducing the speed of scrolling the map on the display screen so that the scrolling speed is less than that in the first display mode.
US08321126B2

A method can include, for a predetermined route, automatically processing a first set of machine instructions to create a visual travel guide for the predetermined route, the visual travel guide comprising a second set of machine instructions adapted to cause an information device to render: an identification of a destination of the predetermined route; a plurality of videos, each video corresponding to a road intersection located approximately on the predetermined route, each video adapted to substantially reproduce a view of a driver of an automobile approaching the road intersection; a plurality of textual descriptions associated with the plurality of videos; at least one of an identification of an origin of the predetermined route and an identification of an approach to the destination; and an advertisement associated with at least a portion of the predetermined route.
US08321118B2

An operations support system for an engine includes an engine prediction unit configured to receive an engine rating condition and scalars associated with the engine, and to generate condition indicators based on the engine rating condition and the scalars; and a power assurance algorithm unit coupled to the engine prediction unit and configured to generate health indicators based on the condition indicators. The health indicators include a power assurance number.
US08321117B2

A vehicle control system includes: an inter-vehicle distance control section configured to perform a follow-up control to a preceding vehicle by automatically accelerating or decelerating a host vehicle, or a constant speed running control section configured to perform a constant speed running to converge to a set speed; a brake operating state sensing device; and a control unit including; a deceleration control section configured to perform a deceleration in accordance with the brake operating state of the driver when the brake operating state sensing device senses the brake operation of the driver during the inter-vehicle distance control or the constant speed running control; and an acceleration control limit section configured to cancel a control in the acceleration direction which is performed by the inter-vehicle distance control or the constant speed control when the brake operating state sensing device senses an end of the brake operation of the driver.
US08321112B2

A method for adjusting downshift points of a vehicle transmission to assist vehicle braking in a vehicle having a brake system with a brake master cylinder and a brake pedal for actuating the brake system may comprise determining if the brake pedal is pressed. When the brake pedal is pressed, an intended brake effort may be determined and the actual deceleration of the vehicle may be calculated. A threshold deceleration for the intended brake effort may then be determined and compared to the vehicle deceleration. When the vehicle deceleration is less than the threshold deceleration for the intended braking effort a downshift point of the transmission may be adjusted. Thereafter the transmission may be downshifted using the adjusted downshift point.
US08321102B2

A method for controlling a drive train of a motor vehicle comprising a drive engine, an automated transmission, and an automated clutch arranged in the force flow between the drive engine and the transmission. In order to achieve low component wear, a comfortable coasting operation mode and a spontaneous transition into the traction mode, it is provided that additional coast downshifts are prevented as soon as the driving speed (vF) of the motor vehicle has reached or dropped below a previously defined threshold speed (vGr) for coast downshifts (vF<=vGr), or the currently engaged gear (Gi) corresponds to a previously defined limit gear (GGr) for coast downshifts (Gi=GGr) and, after dropping below the threshold speed (vGr) or after engaging the limit gear (GGr), a transition into the traction mode is prepared by determining a current target gear (GZ) and an associated shifting speed (nS) of an adaptive shift for the transition into the traction mode as a function of the driving speed (vF) of the motor vehicle and/or the engine speed (nM) of the drive engine.
US08321096B2

A software calibration strategy for calibrating solenoid controlled valves and valve systems in an automatic transmission. The strategy includes identifying a characteristic equation for the valve or valve system that is a mathematical relationship between a current applied to the solenoid and the pressure at the output of the valve or valve system. The valve or valve system is coupled to a test stand that depicts the operation of the valve or valve system in the transmission. Current signals are applied to the valve or valve system, and the output pressures are measured to determine coefficients in the equation using a curve fitting function. The coefficients are then stored in a control unit.
US08321088B2

A method of controlling a vehicle includes determining a lateral tire force, a front lateral tire force, a rear lateral tire force, and determining a linear sideslip angle from the front lateral tire force and the rear lateral tire force. The method further includes determining a linear lateral velocity in response to the linear sideslip angle and controlling the vehicle in response to the linear sideslip angle.
US08321077B1

Two algorithms are disclosed that, with the use of a 3-axis accelerometer, will be able to determine the angles of attack, sideslip and roll of a capsule-type spacecraft prior to entry (at very high altitudes, where the atmospheric density is still very low) and during entry. The invention relates to emergency situations in which no reliable attitude and attitude rate are available. Provided that the spacecraft would not attempt a guided entry without reliable attitude information, the objective of the entry system in such case would be to attempt a safe ballistic entry. A ballistic entry requires three controlled phases to be executed in sequence: First, cancel initial rates in case the spacecraft is tumbling; second, maneuver the capsule to a heat-shield-forward attitude, preferably to the trim attitude, to counteract the heat rate and heat load build up; and third, impart a ballistic bank or roll rate to null the average lift vector in order to prevent prolonged lift down situations. Being able to know the attitude, hence the attitude rate, will allow the control system (nominal or backup, automatic or manual) to cancel any initial angular rates. Also, since a heat-shield forward attitude and the trim attitude can be specified in terms of the angles of attack and sideslip, being able to determine the current attitude in terms of these angles will allow the control system to maneuver the vehicle to the desired attitude. Finally, being able to determine the roll angle will allow for the control of the roll ballistic rate during entry.
US08321076B2

A system for controlling an aerospace vehicle using on-line inertia estimation may include an attitude sensor to measure an attitude of the aerospace vehicle. The system may also include a processor on board the aerospace vehicle. An inertia estimator operable on the processor may generate an on-line inertia estimate of the aerospace vehicle. A rate and attitude estimator operable on the processor may determine an angular position and angular velocity of the aerospace vehicle using the attitude measurement of the aerospace vehicle and the on-line inertia estimate for controlling movement and orientation of the aerospace vehicle without any rates of rotation of the aerospace vehicle being required.
US08321075B2

Biodynamic feedthrough in a master control system can be mitigated. An accelerometer is used to measure the acceleration of an environment. In one embodiment, mitigation damping forces can then be determined based on the velocity of an effector of a haptic manipulator and the measured accelerations. The haptic manipulator applies the mitigation damping forces as force feedback. In another embodiment, biodynamic feedthrough can be filtered from the input signal. Parameters for a model can be accessed based on the position of the effector, and the model can be used to predict biodynamic feedthrough from the measured accelerations.
US08321074B1

Present novel and non-trivial system, device, and method for generating altitude data and/or height data are disclosed. A processor receives navigation data from an external source such as a global positioning system (“GPS”); receives navigation data from multiple internal sources; receives object data representative of terrain or surface feature elevation; determines an instant measurement of aircraft altitude as a function of these inputs; and generates aircraft altitude data responsive to such determination. In an additional embodiment, the processor receives reference point data representative of the elevation of the stationary reference point (e.g., a landing threshold point); determines an instant measurement of aircraft height as a function of this input and the instant measurement of aircraft altitude; and generates aircraft height data responsive to such determination.
US08321073B2

Aircraft power systems, aircraft galley systems, and methods and systems for managing power distribution to aircraft galley systems are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an aircraft system can include an aircraft power source and at least first and second galley appliances operably coupled to the aircraft power source. The aircraft system can further include a controller operably coupled to the first and second galley appliances. The controller can be configured to receive a first power request from the first galley appliance and a second power request from the second galley appliance. The controller can be further configured to sort the first and second power requests and distribute power to the first and second galley appliances from the aircraft power source based on the sorting of the first and second power requests.
US08321059B2

Example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to calibrate valve-mounted instruments, such as a position controllers and/or a position transmitter, are described. A disclosed example apparatus to calibrate a valve assembly including a valve, an actuator and a position sensor includes an interface to receive a valve position value and to receive a position sensor sensitivity value, and an endpoint estimator to compute a first estimated value corresponding to an expected fully-open position of the valve based on the position sensor signal and the first and second values, and to compute a second estimated value corresponding to an expected fully-closed position of the valve based on the position sensor signal and the first and second received values, wherein the first and second estimated values are computed without repositioning the valve between computation of the first and second estimated values.
US08321033B2

Disclosed herein is an implantable medical lead configured to receive a stylet. The lead may include a tubular body and a structure. The tubular body may include a distal end and a proximal end. The body may be configured to receive the stylet. The structure longitudinally may extend through the body between the distal end and the proximal end. The structure may be anchored within the body such that a tensile force arising within the body by the stylet being extended through the body causes the tensile force to be substantially carried by the structure.
US08321026B2

Methods and systems of spectral tilt optimization for a cochlear implant patient include applying electrical stimulation representative of an audio signal to a patient in accordance with a spectral tilt value and optimizing the spectral tilt value in response to a measured ability of the patient to recognize at least one attribute of the audio signal.
US08321023B2

An aspect of the present subject matter relates to a baroreflex stimulator. An embodiment of the stimulator includes a pulse generator to provide a baroreflex stimulation signal through an electrode, and a modulator. The modulator modulates the baroreflex stimulation signal to increase the baroreflex stimulation therapy by a predetermined rate of change to lower systemic blood pressure to a target pressure. Other aspects are provided herein.
US08321022B2

An approach to providing disordered breathing therapy includes detecting disordered breathing and adapting a therapy to mitigate the disordered breathing. The therapy may be adapted to enhance therapy effectiveness, to provide therapy that reduces an impact of the therapy on the patient, or to achieve other therapeutic goals. Cardiac electrical therapy to mitigate the disordered breathing may include various cardiac pacing regimens and/or delivery of non-excitatory electrical stimulation to the heart.
US08321016B2

In a method and implantable medical device for ventricular tachyarrhythmia detection and classification, upon detection of a ventricular tachyarrhythmia based on an electrocardiogram signal, cardiogenic impedance data representative of ventricular volume dynamics are collected and used for classifying the detected tachyarrhythmia as stable or unstable. In the latter case but typically not in the former case, defibrillation shocks or other forms of therapy are applied to combat the unstable ventricular tachyarrhythmia.
US08321009B2

Disclosed are a method and a device useful for performing cosmetic or medical procedures of an in vivo portion of tissue. The method includes contacting an in vivo portion of tissue with a portion of a pad, substantially saturating the pad with a reactant, contacting the pad with a first electrode so that the first electrode is proximate to the portion of the pad proximate to the in vivo portion of tissue. The method further includes contacting the pad with a second electrode so as to provide an electrical path between the first electrode and the second electrode through the reactant, passing a DC voltage through a circuit including the first electrode, the reactant and the second electrode, thereby forming at least one of: an electrolytic effect, and an electrolytic product of the reactant, proximate to the first electrode.
US08321006B1

An interactive biometric display system and method for collecting and displaying biometric data. The display system comprises a device for identifying a user and at least one biometric input device (e.g., heart rate sensor). A user provides identifying data via the identifying device and biometric data via the biometric input device. The biometric data (e.g., heartbeat) is measured and recorded with a timestamp. Graphical objects for each user are presented (e.g., a heart) and move around the screen in relation to the biometric data. Attributes of graphical objects (e.g., size, color, color saturation, and height) may vary over time indicating the recency of the data. The display system may further comprise a sound component to play sound related to the biometric data. Visual as well as sound attributes may diminish, fade, or disappear over time and may be refreshed when a new reading for the user is received.
US08321005B2

A system determines fractal values, a nonlinear fractal ratio and fractal data patterns in a heart and maps determined fractal values to medical conditions. A system for heart performance characterization and abnormality detection includes an interface for receiving sampled data representing an electrical signal indicating electrical activity of a patient heart over at least one heart beat cycle. A signal processor calculates, a first signal characteristic value comprising a first fractal dimension value derived from the sampled data over at least a portion of a heart beat cycle, a second signal characteristic value representing a computed derivative of the first fractal dimension value and a ratio of the first and second signal characteristic values. A comparator compares the calculated ratio with a threshold value to provide a comparison indicator. A patient monitor, in response to the comparison indicator indicating the calculated signal characteristic value exceeds the threshold value, generates an alert message associated with the threshold.
US08320984B2

An optical sensor for a medical device includes a fixed lens spacing between emit and receive modules to achieve target sensor sensitivity, while varying other sensor parameters in order to increase signal amplitude without increasing power demand. The size of at least one of emit and receive module lenses of an optical sensor, and the offset between the opto-electronic component and the respective lens of at least one of emit and receive modules is decreased to increase amplitude of the signal received by the receive module from the emit module.
US08320969B2

There is provided a communication device including: a first radio communication unit capable of radio communication in accordance with a first communication method; and a second radio communication unit capable of radio communication in accordance with a second communication method using a higher frequency band than the first communication method, wherein the first radio communication unit transmits an instruction signal instructing to learn a beam directionality to another communication device, and the second radio communication unit transmits a beam reference signal used for learning a beam directionality to said another communication device after completion of transmission of the instruction signal by the first radio communication unit and before reception of a response signal to the instruction signal.
US08320968B2

A network, network device and method is disclosed. A network of network nodes is disclosed in which the network nodes securely transmit communication signals using one or more spatial parameters unique to the network nodes. A dad positioning device capable of operating as a node in a network of the present invention is also disclosed.
US08320965B2

An apparatus and a method for transiting an operation mode of a femto base station in a wireless communication system are provided. The method includes, in a sleep mode, confirming whether operation transition request information is received from at least one terminal; and when receiving the operation transition request information from the terminal, entering an active mode. Thus, the power consumption of the femto base station can be reduced and the interference caused by the operation of the femto base station can be mitigated.
US08320964B2

To conceal AC of a mobile station UE from an MMTEL/IMS layer function, and at the same time, perform SSAC barring in the MMTEL/IMS layer function. In the mobile station UE according to the present invention, an AS layer function 10 includes a broadcast information reception unit 11 configured to receive broadcast information, an adjustment unit 13 configured to generate second barring information (ac-BarringFactor and ac-BarringTime) based on first barring information (ac-BarringFactor and ac-BarringTime) included in the AC of the mobile station UE and the broadcast information, and a notification unit 14 configured to notify the MMTEL/IMS layer function 30 of the second barring information, and the MMTEL/IMS layer function 30 includes a determination unit 24 configured to determine whether or not it is possible to perform a call request process based on the second barring information.
US08320963B2

A subscriber identity module (SIM) card to be mounted to a terminal device that includes a SIM interface unit, the SIM card including: a first terminal to output a control signal indicating that the SIM card is mounted to the terminal device when the SIM card is mounted to the terminal device; and a second terminal to receive the control signal from the first terminal, and to transmit, to the SIM interface unit, the control signal when the SIM card is mounted to the terminal device.
US08320951B2

A power sharing process for base station to allocate un-utilized power from a 1x system to an EVDV system is shown. In this process, a power sharing module receives input signals that relate to predicted power allocation for the 1x system and current power allocations for the 1x system and the EVDV system. From these input signals, the power sharing module may determine whether non-utilized power from the 1x system may be allocated to the EVDV system. The power sharing module may provide an indication corresponding to the determination to a scheduler that may allocate the non-utilized power for different forward channels. This technique allows the non-utilized power to be used by the EVDV system to operate the cellular communication system.
US08320950B2

A method is provided for controlling delivery of packets over a synchronous control channel in a wireless system employing the High Rate Packet Data (HRPD) standard. The synchronous channel is comprised of a plurality of slots, and a first packet is sent over the synchronous control channel in a first one of the plurality of slots along with an indication of a second one of the plurality of slots in which a second packet will be delivered. Thereafter, the second packet is sent over the control channel in the second one of the plurality of slots. Subsequent packets are handled similarly.
US08320947B2

A network element, a terminal and a method of allocating a radio channel to a connection between a terminal and a base station in a telecommunication system are provided. The number and properties of potential interferers in a plurality of available radio channels are determined, and channel allocation is performed on the basis of the determination.
US08320938B2

When localizing terminal devices an updating measure of reference ambient information allocated to surroundings of the terminal device is executed when a deviation of ambient information determined by means of the terminal device from reference ambient information allocated to a position of the terminal device is detected.
US08320935B2

A system is described for monitoring the geographical location of a subscriber's mobile cellular telephone, and for providing the location information to an authorized user through the world wide web. The geographical location of the subscriber's mobile cellular telephone is tracked using registration signals transmitted over the control channel by the cellular telephone. This information is supplied to a geographical location coordinator system, which determines the geographical coordinates for the cellular telephone. A database stores the geographical location information along with a subscriber's telephone number and account code. The database is updated to track the movement of the cellular telephone user across a geographical area.
US08320930B2

Systems and methods for optimizing system performance of capacity and spectrum constrained, multiple-access communication systems by selectively discarding packets are provided. The systems and methods provided herein can drive changes in the communication system using control responses. One such control responses includes the optimal discard (also referred to herein as “intelligent discard”) of network packets under capacity constrained conditions. Some embodiments provide an interactive response by selectively discarding packets to enhance perceived and actual system throughput, other embodiments provide a reactive response by selectively discarding data packets based on their relative impact to service quality to mitigate oversubscription, others provide a proactive response by discarding packets based on predicted oversubscription, and others provide a combination thereof.
US08320917B2

A communication method in a communication system, wherein the communication system includes a mobile terminal, a communication server that distributes data to the mobile terminal, and plural base stations that are capable of relaying the data, and one of the base stations among the plural base stations is responsible for relaying the data. The communication method includes transmitting, to the communication server, restriction instruction information to restrict a data transmission rate, by a first base station that is responsible for relaying the data among the plural base stations, and hand-overing, by the first base station, causing a second base station different from the first base station to take over the responsibility of relaying.
US08320905B2

The invention relates to a method for exchanging data between a mobile telephone and a fixed line telephone. According to the invention, a mobile telephone equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and a fixed line telephone that is also equipped with NFC technology are initially placed in a reception range, subsequently the mobile telephone and the fixed line telephone are coupled by means of the NFC technology, and then data is transmitted between the mobile telephone and the fixed line telephone by means of the NFC technology. Said coupling occurs when the mobile telephone and the fixed line telephone are authenticated, and two different NFC technologies are used for the authentication of the mobile telephone and the fixed line telephone, and the subsequent transmission of data.
US08320900B2

In one illustrative example, a mobile device receives from a relay services node an enable message which indicates a pending data message to be retrieved from a host service. The pending data message may comprise a body of text. Subsequent to the receiving of the enable message, a messaging application is opened at the mobile device. In response to the opening of the messaging application, the mobile device communicates directly with the host service without use of the relay services node, for retrieving the pending data message from the host service via a wireless network.
US08320892B2

The present invention relates to a method for providing a linkage service of address book data between telematics and a mobile terminal by interworking with a mobile communication network. According to the present invention, an address book data link service providing method of a call transfer service providing system between telematics and a mobile terminal that interworks with a mobile communication network, comprises (a) receiving a call transfer service request information from a telematics device mounted in a vehicle and distinguishing a subscriber of the telematics device; (b) searching a service registration information of the subscriber and checking information about the telematics device and the mobile terminal of the subscriber; and (c) transferring an address book data of the mobile terminal of the subscriber to the telematics device.
US08320891B1

Systems and methods provide text messages for services. A service component provides service options to a handset's user interface, receives a service option selection, and provides a first text message to a server based on the selection. The service component receives a second text message from the server in response to the first text message and provides the second text message to the user interface. The service component may provide interactive voice response system service options to the user interface if an entered number is associated with a specified service. The service component may provide and receive text messages as short message service messages via a handset wireless paging channel. The service component may provide short message service messages to the user interface via an interactive voice response system message. The second text message may include a prompt for a request to occasionally receive the second text message.
US08320885B2

An electronic communication device includes a high-rate RF wireless transmitter circuit (e.g., a TransferJet transmitter circuit) and a low-rate magnetically coupled receiver circuit (e.g., a Near Field Communication receiver circuit). The high-rate RF wireless transmitter circuit transmits a block of data to another proximately located communication device via RF signals using a first RF communication protocol. The low-rate magnetically coupled receiver circuit receives a communication control signal from the other proximately located communication device via magnetic coupling thereto using a second protocol that is different from the first RF communication protocol, and responds to the communication control signal by selectively triggering the high-rate RF wireless transmitter circuit to transmit another block of data when available for transmission.
US08320884B1

A user device receives information associated with the user device, and detects movement of the user device. The user device also determines whether the movement is greater than a threshold velocity, and determines, when the movement is greater than the threshold velocity, whether the user device is located in a moving motor vehicle based on the information associated with the user device. The user device further places functionality of the user device in a semi-locked state when the user device is located in a moving motor vehicle.
US08320870B2

A sport event transducer having an output element that can emit a perceivable output in response to an event that relates to a sport team, such as for example by emitting an audio-visual output when a particular football team scores a touchdown. The transducer can be removable attached to a sport garment such as a cap or jersey, or can be an integral part of the garment. A transmission system remotely controls such transducers in response to sport team events by broadcasting an RF signal carrying team event messages, such as for example by transmitting an FM radio-data broadcast that carries a team event message embedded in the FM signal as RDS data. The sport event transducer receives and decodes such RF broadcast signals. If the transducer receives a team event message that relates to the transducer's affiliated team, the transducer's output element emits an audio and/or visual output signal in response to the message.
US08320867B2

An object of the present invention is to increase measurement precision for measuring errors of a quadrature demodulator. An error measurement device 10 receives an I signal and a Q signal from a quadrature demodulator 4 for demodulating a signal to be demodulated including multiple carrier signals respectively different from each other in frequency, and measures a gain imbalance which is a ratio of the amplitude of the Q signal to the amplitude of the I signal. Further, the error measurement device 10 includes an I-signal amplitude deriving unit 14I which derives the amplitude of the I signal for the respective carrier signals, a Q-signal amplitude deriving unit 14Q which derives the amplitude of the Q signal for the respective carrier signals, a carrier amplitude ratio deriving unit 16a which derives a ratio of the amplitude of the Q signal to the amplitude of the I signal for the respective carrier signals based on the results derived by the I-signal amplitude deriving unit 14I and the Q-signal amplitude deriving unit 14Q, and an averaging unit 18a which derives the gain imbalance GB by averaging the results derived by the carrier amplitude ratio deriving unit 16a.
US08320860B1

Methods and apparatuses for quiet spot detection for radio frequency transmission thereon. According to various embodiments, a device may include a local receiver configured to evaluate one or more frequencies of a frequency band to determine a quiet spot frequency, the device further including a local transmitter configured to transmit signals at the quiet spot frequency.
US08320858B2

An apparatus and method for receiving and processing multiple independent, uncorrelated RF signals is presented. The apparatus includes a Hybrid-Direct Conversion Receiver incorporating front end branches, protocol-specific digital processing branches, an interference detector, a correlator, and an offset control for controlling oscillator sources. The front end branches each contain a preselector that filters received signals and a mixer that down converts the received signal to an IF offset from a reference frequency by a unique offset. The bandwidth of an IF processor is partitioned into sub-channels corresponding to the different offsets and is wider than the combination of the sub-channels. The interference detector and correlator determine whether a particular desired signal is degraded by interference signals and select a new sub-channel. This information is provided to the offset control, which adjusts a LO source coupled to the corresponding down mixer accordingly.
US08320846B2

An amplifier includes a separating unit, a generator, first to fourth switching amplifiers, and an outputting unit. The separating unit separates a pulse signal into a first separated pulse signal and a second separated pulse signal. The generator generates first to fourth low speed pulse signals by using the first and the second separated pulse signal. The first switching amplifier amplifies the first low speed pulse signal. The second switching amplifier amplifies the second low speed pulse signal by using the output of the first switching amplifier as a power-supply. The third switching amplifier amplifies the third low speed pulse signal. The fourth switching amplifier amplifies the fourth low speed pulse signal by using the output of the third switching amplifier as a power-supply. The outputting unit combines and outputs the first and the second output pulse signal.
US08320843B2

A radio-frequency switch circuit of the invention includes: n-stage through FETs (field effect transistors) connected in series between the antenna terminal and each of the radio-frequency terminals, where n is a natural number; a radio-frequency leakage prevention resistor connected to a gate of the through FETs; a control signal line commonly connected to the gates of the n-stage through FETs connected to the same radio-frequency terminal; and a resistor connected to each of at least two of the control signal lines and connected to the radio-frequency leakage prevention resistor in series The two control signal lines are capacitively coupled between the resistor and the through FETs.
US08320840B2

A method and system for achieving a link budget improvement in a diverse OFDM radio system by addressing the timing misalignment issue that can occur due to the differences in propagation time in signals between mobile stations and Radio Access Nodes. Timing misalignment is shared or split between the primary path to a primary Radio Access Node and a diverse path to a diverse Radio Access Node. The relative timing offsets between mobile stations are adjusted, the mobile stations are grouped into zones using a variety of different grouping techniques, and the transmission for each mobile station is scheduled, using one or more of a variety of scheduling techniques.
US08320814B2

A length measurement apparatus including: a measurement portion that measures a sheet length based on a rotational amount of a length measurement roll for a first detection period in which first and third sensors detect the sheet, and a sheet length based on a rotational amount of the length measurement roll for a second detection period in which the second sensor and any one of the first and third sensors detect the sheet, the any one of the first and third sensors being disposed at a position opposite to the second sensor via the length measurement roll; and a whole length calculation portion that selects the sheet length nearer to integral multiples of the circumference length of the length measurement roll from the sheet lengths measured for the first and second detection periods, and calculates the whole length of the sheet by using the selected sheet length.
US08320812B2

Provided is an image forming apparatus that includes a paper feeding unit configured to feed recording paper, a transfer unit configured to transfer a toner image to the recording paper fed by the paper feeding unit, a fixing unit configured to fix the toner image transferred to the recording paper by the transfer unit on the recording paper, a thermal head having a plurality of heating units arrayed in a width direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording paper, and configured to add gloss by heating an arbitrary area of the recording paper on which the toner image has been fixed by the fixing unit for each line, a setting unit configured to set a gloss addition area in the recording paper to which the gloss is added by the thermal head, a correction unit configured to correct the gloss addition area set by the setting unit so that numbers of heating units driven when the recording paper is heated by the thermal head are approximately equal in each line, and a control unit configured to control driving of the plurality of heating units based on the gloss addition area corrected by the correction unit.
US08320800B2

An image forming device has: a developing cartridge for developing an electrostatic latent image on an image carrying member and a toner cartridge. The developing cartridge contains a developing roller and a single auger. The toner cartridge is detachably attached to the developing cartridge and containing toner. The toner cartridge has an agitation mechanism that agitates the toner, a conveyance mechanism that conveys the toner to the agitation mechanism, and two ports, the two ports being aligned in the axial direction and communicated with the developing cartridge, respectively. The toner cartridge and the developing cartridge are arrayed side by side in a horizontal direction. The toner cartridge has a shape having a vertical cross section in which a horizontal length is greater than a vertical length.
US08320793B2

A development device has a casing configured with a first frame and a second frame. The first frame includes attachment surfaces to which a regulating member is attached. A facing surface of the second frame is disposed between the attachment surfaces, in a predetermined plane including the attachment surfaces, and configured to face a portion of the regulating member between the attachment surfaces. A seal member is disposed between the regulating member and opposite surfaces including the attachment surfaces and the facing surface, and configured to seal first gaps each of which is formed between the facing surface and one of the attachment surfaces, in a first direction parallel to a rotational axis of a developing member rotatably supported by the casing.
US08320774B2

An apparatus and method are disclosed for maximizing interference contrast in an interferometric quantum cryptography system to detect eavesdropping by utilizing a tunable emitter station in communications with a receiver station via a quantum communications channel and a “public” communications channel. The tunable emitter station tracks and compensates for interferometer drifts by adjusting the interference contrast of the QC system to minimize or eliminate inherent perturbations induced into key bit transmissions. Tuning of the photo emitter's output wavelength is accomplishable using temperature and/or drive current adjustment of the emitter's tunable optical subsystem.
US08320770B2

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a first input stream, generating a first clock, sampling the first input stream based on the first clock, detecting a first phase difference between the first input stream and the first clock to generate a clock-correction signal and a first select signal, and generating a first recovered stream based on the first select signal. The method may additionally include receiving a second input stream, generating a second clock, sampling the second input stream based on the second clock, detecting a second phase difference between the second input stream and the second clock to generate a clock-correction signal and a second select signal, and generating a second recovered stream based on the second select signal. The method may further include adjusting the clocks based on the first and second clock-correction signals and combining the first and second recovered data streams to generate an output.
US08320767B2

An interconnect system has an optical transmitter mounted on a first circuit board and an optical receiver mounted on a second circuit board. The optical receiver can be nominally aligned to receive an optical signal through free space from the optical transmitter. Further, the optical receiver includes one or more light detectors, and an optical antenna coupled to direct incident light into the one or more light detectors.
US08320764B2

The invention relates to a modulation scheme for optical communication, in particular for fiber optics communication. According to invention, an optical signal is generated, both phase and polarization of which modulated in dependency of the data to be transmitted. Preferably, the generated optical signal comprises a sequence of symbols (22a-22k) and each symbol (22a-22k) has one of two different phase states and one of two different orthogonal polarization states. Bits of the data stream to be transmitted are encoded both in the phase state of a symbol (or in the phase state difference between subsequent symbols) and in the polarization state of the symbol (or in the polarization state difference between the subsequent symbols).
US08320761B2

Embodiments of a bidirectional 3-way optical splitter are described. This bidirectional 3-way optical splitter includes an optical splitter having: a first external node, a second external node, a third external node, and a fourth external node. In one mode of operation, the optical splitter may be configured to receive an external input optical signal on the first external node and to provide external output optical signals on the other external nodes. Moreover, in another mode of operation, the optical splitter may be configured to receive the external input optical signal on the third external node and to provide the external output optical signals on the other external nodes.
US08320756B2

Systems and methods for camera modules having a movable lens barrel, allowing a maximum lens diameter with minimal outside dimensions are disclosed. At least one single linear actuator is moving the lens barrel. Each actuator is deployed in an own corner of the camera module. The moving lens barrel is guided by rolling elements bearings. The actuator comprises a stator, comprising one or more coils wrapped around a rod of magnetic metal and an anchor comprising one or more permanent magnets, which are tightly attached to the lens barrel. An offset between the longitudinal center line of magnets of the anchor and the center of the stator generates a permanent force pushing the lens barrel in direction of the stator of the motor and consequently pushes protrusions on the lens barrel onto the rolling elements bearings, thus preventing the bearings to fall apart in case of a mechanical shock.
US08320751B2

A volatile material diffuser includes a housing and first and second containers holding first and second volatile materials and having first and second wicks, respectively, in contact with respective volatile materials and extending out of respective containers, wherein the containers are inserted into and detachably attached to the housing. The diffuser further includes first and second heaters disposed within the housing adjacent the first and second wicks, respectively, to vaporize the first and second volatile materials, respectively. A means for providing an air flow is disposed in the housing such that air from the means for providing an air flow transports vaporized volatile materials away from the housing. The heaters are energized in an alternating sequence such that, when a heater is deactivated, the means for providing an air flow cools a wick associated with the deactivated heater.
US08320750B2

The present invention belongs to power generation field. It relates to a method for improving cooling capacity of a power station direct air-cooling system and the cooling system thereof. According to the present invention, a transformer in a cooling system is connected to a voltage of the power grid and outputs a voltage to an electric motor, so that its working voltage reaches 380-390V; a frequency of 40-47 HZ is output from a frequency converter in the cooling system to the electric motor; a fan is driven by the electric motor working under 380-390V and 40-47 HZ to rotate according to a set velocity ratio with the aid of a speed reducer, and cooling wind is delivered by the rotating fan head-on to a heat radiator. The present invention can be widely applied in rebuilding of existing direct air-cooling units, or designing of new power station direct air-cooling systems.
US08320735B2

A playback device generates a virtual package in response to a construction request made by an application. After the virtual package is thus generated, a virtual file system 23 allows a file recorded on a removable medium in an 8.3 format to be accessed with use of an alias in a Long File Name format, based on a merge management information file that indicates a correspondence between a file path in the 8.3 format and a file path in the Long File Name format.
US08320729B2

A method and projection system for distorting a recording of a plurality of projected frames is disclosed, comprising a high frame rate display configured to impose a modulation on the projected frames at a frequency that is above the critical fusion frequency of the human visual system, wherein the modulation is of one of shutter width relative to shutter spacing, brightness, frame period, and pseudo-rastering. The high frame rate display may be a tonal display. The projection system may further include hardware for producing low frame rate imagery; an input buffer operatively coupled to said hardware for receiving one of a serial bit stream or blocks of data so as to store at least a predetermined portion of a frame; and a sub-frame generator operatively coupled to said input buffer and to said high frame rate tonal display for applying mathematical modulation techniques to said at least a predetermined portion of a frame.
US08320723B2

This document discusses, among other things, a connector for an optical imaging probe that includes one or more optical fibers communicating light along the catheter. The device may use multiple sections for simpler manufacturing and ease of assembly during a medical procedure. Light energy to and from a distal minimally-invasive portion of the probe is coupled by the connector to external diagnostic or analytical instrumentation through an external instrumentation lead. Certain examples provide a self-aligning two-section optical catheter with beveled ends, which is formed by separating an optical cable assembly. Techniques for improving light coupling include using a lens between instrumentation lead and probe portions. Techniques for improving the mechanical alignment of a multi-optical fiber catheter include using a stop or a guide.
US08320719B2

A method is provided for tuning the fiber optic retarder of a fiber optic current sensor towards a desired temperature dependence, the sensing fiber is exposed to a magnetic field or corresponding electric current and the sensor signal as well as the signal's dependence on the retarder temperature are measured. From this initial sensor signal and its temperature dependence, a target sensor signal can be determined, at which the dependence on the retarder temperature equals a desired value. Then, the retarder is thermally treated until the sensor signal reaches the target value. The method obviates the need for repetitively measuring the temperature dependence during the tuning process.
US08320709B2

From a sequence of images captured by an image pickup unit, images necessary for measuring placement information regarding markers and/or a sensor are automatically determined and obtained. To this end, using position and orientation information regarding the image pickup unit at the time the image pickup unit has captured an obtained image and placement information regarding detected markers, whether to use the captured image corresponding to the position and orientation is determined. Using the captured image determined to be used, the marker placement information, placement information regarding a measurement target, or the position and orientation of the image pickup unit serving as an unknown parameter is obtained so as to minimize the error between the measured image coordinates and theoretical image coordinates of each marker, which are estimated on the basis of a rough value of the parameter.
US08320705B2

The image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording section that stores an image to be processed and a past image corresponding to the image to be processed, a pixel extraction section that extracts a first predetermined region including a target pixel in the image to be processed and a second predetermined region of the past image corresponding to the target pixel, a noise amount estimation section that estimates an amount of noise corresponding to the target pixel, a similitude calculating section that calculates a first similitude between the target pixel in the first predetermined region and pixels peripheral thereto and a second similitude between the target pixel in the first predetermined region and a pixel in the second predetermined region, a similitude feature value calculating section that calculates a feature value according to the similitude, a similitude correcting section that corrects the similitude based on the feature value, a filter coefficient calculating section that calculates a filter coefficient based on the corrected similitude, and a noise reduction section that reduces noise of the target pixel based on the filter coefficient.
US08320703B2

An image processing method executes image processing to correct a non-uniform perceived resolution caused by image distortion correction, thereby achieving a uniform perceived resolution over an entire displayed image. The image processing method includes the step of adjusting an aperture compensation signal using distortion correcting data to correct a non-uniform perceived resolution caused in an image through partial conversion of magnification ratio by image distortion correction, thereby achieving a uniform perceived resolution.
US08320693B2

An encoding device includes a filter unit that performs a filtering processing as to image data, for a line block including image data of a number of lines for generating coefficient data of one line of a sub-band of at least a lowest band component. The filter unit generates a plurality of sub-bands made up of coefficient data broken down by frequency band. The encoding device also includes a storage unit that stores coefficient data generated by the filter unit, for the line block. The encoding device further includes a coefficient rearranging unit that rearranges the coefficient data, for each line block, in an order in which a synthesizing processing, for generating image data by synthesizing the coefficient data of a plurality of sub-bands which have been divided into frequency bands, is to be executed. An encoding unit encodes the coefficient data rearranged by the coefficient rearranging unit.
US08320691B2

An image coding apparatus includes a particular region detecting unit configured to detect from an input picture a particular region including a particular picture, the particular region detected as a region within the input picture which has a hue within a predetermined range corresponding to an average hue of the particular picture and which has an amount of movement between different frames which is equal to or larger than a threshold. A coding unit generates a coded stream by performing coding processing that is intra-frame coding or interframe coding on the input picture, and performs with respect to the particular region a processing of embedding initial conditions into the coded stream, instead of performing the interframe coding.
US08320689B2

An image processing apparatus and method execute instructions contained in multiple threads in parallel. The image processing apparatus decodes code data that is obtained by dividing image data into areas and carrying out a compression process such that the individual areas can be independently decoded. The image processing apparatus includes a first thread generating unit that allocates one execution thread to each independently compressed code, a second thread generating unit that allocates plural execution threads to each independently compressed code, and a control unit that controls the operation of the first thread generating unit and the second thread generating unit. At least part of an execution instruction for decoding the code data into image data is generated by the first thread generating unit or the second thread generating unit.
US08320680B2

Image data and image-capturing-condition information obtained by analyzing the image data are input from an external apparatus. Based on the input image-capturing-condition information, a range of angles or sizes employed in a process of detecting a specific area from the image data is determined. The specific area is detected based on the determined range of angles or sizes.
US08320679B2

A method wherein images of different types of objects within a class are partitioned into region stacks. For each one of the stacks, the method: (a) applies a template to extract fragments having a predetermined size and one of a plurality of different spatial orientations, to generate extracted templates; (b) determines, from the extracted templates, a most frequent one thereof having only a first number of fragments with a common spatial orientations; (c) records the number of images having the determined most frequent extracted template; (d) repeats (b) and (c) with successively increasing number of fragments until the number of recoded images falls below a threshold; and (e) selects as a master extracted template the one of the most frequent templates having the largest recorded number of fragments. The master extracted templates for the stacks are combined into a map that is then compared with background images to remove extracted templates matching segment in the background.
US08320676B2

A wide range of digital devices either have or are provided with imaging devices which are capable of imaging externally provided information in the form of special codes that contain setup and/or configuration information. Processors within these devices, which include cell phones, cameras, PDAs and personal computers, to name just a few, recognize the image and convert it to the desired configuration and/or setup information.
US08320669B2

In image processing in which each small area included in color image data, which is represented by C, M, Y, and K, is expressed by a predetermined number of representative colors, values of color parameters are obtained for a small area from the values of the color parameters for C, M, Y, and K for each pixel in the small area, so that the values of the color parameters have degrees of variation being compensated to become smaller in the group as the value for black becomes larger. One color parameter to be targeted is selected (#104) based on the degree of variation in the values of individual color parameters in the group. A reference value to be used for grouping the pixels is obtained based on the relationship between the values of the color parameter to be targeted in the group and the quantities of pixels in the group. Based on the reference value, the pixels are divided into groups (#106), and a representative color for each group is obtained (#109).
US08320661B2

An apparatus for information extraction from electromagnetic energy via multi-characteristic spatial geometry processing to determine three-dimensional aspects. Structure receives the electromagnetic energy, which has a plurality of spatial phase characteristics. Structure separates the plurality of spatial phase characteristics of the received electromagnetic energy. Structure identifies spatially segregated portions of each of the plurality of spatial phase characteristics, with each spatially segregated portion corresponding in a point to point relationship to a spatially segregated portion for each of the other of the plurality of spatial phase characteristics in a group. Structure quantifies each segregated portion to provide a spatial phase metric of each segregated portion for providing a data map of the spatial phase metric of each separated spatial phase characteristic of the plurality of spatial phase characteristics. Structure processes the spatial phase metrics to determine surface contour information for each segregated portion of the data map.
US08320647B2

A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable program code stored thereon which, when interpreted by a computing apparatus, causes the computing apparatus to implement an image processing tool for processing a plurality of biological images arranged in a plurality of image series wherein certain biological images across different image series have a predefined correspondence with one another. The computer-readable program code comprises computer-readable program code for causing the computing apparatus to: be attentive to receipt of an indication of a selected biological image from the plurality of biological images and belonging to a first one of the image series; be attentive to receipt of an indication of a segmentation mask created based on the selected biological image; apply the segmentation mask to a second biological image from the plurality of biological images, the second biological image belonging to a second one of the image series that is different from the first one of the image series, the second biological image having a predefined correspondence with the selected biological image; and display the second biological image after application of the segmentation mask.
US08320643B2

A face authentication device is provided that can perform personal identification with high accuracy regardless of an imaging environment for an input face image. The face authentication device comprises: a first similarity calculation unit (50) for calculating a similarity between a feature data item of an input face image data item and a feature data item of a face image data item registered in a face image data registration unit (30); a second similarity calculation unit (70) for calculating similarities between feature data items stored in a feature data storage (60) and the feature data item extracted by a first feature extraction unit (20); a threshold setting unit (80) for, based on the similarities calculated by the second calculation unit (70), setting a threshold for judging whether the input face image data item and the registered face image data item are of an identical person or not; and an identity determination unit (90) for determining whether the input face image data item and the registered face image data item are data items of an identical person or not by comparing the threshold set by the threshold setting unit (80) and the similarity calculated by the first similarity calculation unit (50).
US08320638B2

Various exemplary embodiments are a device and a related method for interaction with an anonymous database system, the device including: a biometric input; a communicator configured to retrieve a key stored in a first enrollment process, retrieve an institution identifier and a user identifier stored in a second enrollment process, and retrieve user data from an institution database corresponding to the institution identifier; and a display that displays the retrieved user data. Furthermore, various exemplary embodiments are a system and related method including: a plurality of biometric nodes in communication with one another, each of the plurality of biometric nodes comprising a biometric input; at least one central database in communication with the plurality of biometric nodes; and a plurality of institution databases in communication with the plurality of biometric nodes.
US08320631B2

According to one embodiment, a movement detection apparatus includes an arithmetic module, an edge-storing filter, a determination module, and a control module. The arithmetic module calculates a difference signal between an input image signal and an image signal of the previous frame. The filter performs smoothing processing for a signal falling within a level range provided as threshold value, among difference signals calculated by the arithmetic module. The determination module determines levels of a movement component and a noise component of the signal output from the filter. The control module controls a level range supplied as threshold value to the filter in accordance with an amplitude level of the noise component overlying the input image signal.
US08320628B2

A method and system for assisting driver are provided in the present disclosure, in which images captured by a single image sensing device is processed by a controller having capability of image processing and identification and distance estimation in image space for providing a complete assisting image-information while the carrier is moving forward or backward. By means of the method and system of the presented disclosure, it can identify the image characteristic to be a basis for lane departure assistance/alarm while the carrier is moving forwardly as well as generate assisting track and change view angle or issue an alarm according to the distance estimation while the carrier is moving backwardly. The present disclosure may be utilized and applied in different kinds of carrier type to solve the problem of guiding of carrier maneuvering, and assist carrier lane changing, parking assistance and blind spot detection.
US08320623B2

A target is imaged in a three-dimensional real space using two or more video cameras. A three-dimensional image space combined from two video cameras of the two or more video cameras is displayed to a user using a stereoscopic display. A right eye and a left eye of the user are imaged as the user is observing the target in the stereoscopic video display, a right gaze line of the right eye and a left gaze line of the left eye are calculated in the three-dimensional image space, and a gazepoint in the three-dimensional image space is calculated as the intersection of the right gaze line and the left gaze line using a binocular eyetracker. A real target location is determined by translating the gazepoint in the three-dimensional image space to the real target location in the three-dimensional real space from the locations and the positions of the two video cameras using a processor.
US08320621B2

A projector is disclosed for use in a 3-D imaging device. The projector includes a light source formed of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser, or VCSEL array. The VCSEL array provides a light source for illuminating a capture area. Light from the VCSEL array is reflected off of objects in the capture area and received within a sensing device such as a 3-D camera. The projector may further include a collimating lens array for focusing the light emitted from each VCSEL in the array, as well as a DOE for patterning the light from the collimating lens array to enable the sensing device to generate a 3-D image of the objects in the capture area.
US08320612B2

In order to develop known tracking systems, in particular in the medical field, the invention proposes a device for the contactless determination and measurement of a spatial position and/or spatial orientation of bodies using a tracking system, by means of which the bodies are located and brought into relation with one another, the tracking system, or at least components or modules thereof, being mobile.
US08320609B2

An image analyzing section acquires information on a type of a subject as an image attribute using an image analysis technique, and if the subject is a human, information on clothes of the human as the image attribute. In an additional information DB, there are provided plural pieces of candidate additional information which possibly become additional information, plural reference attributes for each piece of the candidate additional information, and individual compatibility degrees for the respective reference attributes. For every piece of the candidate additional information, a sum of the individual compatibility degrees of the reference attributes which are correlated with the image attributes acquired from the image are calculated as a total compatibility degree. The candidate additional information having the total compatibility degree equal to or higher than a certain value is selected as additional information. A tag having this additional information is attached to an image file.
US08320605B2

An electro-acoustic transducer with a front part having an acoustically radiating surface, a supporting part that supports the front part and that extends from a peripheral region of the front part in a direction away from the acoustically radiating surface, and a reinforcing part that provides rigidity to the transducer. The reinforcing part extends from the supporting part to the front part such that a portion of the reinforcing part is spaced from the front part and/or the supporting part.
US08320591B1

An innovative automatic-noise-reduction headset includes numerous enhancements. For example, one embodiment includes added noise-control circuitry at each of one or more auxiliary inputs to reduce audible hiss in the earcups. Another embodiment includes integrated crossfeed processing circuitry to enhance the spatial imaging of stereo audio perceived by headset users. Still another embodiment provides superior perception of noise cancellation by focusing noise cancelling at midband frequencies, such as 400-800 Hertz, as opposed to just lower frequencies. And another embodiment provides earcups formed of magnesium or a magnesium alloy for improved strength-weight as well as passive noise attenuation in the 400-800 Hertz range.
US08320589B2

An electret condenser includes a fixed film 110 including a conductive film 118 to be an upper electrode, a vibrating film 112 including a lower electrode 104 and a silicon oxide film 105 to be an electret film, and a silicon oxide film 108 provided between the fixed film 110 and the vibrating film 112 and including an air gap 109. Respective parts of the fixed film 110 and the vibrating film 112 exposed in the air gap 109 are formed of silicon nitride films 106 and 114.
US08320588B2

A system and a method for moving a microphone 100 in relation to a sound source 160 including: a microphone 140; moving the microphone in a dimension X-Y axis 110 or adding a third dimension 190; and an input system 150 operationally attached for adjusting the microphone in relation to the sound source and returning to desired locations. Features may further include: computer driven movement in the two or three dimension fields; a computer system 200 may retain locations and when requested return the microphone 140 to retained locations; the input system for control movement may be remote; and wherein the computer system 200 may position the microphone 140 for desired tones and effects.
US08320585B2

A dual-sided radio (100) for enhancing a user's experience is provided. The radio includes a primary transducer (110) on an audio-side of the radio that projects a primary sound, a secondary transducer (120) on a data-side of the radio that projects a mid-high frequency sound, a processor (160) that equalizes (200) audio to the primary transducer and the secondary transducer, and a communication module (130) that receives and transmits communication signals containing the audio. The secondary transducer supplements the primary sound with a mid-high frequency sound (404) to compensate for mid-high frequency loss of the primary sound due to diffraction (300).
US08320581B2

A vehicle engine harmonic enhancement system. A method for operating the system includes providing a first engine harmonic enhancement audio signal and equalizing the first engine harmonic enhancement audio signal separately for each of the plurality of loudspeakers to provide individually equalized loudspeaker engine harmonic enhancement audio signals. A vehicle audio system includes a plurality of loudspeakers, an entertainment audio system, and an engine harmonic enhancement system. A method includes equalizing an entertainment audio signal to provide an equalized entertainment audio signal; providing an engine harmonic enhancement audio signal; equalizing the engine harmonic enhancement audio signal separately from the entertainment audio signal to provide an equalized engine harmonic enhancement audio signal; and combining the equalized entertainment audio signal with the equalized engine harmonic enhancement audio signal.
US08320580B2

A system and method for the directional transmission of sound is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system comprises an audio source configured to generate an audio signal, a control module configured to receive the audio signal and generate a driving signal, based at least in part on the audio signal, and an array comprising a plurality of loudspeakers, wherein the loudspeakers are linearly arranged such that the spacing between two adjacent loudspeakers increases along the array. In a particularly, embodiment, the spacing increases exponentially, and broadband dipole loudspeakers are used.
US08320579B2

A cord-based controller for an auxiliary device, such as a headset, is provided for use with a portable electronic device. A pressure-sensitive, and preferably bendable, material such as a piezoelectric pressure sensor is placed within or on an or cord of a headphone lead, such as by wrapping it within the outer shielding of the cord. A self-powered controlling sensor is arranged to control the electronic device using a generated control signal. The controlling sensor comprises a sensor material. The control signal is generated by deformation of the sensor material independent of power supplied to the headset and independent of power supplied to the portable electronic device. This is achieved without requiring a separate housing for the controller, which typically protrudes from the cord. A plurality of control sensor elements can be provided, each producing a different control signal voltage transmitted along a single control signal electrical.
US08320576B1

A passive stethoscope chest piece has a chest piece housing containing a passive piezoelectric (piezo) element mounted within a metal housing. The piezo element converts body signals to an electrical representation. A pair of electrical connections attached to the metal plate and the piezoelectric layer of the piezo element pass the electrical representation outside the housing for processing by external circuitry. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
US08320574B2

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and systems that reduce acoustic echoes in audio signals in accordance with changing conditions at first and second locations that are linked together in a communication system. In particular, one embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for determining an approximate impulse-response vector for canceling an acoustic echo resulting from an audio signal transmitted from the first location to the second location. This method includes forming a trust region within a search space based on computing a recursive specification vector defining the trust region. The method also includes computing a recursive shadow-impulse-response vector that lies substantially within the trust region, and computing the approximate impulse-response vector based on the recursive shadow-impulse-response vector and the recursive specification vector.
US08320568B2

A method, an apparatus and a system for key derivation are disclosed. The method includes the following steps: a target base station) receives multiple keys derived by a source base station, where the keys correspond to cells under control of the target base station; the target base station selects a key corresponding to the target cell after knowing a target cell that a user equipment (UE) wants to access. An apparatus for key derivation and a communications system are also provided.
US08320565B2

The present invention relates to a method of generating a downlink frame. The method of generating the downlink frame includes: generating a first short sequence and a second short sequence indicating cell group information; generating a first scrambling sequence and a second scrambling sequence determined by the primary synchronization signal; generating a third scrambling sequence determined by the first short sequence; scrambling the first short sequence with the first scrambling sequence and scrambling the second short sequence with the second scrambling sequence and the third scrambling sequence; and mapping the secondary synchronization signal that includes the scrambled first short sequence and the scrambled second short sequence to a frequency domain.
US08320560B2

A secure data parser is provided that may be integrated into any suitable system for securely storing and communicating data. The secure data parser parses data and then splits the data into multiple portions that are stored or communicated distinctly. Encryption of the original data, the portions of data, or both may be employed for additional security. The secure data parser may be used to protect data in motion by splitting original data into portions of data, that may be communicated using multiple communications paths.
US08320553B2

The present invention provides for echo cancellation circuitry and variable rate encoding circuitry to cooperate with one another to effectively provide comfort noise in an effective and efficient manner. The echo cancellation circuitry will use far-end signals to generate estimated echo signals, which correspond to the actual echo signals appearing in near-end signals. The estimated echo signals are essentially subtracted from the near-end signals in an effort to remove the actual echo signals from the near-end signals. The echo cancellation circuitry will monitor any residual echo signals in the resulting processed near-end signals and provide residual echo control signals that are indicative of whether the residual echo signals should be replaced with comfort noise. The residual echo control signals are used at least in part by the variable rate encoding circuitry to determine the encoding rate to use for encoding different portions of the processed near-end signals.
US08320538B2

A system, method, apparatus, and computer program code for identifying billing discrepancies includes receiving billing data from a billing entity, the billing data including an assessed fee and call details associated with each of a plurality of calls made by a customer, identifying, based at least in part on the call details received from the billing data, rate information associated with the customer, generating an expected fee for each of the plurality of calls, and comparing, for each of the plurality of calls, the expected fee with the assessed fee to identify discrepancies.
US08320528B2

A system and method are disclosed for facilitating enhanced call awareness. A system incorporating teachings of the present disclosure may include an interface that receives a signal associated with a call to a telephone number. A call information engine may be coupled to the interface and may recognize that a party to the call subscribes to an enhanced call activity service. In some cases, the party may be a called party or a calling party, and the activity may include an incoming call to the telephone number, an outgoing call, a missed call, or a waiting voicemail message. A memory may maintain a data network address for the party, and a messaging engine may initiate sending of a message containing call information to the data network address. The message may be sent in response to a trigger signal output by a notification engine without consideration for whether or not a telephone line associated with the telephone number is busy.
US08320527B2

A system and method for detecting crossover faults in a telecommunications access network having a plurality of access lines. Each access line includes a pair of wires for connection to a user terminal, e.g. a telephone handset. The system includes a monitor for monitoring each of the access lines to detect the presence of an off-hook state; a current sensor for each of the access lines for determining a fault condition on an access line for which an off-hook state has been detected when a imbalance is detected between currents in the wires of the access line; a controller for generating a report of each fault condition determined on an access line, in which each report comprises a time record relating to the time of generation of the report; and a crossover fault detector for recording a possible crossover fault involving two access lines upon the reporting within a set time period of one or more fault condition on each of the two access lines.
US08320522B2

A method for creating a tomographic image in the manner of a dental X-ray panoramic tomographic image from a digital 3D volume exhibiting X-ray absorption values, comprising transradiating the 3D volume forming an object to be scanned virtually using a virtual X-ray source, recording the virtually produced image by a virtual detector, and moving the virtual source of X-rays and virtual detector virtually past the object to be scanned with formation of a sharp layer having a blurred area.
US08320516B2

An object of the present invention is to provide a pulse signal output circuit capable of operating stably and a shift register including the pulse signal output circuit. In an embodiment of the pulse signal output circuit, a transistor has a source terminal or a drain terminal connected to a gate electrode of another transistor having a source terminal or a drain terminal forming an output terminal of the pulse signal output circuit, the channel length of the transistor being longer than the channel length of the other transistor. Thereby, the amount of a leakage current modifying the gate potential of the other transistor can be reduced, and a malfunction of the pulse signal output circuit can be prevented.
US08320514B2

In a nuclear power plant, a corrosion-resistant oxide film on a surface of the metal component of a reactor structure is exposed to a high-temperature water, the corrosion-resistant oxide film containing an oxide having a property of a P-type semiconductor, and a catalytic substance having a property of an N-type semiconductor is deposited on the oxide film. The oxide film maintains the property of the P-type semiconductor.
US08320506B2

Provided are a universal blind mode detector capable of universally detecting not only various orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication services but also non-OFDM communication services, and a fast Fourier transform (FFT) mode detector, a guard mode detector, and a memory sharing structure of the universal blind mode detector, and a method of detecting a universal blind mode. The universal blind mode detector includes a radio frequency (RF) tuner converting a received signal into a baseband frequency signal, an automatic gain control (AGC) unit which is connected to the RF tuner and determines existence of a communication service by referring to a received signal strength indication (RSSI), a communication service mode detection unit determining of which scheme a communication service mode signal is if the AGC unit determines that there is the communication service, and detecting the communication service mode signal, and a channel decoding unit detecting the detected signal.
US08320499B2

Techniques for transmitting data with dynamic space-time coding are described. Dynamic space-time coding refers to the mapping of data across both space and time dimensions based on a mapping scheme that changes in a dynamic manner, e.g., a time-variant manner. A transmitter generates at least one data stream and performs space-time coding on the at least one data stream in a dynamic manner to generate at least two output streams for transmission from at least two antennas. The space-time coding may be performed in various manners. For example, each data stream may be space-time coded based on a respective set of space-time codes, e.g., by cycling through the space-time codes in the code set or by using a space-time code selected based on feedback from a receiver. The code set for each data stream may also be selected from among multiple code sets available for the data stream.
US08320493B2

Improvement of transmission efficiency is sought by stopping transmission of unnecessary MLI data.A transmitting circuit 111 in a base station apparatus 110 has an MLI modulation part 248 composed of an MLI generating circuit 238, a symbol modulation circuit 239, and an IFFT circuit 240, a user data modulation part 249 composed of an encoder circuit 234, a symbol modulation circuit 235, a transmission power control circuit 236, and an IFFT circuit 237, and a transmission operation control circuit 113. The transmission operation control circuit 113 controls operation timing of the MLI modulation part 248, the user datamodulationpart 249, and a multiplexer 243 based on a signal to notify that ACK input from a receiving circuit 112 has been received so that slots containing no MLI data are generated.
US08320488B2

A method for transmitting and receiving signals in an open-loop spatial multiplexing transmission mode is described. If the number of transmit antennas is 2 and a rank is 2, a base station performs precoding according to a cyclic delay diversity scheme by a matrix in which a first matrix corresponding to an identity matrix, a second matrix corresponding to a diagonal matrix, and a third matrix corresponding to a unitary matrix are sequentially multiplied and transmits the precoded signals. This may be substantially the same as the case where the base station performs precoding using a matrix in which the second matrix corresponding to the diagonal matrix and the third matrix corresponding to the unitary matrix are multiplied and transmits the precoded signals. A user equipment estimates a transmission mode according to the received rank indicator and the number of transmit antennas and receives signals.
US08320477B2

An inter-carrier interference ICI cancellation method of a kth sub-carrier of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing OFDM receiving signal (k is a natural number greater than 1 and less than or equal to n, n is a number of sub-carriers) includes canceling an inter-carrier interference element produced by at least one sub-carrier among inter-carrier interference elements of the kth sub-carrier by a decision feedback equalization DFE method, and canceling another inter-carrier interference element produced by at least another sub-carrier among inter-carrier interference elements of the kth sub-carrier by a linear minimum mean square error equalization LMMSE method.
US08320476B2

A communication control system according to the present invention transmits and receives multiple data flows having different priorities to and from a radio communication terminal by a multicarrier using multiple carriers. The communication control system is provided with a carrier transmitter configured to transmit the multiple carriers to the radio communication terminal 2; and a carrier assignment unit configured to assign a data flow of a priority, which is different from that of a different data flow, a carrier different from that of the different data flow on the basis of the priorities of the respective data flows.
US08320472B2

A method and apparatus for providing channel condition feedback in a multicast network are described including estimating a indication of channel condition, determining a receiver class based on the estimated indication of channel condition, calculating a delay, delaying transmission of the estimated indication of channel condition for the calculated delay, receiving a report from another receiver in the determined receiver class, the report including an indication of channel condition and canceling the delay if the received indication of channel condition is one of greater than and equal to the estimated indication of channel condition. The method and apparatus further include transmitting a single report for the calculated receiver class to a server including a worst indication of channel condition for the determined receiver class.
US08320471B2

In a transmission device for differential communication, a first cathode-side element part is coupled between a first communication line and a cathode-side power supply line, a second cathode-side element part is coupled between a second communication line and the cathode-side power supply line, a first anode-side element part is coupled between the first communication line and an anode-side power supply line, and a second anode-side element part is coupled between the second communication line and the anode-side power supply line. A driving portion drives the element parts based on transmission data input from an outside. A target potential generating portion generates target potentials of the element parts based on potentials of the first communication line and the second communication line.
US08320467B2

An encoding apparatus and an encoding method, a decoding apparatus and a decoding method, a recording medium, and a program suitable for encoding image signals with a higher compression ratio for transmission or accumulation. In an arithmetic coding section, from among the syntax elements of input image compression information, the frame/field flag is first encoded by a frame/field flag context model. When the macroblock to be processed is subjected to frame-based encoding, a frame-based context model, specified in the current H.26L standard, is applied. On the other hand, when the macroblock to be processed is subjected to field-based encoding, a field-based context model is applied for the syntax elements described below. The present invention is applied to an encoder for encoding image information and a decoder for decoding image information.
US08320464B2

A method, apparatus and system for decoding a bi-directional picture predicted from two reference frames with a motion compensation codec that is capable of locating reference frame portions from only one reference frame at a time. Including locating a first reference frame portion from a first frame in a first pass, storing the first reference frame portion in memory; locating a second reference frame portion from a second frame in a second pass, and combining the first reference frame portion and the second reference frame portion to form a bi-directionally predicted portion. Also, a method and apparatus for restricting the encoding of a bi-directional picture predicted from two reference frames to be decoded by a motion compensation codec that is capable of locating reference frame portions from only one reference frame at a time and is capable of decoding a limited number of partitions for each macroblock.
US08320457B2

A display device with improved display quality and a method of driving the display device set at least one static area in each of a previous frame and a current frame by comparing edge areas of the previous frame and edge areas of the current frame, and create an interpolated frame for display between the previous and current frames. At least one static area of the previous frame is used in an unmodified state as a static area of the interpolated frame.
US08320454B2

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a system and method for sub-pixel motion estimation for video encoding. The method includes providing a best match between a source frame and a reference frame by generating a plurality of non linear building surfaces, generating, in real time, an estimated matching criteria surface representing a matching criteria between the source frame and the reference frame based on the building surfaces and a plurality of sample points of an actual matching criteria surface and selecting, in real time, a position on the estimated matching criteria surface.
US08320452B2

When frame data is acquired to a digital camera, a block split section splits the frame data into a plurality of correlation detection blocks, an average value calculation section calculates an average pixel value of each of the correlation detection blocks, and an activity calculation section calculates a block activity value of each of the correlation detection blocks from the calculated average pixel value of each of the correlation detection blocks. Next, a group allocation section allocates the individual correlation detection blocks to two groups on the basis of the calculated block activity value, and a motion vector for each group is calculated using the representative point matching method. Next, the motion vector calculation section calculates the entire motion vector from the motion vectors for each group in accordance with the ratio between the numbers of calculation detection blocks in each group.
US08320443B2

A method and a system for providing ISI compensation to an input signal in a bifurcated manner. ISI compensation is provided in two stages, a first stage compensates ISI components induced by characteristics of a transmitter's partial response pulse shaping filter, a second stage compensates ISI components induced by characteristics of a multi-pair transmission channel. First stage ISI compensation is performed in an inverse response filter having a characteristic feedback gain factor K, during system start-up. Second stage ISI compensation is performed by a single DFE in combination with a MDFE operating on tentative decisions output from a Viterbi decoder. As the DFE of the second stage reaches convergence, the feedback gain factor K of the first stage is ramped to zero.
US08320435B2

Described herein are systems, apparatuses, and methods relating to a power-saving state or power-saving mode to facilitate clock synchronization between the two transceiver units and/or updating of DSL operation parameters during the power-saving state.
US08320433B2

A signal compression method and apparatus for a base transceiver system (BTS) in a wireless communication network provides efficient transfer of compressed signal samples over serial data links in the system. For the uplink, an RF unit of the BTS compresses baseband signal samples resulting from analog to digital conversion of a received analog signal followed by digital downconversion. The compressed signal samples are transferred over the serial data link to the baseband processor then decompressed prior to normal signal processing. For the downlink, the baseband processor compresses baseband signal samples and transfers the compressed signal samples to the RF unit. The RF unit decompresses the compressed samples prior to digital upconversion and digital to analog conversion to form an analog signal for transmission over an antenna. Compression and decompression can be incorporated into operations of conventional base stations and distributed antenna systems, including OBSAI or CPRI compliant systems.
US08320419B2

A high power laser source comprises a bar of laser diodes having a first coefficient of thermal expansion CTEbar on a submount having a second coefficient CTEsub and a cooler having a third coefficient CTEcool. The submount/cooler assembly shows an effective fourth coefficient CTEeff differing from CTEbar. This difference leads to a deformation of the crystal lattice of the lasers' active regions by mechanical stress. CTEeff is selected to be either lower than both CTEbar and CTEcool or is selected to be between CTEbar and CTEcool. The submount may either comprise layers of materials having different CTEs, e.g., a Cu layer of 10-40 μm thickness and a Mo layer of 100-400 μm thickness, or a single material with a varying CTEsub. Both result in a CTEsub varying across the submount's thickness.
US08320417B2

A laser includes a pump source that provides pump energy at a first wavelength and a laser cavity. The laser cavity includes a laser gain medium that receives the pump energy from the pump source and creates gain at a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, and a mode stripping portion coupled to the laser gain medium. The mode stripping portion causes the laser cavity to have a low Fresnel number so as to allow only the lowest-order fiber mode to resonate in the laser cavity. Higher-order fiber modes are discriminated against so as to generate a laser output having a substantially diffraction limited beam in a single transverse mode at the second wavelength.
US08320414B2

A method comprises establishing an ad-hoc network between a borrower and at least two lenders of bandwidth and establishing one lender of the at least two lenders as a multiplexer to manage data flow over the ad-hoc network between the borrower and lenders of the at least two lenders of bandwidth. The method may include providing a computer infrastructure to perform the steps of the invention. A system is also provided which includes a server having a database containing data associated with one or more lenders and a borrower in an ad-hoc network and at least one hardware and/or software component. The system may further includes computer usable medium having readable program code embodied in the medium to perform processes of the invention.
US08320409B2

Erroneous data due to faults are prevented from propagating through a distributed network node having diversely routed communications links by using a fault masking technique that eliminates the 60 ms of error propagation time associated with SONET networks. The fault masking technique can also prevent random bit errors from propagating through the distributed network node. A frame alignment technique used in the network node is scalable for very wide words (e.g., 128 bits) for use with high speed optical communications protocols, such as OC-192.
US08320407B2

Techniques for transmitting data in a communication system are described. A packet may be partitioned into multiple subpackets, and each subpacket may be encoded separately. The subpackets may be mapped to resources assigned for transmission of the packet, with at least one subpacket being mapped to a subset of the assigned resources. The assigned resources may include multiple tiles, with each tile corresponding to a block of time frequency resources. The subpackets may be mapped to the tiles such that (i) the subpackets are mapped to equal number of tiles to achieve similar decoding performance, (ii) each subpacket is mapped to at least NMIN tiles, if available, to achieve a certain minimum diversity order for the subpacket, and/or (iii) each subpacket is mapped to a subset of the multiple tiles, if possible, so that the subpacket can be decoded without having to demodulate all of the tiles.
US08320404B2

A wireless local area network (WLAN) device includes a WLAN adapter having a USB terminal connected to a USB terminal of a PC (personal computer). The WLAN adapter is loaded with a program for setting a WLAN and executing a communication, and a connection of the adapter to the PC prompts the PC to recognize the adapter as a CD-ROM drive, and prompts the program for setting a WLAN and executing a communication to run automatically. The PC loads data of SCSI standard into the WLAN adapter by using a vender defined command of SCSI standard by way of the program for setting a WLAN and executing a communication. The WLAN adapter converts the data of SCSI standard into data for setting a WLAN or data of TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), and sets the WLAN and executes the communication.
US08320401B2

High-speed transceiver devices, such as GBIC-type transceivers, are accessed and addressed. Identification information (including manufacturer name, model, compliance codes) is placed in data fields of the transceivers. An algorithm checks each port in each module of a host system to determine if a transceiver is present. If a particular transceiver is present, then algorithms store the port address of the transceiver in memory and enable the transceiver to be read from or written to. Reading from the transceiver includes reading the identification information, and writing to the transceiver includes writing the identification information. If a transceiver is initially determined not to be present or if the reading/writing/enabling processes fail, then a recovery process determines if the transceiver was present the last time it was checked. If it was present the last time, then the process continues to try to recover the transceiver data—otherwise, the port is marked as empty.
US08320389B2

A reliability processing method and system in networking of Metro Ethernet Network providing multi-service are provided. The method includes: establishing a Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) group with at least two service control gateways, establishing network connections between an access device (UPE) and the service control gateways in the Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol group by a Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS); establishing Layer 2 service and Layer 3 service connections between an active service control gateway and the Access device after active and standby service control gateways in the Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol group are determined according to a processing result of a Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol message, and performing Layer 2 service and Layer 3 service processing. With the present invention, when the MAN service is in fault, all the Layer 2 and Layer 3 services may be switched to the standby service control gateway quickly, and the switching may be on the order of milliseconds. Therefore, the reliability of the Layer 2 and Layer 3 services of the MAN may be sufficiently guaranteed, and the overhead of the system may be reduced significantly.
US08320385B1

A method, wireless system, and medium are provided for estimating capacity for a new communication session initiated by a wireless device. The wireless system includes a base station and wireless devices that wirelessly connect to the base station. The base station executes a wireless scheduler that coordinates wireless transmission over wireless networks. The base station also executes a bandwidth estimation component to estimate available bandwidth for a new communication session. The estimated available bandwidth is used in a quick configuration message communicated from the base station to a wireless device to notify the wireless device of the capacity available at the base station and of a transmission rate for the wireless device.
US08320384B2

In a packet forwarding apparatus including first line interfaces accommodating user terminals, a second line interface connected to a communication node on a session management apparatus side, and a protocol processing unit for updating a connection management table and a header information table when a specific session control packet is received from one of the first line interfaces. Upon receiving a real-time packet from one of the first line interfaces, if a table entry corresponding to the header information of the received packet has been registered in the connection management table, the control unit routes the received packet to one of the first line interfaces after rewriting its header information based on the header information table, and if the table entry has not been registered, the control unit routes the received packet as it is to the second line interface.
US08320380B2

A method for video-on-demand (VoD) admission control at a network edge assigns to a triple-play network virtual topology lesser resources than there exists in a corresponding underlying physical link bandwidth. This prevents video-on-demand (VoD) starvation of data-class traffic. At least one policy enforcement point (PEP) is attached to an edge of the network, providing for autonomous short-term, application-aware controls to be applied to corresponding network ingress traffic, and also providing for long-term controls on corresponding network ingress traffic. The network ingress traffic to the network comes under management when the traffic nears or exceeds network capacity. It is enabled to do so by computations of current network routing topology and bandwidth reservations. Path tables are used to calculate if a PEP may admit more, or must shed, sessions/calls to maintain service for other existing application traffic. The PEP and a session/call admission controller (S/CAC) may be independently located within the topology of the network, and together implement admission controls that differentiate between triple-play video, voice, and data traffic classes.
US08320376B2

Method and system for Out-Of-Band (OOB) massaging with Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) configured to receive OOB messaging signals from a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS). The method and system include determining whether a DCD message identifying data tunnels includes a DCD message identifier matching with a CPE identifier such that the data tunnels identified in the matching DCD message are tuned to by the CPE.
US08320359B2

An apparatus and method operable to enable the use of synchronization (SCH) and broadcast channel (BCH) signals with a bandwidth (BW) equal to the minimum possible BW for the system, for example 1.25 MHz. The present invention increases the speed of the initial cell search. In addition, the repetition of signals in the frequency domain makes it possible to perform a faster cell detection in the event a system/mobile terminal/UE is using a larger BW. When the present invention is used in a high BW system, a mobile terminal/UE is operable to determine whether to perform a cell search on a low or high BW to get sufficient cell detection performance.
US08320353B2

Disclosed is a method and system for estimating an adaptive joint channel in a CDMA system based on TDD. The method includes the steps of a) receiving activity information of a mobile terminal; b) parsing the activity information, and transmitting a midamble sequence to the mobile terminal when a result of the parsing shows that the mobile terminal is in an ON state; c) conducting adaptive joint channel estimation by using the midamble sequence in the mobile terminal; and d) conducting adaptive joint detection by using a channel impulse response of the mobile terminal, obtained as a result of conducting the adaptive joint channel estimation. The method and system decreases the complexity in channel estimation and additionally increases the accuracy of channel estimation by reducing transmission power consumption and eliminating unnecessary interference.
US08320346B2

Embodiments of systems and methods for Universal System Interface (USI) networking are generally described herein. In some embodiments, a USI request may be received by a station configured for heterogeneous wireless communication from an application service provider (ASP) over a first access network. The USI request may include a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of a USI system for services provided by a network service provider (NSP) over a second access network. The station may then determine the USI system address based on the FQDN Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US08320345B2

Provided is a radio communication method which can reduce the power consumption as compared to the conventional technique while realizing coexistence of a plurality of radio communication methods and can perform synchronization with a super frame of other radio communication device. The super frame has life confirmation slots (2820, 2830) through which radio communication devices of various modulation types should transmit tone signals. A radio communication device has a chance to judge whether one or more radio communication devices using a different modulation type exist or no such device exists in the vicinity. If no such device exists, the slot to be used by the radio communication device of the modulation method is reported as a time that can be used by a radio communication group of other modulation method.Thus, by confirming existence of an object in the vicinity by other radio communication device with which communication cannot be performed, communication can be performed by sharing the super frame.
US08320334B2

A first mobility management entity associated with a packet-switched wireless access network receives information associated with a mobile station being served by the first mobility management entity, where the information identifies a serving generic access network controller for the mobile station. The serving generic access network controller is used to provide a circuit-switched service to the mobile station while the mobile station is attached to the packet-switched wireless access network. The first mobility management entity initiates a handoff of the mobile station from the packet-switched wireless access network to a circuit-switched wireless access network, where the circuit-switched wireless access network is in a region served by a second generic access network controller different from the serving generic access network controller. In performing the handoff, the first mobility management entity uses the information to identify the serving generic access network controller to communicate handoff-related messaging to the serving generic access network controller to cause provision of the circuit-switched service to be handed off from the serving generic access network controller to the second generic access network controller.
US08320328B2

Channel dependent credit accumulation for determining a mobile handover is provided herein. In some aspects, a characteristic(s) of a source channel(s) serving a mobile device and of one or more target channels can be evaluated. Magnitudes of the evaluated characteristics can be utilized to generate handover credits associated with the target channel(s) (e.g., based on some function of a difference in the magnitudes). If a concurrent number of credits associated with a target channel equals or rises above one or more threshold levels, a mobile device can initiate a handover. As described, disparity in source and target channel quality, signal strength, etc., can be determined to increase probability of a handover based on channel degradation over one or more time intervals.
US08320323B2

A method for allocating a time and frequency resource of a resource request indicator (RRI), a method for transmitting an RRI, and a device thereof are provided, which relate to a wireless communication technique and reduce the overhead of the time and frequency resource. The method for allocating a time and frequency resource of an RRI includes: allocating codes for an RRI and other uplink control signaling; and multiplexing the RRI and other uplink control signaling in the same time and frequency resource in a code division manner.
US08320321B2

A hybrid TDMA-CSMA MAC protocol is provided for allocating time slots within a frame having a structure in which transmission time is divided into a first number of actual TDMA time slots and a second number of “virtual” CSMA time slots. Each time a given node receives a Hello message, it can calculate variables based on an HSN field. A ratio of the first number to the second number can be dynamically adjusted depending upon the traffic conditions. When TDMA time slots within the frame are freed (e.g., no longer being used), slot position optimization techniques are provided for moving these freed TDMA time slots back into the CSMA portion of the frame and reallocating or moving other TDMA time slots into the portion of the frame that was previously occupied by the freed TDMA time slots to thereby maximize resource utilization.
US08320316B2

A method for accelerating network accessing of a terminal in a wireless communication system, comprises: a wireless terminal receiving system parameter information, and after obtaining system information of a base station identifier (BS ID) and a network access provider identifier (NAP ID), immediately judging validity of the NAP ID, or validity of both the NAP ID and the BS ID; if a result of the judgment is “valid”, the terminal proceeding to a subsequent procedure of the network discovery and selection according to information stored in the terminal, otherwise, carrying out a new procedure of network discovery and selection. The method avoids continuing to perform processes such as message receiving and decoding in the case that a NAP ID or a BS ID is invalid according to a procedure in the current protocol, thereby increasing the speed of network accessing of a terminal.
US08320314B2

A method for efficiently performing an initial access in an MS in a multi-carrier broadband wireless access system is disclosed. The method includes scanning a plurality of carriers supported by a BS, and selecting one of the scanned carriers as a first carrier and receiving an SFH of the first carrier. The SFH of the first carrier includes at least one of a field indicating load status of the first carrier and recommended network entry carrier information including information about a second carrier in good load status.
US08320307B2

Conventionally, there is a problem that a state transition of E-TFC changes according to QoS for descriptions of data to be transmitted, and therefore a mobile station's operation is not decided uniquely. To solve this problem, a transmission control method includes a step of selecting transmission control information according to a combination of user data transmitted, via a transport channel, from an upper layer, and a step of transmitting the transmission control information, as well as a physical channel into which two or more transport channels are multiplexed, to a fixed station, the transmission control information including at least transmit power information.
US08320305B2

An apparatus for transmitting and receiving signals in a wireless telecommunication system and to a method for transmitting random access bursts in such an apparatus. The apparatus includes a transmitter for transmitting random access bursts, a receiver for receiving acknowledgement information confirming a successful transmission of a random access burst, a decision unit for deciding if acknowledgement information has been received, and a control unit for randomly choosing a time point for an attempt to retransmit said random access burst from an interval if no acknowledgement information has been received after a random access burst had been transmitted.
US08320301B2

A multiple-access MIMO WLAN system that employs MIMO, OFDM, and TDD. The system (1) uses a channel structure with a number of configurable transport channels, (2) supports multiple rates and transmission modes, which are configurable based on channel conditions and user terminal capabilities, (3) employs a pilot structure with several types of pilot (e.g., beacon, MIMO, steered reference, and carrier pilots) for different functions, (4) implements rate, timing, and power control loops for proper system operation, and (5) employs random access for system access by the user terminals, fast acknowledgment, and quick resource assignments. Calibration may be performed to account for differences in the frequency responses of transmit/receive chains at the access point and user terminals. The spatial processing may then be simplified by taking advantage of the reciprocal nature of the downlink and uplink and the calibration.
US08320300B2

An unlicensed-radio access network is connected to a packet service node in a core network portion of a licensed mobile network. The unlicensed-radio access network includes an access controller connected to the core network portion and having a packet controller, a fixed broadband network connected to the access controller and having a plurality of access points. Each of the access points defines a mini-cell coverage area and supports an unlicensed-radio interface permitting communication of packet data between mobile stations located within a respective mini-cell and the access controller. The access controller comprises a database for storing the identification of mobile stations in association with packet path information addressing said mobile station on the fixed broadband network.
US08320298B2

Parallel demodulators are provided in field units. Forward and reverse channel allocation information may be broadcast to the field units in the same epoch as traffic data but on first and second channels, such as paging and traffic channels. This assures that all field units are able to receive forward and reverse channel allocation information every epoch. By having parallel demodulators in the field unit, switching between the first and second channels is avoided and channel allocation information is not lost.
US08320297B2

Methods and apparatus related to reuse of a wireless resource are described. Various methods and apparatus are well suited to wireless communications systems lacking centralized control, e.g., an ad hoc peer to peer wireless communications system. A wireless device, corresponding to a second connection, evaluates whether or not it can reuse a resource associated with a first connection. The first connection is, e.g., an existing active connection and the second connection is, e.g., a potential connection. The wireless device receives one or more control signals from one or more first connection devices. The wireless device determines, based on the received control signals, one or more estimated SINRs characterizing expected results in the system if the two connections should use the same resource concurrently. The wireless device makes a resource reuse decision based on the determined estimated one or more SINRs and a threshold criteria.
US08320296B2

Embodiments provide methods, systems, and apparatuses for adaptive coding, spreading, and modulating over a satellite communication channel. In some embodiments, a method of adaptive coding, sampling, and modulating over a satellite communication channel may include providing multiple data frames. At least one modcode partition may be provided for each data frame. The modcode partitions may represent modulation, coding, spreading, and/or frame size information for respective data frames. Each data frame and the respective modcode partition may be combined to form a modcode data unit. Multiple superframes may be formed. Each superframe may include a first known sequence and multiple subframes. Each subframe for a respective superframe may include a portion of a respective modcode data unit. Multiple superframes may be transmitted across a wireless channel.
US08320293B2

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for controlling the transmission of uplink multicast service data in communication network. According to the invention, a user equipment sends request to a multicast controlling device for the permission of providing uplink multicast data stream; once the uplink multicast controlling device has verified and accepted the request, it will assign multicast address, bandwidth, valid time for it and update the uplink multicast forwarding table at the access device to establish an uplink multicast dedicated VLAN. After that, the access device will forward multicast data from the UE according to the uplink multicast forwarding table configured by the uplink multicast controlling device, to be specific, allowed multicast packets to be forwarded into the uplink multicast dedicated VLAN, and get to the multicast router via the uplink multicast dedicated VLAN. Finally, the multicast router will take the responsibility of multicast distributing of the uplink multicast service data. Based on the present invention, the access of uplink multicast and the data transmission can be well controlled, the multicast routers provide multicast service to the network in a centralized manner. Also, this is compatible with the existing multicast and unicast services.
US08320292B2

A method to control a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) mode of a MBMS session in a communication system is provided herein. In operation, a first network element that is located outside a radio access network determines to use one of a single frequency network MBMS mode and a single cell MBMS mode for the MBMS session based on a property of the MBMS session. The first network element then transmits a session control signaling message to a second network element that is located inside the radio access network. The session control signaling message instructs the second network element that user plane data for the MBMS session shall be transmitted using the determined MBMS mode. The base stations then transmit the user plane data to one or user equipments in a target service area according to the determined MBMS mode.
US08320291B2

The present invention relates to methods and arrangements in mobile radio telecommunications for enabling access to Circuit Switched (CS) services for a user equipment (UE) that is connected to a LTE/SAE (Long Term Evolution/System Architecture Evolution) network. The UE's current position is stored in a LTE position format in the LTE network or in the SAE network. The invention provides steps and means for transforming the UE's position in LTE format to position information in CS format for the UE, steps and means for registering the UE in the CS network using said transformed position information, and steps and means for establishing access to CS services provided by said CS network.
US08320267B2

A wireless terminal operating in TDD mode transmits a plurality of sounding reference signals using an assigned maximum sounding reference signal (SRS) bandwidth (BW) size. At least one of the sounding reference signals is transmitted in a corresponding uplink pilot time slot (UpPTS) region of a special sub-frame of a radio frame wherein, in the frequency dimension, an uplink BW center is misaligned with a BW center of the SRS in the UpPTS region, a maximum SRS BW size in the UpPTS region is an even number of resource blocks with prime factors from a set of {2, 3, 5}, and the maximum SRS BW having a size in number of resource blocks less than or equal to (NRBUL−6·NRA) where NRA is a number of Random Access Channel (RACH) opportunities in the UpPTS region.
US08320262B2

A method and device for transmitting communications on a bus system, as well as a bus system, is provided, in which the communications are transmitted in communication frames and the communication frames and the communications contain a security sequence. In the bus system, communications of various lengths can be transmitted, and for all of the communications to be transmitted in the bus system, a maximum length of a communication is provided. A first code is contained in the communication frame, by means of which the maximum length of the respective communication to be transmitted can be specified.
US08320258B2

A method of recognizing a synchronization message from a wireless telecommunications device comprising the steps of: dividing a series of known identification codes into a plurality of sections; processing and storing the sections of the known identification codes; dividing a signal received from the wireless telecommunications device into a plurality of sections; processing the sections of the received signal; and comparing the sections of the received signal with the sections of the known identification codes.
US08320257B2

Equipment and network resources are automatically tested in advance of scheduled telepresence meetings in order to discover problems before the actual telepresence meeting. When a meeting between telepresence sites is scheduled, a test time is automatically scheduled for performing a test in advance of a scheduled time of the telepresence meeting. At the test time, performing the test to determine whether equipment functions at telepresence sites involved in the telepresence meeting and network resource availability are sufficient to support the telepresence meeting.
US08320253B2

A radio communication system includes: a first base station for communicating with a mobile station in a first area; and a second base station for communicating with the mobile station in a second area; the first base station including: a first receiving unit for receiving connection control information from the second station; a first setup unit for generating scheduling information; and a first transmitting unit for transmitting the generated scheduling information to the second base station and for transmitting the data decided to send to the mobile station on the basis of the scheduling information; the second base station including: a second transmitting unit for transmitting the connection control information and for transmitting the data decided to send to the mobile station on the basis of the scheduling information; and a second receiving unit for receiving the scheduling information from the first base station.
US08320243B2

A method of transmitting data more effectively, and more particularly, a method of classifying service traffic, transmitting data according to the classifications of the service traffic, and performing a contention free slot (CFS) allocation in order to transmit data in a power line communication (PLC) network, and an apparatus to do the same. The data transmission method includes determining transmission priority of data according to service traffic characteristics, and transmitting data according to the determined transmission priority, thereby providing differentiated quality of service (QoS) according to service traffic characteristics.
US08320236B2

A method for processing Ethernet ring messages and a corresponding Ethernet ring protection system are provided. The method comprises distinguishing a message to be processed by processors of transit nodes from that not to be processed by the processors of the transit nodes, and setting a distinguishing identifier when constituting a message; after receiving the message, the transit node forwarding the message not to be processed by the processor thereof to other nodes, or sending the message to be processed by the processor of the transit node to other nodes and meanwhile reporting the message to its processor depending on the distinguishing identifier; the system comprises a master node and transit nodes which generates messages with the distinguishing identifier and performs different process for these messages according to the distinguishing identifier.
US08320234B2

A synchronization signal is generated by performing a circular time shift on a centrally symmetric signal, and the circular time shift is performed so that the synchronization signal is centrally asymmetric. The detection of the synchronization signal is then performed by utilizing the symmetries of the synchronization signal to reduce computation complexity of the detection.
US08320224B2

An information carrier for holding user information includes access information for accessing the user information, the access information being stored in a pre-determined first region on the information carrier. The information carrier further includes at least one further region different from the first region, the further region comprising dummy information.
US08320219B1

An energy assisted magnetic recording (EAMR) head for writing to a recording media is disclosed. The EAMR head includes a write pole for providing a magnetic field for writing to the recording media; and a near field transducer disposed adjacent to the write pole and comprising a disk section and a pin section extending towards an air bearing surface (ABS) from the disk section. At least a portion of the pin section is electrically isolated from the write pole by an insulator material.
US08320218B2

An ultrasonic transducer utilizes a unique forward acoustic transmission line comprised of a composite structure partially consisting of a portion of a continuous smooth sheet of material, such as an automobile bumper, from which the acoustic beam is emitted. This makes it invisible to sight, thus allowing for an improved object detection system in which the sensors cannot be seen, so that they do not interfere with the smooth lines that were designed into the surface of the object or vehicle onto which they are mounted. This is a significant improvement for applications where the look and style of the surface of the platform is important, such as in automotive park assist systems.
US08320212B2

A voltage stabilization circuit of a semiconductor memory apparatus includes an operation speed detecting unit configured to detect an operation speed of the semiconductor memory apparatus to generate a detection signal, and a voltage line controlling unit configured to interconnect a first voltage line and a second voltage line in response to the detection signal.
US08320209B2

A memory circuit includes a first memory cell node capacitor, a first memory cell node transistor, a second memory cell node having a second memory cell node capacitor and a second memory cell node transistor, and a pre-charging circuit for pre-charging the first and second memory cell nodes to first and second voltage levels, respectively. The circuit includes a reference memory cell having first and second reference cell transistors with an equalizing transistor between, and a sense amplifier that detects a potential difference between reference bit lines from the reference memory cell and the first or second memory cell node, respectively. The reference cell transistors and equalizing transistor perform a first voltage equalization of the memory cell nodes at a predetermined voltage and a second voltage equalization of the memory cell nodes based on first or second reference signals respectively input to the first or second reference cell transistor.
US08320205B2

A semiconductor memory device includes a first data input/output unit configured to receive a normal training data, whose data window is scanned based on an edge of a source clock, in response to a training input command, and output a data in a state where an edge of the data window is synchronized with the edge of the source clock in response to a training output command, and a second data input/output unit configured to receive a recovery information training data, whose data window is scanned based on the edge of the source clock, in response to the training input command, and output a data in a state where an edge of a data window is synchronized with the edge of the source clock in response to the training output command.
US08320203B2

A method and system to lower the minimum operating voltage of a register file without increasing the area of each bit cell of the register file. In one embodiment of the invention, the register file is coupled to logic that reduces the contention between the NMOS devices and the PMOS devices in each bit cell of the register file during write and/or read operations of the register file. By doing so, the register file is able to operate at a lower minimum operating voltage.
US08320201B2

A method for reading a memory cell (20) of a semiconductor memory (10) includes initiating a precharge or predischarge operation on a bit line (24) prior to arrival of a triggering edge of a clock signal (32) that initiates a read operation. A word line (22) is activated responsive to the triggering edge of the clock signal (32), and data is read from the memory cell (20).
US08320200B2

A semiconductor memory device includes a first memory cell array having a first plane which is composed of a plurality of blocks each having a plurality of memory cells, a sense circuit which reads data the memory cells, a sequencer which receives control signals from outside, a first address register, and a second address register which receives an output address from the first address register and outputs an address signal in response to an address control signal from the sequencer. In reading from the memory cells, the sequencer reads a page n in accordance with the address stored in the second address register, then transfers an address stored in the first address register to the second address register concurrently with outputting data read from the page n to outside and reads data from an arbitrary page m in accordance with the address transferred to the second address register.
US08320195B2

A disclosed memory circuit includes first and second latch circuits, each writing a write data at a timing of a clock signal and retaining the write data, the write data having been input in each of the first and second latch circuits, a data input circuit supplying the write data to each of the first and second latch circuits when a write enable signal indicates a state allowing the write data to be written, a write back circuit supplying the write data retained in the second latch circuit to the first latch circuit when the write enable signal indicates a state preventing the write data from being written, wherein a robustness against noise in the second latch circuit is more improved than that in the first latch circuit.
US08320190B2

A non-volatile DRAM cell includes a pass-gate transistor and a cell capacitor. A read operation of the non-volatile cell begins by negatively charging the cell capacitor. A cell capacitor of an associated dummy non-volatile DRAM cell is fully discharged. The pass-gate transistor is activated and if the pass-gate transistor is programmed it does not turn on and if it is erased, it turns on. Charge is shared on the complementary pair of precharged bit lines connected to the non-volatile DRAM cell and its associated Dummy non-volatile DRAM cell. A sense amplifier detects the difference in the data state stored in the pass-gate transistor. The program and erase of the non-volatile DRAM cell is accomplished by charge injection from the associated bit line of the non-volatile DRAM cell.
US08320188B2

A semiconductor apparatus includes a control voltage transfer unit configured to transfer a control voltage transmitted through first transmission lines, to second transmission lines in response to a select signal transmitted through a select signal transmission line; a select signal driving unit configured to drive the select signal to the select signal transmission line; and a voltage boosting control unit configured to float the select signal transmission line when a voltage level of the select signal transmission line increase to or above a target level.
US08320178B2

A memory cell includes a non-volatile p-channel transistor having a source coupled to a first potential, a drain, and a gate. A non-volatile n-channel transistor has a source coupled to a second potential, a drain, and a gate. A switch transistor has a gate coupled to a switch node, a source, and a drain. A stress transistor has a source and drain coupled between the drain of the non-volatile p-channel transistor and the drain of the non-volatile n-channel transistor, the stress transistor having a gate coupled to a gate bias circuit. Where one of the first or second potentials is a bit line, an isolation transistor is coupled between the other of the second potentials and one of the non-volatile transistors.
US08320176B2

An electronic charge retention circuit for time measurement, implanted in an array of EEPROM memory cells, each including a selection transistor in series with a floating-gate transistor, the circuit including, on any one row of memory cells: a first subassembly of at least a first cell, the thickness of the dielectric of the tunnel window of the floating-gate transistor of which is less than that of the other cells; a second subassembly of at least a second cell, the drain and source of the floating-gate transistor of which are interconnected; a third subassembly of at least a third cell; and a fourth subassembly of at least a fourth cell, the tunnel window of which is omitted, the respective floating gates of the transistors of the cells of the four subassemblies being interconnected.
US08320170B2

A multi-bit phase change memory device including a phase change material having a plurality of crystalline phases. A non-volatile multi-bit phase change memory device may include a phase change material in a storage node, wherein the phase change material includes a binary or ternary compound sequentially having at least three crystalline phases having different resistance values according to an increase of temperature of the phase change material.
US08320169B2

An apparatus and method for compensating for asymmetric write current in a non-volatile unit cell. The unit cell comprises a switching device and an asymmetric resistive sense element (RSE), such as an asymmetric resistive random access memory (RRAM) element or an asymmetric spin-torque transfer random access memory (STRAM) element. The RSE is physically oriented within the unit cell relative to the switching device such that a hard direction for programming the RSE is aligned with an easy direction of programming the unit cell, and an easy direction for programming the RSE is aligned with a hard direction for programming the unit cell.
US08320136B2

An embodiment of an electronic component includes a circuit element disposed within a package, which includes a surface and at least one standoff protruding from the surface. For example, where the circuit element is an inductor in a power supply, the standoff may allow one to mount the inductor component over another component, such as a transistor component. Therefore, the layout area of such a power supply may be smaller than the layout area of a power supply in which the inductor and transistor components are mounted side by side.
US08320129B2

An exemplary heat sink mounting frame is for mounting a heat sink onto a circuit board. The heat sink mounting frame includes a circular guide rail, and mounting arms movably connected with and extending radially and outwardly from the guide rail. Each mounting arm includes a fixing bracket connected to the guide rail and a sliding bar slidably connected with the fixing bracket. An engaging post is formed on the sliding bar. The sliding bar is slidable along the fixing bracket, such that a total length of each of the mounting arms is variable to adjust the locations of the engaging posts of the mounting arms.
US08320123B2

An electronic device includes a first housing, a first pivoting mechanism disposed on a side of the first housing, a second housing, a second pivoting mechanism disposed on a side of the second housing, and a bridging component. A first end and a second end of the bridging component are respectively pivoted on the first pivoting mechanism and the second pivoting mechanism. The bridging component includes a first contacting portion for contacting against the side of the first housing when the first pivoting mechanism pivots on the first end so that the first housing rotates around the second housing at a first angle, and a second contacting portion for contacting against the side of the second housing when the second end pivots on the second pivoting mechanism so that the first housing rotates around the second housing at a second angle greater than the first angle.
US08320121B2

A computer system may include a chassis defining a front and a rear. The chassis may include a vertically oriented midplane disposed therein, the midplane including a plurality of front module slots for receiving front electronic modules from the front of the chassis, and a plurality of rear module slots for receiving rear electronic modules from the rear of the chassis. A cooling system may be provided within the chassis and may generate an upwardly-directed front air flow within the chassis directed at selected ones of the front electronic modules and an upwardly-directed rear air flow within the chassis directed at selected ones of the rear electronic modules. The front air flow is separate from and independent of the rear air flow. The selected front and rear electronic modules may be disposed in the chassis so as to separate the front air flow into a plurality of substantially equal front air streams and the rear air flow into a plurality of substantially equal rear air streams, respectively.
US08320118B2

A mounting apparatus for a disk drive includes a first frame, a second frame opposite to the first frame, and two resilient members connected between the first and second frames. When the disk drive is mounted between the first and second frames, the resilient members are respectively positioned on opposite side surfaces of the disk drive.
US08320116B2

A built-in dual purpose interposer device for a data storage device carrier mechanism is provided. The interposer device may fill empty or voided space in the carrier mechanism created when a data storage device is changed between a “direct plug” position, or first configuration, and an “interposer” position, or second configuration. The interposer device may be changed back and forth between the first and second configuration multiple times. When in the first configuration, the interposer device may provide structural support to a front end of the carrier mechanism and when in the second configuration, the interposer device may provide an internal mounting base for the data storage device at the base or bottom end of the carrier mechanism. The ability to interchange the interposer device may provide for a built-in base for attaching the interposer device without having to add in additional parts or costs.
US08320103B2

A dielectric ceramic which is capable of achieving a laminated ceramic capacitor with high reliability, in particular, favorable lifetime characteristics in a load test, even when a dielectric ceramic layer is reduced in thickness, contains one of Ba(Ti, Mn)O3 and (Ba, Ca)(Ti, Mn)O3 as a main component, and R (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, and/or Y), M (Fe, Co, V, W, Cr, Mo, Cu, Al, and/or Mg) and Si as accessory components. The area of a region in which at least one of R and M is present is 10% or less on average on a cross section of each main component grain.
US08320098B2

An electronic weapon with an installed deployment unit, from which at least one wire-tethered electrode is launched, provides a stimulus current through a target to inhibit locomotion by the target. A manifold, according to various aspects of the present invention, directs a pressurized gas to two or more electrodes to launch the electrodes from the cartridge and toward a target. A matching portion of the manifold increases a correspondence between an exit velocity and/or a time of exit of the two or more electrodes. An increased correspondence between an exit velocity and/or a time of exit increases an accuracy of delivery of the electrodes to a target.
US08320091B2

Apparatus and methods for electronic circuit protection are disclosed. In one embodiment, an actively-controlled protection circuit includes a detector, a timer, a current source and a latch. The detector is configured to generate a detection signal when the detector determines that a transient signal satisfies a first signaling condition. The timer is configured to receive the detection signal, and to generate a current control signal. The current control signal is provided to a current source, which produces a trigger current at least partly in response to the control signal. The trigger current is provided to a node of the latch, thereby enhancing the conductivity modulation of the latch and selectively controlling the activation voltage of the latch.
US08320088B2

An improved power transfer mechanism is disclosed, which is particularly beneficial in power transmission applications. The mechanism allows the SCFCL system to have more than one electrical reference. The use of hydraulic power simplifies the design of systems in which one part of the system is referenced to ground, while a second part of the system is referenced to a different voltage, typically much higher than ground. For example, the tank of the SCFCL system may not be connected to ground, while hydraulic power supply is referenced to ground. This embodiment is performed without the use of an electrically conductive path between the two parts of the system.
US08320084B1

A head gimbal assembly for a disk drive includes a read head and a suspension assembly. The suspension assembly includes a load beam and a laminate flexure. The laminate flexure includes a structural layer, a dielectric layer, and a conductive layer that includes a plurality of electrical traces. The laminate flexure includes a tongue portion that connects to the read head and a flexure tail that extends away from the tongue portion. The flexure tail includes a plurality of flexure bond pads. Each of the plurality of flexure bond pads includes a widened region of a corresponding one of the plurality of electrical traces in the conductive layer, and a corresponding one of a plurality of segments or discontinuous islands in the structural layer.
US08320072B2

Embodiments of the present invention pertain to sealing an enclosure for a disk drive form factor. According to one embodiment, material is removed from a base casting for the disk drive form factor to enable insertion of a component. The removal of the material results in a portion of the base casting being thin enough to potentially cause an inadvertent hole in the base casting. A hole is purpose created in the base casting to avoid development of the inadvertent hole. A seal is used to cover the created hole in a manner that allows for insertion of the component.
US08320070B2

According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk drive includes a parameter management table, a parameter adjustment module and an interpolation module. The parameter management table stores a parameter used to write or read data to or from a disk in the parameter management table in association with each of a plurality of predetermined temperature divisions. The parameter adjustment module adjusts a first parameter stored in the parameter management table in association with a first temperature division to a second parameter adapted for the first temperature division if an ambient temperature detected by a temperature detector corresponds to the first temperature division and if the first parameter is unadjusted. The interpolation module updates an unadjusted third parameter corresponding to a third temperature division between the first temperature division and a second temperature division for which the parameter is adjusted based on a result of the adjustment of the first parameter.
US08320066B2

According to one embodiment, a storage device includes: a control circuit configured to perform a write retry when data writing fails, wherein the control circuit recognizes that read commands are issued at regular intervals for reproducing continuous pieces of data, and upon detecting an error requiring the write retry to be performed in the data writing by a write command received during the reproduction, the control circuit interrupts the data writing, perform data reading to store the data in the buffer memory after allocating a storage area for the data in the buffer memory, and then resumes the data writing.
US08320049B2

A lens device includes a substrate having a channel and a first fluid flow path and a second fluid flow path. The first and second fluid flow paths at least partially in communication with the channel. A light emitting device is positioned adjacent to the channel. At least one first fluid source is in communication with the first fluid path such that a first fluid is moveable along the first fluid path and at least one second fluid source in communication with the second fluid path such that a second fluid is moveable along the second fluid path. The first second fluid paths are configured so the first fluid and second fluid move through the channel to define an adjustable liquid gradient refractive index distribution in the channel. Adjustment of the liquid gradient refractive index distribution permits a change of liquid lens focal distance or an angular adjustment of light emitted by the light emitting device.
US08320048B2

A projection lens includes a first lens having at least an aspheric surface, a second lens having a concave surface facing the reduction side of the projection lens, and having negative refractive power, a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, a sixth lens having a convex surface facing the reduction side, and having positive refractive power, and the like, which are sequentially arranged from the magnification side of the projection lens. Further, the following formulas (1) and (2) are satisfied: 3.5
US08320046B2

An optical device (10) for providing a synthetic integral image includes a polymer foil stack (111). The polymer foil stack (111) includes at least one polymer foil (11). A first interface (17) of the polymer foil stack (111) includes optically distinguishable image data bearer structures (116). The first interface (17) has a general shape defined by a first array (115) of curved interface portions (117), on which the image data bearer structures (116) are superimposed. Preferably, the optical device (10) includes a second interface (12) of the polymer foil stack (111), which has a second array (13) of microlenses (14). The second interface (12) is provided at a distance from the first interface (17), which distance is close to a focal length of the microlenses (14). The second array (13) is in registry with the first array (115).
US08320040B2

A multi-wavelength light amplifier includes a first-stage light amplifier which has a first light amplifying optical fiber amplifying a light input, a second stage light amplifier which has a second light amplifying optical fiber amplifying a first light output from the first-stage light amplifier, and an optical system which maintains a second light output of the second-stage light amplifier at a constant power level. The first-stage and second-stage light amplifiers have different gain vs wavelength characteristics so that the multi-wavelength light amplifier has no wavelength-dependence of a gain thereof.
US08320037B2

An electro-optic device is provided. The electro-optic device includes a junction layer disposed between a first conductivity type semiconductor layer and a second conductivity type semiconductor layer to which a reverse vias voltage is applied. The first conductivity type semiconductor layer and the second conductivity type semiconductor layer have an about 2 to 4-time doping concentration difference therebetween, thus making it possible to provide the electro-optic device optimized for high speed, low power consumption and high integration.
US08320036B2

The present invention provides an apparatus that includes a waveguide and one or more pixels deployed adjacent the top surface of the waveguide which contains TIR light therein. Each pixel includes a deformable active layer having a first conductor and a driver electronics layer having a second conductor. The driver electronics layer is deployed in spaced-apart relation to the active layer and opposite the waveguide. In a quiescent state of a pixel, the active layer is in contact or near contact with the top surface of the waveguide so as to optically couple light out via FTIR (i.e., pixel's ON state). To actuate the pixel, the electronics layer is configured to selectively apply an electrical potential difference to the second conductor thereby causing the active layer to move away from the top surface so as to prevent the optical coupling of light out of the waveguide (i.e., pixel's OFF state).
US08320034B2

An optical scanning apparatus that scans a light beam from a light source includes: a movable portion and a fixed portion. The movable portion includes: a rotating member, which is capable of rotating about a rotation axis being parallel with an optical axis of the light beam, has an open hole through which the light beam passes, and is provided with a first coil; and a mirror that is provided to the rotating member, electrically connected with the first coil, and reflects the light beam that passes through the open hole of the rotating member in a variable angle with respect to the optical axis of the light beam. The fixed portion includes: a magnetic member; and a second coil capable of supplying an electromagnetic field to the first coil. One of a part and a whole of the magnetic member is made of a magnetic material and the magnetic member serves as a magnetic core of the second coil.
US08320031B1

Blazing of real time holographic fringes employs an interferometer with a focal plane array (FPA) to receive interference fringes. An FPA frame is read into a fringe processor. For each row, minima are identified and a pixel value is saved and its position in the row recorded. The minima determination is repeated for each column in the row until all pixels in the row have been recorded. A blazed fringe for the single row is then created. The blazed fringe row is then transferred to a spatial light modulator (SLM). The minima determination and fringe blazing processes are repeated until all rows in the FPA array are read and transferred to the SLM. The next FPA frame is then read into the fringe processor.
US08320024B2

An image forming apparatus capable of minimizing degradation in density correction as a part of skew correction includes a noise-occurrence determining unit, a correction-target-pixel selecting unit, a density correcting unit, and a phase correcting unit. When the noise-occurrence determining unit determines that noise would appear, the density correcting unit performs density correction on a correction target pixel that is determined by the correction-target-pixel selecting unit. The phase correcting unit corrects an output point in time of image data of the density-corrected correction target pixel in a pixel period during which the image data can be output so as to output the image data at a position displaced away from a shift position or toward a shift position.
US08320023B2

The detected surface (patch section) of the sheet Ps for detection, the bulkhead plate 91 and the density calibration reference section 99 fall within the focus depth L′ of the color density sensor 80. The opening section 74 of the ejection side conveyance path 70 is covered except at color density detection so that heat and vapor of oil and wax originated form the sheet P through the fixing process do not reach color density sensor side.
US08320010B2

The invention provides an image forming apparatus and an information processing method, in which when a process for information which is put to each storage area is executed, a loop process which repeats a same specific process while moving the information between the storage areas is limited. When the input of the information to one of the storage areas is detected, whether or not loop information showing a loop state where the same specific process is repeated while moving the information between the storage areas has been set in history information set in attribute information of the input information is discriminated. If it is determined that the loop information is not set in the history information, a first process for executing the specific process is executed. If it is decided that the loop information has been set, a second process different from the first process is executed.
US08320005B2

An image processing system includes an image processing apparatus and an information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus transmits to the image processing apparatus, a job and storage location information indicating a storage location of base data of data included in the job, collectively. Receiving the job and the storage location information, the image processing apparatus records the job and the storage location information in a memory, with interconnections between them.
US08319999B2

A method, apparatus, and system for outputting a locked print job by a printing device connected to a first terminal and a second terminal over a network. The method includes receiving a request including information identifying a second user delegated to the locked print job, to perform the locked print job from a first user, and generating the locked print job in response to the request. The locked print job and the information identifying the second user is transmitted to the printing device over the network. The printing device stores the locked print job, the information identifying the second user, and authentication information that unlocks the locked print job when entered into the printing device and is transmitted to the second terminal associated with the second user. Further, the locked print job is output by the printing device, when the authentication information is entered into the printing device.
US08319998B2

A disclosed billing system includes a client apparatus, a multi-functional peripheral, a server apparatus and a billing apparatus. A communication unit of the billing apparatus sequentially transmits first account balance information read from a storage medium to the server apparatus; receives from the server apparatus a copy permission signal which is then transmitted to the multi-functional peripheral; receives from the multi-functional peripheral a copy-output signal regarding a copy output having been performed on the multi-functional peripheral, the copy-output signal being then transmitted to the server apparatus; and receives copy billing information transmitted from the server apparatus according to the transmitted copy-output signal.
US08319993B2

Methods for operating the user interfaces (UIs) of a device such as an MFP device while the device is under simultaneous user operations from different access points.
US08319975B2

Methods and apparatus to perform wavefront analysis, including phase and amplitude information, and 3D measurements in optical systems, and in particular those based on analyzing the output of an intermediate plane, such as an image plane, of an optical system. Measurement of surface topography in the presence of thin film coatings, or of the individual layers of a multilayered structure is described. Multi-wavelength analysis in combination with phase and amplitude mapping is utilized. Methods of improving phase and surface topography measurements by wavefront propagation and refocusing, using virtual wavefront propagation based on solutions of Maxwell's equations are described. Reduction of coherence noise in optical imaging systems is achieved by such phase manipulation methods, or by methods utilizing a combination of wideband and coherent sources. The methods are applied to Integrated Circuit inspection, to improve overlay measurement techniques, by improving contrast or by 3-D imaging, in single shot imaging.
US08319973B2

A interferometric optical gyroscope includes an active resonator comprising a half cavity vertical cavity surface emitting laser (half-VCSEL) operating as one of the mirrors that form the ring resonator. The half-VCSEL includes a bottom mirror stack and active layers formed on the bottom mirror stack and has a surface opposite the bottom mirror stack. Lack of a top mirror stack typically found in a VCSEL prevents the half-VCSEL from lasing, thus the half-VCSEL forms a reflective amplifier for the light circulating in the resonator. A single or multiple external light sources can be used to induce two counter-propagating beams in the resonator. Higher finesse due to the internal gain in the resonator enhances the sensitivity of the gyroscope.
US08319972B2

A passive reflective tracking media includes a plurality of multi-layer particles including at least one layer of a high refractive index material and at least one layer of a low refractive index material. The particles are configured to reflect ambient electromagnetic radiation at one or more signature wavelengths. Methods of applying the tracking media to a target object, detecting the tracking media, and fabrication the tracking media are also described.
US08319970B2

A device for beam adjustment in an optical beam path, having at least two mutually independent light sources providing respective beams of a high or extremely high resolution microscope, the beams of the light sources superposed in a common illumination beam path. The device includes a calibration sample with the aid of which the pupil position and/or focal position of the beams can be checked. The device also includes a sample holder arranged to bring the calibration sample into and out of the common illumination beam path at the site or in the vicinity of an intermediate image. A corresponding method is described. In accordance with the device and method, it is possible to undertake the beam adjustment independently of the actual use, that is to say, in the case of a high resolution microscope, independently of the examination sample and/or the recording of images.
US08319966B2

Metrology systems and methods that measure thin film thickness and or index of refraction of semiconductor wafers with at least one deposited or grown thin film layer. The present invention measures near normal incidence and grazing angle of incidence reflection (using reflected broadband UV, visible, and near infrared electromagnetic radiation) from a small region on a sample. Embodiments of the system selectively comprise a near-normal incidence spectrometer/ellipsometer, a high angle of incidence spectrometer/ellipsometer, or a combination of the two.
US08319955B2

The invention relates to a device for determining the position and orientation of a movable object. The latter exhibits at least two relative sensors (24) on the object, which register a change in the position and/or orientation of the object, and at least two absolute sensors (26) on the object, each for determining the absolute position in an X direction and Y direction in relation to a substrate (20). The invention further relates to a method for determining the position and orientation.
US08319949B2

A method for detecting an object using visible light comprises providing a visible-light source having a function of illuminating an environment. The visible-light source is driven to emit visible light in a predetermined mode, with visible light in the predetermined mode being emitted such that the light source maintains said function of illuminating an environment. A reflection/backscatter of the emitted visible light is received from an object. The reflection/backscatter is filtered over a selected wavelength range as a function of a desired range of detection from the light source to obtain a light input. The presence or position of the object is identified with the desired range of detection as a function of the light input and of the predetermined mode.
US08319945B2

A microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes an illumination system and a projection objective. During use of the microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, the illumination system illuminates an object plane of the projection objective. The illumination system is configured so that light components in point-symmetrical relationship with each other, which are produced during use of the illumination system and which are only superposed in the object plane, have mutually orthogonal polarization states.
US08319943B2

An apparatus exposes a substrate via a pattern of a reticle using pulsed light generated by a light source, and includes a controller configured to control the light source so that the oscillation frequency of the light source changes periodically while the apparatus exposes the substrate. The oscillation frequency is the number of times of emission of the light source per unit time.
US08319936B2

A display device comprises a display panel, a cooling unit cooling air in a casing containing the display panel, a fan unit generating an air flow in the casing, and a control unit controlling the cooling unit and the fan unit, and when the control unit deactivates the cooling unit, the control unit also deactivates the fan unit.
US08319935B2

An embodiment of the present invention provides a heat-dissipating device of electronic equipment that comprises a housing, a heat source, a speaker, and a vibration film arranged inside the housing. The vibration film will vibrate when receiving the energy transmitted from the speaker, resulting in that the heat convection is accelerated and the heat generated by the heat source is removed.
US08319928B2

The liquid crystal display device, in which liquid crystal is filled between a TFT array substrate having a TFT and a counter substrate placed opposite to the TFT array substrate, includes a pixel electrode placed at least partly directly over or under a drain electrode of the thin film transistor so as to directly overlap the drain electrode, an interlayer insulating layer placed to cover the pixel electrode, and a counter electrode placed on the interlayer insulating layer and having a slit to generate a fringe electric field with the pixel electrode, wherein the counter electrode is placed to overlap a gate line connected to a gate electrode of the TFT in at least part of area and connected to the counter electrode in an adjacent pixel across the gate line.
US08319924B2

A liquid crystal display (“LCD”) and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The LCD includes a first insulating substrate, protrusion patterns spaced apart from each other on the first insulating substrate, pixel electrodes disposed on the protrusion patterns and having a cutout between the protrusion patterns, metal patterns disposed on the protrusion patterns and overlapping top surfaces of the protrusion patterns, a second insulating substrate facing the first insulating substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first insulating substrate and the second insulating substrate.
US08319916B2

A method of producing organic nanoparticles, comprising: mixing a solution of an organic material dissolved in a good solvent with a solvent that is compatible with the good solvent but is a poor solvent for the organic material, to prepare a dispersion in which the organic material is being formed to organic fine particles of a size in the order of nanometer; wherein the dispersion contains a polymer compound having a weight-average molecular weight of 1,000 or more represented by the following formula (1): wherein R1 represents a (m+n)-valent connecting group; R2 represents a single bond or a divalent connecting group; A1 represents a specific monovalent organic group; when n is two or more, plural A1s may be the same or different; m represents 1 to 8; n represents 2 to 9; m+n is 3 to 10; and P1 represents a polymer compound residue.
US08319915B2

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal on silicon imager. The imager includes a backplane substrate, a reflective polarization electrode array, a planar liquid crystal cell, a transparent conductive film and a transparent plate. The reflective polarization electrode array is placed onto the backplane substrate, consists of a plurality of reflective polarization electrodes, and a pattern of each of the reflective polarization electrodes is configured in a planar arrangement having regularly spaced and electrically isolated gaps in parallel to each other. The planar liquid crystal cell is placed above the reflective polarization electrode array. The transparent conductive film is placed above the planar liquid crystal cell. The transparent plate is placed on the transparent conductive film and facing incident light. Through embedding the reflective polarization electrodes, only one polarization portion could be reflected back, while the residual polarization portion is let pass but not reflected back as desired, thereby decreasing the loss in contrast ratio of the imager.
US08319914B2

A liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal panel in the pixel electrode and common electrodes formed within a pixel comprise repeating structures. The angular range of light incident from the light source is narrower along a direction of the repeating structures than along an orthogonal direction.
US08319909B2

A liquid crystal display (LCD) device employs a lower polarization plate structure thinner than conventional devices. The device comprises: a LCD panel including first and second substrates, and liquid crystal between the first and second substrates; and a backlight on the first substrate side of the panel. The backlight includes a frame-like mold frame and an optical sheet inside the mold frame. The LCD panel is adhered to the mold frame by double-sided tape, and includes a lower polarization plate on the first substrate's surface. The double-sided tape is adhered to a peripheral portion of the first substrate on one side, and to the mold frame and a peripheral portion of the optical sheet on the other. Where A is the thickness of the double-sided tape and B the thickness of the lower polarization plate, A>B. The difference A−B satisfies 0
US08319903B2

An in-plane switching mode liquid crystal display according to an embodiment includes gate lines arranged in a first direction on an array substrate, data lines arranged in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, one or more storage electrodes provided on the array substrate, common electrodes extending across each pixel region, pixel electrodes arranged to be substantially parallel to the common electrodes, the common electrodes and the pixel electrodes being alternately arranged to generate an in-plane field in each pixel region, thin film transistors (TFTs) provided at intersection areas of the gate lines and the data lines, each TFT including a source electrode connected to the corresponding data line, a drain electrode connected to the corresponding pixel electrode and a gate electrode, and at least one common line located under the respective common electrode in the pixel region, the common line being substantially parallel to the data lines.
US08319902B2

An integral imaging system may include a lens unit. The lens unit may include a first substrate; a second substrate; a first electrode on the first substrate; a second electrode on the second substrate; a liquid crystal layer between the first and second substrates; and an array of nanostructures protruding from the first substrate into the liquid crystal layer. The first and second electrodes may be configured to apply one or more voltages to the array of nanostructures. When the one or more voltages are applied to the array of nanostructures, one or more electric fields may be formed between the array of nanostructures and the second electrode, varying an arrangement of molecules in the liquid crystal layer and forming a refractive index distribution in the liquid crystal layer.
US08319899B2

A front-end circuit according to the present invention includes a VCO which oscillates a local signal, a mixer which converts an RF signal Frf into a baseband signal, a DC offset cancel circuit which detects a DC offset contained in the baseband signal and then eliminates the DC offset, and a local frequency control circuit which controls a frequency of the local signal. In a case where the RF signal is an analog television signal, the local frequency control circuit controls the frequency of the local signal so that a frequency of the baseband signal differs from each frequency spectrum of a luminance signal contained in a video signal which is generated by demodulating the baseband signal. This makes it possible to provide the front-end circuit which can prevent video distortion caused when a frequency spectrum is eliminated from the luminance signal.
US08319894B2

A display apparatus, equipped with a common input terminal inputting different video signals, can discriminate the type of an input video signal entered from the common input terminal. The display apparatus includes an input terminal inputting different video signals. A synchronizing signal separation unit separates a synchronizing signal from a video signal entered from the input terminal. A frequency measurement unit measures a frequency of the synchronizing signal. An input signal discrimination unit discriminates the video signal entered from the input terminal based on a type of the synchronizing signal separated by the synchronizing signal separation unit and a measurement result obtained by the frequency measurement unit.
US08319889B2

Correlation detectors 21 and 22 employ two different correlation detecting methods to determine correlations. Correlation comparators 23 and 24 output correlation values DF1 and DF2, and motion vectors MV1 and MV2 in directions representing largest correlation values. A correlation comparator 25 selects one of the motion vectors larger in correlation, as a motion vector MV3, to output an interpolation control signal FS1 to determine an interpolation method at an interpolator 3. The interpolator 3 is operative in accordance with the interpolation control signal FS1, to select any one out of two different one-side interpolations and a both-side interpolation, to generate interpolation pixel data fp0.
US08319883B2

An apparatus includes a display unit configured to display a captured image, an object region detection unit configured to detect the main object region in a photographic screen, a determination unit configured to determine whether the main object region is in a focused state, an enlarge unit configured to enlarge and display the main object region in focus on the display unit larger than when the main object region is not in focus, an object movement detection unit configured to detect whether the main object in the main object region moves in the photographic screen, and an enlarge control unit configured to, when the object movement detection unit detects that the main object is moving, limit the enlarge from performing enlargement and display.
US08319882B2

A phase-difference detecting image pickup element performs focus detection even if the position of an exit pupil with respect to the image pickup element changes. A pixel pair receives an object light beam transmitted through a pair of portion areas whose areas become the same in an exit pupil at a particular distance from the image pickup element. The pixel pair includes light-intercepting portions that define the pair of portion areas. A different pixel pair whose light-intercepting portions are different so that the areas of the pair of portion areas in the exit pupil the particular distance from the image pickup element are the same. By this, even if the position of the exit pupil is changed by, for example, a lens replacement, focus detection can be performed by a phase-difference detection method by selecting a pixel pair in accordance with the position of the exit pupil.
US08319879B2

An apparatus includes a display unit including a display screen, an exterior member mounted on the display unit and having an opening for exposing the display screen, a first flexible board having a check pad formed thereon, and a second flexible board located on a surface opposite the display screen and having an insulating portion formed thereon. Before the display unit is mounted on the exterior member, the check pad is exposed from the opening, and the first flexible board is disposed on the exterior member so that the check pad faces the insulating portion after the display unit is mounted on the exterior member.
US08319869B2

A solid-state imaging device which can, in response to the problem of black-crush occurring in an image when strong light is enters the device, positively detect black-crush in a state in which a variance margin has been secured. The solid-state imaging device outputs a luminance signal in accordance with an amount of received light, and includes: a pixel circuit having a light-receiving element; a signal output circuit having a sampling transistor which outputs, from a second signal output line, a luminance signal in accordance with the amount of light received by the light-receiving element, based on an output signal from the pixel circuit; and a high-intensity judgment circuit which is coupled by the pixel circuit and a judgment input coupling capacitor, judges whether or not light entering the light-receiving element is of high intensity based on the output signal from the pixel circuit, and in the case of judging the entering light to be of high intensity, outputs a luminance signal indicating high intensity.
US08319861B2

A technique for applying black level compensation to image data is provided. In one embodiment, an image processing system includes a first image processing pipeline configured to receive frames of image data generated by an image sensor and to alter the frames of image data to compensate for black level shift. The image processing system may also include a feed-forward loop having a second image processing pipeline configured to receive at least one of the frames of image data, to process the at least one frame, and to adjust a black level compensation parameter of the first image processing pipeline. Additional methods, systems, and devices relating to black level compensation are also disclosed.
US08319856B2

An imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit to acquire image data, an integration unit to calculate a white balance integration value, a first calculation unit to calculate a still image white balance control value, a second calculation unit to calculate a histogram white balance control value, and a histogram processing unit. The second calculation unit calculates the histogram white balance control value by converting a white balance control value which is used in white balance processing on the image data acquired by the imaging unit in an electronic view finder (EVF) mode to the still image white balance control value, and the histogram processing unit adjusts color balance of the image data acquired by the imaging unit using the calculated histogram white balance control value and performs the histogram processing in parallel with calculation of the white balance integration value.
US08319855B2

A method for image acquisition and conversion includes low-pass filtering an image by an acquisition lens, producing from the low-pass filtered image, an up-sampled image with a first resolution with an up-sampling factor using a image sensor. The up-sampled image is converted into a multi-level image with a second resolution lower than the first resolution with an image processing circuit. The converting depends on the low-pass filtering of the lens and on the up-sampling factor. The method is adapted to gigapixel sensors and convention image sensors.
US08319852B2

According to embodiments described in the specification, a method, system and apparatus for managing notification profiles is provided. The method comprises acquiring, at an image acquisition module of a portable electronic device, an image of a graphical indicator. The graphical indicator comprises a machine readable representation of data identifying one of the plurality of notification profiles. The method further comprises extracting from the image the data identifying one of a plurality of notification profiles maintained in a memory of the portable electronic device. The method further comprises selecting the one of the plurality of notification profiles corresponding to the extracted identifying data as an active notification profile.
US08319851B2

In an image capture mode of a camera, a face area is detected from each of live-view images of a subject captured periodically (step S2). Information on the detected face area is stored in a detection result storage area (131) (step S4). When a shutter button is fully depressed (YES in step S5), a full-size image is acquired (step S6). Then, it is determined whether face area information is stored in the area 131 (step S7). If so (YES in step S7), information on an angle through which the camera is rotated to obtain a face area with the highest selection priority is selected from the face area information stored (step S8). Then, the face area detecting process is performed on the full-size image, using characteristic data on the face area involving the selected angle information (step S9).
US08319850B2

An imaging element includes: a pixel section in which a plurality of pixels each having a photoelectric conversion element are arranged in a matrix; a signal line to which a signal read from the pixels is transmitted; a holding section for holding the read signal during a holding period; a processing section for performing signal processing on the read signal after being held by the holding section; and a control section for controlling supply of the read signal to the holding section. The control section supplies the read signal to the holding section to cause it to hold the read signal during the holding period, and stops supplying the read signal to the holding section to cause the processing section to perform the signal processing on the read signal and to cause a signal to be read from the pixels and output to the signal line after the holding.
US08319846B2

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a system for generating a reconstructed image generally includes a carrier substrate, a number of image sensors, and an image processing circuit. The image sensors are mounted on a surface of the carrier substrate. The image processing circuit is coupled to each of the image sensors and operable to receive a raw image from each of a plurality of image sensors and combine the raw image of each of the image sensors into the reconstructed image.
US08319838B2

A method for enabling an auto-focus function, an electronic device thereof, a recording medium thereof, and a computer program product using the method are provided for the electronic device having a function of capturing images. In the present method, whether the electronic device is in a static state is first detected. If the electronic device is remained in the static state for a first time period, an auto-focus function is enabled and the electronic device is switched to the focusing mode. As a result, a user no longer needs to start the auto-focus function manually, and convenience and fluency of capturing images can be increased substantially.
US08319837B2

A method for sharing a file between a control point and a media server in a DLNA system, and a system thereof are provided, in which the control point captures a photo, determines a similarity between a facial image included in the captured photo and a facial image file corresponding to at least one media server, compares the similarity with a pre-stored value, and if the similarity is greater than or equal to the pre-stored value, transmits a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) representing a position at which the photo is stored to the media server, and the media server accesses the URI received from the control point and receives the photo using the URI.
US08319834B2

Segments of interest within video footage are identified automatically. Such segments of interest include portions of the footage which were taken using a hand held camera and which show a static subject, portions which track the motion of a moving subject, and portions which show an abrupt event. Methods are presented for identifying such segments, based on motion and/or color analysis of the video footage or based on observations of discontinuities in the video footage following a period of stability.
US08319829B2

A method for controlling the position of a microscope lens comprising receiving a reference signal corresponding to a reference position of the microscope lens; receiving a measurement signal corresponding to an actual position of the microscope lens; receiving a deviation signal characteristic of a predetermined positional deviation from the reference position; and using the measurement signal, the deviation signal and the reference signal to generate a positional control signal for use in setting the position of the microscope lens.
US08319825B1

Methods, apparatuses and systems directed to using viewport state data objects (VSDO) to render a series of video frames according to render instructions to achieve video compression. In a particular implementation, the video compression format exposes the VSDO and render instructions to a video render client, allowing the video render client to finish rendering a sequence of video frames from different spatial locations and view transform parameters. Implementations of this video compression format further allow any arbitrary client with enough graphics processing power and bandwidth to retransmit novel, completely rendered viewports to thin clients without taxing the root remote render devices.
US08319812B2

An image forming apparatus that is operable at a plurality of image forming speeds and can be constructed at low costs without adding circuits or the like. A conversion circuit converts image data into lighting patterns for turning on/off laser light on a basis of each of units of auxiliary pixels formed by dividing a pixel as an image forming element. A shift register sequentially stores lighting patterns for pixels pixel from the conversion circuit, and sequentially outputs them to a laser drive circuit. In monochrome printing, the rotational speed of a polygon motor is set to perform a printing operation. In color printing, the difference between an image forming speed for the monochrome printing and an image forming speed for the color printing is calculated, and based on the difference, the amount of insertion of pixel pieces using the shift register is determined for a printing operation.
US08319804B2

A electronic device and method regulates a display brightness of the electronic device. The electronic device can create relationships between the external environment brightness of the electronic device and the brightness of the display of the electronic device. Furthermore, the electronic device can regulate the brightness of the display, according to user's expression due to the former regulation. The operations of creating relationships and regulating the brightness can be expediently implemented, and faults of the operations can be avoided, by utilizing the electronic device.
US08319793B2

An analysis system analyzes digital images using a computer-implemented network structure that includes a process hierarchy, a class network and a data network. The data network includes image layers and object networks. Objects in a first object network are segmented into a first class, and objects in a second object network are segmented into a second class. One process step of the process hierarchy involves generating a third object network by imprinting objects of the first object network into the objects of the second object network such that pixel locations are unlinked from objects of the second object network to the extent that the pixel locations were also linked to objects of the first object network. The imprinting step allows object-oriented processing of digital images to be performed with fewer computations and less memory. Characteristics of an object of the third object network are then determined by measuring the object.
US08319790B2

A digital color adjustment device for a multimedia apparatus is provided. The digital color adjustment device performs color adjustment on a received pixel color data and sends to a display unit of the multimedia apparatus for display. The digital color adjustment device includes a hue shift lookup table, a saturation mapping lookup table, a brightness transformation lookup table and a non-linear output lookup table. The digital color adjustment device performs gamut mapping non-linear adjustment and/or independent color non-linear adjustment.
US08319789B2

A calculation unit (58) references texture data (62) in a storage unit (60) and acquires texel information of index color formal An integral look-up table (64) has a structure containing a plurality of color look-up tables based on the detail degree (LOD) of the area to be plotted A look-up table reference unit (70) selectively references the color look-up table based on the LOD stored in the integral look-up table (64) according to the LOD value of the texel obtained by the LOD calculation unit (68), acquires color information corresponding to the index value of the texel, and outputs it to the calculation unit (58). The calculation unit (58) performs filter processing such as bi-linear interpolation according to the texel color information and outputs the texel information after the processing.
US08319787B2

An image projection apparatus includes an item selection unit which selects one of items to be image-adjusted, a first image generation unit which generates a plurality of images acquired by subjecting a target to be projected to image adjustment, in different adjusting levels, the image adjustment corresponding to an item selected by the item selection unit, a first image projection unit which projects said plurality of images generated by the first image generation unit, an image selection unit which selects any one of said plurality of images projected by the image projection unit, and a second image projection unit which projects an image selected by the image selection unit.
US08319785B2

An image display system includes: a frame buffer including plurality of lines; a memory controller conducting writing and reading operations with the frame buffer; an image data provider supplying image data to the memory controller and generating a writing address; a display controller generating a reading address and receiving image data that is read from the frame buffer by the memory controller; a tearing-protection bus arbiter storing a burst length, receiving the writing and reading addresses, and selectively outputting the writing and reading addresses; and a display device displaying the image data by the display controller. The reading address contains a start address for the reading operation and the writing address contains a start address for the writing operation. If the writing and reading addresses are the same or if a difference between the start addresses for the writing and reading operations is less than the burst length, the tearing-protection bus arbiter outputs the reading address to the memory controller and holds the writing address.
US08319780B2

A system, method, and computer program product are provided for synchronizing operation of a first graphics processor and a second graphics processor in order to secure communication therebetween. A first graphics processor is provided for processing video data. In addition, a second graphics processor is provided for processing the video data. Furthermore, a data structure is provided for use in synchronizing operation of the first graphics processor and the second graphics processor in order to secure communication therebetween.
US08319778B2

Variable motion blur is created by varying the evaluation time used to determine the poses of objects according to motion blur parameters when evaluating a blur frame. A blur parameter can be associated with one or more objects, portions of objects, or animation variables. The animation system modifies the time of the blur frame by a function including the blur parameter to determine poses of objects or portions thereof associated with the blur parameter in a blur frame. The animation system determines the values of animation variables at their modified times, rather than at the time of the blur frame, and poses objects or portions thereof accordingly. Multiple blur parameters can be used to evaluate the poses of different portions of a scene at different times for a blur frame. Portions of an object can be associated with different blur parameters, enabling motion blur to be varied within an object.
US08319775B2

A method and apparatus for shaping a linear segment is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of selecting a dynamic bend point, determining a primary snap point based on the location of the dynamic bend point in one of four predetermined regions and snapping the dynamic bend point to the primary snap point. A secondary snap point is also determined and the dynamic bend point is snapped either to the primary snap point or to the secondary snap point, depending on the location of the dynamic bend point inside or outside a predetermined secondary snap region.
US08319771B2

A computer-readable storage medium that includes a computer program and corresponding method, the program comprising code which will: generate a computer-modelled environment comprising a three-dimensional computer-modelled space and one or more three-dimensional computer-modelled objects within that space; and generate a map of values of a kinetic parameter over the object's surface, the kinetic parameter parameterizing a kinetic activity to be modelled to occur within the computer-modelled space in relation to that surface.
US08319757B2

A display apparatus and a control method thereof are provided. The display apparatus is coupled to a video signal supply source through at least one connector. The display apparatus includes: a main storage unit which stores extended display identification data (EDID) therein corresponding to the at least one connector; a temporary storage unit which loads the EDID thereto from the main storage unit; and a controller which loads the EDID stored in the main storage unit to the temporary storage unit if power is supplied, and controls to transmit the EDID corresponding to an EDID requesting signal, among the EDID loaded to the temporary storage unit, through the at least one connector if the EDID requesting signal is received through the at least one connector.
US08319743B2

A touch screen display includes; a first substrate, a lower sensor electrode disposed on the first substrate, a second substrate disposed substantially opposite to the first substrate, a sensor spacer disposed on the second substrate and aligned with the lower sensor electrode, a common electrode disposed on the second substrate, an upper sensor electrode disposed on the sensor spacer and connected to the common electrode, and a cutout disposed at an edge of the upper sensor electrode, wherein when touch pressure is applied to the first or second substrate, a change in capacitance is generated due to a change in a distance between the lower sensor electrode and the upper sensor electrode at a touch position, such that the touch position is detected on the basis of the change in capacitance.
US08319742B2

A method of controlling a touch-sensitive display includes displaying a keyboard on the touch-sensitive display. A key of the keyboard is associated with at least two characters. Confirmation of selection is detected and a plurality of touch locations on the touch-sensitive display are detected. At least one of the plurality of touch locations is associated with the key. A direction is determined based on at least two of the plurality of touch locations and a first character of the at least two characters is selected based on the direction and confirmation of selection.
US08319741B2

In manufacturing a display device which includes a display panel, a touch panel mounted on a surface side of the display panel, and a cover body having an open portion in which the touch panel is held, an edge peripheral portion of the touch panel is welded to a brim portion of the open portion of the cover body by melting the brim portion of the open portion of the cover body such that the brim portion has a large thickness compared to a portion around the brim portion thus forming a thick wall portion having a large thickness compared to the portion around the thick wall portion and a mounting portion on which the edge peripheral portion of the touch panel is mounted on the brim portion of the opening of the touch panel.
US08319740B2

A display control apparatus includes a main body and a display unit with a touch panel. The display control apparatus further includes a memory that stores a plurality of detection condition parameters for detecting a touch operation to the touch panel. The plurality of detection condition parameters are corresponding to each of a plurality of locations or a plurality of orientations of the touch panel. The display control apparatus further includes a state detector that detects a current location or a current orientation of the touch panel. The display control apparatus still further includes a condition selector that selects one of the plurality of detection condition parameters corresponding to the current location or the current orientation. Moreover, the display control apparatus includes a touch determiner that determines a touch to the touch panel by using the selected one of the plurality of detection condition parameters.
US08319723B2

A method and a system for improving the psychovisual experience of watching a display are presented. Measurements on the ambient light are performed by a sensor element, from which characteristics of the ambient light are derived. These are subsequently applied in a light-source adjustment model to determine the output of the light-source element. Moreover, a method and a system for adjusting the output of a light-source element by a feed-back loop involving the output from the light-source element and the input to a sensor element are revealed. In addition, the sensor element is also employed for adjusting the output of an electronic display by applying the results of the measurements to a preference model.
US08319700B2

A multiple-display device comprises a front and a rear display. The front display includes a front image area facing a front direction. The rear display is mounted opposite the front display and includes a rear image area facing a rear direction, opposite the front direction. A display controller is provided for controlling the front and rear image areas to render images thereon, including a transfer port image on the front image area. A touch-sensitive panel is mounted on the front display in registration with the front image area. A panel controller is operable to detect a rendered element on the front image area being dragged by a user to the transfer port image and in response thereto to inform the display controller, so that the display controller can instantiate the rendered element on the rear image area.
US08319679B2

Systems and methods for predicting when a weather anomaly (e.g., convective cell) will intersect with an aircraft. Direction of movement and velocity information for at least one weather anomaly are received at a processor from a radar system. An intercept point for the at least one weather anomaly is determined based on the received location, direction of movement and velocity information and location and current speed information for the aircraft. Then, a first indicator based on the intercept point is displayed on a display device.
US08319678B2

An active imaging system for imaging a target is described. The system includes a transmitting unit, a receiving unit, an antenna arrangement coupled to the transmitting unit and/or the receiving unit via a front end unit, and an image processing unit coupled to the receiving unit. The system also includes a control system coupled to the transmitting unit, the receiving unit and/or the image processing unit for controlling operation thereof. The antenna arrangement includes at least one rotating antenna synthetically forming a circular antenna. The image processing unit is configured for creating an image of the object by employing a synthetic aperture radar imaging algorithm.
US08319662B1

A portable traffic control unit for temporary use is disclosed that is capable of both automatic and manual operation. The unit is modular and is small enough and light enough that it is easily carried in a police, emergency or other vehicle and can be set up and programmed for use by one person. The unit has a bright LED display typically having red, orange, green lights, and flashing white strobe LEDs that are microprocessor controlled. The unit has a radio receiver that receives RF signals used to control the operation of the unit, and the signals are received from a handheld RF transmitter used at the site of the unit, or are received from an RF transmitter at a remote control site. Various sensors may be attached to the unit to provide information that is transmitted to the handheld remote control and/or to the remote control site using an RF transmitter that is part of the unit. Multiple traffic control units operating at a common site can communicate with each other to facilitate operations.
US08319660B2

A system on a railroad hopper car for providing an indication, observable by a person located either proximate to or remote from the hopper car, of a condition of a lock arranged in operable combination with a mechanism on the hopper car for controlling discharge of material from the hopper car. The system includes electric circuitry and a sensor for providing a signal when each discharge mechanism lock on the railcar is in the locked condition and for producing another signal when each discharge mechanism lock on the railcar is in the unlocked condition. An illuminable indicator, mountable on a side of the railroad hopper car, is responsive to signals from the circuitry for displaying the condition of the discharge mechanism locks. A method for visually displaying a condition of a lock on a railroad hopper car as through use of illumination is also disclosed.
US08319655B2

A rewriting apparatus control circuit includes a display system and a processor. The processor includes a first input terminal receiving a rewriting complete signal from the rewriting apparatus; a second input terminal receiving a rewriting success signal from the rewriting apparatus; an output terminal connecting to the rewrite apparatus for sending a restarting signal; and data terminals connected to the display system. Once the rewriting complete signal from the rewriting apparatus is received, the processor subtracts one for each restarting sent from a preset number and then sends a result to the display system for displaying and sends the restarting signal to the rewriting apparatus for restarting the rewriting apparatus if the result is greater than zero. The processor accumulates a number of times that the rewriting success signal is received from the rewriting apparatus, and sends the number to the display system for displaying when the result is zero.
US08319649B1

An electronic insect electrocution device with an integral display and counting means that displays the number of discharges, or “zapped” insects is herein disclosed. The device comprises a lamp enclosed within an enclosure comprising series of alternating grids energized by a voltage increasing device, which electrocutes any insects that fly towards the lamp. A numeric digital display is provided on the top of the enclosure and reflects the current number of discharges or killed insects. The counter is provided with an input signal that detects the voltage fluctuation of the grid every time an insect is killed. This detection circuit drives a counting circuit which interfaces with the counter. It is reset every time the unit is unplugged.
US08319641B2

The object of the present invention is to provide an article management method by which detecting the location of an object is performed easily and introduction costs for detecting the location of an object are suppressed. The article management method includes a first RF chip attached to an article, a first reader/writer into which a shared memory portion and a second RF chip are incorporated, and a second reader/writer. The first reader/writer obtains information stored in the first RF chip, the shared memory portion retains the obtained information about the first RF chip, the second RF chip reads out that information about the first RF chip stored in the shared memory portion, the second reader/writer, by the second RF chip, obtains the information about the first RF chip and information stored in the second RF chip and information about the location of the second RF chip.
US08319636B2

A convenient handheld locator is provided for locating an item in an urban environment in which the locator is programmed to search for and locate specific items, with the detected item being displayed on the locator as to its identity or name, also displaying where the item is relative to the locator, as to position and range.
US08319626B1

An alarm system for a storage hot water heater comprising an alarm housing, power supply leads inserted through the top of a hot water heater tank, a fluid collection pan positioned under the tank, and a fluid detection sensor associated with the pan. The alarm housing is configured to provide prompt owner/operator notification after only a small amount of fluid is collected in the pan under the tank. Owner/operator notification can be provided via audible, visual, and/or remote means, such as but not limited to a signal transmitted to a home security device that is relayed to a 24-hour security monitoring network. Since the alarm housing is hard wired, reliance on batteries is avoided and the system's useful life meets or exceeds that of the associated hot water heater. In addition, the leads never have to be removed from the hot water heater tank and can be made tamper-resistant.
US08319624B2

A system and method for securing premises by distinguishing between authorized and unauthorized removal of articles from the premises via an approach within the premises to an exit door (38). Each article is secured by a passive security device (50) which in an article-securing state will be detected upon the article entering the approach and in a non-securing state will not be wirelessly detected upon the article entering the approach. A detector (40), having a detection transmitter and a receiver, wirelessly detects attempted unauthorized removal of a secured article. A register (36) registers authorized removal of a secured article. An unsecuring transmitter (52) is controlled by the register to wirelessly transmit to a passive security device of a secured article whose authorized removal has been registered in the register, an unsecuring signal which unsecures the secured article by changing the passive security device from the article-securing state to the non-securing state.
US08319615B2

Location determination signals are received and a location of interest is determined from the location determination signals. A communication service with a known, valid base station via a first communication channel is established and synchronized. A first rate of rise of a signal strength indicator associated with the first communication channel is monitored and a second rate of rise of a signal quality indicator associated with the first communication channel is also monitored. When at least one of the first rate rises at a rate greater than a first predetermined threshold rate and the second rate rises at a rate greater than a second predetermined threshold rate, a warning message is transmitted to the known, valid base station before synchronization of the communication service is lost with the known, valid base station.
US08319607B2

An inventory monitoring system including a data collection and transmission module and a data evaluation module. The data collection and transmission module receives data from an RFID tag and transmits the data to the data evaluation module to thereby enable the presence of a product to which the RFID tag is attached.
US08319600B2

A monitoring system includes a controller, a number of input devices, a number of first sensors, a number of second sensors, and a number of alarms. Each input device comprises a switching circuit, an input circuit, and a connector. The connector is connected to a first sensor and a voltage source in series or connected to a second sensor and a current source in series. The controller controls the switching circuit of the input device to receive a voltage signal of the first sensor or a current signal of the second sensor and send out a corresponding detection signal. The input circuit transmits the detection signal to the controller. The controller controls the corresponding alarm to work according to the detection signal.
US08319595B2

Disc-type coil lamination work is facilitated, and a manufacturing cost is reduced. A plurality of disc-type coils each including a discoid insulating substrate 1, conductor patterns 2 arranged on the insulating substrate 1, and holes 7 configured to form lamination through holes 10 bored in the insulating substrate 1 are laminated by connecting the lamination through holes 10. The holes 7 configured to form the lamination through holes 10 are provided on the outer circumferential side or the inner circumferential side of the conductor patterns 2, and a leading pattern 3 and a terminating pattern 4 serving as terminal portions of each conductor pattern 2 are drawn to the holes 7 and connected, thereby forming the lamination through holes 10.
US08319582B2

An elastic wave apparatus includes a balanced-unbalanced transforming function, and an elastic wave filter and a multilayer wiring board on which the elastic wave filter is mounted. The elastic wave filter includes an unbalanced terminal and first and second balanced terminals. External electrodes used are provided on the multilayer wiring board. A first internal line connects the first balanced terminal and the external electrode. A second internal line connects the second balanced terminal and the external electrode. The lengths or shapes of the first internal line and the second internal line are set so that a capacitance used for the improvement of a balance is generated in an adjacent area A where the first internal line and the second internal line are adjacent to each other. In the adjacent area A, the directions of currents passing through the first internal line and the second internal line are the same.
US08319579B2

An apparatus includes a capacitor coupled between a first node responsive to receive an input signal and a second node. The apparatus includes a first circuit coupled to the second node and a third node. The first circuit is selectively operable to separately configure at least one of a low-frequency gain of an equalizer and a pole of the equalizer. The equalizer includes the first circuit and the capacitor. The second node is responsive to receive an equalized version of an AC signal of the input signal in a first mode of the apparatus. The second node is responsive to receive a non-equalized version of the AC signal of the input signal in a second mode of the apparatus. The equalized version of the AC signal of the input signal may be a level-shifted and equalized version of the AC signal in the first mode of the apparatus.
US08319555B1

The invention relates to a configurable low noise amplifier circuit which is configurable between a first topology in which the low noise amplifier circuit includes a degeneration inductance whereby the low noise amplifier circuit operates as an inductively degenerated low noise amplifier, and a second topology in which the low noise amplifier circuit includes a feedback resistance whereby the low noise amplifier circuit operates as a resistive feedback low noise amplifier.
US08319551B2

Apparatus and method for a limiting amplifier with improved phase noise. The improved limiting amplifier includes an input port, an output port, and one or more cascaded gain stages. The input of a first gain stage is connected to the input port of the limiting amplifier. The output of a last gain stage is connected to the output port of the limiting amplifier. Among the cascaded gain stages, an output of each gain stage is connected to an input of an adjacent gain stage. Each gain stage i, 1
US08319549B2

An integrated power amplifier includes a divider and a combiner. The integrated power amplifier also includes two or more amplifiers. Each of the amplifier input terminals is electrically coupled to a divider output terminal and each of the amplifier output terminals is electrically coupled to a combiner input terminal. At least one power sensor is configured to provide a power amplifier performance metric. The divider and the combiner include a plurality of actuators. Each actuator has at least one actuator control terminal which is configured to provide an actuator setting. The actuators are configured via the actuator control terminals to optimize the power amplifier performance metric. Methods to simulate the operation of a self-healing power amplifier and a process for the operation of a self-healing circuit are also described.
US08319548B2

A voltage regulator regulates voltage at a node and has circuitry coupled to the node for providing a current to the node. A regulating transistor coupled between the node and a first power supply voltage terminal has a disabling transistor coupled in parallel and is selectively disabled by directly connecting the first power supply voltage terminal to the node. An inverting stage has an output connected to the regulating transistor. A load transistor has a first current electrode coupled to a second power supply voltage terminal, and a control electrode and second current electrode connected together and coupled to an input of the inverting stage. A sensing transistor has a first current electrode coupled to the second current electrode of the load transistor, a control electrode connected directly to the node and a second current electrode coupled to the first power supply voltage terminal.
US08319545B2

Circuits and methods for maintaining a substantially constant input and output current for a charge pump circuit are provided which reduce current variation during switching intervals. The charge pump circuitry of the present invention maintains a current flow path from a current source to the charge pump output which minimizes or eliminates spikes normally associated with the switching intervals.
US08319536B2

An integrated circuit device includes a first rectangular wave signal generation section that outputs a first rectangular wave signal when an amplitude of an oscillation signal inputted is greater than a first amplitude, and a second rectangular wave signal generation section that outputs a second rectangular wave signal when the amplitude of the oscillation signal is greater than a second amplitude that is greater than the first amplitude, and that controls the power supply voltage of an oscillation circuit by the first and second rectangular wave signals so as to maintain an appropriate potential difference with respect to a stop voltage against changes in the oscillation stop voltage associated with changes in a temperature condition.
US08319533B2

There is disclosed a system for detecting the assertion of a reset signal. A plurality of circuit elements is configurable by a reset signal to output a string of data values in a predetermined pattern. A comparator receives the string of data values and determines whether the string of data values matches the predetermined pattern. If so, the comparator generates an output signal indicative of a reset. In one embodiment, the output signal of the comparator can be used to automatically trigger a reset if the reset signal has not been asserted.
US08319531B2

A divider circuit for dividing the frequency of a multi-phase clock signal, which can ensure a sufficient data latch time even if the multi-phase clock signal has a high frequency, includes a main latch circuit which generates an inverted data signal using, for example, two of eight clock signals of an eight-phase clock signal, and a sub-latch circuit which uses the eight clock signals as a trigger to receive the inverted data signal as a common data signal.
US08319528B2

It is an object to suppress deterioration in characteristics of a transistor in a driver circuit. A driver circuit includes a first transistor, a second transistor including a gate and one of a source and a drain to which a second signal is inputted, a third transistor whose gate is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the first transistor and which controls whether a voltage state of an output signal is set or not by being turned on/off, and a fourth transistor whose gate is electrically connected to the other of the source and the drain of the second transistor and which controls whether a voltage state of an output signal is set or not by being turned on/off.
US08319519B2

An impedance code generation circuit includes an impedance unit configured to drive a calibration node to a first level by using an impedance value determined by an impedance code, a code generation unit configured to generate the impedance code so that a voltage of the calibration node has a voltage level between a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage, and a reference voltage generation unit configured to generate the first reference voltage and the second reference voltage in response to the impedance code.
US08319514B2

Disclosed is a method for operating a test apparatus in which the testing efficiency is drastically increased. The test apparatus has a plurality of stages for testing wafers by using operation buttons displayed on the operating screens of each of a plurality of monitors. Exclusion condition buttons for excluding operation buttons are set in at least one monitor using exclusion condition data prepared by combining data required to perform various functions of the test apparatus and an exclusion condition pattern prepared by combining the exclusion condition of the exclusion condition data into data for deciding whether the operating button configured to operate each function can be pressed or not. Also, display of the screen that satisfies the exclusion condition for at least one monitor is prevented.
US08319509B1

A testing circuit configures an analog to digital converter (ADC) to receive a test signal instead of a live input signal. The testing circuit compares an output test value from the ADC to an expected test value for the test signal. The testing circuit provides an expected live output value to a digital circuit instead of the output test value, thereby preventing the ADC from providing a value to the digital circuit not based on the live input signal.
US08319496B2

In a magnetic resonance data acquisition method and system for acquiring data from a patient who carries, either intracorporeally or extracorporeally, a foreign object at least partially composed of electrically conductive material, RF heating to the patient due to the presence of the foreign object is minimized by radiating the patient with RF energy by an RF coil that has a coil design. The sequence of pulses to which the patient is subjected to acquire magnetic resonance data from the patient is configured, in combination with the coil design of the RF coil to steer or modify the electric field that arises in the patient so that RF heating in the patient due to the presence of the foreign object is minimized.
US08319493B2

A rotation detecting device includes a plurality of magnetic encoders disposed coaxially and having respective numbers of magnetic poles different from each other and a plurality of magnetic sensors for detecting respective magnetic fields emanating from those magnetic encoders. Each of the magnetic sensors is in a ring form and obtains the position information within the magnetic poles of the associated magnetic encoder. A phase difference detector determines the difference in phase between magnetic field signals detected respectively by the magnetic sensors. An angle calculator is provided, which is operable on the basis of the difference in phase so detected to calculate an absolute angle of each of the magnetic encoders. A corrector corrects the initial phase difference occurring in the magnetic field signals, detected respectively by the magnetic sensors, as a result of the fitting position of the magnetic encoders.
US08319490B2

A method of determining a rotational state of a three-phase alternating voltage supply which is connected to a converter and rotating in an uncontrolled manner, wherein the converter is connected to an intermediate voltage circuit and comprises phase-specific upper and lower controllable switches, which are connected in series between the intermediate voltage circuit, free-wheeling diodes connected in parallel with each of the controllable switches, and resistive circuits connected in parallel with the lower controllable switches. The method comprises the steps of selecting a voltage limit, comparing the voltages of the alternating voltage supply in the resistive circuits with the voltage limit, determining a first time instant when any of the voltages of the resistive circuits crosses the voltage limit, determining a second time instant when any of the voltages of the resistive circuits subsequently crosses the voltage limit, determining the phase sequence of the converter output phases from the phases that crossed the voltage limit at the first and second time instants, determining the frequency of the alternating voltage source from the determined time instants, the method being applicable when the voltage of the intermediate circuit is equal to or higher than the voltage of the alternating voltage source.
US08319487B2

A novel voltage regulator includes an indictor, a switching transistor, a rectifier, an error amplifier circuit, a first voltage comparator circuit, a second voltage comparator circuit, an oscillator circuit, and a driver circuit. The first voltage comparator circuit outputs a modulation signal. The second voltage comparator circuit activates an enable signal when the error voltage exceeds the second reference voltage. The oscillator circuit outputs a clock signal with a fixed frequency according to the enable signal. The oscillator circuit enters a first state when the enable signal is activated and deactivated within a period of time shorter than a threshold time, and enters a second state when the enable signal remains activated during a period of time longer than the threshold time. The driver circuit generates the switching control signal based on the clock signal and the modulation signal.
US08319484B2

A method and system control the adding or dropping of phases in a multiphase voltage regulator. The regulator has an efficiency and this efficiency of the regulator is calculated for a given number of phases being activated from an output voltage, input voltage, output current, and duty cycle of the regulator. The efficiency of the regulator is also calculated if a phase is added using the derivative of the duty cycle as a function of the output current. The efficiency of the regulator is further calculated if a phase is dropped using the derivative of the duty cycle as a function of the output current. From these operations of calculating, a phase is either added, dropped, or the phase is maintained at its current value to thereby optimize the efficiency of the regulator.
US08319481B2

An apparatus and method generate electric current within a specified frequency range from a rotor operating within a broad range of rotational speeds by reducing the number of poles of the generator at higher rotational speeds. At higher rotational speeds, the generator circuit is altered so that a flow of current through half of a plurality of windings is reversed and the polarity in the said half of the windings is reversed. Two adjacent windings with the same polarity create a single pseudo pole, which effectively reduces the number of poles in the generator by half, and reduces the frequency of the electric current produced by the generator. Thus, the generator is operable to produce current within a specified frequency range from a rotor operating within a broad range of rotational speeds.
US08319478B2

A dual-charger system operable to facilitate charging a battery with energy regulated by two chargers connected in parallel to the battery where one charger operates according to a voltage regulation mode and the other of the two chargers operates according to a current regulation mode.
US08319468B2

The present invention aims to prevent a main drive pulse from being moved to a rank having a potential to cause a non-rotating state. A detection segment for detecting a rotating state of a stepping motor is divided into a first segment immediately after the drive with a main drive pulse, a second segment, and a third segment and, when the stepping motor is rotated by the main drive pulse, the main drive pulse is not changed when a detection signal exceeding a reference threshold voltage is detected at least in the first and second segments. When it is detected only in the first and third segments, or detected only in the third segment, the rank is moved upward and, when it is not detected in any segment, or detected only in the first segment, the rank is moved upward after the drive with a corrective drive pulse. When it is detected only in the second segment or detected only in the second and third segments, the rank is moved downward.
US08319467B2

A manipulator, in particular a small robot, has at least two motor mutually movable limbs with a motion axis of both limbs being acted on by an axle drive that has an external rotor motor, a position transmitter and a transmission. The transmission has at least one planetary gear set with a center gear and at least one planet meshing with it that also meshes with a ring gear and is mounted on a planet carrier. One of both limbs of the manipulators is torque proof connected with the ring gear and is mounted by this radial and/or axially, and the other is torque proof connected by both limbs of the manipulator with the planet carrier and is mounted by this radial and/or axially.
US08319465B2

The method for the automatic adjustment of a protective device includes determining an integral of the square of a motor current over time on the basis of a time motor current profile of an asynchronous motor on a load, after switching on and reversing and deriving a tripping time of the overcurrent release on the basis of the determined integral, the integral, which corresponds to a heating of the asynchronous motor, being related to a multiple of the square of the rated current, and the motor current profile including at least the starting current, the transient and the selected motor rated current.
US08319457B2

A variable-frequency drive that includes a DC power supply bus with a positive line and a negative line, and an inverter module powered by the DC bus for supplying a variable voltage to an electric load. The inverter includes a first DC/DC converter including output terminals connected in series on the positive line of the DC bus, a second DC/DC converter including input terminals connected between the positive line and the negative line of the DC bus, a filtering capacitor connected in parallel to the input terminals of the first converter and to the first output terminals of the second converter, and an electric power storage module connected in parallel to the second output terminals of the second converter.
US08319454B2

The present disclosure relates to a driving device for a backlight with a plurality of LED units. The driving device can include a control module for controlling output voltage of the driving device; a light modulation module for adjusting overall current of the backlight; and a current regulating module for obtaining signals for adjusting individual current of each LED unit and adjusting the individual current of each LED unit according to the signals.
US08319451B2

A ballast to power a lamp includes two switches, each to selectively connect the ballast to respective high voltage terminals, each having two states (ON and OFF). The ballast also includes a converter circuit that provides a voltage to energize the lamp, and a detector circuit. The detector circuit includes two inputs, each coupled to a respective switch; two resistors, each coupled to a respective input; two outputs, each connected to the converter circuit; a transistor network; and a capacitor. One output provides the converter circuit with power, and is connected to the input via the resistors. The other provides the converter circuit with a control signal, indicating a voltage level so as to power the lamp to a particular light level, depending on the switches' states. The transistor network detects a differential voltage between the inputs, generating the control signal as a result. The capacitor smoothes the control signal.
US08319449B2

The present invention relates to an electronic device for driving a light emitting semiconductor device, which includes controlling means (CNTL) being adapted for controlling a switch mode power supply for supplying the light emitting semiconductor device in response to a sensing value received by the controlling means which is indicative of a voltage across a current source for determining a current through the light emitting semiconductor device, wherein the switch-mode power supply is controlled such that the voltage across the current source is minimum.
US08319433B2

An LED-based lighting unit for retrofitting a fluorescent light fixture in a transit vehicle has a concave frame or structure conforming to the shape of the fluorescent lighting fixture cavity, connector pins on either end of the frame for secure attachment to sockets of the fluorescent fixture, a plurality of LED modules for illuminating an area of a transit vehicle, a power adapter for receiving and converting an input power supply signal, and a diffusive lens cover. The frame may have rear fins or other features for facilitating dissipation of heat generated by the LEDs. A controller adjusts the intensity of the LEDs based on a reading from a temperature sensor and on a manual brightness setting. The change in light output may be accomplished by reducing a duty cycle of a pulse width modulated (PWM) waveform supplying the LEDs.
US08319420B2

An organic light emitting diode (OLED) may include a first electrode, a hole injection layer on the first electrode, an emission layer on the hole injection layer, an electron injection layer on the emission layer, and a second electrode on the electron injection layer, wherein an absolute value of a difference between a work function of the first electrode and a work function of the second electrode is less than 0.5 eV, and at least one of the hole injection layer and the electron injection layer is a multilayer.
US08319419B2

A display apparatus comprises a display unit which has a plurality of organic EL elements two-dimensionally arranged to define pixels. Each organic EL element comprises a first electrode, an organic EL layer, and a second electrode laminated in order on an optically transparent substrate. One of the first electrode and second electrode is an optically transparent electrode, while the other is a non-optically transparent electrode. The non-optically transparent electrode is disposed to exist only in part of each pixel, as viewed from vertically above (for example, the width of the electrode is made smaller than the width of a pixel). In this way, the display unit can transmit light through portions of the pixels in which the non-optically transparent electrodes are not disposed. Preferably, the non-optically transparent electrode includes a mirror surface opposite to the organic EL layer.
US08319418B2

The present invention relates to an organic electro-luminescence display device and a method for fabricating the same, in which damage to a pad portion is prevented for improving yield.The organic electro-luminescence display device includes a thin film transistor array unit formed on a front surface of a lower substrate and a pad portion extended from the thin film transistor array unit, an organic EL array unit on the thin film transistor array unit having a matrix of organic EL cells, and a protective member for protecting the organic EL array unit and the thin film transistor array unit and exposing the pad portion to an outside, wherein the lower substrate has a thickness of a first region overlapped with the pad portion thicker than a thickness of a second region overlapped with the thin film transistor array unit.
US08319410B2

The filament clamp assembly has a pair of bifurcated clamps to hold the connecting leads of a filament within a cavity of a cathode of a separate cathode assembly. The filament clamp assembly is mounted on the insulator block in self-aligning relation. The cathode assembly has a tungsten cathode with an internal cavity to receive the filament that is secured within a retainer shield made of one of tungsten, molybdenum and graphite by a threaded graphite cylindrical collar.
US08319402B1

A device for harvesting an external source of energy includes an electricity generating device and a flexure. The piezoelectric flexure has a first stable bowl-shaped position and a second stable bowl-shaped position. The electricity generating device generates electricity based on movement of the flexure. The flexure remains in the first stable bowl-shaped position until a force provided by the external source of energy causes the flexure to move from the first stable bowl-shaped position toward the second stable bowl-shaped position.
US08319388B2

The present invention is directed to provide an induction motor having an ideal efficiency at the normal operation time, while obtaining a high locked-rotor torque without having to use a special drive circuit. According to the induction motor related to the present invention, the induction motor has a rotor 11 having a double squirrel-cage secondary conductor, wherein the rotors 11 includes a rotor core 11a formed by laminating a plurality of electromagnetic steel plates, outer layer slots 40a filled with conductive material, installed along an outer peripheral edge of the rotor core 11a, inner layer slots 40b filled with conductive material, disposed inside of the outer layer slot 40a in the radial direction, and inner peripheral thin bridges 82 made of electromagnetic steel plate, installed in between the outer layer slots 40a and the inner layer slots 40b.
US08319384B2

In some examples, a system includes a brake rotor, a brake armature configured to engage with the brake rotor to substantially fix a rotational position of the brake rotor relative to the brake armature, and a mechanism mechanically coupled to the brake armature. The brake armature may be configured to rotate in a first rotational direction and a second rotational direction substantially opposite the first rotational direction. The mechanism may be configured to maintain the brake armature in a fixed rotational position when a torque applied to the brake armature in a second rotational direction is less than or equal to a threshold torque value. The mechanism also may be configured to permit rotation of the brake armature in the second rotational direction when torque on the brake armature in the second rotational direction exceeds the threshold torque value.
US08319380B2

Electrodymamic machine rotating mass, including for example induction motor rotors, stiffness tuning methods include selective orientation and compression of modular tie rod assemblies into through bores formed in the rotor lamination core outboard of the rotor shaft during motor manufacture, repair or refurbishment. Stiffness tuning enables a motor manufacturer to tune a rotor's rotordynamic stability, and hence the assembled motor's critical vibration speed. Electrodynamic machine rotating mass tuning can be adjusted in response to machine physical design, operational application and manufacturing variation attributes that impact the assembled machine's critical vibration frequency. Thus the present invention offers a systematic, holistic approach to motor vibration refinement through use of a simple kit of modular tie rod assemblies oriented and tightened in a selected array. Rotor stiffness tuning can be tested virtually on computer work stations. Additional actual rotor stiffness tuning can be performed during manufacture.
US08319378B2

A method and apparatus for power conversion. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a DC-AC conversion stage; an intermediate capacitor coupled across the DC-AC conversion stage; and a burst mode controller coupled to the intermediate capacitor and the DC-AC conversion stage, wherein the burst mode controller (i) maintains a voltage of the intermediate capacitor below a preset limit during a storage period and (ii) drives the DC-AC conversion stage to convert DC input to AC output during a burst period, wherein the storage and burst periods occur during a burst mode operation.
US08319364B2

Provided is a stress analysis device 3 for a wind-turbine structure, which includes a load-data generating section 21 that generates load time-series data of a predetermined load observation point, set in the wind-turbine structure, on the basis of a parameter related to an operating environment, and a stress analyzing section 22 that generates stress time-series data of at least one target analysis point, set in the wind-turbine structure, on the basis of the load time-series data.
US08319362B2

A wind power turbine having a pylon; a nacelle; an electric generator fitted to the nacelle to produce electric energy; a frequency converter housed inside the pylon; and a cooling system for cooling the frequency converter, and which has an open-loop circuit provided with a conduit, and at least one cooling fin thermally connected to the frequency converter and housed in the conduit.
US08319359B2

A device for a wave-powered generator which is provided with at least one energy generator and lines for transferring energy to a consumer, the wave-powered generator comprising a main module provided with a running rod which is substantially vertical in its longitudinal extent, several supporting devices arranged around a portion of the running rod and arranged for sliding or rolling movement on surface portions extending in the longitudinal direction of the running rod, at least one sheave which is arranged to roll on the running rod, and transmission means which are arranged to translate the rotating motion of the at least one sheave into rotation of the drive shaft of the at least one generator; and a first float which is floatingly disposed in an area affected by waves and which is connected to the running rod by a primary driving line substantially of tensile strength.
US08319355B2

Disclosed herein is a light emitting device, which includes a first substrate, a protective layer, a second substrate, a buffer member and a sealant. The first substrate has an illuminating member thereon. The protective layer covers the illuminating member and has a first coefficient of thermal expansion. The second substrate is disposed over the protective layer. The buffer member is disposed between the first and second substrates and surrounds the protective layer, wherein the buffer member has a second coefficient of thermal expansion which is less than the first coefficient. The sealant surrounds the buffer member and seals off the space between the first and second substrates, wherein the sealant has a third coefficient of thermal expansion which is less than the second coefficient.
US08319353B1

Apparatuses including pre-forming conductive bumps on bonding pads for probing and wire-bonding connections and methods for making the same are disclosed. A method may include providing a microelectronic die including a conductive bump formed on a bonding pad, and an insulating layer formed on at least a portion of a surface of the conductive bump, and probing the conductive bump to test the microelectronic die. Other embodiments are also described.
US08319336B2

The patterns (or layout), and pattern densities of TSVs described above provide layout of TSVs that could be etched with reduced etch microloading effect(s) and with good within-die uniformity. The patterns and pattern densities of TSVs for different groups of TSVs (or physically separated groups, or groups with different functions) should be fairly close amongst different groups. Different groups of TSVs (or TSVs with different functions, or physically separated TSV groups) should have relatively close shapes, sizes, and depths to allow the aspect ratio of all TSVs to be within a controlled (and optimal) range. The size(s) and depths of TSVs should be carefully selected to optimize the etching time and the metal gap-fill time.
US08319326B2

Stacked die having vertically-aligned conductors and methods for making the same are disclosed for providing a non-volatile memory, such as flash memory (e.g., NAND flash memory), for use in an electronic device.
US08319303B2

An image sensor includes an array of photo-sensing regions formed in a semiconductor substrate, a dielectric layer over the array of photo-sensing regions, and an array of microlenses formed in the dielectric layer. Each of the microlenses is center-aligned over one of the photo-sensing regions and has a truncated plano-convex shape. The microlenses have an index of refraction that is higher than the dielectric layer's refraction index. Each of the microlenses has a smooth circular top, a flat circular bottom, and a curved circumferential side convex towards the semiconductor substrate.
US08319298B2

An integrated circuit module includes a carrier substrate, a semiconductor die disposed in the carrier substrate, a ground pad disposed on the carrier substrate, and an antenna partially embedded in the carrier substrate. The antenna includes a ground layer in thermal contact with the ground pad for dissipating heat generated from the semiconductor die.
US08319295B2

A new, effective and cost-efficient method of introducing Fluorine into Hf-based dielectric gate stacks of planar or multi-gate devices (MuGFET), resulting in a significant improvement in both Negative and Positive Bias Temperature Instabilities (NBTI and PBTI) is provided. The new method uses an SF6 based metal gate etch chemistry for the introduction of Fluorine, which after a thermal budget within the standard process flow, results in excellent F passivation of the interfaces. A key advantage of the method is that it uses the metal gate etch for F introduction, requiring no extra implantations or treatments. In addition to the significant BTI improvement with the novel method, a better Vth control and increased drive current on MuGFET devices is achieved.
US08319291B2

Provided is a non-volatile memory device including at least one horizontal electrode, at least one vertical electrode, at least one data storage layer and at least one reaction prevention layer. The least one vertical electrode crosses the at least one horizontal electrode. The at least one data storage layer is located in regions in which the at least one vertical electrode crosses the at least one horizontal electrode, and stores data by varying its electrical resistance. The at least one reaction prevention layer is located in the regions in which the at least one vertical electrode crosses the at least one horizontal electrode.
US08319287B2

Described herein are metal gate electrode stacks including a low resistance metal cap in contact with a metal carbonitride diffusion barrier layer, wherein the metal carbonitride diffusion barrier layer is tuned to a particular work function to also serve as a work function metal for a pMOS transistor. In an embodiment, the work function-tuned metal carbonitride diffusion barrier prohibits a low resistance metal cap layer of the gate electrode stack from migrating into the MOS junction. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the work function of the metal carbonitride barrier film is modulated to be p-type with a pre-selected work function by altering a nitrogen concentration in the film.
US08319284B2

A laterally diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor device includes a substrate, a gate dielectric layer, a gate polysilicon layer, a source region, a drain region, a body region, a first drain contact plug, a source polysilicon layer, an insulating layer, and a source metal layer. The source polysilicon layer disposed on the gate dielectric layer above the drain region can serve as a field plate to enhance the breakdown voltage and to increase the drain-to-source capacitance. In addition, the first drain contact plug of the present invention can reduce the drain-to-source on-resistance and the horizontal extension length.
US08319282B2

A bipolar transistor structure includes an epitaxial layer on a semiconductor substrate, a bipolar transistor device formed in the epitaxial layer and a trench structure formed in the epitaxial layer adjacent at least two opposing lateral sides of the bipolar transistor device. The trench structure includes a field plate spaced apart from the epitaxial layer by an insulating material. The bipolar transistor structure further includes a base contact connected to a base of the bipolar transistor device, an emitter contact connected to an emitter of the bipolar transistor device and isolated from the base contact and an electrical connection between the emitter contact and the field plate.
US08319271B2

The present invention provides a high-performance MONOS-type NAND-type nonvolatile semiconductor memory device using an aluminum oxide film as a part of gate insulating film in a select transistor and as a block insulating film in a memory transistor. The NAND-type nonvolatile semiconductor memory device has, on a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of memory cell transistors connected to each other in series and a select transistor. The memory cell transistor includes a first insulating film on the semiconductor substrate, a charge trapping layer, a second insulating film made of aluminum oxide, a first control gate electrode, and a first source/drain region. The select transistor includes a third insulating film on the semiconductor substrate, a fourth insulating film made of an aluminum oxide containing at least one of a tetravalent cationic element, a pentavalent cationic element, and N (nitrogen), a second control gate electrode, and a second source/drain region.
US08319267B2

A device including a novel nonvolatile memory element is provided. A device including a nonvolatile memory element in which an oxide semiconductor is used as a semiconductor material for a channel formation region. The nonvolatile memory element includes a control gate, a charge accumulation layer which overlaps with the control gate with a first insulating film provided therebetween, and an oxide semiconductor layer formed using an oxide semiconductor material, which overlaps with the charge accumulation layer with a second insulating film provided therebetween.
US08319264B2

A semiconductor device comprises: a semiconductor substrate including an active region defined as a device isolation film; a bit line contact hole obtained by etching the semiconductor substrate; a bit line contact plug having a smaller width than that of the bit line contact hole; and a bit line connected to the upper portion of the bit line contact plug, thereby preventing a short of the bit line contact plug and the storage node contact plug to improve characteristics of the semiconductor device.
US08319261B2

A semiconductor component having a semiconductor body having a first and a second side, an edge and an edge region adjacent to the edge in a lateral direction is described.
US08319260B2

In semiconductor devices, methods of forming the same, the semiconductor device include a first gate structure having a first gate oxide layer pattern, a first polysilicon layer pattern containing atoms larger than silicon and a first hard mask layer pattern on substrates under tensile stress. N-type impurity regions are formed under the surface of the substrate on both sides of the first gate structure. A second gate structure having a second gate oxide layer pattern, a second polysilicon layer pattern containing atoms smaller than silicon and a second hard mask layer pattern on substrates under compressive stress. Additionally, P-type impurity regions are formed under the surface of the substrate on both sides of the second gate structure. The semiconductor devices have good device properties.
US08319256B2

A FET includes a substrate, a buffer layer disposed on the substrate, a channel layer disposed over the buffer layer and a barrier layer disposed over the channel layer. Source, gate and drain electrodes are located over the barrier layer and extend in a longitudinal direction thereon. A portion of the channel and barrier layers define a mesa extending in the longitudinal direction and the source and drain electrodes extend beyond an edge of the mesa. The gate electrodes extend along an edge sidewall of the mesa. A conductive source interconnect is disposed over the buffer layer and have a first end electrically connected to the source electrode. A first dielectric layer is disposed over the buffer layer and over the source interconnect. A gate via is formed in the first dielectric layer. A conductive gate node extends along the buffer layer and electrically connects the portion of the gate electrode extending along the sidewall of the mesa. A gate pad is disposed on the first dielectric layer adjacent the mesa. A conductive gate connect strip is located over the gate node and is in contact therewith. The gate strip is in electrical contact with the gate pad. A source via is formed in the first dielectric layer and a source pad is formed in the source via. The conductive source interconnect has a second end in electrical contact with the source pad.
US08319249B2

A semiconductor light emitting device and corresponding method of manufacture, where the semiconductor light emitting device includes a light emitting structure, a second electrode layer, an insulating layer, and a protrusion. The light emitting structure comprises a second conductive semiconductor layer, an active layer under the second conductive semiconductor layer, and a first conductive semiconductor layer under the active layer. The second electrode layer is formed on the light emitting structure. The insulating layer is formed along the circumference of the top surface of the light emitting structure. The protrusion protrudes from the undersurface of the insulating layer to the upper part of the first conductive semiconductor layer.
US08319248B2

Disclosed herein is a slim LED package. The slim LED package includes first and second lead frames separated from each other, a chip mounting recess formed on one upper surface region of the first lead frame by reducing a thickness of the one upper surface region below other upper surface regions of the first lead frame, an LED chip mounted on a bottom surface of the chip mounting recess and connected with the second lead frame via a bonding wire, and a transparent encapsulation material protecting the LED chip while supporting the first and second lead frames.
US08319247B2

A semiconductor light emitting device is mounted on a support substrate. The support substrate is disposed in an opening in a carrier. In some embodiments, the support substrate is a ceramic tile and the carrier is a low cost material with a lateral extent large enough to support a lens molded over or attached to the carrier.
US08319236B2

A metallization on a semiconductor substrate is disclosed in the form of a laminate comprising a plurality of layers of a “conducting” metallization for providing electrical conductivity, interspersed with a plurality of layers of another metallization. By providing many layers the thickness of each individual layer can be reduced. Reduction in thickness of each layer leads to a reduction in grain size and a consequent reduction in creep over the lifetime of a device.
US08319234B2

An organic light emitting diode display and a fabrication method thereof, the display including a substrate; a thin film transistor on the substrate; and an organic light emitting diode on the substrate, the organic light emitting diode including a pixel electrode, an organic emission layer, and a common electrode, wherein the organic emission layer includes a red (R) pixel, a green (G) pixel, and a blue (B) pixel, the pixel electrode includes a first pixel electrode, a second pixel electrode, and a third pixel electrode that respectively correspond to the red pixel, the green pixel, and the blue pixel, the first pixel electrode, the second pixel electrode, and the third pixel electrode each have different thicknesses, and the first pixel electrode, the second pixel electrode, and the third pixel electrode each include a first hydrophobic layer.
US08319232B2

Microelectronic devices may be fabricated while being protected from damage by electrostatic discharge. In one embodiment, a shorting circuit is connected to elements of the microelectronic device, where the microelectronic device is part of a chip-on-glass system. In one aspect of this embodiment, a portion of the shorting circuit is in an area of a substrate where a microchip is bonded. In another embodiment, shorting links of the shorting circuit are comprised of a fusible material, where the fusible material may be disabled by an electrical current capable of fusing the shorting links.
US08319231B2

A display device includes a first organic electroluminescent element and a second organic electroluminescent element. The first and second organic electroluminescent elements have different luminescent colors. The first and second organic electroluminescent elements each include, in series, a first electrode, a first charge transport layer, a second charge transport layer, a light-emitting layer, and a second electrode. The first charge transport layer is common to the first and second organic electroluminescent elements. The second charge transport layer of the first organic electroluminescent element is different in thickness from the second charge transport layer of the second organic electroluminescent element. The concentration of a dopant material contained in the first charge transport layer is less than that of the second charge transport layer.
US08319225B2

A display device includes: a conductive layer on which gate electrodes are formed; a first insulation layer which is formed on the conductive layer; a semiconductor layer which is formed on the first insulation layer and is provided for forming semiconductor films which contain poly-crystalline silicon above the gate electrodes; and a second insulation layer which is formed on the semiconductor layer. Here, the semiconductor film includes a channel region which overlaps with the gate electrode as viewed in a plan view. In the channel region, a portion of the semiconductor film which is in contact with the second insulation layer exhibits higher impurity concentration than a portion of the semiconductor film which is in contact with the first insulation layer.
US08319224B2

To provide a high throughput film deposition means for film depositing an organic EL material made of polymer accurately and without any positional shift. A pixel portion is divided into a plurality of pixel rows by a bank, and a head portion of a thin film deposition apparatus is scanned along a pixel row to thereby simultaneously apply a red light emitting layer application liquid, a green light emitting layer application liquid, and a blue light emitting layer application liquid in stripe shapes. Heat treatment is then performed to thereby form light emitting layers luminescing each of the colors red, green, and blue.