US08332960B2
A device for scanning the surface of a sample which is covered with a liquid, comprising a probe which has a tip at one end, means for moving the probe and the sample relative to one another a light source focussing device which focuses light from the light source onto a location in the area of the tip located in the liquid and a detector for detecting light which was scattered by the tip, wherein a boundary surface at which the light enters the liquid is located on the light path between the light source and the tip, wherein the boundary surface is positionally fixed with respect to the probe.
US08332957B2
A storage device has a data erasing function. A controller of a storage device, such as an USB, has a lost timer section and an emergency timer section. Both timer sections halt clocking operation as a result of initiation of use of the storage device by an authorized user. The lost timer section commences clocking operation as a result of completion of use of the storage device by the authorized user. The emergency timer section commences clocking operation as a result of unauthorized removal of the storage device. When either the lost timer section or the emergency timer section outputs a count-up signal, data in flash ROM are erased.
US08332952B2
Tools and techniques related to time window based canary solutions for browser security are provided. These tools may receive requests to generate canary values in connection with providing content maintained on server systems, and compute canary values in response to these requests. These canary values may be based on identity information associated with different users, site-specific values associated with websites accessed by these users, and representations of time windows associated with the requests.
US08332951B2
The present invention discloses a method, a computer program product, a system, and a device for securing content of a surface-based computing device. In the invention, a delineated region of a surface of a surface-based computing device referred to as a section can be identified. The section can be a computing space owned by at least one user referred to as a section owner. Other regions of the surface exist that are computing spaces distinct from the section. A set of section specific settings can be established that are configurable by the section owner. An attempt to convey at least one software object across a section boundary separating the section from one of the other regions can be identified. The section specific settings can be applied to the attempt. Appropriate programmatic actions can be taken based upon the section specific settings.
US08332948B2
Methods, computer program products and apparatus for processing data packets are described. Methods include receiving the data packet, examining the data packet, determining a single flow record associated with the packet and extracting flow instructions for two or more devices from the single flow record.
US08332940B2
Techniques for securing a computing environment are disclosed. Specifically, the invention allows the execution of any software application with administrator permissions on any computing device. This is done while preventing any of the software applications executed by the users, to perform harmful operations on the device. To this end, a user having only guest access permissions is allowed to perform operations as if the user has administrator permissions.
US08332938B2
Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for detecting encrypted Internet Protocol packet streams. The type of data within an encrypted stream of packets is inferred using an observable parameter. The observable parameter is observable despite encryption obscuring the contents of the encrypted stream of packets. A timer is established that maintains settings despite changes in the type of inferred data.
US08332935B2
A smart card, system, and method for securely authorizing a user or user device using the smart card is provided. The smart card is configured to provide, upon initialization or a request for authentication, a public key to the user input device such that the PIN or password entered by the user is encrypted before transmission to the smart card via a smart card reader. The smart card then decrypts the PIN or password to authorize the user. Preferably, the smart card is configured to provide both a public key and a nonce to the user input device, which then encrypts a concatenation or other combination of the nonce and the user-input PIN or password before transmission to the smart card. The smart card reader thus never receives a copy of the PIN or password in the clear, allowing the smart card to be used with untrusted smart card readers.
US08332934B2
A chip mountable on a customer replaceable unit monitoring memory (CRUM) unit used in an image forming job includes a central processing unit (CPU) with an operating system (OS) thereof, which is separate from an OS of the image forming apparatus, to perform at least one of authentication and cryptographic data communication with a main body of an image forming apparatus by executing one cryptographic algorithm corresponding to a set state from among a plurality of pre-provided cryptographic algorithms, using the OS thereof. The security of a unit on which the chip is mounted can thereby be reinforced and random changes of data of the unit can be prevented.
US08332933B2
When a user operates a processing apparatus through a touch panel, a fingerprint processing unit reads fingerprint information of the user's finger. Each time when the fingerprint processing unit reads fingerprint information, a CPU judges whether the read fingerprint information is identical to a fingerprint information of authenticated user. If being identical, the processing apparatus executes a process in accordance with an operation accepted through the touch panel. These two fingerprint information are identical each other if the operating user through the operation accepting panel is the authenticated user. It means that the processing apparatus judges whether the operating user is the authenticated user, each time when the user operates. If the user is the authenticated user, the process in accordance with the operation by this user is then executed.
US08332921B2
A user instruction communicated over a communications network via a first communication channel to a relying entity for action, is confirmed by having a trusted entity receive verification information corresponding to the communicated user instruction from the user over the network via a second communication channel and/or verification information corresponding to a received user instruction from the relying entity via a third communication channel. If verification information is received from only the user, it is communicated to the relying entity. If from both, the trusted entity verifies the received user instruction based on the received verification information. If from only the relying entity, it is communicated to the user.
US08332919B2
[Subject] In a distributed authentication system, if a terminal including a plurality of communication devices changes a communication device to another communication device during using a service, the service under use can be used in succession, and the number of times for execution by the user can reduced.[Solving Means] An authentication-information management unit (5) registers authentication information of the user authenticated by each authentication unit (4), and allows sharing of said authentication information. A session-information management device (24) of a service providing unit (2) manages session information including a session identifier of a session established between the same and the terminal unit (3). More specifically, the service providing unit 2 performs individualized management of sessions established between the same and the terminal unit (3). The session-information management device (24) achieves a continuous provision of the service by authorization of provision of the service to the terminal unit (3) based on the individualized management of said session information.
US08332918B2
Techniques real-time adaptive password policies are presented. Patterns for passwords are regularly analyzed along with other factors associated with the patterns to dynamically determine password strength values. The strength values can change over time based on usage statistics. When a strength value falls below an acceptable threshold, passwords associated with that particular pattern can be downgraded or rejected in real-time and existing policy can be adapted to reflect the undesirability of that pattern.
US08332917B2
An approach is provided that receives a first role selection from a client device. Each of the roles includes various user accounts provisioned to access various software applications. An authentication challenge is retrieved. The authentication challenge is based upon the role selection that was received from the client device. The authentication challenge is transmitted to the client device. An authentication submission is received from the client device. This authentication submission is authenticated and, if the authentication is successful, then the client device access is granted access to software applications using the provisioned user accounts that were included in the role selection. In addition, audit data of usage of the software applications by the client device is recorded. The audit data includes identification of the provisioned user accounts used to access the software applications using the role selection.
US08332916B2
A service providing system using the biometrics identification without inputting the user ID poses the problem that the consideration of a service is erroneously claimed to the registered user not using the service due to the erroneous identification. According to this invention, the threshold of the value of the degree of similarity for user identification is set strictly for each registered biometrics information of the user in accordance with the declaration of the loss caused by the erroneous identification.
US08332903B2
A system, apparatus, and method of providing a personal broadcasting service according to scheduling are provided. The system for providing a personal broadcasting service includes a producer client which produces and transmits a broadcasting schedule, a broadcasting server which establishes a broadcasting channel according to the broadcasting schedule and provides broadcasting content produced by the producer client through the broadcasting channel, and a viewer client which receives the broadcasting content through the broadcasting channel.
US08332902B2
A method and system of providing switched broadcasting of content to a number of consumers. The content may be transmitted in pieces over broadcast and switched transmission tiers. The broadcast tier being characterized by the continuous transmission of content and the switched tier being characterized by on demand or request based transmission of content.
US08332899B2
A system and method for delivering video content over a network in communication with a subscriber having an associated electronic device is disclosed. A network server is provided and is configured to transmit a plurality of multicast streams of video content over the network. A scheduled start time for the transmission of a first stream of the multicast streams is assigned. A request for the video content is received at a first time, which is after said scheduled start time and the request is the first request for the video content received by the network server after the scheduled start time. The first stream is transmitted over the network only after the request.
US08332895B2
A digital downloading jukebox system including a mechanism for delivering custom services to a recognized user, including services for creating playlists, communicating with others, accessing other features, etc. is provided. In some exemplary embodiments, after a user is recognized, the jukebox system allows users to access a special front-end via an Internet-enabled device or on an actual jukebox. Then, the user may, for example, create playlists, share songs with friends, send messages to friends, and access other value-added content. Such a system preferably learns about networks of friends, and enables managers to send similar messages to regular customers and/or others known to the system. In some exemplary embodiments, changes via a first user interface on a first device are reflected on second user interface on other properly-configured devices.
US08332864B2
A system for business processes within and between organizations and/or individuals may be automated using standards-based, service-oriented business process automation architectures based on XML and Web Services Standards is described. An execution framework for the business processes is also described. Further aspects include a decomposition methodology for deconstructing business process specifications into business flows, business rules and business states. The business flows (FIG. 9, #214), rules (FIG. 9, #214) and states (FIG. 9, #214) may be defined in declarative languages and include the interaction, cooperation and coordination between the flow, rules and state engines, and the execution model for business processes within the framework.
US08332862B2
A job scheduler may schedule concurrent distributed jobs in a computer cluster by assigning tasks from the running jobs to compute nodes while balancing fairness with efficiency. Determining which tasks to assign to the compute nodes may be performed using a network flow graph. The weights on at least some of the edges of the graph encode data locality, and the capacities provide constraints that ensure fairness. A min-cost flow technique may be used to perform an assignment of the tasks represented by the network flow graph. Thus, online task scheduling with locality may be mapped onto a network flow graph, which in turn may be used to determine a scheduling assignment using min-cost flow techniques. The costs may encode data locality, fairness, and starvation-freedom.
US08332856B2
A computing device which runs non-pageable real time and pageable non-real time processes is provided with non-pageable real time and pageable non-real time versions of operating system services where the necessity to page in memory would block a real-time thread of execution. In one embodiment, a real time operating system service has all its code and data locked, and only supports clients that similarly have their code and data locked. This ensures that such a service will not block due to a page fault caused by client memory being unavailable. A non-real time operating system service does not have its data locked and supports clients whose memory can be paged out. In a preferred embodiment servers which are required to provide real time behaviour are multithreaded and arrange for requests from real time and non-real time clients to be serviced in different threads.
US08332848B2
In one embodiment, a mechanism for staged upgrades of a virtual machine system is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes determining a minimum number of virtual desktop servers (VDSs) necessary to host one or more VMs associated with the VDSs, migrating in a live manner the one or more VMs to the minimum number of VDSs, upgrading the non-upgraded VDSs that are not hosting any VMs, repeating the migrating and upgrading until all of the VDSs are upgraded, load balancing the VMs among the upgraded VDSs, and upgrading each of the VMs upon hosting of the VM by an upgraded VDS.
US08332846B2
A virtual machine (VM) application may run a guest operating system (OS) and allow the guest OS to connect to USB devices connected to a computer. The VM application may filter the functions associated with the USB device so that only some of the functions of the USB device are exposed to the guest OS.
US08332840B2
The present invention relates to a method of computer based data card software downloading and updating, in which, the data card connects with computer via data communication interface and acts the power on initial process at same time, the data card downloads software kit from computer to RAM memory, and the data card operates the software kit downloaded to the RAM memory. With this method of computer based data card software downloading and updating, no any more expensive Flash memory to be used in the data card, a lower cost is thus resulted, the data card failure resulted from Flash memory damage could be avoided and hence the data card reliability is increased; In course of data card downloading the update program and software from computer, it just needs re-update again only even though in fault, the complete operation is convenient and rapid with a wide suitable field, this lays the foundation of the advancing and development for the data communication peripheral equipment technology of portable equipment.
US08332839B2
Embodiments of the invention include a method for modifying firmware settings within a data storage controller, such as a data storage controller used in a Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) storage array. The method includes extracting a sub-module from a firmware image stored in the controller, stripping off the sub-module's header, decompressing the remaining compressed image by replacing the stripped sub-module header and an extended image header in the compressed image with an extended header image that allows conventional decompression, and separating the decompressed image into its executable code and at least one settings group. The method reinitializes the executable code to restore its validity, modifies one or more values of one or more settings groups, creates a new sub-module using the reinitialized executable code and the modified settings groups, and replaces the original settings groups in the firmware image with the modified settings groups, thereby modifying the firmware settings of the data storage controller.
US08332834B2
In a method for generating program code in a load format for a portable data carrier, a pseudo library is used, which differs from the library located on the data carrier in such a way that at least some of the internal workings of the library located on the data carrier are absent or hidden or masked in the pseudo library. In a method for providing executable program code in the portable data carrier, the program code in load format is linked relative to the library located on the data carrier. A device and a computer program product have corresponding features. The invention provides secure, privacy-safeguarding technology, which allows the generation of program code in a load format for a portable data carrier and the provision of executable program code in the portable data carrier.
US08332832B2
Systems and methods are provided for writing code to access data arrays. One aspect provides a method of accessing a memory array. Data is provided within a one-dimensional array of allocated memory. A dimensional dynamic overlay is declared from within a block of statements, and the declaration initializes various attributes within an array attribute storage object. The data is accessed from within the block of statements as a dimensional indexed array using the array attribute storage object. Another aspect provides a method of creating and accessing a dimensional dynamic array. A dimensional dynamic array is declared from within a block of statements, and memory storage for the array is dynamically allocated. A dynamic overlay storage object is also provided and its attributes are initialized from the dynamic array declaration. The data is accessed as a dimensional indexed array from within the block of statements using the array attribute storage object.
US08332822B2
The present examples provide technologies for estimating code failure proneness probabilities for a code set and/or the files that make up the set. The code set being evaluated is typically comprised of binary and/or source files that embody the software for which the estimates are desired. The estimates are typically based on a set of selected code metrics, the code metrics typically selected based on corresponding failures of a previous version of the software. A historically variant metric feedback factor may also be calculated and code metric values classified relative to a baseline code set embodying the previous version of the software.
US08332821B2
A system that facilitates detecting security flaws in a web site that receives and transmits untrusted content is described herein. The system includes a receiver component that receives test content that corresponds to a field on a web page that, when the web site is online, is configured to receive user-generated content, wherein the test content includes non-malicious data. An encoder component encodes each character of the test content regardless of form or content of the test content to generate encoded content. A display component displays encoded content and non-encoded content of the web page to a tester on a computer screen, wherein the display component causes the encoded content to be displayed in a visually distinct manner from the non-encoded content.
US08332819B2
A method of performing diagnostics on a first hierarchical device operable within a building automation system is disclosed. The method includes compiling application code configured to control the first hierarchical device such that the application code includes a plurality of internal variables, providing a diagnostic module configured to monitor the plurality of internal variables, collecting internal variable diagnostic data related to the monitored plurality of internal variables, uploading the collected internal variable diagnostic data to a second hierarchical device, performing, at the second first hierarchical device, a layered diagnostic analysis on the internal variable diagnostic data, and identifying a first hierarchical device problem based on the analyzed internal variable diagnostic data.
US08332818B1
A computer-based automated testing framework tests a multimedia application (such as a Flash application running in a player module) that includes one or more Flash objects by executing test scripts in an external Java-based test module that uses proxy objects in the test module to represent the Flash objects in the player module. Correspondence between the proxy object and Flash objects is maintained by translating the first test script into a command, sending the command from the external test module to the player module, interpreting the command by accessing a lookup table at the player module, and then returning a value to the external test module in response to the command.
US08332810B2
A set order that most efficiently separates a set of output vectors of a derivation table is iteratively determined for a set of input vectors belonging to the derivation table. Code is generated to evaluate the input vectors in the set order.
US08332807B2
Within the context of a software factory, process sensors detect time consuming activities that extend beyond an estimated predetermined completion timeline for a project. These process sensors also detect wait states that are caused by processes and activities of tasks that are not critical to completing the project. A process analysis is used to determine if defined added value processes and activities identified in a value stream analysis are interdependent to a critical path for executing the project. If the defined added value processes and activities identified in the value stream analysis are determined to not be interdependent to the critical path for executing the project, then a determination is made that performance of the defined added value processes and activities identified in the value stream analysis is wasteful and such processes and activities are eliminated from the process.
US08332805B1
A system of automatically routing interconnect of a integrated circuit design while taking into consideration the parasitic issues of the wiring as it is created. The system will be able to select an appropriate wiring pattern so that signals meet their performance requirements.
US08332803B1
A method and apparatus for integrated circuit package thermo-mechanical reliability analysis are described. In some examples, a computer-implemented method of modeling stress in a packaged semiconductor device includes: selecting, using a computer, successive portions of a package layout for the semiconductor device, each of the successive portions of the package layout describing physical layout of at least one interconnect structure in the semiconductor device; for each portion of the successive portions of the package layout: (1) selecting a pre-defined layout from a library of pre-defined layouts based on the portion of the package layout; (2) obtaining pre-characterization information for the pre-defined layout that defines structural properties of the pre-defined layout; and (3) executing a modeling algorithm to determine a stress measurement for the portion of the package layout using the pre-characterization information as parametric input; and combining stress measurements for each of the successive portions of the package layout to determine a stress profile for the semiconductor device.
US08332801B2
A method for correcting a plurality of violations in a circuit design and new cells used in the method are disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) implementing a first engineering change order in the circuit design to correct a first of the violations, (B) implementing a second engineering change order with a special cell to correct a second of the violations, the special cell having a plurality of interfaces available for a signal path associated with the second violation, each of the interfaces having a characteristic appropriate to correct the second violation, each of the characteristics having a different performance and (C) routing the signal path to one of the interfaces to fix the second violation.
US08332797B2
The present disclosure relates to parameterized dummy cell insertion for process enhancement and methods for fabricating the same. In accordance with one or more embodiments, methods include providing an integrated circuit (IC) design layout with defined pixel-units, simulating thermal effect to the IC design layout including each pixel-unit, generating a thermal effect map of the IC design layout including each pixel-unit, determining a target absorption value for the IC design layout, and performing thermal dummy cell insertion to each pixel-unit of the IC design layout based on the determined target absorption value.
US08332794B2
A programmable transistor array circuit is disclosed comprising a semiconductor substrate; and a plurality of basic transistor units (BTUs) arranged in rows and columns of uniformly spaced cells, the BTUs further comprising PMOS transistor units (PTUs), NMOS transistor units (NTUs) and dummy transistor units (DTUs) each BTU having conductors arranged in a single direction running through the BTUs and the conductors being uniformly spaced with respect to each other. The arrangement of the BTUs is subject to restricted design rules. Logical transistor units (LTUs) are formed from the BTUs using first and second layers of metallization. Methods for producing integrated circuits are disclosed forming programmable transistor arrays and implementing customer specified system designs upon the programmable transistor arrays.
US08332787B2
A method includes removing a code segment from a hardware description language design to create a modified hardware description language design. The code segment represents at least one time sensitive path in the hardware description language design. The method includes creating a delta list of differences between the modified hardware description language design and a physical hardware representation that is logically equivalent to the hardware description language design. The method includes extracting a portion of the physical hardware representation that corresponds to the time sensitive path based, at least in part, on the delta list. The method also includes creating a structured hardware description language design of the time sensitive path using the extracted portion of the physical hardware representation, wherein the structured hardware description language design comprises structural information of the extracted portion of the physical hardware representation.
US08332786B1
Within a high level modeling system (HLMS) comprising a processor and a memory, a method can include executing a system template comprising a plurality of modules of an electronic system, wherein each module represents a hardware component of the electronic system and is specified in the form of an extendable, higher order function, and extending, during runtime, a first module of the plurality of modules with a first extension by binding, via the processor, the first extension to the first module. The plurality of modules comprising the first extension to the first module can be stored within the memory.
US08332781B2
A solution for conducting a marketing activity is provided. Activities in a virtual environment are monitored and descriptions of a virtual object involved in the activities are collected. A tag may be assigned to the virtual object based on the characteristic of the activities and/or the descriptions of the virtual object. The tag may be used in marketing activities conducted in relation to the virtual environment.
US08332771B2
A transmission device for transmitting data to a reception device as a data destination, includes: a display control means for controlling display of an icon corresponding to the data directed to a first display section as a touch panel; an operation detection means for detecting an operation of a first user on the first display section on which the icon is displayed; a destination operation sensing means for sensing an operation of a second user on a second display section as a touch panel on which part of the icon is displayed in the reception device when the icon is held in a predetermined region of the first display section; and a transmission control means for controlling the start of transmission of the data to the reception device when the operation detection means detects that the icon is opened in the predetermined region of the first display section from a state in which the icon is held in the predetermined region of the first display section and the part of the icon is held in the second display section.
US08332767B1
Systems and methods are provided for dynamic coordination of inspectable elements across timelines. In one arrangement, timelines are processed to identify common chronological events. Such events can be associated and rendered across the timelines. In another arrangement, selectable elements are rendered in relation to a timeline. The selection of such selectable elements highlights one or more of the associated inspectable elements. In another arrangement, a selection is received at the first timeline, and, in response, events are highlighted at the second timeline and inspectable elements are rendered at the second timeline pertaining to the selection. In another arrangement, metadata associated with a received selection is processed against a database to provide a second timeline, and the second timeline is populated with one or more additional elements that are chronologically proximal to the particular element in the first timeline to thereby provide a dynamic association between the first and second timelines.
US08332764B2
Effort during screen transition editing is reduced. An editing device for editing transitions each between a plurality of display screens, comprising: a transition display unit which displays a transition diagram window for entering the transition; a screen layout unit which places screen nodes representing specified display screens in the transition diagram window; a transition layout unit which places a specified transition from a display screen before the transition to a display screen after the transition into the transition diagram window as a link from the screen node representing the display screen before the transition to the screen node representing the display screen after the transition; a transition condition input unit which allows a user to enter a transition condition for performing the transition represented by the link; a transition condition storage unit which stores the transition condition for performing the transition represented by the link, associating the transition condition with the link; and a generation unit which generates a transition rule for performing the transition between the plurality of display screens displayed by a display device on the basis of the link and the transition condition stored in the transition condition storage unit.
US08332759B2
Apparatus and method for converting the visual appearance of a Java application program in real time
A method and an apparatus for converting the visual appearance) of a program in real time, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for converting the visual appearance of a program in real time, by allowing an interface-based program convert a color combination, font, icon and a text position of a component, and an external appearance of the component in real time by adding a new interface to the application programming interface (API) that defines the visual appearance of the program.
US08332742B2
A method performed by a computer system. The method includes storing a version of a mass-produced printed paper, identifying at least a subset of characters within the version, and in response to the identified subset, forming at least one hyperlink within the version, the version being displayable on a display device as a likeness of the paper including an indicator of a hyperlink.
US08332727B2
A flash memory system includes a memory unit including a main cell that stores main data and a parity cell that stores parity data, and an ECC receiving a codeword including the stored main data and the stored parity data, performing error correction on the codeword by executing an operation on a finite field with respect to the codeword, and an element of the finite field comprising a codeword corresponding to an erased page of the memory unit.
US08332720B2
Provided are an apparatus and a method for improving the performance of a decoder by improving a decoding speed when correcting an error of a control signal in Long Term Evolution (LTE). The apparatus includes an error determination unit for performing a traceback operation on a received signal, and simultaneously determining if an error has been generated to the received signal.
US08332706B2
A transport layer control device includes a controller to establish or release a transmission control protocol (TCP) connection and to process retransmission of a lost packet using TCP, and a packet processor to number packets and to process transmission of the numbered packets using a user datagram protocol (UDP). A method for transmitting a packet includes establishing the TCP connection with a receiving device, numbering packets and transmitting the numbered packets to the receiving device using UDP, and retransmitting a lost packet to the receiving device using TCP in response to a retransmission request for the lost packet. A method for receiving a plurality of packets includes establishing the TCP connection, receiving numbered packets using UDP, requesting retransmission of a lost packet using TCP, and receiving the lost packet through TCP.
US08332698B2
A number of scan flops clocked by a master clock may be used to constructing a scan chain to perform scan tests. During a scan test, data appearing at the regular data input of each scan flop may be written into a master latch of the scan flop during a time period when the scan control signal is in a state corresponding to a capture cycle. A slave latch in each scan flop may latch a value appearing at the regular data input of the scan flop according to a narrow pulse triggered by the rising edge of the master clock when the scan control signal is in the state corresponding to the capture cycle. The slave latch may latch the data provided by the master latch according to a wide pulse triggered by the rising edge of the master clock when the scan control signal is in a state corresponding to a shift cycle. This may permit toggling the scan control signal during either a high phase or a low phase of the master clock, and may also enable testing the pulse functionality of each scan flop.
US08332683B2
A data processor comprising: a bus control circuit adapted to be interfaced with a synchronous DRAM which can be accessed in synchronism with a clock signal; a plurality of data processing modules coupled to said bus control circuit for producing data and addresses for accessing a memory; and a clock driver for feeding intrinsic operation clocks to said data processing modules and for feeding the clock signal for accessing said memory in synchronism with the operations of said data processing modules to be operated by the operation clock signals, to the outside.
US08332678B1
Technologies are described herein for providing a power-save mode of operation for a continuous data protection (“CDP”) process. A CDP module executing on a computer detects when the computer is operating under battery power, and enters a power-save mode of operation. In the power-save mode, the CDP module monitors the state of the battery and restricts the CDP process based on a set of configuration settings specified for one of a number of zones, where each zone defines an upper and lower thresholds for a level of charge of the battery. If external power is restored to the computer, the CDP module restores the normal mode of operation for the CDP process.
US08332677B2
A host system is provided comprising including a power source configured to provide power to a first auxiliary device; and a host power manager configured to monitor an available power level of the power source; and direct the power source to reduce power provided to the first auxiliary device based upon the available power level, wherein the reduced power is greater than zero.
US08332671B2
A disclosed power supply device includes a power supply unit configured to switch supply or non-supply of power from an external power supply to an electronic apparatus, and a receiving unit configured to receive a control command for controlling the switching with the power supply unit from a remote controller.
US08332669B2
A port securing module includes a power gate that is operable to be coupled in series to a power source and to a load. A resistor is coupled in parallel to the power gate. An operational amplifier includes an inverting input and a non-inverting input that couple the operational amplifier in parallel to each of the power gate and the resistor. The operational amplifier also includes an output that is operable to indicate whether a load is coupled to the power gate and, if a load is coupled to the power gate, supply a voltage to activate the power gate such that power is supplied to the load.
US08332668B2
Improved techniques to recognize a power source on a peripheral bus and/or determine power available from the power source via the peripheral bus are disclosed. Typically, the peripheral bus is supported by a cable connected between a host device and an electronic device. In this case, the host device is a power source (e.g., power adapter or battery pack) and the cable is used to provide power from the power source to the electronic device. Hence, by understanding the power available from the power source, the electronic device can manage its power utilization so as to operate in a stable and reliable manner. The electronic device is, for example, a portable computing device. Examples of portable computing devices include a Portable Digital Assistant (PDA) and a portable media player.
US08332667B2
The disclosed embodiments provide a system that configures a battery for a computer system. During operation, the system disconnects the battery by simulating a fault condition using a safety circuit of the battery. The fault condition may be simulated to facilitate safe assembly of a computer system containing the battery. After assembly is complete, the system enables use of the battery in the computer system by applying external power to the computer system, which resets the safety circuit and reconnects the battery.
US08332664B2
Handshaking circuits are provided in a communications cable and in a device operable to be mated with the communications cable. Before a device can utilize the power supply signal of such a communications channel, the two handshaking circuits must sufficiently identify one another over a power supply signal with a decreased voltage. The decreased voltage allows for a cable plug to be provided with a safe, protected power that cannot cause harm to a human. The decreased voltage also reduces the chance that a device can receive a primary power supply signal from the cable before the device sufficiently identifies itself. Accordingly, a laptop may be connected to a portable music player, but the voltage of the power supply signal provided by the laptop to the cable may be decreased on-cable until the handshaking circuit of the portable music player sufficiently performs a handshaking operation with a on-cable handshaking circuit.
US08332662B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit including a detector and a secure checker. The detector generates a detection signal upon sensing an abnormal state in an operating environment of the semiconductor integrated circuit. The secure checker generates a check signal to find an operating condition of the detector and receives the detection signal. The detector activates the detection signal in response to the check signal.
US08332645B2
A method and apparatus for repeated communication sessions between a sender (e.g., RFID tag) and a receiver (RFID reader) that employs a proactive information security scheme is based on the assumption that the information exchanged during at least one of every n successive communication sessions is not exposed to an adversary. The sender and the receiver maintain a vector of n entries that is repeatedly refreshed by pairwise XORING entries, with a new vector of n entries that is randomly chosen by the sender and sent to the receiver as a part of each communication session. Also, a computational secure scheme based on the information secure scheme is employed to ensure that even in the case that the adversary listens to all the information exchanges, the communication between the sender and the receiver is secure. In particular, the scheme can be used in the domain of remote controls (e.g., for cars).
US08332633B2
A method of securing transmission of streaming media by encrypting each packet in the stream with a packet key using a fast encryption algorithm. The packet key is a hash of the packet tag value and a closed key which is unique for each stream. The closed key is itself encrypted by the sender and passed to the recipient using a public key encryption system. The encrypted closed key (open key) may conveniently be inserted into the stream header. All of the packets in the stream are encrypted, but only the data pay load of each packet is encrypted. It is computationally infeasible, without knowing the recipient's private key to calculate the closed key based upon knowledge of publicly accessible information such as the recipient's public key, the open key, the encrypted stream data or the packet tag values.
US08332623B2
An embedded electronic device and a booting method thereof are provided. The embedded electronic device, for downloading an initiation image from one of a plurality of initiation image source devices according to at least one option pin, comprises a boot memory, for storing a boot code and a plurality of initiation image source sequence tables; a microprocessor, for executing the boot code and downloading the initiation image according to one of the initiation image source sequence tables; a register, for storing a status of the at least one option pin; and a bus, coupled to the boot memory, the microprocessor and the register, for transmitting data between the boot memory, the microprocessor and the register; wherein the initiation image source sequence table is selected according to the status stored in the register, and the sequence of the initiation image source devices accessed by the microprocessor is determined according to the initiation image source sequence table.
US08332622B2
Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide a programmable table which allows software to define a plurality of branching functions, each of which maps a vector of condition codes to a branch offset. This technique allows for a flexible multi-way branching functionality, using a conditional branch outcome table that can be specified by a programmer. Any instruction can specify the evaluation of arbitrary conditional expressions to compute the values for the condition codes, and can choose a particular branching function. When the processor executes the instruction, the processor's arithmetic/logical functional units evaluate the conditional expressions and then the processor performs the branch operation, according to the specified branching function.
US08332621B2
A digital processor and method of operation utilize an alias address space to implement variable length instruction encoding on a legacy processor. The method includes storing instructions of a code sequence in memory; generating instruction addresses of the code sequence; automatically switching between a first operating mode and a second operating mode in response to a transition in instruction addresses between a first address space and a second address space, wherein addresses in the first and second address spaces access a common memory space; in the first operating mode, accessing instructions in the first address space; in the second operating mode, accessing instructions in the second address space; and executing the accessed instructions of the code sequence. Instructions of different instruction lengths may be utilized in the first and second operating modes.
US08332619B2
A processor may include an address monitor table and an atomic update table to support speculative threading. The processor may also include one or more registers to maintain state associated with execution of speculative threads. The processor may support one or more of the following primitives: an instruction to write to a register of the state, an instruction to trigger the committing of buffered memory updates, an instruction to read the a status register of the state, and/or an instruction to clear one of the state bits associated with trap/exception/interrupt handling. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US08332612B1
The invention provides a system to reclaim space identified as no longer in use and comprises a vLUN, a thinly provisioned mapped LUN, a mapping layer, and a data reduction engine. Chunks of data are stored at logical chunk addresses (LCAs) in the vLUN and are mapped to corresponding physical chunk addresses (PCAs) in the thinly provisioned mapped LUN. The data reduction engine performs a data reduction process on a first logical chunk of data stored at a first LCA in the vLUN, where the first logical chunk has a size that is a nonzero integer multiple of the size of the storage extent of the thinly provisioned mapped LUN. After the data reduction process, the PCA associated with the first logical chunk is no longer needed, and the thinly provisioned mapped LUN is instructed to deallocate the PCA associated with the first logical chunk that is no longer needed.
US08332609B2
The present invention takes advantage of unused storage space within the ESS cells to provide for the efficient and cost effective storage of downloadable content. Specifically, the system of the present invention generally includes a download grid manager that communicates with the ESS cells. Content to be replicated to the ESS cells, and characteristics corresponding thereto, are received on the download grid manager from a content owner (or the like). Based on the characteristics, a storage policy, and storage information previously received from the ESS cells, the download grid manager will replicate the downloadable content to unused storage space within the ESS cells.
US08332604B2
Embodiments of methods to securely bind a disk cache encryption key to a cache device are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US08332598B2
According to one embodiment, a memory controller is disclosed. The memory controller includes assignment logic, a reorder table and a transaction assembler. The assignment logic receives a request to access a memory channel and assigns the request to access one of two or more independently addressable subchannels within the channel. The reorder table includes two or more table elements. Each table element includes a shared address component and an independent address component corresponding to each of the two or more independently addressable subchannels. The transaction assembler combines the shared and independent address components in a reorder table element and issue a single memory transaction.
US08332597B1
Approaches for synchronizing memory accesses in a dataflow computing system. A compute operation in the dataflow computing system is commenced in response to availability in a dataflow memory of each operand that is required to perform the compute operation. Output data from a compute operation is stored in the dataflow memory at completion of the compute operation. Write and read operations are supported for accessing an external memory. Accesses to the external memory are synchronized by storing synchronization tokens in the data flow memory. Each synchronization token signals when an address in the external memory may be accessed.
US08332585B2
An electronic flash memory external storage method and device for data processing system includes firmware which directly controls the access of electronic storage media and implements standard interface functions, adopts particular reading and writing formats of the external storage media, receives power via USB, externally stores data by flash memory and access control circuit with the cooperation of the firmware and the driver with the operating system, and has write-protection so that the data can be safely transferred. The method according to present invention is highly efficient and all parts involved are assembled as a monolithic piece so that it has large-capacity with small size and high speed. The device operates in static state and is driven by software. It is plug-and-play and adapted to data processing system.
US08332584B2
A method of managing memory storage space and a computer system using the same uses a computer including a storage device and an expansion slot. The method has the steps of: detecting whether there is a memory card in the expansion slot; combining the storage space of the storage device and the memory card to form a combined storage space; and using application software to manage the combined storage space. At least one file stored in the combined storage space may be selected to move between the storage device and the memory card via the application software.
US08332581B2
Deleting a data volume from a storage system and freeing its storage space to make it available to be allocated to a new volume is accomplished by only zeroing associated metadata for the tracks contained in the freed storage space which is then reused in a new volume allocation and an attempt is made by the new volume to read a first record R0 of a track. A determination is made as to whether a first user record R1 of the volume is stale If the first record R0 is stale. If record R1 is stale, the metadata or track format description (TFD) is modified whereby the entire track is indicated as being uninitialized and the first record R0 is uninitialized. If record R1 is not stale, the first record R0 is regenerated and the TFD is modified whereby the entire track is indicated as being initialized.
US08332574B2
User data are stored in a memory that includes one or more blocks of pages by, for one of the blocks, and optionally for all of the blocks, whenever writing any of the user data to that block, writing the block according to a predefined plan for specifying, with respect to each page of that block, a portion of the user data that is to be written to that page. Alternatively or additionally, each page that stores user data has associated therewith a metadatum related to the age of the user data stored therein; and, for one of the blocks, at any time that two or more of the pages of that block store user data, a common value of the metadatum is associated with all such pages.
US08332559B2
In an embodiment, a timer unit may be provided that may be programmed to a selected time interval, or wakeup interval. A processor may execute a wait for event instruction, and enter a low power state for the thread that includes the instruction. The timer unit may signal a timer event at the expiration of the wakeup interval, and the processor may exit the low power state in response to the timer event. The thread may continue executing with the instruction following the wait for event instruction. In an embodiment, the processor/timer unit may be used to implement a power-managed lock acquisition mechanism, in which the processor is awakened a number of times to check the lock and execute the wait for event instruction if the lock is not free, after which the thread may block until the lock is free.
US08332556B2
A memory bus with a first bus segment coupled to a memory controller that includes control logic and a first memory device, a second bus segment coupled to a second memory device, and a switch between the first bus segment and the second bus segment. The control logic outputs control information to the switch to selectively decouple the first bus segment and the second bus segment to effect a change in the length of the memory bus to enable data transfer with respect to the first memory device at a first data rate. Additionally, the control logic may output control information to the switch to selectively couple the first bus segment and the second bus segment to increase the length of the memory bus to enable data transfer with respect to the second memory device at a second data rate that is slower than the first data rate.
US08332552B2
An integrated processor design includes physical interface macros supporting heterogeneous electrical properties. The processor design comprises a plurality of processing cores and a plurality of physical interfaces to connect to a memory interface, a peripheral component interconnect express (PCI Express or PCIe) interface for input/output, an Ethernet interface for network communication, and/or a serial attached SCSI (SAS) interface for storage. Each physical interface may be programmatically connected to a selected interface controller, such as a memory controller, a PCI Express controller, or an Ethernet controller, for example. A plurality of such controllers may be connected to a switch within the processor design, with the switch also being connected to each physical interface macro. Thus, the physical interface macros may be programmatically connected to a subset of the plurality of controllers.
US08332548B2
A transfer-indication storage unit indicates an address and a data length of data to be transferred by a DMA circuit. An expected value table refers to a transfer indication of the transfer-indication storage unit and stores therein expected values of the address and the data length of the data to be transferred. A transfer-monitoring unit retrieves tag data and a data length of data in a bus. Based on the data length and the tag data notified by the transfer-monitoring unit, a table updating unit updates a start address and the data length in the expected value table. A determining unit determines whether the start address, corresponding to the DMA circuit after data transfer, matches with an end address, and further determines whether the data length has become zero.
US08332540B2
Applications generating events, and system facilities generating events, send notifications of the events to a system event sink. The event sink is preferably associated with an operating system, and provides an application programming interface for registering listeners. (In one alternative approach, the event sink operates as a centrally-accessible or network-accessible entity, where it may concurrently interact with more than one client.) Upon receiving a notification of an event, the event sink forwards the notification to any registered listeners. Optionally, filters may be used to specify criteria to be met before a notification is forwarded to the listener. An event does not rely on a particular application for displaying the event to an end user. As one example, notification of a newly-arrived e-mail message might be presented in a chat window of an instant messaging client.
US08332527B2
The present invention provides an IMS-based streaming media network system comprising: a streaming media service enabler configured to provide streaming media service description information to a user terminal; an application server configured to send a media resource request after the user terminal selects a streaming media service based on the service description information provided by the streaming media service enabler and after receiving a streaming media service request sent from the user terminal, and to provide the user terminal with information on a media resource delivery processing function entity storing streaming media contents after acquiring the information on the media resource delivery processing function entity; and, a media server configured to provide the application server with the information on the media resource delivery processing function entity storing the streaming media contents, based on the media resource request sent from the application server. The present invention addresses the problem of realizing streaming media services on the basis of IMS-based network architecture.
US08332523B2
A keyboard, video and mouse over an Internet Protocol (IP) switch in which the master and target interfaces share the same IP address and access to the target interfaces from the client is via a Transmission Control Protocol/IP network. The master is able to determine into which switch port the target interface is connected by reading media access control address tables of a switch chipset. Such provides immediate association for a target interface, i.e., the Ethernet port number.
US08332522B2
A system establishes virtual DNS servers that are supported by a DNS server. Target IP addresses are assigned for the virtual DNS servers. Network capable devices are uniquely assigned to the virtual DNS servers for domain name resolution. Each network capable device accesses the communication network through a corresponding network device associated with a corresponding source IP address. A client's service plan is assigned to a first network capable device used by the client. The service plan is implemented through a DNS request under a session established between the first network capable device and its assigned first virtual DNS server. The session is uniquely identified by a first source IP address of a first network device used by the first network capable device to access the communication network and a first target IP address of the first virtual DNS server.
US08332518B2
A method provides a bidirectional communication protocol for data communication between a first device and a second device. The method includes: during a first time interval, transmitting data from the first device to the second device; and during a second time interval, (a) after the occurrence of a first event, (i) suspending data transmission from the first device to the second device; and (ii) transmitting control data from the second device to the first device; and (b) after the occurrence of a second event, transmitting control data from the first device to the second device.
US08332514B2
Methods and apparatus for load balancing in communication networks are disclosed. An example method to perform load balancing in a communication network disclosed herein comprises routing a registration request received for a user device in an Internet protocol multimedia subsystem network to a first call processor when the user device is registered with the first call processor and in an active call session with the first call processor, and querying a load balancer to determine whether to assign the user device to at least one of the first call processor or a second call processor when the user device is registered with the first call processor but not in any active call sessions with the first call processor.
US08332486B2
An apparatus and method for multimedia file streaming are provided. In a method for multimedia file streaming in a receiving portable terminal, the method includes determining meta data included in a received packet, generating new meta data having a circular-type media data offset on the basis of the meta data, storing media data included in the packet received in a circular manner according to the media data offset included in the new meta data, and loading the media data stored according to the media data offset included in the new meta data.
US08332470B2
A system, method and apparatus provide collaborative access to an application by identifying an application from a set of independently operable applications to be accessible from a collaborative workspace. The system creates an application container within the application for storage of application data on behalf of users accessing the application from the collaborative workspace and creates a workspace container within the collaborative workspace that includes workspace metadata that identifies the application and that provides collaborative users access to the application from the collaborative workspace. The system provides collaborative access to the application on behalf of users in the collaborative workspace. The collaborative access allows users to access the workspace metadata to identify and gain access to the application and allows the users access to the application data maintained by the application within the application container.
US08332461B2
A task migration system is provided which transmits a migration request signal for a plurality of first tasks to a migration manager using a resource manager, transmits information used in response to the migration request signal from a migration initiation handler to the migration manager when a first task, of which a migration point is in a capture ready state, among the plurality of first tasks is received from a processor, and captures, using the migration manager, the migration point of the first task in the capture ready state, in response to a migration request signal for the first task in the capture ready state, so that the first task with the captured migration point migrates to a second task.
US08332459B2
A predetermined business task of a composite application can be fulfilled. The composite application can include a set of components. The composite application is instantiated by a template means and a predefined collaborative context module controls the interaction of the set of components during the runtime of the composite application. A set of components fulfilling individual services on individual different server systems is leveraged by the composite application. During the instantiation of the composite application from a template, the referenced components (as types) are instantiated leading to runtime instances of these components. The interaction of the different components is controlled on individual different server systems utilizing a primary context module. The primary context module communicates with an appropriate collaborative module implemented locally on the respective set of servers, where the local context modules act as secondary context modules in relation to the primary context modules. For each of the secondary context modules, local components communicate to control the interaction of components.
US08332456B2
Computer-implemented methods and computer-readable storage media are disclosed relating to displaying server errors on the client computing system that caused the failed request. A client listener application configured to execute on a client computing system. The client listener application is further configured to exchange data over a network with a server system, and provide metadata to the server system identifying the client computing system in association with a client request for execution of code on the server system. The client listener program is configured to receive an assert message indicating an error resulting from the execution of the code on the server and signal receipt of the assert message over a user interface. The client listener program is further configured to provide an opportunity for a user to respond to the assert message via the user interface by choosing to ignore the assert message or to analyze the error.
US08332447B2
Systems and methods for performing multiplication of fixed-point fractional values with the same throughput as addition and subtraction operations, and without loss of accuracy in the result. In one embodiment, a method includes reading data from a pair of source registers that contains multiple single-width multiplicand values. Each multiplicand value in one of the source registers is paired with a corresponding multiplicand value in the other source register. For each pair of multiplicands, a double-width product is generated, then a single-width portion of the product is selected and stored in a target register. The selection of the single-width portion is performed by shifting the double-width products in funnel shifters. The immediate shifting of the double-width products to select the single-width portions allows the operation to achieve the same throughput as addition and subtraction operations.
US08332444B1
A user provides an annotation, such as text or graphics, in relation to a resource available on a computer network. The annotation is automatically stored and/or retrieved without requiring separate action from the user to accomplish the storage or retrieval. An annotation interface may receive the annotation from the user. The annotation is then stored in association with the user and the network address of the resource. The user's annotation may be later retrieved and displayed to the user based on the network address of the resource. In one specific embodiment, a browser toolbar receives and displays user annotations associated with Web sites or Web pages to which the user has navigated. Preferably, the annotation interface remains available to the user throughout the time in which the resource is provided. Further controls may enable the user to make an annotation publicly available to others, and to receive annotations from others.
US08332440B2
An automated contact import module enables users to select groups of contacts to import from an email, contact management, scheduling (ECS) application based on viewing contacts by category, organization, email domain, and similar attributes. Contacts in selected groups are imported to a CRM application with automatic data mapping. Communication history may be part of the import process by searching previously indexed emails, appointments, and comparable data associated with the selected contacts effectively creating a data hierarchy at the CRM application.
US08332437B2
In embodiments, methods and systems for customizing a user interface to an on-demand database service. These mechanisms and methods for customizing a user interface to an on-demand database service can enable embodiments to provide a user interface designed by a tenant of the on-demand database service. The customization can include including third party content into the customized user interface, overriding a standard object, and providing content inline at a specified location.
US08332435B2
In embodiments, methods and systems for customizing a user interface to an on-demand database service. These mechanisms and methods for customizing a user interface to an on-demand database service can enable embodiments to provide a user interface designed by a tenant of the on-demand database service. The customization can include including third party content into the customized user interface, overriding a standard object, and providing content inline at a specified location.
US08332431B2
A CMDB (configuration information management database) stores a CI (configuration item) and know-how separately. A CMDB data update management unit associates with each set of “property:value” stored in the CI with related know-how in the CMDB. The know-how stores a set of “property:value” common to a number of associated CIs.
US08332427B2
A computer implemented method for automatically generating an artist coordinated image display based upon a user's favorite image or images. A plurality of digital image templates are stored in a computer accessible memory each having programmed characteristics associated therewith that are designed by an artist with one window being a primary window. The characteristics of the template can be programmed and stored, including number, location, shape, color, etc, of windows in the digital template. Color and texture characteristics of a body of the template can be selected to resemble, for example, a frame, which will eventually hold the printed images of the template for display. The windows of the template have stored image attribute requirements associated therewith that are designed by the artist are correlated to match image attributes of at least one user selected image.
US08332414B2
A method and system for providing information related to content accessed by a user of an electronic device is provided. An implementation involves determining content of interest to the user for access via an electronic device; obtaining metadata for said content; prefetching information related to said metadata; upon detecting availability of further metadata for said content, prefetching additional information related to said further metadata; and upon access to the content by the user via the electronic device, selectively providing the prefetched information to the user.
US08332410B2
To realize a high speed merge sort method by applying a coupled node tree, which method extracts a smallest or largest key from a plurality of sorted key storage areas in each of which is stored keys including bit strings that are sorted, and generates a coupled node tree for merge while adding a processing source identifier that identifies the sorted storage area wherefrom the key has been extracted, and repeats the actions of writing out into the merged key storage area a key being obtained by a minimum or maximum value search on the coupled node tree and deleting the key, and inserting into the coupled node tree a key by extracting the key from one of the plurality of sorted key storage areas.
US08332409B2
A content device may select associated content, such as adverts, for a user selected content item based on textual characterizing data for the associated content and the user selected content item. A term set characterizing the user selected content item is expanded using semantic graphs and similarity values between the expanded term set and term sets describing associated content is calculated. A specific associated content item is then selected based on the similarity values. The semantic graph based term set expansion may allow improved accuracy in selecting appropriate associated content while providing a process that is suitable for resource constrained scenarios. In particular, communication resource, memory resource, and computational resource usage may be kept low.
US08332407B2
A method and system for customer-choice-based bundling of product options collects data from previous orders about customer component choices, computes a pairwise distance between any pair of components that capture how much the probability of a choice pair P(a.b) deviates from the expected probability under the null hypothesis of independence P(a)*P(b), and clusters the components. The methodology can be implemented as instructions implemented in a computer readable medium. In this way, the need for a method to permit bundles of product options to be configured through the use of business processes reflecting choices based on the preferences of customers rather than the preferences of product designers is fulfilled.
US08332406B2
A computer implemented method for displaying real-time computer mediated user consumption data, comprising: accessing consumption data corresponding to real-time computer mediated user consumption behavior; parsing the consumption data to identify one or more events comprising one or more instances of consumption data and wherein each event is associated with a user; adding the events to an event stack comprising a predetermined stack limit; and storing the consumption data for each event in a data structure configured to correlate related consumption data and provide a temporal context to the stored consumption data wherein addition of graphical symbols to a visualization display is responsive to the arrangement of the consumption data in the data structure.
US08332401B2
A Mixed Media Reality (MMR) system and associated techniques are disclosed. The MMR system provides mechanisms for forming a mixed media document that includes media of at least two types (e.g., printed paper as a first medium and digital content and/or web link as a second medium). In one particular embodiment, the MMR system provides for position-based image matching.
US08332400B2
The current methods and system create a plurality of tree text history entries in the tree text history section within the context of the search terms by associating with a plurality of history data from a plurality of searches using a plurality of search terms in a hierarchical format and allow users to manage the plurality of tree text history entries created in the tree text history section. The plurality of tree text history entries created in the tree text history section include a title and optionally a search or sub-search term. The current methods and system allow managing history data comprising the steps of adding, filtering, modifying, deleting, sorting, pruning, prioritizing, importing, and/or exporting the tree text history entries created in the tree text history section depending on user preferences.
US08332378B2
The system enables a data processing framework that polls for files using a listener, controls the workflow using event driven logic, processes financial transactions, and creates a business to business trading partner network. The listener ensures the reliability and data integrity of input files and performs archiving functions. The payment management functions automatically processes transactions, including payor (e.g., the buyer) initiated payments to a payee (e.g., a supplier) by utilizing a flexible, decoupled processing architecture. A payment management computer identifies a universal identifier for each entity and forms relationships and hierarchies in order to increase efficiency of the trading partner network. Metadata describes the format, validation and relationships for a wide variety of financial account data.
US08332364B2
A system, method and program product for assigning management classes to data objects. The disclosed system includes a class assignment system for assigning a management class to an inputted data object, wherein the class assignment system analyzes historical usage characteristics of existing data objects that have attributes similar to the inputted data object; and a data analysis system that analyzes existing data objects to generate a knowledge base of historical usage characteristics. The historical usage characteristics are updated as existing objects make their way through the storage lifecycle.
US08332359B2
Methods, apparatus, and articles for creating a document revision history for a document imported into a first Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) from a second EDMS. Metadata and content from the second EDMS is “mirrored” within the first EDMS to create an artificial or mirrored revision history of a document within the first EDMS. Doing so allows users of the first EDMS to access any version of a document and its history, as though the document had always existed on the first EDMS. Content may be stored onto the first EDMS or a reference to the content may be stored instead. Rules may be developed to resolve conflicts between different document versions in the first and second EDMS.
US08332358B2
A system, method, and computer program product for efficient synchronization of data structures. A method includes maintaining a source data structure and a corresponding accountability table in the source data processing system, where at least a portion of the data structure is to be synchronized with a target data structure in a target data processing system. The method includes receiving a synchronization command, and in response to receiving the synchronization command, identifying a first plurality of synchronization objects in the source data structure, using the accountability table, that also exist in the target data structure and have been modified in the target data structure. The method includes identifying a second plurality of synchronization objects in the source data structure that have been newly-created or deleted and that either reference or are referenced by an object in the accountability table.
US08332355B2
A computer apparatus receives seed characters relating to an object and accesses rules to generate an identifier. The identifier includes a human-readable component that conveys understanding to a non-skilled user. The identifier complies with limitations dictated by the rules and is not based on random generation.
US08332346B1
Systems and methods for extracting or analyzing time-series behavior are described. Some embodiments of computer-implemented methods include generating fuzzy rules from time series data. Certain embodiments also include resolving conflicts between fuzzy rules according to how the data is clustered. Some embodiments further include extracting a model of the time-series behavior via defuzzification and making that model accessible. Advantageously, to resolve conflicts between fuzzy rules, some embodiments define Gaussian functions for each conflicting data point, sum the Gaussian functions according to how the conflicting data points are clustered, and resolve the conflict based on the results of summing the Gaussian functions. Some embodiments use both crisp and non-trivially fuzzy regions and/or both crisp and non-trivially fuzzy membership functions.
US08332342B1
This invention develops a mathematical model to describe battery behavior during individual discharge cycles as well as over its cycle life. The basis for the form of the model has been linked to the internal processes of the battery and validated using experimental data. Effects of temperature and load current have also been incorporated into the model. Subsequently, the model has been used in a Particle Filtering framework to make predictions of remaining useful life for individual discharge cycles as well as for cycle life. The prediction performance was found to be satisfactory as measured by performance metrics customized for prognostics for a sample case. The work presented here provides initial steps towards a comprehensive health management solution for energy storage devices.
US08332341B2
Disclosed is a method, computer program product, and system for classifying information includes determining a plurality of management characteristics for an information type, determining a plurality of business characteristics for the information type, determining at least one management tally for the information type based on the management characteristics, determining at least one business tally for the information type based on the business characteristics, and determining a global information class for the information type based on the management tally and the business tally. A computer usable medium with suitable computer program code is employed for classifying information.
US08332339B2
An emotional memory control system and method for generating behavior. A sensory encoder provides a condensed encoding of a current circumstance received from an external environment. A memory associated with a regulator recognizes the encoding and activates one or more emotional springs according to a predefined set of instructions. The activated emotional springs can then transmit signals to at least one moment on a fractal moment sheet incorporated with a timeline for each channel in order to form one or more watersheds. An activation magnitude can be calculated for each moment and transmitted to a reaction relay. A synaptic link can then form between the moment and a motor encoder, thereby linking a specific moment with a specific action state.
US08332327B2
Systems and methods for processing and distributing legal text information allow content providers to distribute legal text to terminals receiving broadcast content. The legal text may include terms and conditions associated with content that a user may want to purchase or subscribe. Upon receiving a content selection that a user wishes to purchase, a terminal may determine whether the content is associated with legal text information. If so, the legal text may be obtained and rendered for the user. The terminal may further determine whether user consent is required and if so, prompt the user with a consent agreement. Legal text information may be obtained in a variety of manners including from a service provisioning system, from a local cache in the terminal and/or from a file delivery server. Communication of legal text information may further be conducted using messages storing legal text attributes and elements.
US08332320B2
Techniques for remote controlled physical transactions with dynamic key generation and authentication are provided. A portable device is accessed remotely and separately from an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). The portable device is used to authenticate and initiate a cash transaction. The portable device is supplied a dynamically generated key and the key is provided to the ATM to finalize the transaction and cash is dispensed via the ATM.
US08332318B2
A method and system for exchanging electronic files, such as digital images, digital documents, and/or digital audio files, via an escrow transaction. The method allows two transaction partners to store electronic files on a third party system and then grant each partner access to the files of the other partner only after both partners agree. The two partners can review partial information about the electronic files that is sufficient to determine if the files contain the expected data, but insufficient to derive meaningful information about said data. Instead of electronic files, it is also possible for one of the partners to provide payment in various forms in exchange for the electronic documents provided by the other partner.
US08332304B2
A system and method are provided for trading multiple tradeable objects. One example method includes displaying at least one combined quantity indicator representing a combined quantity associated with at least two tradeable objects, detecting an input associated with an order for a predetermined order quantity in relation to one of the combined quantity indicators, and allocating the order quantity between the at least two tradeable objects using at least one quantity allocation rule. In one example embodiment, a plurality of quantity allocation rules can be user-configurable, and different rules can be defined and applied in relation to different order types.
US08332300B2
A computer-based system for determining insurance premium taxes (IPT) for multiple clients in a plurality of jurisdictions comprises an electronic database containing data identifying a plurality of classes of risk in each tax jurisdiction for which IPT is payable, the tax rates for each tax type applicable to each class of risk in each jurisdiction, the tax-collection organization(s) in each jurisdiction for each class of risk, and financial data supplied by clients. Software associated with the database receives financial data from each client relating to insurance transactions for which IPT is payable and stores said data in the database, determines from said financial data the relevant class(es) of risk for each jurisdiction and the tax payable in respect thereof to each tax-collection organization in the jurisdiction, and prepares a tax return for each transaction for which IPT is due.
US08332299B1
Various embodiments provide a system for enforcing investment policies created by an account owner. An investment policy tool may receive account data from an account database, including a portfolio and a policy, and a transaction generated by a trader for the account from a trading system. The investment policy tool may use the portfolio and the transaction to generate a speculative portfolio. The transaction and the speculative portfolio may be compared with the policy, to determine if either the transaction or the speculative portfolio violates any elements of the policy. If the investment policy tool determines that the policy has been violated, the investment policy tool may stop the transaction, stop the transaction and notify the account owner of the violation, hold the transaction and request approval from the account owner, or allow the transaction to proceed and notify the account owner of the violation.
US08332298B2
A system, method, and computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon to implement a method for risk exposure management allowing an exposure record to influence one or more risk exposures. In an embodiment, an exposure record is received, at least one data element of the received exposure record being mapped to one or more subexposures. At least one of the one or more subexposures are mapped to one of one or more exposure positions, wherein each exposure position corresponds to exactly one of the one or more risk exposures.
US08332294B1
A method and system for collecting and managing feedback from account users via account statements by providing data for a user interface displaying a statement of financial transactions and one or more feedback mechanisms, receiving feedback information via a selected feedback mechanism, and storing the received feedback information and feedback information received from other users. Authorization information for a desired financial transaction that is dependent, at least in part, on the received feedback information, may also be provided.
US08332277B2
A method and system for facilitating a transaction between at least one user, at least one merchant, at least one associate is provided. The method includes the steps of the associate processing device transferring into the user processing device a first merchant link for a first merchant Web site on a first merchant processing device. The first merchant link is framed with associate information. The user selects the first merchant link. The associate processing device transfers into the user processing device information regarding a first product from the first merchant Web site. The user selects the first product to purchase. The user provides purchase information for purchasing the first product. The user processing device transfers the purchase information to the associate processing device. The associate processing device adds promotional information to the purchase information responsive to the user identification value. The associate processing device transfers the promotional information and the purchase information to the merchant processing device.
US08332260B1
The price of digital content is set by a pricing module using data obtained from a statistics module. The statistics module includes historical information about a content author's previous works, including demand for those works, and tracks data such as how many downloads are requested for the current content being priced, how many users are watching or listening to previews of the digital content, and where users are located. The pricing module may make content available for free initially; alternatively an initial non-zero price is chosen. The pricing module increases the price and observes changes in demand to determine a best-fit demand curve. Once the best-fit demand curve is determined, a price for the content is selected to maximize revenue. As the demand curve shifts, the price is adjusted to maintain optimal demand. Price is also adjusted proactively based on demand predictions determined according to statistical and historical data.
US08332252B2
A computer implemented system and method for evaluating the impact of a project implementation within a customer situation allows building a business case model for each category of products to be associated within the project implementation and then consolidating all the category business case models into a final general business case model.
US08332249B1
The present invention provides a method and system for integrated supply chain and contact center planning. First, the system and method of the invention obtains forecasts of contacts expected, average handling times, agent shrinkage and sales ratios with and without backorders over a planning period. The method and system of the invention next schedules agents to minimize lost sales, agent, facility, and communication costs for contact groups used by customers to order products, and to best meet productivity-based targets for contact groups used for services not for sale. Using the scheduled staffing levels, and forecasts of contact volumes, average handling times, agent shrinkage, sales ratios with and without backorders, supply chain product availability, and a staffing model, the method and system of the invention generates product sales forecasts for products sold. Product sales forecasts thus generated are inputted into the demand planning and forecasting process of the integrated supply chain management system. Contact center based product sales forecasts are combined with the product sales forecasts received from other supply chain sales channels to generate combined product sales forecasts based on which inventory, supply, and distribution planning steps of supply chain management are carried out.
US08332244B1
The present disclosure describes determining a premium for a life insurance policy. One or more methods and systems include combining a determination of a mortality risk with a determination of a future lapse risk for an individual to yield the premium for the life insurance policy.
US08332234B1
The present invention relates to a method and system for enhanced medical triage in managed care plans that streamlines the conventional medical triage process and referral logic, sends only those insurance claims to an integrated case management system that require medical intervention, matches claims to the right resource at the right time, reduces the time needed to review lost time cases, lessens the number of unnecessary referrals or re-referrals, and further tailors the assignment process of medical insurance claims to medical personnel based on specific market and/or employer dedication.
US08332222B2
A Viterbi decoder includes: an observation vector sequence generator for generating an observation vector sequence by converting an input speech to a sequence of observation vectors; a local optimal state calculator for obtaining a partial state sequence having a maximum similarity up to a current observation vector as an optimal state; an observation probability calculator for obtaining, as a current observation probability, a probability for observing the current observation vector in the optimal state; a buffer for storing therein a specific number of previous observation probabilities; a non-linear filter for calculating a filtered probability by using the previous observation probabilities stored in the buffer and the current observation probability; and a maximum likelihood calculator for calculating a partial maximum likelihood by using the filtered probability. The filtered probability may be a maximum value, a mean value or a median value of the previous observation probabilities and the current observation probability.
US08332217B2
Methods of spectral partitioning which may be implemented in an encoder are described. The methods comprise determining an estimate of bit requirements for each of a plurality of spectral sub-bands. These estimates are then used to group the sub-bands into two or more regions by minimizing a cost function. This cost function is based on the estimates of bit requirements for each sub-band and the estimates may include estimates of code bit requirements and/or additional code bit requirements for each sub-band. These estimates may be determined in many different ways and a number of methods are described.
US08332209B2
Creation and recovering of the pseudo-code (Y) form the basis of the present method of text compression and decompression. The pseudo-code includes information of a repeating index/symbol (constant C) and a current index/symbol (X). To service the pseudo-code one needs to convert original symbols of text into indexes and to create a permanent and temporary vocabulary. The present permanent vocabulary is a redundant vocabulary built in advance includes dictionary with common symbols taken from books, articles, and dictionaries, and serves as a reference vocabulary stored in the permanent memory. The temporary vocabulary is built and is used during compression and decompression processes. The functionality of the temporary vocabulary is to convert a high bit length of indexes belonging to the permanent vocabulary into a low bit length indexes present in the temporary vocabulary.
US08332195B2
Systems and methods for running a multi-thread simulation and evaluating the results during a simulation run to select the best thread.
US08332191B2
The present disclosure relates to determining attenuation factors relating to an electromagnetic signal passing through, a conductive material seen by a real sensor. A sensor is provided and disposed proximate to the material. An alternating current is passed through the sensor and the impedance of the sensor is measured. The impedance of an ideal coil is obtained from the measured impedance using electromagnetic modeling combined with a circuit analysis of the coil impedance, and the attenuation factors for the real coil in straight or feedback mode are determined by electromagnetic modeling of casing attenuation factors and impedance of an ideal coil combined with equivalent circuit modeling of the sensor transfer functions. The attenuation factors seen by the real sensor may be determined in real-time or post-survey. The material may be magnetic or non-magnetic.
US08332182B2
A transit-time fill-level measuring device for measuring the fill level of a filling material in a container is stated, in which transit-time fill-level measuring device information about the topography of the filling material surface is determined on the basis of the shape of a single echo curve of the receiving signal. From this the fill volume can then be derived.
US08332172B2
A digitizing instrument is used for modifying pattern data and jitter and noise components of a communication signal. In a typical implementation, the midpoints of a rising edge slope and horizontal portion of the communication signal are determined and multiple digital data records are acquired at the midpoints. The data sample records are transformed to frequency components and the random jitter and noise, and periodic jitter and noise components are determined. A correlated pattern data and the jitter and noise components are matrix elements in a simulated signal channel having communication system elements. Each correlated pattern data and jitter and noise component may be modified for each of the communication system element. The selectively modified correlated pattern data and jitter and noise components are combined to produce a modified communication signal that is displayed as a numeric table, eye diagram or bit error rate presentation.
US08332170B2
The apparatus for detecting arc occurred in chamber for plasma treatment used for manufacturing semiconductor or LCD panel comprises, a sensor module for sensing the arc; a processor module for processing data from the sensor module; wherein the sensor module includes RGB color sensor for sensing color data of the arc occurred in the chamber, the RGB color sensor is a sensor sensable at least one of red color or green color or blue color of the arc, the apparatus detects the arc by sensing data of color and chroma and brightness of the arc.
US08332159B2
A method of enhancing the efficacy of a monoclonal antibody preparation wherein antigens from patients are tested for their reactivity with the antibody. An amino acid sequence of an expressed protein is deuced from a nucleotide sequence determined by isolation and analysis of a target molecule gene in a biopsy from a patient. This is compared with the previously determined amino acid sequence recognized by the monoclonal antibody preparation in order to assess the fitness of patients for administration of the monoclonal antibody preparation.
US08332156B2
A computer-implemented method for pseudo acoustic quasi-P wave propagation which remain stable in anisotropic media with variable tilt and is not limited to weak anisotropic conditions. The method includes acquiring a seismic exploration volume for a subsurface region of interest, and determining a modeling geometry for the seismic exploration volume. The method further includes propagating at least one wavefield through the seismic exploration volume utilizing the modeling geometry and initial conditions and preventing the accumulation of energy along the axis of symmetry of the seismic exploration volume and ensuring positive stiffness coefficients in the stress-strain relations through the use of finite quasi-S wave velocities thereby producing a stable wavefield. The method includes utilizing the stable wavefield to generate subsurface images of the subsurface region of interest.
US08332147B2
A method of inspecting or surveying a railroad track under load is described wherein a GPS receiver is mounted on top of the track vehicle such as a locomotive, high-rail vehicle or cargo car with data being collected at predetermined intervals to provide horizontal and vertical data for each location.
US08332143B2
Disclosed is a feature for a vehicle that enables taking precautionary actions in response to conditions on the road network around or ahead of the vehicle, in particular, a curve along a downhill road segment. A database that represents the road network is used to determine locations where a curve is located along a downhill road segment. Then, precautionary action data is added to the database to indicate such a location. A precautionary action system installed in a vehicle uses this database, or a database derived therefrom, in combination with a positioning system to determine when the vehicle is at such a location, at which a precautionary action is taken by a vehicle system.
US08332139B2
A method for switching a mode by a terminal in a Location Based Service (LBS) system based on Visible Light Communication (VLC). The method includes determining whether a visible light signal is received, and if so, determining whether the visible light signal is received from a transmission device; if the visible light signal is received, receiving data using the visible light signal; acquiring identification information of the transmission device from the received data; comparing location information corresponding to the identification information of the transmission device with pre-stored map information; and displaying map data corresponding to the location information.
US08332129B2
An internal combustion engine exhaust gas system includes a filter arranged in an exhaust passage of the internal combustion engine, a fuel adding valve which is arranged upstream of the filter and supplies fuel into the exhaust passage, and a low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation apparatus that removes some of the exhaust gas from downstream of the filter as EGR gas. An EGR rate is controlled taking into account the amount of fuel supplied by the fuel adding valve such that an oxygen concentration of intake gas, which is drawn into a cylinder of the internal combustion engine in a state in which the EGR gas that is introduced by the low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation apparatus is mixed with air introduced into an intake passage, is constant before and after fuel is supplied by the fuel adding valve.
US08332124B2
Mass based methods and systems for estimating soot load in a filter of an after-treatment system for exhaust stream are provided. The after-treatment system can comprise a sensor, a filter, and a processor configured to estimate soot load in the filter based on a mass based multi-layer model. An example system includes a virtual sensor comprising an estimator for providing information corresponding to a filter outlet NO2 concentration. An example method includes the steps of providing the mass based multi-layer model, passing the exhaust stream through the filter, and using the sensor to monitor a condition of the exhaust stream. The example method further includes the steps of calculating a total regeneration rate based on the multi-layer model by solving a second-order ordinary differential equation with a plurality of parameters using an analytical approach, and estimating the soot load based on the calculated total regeneration rate.
US08332105B2
A method and a system is described for controlling at least one compaction machine in which the oscillations propagating from the compaction machine in the ground are detected by means of a sensor at least at one relevant measuring location. The measured oscillation values as detected by the sensor are sent to a data-processing unit which then compares the same with a permissible oscillation limit value for the respective measuring location. Upon exceeding the limit value, at least one compaction parameter of the compaction machine is changed in such a way that the measured oscillation values as measured at the measuring location are set by a control loop circuit automatically to a value smaller than or equal to the oscillation limit value.
US08332104B2
Auto-location systems and methods of tire pressure monitoring sensor units arranged with a wheel of a vehicle detect a predetermined time (T1) when a wheel phase angle reaches angle of interest using a rim mounted or a tire mounted sensor. The systems and methods transmit a radio frequency message associated with a wheel phase angle indication. The wheel phase angle indication triggers wheel phase and/or speed data such as ABS data at the predetermined time (T1) to be stored. A correlation algorithm is executed to identify the specific location of a wheel based on the wheel phase and/or speed data at the predetermined time (T1). TPM sensor parameters from a tire pressure monitoring sensor unit are assigned to the specific location of the wheel.
US08332098B2
A method of controlling a power input to a compressor clutch, via an A/C clutch voltage controller, that selectively drives an A/C compressor in a vehicle HVAC system is disclosed. The method may comprise the steps of: determining a first electric power level needed to cause the compressor clutch to move to a full engagement position from a compressor clutch non-engagement position; applying the first electric power level to the compressor clutch to cause the compressor clutch to move to the full engagement position; determining a second electric power level, which is lower than the first electric power level, needed to maintain the compressor clutch in the full engagement position; and applying the second electric power level to the compressor clutch to maintain the compressor clutch in the full engagement position.
US08332093B2
A virtual vehicle interface system for use in a motor vehicle. The system can include a screen having a screen region and an image module that is operable to display an image of a portion of the motor vehicle on the screen region. The image can display a feature of the motor vehicle and an information tag can also be displayed and be proximate to the feature. The screen and the image module are operable to rotate the image of the motor vehicle and display different views of the motor vehicle using a remote control device or by pressing an object such as an individual's finger onto and moving it across the screen. In addition, a change of a setting and/or state of the motor vehicle can be altered by activating the information tag.
US08332091B2
A method for operating a hybrid drive of a motor vehicle in particular. An internal combustion engine is connected to a generator via a force-conducting connection. In a learning mode, the generator is operated as a motor and drives the internal combustion engine. In this learning mode, a so-called zero quantity calibration is performed.
US08332090B2
A hybrid vehicle and a method for operating a hybrid vehicle are provided, the vehicle including at least a first drive unit and a second drive unit coupled to the first drive unit, wherein the second driving unit recovers kinetic energy during braking the hybrid vehicle, a transmission unit which can be coupled to the first and/or second drive unit and a drive axle. It is proposed to change the transmission ratio of the transmission unit depending on a desired amount of energy recovered by the second drive unit during regenerative braking or a predetermined time period before the anticipated start of regenerative braking.
US08332084B1
A method of determining environmental data along a trajectory of an aircraft may assist in the evaluation of flight conditions along the trajectory. Environmental data may be at least one of collected, derived, and fused from a plurality of weather sources using at least one processor. The environmental data may be filtered, extrapolated, and fused, using the at least one processor, within at least one selected volume of airspace over a trajectory of the aircraft based on selected weather-applicability time intervals, and on at least one of user-selected parameters and weighted environmental data criteria. The trajectory may comprise at least one of a planned trajectory, a current trajectory, and an intent trajectory of the aircraft. An effect of the filtered, extrapolated, and fused environmental data on the trajectory may be determined using the at least one processor.
US08332078B2
A system for use in supplying current from an electric power source to a plurality of power storage devices includes a first of a plurality of charging devices configured to supply current to a first of the plurality of power storage devices. The system also includes at least one other charging device coupled to the first charging device to form a network. The other charging device is configured to supply current to at least one other power storage device. The first charging device includes a processor programmed to determine an amount of current to be at least one of received from the electric power source and supplied to the first power storage device as a function of a number of charging devices, and enable the amount of current to be at least one of received by the first charging device and supplied to the first power storage device.
US08332075B2
Controllers for controlling heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and cooling (HVAC) systems are provided. The controllers include graphical user interfaces for user adjustment of system settings. The graphical user interfaces also may be designed to present information that facilitates user understanding of system operations. In certain embodiments, the controllers may allow users to adjust balance point and/or LTCO temperature values. In these embodiments, the graphical user interfaces may include slide bars for adjusting the balance point and/or LTCO temperature values.
US08332066B2
A method and apparatus for controlling removal of one or more receptacles from a receptacle tray are described herein, in which a removal indicator indicates which of the one or more receptacles to remove. Thereafter, the indicated one or more receptacles may be manually removed from the receptacle tray using a gripping mechanism. The receptacles are secured in the tray with two or more tangs protruding from a front face of the receptacle closest to a connector interface. The two or more tangs fit into respective mating units in the receptacle tray, and one or more protrusions toward the rear of the receptacle, with respect to the two or more tangs, mate with respective mating units in the receptacle tray.
US08332064B2
A polishing method can bring a polishing surface to the optimum condition for polishing, without using a dummy wafer, before resuming polishing, thereby eliminating the cost of dummy wafer. The polishing method includes carrying out a stand-by operation during a polishing-resting time period, carrying out a preparatory process to polishing, after completion of the stand-by operation, by dressing a polishing surface while supplying a polishing liquid to the polishing surface, and starting polishing of a workpiece after completion of the preparatory process to polishing. A determination as to whether to carry out the preparatory process to polishing after completion of the stand-by operation may be made based on the total operating time of the stand-by operation or the total effective number of the stand-by operations.
US08332055B2
Devices and systems control energy usage in accordance with instructions from a head end system. A device may be instructed to cease energy consumption. Another device may allow users to override some instructions. Messages may be provided to users to request the cessation of energy consumption; the users may, but need not comply.
US08332052B1
A microcircuit cochlear electrode array and process for the manufacture thereof, the electrode array comprising first and second flat microcircuits comprising a plurality of laterally spaced longitudinally extending electrical conductors and longitudinally spaced electrode receiving pads extending laterally from the conductors, the first flat microcircuit being helically wrapped in a first direction along an axis with its longitudinally spaced electrode receiving pads exposed on an end of an outer surface hereof and the second flat microcircuit helically being wrapped in an opposite direction on and along an outer surface of the first helically wrapped microcircuit with its longitudinally spaced electrode receiving pads exposed on an outer surface thereof adjacent the exposed longitudinally spaced electrode receiving pads of the first microcircuit, and ring electrodes around and electrically secured to the electrode receiving pads of the first and second microcircuits.
US08332048B2
In one embodiment, a method of fabricating an implantable stimulation paddle comprises: providing a sheet of conductive material coupled to a first insulative layer; laser removing portions of the conductive material to form a pattern of conductive material, the pattern of conductive material including a plurality of isolated metal traces; providing a second insulative layer over the pattern of conductive material so that the pattern of conductive material is interposed between the first and second insulative layers; and exposing portions of the metal traces to form electrodes on the paddle for delivering electrical stimulation.
US08332047B2
Various device embodiments comprise a pulse generator, a signal processing module and a controller. The pulse generator is adapted to provide a neural stimulation signal to be applied at a neural simulation site within an autonomic nervous system (ANS). The signal processing module is adapted to receive and process sensed neural traffic at a neural sensing site within the ANS. The controller is connected to the pulse generator and adapted to provide a neural stimulation control signal to the pulse generator to generate the neural stimulation signal, and to the signal processing module to receive a feedback control signal indicative of the sensed neural traffic. The controller is adapted to adjust the neural stimulation control signal to adjust at least one parameter of the neural stimulation signal to converge on desired sensed neural traffic at the neural sensing site. Other aspects and embodiments are provided herein.
US08332045B2
An implantable medical device (IMD) can include an implantable pulse generator (IPG), such as a cardiac pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). Various portions of the IMD, such as a device body, a lead body, or a lead tip, can be provided to reduce or dissipate a current and heat induced by various external environmental factors. According to various embodiments, features can be incorporated into the lead body, the lead tip, or the IMD body to reduce the creation of an induced current, or dissipate the induced current and heat created due to an induced current in the lead.
US08332042B2
An implantable lead for a medical device includes a lead body having a proximal end and a distal end, an electrical connector coupled to the proximal end of the lead body, an electrode coupled to the distal end of the lead body, and electrically conductive conductor coil extending between the proximal and the distal end of the lead body, the conductor coil wound in a first winding direction under tension. The lead body also includes a plastic ribbon wound around the conductor coil in a second winding direction opposite to the first winding direction without releasing the tension of the conductor coil.
US08332037B2
Embodiments described herein provide lid structures for medical implant (MI) housing. In one embodiment, the invention provides a lid structure for a MI housing comprising a substrate comprising a dielectric material, a conductive portion fabricated on a substrate surface or interior, a frame at least partially surrounding the substrate perimeter, a plurality of vias projecting at least partially through the substrate, a plurality of conductive pins with at least one pin projecting through a via. The frame is hermetically joined to the substrate and can be hermetically joined to the housing. The conductive portion allows electrical components, including capacitors, inductors, resistor and antennas to be fabricated on or coupled to the substrate surface or interior. The antenna comprises a conductive trace positioned on a substrate top surface and is configured to send and receive signals between an implant within a patient's body and a communication device external to the body.
US08332035B2
A method for delivering physiological pacing includes selecting an electrode implant site for sensing cardiac signals, which is in proximity to the heart's intrinsic conduction system, where pacing stimulation results in a rhythm breaking out at an intrinsic location, and selected in response to a ratio of sensed P-wave amplitude to sensed R-wave amplitude.
US08332031B2
An implantable medical device provides ventricular pacing capabilities and optimizes AV intervals for multiple purposes. In general, intrinsic conduction is promoted by determining when electromechanical systole (EMS) ends and setting an AV interval accordingly. EMS is determined utilizing various data including QT interval, sensor input, and algorithmic calculations.
US08332030B2
A device for delivering pacing therapy includes an atrial and ventricular leads, sensing circuitry connected to the leads for detecting depolarizations, and pulse generation circuitry for delivering ventricular pacing pulses based on sensed atrial depolarizations. The device includes control circuitry for controlling the pulse generation circuitry in a first mode in which the pulse generation circuitry delivers atrial synchronized pulses to both the right and left ventricular leads in response to each atrial depolarization sensed. In response to a detected atrial arrhythmia, the control circuitry causes the pulse generation circuitry to deliver atrial synchronized ventricular pacing pulses in response only to selected atrial depolarizations.
US08332024B2
An ultra-low-power circuit for wireless neural recording and stimulation is provided. The circuit includes a neural amplifier with adaptive power biasing for use in multi-electrode arrays and a decoding and/or learning architecture. An impedance-modulation telemetry system provides low-power data telemetry. Also, the circuit includes a wireless link for efficient power transfer, and at least one circuit for wireless stimulation of neurons.
US08332017B2
A method of analysing biomedical signals, for example electrocardiograms, by using a Hidden Markov Model for subsections of the signal. In the case of an electrocardiogram two Hidden Markov Models are used to detect respectively the start and end of the QT interval. The relationship between the QT interval and heart rate can be computed and a contemporaneous value for the slope of this relationship can be obtained by calculating the QT/RR relationship for all of the beats in a sliding time window based on the current beat. Portions of electrocardiograms taken on different days can efficiently and accurately be compared by selecting time windows of the ECGs at the same time of day, and looking for similar beats in those time windows.
US08332008B2
Systems and methods for processing sensor analyte data, including initiating calibration, updating calibration, evaluating clinical acceptability of reference and sensor analyte data, and evaluating the quality of sensor calibration. During initial calibration, the analyte sensor data is evaluated over a period of time to determine stability of the sensor. The sensor may be calibrated using a calibration set of one or more matched sensor and reference analyte data pairs. The calibration may be updated after evaluating the calibration set for best calibration based on inclusion criteria with newly received reference analyte data. Fail-safe mechanisms are provided based on clinical acceptability of reference and analyte data and quality of sensor calibration. Algorithms provide for optimized prospective and retrospective analysis of estimated blood analyte data from an analyte sensor.
US08332007B2
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for measuring and mapping oxygen tension in a tissue and, in particular, permit direct non-invasive measurement of retinal tissue oxygen tension. In one aspect, the invention is directed to methods for determining oxygen tension in a target tissue sensitized with an oxygen sensitive probe by imaging the target tissue. In one embodiment, the invention provides a noninvasive method for monitoring oxygen tension in a chorioretinal tissue sensitized with an oxygen sensitive probe. In another aspect, apparatus is disclosed that can determine oxygen tension in tissue by quantifying a signal emitted by an oxygen sensitive probe within the three-dimensional map of a tissue to determine oxygen tension and provide a three-dimensional map of oxygen tension variations.
US08332000B2
A handheld electronic device having a slide-and-twist mechanism for changing between multiple device positions is provided. A slide-and-twist style form factor allows the device configuration and/or exposed input devices to be changed by the device user. The different device positions may support different operational modes or uses of the device by exposing different input devices. In accordance with one embodiment, there is provided a handheld electronic device, comprising: a first body having a first face and a second face; a second body having a first face and a second face, the first and second input devices being located on the first face of the second body; the first body being connected to the second body for sliding movement between a closed position and a first open position, wherein in the closed position the first body covers at least a portion of the second body, and wherein in the first open position the first input device is exposed on the first face of the second body; and wherein the second body is rotatable relative to the first body between the first open position and a second open position, wherein in the second open position the second input device is exposed on the first face of the second body.
US08331997B2
A rotating mechanism comprises a retaining plate having a cut-out defined therethrough, the cut-out is curved; a rotating plate being capable of rotating in a plane parallel to the plane of the retaining plate by a shaft extending through the retaining plate and the rotating plate; a pin rotatably affixed to the rotating plate and slidably engaging with the cut-out to guide rotating movement of the rotating plate when the rotating plate rotates around the shaft in a plane parallel to the plane of the retaining plate.
US08331992B2
A mobile communication device receives current information while the mobile communication device is in one of a sleep state or a locked state, and associates one or more portions of the current information with one or more corresponding windows. The mobile communication device also displays, via a display associated with the mobile communication device, the one or more corresponding windows and the one or more associated portions of the current information while the mobile communication device is in the locked state. The mobile communication device further enables a user associated with the mobile communication device to manipulate the one or more displayed corresponding windows while the mobile communication device is in the locked state.
US08331974B1
What is disclosed is a system and method of operating a wireless communication device, which includes transferring user communications over a first wireless link to a first wireless access node, receiving a first control signal from the first wireless access node and a receiving a second control signal from a second wireless access node, where the first control signal indicates a first power request for the user communications over the first wireless link of the wireless communication device and the second control signal indicates a second power request for the user communications over the first wireless link of the wireless communication device. The system and method also includes determining an estimated contribution of the user communications over the first wireless link to a noise level at the second wireless access node and denying the second control signal from the second wireless access node if the estimated contribution is below a threshold level.
US08331955B2
A wireless location system is configured to operate in a CDMA-based wireless communication network. In exemplary embodiments, location measuring units (LMUs) can synchronize to sectors of base stations and store sector timing information. In response to a request to geo-locate a mobile device communicating with a sector, sector timing information for the servicing sector is sent to other LMUs and the LMUs can use the sector timing information to detect uplink signals transmitted by the mobile device. The location of the mobile device can then be estimated based on time of arrival measurements made by the LMUs.
US08331954B2
A system and method for a network analysis system operating in a wireless communication system with repeaters is disclosed. Embodiments of the system and method enable the network analysis system to determine if signals being received by the network receivers arrive directly from a target mobile appliance or if the signals are passing through a repeater. The repeaters, through an augmentation, measure attributes of a received signal and based on these attributes the system determine whether the signal is served by a repeater or other network device.
US08331944B2
A mobile communication method includes the following steps: several first base stations and at least one second base station are provided. Wherein, each of the first base stations can cover a smaller area than the second base station can. A registration signal is received from a mobile communication device. If the registration signal is received through one of the first base stations, service is provided to the mobile communication device through the first base station receiving the registration signal, and a first base station list, which includes information of the first base stations, is transmitted to the mobile communication device. The mobile communication device measures signal strength of the first base stations according to the first base station list. The mobile communication device transmits another registration signal to the first base station with the strongest measured signal strength.
US08331942B2
It is an object of the present invention to perform a soft handover control in which an error rate is low in the Enhanced Uplink. A mobile communication control method according to the present invention includes the steps of: performing a change control for a transmission rate of uplink data to be transmitted from a mobile station UE to a first base station Node-B #1, while the first base station Node-B #1 and the mobile station UE are communicating with each other; determining that the mobile station UE is to perform soft handover between the first base station Node-B #1 and a second base station Node-B #2; instructing the first base station Node-B #1 and the mobile station UE to stop the change control for the transmission rate of the uplink data; and instructing the mobile station UE and the second base station Node-B #2 to start the soft handover.
US08331938B2
A device determines a user equipment, associated with the device, to move to a target device provided in a pool of other devices, where the user equipment has an ongoing session. The device also moves the user equipment to the target device, via a handover procedure and without interrupting the ongoing session, when the user equipment cannot be moved to the target device via direct signaling to the user equipment. The device further moves the user equipment to the target device, via direct signaling to the user equipment and without interrupting the ongoing session, when the user equipment can be moved to the target device via direct signaling to the user equipment.
US08331934B1
Various embodiments are described to assist in reducing handoff delays and the blackout period(s) associated with inter AN (access network) hard handoffs. The hard handoff procedure of method disclosed herein establishes or initiates a connection (A10-type connection) between a target AN and a packet data serving node (PDSN), unlike known hard handoff approaches that wait until traffic channel assignment to establish or initiate such connection. The PDSN may optionally bicast data packets to both the source and target ANs since each is communicatively coupled to the PDSN during a given time period. In the event bicasting is unavailable or unused, a communication tunnel between the source and target ANs may be created and used to transmit data packets between them.
US08331931B2
A method and system for registering wireless devices with a base unit that is configured to communicate wirelessly with multiple wireless devices. In one example, the wireless devices are cordless handsets of cordless telephone systems. When placed in a charging cradle, an unregistered handset displays a message indicating that the handset should be registered. A user provides local input to the base unit to activate a registration sequence. A three-way handshake is initiated at the base station, wherein a sequence of three wireless messages are passed between the base and unregistered handset. The handset displays a message indicating successful registration.
US08331927B2
A method and a device for supporting a call service are provided. In the process of performing communication with another mobile communication terminal, a network identification number is detected from SID information received from a base station, a service provider of the other mobile communication terminal is determined based on the detected network identification number, and a subscriber information module that can use a communication service based on the determined service provider is recommended in the case of communicating with the other mobile communication terminal.
US08331926B2
A method of communicating data between a vehicle and a ground system is described. The method includes initiating a connection between a plurality of clients on a vehicle and a ground system, and communicating, in parallel, data between the plurality of clients and the ground system.
US08331920B2
A system to provide a supplementary service control menu includes an information collection unit to collect state information associated with a supplementary service; a level determination unit to determine a level of the supplementary service using the state information; a menu building unit to generate an identifier (ID) of the supplementary service and to build the supplementary service control menu; and a menu display unit to display the built supplementary service control menu including the supplementary service having an effect associated with the level on a screen. A method for providing the supplementary service control menu includes collecting state information associated with a supplementary service; determining a level of the supplementary service; generating an ID of the supplementary service; building the supplementary service control menu including the generated ID; and displaying the supplementary service control menu including the supplementary service having an effect associated with the level.
US08331916B2
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, are described for selecting an image of a caller associated with an incoming call. In one aspect, a method includes identifying a caller associated with an incoming call from an originating telecommunications device. The method also includes locating plurality images of the identified caller, and randomly displaying on the mobile telecommunications device's display screen one or more images from among the located plurality images of the identified caller.
US08331913B2
There is provided a method, in a communications network, of obtaining a set of subscriber information for a subscriber. The method comprises receiving a request to obtain a set of subscriber information for a subscriber, obtaining a generic set of subscriber information, and deriving, from the generic set of subscriber information, a set of subscriber information for the subscriber.
US08331907B2
A system that integrates Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) wireless local area network (WLAN) services is provided. The system couples among components of a communications service provider and a provider of WiFi services to provide integrated cellular communications and wireless fidelity network services to users of mobile devices. The system monitors communications between the service provider and the mobile devices and automatically gathers identification information of the mobile devices. Upon authentication of the mobile devices via an exchange of information among the service provider infrastructures and the mobile devices, the system controls access of the mobile communication devices to WiFi services via the service provider infrastructure using the identification information.
US08331897B2
A communication channel has a highly linear switched current mixer that incorporates passive filtering (e.g., low pass, notch) for improved transmitting (Tx) and receiving (Rx) with adding external filtering components. A high IIP2 (input referenced second order intercept point) of the receiver at the Tx offset is essential to avoid corrupting the system's sensitivity performance, and a high triple beat (TB) is required to avoid sensitivity degradation due to transmitter leakage. Thanks to the embedded filtering in the mixer and the active post-distortion (APD) method in a low noise amplifier (LNA), the required high linearity is achieved with low noise figure and power consumption, overcoming transmitter power leakage without the use of a SAW (surface acoustic wave) filter.
US08331882B1
A relationship is established between measurable characteristics of the DC power input to a power amplifier and the RF output power level. A power circuit is configured to measure the input supply current to the power amplifier and to utilize the relationship between the input supply current and the applied input supply voltage to the output power level, thereby normalizing the output power of an amplified communication signal.
US08331881B2
Embodiments enable a multi-band transmitter with significantly reduced architecture area by allowing maximum reuse of transmitter stages across supported frequency bands and signal standards. Further, embodiments allow a monolithic transmitter implementation by providing an integration-friendly differential to single-ended conversion stage. According to embodiments, the differential to single-ended conversion stage is readily configurable according to the frequency band and signal standard of operation of the transmitter.
US08331875B2
An amplifier includes first and second amplifier circuits. The first amplifier circuit amplifies positive-phase input signal to obtain a first positive-phase signal and amplifies negative-phase input signal to obtain a first negative-phase signal. The second amplifier circuit includes first and second amplifier units. The first amplifier unit amplifies positive-phase input signal to obtain a second positive-phase signal and amplifies negative-phase input signal to obtain a second negative-phase signal. The second amplifier unit amplifies positive-phase input signal to obtain a third positive-phase signal and amplifies negative-phase input signal to obtain a third negative-phase signal. The positive-phase output signal is sum of first and second positive-phase signals while the negative-phase output signal is sum of first and second negative-phase signals. Or the positive-phase output signal is sum of first positive-phase signal and third negative-phase signal while the negative-phase output signal is sum of first negative-phase signal and third positive-phase signal.
US08331874B2
A magnetic field tolerant amplifier having an amplifier stage, a differential to single-ended output amplifier stage and a first and second delay line. In another embodiment the invention relates to a magnetic gradient cancellation delay line including two coils connected in series at a junction and non-inductively wound to cancel induced currents from magnetic gradient. In another embodiment the invention relates to a patient lead including a flexible circuit substrate having a flexible conductor having distributed impedance. In still yet another embodiment the invention relates to a wireless transceiver system including an RF cancellation delay line; a differential amplifier stage; a differential to single ended output amplifier stage; an A/D converter; an RF transceiver and an antenna.
US08331870B2
A method for identifying noise sources for automation devices (1, 2) which have a multiplicity of input/output modules (2a, 2b, . . . 2n) which are coupled to one another by means of a data bus (3, 5) and at least one of which is set up as a radio input/output module (6) for radio data communication, wherein the at least one radio input/output module (6) repeatedly checks the availability of transmission channels for radio data transmission on a continual basis and stores the availability of a sequence of transmission channels in a channel list (CL), has the following steps: the availability of channels which is currently stored in the channel lists (CL) of the at least one radio input/output module (6) being read, the availability of the sequence of channels being compared with a number of noise source channel patterns (CP) which are stored for a number of different noise sources, and a noise source being identified if the channel pattern (CL) defined by the availability of the sequence of channels has a prescribed minimum similarity with one of the stored noise source channel patterns (CP).
US08331866B2
The present invention relates to evaluating a real-time service performance in a wireless telecommunications system. According to the invention real-time transmission packet arrival times and number of lost real-time transmission packets of the received data in a terminal equipment are measured. The charging information is modified in the billing system in response to the assessed quality of the real time service.
US08331865B2
A method for minimizing undesired signal coupling from digital interface between peripherals is presented. The method includes transmitting over the interface first and second signals having a parameter ζk set by a dynamic sequencer respectively to a first and second value α1 and α2, receiving the first and second signal and generating a first and second interference metric respectively for the first and second signal. The first and second interference metrics are correlated to generate a final parameter value αf, and a transmitter is then configured to transmit a third signal over the interface with the final parameter value αf.
US08331859B2
A communication apparatus includes: a communication circuit section that processes a high-frequency signal for transferring data; a transfer path for the signal connected to the circuit section; a ground; a coupling electrode supported opposite and away in height from the ground; a resonance section that increases a current flowing into the electrode via the path; and a main body housing that assumes a plurality of placement postures and houses the respective components, one end surface of the housing serving as a reading surface in which the electrode is disposed offset from a center of the reading surface. An infinitesimal dipole is formed from a line segment connecting between a center of a charge in the electrode and a center of an image charge in the ground. The signal is transferred toward a communication partner disposed oppositely to form an angle of substantially 0 degrees with a direction of the dipole.
US08331858B2
A communication apparatus of the present invention includes a transmission/reception coupler for performing a close-range one-to-one communication with a device of a communication counterpart by electric field coupling or magnetic field coupling; an intermittent operation unit for performing intermittent operation with a predetermined pause period provided when performing the communication with the device of the communication counterpart; and an intermittent operation cancel request unit for outputting a cancel request of canceling the intermittent operation of the device of the communication counterpart when transmitting a data frame to the device of the communication counterpart and a response with respect to the data frame is not received from the communication counterpart.
US08331857B2
A Phase-Change Memory (PCM) coupled to receive power provided by near-field coupling to operate the PCM and receive factory programming data entered through the antenna for storage in the PCM.
US08331854B2
An ultrawideband radio transceiver/repeater provides a low cost infrastructure solution that merges wireless and wired network devices while providing connection to the plant, flexible repeater capabilities, network security, traffic monitoring and provisioning, and traffic flow control for wired and wireless connectivity of devices or networks. The ultrawidebande radio transceiver/repeater can be implemented in discrete, integrated, distributed or embedded forms.
US08331845B2
An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming apparatus main body; a cover provided openably/closably with respect to the image forming apparatus main body; a conveyance passage, formed in the image forming apparatus main body, on which a recording medium is conveyed; a detection device that detects movement of the recording medium conveyed on the conveyance passage; a first recording medium guide member provided oppositely to the moving member and fixed when the cover is closed; and a second recording medium guide member, provided on a downstream side of and following the first recording medium guide member in a recording medium conveyance direction, that movably guides the conveyed recording medium.
US08331839B2
A gloss applicator, disposed downstream from a fusing device for fusing a non-fused image on a recording medium, includes a pair of pressure units, an endless belt, and a belt suction unit. The pair of pressure units define a gloss nip therebetween through which the recording medium is passed to enhance glossiness of the fused image. The endless belt, disposed in one of the pressure units in an extended loop configuration, transports the recording medium thereon. An outer face of the endless belt can contact the fused image on the recording medium. The belt suction unit, disposed inside the endless belt loop, exerts suction on the endless belt to locally deform a given portion of the endless belt and separate the recording medium from the endless belt at the given portion as a separation position.
US08331838B2
An image forming apparatus is provided. The image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit to thermally fix an image transferred onto a sheet, a discharge unit to discharge the sheet carried from the fixing unit outside the image forming apparatus through a discharge path, a swingable member to be swung by the sheet being discharged, a swing-detectable sensor to detect swing movement of the swingable member being swung by the sheet, and a judging unit to judge as to whether the sheet is in one-sided alignment, in which the sheet is aligned to one of the widthwise sides in the discharge path based on result detected by the swing-detectable sensor.
US08331834B2
A developing unit includable in a process cartridge and in an image forming apparatus includes a developer bearing member including a magnetic field generator and a nonmagnetic hollow member, a developer container, an agitation/conveyance member, and a developer regulating member. The magnetic field generator has first and second magnetic poles to generate respective magnetic forces for removing the developer from the developer bearing member after the developer passes the development region. A developer-releasing region releases the developer from the developer bearing member using a release force. The developer is disposed higher than a surface of the developer in the developer storing chamber. A component of a magnetic flux density of the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generator in a direction normal to the developer-releasing region is directed to a same direction as the first and second magnetic poles across the developer-releasing region without forming a local maximum point.
US08331830B2
According to an aspect of the invention, a powder transporting unit include: a first powder transporting cylindrical member in which a powder reception port for receiving a powder from a powder storage container storing the powder is opened in an upper portion of the first powder transporting cylindrical member; a second powder transporting cylindrical member whose inner diameter is formed to be larger than an inner diameter of the first powder transporting cylindrical member and in which a powder discharge port for discharging the powder; a link member which is made from an elastic material and which displaceably couples the first powder transporting cylindrical member and the second powder transporting cylindrical member with each other; and a powder transporting member which is rotatably disposed inside the first powder transporting cylindrical member and the second powder transporting cylindrical member and which transports the powder.
US08331826B2
In an image forming apparatus, a cover opening/closing structure includes a first cover and a second cover which are rotatably attached to a main body. A rotation locus of an end part of the second cover interferes with a rotation locus of an end part of the first cover. At least one of the first cover and the second cover includes an operating surface which, when the second cover is rotated from a closed position toward an open position in a half-opened state of the first cover in which the end part of the first cover interferes with the rotation locus of the end part of the second cover, receives a pressing force in a direction causing the first cover to become either one of an open position and a closed position by the end part of the first cover contacting the end part of the second cover.
US08331824B2
Disclosed are a heating member having a resistive heating layer and a fusing device using the heating member. The heating member includes the resistive heating layer on an outer circumferential surface of a load support member. Electricity is supplied to an inner circumferential surface and an outer circumferential surface of the resistive heating layer in a direction perpendicular to the resistive heating layer.
US08331814B2
The present invention provides an image forming apparatus which includes a rotatable photosensitive member, a charging device which charges the photosensitive member, an applying unit which applies an alternating current voltage to the charging device, a processing portion which extracts a discharge current component by removing an alternating current component corresponding to the alternating current voltage from a current flowing between the photosensitive member and the charging device, and a control unit which controls a peak-to-peak value of the alternating current voltage based on the discharge current component extracted by the processing portion.
US08331808B2
A control apparatus which makes it possible to realize a configuration for processing a plurality of print jobs efficiently without waste while meeting needs for performing a glossing process on prints. When a sheet printed in a first process is fed from a sheet feeder, the printing apparatus executes a second printing process for processing the fed sheet. When an interrupting factor occurs during execution of the second printing process to cause interruption of the processing, the interrupted processing is resumed on condition that the interrupting factor is removed. A resuming method of resuming the processing is determined based on contents of the processing in the second process.
US08331802B2
In a synchronous circuit, a synchronizing signal generator combines either an optical BPSK signal or local oscillation light with a phase-shifted signal to produce different optical signals, one of which for use in producing a signal demodulated from the BPSK signal is square-law detected, and calculates the optical signal detected to convert the signal into an electric signal. The generator produces an electric phase-locking signal which will be a demodulated signal from the BPSK signal on the basis of the electric signal. The phase-locking signal is used as a modulating signal by an intensity-modulating circuit to modulate an incident continuous light into an optical intensity-modulated signal, which is optoelectrically converted and square-law detected by an optoelectric converter. The converted signal is used by an optical VCO circuit as a phase error signal to adjust the phase or frequency of the local oscillation light, which is supplied to the signal generator.
US08331794B2
A method for connecting an AC powered device, which has an optical receiver, with a control circuit, which has an optical transmitter, using at least on optical medium cable includes the steps of terminating the cable at both of its ends, introducing the processed cable between the receiver and transmitter, attaching and securing one end of the processed cable to the transmitter and the other end of the processed cable to the receiver, and propagating a one way optical signal including control commands from the control circuit to the powered device.
US08331793B2
An optical transmission apparatus including a transmitting OTL processor to rearrange a data string stored in a frame into a plurality of logical lanes, and set a lane ID used to identify in which logical lane a beginning of the data string is arranged among the plurality of logical lanes in a non-scramble area in an overhead of the frame, and a receiving OTL processor to respectively identify the lane IDs included in the data string in the respective physical lanes rearranged, determine a generation state of a bit inversion and a lane replacement for each physical lane, compensate the bit inversion and the lane replacement so that the data string in the respective physical lanes becomes same state as the data string in the respective logical lanes, based on the identified result, and rearrange the compensated data string in the respective logical lanes so as to regenerate the frame.
US08331788B2
According to one general aspect, a method may include receiving, from an optical transmitter, an optical signal that includes information. In some embodiments, the method may include encapsulating at least a portion of the received information into an Ethernet packet. In various embodiments, the method may include associating a control word with the Ethernet packet. In such an embodiment, the control word may include a status portion that indicates a status of at least a portion of the network including the networking apparatus, and an ordinal number configured to facilitate the re-construction of the information included by the optical signal. In various embodiments, the method may include transmitting the Ethernet packet to a networking apparatus.
US08331787B2
Even during a protection period in which a state transition is not caused from an ALC state to an ALD state, when an output light level that is inputted is below a threshold for ALC transition read from a memory, a processor causes a transition by switching an internal state from an ALC state to an ALD state. Then, an ALD operation is started, outputting a control voltage to a VAT control unit so as to achieve a predetermined fixed attenuation amount.
US08331785B2
An optical pulse time spreading apparatus wherein an optical splitter divides an input optical pulse into first to U-th input optical pulses; first to U-th optical pulse time spreaders respectively have the first to U-th input optical pulses input thereto and output first to U-th chip pulse sequences each consisting of N chip pulses from a first to an N-th chip pulse arranged in order on a time axis into which the input optical pulse is time-spread; and an interval between adjacent ones of unit FBGs arranged in a p-th optical pulse time spreader and a Bragg reflection wavelength of the unit FBGs in the p-th optical pulse time spreader are set such that spectra of the first to U-th chip pulse sequences are different from each other.
US08331779B2
An OADM in a wavelength division multiplexing transmission system includes a wavelength selection switch that selects a predetermined wavelength from a multiple optical signal obtained by multiplexing a phase modulated signal and an intensity modulated signal and outputs the selected wavelength signal to a predetermined output port. The wavelength selection switch has a different delay for each wavelength of the multiple optical signal. For example, the wavelength selection switch includes a mirror array. Optical paths from the surfaces of mirrors arranged on the mirror array to the diffraction grating are different in the case of adjacent mirrors.
US08331767B2
Computer-based methods for time-based media composition of programs that include secondary material. The methods involve searching for secondary media available from secondary material providers over a wide-area network, selecting secondary material, receiving metadata pertaining to the selected secondary material, inserting a representation of the selected secondary media into a media composition, playing back a sequence of the media composition that includes the secondary media, wherein playback of the secondary media involves playing an evaluation version of the secondary media streamed to a media composition system over the wide area network, and displaying metadata pertaining to the selected secondary material. The media composition system facilitates purchasing and transfer, and re-linking of the secondary media for inclusion within the media composition. In-context previewing of secondary media facilitates selection of the optimal secondary material, accelerated workflows, and improved media cost control.
US08331766B2
An image supply apparatus that transmits data to an image display apparatus includes: a control section; and a storage section that stores video files, wherein the control section includes the functions of receiving specification information indicating video reproduction performance of the image display apparatus, accepting selection of a video file to be transmitted to the image display apparatus from the storage section, acquiring attribute information indicating an environment necessary for reproducing a video from the selected video file, comparing the specification information and the attribute information to determine whether or not the image display apparatus can reproduce the video file, outputting a warning when it is determined that the image display apparatus cannot reproduce the video file, transmitting data of the video file to the image display apparatus when it is determined that the image display apparatus can reproduce the video file.
US08331765B2
A method and apparatus for protecting against copying high definition (HD) contents transmitted in a wireless HD (WiHD) network by using a WiHD source or sink device, the method including: determining a type of copy protection of contents transmitted in the WiHD network; calculating accumulatively a number of media access control (MAC) sub-packets as a input counter information, wherein the MAC sub packets constitute a MAC payload including the contents; packetizing the type of copy protection and the input counter information into a MAC packet; and transmitting the MAC packet to a WiHD sink device.
US08331759B2
An audio and/or video generation apparatus configured to generate audio and/or video signals representative of an audio and/or video source, the audio and/or video generation apparatus comprising a recording unit configured to record the audio and/or video signals on a recording medium, wherein the audio and/or video generation apparatus is arranged to receive metadata associated with the audio and/or video signals generated by a data processor, the recording unit configured to record the metadata on the recording medium with the audio and/or video signals. The data processor may be arranged to receive signals representative of the time codes of the recorded audio/video signals, and the metadata may include time code data representative of the in and out points of a take of the audio/video signals generated by the data processor. The metadata may also include unique identification code for identifying the audio/video signals. The unique identification code may be a UMID or the like.
US08331757B2
Disclosed herein is a time code processing apparatus including a time code reading section configured to read each of the first time code values; a phase detection section configured to detect a phase in a sequence of the pulldown process; and a time code generation section configured to use the first time code value as the second time code value when both the phase detected by the phase detection section and the first time code value obtained by the time code reading section have changed, and generate the second time code value while performing an interpolation based on the first time code value when at least one of the phase detected by the phase detection section and the first time code value obtained by the time code reading section has not changed.
US08331754B2
A fiber optic strain relief device is provided. The device has a base that attaches to a piece of equipment and/or hardware. A length of strap positions in the base and forms a loop. The loop is adapted to at least partially encircle a portion of a cable positioned at the base. A strap tightener incrementally shortens the length of the strap, reducing the loop and tightening the strap around the cable. The strap tightener may be a ratchet assembly comprising an actuator, a ratchet cap, a pin, a ratchet lock and a release. The length of strap inserts into a slot in the pin. The ratchet assembly operates to tighten the length of strap encircling the portion of the cable by incrementally rotating the pin. The release allows the strap to be loosened around the fiber optic cable.
US08331748B2
Armored fiber optic assemblies and methods are disclosed that include a dielectric armor and at least one bend-resistant multimode optical fiber. The dielectric armor has an armor profile, thereby resembling conventional metal armored cable to the craft. The dielectric armor provides additional crush and impact resistance and the like for the optical fibers and/or fiber optic assembly therein. The dielectric armor is advantageous to the craft since it provides the desired mechanical performance without requiring the time and expense of grounding like conventional metal armored cables. Additionally, the armored fiber optic assemblies can have any suitable flame and/or smoke rating for meeting the requirements of the intended space. The use of at least one bend-resistant multimode optical fiber allows for improved bend performance for the armored fiber optic assemblies, allowing for tighter cable routing as compared to armored fiber optic assemblies having conventional multimode optical fiber.
US08331747B1
An electrical cable may be provided. The electrical cable may comprise a conductor and a fiber optic member. The fiber optic member may comprise an optical fiber and a sheath surrounding the optical fiber. The sheath may be configured to not damage the optical fiber when the electrical cable is bent.
US08331744B2
The optical switch is capable of supervising the performance of optical switching in standby channels, and includes: a collimator unit; an optical splitter; a light-gathering unit; and a rotatable mirror. The optical switch further includes: a mirror angle controlling unit which controls a reflection face angle of the rotatable mirror for each wavelength to switch ON/OFF of the light beam coupling to the optical output port for each wavelength reflected, and determines an optical output port position outputting light beams of the reflected wavelengths; and a monitor unit, installed on a return path of a light beam, which monitors a light beam whose optical coupling is made OFF.
US08331738B2
What is disclosed is a novel system and method for reducing a size of a memory buffer used by an electronic registration correction system performing an electronic registration correction on a digital image. The present method uses column address segmentation to identify blocks of scanlines within a spatially mapped array of image pixels comprising a digital image. Advantageously, the present system and method reduces scanline buffer memory by a factor of 2n-1, where n is the number of column address segments. Buffering can be performed at almost any upstream location in the image path. The present method is well suited for high resolution imaging equipment where memory is constrained by design, cost, or space limitations.
US08331736B2
An image processing device is provided which generates an easily reusable electronic document from an input image in which different page sizes are mixed.The image processing device generates a plurality of pieces of display information from a plurality of document images, and, depending on the size and the direction of each of the images, converts the pieces of display information into electronic documents. That is, the plurality of pieces of display information are divided into a plurality of groups, depending on the size and the direction of each of the images, and the display information included in each of the groups is converted into a separate electronic document. Further, sequence information based on the input order of the plurality of document images is stored on an electronic document.
US08331735B2
Provided are an image display apparatus and method which enables a user to quickly and easily obtain information related to an image currently being reproduced. The image display apparatus includes: a setting module setting a plurality of sub regions into which a predetermined image frame of an image being played back are divided according to color; and a mapping module mapping one or more thumbnail images of one or more relevant contents related to the image to one or more sub regions selected from the sub regions.
US08331733B2
According to various embodiments, a method is provided for improving data and a system is provided that is configured to perform the method. The method can comprise processing a data signal by using an optical system comprising a signal processor. The method can comprise collecting data generated by the optical system, wherein the data comprises non-uniformly sampled data. The method can comprise performing an interpolation operation on the non-uniformly sampled data using the signal processor, to generate interpolated data. Further, the method can comprise adjusting the data with the interpolated data using the signal processor, to generate improved data. The improved data can be output to a user, for example, by displaying the improved data on a display unit, or by printing out the improved data. According to various embodiments, the data can comprise any desired data, for example, image data. The method can comprise improving the image resolution, improving the image brightness, improving the image contrast, and/or improving the image focus.
US08331727B2
The method optimizes the process of making mosaics, in terms of the quality and similarity of the image that is produced, making it possible to work manually, semi-automatically or fully automatically with optimum results. This is achieved by analyzing each of the pieces that make up the tesserae according to a large number of parameters, including the existence of marks and their position in the pieces, and assigning a storage location to each of them. Computer software is used to divide the image to be depicted into graphic units, the characteristics of which are also analyzed, comparing them with the available pieces and assigning the most similar piece thereto according to the available pieces and within a tolerance range. The final appearance of the mosaic is then displayed, it being possible to make changes to the assignation of pieces manually if necessary. Said software then assigns the exact position of each piece in the mosaic to be formed, based on the storage position of said pieces. The pieces are then glued in place by any conventional means.
US08331726B2
A method, system and computer program product are disclosed for creating an image from a device. In one embodiment, the method comprises acquiring first and second images from the device, said first and second images having overlapping portions, and estimating said overlapping portions to obtain an approximate shift amount to align approximately said first and second images. This method further comprises analyzing the overlapping portions, using a defined cross-correlation algorithm, to calculate a precise shift amount to align the first and second images; and using said precise shift amount to join the first and second images together. In one embodiment, an optical system is used to acquire the images, a stage is used to move either the device or the optical system to acquire the first and second images, and the estimating includes using movement of the stage to estimate the overlapping areas.
US08331714B2
Aspects of the present invention are related to systems and methods for image processing, in particular, de-noising and de-blurring.
US08331711B2
The present invention relates to an image enhancement unit and a method of enhancing a first structure (S1) of samples into a second structure (S2) of samples, the first and the second structure both representing a first property of a scene and having a first resolution, based on a third structure (S3) of samples representing a second property and having the first resolution, the first property and the second property respectively representing different properties of substantially the same scene. The method comprising generating a fourth structure (S4) of samples representing the first property, the fourth structure (S4) of samples having a second resolution lower than the first resolution, by down-scaling first samples of the first structure (S1) of samples to form the samples of the fourth structure (S4) of samples. The method further comprising up-scaling the fourth structure (S4) of samples representing the first property, into the second structure (S2) based on the third structure (S3) of samples, the up-scaling comprising assigning weight factors to respective samples of the fourth structure (S4) of samples based on samples of the third structure (S3) of samples; and computing samples of the second structure (S2) of samples using the samples of the fourth structure (S4) of samples and their respectively assigned weight factors. The invention further relates to an image-processing unit comprising an image enhancement unit according to the invention as well as to a computer program product.
US08331710B2
An image processing method includes determining whether an image is corrupted, extracting class taps used for classification of a pixel to be generated, performing classification of the pixel to be generated by using the class taps, extracting prediction taps used for prediction of the pixel to be generated, and generating an image by predictively calculating a pixel value of the pixel to be generated by using the prediction taps and prediction coefficients for the class of the pixel among a first prediction coefficient set if the subject pixel is determined as a pixel representing a corrupted image, and by predictively calculating a pixel value of the pixel to be generated by using the prediction taps and prediction coefficients for the class of the pixel to be generated among a second prediction coefficient set if the subject pixel is determined as a pixel representing an uncorrupted image.
US08331700B2
An image processing apparatus includes an input processing unit which generates image data and attribute data indicating an attribute of each pixel of the image data from inputted data, a first data compression unit which compresses the image data generated by the input processing unit, a second compression unit as a lossy data compression unit to compress the attribute data generated by the input processing unit, a first expansion unit which expands the image data compressed by the first data compression unit, a second expansion unit which expands the attribute data compressed by the second data compression unit, and an output image processing unit which processes the image data expanded by the first expansion unit with a process condition for the attribute data expanded by the second expansion unit to output the image data expanded by the first expansion unit as image data with predetermined data characteristics.
US08331698B2
Frontal face images are classified into four categories such as Asian, Caucasian, African and others. A new representation of face appearance, named BITF (Block Intensity and Texture Feature), is employed as the discrimination feature. An ensemble of three component classifiers, each trained with a different number of BITF features as inputs, is designed to achieve a reliable classification. Further reliability is obtained by taking into consideration other secondary features to boost the classification performance.
US08331695B1
A method of updating parameters for pixels associated with a background estimation portion of a video frame is disclosed. The method comprises receiving a group of pixels of an incoming data stream associated with the video frame, each pixel of the group of pixels being characterized by a plurality of parameters; comparing, for each pixel of the group of pixels, the plurality of parameters for a pixel with the plurality of parameters for adjacent pixels; determining, for each pixel of the group of pixels, whether the parameters are similar to the parameters of an adjacent pixel; identifying a region of the group of pixels having similar parameters; and updating parameters for all pixels associated with the region with a single set of parameters.
US08331692B2
An image processing system includes: an image reception unit that receives an image including an additional entry portion; an additional entry portion extracting unit that extracts the additional entry portion from the image received by the image reception unit; a concealment area specifying unit that specifies an area to be concealed in the image based on the additional entry portion extracted by the additional entry portion extracting unit; a concealment reason specifying unit that specifies a concealment reason based on one of operation information related to an operation for the image and a feature of the additional entry portion extracted by the additional entry portion extracting unit; an image concealment unit that conceals the area specified by the concealment area specifying unit in the image; and an image addition unit that adds concealment reason information related to the concealment reason specified by the conceal reason specifying unit to the image.
US08331690B2
A method is provided for creating a panorama. The method includes photographing a plurality of images having same backgrounds and different forms of a subject, determining a size and a position of a reference region for creating a panorama using the images, extracting a target region within the reference region from each of the images, detecting same portions in adjacent target regions, and creating a panorama by combining the adjacent target regions on the basis of the same portions.
US08331685B2
Some embodiments provide a method that provides a display area for displaying an image that includes several of edges. The method provides a border drawing tool that in response to cursor movement across the image displays a search window about the cursor. The search window specifies a region to be searched to identify edges for use in defining a border for the image. In some embodiments, the size of the search window varies based on the speed of the cursor. The search window is a square box in some embodiments and a circle in other embodiments. The search window is centered at the cursor in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the display area is also for displaying the defined border over the image.
US08331684B2
An apparatus and method for detecting “Object Portraits” (photographs or images with a stand-out object of interest or a set of stand-out objects of interest) is described. A set of tools has been developed for object of interest detection, including “Sunset-like” scene detection, pseudo-color saturation-based detection and object of interest isolation, block intensity based detection and object of interest isolation. By effectively integrating these tools together, the “Object Portrait” images and “Non-Object Portrait” images are successfully identified. Meaningful object of interest areas are thereby successfully isolated in a low complexity manner without human intervention.
US08331683B2
An image processing apparatus has an extraction unit configured to extract a thin line with a width of equal to or less than a predetermined value from rendering data, and an end point processing unit configured to displace, with respect to a portion that satisfies a predetermined condition in the thin line, at least one of end points of the portion within a predetermined range.
US08331676B2
An image processing apparatus includes: a correlation value computing section that computes a correlation value between pixels in a noted image and its preceding and following reference images; a break determining section that determines a break in identical images based on the correlation value between pixels; a successive occurrence counting section that cumulatively counts successive occurrences of identical images as a successive occurrence count, if the noted image is not determined as corresponding to a break; a pattern determining section that determines whether or not the successive occurrence count and a set count match, if the noted image is determined as corresponding to a break; a matching counting section that counts up a matching count if it is determined that the successive occurrence count and the set count match; and a pull-down pattern detecting section that detects a predetermined pull-down pattern if the matching count exceeds a predetermined count.
US08331664B2
A pixel block is compressed by providing a respective color component prediction for each pixel in the block. A difference between color components of two neighboring pixels is calculated and compared to a threshold. If the difference is smaller than the threshold, the prediction is calculated based on a first linear combination of the color components of these two neighboring pixels. However, if the difference exceeds the threshold, a second or third linear combination of the color components of the neighboring pixels is employed in the prediction. A guiding bit associated with the selected linear combination may be used. A prediction error is calculated based on the color component of the pixel and the provided prediction. The compressed block comprises an encoded representation of the prediction error and any guiding bit.
US08331659B2
A method and apparatus for reduced complexity video and image processing with special chroma handling are disclosed. Frame-type decisions are made on a video stream made up of a sequence of frames. A first subset of the frames are selected to be monochrome and generated without chroma data. A second subset of the frames are selected to be in color and generated with chroma components. In one embodiment, the first subset of frames includes odd frames and the second subset of frames includes even frames in the video stream. Under higher video frame rates, the lack of color in every other frame is not visible to the end viewer. Accordingly, subsequent processing of the output video stream permits luma-only processing of many frames in the video stream, extensively reducing the amount of computation.
US08331651B2
An apparatus and method for inspecting a defect of a circuit pattern formed on a semiconductor wafer includes a defect classifier have a comparison shape forming section for forming a plurality of comparison shapes corresponding to an SEM image of an inspection region by deforming the shape of the circuit pattern in accordance with a plurality of shape deformation rules using design data corresponding to the circuit pattern within the inspection region and a shape similar to the SEM image of the inspection region out of the plurality of comparison shapes formed and selected as the comparison shape, and a shape comparing and classifying section for classifying the SEM image using information of the comparison shape selected in the comparison shape forming section and the inspection shape of the circuit pattern of the SEM image of the inspection region.
US08331643B2
A currency processing device for receiving a stack of U.S. currency bills and rapidly processing all the bills in the stack, the device comprising: an input receptacle adapted to receive a stack of U.S. currency bills of a plurality of denominations, the currency bills having a wide dimension and a narrow dimension; a transport mechanism positioned to transport the bills, one at a time, in a transport direction from the input receptacle along a transport path at a rate of at least about 1000 bills per minute with the narrow dimension of the bills parallel to the transport direction; a currency bill sensor arrangement positioned along the transport path, the currency bill sensor comprising: i) a multi-wavelength light source configured to emit a first wavelength of light and a second wavelength of light; ii) a cylindrical lens positioned to receive the first and second wavelengths of light from the multi-wavelength light source, the cylindrical lens illuminating an elongated strip of light on a surface of one of the plurality of currency bills, the cylindrical lens being configured to receive light reflected from the surface of the one of the plurality of currency bills; iii) a photodetector positioned to receive the reflected light, the photodetector generating an electrical signal in response to the received reflected light; iv) a processor configured to receive the electrical signal generated by the photodetector; wherein, the processor is configured to determine whether the surface of the one of the plurality of currency bills is a primary surface or a secondary surface based on the electrical signal.
US08331641B2
Described herein is a method and system for facilitating automatic classification of regions-of-interest (ROIs). Contrast enhanced image data may be received (202) and processed to generate at least one texture value of at least one ROI in the image data (204). The ROI may be automatically classified as either a mass or a non-mass like enhancement (NMLE) based on the texture value (e.g., bumpiness) (208).
US08331628B2
Methods and system for providing vision assistance using a portable telephone with a built-in camera. In some embodiments, the system identifies the value of a bank note by determining the average number of transitions between black and white in each vertical line of pixels corresponding to a numeric digit. In other embodiments, the system captures an image and identifies an object in the image by comparing the value of each pixel in the image to a threshold intensity and marking the pixels that exceed the threshold. The system then generates a plurality of candidate groups by grouping marked pixels that are within a predetermined distance from other marked pixels. The object is identified based on the relative position of each candidate group to other candidate groups.
US08331621B1
A toll violation enforcement system that contains a capture unit that receives a trigger signal and takes vehicle images of passing vehicles. A lighting unit configured to operate continuously is provided to establish a major lighting source incident on the vehicle. A processing unit is provided that processes the vehicle image and controls the settings employed by the capture unit. The processing unit preferably contains a plate location module for extracting an original resolution license plate area image from a first vehicle image; an exposure control module for controlling the exposure setting on the capture unit to provide consistent intensity of the license plate area; a resolution reset module for changing the image resolution for a second vehicle image; an image enhancement module for brightening pixels of the second vehicle image; and an image compression module for compressing the license plate area image and second vehicle image to a predetermined format.
US08331620B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for locating, classifying, and quantifying airborne contaminants. In one embodiment, the apparatus contains an air sampler, an imaging device, a processing module, and a user interface. The air sampler may contain at least one opening into which ambient air is flowable. The imaging device may produce images of the ambient air within an interior volume of the air sampler. The processing module may receive the images produced by the imaging device and may locate, classify, and quantify specific airborne contaminants, such as mold and pollen spores. Data concerning the airborne contaminants can be output to a user at a user interface.
US08331616B2
A face image processing apparatus selects feature points and feature for identifying a person through statistical learning. The apparatus includes input means for inputting a face image detected by arbitrary face detection means, face parts detection means for detecting the positions of face parts in several locations from the input face image, face pose estimation means for estimating face pose based on the detected positions of face parts, feature point position correcting means for correcting the position of each feature point used for identifying the person based on the result of estimation of face pose by the face pose estimation means, and face identifying means for identifying the person by calculating a feature of the input face image at each feature point after position correction is performed by the feature point position correcting means and checking the feature against a feature of a registered face.
US08331613B2
An image is processed to encode a digital watermark, with different regions thereof processed using different levels of watermark intensity. In an image comprised of elements of differing sizes (e.g., halftone shapes of different sizes, or lines of different width), the different regions can be defined by reference to the sizes of elements contained therein. Regions characterized by relatively small elements can be watermarked at a relatively low intensity. Regions characterized by relatively large elements can be watermarked at a relatively high intensity. A variety of other features are also discussed.
US08331608B2
The invention is concerned with a hidden image product, an identification device which shows the hidden image information, an identification system, the produce method of the produce and the identification equipment, the identification equipment contains a single layer or multi-layer lens with the specified array micro-structure. The produce contains the array pixels with same-level array-distance corresponding with the identification equipment array micro-structure. The selected area of the array pixels and the identification equipment array micro-structure has the entirely or partly controlling phase excursion, shows the micro-structure or the hidden image in the pixel when the array of pixels of the product or the array of the identification equipment array micro-structure is superposition or spacedly squaring with distance. The invention overcomes the low anti-false precision and the inconvenience of the existing hidden image identification technique.
US08331607B2
A speaker includes an elongated diaphragm and a coupling member including forward and rearward segments, wherein at least two protrusions are provided at the rear side of the diaphragm along the major axis direction, the forward segment is engagingly disposed between the opposing end faces of two adjacent protrusions and also between the two portions of a rib of the diaphragm opposing each other in the minor axis direction, and wherein the outer circumferential surface of the voice coil bobbin is connected to the inner circumferential surface of the rearward segment, whereby the voice coil bobbin having a diameter larger than the dimension of the diaphragm measured along the minor axis direction can be successfully attached to the diaphragm. In the speaker described above, the diameter of the voice coil bobbin can be increased without decreasing the width of a surround thus enabling the withstanding of higher power input.
US08331606B2
A diaphragm includes a diaphragm matrix and at least one reinforcing structure composited with the diaphragm matrix. The at least one reinforcing structure includes at least one freestanding carbon nanotube structure. A loudspeaker includes a magnetic circuit defining a magnetic gap; a bobbin located in the magnetic gap; a voice coil wound on the bobbin; and a diaphragm. The diaphragm includes an inner rim fixed to the bobbin a diaphragm matrix, and at least one reinforcing structure composited with the diaphragm matrix. The at least one reinforcing structure includes at least one freestanding carbon nanotube structure.
US08331589B2
A MEMS microphone includes a cover, a housing engaging with the cover for forming a cavity. The housing includes a base and a sidewall extending perpendicularly from the base. A conductive case is provided to cover the cover and the sidewall of the housing. The base defines a periphery portion outside of the cavity for forming a step, and the conductive case locates a bottom end thereof on the step.
US08331588B2
A ribbon microphone unit includes a permanent magnet that forms a magnetic field and a ribbon diaphragm that is disposed in the magnetic field and vibrates upon receiving a sound wave. An elastic layer made of synthetic resin is formed at least at a portion of the ribbon diaphragm, the portion vibrating upon receiving the sound wave. Preferably, the ribbon diaphragm is formed into triangular waves with the portion vibrating upon receiving sound waves being alternately folded along lines in a width direction across the entire length. The elastic layer may be formed on one or both surfaces of the ribbon diaphragm and may be provided only at both side ends of the ribbon diaphragm.
US08331585B2
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for mixing audio signals. The invention is based on the idea to base selection of what audio channels to mix on the dynamic behavior of the audio channels in terms of whether they are active or not, rather than basing the selection on quantative measures of the audio channels. According to the invention, a set of audio channels are arranged in a mixing stack and a mixed audio signal is produced from the topmost channels above a predetermined threshold level in the stack. Whenever a channel becomes active, it is placed at the top of the stack.
US08331579B2
Disclosed herein is a reproducing apparatus including: a case; a headphone configured to be so provided as to protrude on one surface of the case and be inserted into an ear hole; an operating unit configured to be provided on a further surface orthogonal to the one surface of the case and near a base of the headphone and allow press-down operation and rotational operation; a reproducing unit configured to reproduce audio data; and a controller configured to be incorporated in the case and make the reproducing unit reproduce audio data stored in a storage medium based on operation input to the operating unit.
US08331578B2
An apparatus, method and computer program, the apparatus including a loudspeaker configured to convert an electrical input signal into an acoustic output signal; a connecting portion configured to interchangeably connect to either a first adapter or a second adapter where the first adapter is configured to fit in a user's ear canal and the second adapter is configured to fit to a user's concha; and a regulator for regulating sound pressure level created by the acoustic output signal at an ear drum of the user in dependence on whether the first adapter or the second adapter is connected to the connecting portion.
US08331550B2
A communication from a person in a first language is received at a contact center. A social network that the person frequents is searched to determine if the person can converse in a second language. The determination that the person can converse in the second language can be done through text analysis, voice analysis, picture analysis, video analysis, or different combinations of these. Based on the person being able to converse in the second language, the communication is routed differently within the contact center.In a second embodiment, the system and method searches the first social network to determine an issue in a first language. A second social network is searched to determine if the person can converse in a second language. Based on the person being able to converse in the second language, the issue is responded to based on the second language.
US08331548B2
A synchronization manager comprises an instruction execution system. The instruction execution system is configured to identify an initial master application of a plurality of workforce applications that are in communication with a contact center, identify remaining ones of the workforce applications as slave applications, determine a substitute master application hierarchy by prioritizing the slave applications, monitor the initial master application to detect changes to user data, and if changes to the user data in the initial master application are detected, update corresponding user data in the slave applications with the changes to the user data in the initial master application. The instruction execution system is further configured to, if the initial master application is unavailable, identify one of the slave applications as a substitute master application based on the prioritization of the slave applications in the substitute master application hierarchy, and monitor the substitute master application to detect changes to the user data.
US08331545B2
A method, system and computer program product records missed information that is communicated between one or more connected communication terminals during a disconnection period and replays the missed information when a temporarily-disconnected communication terminal reconnects to the active communication session. The method comprises: detecting disconnection of the communication terminal from the active communication session; in response to detecting the disconnection, automatically recording the missed information exchanged between the one or more connected communication terminals remaining in the active communication session; detecting reconnection of the disconnected terminal to the active communication session; and delivering the recorded information exchange to the reconnected terminal, in response to detecting the reconnection.
US08331532B2
A method and system for providing intensity modulated radiation therapy to a moving target is disclosed. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a treatment plan for providing radiotherapy using a multi-leaf collimator (“MLC”) comprises a plurality of sub-plans, each of which is optimized for a different phase of target movement. Movements of the treatment target are tracked in real time, and the choice of which sub-plan to implement is made in real time based on the tracked position of the target. Each of the sub-plans is preferably formulated to minimize interplay effects between target movements and MLC leaf movements, consistent with other planning goals. In addition, the sub-plans preferably include a predicted region corresponding to the next anticipated position of the target, in order to facilitate the transition to the next position.
US08331521B2
According to an embodiment, a digital process type monitor device includes a plurality of modules and a mother board connected to each of the modules. Each module includes: a base board connected to a connector and having an FPGA for main control and an IPGA for sub board control mounted thereon; and a sub board for a main-machine I/F process, having an FPGA for an I/F process mounted hereon. Each sub board has storage devices for storing man-machine I/F information on the sub board. Each of the FPGA writes transmission data into a predetermined region of a transmission area and has a common transmission protocol to share the transmission data between the respective modules.
US08331508B2
A narrowband interference (NBI) canceller is coupled to an A/D converter to receive an input signal and supply an NBI-canceled signal to an error correcting decoder. In the NBI canceller, a first arithmetic unit receives the input signal and a predicted-interference signal, and supplies a difference thereof as the interference-canceled signal. A slicer receives the interference-canceled signal and supplies a decision signal. A second arithmetic unit subtracts the decision signal from the input signal to generate a noise signal. A coarse frequency estimator receives the noise signal and analyzes the frequency spectrum to generate a coarse estimate of a fundamental frequency of the NBI. The coarse estimate is used by an adaptive narrowband interference predictor to generate the predicted-interference signal while adaptively tracking the narrowband interference. Use of the NBI canceller in a transceiver can eliminate link drop caused by operation of wireless devices that generate EMI in a cable.
US08331506B2
RF impairment parameters, including frequency-dependent IQ imbalance, are estimated in a wideband received signal on a per-sub-band (or per sub-band pair) basis. In one embodiment, block-type pilot signals are received, such as on SCH, and IQ imbalance and carrier frequency offset are estimated from the block-type pilot signals. The block-type pilot signals may be received in only one sub-band. Data and comb-type pilot signals are then received on all sub-bands. Phase noise and channel coefficients are estimated for the first sub-band, based on the IQ imbalance and carrier frequency offset estimates. IQ imbalance is then successively estimated, on a per-sub-band (or per sub-band pair) basis, based on the comb-type pilot signals, the previously estimated carrier frequency offset estimate, and the phase noise and IQ imbalance estimates from prior sub-bands (or pairs). This may comprise iterative estimation based on decision feedback.
US08331504B2
Systems and methods for multi-user interference cancellation are provided. In one aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises a processing unit configured to process received chips into received symbols for a plurality of users and a detection unit configured to detect user symbols from the received symbols. The apparatus also comprises an interference cancellation unit configured to compute multi-user interference using the detected user symbols and to remove the computed multi-user interference from the received symbols. The apparatus further comprises a redetection unit configured to redetect user symbols from the received symbols with the computed multi-user interference removed.
US08331491B2
A receiver, for example a receiver of broadcast digital terrestrial television signals modulated using COFDM (Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing), imposes a phase adjustment on a received signal. Phase adjustment may be effected, for example, by sample alignment of the signal, such as for cyclic prefix removal, or by shifting a window setting for a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) processor. Before channel estimation or decoding is performed on the information stream, the information stream is derotated to compensate for the phase adjustment previously imposed on the received signal.
US08331488B2
Non-coherent modulation is used to communicate coding information via pilot signals using a first subset of resources, and coherent modulation is used to generate data signals. This allows for a stronger global code while keeping individual signaling complexity low. First and second communications devices communicate information using a set of communications resources. By performing non-coherent demodulation on pilot signals received on a first subset of the set of communications resources coding information is recovered. First and second channel estimates are generated from the pilot signals received on the first subset of the communications resources. Coherent demodulation is performed on data signals received on a second subset of the set of communications resources using the first and second channel estimates and the coding information to recover information communicated by the first communications device and to recover separate information communicated by the second communications device.
US08331486B1
An integrated circuit device, set forth by way of example and not limitation, includes an IC package provided with a plurality of leads and enclosing: a) a buffer amplifier, b) a switching-mode power amplifier having an input coupled to the output of the buffer amplifier and having an output coupled to at least one of the plurality of leads, and c) a digital controller. A method, set forth by way of example and not limitation, for controlling the power output of a RF transmitter circuit without the need for an attenuator includes developing a signal source, applying the signal source to a buffer amplifier to provide an amplified signal, applying the amplified signal to a switching-mode power amplifier to provide a power output signal, and controlling a gain of the switching-mode power amplifier in response to a digital command.
US08331484B2
Techniques are provided herein for training a digital predistortion module in a wireless communication device. At a controller apparatus that is capable of communicating with a plurality of wireless devices, a particular wireless device that requires adjustment of predistortion parameters is identified. The controller also identifies one or more participating wireless devices to participate in a training session during which the particular wireless device makes test transmissions and the one or more participating wireless devices make measurements based on reception of the test transmissions sent by the particular wireless device. The controller apparatus sends commands to the particular wireless device and to the one or more participating wireless devices to initiate the training session. The controller receives measurement data from the one or more participating wireless devices based on reception of the test transmissions from the particular wireless device during the training session. The controller apparatus determines predistortion parameters for use by the particular wireless device based on the measurement data received from the one or more participating wireless devices.
US08331483B2
A method for transmitting feedback information via a Spatial Rank Index (SRI) channel includes determining, at an access terminal, a value of a spatial rank index and transmitting, from the access terminal through the SRI channel, feedback information indicating the determined value of the spatial rank index according to a prescribed coding. The codeword of the prescribed coding is one of: (0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0), (1,0,1,0,1,1,0,1), (0,1,1,1,0,0,1,1), or (1,1,0,1,1,1,1,0).
US08331472B2
A method for transmitting data in an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) system. The data transmission method includes determining a number of diversity tiles, each of which includes physically separated frequency resources; dividing an entire system band into diversity subbands including the diversity tiles and localized subbands including localized tiles, each of which includes physically adjacent frequency resources, when the determined number of diversity tiles is greater than a threshold; uniformly distributing the diversity tiles over the entire system band, and disposing the localized tiles in the remaining bands except for the diversity tiles, when the determined number of diversity tiles is not greater than the threshold; and transmitting data to multiple terminals over the configured diversity tiles and localized tiles using diversity transmission and localized transmission schemes.
US08331468B2
An apparatus and method for inserting a cyclic postfix for a time-rotated symbol in a communication system. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a time pre-rotation module configured to time shift bits of at least one of ending samples of a symbol to a beginning of the symbol to form a time-rotated symbol. The apparatus also includes an interpolator configured to construct an up-sampled symbol from the time-rotated symbol and a cyclic postfix module configured to insert a cyclic postfix at an end of the up-sampled symbol to form an expanded up-sampled symbol.
US08331467B2
A radio channel estimation technique is described for use in a OFDM-based radio communications system. A block of OFDM symbols is transmitted from multiple antennas over multiple sub-carrier frequencies. The block of OFDM symbols includes known pilot symbols as well as data symbols to be determined by a receiver. The pilot symbols are transmitted in a predetermined pattern at periodic times on periodic sub-carriers. A pilot channel estimate is determined for each pilot symbol in the received block of OFDM symbols. An N×M matrix of points corresponding to the received OFDM symbol block is formed. N is the number of sub-carriers and M is the number of OFDM symbols in the OFDM symbol block. The matrix is formed by inserting pilot channel estimates at predetermined positions in the N×M matrix according to the predetermined pilot pattern and inserting zeros in remaining positions in the N×M matrix. A two dimensional inverse Fourier transform of the N×M matrix is calculated resulting in multiple copies of a channel estimate in the time domain. One is selected, and a two dimensional Fourier transform of the selected channel estimate is calculated to obtain a channel estimate at each point in the OFDM block.
US08331464B2
A method of transmitting data using a generalized phase shift based proceding or an extended phase shift precoding scheme in a multiple-antenna system using a plurality of subcarrier and a transceiver for supporting the same are disclosed. A phase shift based precoding matrix may be generalized and determined by a product of a diagonal matrix for phase shift and a unitary matrix for maintaining orthogonality in spatial domain. The diagonal matrix may be extended by a product of a proceding matrix for increasing channel power and the diagonal matrix for phase shift. The design of the transceiver can be simplified or communication efficiency can be improved by generalizing and extending the phase shift based proceding.
US08331463B2
A time averaging filter for channel estimation is described. Different time averaging is used for different taps or tones of a communication system. Two methods are suggested for determining the time-averaging filter for channel estimation for the communication systems without prior knowledge of SNR, channel Doppler and fading statistics. The first method includes a bank of different filters, each tuned for optimality in a certain range of SNR and Doppler. For each tone in the frequency domain (or tap in the time domain), the first method selects a filter among the set of filters that minimizes a certain computed metric. The second method directly computes, at each tone (or tap), the “best” filter in a least-squares sense, using empirically determined second-order statistics.
US08331455B2
A video data encoding/decoding device and method are disclosed. The decoding device includes a syntax parsing unit, storing a plurality of element information, generated by syntax parsing of a bit stream using description information, in an element information storing unit; a connection controlling unit, successively selecting a plurality of functional units by using the description information, and selectively inputting element information predetermined for the selected functional unit of the plurality of element information stored in the element information storing unit; and a processing unit, comprising at least a functional unit performing a process predetermined by using the element information inputted by the connection controlling unit, and outputting corresponding result data. Accordingly, the present invention can decode a bit stream, decoded by various format in accordance with various standards, by using an identical information recognizing method.
US08331449B2
Fast encoding method and system are provided which can transmit video data in real time using adaptive intra prediction in accordance with the H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Codec) standard so as to efficiently provide security-related images or multimedia images in various network environments with high quality. An intra prediction method of compressing and encoding an image includes the steps of: comparing an SAD value C calculated from macro block data of a present frame and a previous frame with a reference value K to determine a prediction method; and selectively performing on input macro block data a first method of determining a best mode and a block size by prediction in a plurality of prediction modes based on spatial directivity and generating prediction data and a second method of generating prediction data using the best mode and the block size used in the previous frame, depending on the determined prediction method.
US08331441B2
A method of encoding video data using soft decision quantization makes use of iterative encoding to provide the ability to optimize encoding across different functional elements in a hybrid video encoder. Iterative encoding is used to allow quantization step size, motion prediction and quantization levels to be optimized despite their interrelated nature.
US08331437B2
Searching an optimal quantization step size at high speed when controlling the coding rate of an image sequence. A skip binary search section determines quantization step size Δskip by binary search, using a frame out of every m [0] frames of an image sequence. A quantization step size correcting section determines quantization step size Δa that can achieve the target bit rate R by linear approximation from Δskip, generated bit rate at that time, quantization step size Δlast of the immediately preceding loop and the generated bit rate at that time. A first coding section encodes the every m [1]-th frame of the image sequence with quantization step size Δa and a quantization step size forecasting section determines quantization step size Δe that can achieve the target bit rate R by linear approximation. A second coding section encodes all the frames with the quantization step size Δe.
US08331432B2
A transmitting and receiving system includes a transmitting apparatus that delivers a main stream for performing a streaming broadcast and an auxiliary stream generated from the main stream and a receiving apparatus that receives the main stream and the auxiliary stream from the transmitting apparatus. The transmitting apparatus includes a main-stream storing unit, a bit-rate-reducing converting unit, an auxiliary-stream storing unit, and a delivery control unit. The receiving apparatus includes a main-stream-reception control unit, an auxiliary-stream-reception control unit, a data processing unit, and an inter-stream-error storing unit. When tuning operation by a user is received, the main-stream-reception control unit selects, from data of an auxiliary stream of a tuned broadcast, data at such a time that the auxiliary stream is possible to be switched to a main stream without shift of scenes when the auxiliary stream is switched to the main stream later and supplies the data to the data processing unit.
US08331423B2
Provided are an apparatus and a method for providing a relay service in a wireless communication system. The apparatus includes a modulator, an encoder, and a transmission unit. The modulator modulates a transmission signal according to a modulation degree. The encoder encodes a modulation symbol provided from the modulator using a convolution code of a ring domain. The transmission unit transmits the signal provided from the encoder to a relay station. The relay station detects a signal where signals received from different transmission ends are added in a real domain, and relays the detected signal, thereby providing a relay service without an additional time resource.
US08331417B2
Wireless communication systems and methods utilize one or more remote terminals, one or more base terminals, and a communication channel between the remote terminal(s) and base terminal(s). The remote terminal applies a direct sequence spreading code to a data signal at a spreading factor to provide a direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) signal. The DSSS signal is transmitted over the communication channel to the base terminal which can be configured to despread the received DSSS signal by a spreading factor matching the spreading factor utilized to spread the data signal. The remote terminal and base terminal can dynamically vary the matching spreading factors to adjust the data rate based on an estimation of operating quality over time between the remote terminal and base terminal such that the amount of data being transmitted is substantially maximized while providing a specified quality of service.
US08331416B2
In a stripline laser, a gas mixture containing carbon dioxide is situated as a laser-active medium between two plate-type electrodes lying with their flat sides opposite one another. The electrodes define a discharge space, at whose end sides lying opposite one another a resonator mirror is respectively arranged. The resonator mirrors form an unstable resonator. To operate the stripline laser in the 9.3 μm band and/or in the 9.6 μm band, the electrodes are provided with a passivation layer on their flat sides. The passivation layer, of at least one electrode, contains silicon dioxide in a region covering a partial area of a flat side. A distance between the electrodes is set such that the attenuation of laser beams in the 10.3 μm band and in the 10.6 μm band is greater than the attenuation of laser beams in the 9.3 μm band and/or in the 9.6 μm band.
US08331414B2
A surface-emitting laser includes a surface relief structure provided on an upper multilayer reflector, the surface relief structure including a region of a first laminate, a region of a second laminate that has a larger optical thickness than the first laminate, and a region of a third laminate that has a larger optical thickness than the first laminate and the second laminate.
US08331408B2
The invention relates to a fiber laser device 100. In the preliminary pumping state, the laser light is not output from the seed laser light source 10, the pumping light is output from the pumping light source 10, and the pumping light has such an intensity that the wavelength of the laser light emitted and output from the amplification optical fiber 30 is not converted by the wavelength converter 71. In the output state, the laser light is output from the seed laser light source 10, the pumping light is output from the pumping light source 20, and the laser light and the pumping light have such intensities that the wavelength of the laser light amplified and output by the amplification optical fiber 30 is converted by the wavelength converter 71.
US08331401B2
The present invention is directed to a wireless communication system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus of controlling uplink transmission at a user equipment in a wireless communication system, wherein the user equipment is connected to multiple component carriers, which includes receiving configuration information for transmitting an uplink signal from a base station; and identifying a time for transmitting the uplink signal to the base station on a corresponding uplink component carrier in use of the configuration information, wherein if the corresponding uplink component carrier is in a non-available state at the time for transmitting the uplink signal, the uplink signal is not transmitted.
US08331399B2
Techniques for re-using sequence number by multiple protocols in a protocol stack are described. In one design, at least one protocol data unit (PDU) from a first protocol may be received as at least one service data unit (SDU) at a second protocol, with each PDU being assigned a different sequence number by the first protocol. A sequence number for each SDU may be determined based on a sequence number for a corresponding PDU from the first protocol. A PDU may be formed by the second protocol based on the at least one SDU. A header may be generated for the PDU and may include (i) the sequence number and possibly a segment offset for the first SDU and (ii) a header block for each remaining SDU, which may include a segment length, a sequence number offset, and a segment offset for that SDU.
US08331396B2
A method of congestion management in a wireless mesh network in which the CSMA/CA algorithm is used to access wireless medium, said network comprising a first station and at least one neighboring station able to communicate directly with the first station, comprises: —broadcasting (22) an announcement message by the first station to the at least one neighboring station when the first station experiences a congestion in its environment, said announcement message comprising a congestion level parameter, —activating (26) by the neighboring station, at reception of the announcement message, a congestion state in which the minimum size of the time window, called contention window, to access the medium before transmission of a message is strictly greater than the minimum size (CWmin) defined in absence of congestion, said minimum size in congestion state being defined as a function of the congestion level parameter.
US08331392B2
The present invention relates to a node and a method for allocation of transmission rates to a mobile terminal for sending packet data over an air interface in a radio telecommunications network by sending messages to the mobile terminal using at least a first radio channel. The invention comprises: providing at least a first grant queue for queuing messages to mobile terminals, the messages indicating allocated transmission rates to be sent over the at least first radio channel; receiving a rate request from a mobile terminal; allocating a transmission rate to the mobile terminal in dependence of the current air interface interference and the assigned transmission rates in the grant queue; and queuing a message, to be sent to the mobile terminal, indicating the allocated transmission rate in the grant queue.
US08331383B2
A system and method includes a plurality of wireless and/or wired access points coupled to a network. The network may couple to a wide area network, such as the Internet. In one embodiment, a portable computing device (PCD) may store identification information which uniquely indicates a network provider of a plurality of possible network providers or may also or instead indicate an access or privilege level. When the access point receives the identification information from a PCD, the access point may determine the appropriate network provider for the PCD using the identification information and network access may then be provided. Thus the network system is useable by subscribers of each of the plurality of possible network providers, thereby enabling subscribers to “roam” on various wireless networks. The access information may also include an access level which indicates the user's access or privilege level.
US08331379B2
The present disclosure relates to the Passive Optical Network (PON) technology, and a method for sending an upstream transfer frame in a PON is provided, so as to improve flexibility of a system and satisfy a requirement that an error probability is reduced as low as possible. The method includes: after success of link, sending a preamble according to an allocated time slot, sending a burst synchronization delimiter, and then sending successively a burst header, a Gigabit-Capable Passive Optical Network (GPON) Transmission Convergence (GTC) frame header, and GTC frame data. In the sent synchronization delimiter, the number of non-zeros is the same as the number of zeros, and in a delimiter sequence, the number of non-zeros on odd bits is equal to the number of zeros on even bits, and the number of non-zeros on even bits is equal to the number of zeros on odd bits.
US08331374B2
Packet processing is provided in a multiple processor system including a first processor to processing a packet and to create a tag associated with the packet. The tag includes information about the processing of the packet. A second processor receives the packet subsequent to the first processor and processes the packet using the tag information.
US08331372B2
Methods and systems are described for enabling an operative coupling to a network. In an aspect, first data is detected for forwarding between a first node in a first network and another node by a network relay including a first network interface hardware component operatively coupled to a first network. A determination is made that a second operative coupling to a second network of a second network interface hardware component in the network relay is disabled. The second network interface hardware component is configured to enabled the second operative coupling, in response to the determination. Data received for forwarding between the first network and the second network is forwarded via the enabled second operative coupling.
US08331369B2
Example methods and apparatus to distribute network IP traffic are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes receiving a first IP control packet at an input of a first server, the first IP control packet being received from a first router, selecting a second router within a router array associated with the first router to send the first IP control packet, the first server selecting the second router by matching a destination IP address of the first IP control packet to a first IP address subspace associated with the second router, transmitting the first IP control packet to the second router, and updating a forwarding table in the first router by associating the destination IP address of the first IP control packet with a first control path from the first router to the second router.
US08331367B2
A method of installing forwarding state in a link state protocol controlled network node having a topology database representing a known topology of the network, and at least two ports for communication with corresponding peers of the network node. A unicast path is computed from the node to a second node in the network, using the topology database, and unicast forwarding state associated with the computed unicast path installed in a filtering database (FDB) of the node. Multicast forwarding state is removed for multicast trees originating at the second node if an unsafe condition is detected. Subsequently, a “safe” indication signal is advertised to each of the peers of the network node. The “safe” indication signal comprises a digest of the topology database. A multicast path is then computed from the network node to at least one destination node of a multicast tree originating at the second node. Finally, multicast forwarding state associated with the computed multicast path is installed in the filtering database (FDB) of the network node, when predetermined safe condition is satisfied.
US08331359B2
A network device includes one or more processing units and an external memory. Each of the one or more processing units includes a centralized counter configured to perform accounting for the respective processing unit. The external memory is associated with at least one of the one or more processing units and is configured to store a group of count values for the at least one processing unit.
US08331358B2
Methods and systems are provided for allowing an packet-based call made to a first identifier to dial a phone number within a telephone network. The method comprises sending a data packet from the packet-based call to a gateway device that can communicate with the telephone network. The data packet comprises the first identifier. The gateway device finds the phone number corresponding to the first identifier using a lookup table accessible to the gateway device. The gateway device then dials the phone number and transfers the data packet to the phone number.
US08331354B2
A method, application server, and Serving Call/Session Control Function (S-CSCF) for allocating a SIP Application Server to a subscriber in an IP Multimedia Subsystem. A Home Subscriber Server (HSS) identifies for the subscriber, a set of provisioned initial filter criteria, which contains at least one generic SIP Application Server identity. The HSS sends the filter criteria to an S-CSCF allocated to the subscriber. The S-CSCF resolves the generic SIP Application Server identity into a plurality of application server addresses, with one of the addresses being allocated to the subscriber for use in provisioning a service to the subscriber. The S-CSCF caches the address allocated to the subscriber for subsequent use.
US08331348B2
An approach is provided for signaling gateway management. Data from a plurality of signaling gateways corresponding to a plurality of trunks of a telecommunications network is automatically retrieved, each signaling gateway being configured to convert circuit-switched signaling to packet-switched signaling. The data is stored. An operating state for each of the plurality of trunks is determined based on the data to perform trending analysis for the operation of one or more of the plurality of trunks.
US08331344B2
A wireless data transmission method includes providing a plurality of radio frequency transmitters. A receiver is provided to receive transmissions from the transmitters. A data format including a plurality of transmission time slots is defined. A first subset of the plurality of transmitters that are apt to send the transmissions simultaneously is determined. Each of the transmitters in the first subset is assigned to a different one of the time slots. A second subset of the plurality of transmitters that are apt to send the transmissions non-simultaneously is determined. Each of the transmitters in the second subset is assigned to a same one of the time slots. The transmitters are used to transmit the transmissions to the receiver in accordance with the assigning steps.
US08331333B2
A transmitter includes a power measurement unit, a carrier sense unit, and a transmission unit. A first frequency band is allocated to a TDMA system. The power measurement unit measures a receiving power over a part of a first frequency band and a second frequency band. The carrier sense unit continues to check for a certain duration whether the receiving power is smaller than a threshold. The transmission unit generates a transmission signal including a dummy signal and a data signal when the receiving power has been smaller than the threshold for the certain duration. Moreover, the transmission unit transmits the transmission signal using the second frequency band.
US08331330B2
Techniques for efficient searching in asynchronous systems, such as W-CDMA, as well as multi-mode searching, are disclosed. In one aspect, step one and step three search are performed in a single search engine. In another aspect, a search engine is configurable to search the offsets of a slot in step one search, producing sequential hypothesis energies, and peak detecting and sorting those energies. In yet another aspect, the peak detector and sorter are configurable to perform step one searching or step three/multimode searching. Various other aspects of the invention are also presented. These aspects have the benefit of circuit area and search-time efficiency which translate into reduced costs, increased standby time, increased acquisition speed, higher quality signal transmission, increased data throughput, decreased power, and improved overall system capacity.
US08331326B2
A method and an apparatus for performing a handover in an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) are disclosed. A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) sends a measurement report to a source evolved Node B (eNB), and receives a handover command from the source eNB. The WTRU initiates reception and processing of a primary broadcast channel (P-BCH) at the target cell after receiving the handover command. The WTRU then sends a random access preamble to the target eNB, receives a random access response from the target eNB, and sends a handover complete message to the target eNB. The reception and processing of the P-BCH may be initiated immediately after receiving the handover command or after sending the handover complete message. The WTRU may apply default configuration or source cell configuration in the target cell until a target cell SFN and/or P-BCH information are acquired.
US08331324B2
Soft handoff in an OFDMA system is disclosed. If the pilot signal strength for a base station exceeds the defined threshold, the base station is added to an active set list. Subcarriers in a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols are divided and allocated into subchannels. The OFDM symbols are divided and multiplexed. A soft handoff zone with a first dimension of the subchannels and a second dimension of the divided and multiplexed OFDM symbols is defined. The soft handoff zone has subcarriers with a subchannel definition, for example, an identical permutation.
US08331317B2
A method and an apparatus for reducing a handover delay in a broadband wireless communication system are provided. In a method for operating a terminal to reduce a handover delay in a broadband wireless communication system, a handover procedure is performed with a serving Base Station (BS) to obtain a dedicated ranging code and a Connection ID (CID). The dedicated ranging code is transmitted to one or more target BSs using the CID. Whether the dedicated ranging code is received is determined. Therefore, a handover delay and a chance of malfunction can be reduced.
US08331316B2
A mobile communication system has a plurality of nodes, hierarchically connected to each other, including a source base station and a target base station. A U-plane management station includes detecting unit detecting a handover for the mobile terminal, and a Bi-casting unit redundantly transmitting, when detecting the handover for the mobile terminal, the same user data addressed to the mobile terminal toward both of the source base station and the target base station. The target base station includes a retaining unit receiving the user data addressed to the mobile terminal, which is transmitted by the U-plane management station, and retaining the user data, and a wireless transmitting unit wirelessly transmitting, when the mobile terminal is wirelessly connected after moving, the user data requested by the mobile terminal in the user data retained by the retaining unit and addressed to the mobile terminal.
US08331312B2
Techniques are provided to reduce contention (interference) between bursts associated with multiple isochronous traffic flows. Generally, the techniques involve, at a plurality of wireless access point devices and/or a plurality of wireless client devices in a wireless network, initiating bursts of wireless transmissions carrying isochronous traffic from wireless access point devices to their associated client devices and/or from wireless client devices to their respective wireless access point devices at start times that are scheduled so as to reduce a likelihood of interference between multiple bursts of wireless transmissions for different isochronous traffic flows.
US08331311B2
A distributed channel hopping communication method in a low power wireless ad-hoc network. A beacon transmission and reception scheduling method using a distributed channel hopping method in a wireless ad-hoc network, the method includes: transmitting beacons using channel hopping, before establishing the wireless ad-hoc network including a plurality of nodes having a BP including at least one time slot, and receiving beacons of a plurality of neighboring nodes of each of the plurality of nodes; collecting information about the wireless ad-hoc network and information about the plurality of neighboring nodes from the received beacons; scheduling the receiving of the beacons that are transmitted from the plurality of neighboring nodes in the BP, using TDMA in each of the at least one time slot based on the information about the plurality of neighboring nodes; and scheduling transmitting of a beacon in each of the at least one time slot.
US08331308B1
Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems and methods are provided for enabling network MIMO among base stations (BSs) and a mobile station (MS). A BS configure a network MIMO zone based on an indication of at least one other BS eligible for network MIMO. The network MIMO zone is defined by resources having at least time and frequency dimensions allocated for master transmission under control of the BS, or slave transmission under control of the other BS eligible for network MIMO. The BS can transmit data on the network MIMO zone to the MS. Where there is no data to transmit to the MS, the BS may transmit data on the network MIMO zone to another MS. To configure the network MIMO zone, the BS may look up in a table combinations of the eligible BSs associated with the indication.
US08331304B2
A mobile communication method according to the present invention includes the steps of: transmitting, to a mobile switching center MME/SGSN, a NAS connection establishment request for the specific communication, while an AS connection is established between the mobile station UE and a radio access network apparatus eNB/RNC; determining, at the mobile switching center MME/SGSN, to restrict establishment of the NAS connection for the specific communication, when the NAS connection establishment request signal is received and when a predetermined condition is satisfied; and restricting, at the mobile station UE, transmission of a first connection establishment request signal and transmission of the NAS connection establishment request signal, after reception of a rejection signal including a restriction time period for restricting establishment of the NAS connection for the specific communication until expiry of the restriction time period.
US08331301B2
The disclosed mobile station includes: a CAZAC code generation unit configured to generate CAZAC code according to a CAZAC sequence number reported from the base station; a cyclic shift unit configured to cyclically shift each symbol of the CAZAC code based on a cyclic shift number reported from the base station, and a block spreading unit that operates with the cyclic shift unit or operates instead of the cyclic shift unit, and that performs block spreading processing for the CAZAC code according to a block spreading number reported from the base station.
US08331298B2
The present invention relates to an uplink control channel configuration in a mobile wideband wireless access system, and an allocation method thereof. An uplink control channel includes a long cyclic prefix used to improve interference and distortion caused by multipath transmission characteristics of an initial ranging or handover ranging signal and a periodic ranging or band request ranging signal. In addition, a short orthogonal frequency division multiple (OFDM) symbol is used to transmit uplink control information when one terminal exists or the number of terminals is small.
US08331297B2
Embodiments of the invention describe a method for antenna selection (AS) in a wireless communication network, the network comprising user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a plurality of subsets of antennas including a first subset of antennas and a second subset of antennas, and wherein the UE is configured to transmit a sounding reference signal (SRS) from a subset of antennas at a time. The method transmits a first SRS from the first subset of antennas, transmits a second SRS from the second subset of antennas, receives, in response to the transmitting the first SRS and the second SRS, information identifying an optimal subset of antennas from the first subset of antennas and the second subset of antennas, and transmits user data from the optimal subset of antennas.
US08331280B2
First are determined which relays are available between at least one source and at least one destination, and from them are selected a subset of those relays for an activation interval under a constraint of equal transmit energy per selected relay across the activation interval. A matrix is formed, using CSI received from the relays, to evaluate each effective channel between source and destination that goes through each of the relays, including multi-relay hops, and the relays are selected from that matrix. Utility of source-relay pairing is evaluated in view of the relay-destination channel and the pairing enables relays to multiplex multiple sources where feasible.
US08331274B2
A VoIP terminal device is configured to enter a power-saving state upon the occurrence of a specified condition. The VoIP terminal device is further configured to wake up from the power-saving state when a communication associated with a specified communication operation is received by the VoIP terminal device. In particular, the operating power of the VoIP terminal device is increased to an extent sufficient to perform the specified communication operation.
US08331273B2
A communication method employed in a wireless communication system including a first communication device and a second communication device is provided. The communication method includes: setting up a connection between the first and second communication devices; after the connection is set up, checking if both the first and second communication devices provide a symbol mapping function for converting a first modulation/demodulation to a second modulation/demodulation different from the first modulation/demodulation; and when both the first and second communication devices provide the symbol mapping function, using the second modulation/demodulation to replace the first modulation/demodulation so that each of the first and second communication devices communicates with each other by using the second modulation/demodulation.
US08331267B2
A system and method for determining an optimal backbone for a robotic relay network are provided. A robotic relay network comprising a plurality of nodes including a base station node, one or more mobile relay nodes, and one or more user nodes is provided. A signal strength value for each pair-wise communication link between each of the nodes is identified. A weight function is applied to each communication link value to determine a communication link weight. An optimal backbone tree is determined from the communication link weights.
US08331265B2
A system and method for performing a beamforming training between heterogeneous wireless devices in a wireless network is disclosed. A number of time slots in a fixed-time period are assigned for transmit and/or receive sector training. The number of time slots assigned for transmit and/or receive sector training is based on an antenna configuration of a wireless station.
US08331259B2
An apparatus and method for generating a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) in a wireless communication system are provided. The method includes receiving a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) index and resource allocation information of a traffic channel and calculating a spectral efficiency at a particular time point, determining a temporary CQI index having a spectral efficiency closest to the calculated spectral efficiency in an index set, reading a CQI metric a time τ before the particular time point, determining, if the temporary CQI index is reported at the particular time point, an error rate based on the CQI metric, the error rate being a probability of an error occurring in a traffic channel after the time τ, receiving an error check result of the traffic channel transmitted at the particular time point and calculating a new error rate by applying a weight to the error check result and the error rate, and determining a CQI index to be fed back to a transmitter using the new error rate. Hence, the CQI index which maximizes spectral efficiency is determined and a Physical Downlink Shared CHannel (PDSCH) acknowledgement (ACK)/negative acknowledgement (NACK) probability is directly estimated adaptively according to a change in channel, thereby providing useful performance in various channel environments.
US08331258B2
A method for responding to termination service state change indication is provided. The method includes: receiving a command message indicating a termination service state change, in which the command message at least includes a method parameter and a duration parameter, the method parameter indicates a change method of the service state, and the duration parameter indicates a maintaining duration of the service state after being changed; and changing the service state of the termination according to method parameter content information of the received command message, and maintaining the changed service state according to duration parameter content information of the received command message. Accordingly, a media gateway controller (MGC) and a media gateway (MG) of the termination service state change indication based on the media gateway control protocols are also provided. The termination service state change and the maintaining duration of the service state after being changed are indicated simultaneously, which is rather convenient for the MG or MGC to realize effective subsequent control on the termination after the service state change of the termination.
US08331257B1
Groups of network devices may be identified automatically based on interface tags associated with network device interfaces such that network devices within a group are automatically identified, periodically or otherwise, based on an association of one or more common interface tags between the group and the network device interface.
US08331253B2
A method and apparatus for configuring compressed mode operation comprises detecting a compressed mode pattern or pattern sequence scheduling three or more consecutive compressed mode frames and taking appropriate mitigation action. In a first aspect a non activation construction is suppressed and the compressed mode pattern sequence is activated. In the second aspect if a pattern or sequence scheduling three or more consecutive compressed mode frames is identified, activation is suppressed. In a third aspect if such a patent or sequence is identified, a normal frame is inserted in the pattern sequence replacing a compressed mode frame.
US08331240B2
A method (500) is provided for enabling a promiscuous monitoring of network communications by a monitor node (MN). The method includes the steps of: generating a directed IP packet at a first node (FN); transmitting a first unicast signal including a RTS message from the FN to a second node (SN); transmitting a second unicast signal including a CTS message from the SN to the FN in response to the first unicast signal; modifying the directed IP packet by changing an IP destination address of the directed IP packet to an IP subnet broadcast address; transmitting a uni-broadcast signal including the modified directed IP packet from the FN to the IP subnet broadcast address; and receiving the uni-broadcast signal at the SN and a third node (TN). The TN is an IP-enabled device provided to monitor network communications between the FN and SN.
US08331228B2
System(s) and method(s) provide access management to femto cell service through access control list(s) (e.g., white list(s), or black list(s)). White list(s) includes a set of subscriber station(s) identifier numbers, codes, or tokens, and also can include additional fields for femto cell access management based on desired complexity. White list(s) can have associated white list profile(s) therewith to establish logic of femto coverage access based on the white list(s). Access lists exchange among subscribers that posses provisioned femto access points and elect to share access lists also is provided. Transference of access list(s) among subscribers is secured and based at least in part on subscriber privacy policy. Subscribers can be prompted to opt in access list sharing, or to update privacy policies to allow reciprocate sharing and update privacy settings. Based at least in part on association criteria, component identifies femto access points for a subscriber to access lists with.
US08331227B2
Methods and systems for determining link failure in a network are provided. According to one embodiment, multiple paths are provided between each pair of multi-path load balancing (MPLB) components within a Layer 2 network by establishing overlapping loop-free topologies in which each MPLB component is reachable by any other via each loop-free topology. A first MPLB component sends latency requests to a second MPLB component via a particular path. Responsive thereto, the first MPLB component receives latency responses. Based on timestamp information in the latency responses, an estimated latency between the first and second MPLB components is determined. A link failure timeout period is derived based upon the estimated latency. An additional latency request is sent. If an additional latency response is not received by the first MPLB component prior to expiration of the link failure timeout period, then it is concluded that a link failure has occurred.
US08331225B2
Devices, systems and methods are disclosed which relate to implementing location-based quality of service (QoS) for applications running over a mobile communications network. A user sets up one or more “geofenced area(s)” delimited by position coordinates and associated with their mobile computing device. Also associated with each geofenced area is a “QoS Profile” listing a plurality of requested QoS attributes for traffic going to/from the user's mobile computing device or specific applications running on his/her mobile computing device over the mobile communications network. When the user enters a particular geofenced area associated with their mobile computing device, the QoS Profile associated with that geofenced area is loaded as the active QoS Profile for the mobile computing device. Additionally, as part of their QoS Profiles, a user optionally sets up other conditions which trigger changes in requested QoS attributes for their traffic over the mobile communications network. In embodiments of the present invention, the motion of the user is a condition which triggers changes in requested QoS attributes for their traffic over the mobile communications network.
US08331220B2
A client terminal at one location a is accommodated in an edge node (gateway) having a redundant configuration composed of a primary node and a secondary node. Normally a primary edge node PE A is used to enable communications with partner client terminals at locations b and c via opposing edge nodes PE B and PE C. Normally, a database storing the information of a label used by the primary edge node is synchronized with the database of the secondary edge node. A primary loopback address is stored in the secondary edge node and nullified. When the primary edge node fails, the loopback address of the primary edge node is validated and the secondary edge node restarts communications with the opposing edge nodes using the information of the database storing the information of the label used by the primary PE and the same label as the primary edge node.
US08331211B2
An optical pickup device has an astigmatism element which imparts astigmatism to reflected light of laser light reflected on a recording layer, and a spectral element into which the reflected light is entered, and which separates the reflected light. The spectral element is divided into six second areas by a straight line in parallel to a first direction, a straight line in parallel to a second direction, and a first area having a predetermined width and formed along a straight line in parallel to a third direction inclined from the first direction by 45 degrees. The spectral element is configured to guide the reflected light passing through the six second areas to corresponding sensors on a photodetector while making propagating directions of the reflected light different from each other, and to avoid guiding the reflected light entered into the first area to the sensors.
US08331209B2
A high-density optical disc such as BD-RE (Blu-ray Disc Rewritable) or BD-ROM, and a recording/reproducing method thereof are disclosed.
US08331205B2
An apparatus having a first pole with a first side and a second side opposite from the first side, a second pole positioned on the first side of the first pole, and a waveguide positioned on the second side of the first pole wherein the waveguide has an end adjacent to an air bearing surface. The first pole includes a first portion spaced from the waveguide and a second portion extending from the first portion to the air bearing surface, with the second portion being structured such that an end of the second portion is closer to the waveguide than the first portion.
US08331203B2
An electronic charge retention circuit for time measurement, including: at least a first capacitive element, a first electrode of which is connected to a floating node (F); at least a second capacitive element, a first electrode of which is connected to the floating node, the first capacitive element having a leakage through its dielectric space and the second capacitive element having a capacitance greater than the first; and at least a first transistor having an isolated control terminal connected to the floating node.
US08331199B2
A method of controlling reminders for an electronic calendar event record includes: displaying a reminder notification at a first electronic device, the reminder notification associated with the calendar event record, displaying an option at the first electronic device for taking a first action at the first electronic device, sending an update command for a second electronic device, the update command for taking a second action at the second electronic device in response to receipt of selection of the option at the first electronic device the first action differing from the second action.
US08331194B1
A system and method for generating an underwater acoustic waveguide suitable for guiding acoustic energy between a source and a receiver to enable underwater communications. Electrolysis of water by electrically powered terminals continuously creates a bubble field having a volume fraction of less than 0.01% gas. The bubble field has a lower sound speed than the surrounding water, resulting in the bubble field acting as a waveguide to transmit sound over the length of the bubble field. By maintaining small bubble radii, the bubble field can be stable for long periods of time. By keeping the volume fraction and bubble radii small, the power requirements for the terminals are minimized.
US08331185B2
In fuse program circuits, fuse element FS is implemented using metal interconnect at third or higher layer of multilayer metal interconnect. In each fuse program circuit, program information and fuse select information are sequentially transferred using a scan flip-flops, and fuses are selectively and electrically blown one by one. The fuse program circuit provided with fuse elements that can be programmed even after packaging is implemented with low power consumption and a low occupation area.
US08331184B2
An SRAM compatible embedded DRAM system with hidden refresh and dual port capabilities includes a memory cell array comprised of a plurality of single-port memory cells with dual-port capability, a first and a second port access units connected to the memory cell array in order to access the memory cells, and an access arbiter connected to the first and the second port access units in order to arbitrate a first port access request, a second port access request and a hidden refresh request.
US08331183B2
A memory apparatus includes a temperature detection block configured to detect temperature of an internal circuit and output a temperature detection signal, a current control block configured to receive the temperature detection signal and generate a pulse control signal, and a write driver configured to provide a program pulse having a compensated level and width to a memory cell in response to the pulse control signal.
US08331178B2
Activate one active word line of two active word lines formed between two isolation word lines to a logic-high voltage, and float another active word line of the two active word lines. Then activate a plurality of first memory cells corresponding to the active word line having the logic-high voltage to a logic “1” voltage, and write a logic “0” voltage to a plurality of second memory cells corresponding to the floating active word line. Then write the logic “1” voltage to a plurality of bit lines. Then, suspend for charge sharing for a third predetermined time. Finally, read a voltage of the floating active word line to check if any leakage path exists between the floating active word line and the active word line having the logic-high voltage.
US08331173B2
A data strobe clock buffer of a semiconductor memory apparatus includes a buffering block configured to buffer an external data strobe clock signal in response to a buffer enable signal to generate an internal data strobe clock signal, a timing discriminating block configured to discriminate toggle timing of the internal data strobe clock signal in response to a burst start signal and a burst length signal to generate a timing discrimination signal, and an enable controlling block configured to generate the buffer enable signal in response to the timing discrimination signal.
US08331154B2
The unintentional programming of an unselected (or inhibited) non-volatile storage element during a program operation that intends to program another non-volatile storage element is referred to as “program disturb.” A system is proposed for programming and/or reading non-volatile storage that reduces the effect of program disturb. In one embodiment, different verify levels are used for a particular word line (or other grouping of storage elements) during a programming process. In another embodiment, different compare levels are used for a particular word (or other grouping of storage elements) during a read process.
US08331151B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a memory region including memory cells configured to store data, a redundant region including memory cells configured to store data, and a control unit. The control unit is responsive to an erase command to execute, prior to an erase operation corresponding to the erase command, an error detection operation on data read from the memory region to detect whether the memory region is a defective memory region to be replaced by the redundant region.
US08331149B2
A 3D nonvolatile memory device includes: a plurality of channel structures including a plurality of channel layers and interlayer dielectric layers, which are alternately stacked, and extended in a first direction; a plurality of word lines extended in a second direction at least substantially perpendicular to the first direction; a plurality of row select lines connected to the plurality of channel layers, respectively, and extended in the second direction; and a plurality of column select lines connected to the plurality of channel structures, respectively, and extended in the first direction.
US08331140B2
The present invention provides a current injection-type magnetic domain wall-motion device which requires no external magnetic field for reversing the magnetization direction of a ferromagnetic body and which has low power consumption. The current injection-type magnetic domain wall-motion device includes a microjunction structure including two magnetic bodies (a first magnetic body 1 and a second magnetic body 2) having magnetization directions antiparallel to each other and a third magnetic body 3 sandwiched therebetween. The magnetization direction of the device is controlled in such a manner that a pulse current (a current density of 104-107 A/cm2) is applied across junction interfaces present in the microjunction structure such that a magnetic domain wall is moved by the interaction between the magnetic domain wall and the current in the same direction as that of the current or in the direction opposite to that of the current.
US08331134B2
A non-volatile static random access memory (NV-SRAM) including a latch unit, a first switch, a second switch, a first non-volatile memory (NVM), and a second NVM and an operation method thereof are provided. First terminals of the first and the second switch are respectively connected to a first and a second terminal of the latch unit. Second terminals of the first and the second switch are respectively connected to a first and a second bit line. Control terminals of the first and the second switch are connected to a word line. First terminals of the first and the second NVM are respectively connected to the first and the second terminal of the latch unit. Second terminals of the first and the second NVM are respectively connected to the first and the second bit line. Enable terminals of the first and the second NVM are connected to an enable line.
US08331132B2
A memory includes a capacitor coupled to a write bit line or a word line. An initializer is configured to initialize a voltage level at a first node between the capacitor and the write bit line or a word line. An initial level adjuster is configured to adjust a voltage level of a second node at one terminal of the capacitor. A pulse generator configured to supply a pulse to the initial level adjuster to control the initial level adjuster. A boost signal is configured to be supplied to a third node on the other terminal of the capacitor opposite the first node to boost a voltage level of the write bit line lower than ground or to boost a voltage level of the word line higher than a power supply voltage.
US08331125B2
A high density memory architecture comprising magnetic racetrack memory and a method of operation. The memory architecture comprises a plurality of magnetic memory structures, each the structure formed of magnetic material; a sensing device associated with each magnetic memory structure; first decoder device initiating a track select signal for activating a single magnetic memory structure from among the plurality to perform a bit read or bit storage operation; a bit drive device for applying a first signal to form a new magnetic memory domain associated with a bit value to be stored in the activated magnetic memory structure at a first position thereof during a bit storage operation; and, a second decoder applying a second signal for advancing each the formed magnetic memory domain toward a second position of the activated memory structure. The sensing device reads a memory bit value stored at a magnetic domain at the second position of the activated memory structure. Subsequent thereto, a new magnetic memory domain associated with a bit value just read is formed such that the magnetic memory structure is returned to its original state at an end of the bit read operation.
US08331122B2
A semiconductor device includes plural core chips and an interface chip that controls the plural core chips. Each of the plural core chips includes a layer address generating circuit that generates a second chip address by incrementing a value of a first chip address and a layer address comparing circuit that compares a third chip address supplied from the interface chip and the second chip address, and activates a chip selection signal when the third chip address and the second chip address are matched with each other. When a non-used chip signal is in an inactivated state, the layer address generating circuit supplies the second chip address to another core chip, and when the non-used chip signal is in an activated state, the layer address generating circuit supplies the first chip address to another core chip without a change.
US08331117B2
A multiple power supplies balance system includes a plurality of power supply circuits on a circuit board each having a power output route. Each power supply circuit includes a power supply feedback unit which has a reference level terminal to determine output potential of the power supply circuit. The circuit board also has an output route electrically connected to the power output route to converge current sending to a load. Thus the circuit board contains multiple sets of power supply circuits coupled in parallel. The circuit board also has a proportion distribution circuit to correct output variations of each power supply circuit. The proportion distribution circuit includes a variable impedance element which is electrically connected to the reference level terminals and controllable to proportionally change equivalent impedance connected to each reference level terminal, thus change proportionally output potential of each power supply circuit.
US08331108B2
The present invention relates to an integrated power inserter, comprises: a housing; a voltage lowering and rectifying member; and a coupling member having a power input end, a radio frequency signal coupling circuit, a radio frequency signal input end and a radio frequency signal output end, wherein the radio frequency signal input end is input with a radio frequency signal and outputs a power signal, the radio frequency signal output end outputs a radio frequency signal being coupled to a television; with the mentioned structure of the integrated power inserter, a power inserter can be integrated in a power adaptor for simplifying wire layout and lowering production cost.
US08331103B2
Disclosed herein is a wiring board including: a shield layer; and n layers (n is an integer of two or more) of inductor wiring formed above the shield layer and forming an inductor; wherein of the n layers of inductor wiring, the inductor wiring closest to the shield layer has a smallest wiring area.
US08331101B2
A wiring board to be used with being mounted on a packaging board includes a chip component surface-mounted on a surface facing the packaging board. The chip component includes terminal electrodes at both end portions of the component body thereof. Each of the terminal electrodes is provided in a form in which a plated film (Sn) formed on the surface of the terminal electrode is separated into two portions, one portion being on the wiring board side, and another portion being on the packaging board side. In one aspect, each of the terminal electrodes of the chip component is separated into a portion on the wiring board side and a portion on the packaging board side, and the plated film (Sn) is formed on a surface of each of the separated portions of each of the terminal electrodes.
US08331094B2
A stacked microprocessor package architecture includes one or more microprocessor packages, the microprocessor packages including one or more microprocessor die disposed on a substrate, a satellite die, a thermal bus thermally coupled to the microprocessor die and thermally connected to system cooling, and a power bus providing power to the microprocessor die and coupled to system power. The microprocessor packages may include a module cap providing mechanical protection and/or thermal isolation or a thermal cooling path for stacked modules. Variable height standoffs provide signal connection from substrates of the stacked microprocessor packages to a system board.
US08331092B2
A semiconductor element cooling apparatus includes: a first member whose first surface on which a semiconductor element is mounted, and whose second surface has fins that define coolant flow paths, and that extend in a first direction, and that stand from the second surface to a predetermined height, and that are spaced from each other by predetermined intervals; and a second member that defines the coolant flow paths that extend in the first direction. The fins have grooves which extend in a second direction that intersects the first direction, and which have a depth that extends from the distal end side of the fins toward the second surface. The depth of the grooves is smaller than the height of the fins. A protrusion-forming member is disposed in the grooves, and extends across adjacent fins, and forms protrusions in the coolant flow paths defined by the adjacent fins.
US08331087B2
A container data center includes a mobile container, a support plate installed in the container adjacent and parallel to a bottom wall of the container. Also included are two server systems arranged on the support plate in two parallel rows and a number of brackets installed between the bottom wall and the support plate. Additionally, a blower is installed between the bottom wall and the support plate, and two heat exchangers are provided at opposite sides of the blower. Each of the brackets comprises a number of columns. Each of the columns defines an air channel facing the blower.
US08331084B2
An apparatus for securing electronic equipment. The apparatus includes an electronic device having a first mating portion. The device is removably secured within a shell, which has an open end allowing access to the first mating portion. The apparatus further includes a dock having a second mating portion and an output connector in electrical communication with the second mating portion. The dock removably receives the shell to facilitate electrical communication between the first and second mating portions. The output connector facilitates electrical communication between the electronic device and a device external to the dock. The apparatus also includes a damping mechanism to reduce vibratory forces on the first and second mating portions and relative movement between the portions.
US08331077B2
A filtered feedthrough assembly includes a capacitor comprising a top portion, a bottom portion, an outer diameter portion and an inner diameter portion. The inner diameter portion defines at least one aperture extending from the top portion to the bottom portion. A conductive annular member is placed onto the top portion around the at least one aperture. A feedthrough pin extends through each of the apertures and is soldered to the inner diameter portion of the capacitor by application of a solder preform upon the conductive pad of conductive material.
US08331071B2
A distributed energy resource (DER) switching system and method for connecting a DER to an electrical power system (EPS) protector, wherein the DER has a reactance-to-resistance ratio higher than the reactance-to-resistance ratio of the EPS protector. The DER switching system includes an input for receiving power from the DER, and an output for providing power from the DER to the EPS protector. The DER switching system is designed to effectively lower the higher reactance-to-resistance ratio of the DER during an over-current fault so that, during the fault, the effective reactance-to-resistance ratio at the output of the DER switching system is lower than the reactance-to-resistance ratio of the EPS protector. The method includes effectively lowering the reactance-to-resistance ratio of the DER by varying the operating state of a switching device in a controlled manner during the fault.
US08331070B2
A power supply with an open-loop protection according to the present invention comprises a transformer, a switch, a signal generation circuit, a feedback detection circuit, a brown-out detection circuit, and a delay circuit. The transformer receives an input voltage. The switch is coupled to the transformer for switching the transformer. The signal generation circuit generates a switching signal to control the switch. The feedback detection circuit generates a pull-high signal in response to a feedback signal of the power supply. The brown-out detection circuit generates a delay signal in response to the pull-high signal and the input voltage. The delay circuit counts a delay time in response to the delay signal for generating a disabling signal coupled to the signal generation circuit to latch the switching signal. The brown-out detection circuit is utilized to detect whether the input voltage is in the brown-out condition for determining whether the open-loop protection is executed.
US08331066B2
A circuit breaker for a transformer includes means for interrupting circuitry in the transformer upon a fault condition in the transformer (the “fault interruption means”). The circuit breaker also includes means for interrupting the circuitry when a level of dielectric fluid in a tank of the transformer is unacceptably low (the “low oil trip means”). The fault interruption means includes a magnet, metal element, and first actuator. Upon the fault condition, the magnet and metal element separate, moving the first actuator to cause the electrical circuitry to open. The low oil trip means includes a float, insulating rod, and second actuator. When the dielectric fluid level drops to an unacceptably low level, the float and insulating rod drop, moving the second actuator to cause the circuitry to open. The low oil trip means operates independently of the fault interruption means, opening the circuitry without separating the magnet and metal element.
US08331057B2
Examples of an electromagnetic field detecting element according to the present invention includes a substrate, a pair of electrodes, three insulation layers disposed on the substrate and between the electrodes. The three insulation layers are designed to have two or three different dielectric breakdown strength. At least two ballistic current paths are formed between the electrodes. With this structure, it is possible to perform at a room temperature a highly efficient electromagnetic field detection utilizing Aharonov-Bohm effect or Aharonov-Casher effect.
US08331056B2
A spin stand is disclosed comprising a spindle motor having a rotor. A first disk clamp is operable to clamp a first disk to the rotor, and a second disk clamp is operable to clamp a second disk to the rotor. An actuator is operable to clamp the second disk clamp in order to clamp the second disk to the rotor after the first disk has been clamped to the rotor.
US08331051B2
A disc drive system provides increased reliability by detecting and correcting errors associated with bit-patterned media. Write synchronization errors associated with bit-patterned media are addressed by including data storage for temporarily storing data that is being written to the disc drive. The data is read from both the disc drive and the storage medium and compared to detect write synchronization errors. The disc drive system utilizes the identified write synchronization errors for at least one of timing recovery, equalizer training detection, error correction code application, and error recovery.
US08331048B1
A method of designing a lens having an image plane corresponding to an object located at infinity, comprising optimizing the lens by specifying quantities of light to pass through each of a plurality of the apertures. A method of designing a lens, comprising defining a plurality of objects each at a corresponding object location, at least one of the objects being a virtual object of the lens, and optimizing the lens by specifying for each of the objects a quantity of light to pass through a corresponding aperture disposed in an image space of the lens.
US08331042B2
An imaging lens includes a first lens that is a negative meniscus lens having a concave surface facing the image side of the imaging lens, a second lens that is a positive lens having a convex surface facing the object side of the imaging lens, a third lens that is a negative lens having a concave surface facing the image side, a fourth lens that is a double-convex lens, a fifth lens that is a negative meniscus lens having a concave surface facing the object side, and a sixth lens that is a negative lens, which are arranged in this order from the object side.
US08331041B2
Provided is an imaging optical system and an image acquisition apparatus that can be suitably used in a small-diameter endoscope while having an ultra-wide angle of view. Provided is an image optical system (1) containing, in order from the object side, a negative front group (FG), an aperture stop (S), and a positive back group (BG), wherein the front group (FG) contains, in order from the object side, a negative first lens (L1) and a negative second lens (L2), and the back group (BG) contains a cemented lens (CL) constituted of at least three lenses (L5, L6, L7) joined together.
US08331039B2
An optical system for observing front and lateral objects includes a negative front group having a reflective refractive element, an aperture stop, and a positive rear group having a moving lens unit that is movable along the optical axis. The reflective refractive element includes a front-object-side first face having a transmitting surface and a reflective surface annularly formed around the transmitting surface, an image-side second face having a transmitting surface and a reflective surface annularly formed around the transmitting surface, and a face formed as a transmitting surface between the first and second faces. The optical system performs focusing onto an object while hardly changing, in the entire observation area, an area in which an image of the front object is formed, by moving the moving lens unit to the extent that the refractive powers of the front and rear groups hardly change relative to each other.
US08331023B2
A parallax barrier 3D display utilizes adjustable at least one parallax barrier for having an observer always retrieve stereo vision no matter whether horizontal or vertical movements towards the parallax barrier 3D display are made. The parallax barrier is adjustable in its width and a distance from the parallax barrier 3D display, or a parallax barrier having an appropriate width or distance may be chosen from each parallax barrier set. Therefore, the observer does not have to search for sweet spots nor keep on staying at the sweet spots for retrieving stereo vision.
US08331022B2
A reflective screen which reflects a projection light, includes: a substrate on one surface of which are formed a plurality of concavely or convexly curved surface portions; and a reflective film formed on the curved surface portions of the substrate, wherein the plurality of curved surface portions are configured of a plurality of kinds of curved surface portion differing in curvature, and curved surface portions, among a plurality of curved surface portions aligned in at least a first direction, which are of the same curvature are disposed in series of up to three.
US08331016B2
An electrophoretic display includes a substrate, first electrodes arranged on the substrate, an electrophoretic layer arranged on the substrate so as to cover the first electrodes, a partition wall that divides the electrophoretic layer into a plurality of cells, and a second electrode arranged on the electrophoretic layer. The electrophoretic layer has electrophoretic particles and a dispersion medium that disperses the electrophoretic particles. The second electrode protrudes towards the first electrodes at the cell.
US08331014B2
A pigment-based ink includes a non-polar carrier fluid and pigment particles suspended in the non-polar carrier fluid. The pigment particles have surface functionalized anionic groups. A combination of an electronic display and an electronic ink is provided, as is a method for modifying the pigment particles.
US08331007B2
A transparent optical component comprises two sets of cells (1) disposed in respective superposed layers (10, 20). Each cell (1) contains an optically active material, and the cells in each set are isolated from one another by separating portions (2) within the corresponding layer. The cells (1) of one layer are offset relative to the cells of the other layer so as to be located in line with the separating portions (2) pertaining to the other layer. Such optical component exhibits transparency that is improved compared with components having a single layer of cells or cells that are superposed.
US08331004B2
A mirror driving circuit applies a voltage to drive a mirror and switches an optical path of light output from a channel of an input port to a channel of an output port. The mirror driving circuit includes an offset-voltage applying unit that applies an offset voltage to the mirror, an applied-voltage determining unit that determines an applied voltage to be applied to the mirror based on a relation between the channel of the input port and the channel of the output port forming a path of the light, and a voltage applying unit that applies to the mirror a remaining voltage obtained by subtracting the offset voltage from the applied voltage.
US08330995B2
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can perform a process of transforming an edge of an image such as trapping with less memory than prior art by using a small reference area and modification information.
US08330993B2
An image forming apparatus comprises an image data generating unit configured to convert a tone of an input value which indicates a density of a pixel by using a predetermined dither matrix and generate image data. The image forming apparatus further comprises a drive source and a gear configured to transmit a drive force from the drive source to an image carrier. The dither matrix includes a plurality of sub-matrixes arranged in a predetermined rule and a dot in each of the plurality of the sub-matrixes grows from a corresponding original point. The image forming apparatus satisfies a relation of (1) a≧0.24 mm and b/a<0.78, or (2) a<0.24 mm and b/a>1.2, where “a” is a travel distance of a printing medium per tooth of the gear in a secondary scanning direction orthogonal to the primary scanning direction, and “b” is a component in the secondary scanning direction of a distance between the original point of the dot derived from a first sub-matrix and the original point of the dot derived from a second sub-matrix.
US08330982B2
A print control apparatus is provided. The print control apparatus includes: a storage unit which stores web page information which is received, in response to search key information transmitted to a server of a search engine, from the server; and a print controller which controls printing of web page information. The storage unit further stores transition information indicating a transition state from the web page information received in response to the search key information transmitted to the server to the web page information to be printed. The print controller includes: a first extracting unit which extracts search key information from the transition information; and a combining unit which combines the web page information to be printed and the extracted search key information.
US08330980B2
A system, method, and apparatus for networked print management without the presence of print servers. The system, method, and apparatus allow a user to submit documents to a multifunction device for printing. The multifunction device (MFD) is in communication with one or more other MFDs over an application server. The application server acts as a request broker to allow one MFD to print a document on another MFD. The user accesses the MFD to view the submitted documents. The one or more other MFDs send any additional documents to the accessed MFD. The user selects one or more of the user's documents for printing by the accessed MFD. The user can also select the user's documents on the accessed MFD and forward them to a second MFD for printing.
US08330974B2
A data processing apparatus includes an image reader for reading an original, a receiver capable of receiving an external job transmitted from an outside, a transmitter capable of transmitting image data of the original read by the image reader as a scanning job to an outside, a print device for printing data of the external job received by the receiver, one or a plurality of compressing/expanding devices for compressing the image data of the scanning job or the data of the external job and expanding the compressed data, and a controller. The controller controls execution of processing of the external job and the scanning job by the compressing/expanding devices in accordance with execution status of the external job in cases where a request for processing the data of the external job by the compressing/expanding devices and a request for processing the data of the scanning job by the compressing/expanding devices overlap.
US08330973B2
An information processor for executing multiple applications including an external application under a control of an operating system, includes: a executing section that executes the external application in an isolated environment based on user identification information that is under the control of the operating system and allocated to the external application.
US08330972B2
Systems and methods for reducing delays in printing print jobs use a RIP or a digital front end generally, to maintain an inventory of pre-ripped ready to print work that can be sent to the print engine to prevent an engine shutdown due to the RIPs inability to keep up with the engine. The systems and methods for reducing delays in printing print jobs can track performance in real time and automatically switch to printing jobs from post-RIP content archive if it is determined that the print engine is at risk of outpacing the RIP or DFE such that printing will be interrupted at the print engine.
US08330968B2
A print control system includes a computer with application software and a printer driver installed thereinto, a printer, which is connected with the computer, configured to perform a printing operation based on print settings including a setting item configurable via the application software and the printer driver, a judging unit configured to judge whether a first setting value of the setting item configured via one of the application software and the printer driver is equivalent to a second setting value of the setting item configured via the printer driver, and a warning unit configured to issue a warning when the judgment by the judging unit is negative.
US08330961B1
The system includes at least one light source generating light energy having a corresponding wavelength. The system's sensor is based on an optical interferometer that receives light energy from each light source. The interferometer includes a free-space optical path disposed in an environment of interest. The system's sensor includes an optical device disposed in the optical path that causes light energy of a first selected wavelength to continue traversing the optical path whereas light energy of at least one second selected wavelength is directed away from the optical path. The interferometer generates an interference between the light energy of the first selected wavelength so-traversing the optical path with the light energy at the corresponding wavelength incident on the optical interferometer. A first optical detector detects the interference. At least one second detector detects the light energy at the at least one second selected wavelength directed away from the optical path.
US08330949B2
A foreign substance inspection apparatus includes a light projecting unit, a detector which detects the intensity of scattered light of light projected onto the surface of an object to be detected by the light projecting unit, in association with the two-dimensional coordinate position on the surface, and a processing unit. The relationship between the intensity of the scattered light detected by the detector and the particle size of the foreign substance differs depending on the two-dimensional coordinate position on the surface. The processing unit determines, a conversion curve to convert the intensity of the scattered light detected by the detector into the particle size of the foreign substance, in accordance with the two-dimensional coordinate position of the foreign substance detected by the detector, and converts the intensity of the scattered light detected by the detector into the particle size of the foreign substance using the determined conversion curve.
US08330927B2
The present invention relates to a display device including a substrate, a display signal line disposed on the substrate, a contact assistant disposed on the pad region of the substrate as a draw-out terminal of the display signal line, a driver IC chip disposed on the substrate and connected to the display signal line through the contact assistant, and a testing thin film transistor disposed between the substrate and the driver IC chip. The testing thin film transistor and the display signal line are connected to each other.
US08330923B2
A multi-domain liquid crystal display (LCD) includes multiple effective pixel electrodes, dummy pixel electrodes and auxiliary electrodes. The effective pixel electrodes are regularly arranged in an array of row and column, and the array of effective pixel electrodes constitute an active display area of the multi-domain LCD. The dummy pixel electrodes are provided outside the active display area and arranged at least on the side of an outermost row or outermost column of the array of effective pixel electrodes. Each auxiliary electrode is positioned next to one side of an effective pixel electrode or a dummy pixel electrode to produce fringe fields and is connected to another effective pixel electrode controlled by a preceding or a succeeding signal line to allow all effective pixel electrodes to have substantially the same coupling capacitance.
US08330904B2
A color filter using a surface plasmon includes a metal layer; and a transmissive pattern formed in the metal layer, the transmissive pattern comprising a plurality of sub-wavelength holes having a period, wherein a desired color of light is output by selectively transmitting light of a specific wavelength by using the surface plasmon, and the plurality of sub-wavelength holes are arranged in a triangular lattice having a predetermined number of nearest neighboring holes with respect to a central hole.
US08330902B2
The invention relates to a display cell, comprising two transparent, equidistant plates, wherein the gap between the plates is filled with a liquid-crystal material-containing layer, characterized in that the liquid-crystal material-containing layer is inhomogeneous and anisotropic, wherein it has a first region made up of compartments, which comprise entirely, substantially or mainly liquid-crystal material, and a second, coherent region which comprises entirely, substantially or mainly an organic polymer material and surrounds the compartments made of liquid-crystal material. In addition, the invention relates to a liquid-crystal material-containing mixture which can be used to produce the layer between the plates, and to a method for producing the display cell.
US08330897B2
A backlight unit includes an optical sheet, a receiving member configured to receive the optical sheet, the receiving member having a support surface supporting the optical sheet, an extension configured to protrude from a side surface of the optical sheet, an inner surface position defining portion configured to define a location of the optical sheet, the inner surface position defining portion being substantially perpendicular to the support surface of the receiving member and facing an inner surface of the extension, and an outer surface position defining portion substantially perpendicular to the supporting surface of the receiving member and facing an outer surface of the extension, wherein a first distance between the inner surface position defining portion and the inner surface of the extension is less than a second distance between the outer surface position defining portion and the outer surface of the extension.
US08330889B2
In a thin film transistor, first and second thin film transistors are connected to an Nth gate line and an Mth data line, and first and second sub pixel electrodes are connected to the first and second thin film transistors, respectively. A third thin film transistor includes a gate electrode connected to an (N+1)th gate line, a semiconductor layer overlapping with the gate electrode, a source electrode connected to the second sub pixel electrode and partially overlapping with the gate electrode, and a drain electrode facing the source electrode. A first auxiliary electrode is connected to the drain electrode and arranged on the same layer as the first and second sub pixel electrodes. An opposite electrode is arranged on the same layer as the gate line and at least partially overlaps with the first auxiliary electrode with at least one insulating layer disposed therebetween.
US08330888B2
A display substrate includes a gate line, a data line crossing the gate line, a transistor connected to the gate line and the data line, a first pixel electrode connected to a first output electrode of the transistor and a second pixel electrode connected to a second output electrode of the transistor. The first pixel electrode includes cutting grooves which define a first domain on the first pixel electrode off-axis image quality.
US08330887B2
It is an object to provide a liquid crystal display device and an electronic device of which aperture ratio increases. The present invention includes a substrate having an insulating surface, a transistor formed over the substrate, a pixel electrode electrically connected to the transistor. The transistor includes a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer over the gate electrode, a semiconductor layer having a microcrystalline structure over the gate insulating layer, and a buffer layer over the semiconductor layer having the microcrystalline structure. The channel width W of the transistor and the channel length L of the transistor satisfy a relation of 0.1≦W/L≦1.7.
US08330875B2
The present invention provides a television receiver capable of automatically identifying the kind of a tuner and controlling the tuner in accordance with the kind. In a television receiver having a tuner for receiving a television broadcast signal and a module for detecting an intermediate frequency signal output from the tuner while controlling the tuner and outputting a video signal and an audio signal, the tuner is provided with a circuit for changing predetermined output information which is output from the tuner in accordance with the kind of the tuner, and information indicative of correspondence relation between the predetermined output information and the kind of the tuner is stored in a memory. By collating the predetermined output information output from the tuner with the information stored in the memory at the power on, the kind of the tuner is identified and, according to the kind, the module is allowed to control the tuner.
US08330867B2
An image processing apparatus having the cold-warm color producing processing unit for producing the cold-warm color frame, and an interpolation frame producing unit for producing an interpolation frame of the image signal, wherein the interpolation frame producing unit produces the interpolation frame of the image signal, using the cold-warm color frame produced in said cold-warm color producing processing unit.
US08330865B2
According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes: a display configured to display an image; a display magnification changing module configured to change display magnification of the image; a cursor display module configured to display a cursor; a receiver configured to receive a signal indicating a movement direction; and a cursor movement control module configured to move the cursor a first distance in the movement direction when the display is displaying the image with a first display magnification, and move the cursor a second distance that is longer than the first distance in the movement direction when the display is displaying the image with a display magnification that is larger than the first display magnification.
US08330850B2
An imaging apparatus provided with a function of shooting a moving image and a still image, and capable of displaying an image to be captured on a display unit includes a first display control unit configured to display an confirmation image for checking an in-focus state on the display unit when a moving image is shot; and a second display control unit configured to change the confirmation image for checking an in-focus state displayed on the display unit by the first display control unit when a still image is shot during moving image shooting.
US08330846B2
An image pickup apparatus is provided with an imaging optical system (imaging lens), an image sensor for picking up a subject image formed by the imaging optical system, and a view division optical system (first mirror) which divides a view picked up by the image sensor into an environment imaging side view and an eyeball imaging side view.
US08330835B2
An image capturing apparatus includes: an image pickup section for converting, into image data, pixel signals obtained by picking up an image of an object; and an image processing section for performing predetermined image processing on the image data obtained as a result of conversion by the image pickup section. The image pickup section includes: an X-Y addressable image sensor for accumulating, in an image pickup area thereof, pixel signals of an object obtained by image pickup; and a conversion means for sequentially reading out pixel signals contained in each of processing units, converting the pixel signals into image data, and outputting the image data, the processing units each being an area of a predetermined size defined by dividing the image pickup area of the image sensor into rectangular blocks of a predetermined size and adding a predetermined number of pixels to each rectangular block in vertical and horizontal directions of the rectangular block. The image processing section includes: a memory for sequentially receiving and storing image data of each processing unit; and an image processing means for sequentially performing the predetermined image processing on the image data stored in the memory that is contained in the range of the rectangular block, and outputting the resultant image data.
US08330834B2
A solid-state image sensing device reads repeatedly M times an analog signal having a black level, during a first A/D conversion period. A frequency divider frequency-divides by M a pulse train depending on the analog signal having a black level that is read repeatedly M times, and a counter circuit counts the pulses of the pulse train, which is frequency-divided by M. Thereafter, the solid-state image sensing device reads repeatedly N times an analog signal having a signal level, during a second A/D conversion period. The frequency divider frequency-divides by N a pulse train depending on the analog signal having a signal level that is read repeatedly N times, and the counter circuit counts the pulses of the pulse train, which is frequency-divided by N. M and N satisfy the relationship N≦M.
US08330829B2
One disclosed embodiment includes detecting flicker in a photographic setting. A plurality of samples are obtained from a light detector circuit of a camera, each of which has a value that is dependent upon intensity of light incident upon the camera. The method further includes processing the samples to identify whether the incident light is varying in intensity at one or more pre-selected frequencies. The processing may include multiplying the samples with one or more periodic signals to generate scalar product outputs, and analyzing the scalar product outputs to ascertain the presence of periodic flicker.
US08330818B2
An image-based vehicle maneuvering assistant method and system are provided in the present invention, in which images captured by a single image sensing device is processed to determine the changes with respect time 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 maneuvering. By means of the presented method of the presented invention, the system is capable of generating track of the carrier, view point transformation, and identifying the characteristic object in the image so as to performing the distance estimation. The present invention may be utilized and applied in different kinds of carrier type to solve the problem of guiding of carrier maneuvering, and assist the carrier lane changing, parking assistance and blind spot detection.
US08330816B2
The present invention provides an image processing device capable of enabling accurate recognition of a solid object present near a vehicle and displaying the solid object. The image processing device includes a viewpoint conversion unit for receiving data of images captured by at least one image capturing camera and generating a top view image, a solid object extraction unit for detecting a solid object from the data of the images captured by the at least one image capturing camera and extracting the solid object, a solid object image generation unit for generating a solid object image in accordance with the solid object extracted by the solid object extraction unit, and an image synthesis unit for synthesizing the solid object image generated by the solid object image generation unit with the top view image generated by the viewpoint conversion unit.
US08330813B2
In a camera 12, a sound input unit inputs a monitoring sound obtained from a monitoring place, and an image generation unit generates a monitoring image obtained from the monitoring place. A sound anomaly detection unit then detects a sound anomaly in the monitoring place based on the monitoring sound, and an image anomaly detection unit detects an image anomaly in the monitoring place based on the monitoring image. A comprehensive anomaly judgment unit comprehensively judges whether or not there is an anomaly based on detection results of the sound anomaly detection unit and the image anomaly detection unit. When the comprehensive anomaly judgment unit judges that there is an anomaly, an anomaly notification unit notifies a controller 14 of the anomaly. An anomaly can be reliably detected by the comprehensive anomaly judgment.
US08330806B2
In a stereoscopic image conversion panel and a stereoscopic image display apparatus, the stereoscopic display panel includes a first lens substrate, a second lens substrate, a stereoscopic image lens part and a lens liquid crystal layer. The stereoscopic image lens part is disposed between the first and second substrates, and includes a main lens and sub-lenses with a concave shape. At least one sub-lens is disposed at opposite edge portions of the main lens. The lens liquid crystal layer is received by the main lens and the sub-lenses, is disposed between the first and second lens substrates, and includes liquid crystal molecules having an anisotropic refractive index. The lens liquid crystal layer refracts a polarized light at an interface between the lens liquid crystal layer and the stereoscopic lens part, to convert a flat image into a stereoscopic image. Therefore, the thickness of the stereoscopic image panel can be reduced.
US08330805B2
A stereoscopic image display apparatus includes an image display panel displaying an image for a right eye and an image for a left eye in a regularly mixed manner in a plane, a phase difference element including a right-eye image display portion corresponding to the image for the right eye and a left-eye image display portion corresponding to the image for the left eye to provide different polarization states, a light shield layer formed to project only in an area including a boundary between the right-eye image display portion and the left-eye image display portion of the phase difference element, and a binder layer interposed between the phase difference element and the image display panel, except for a portion between a top surface of the light shield layer and the image display panel, thus bonding the image display panel, the phase difference element, and the light shield layer together.
US08330804B2
A method for constructing a 3D representation of a subject comprises capturing, with a camera, a 2D image of the subject. The method further comprises scanning a modulated illumination beam over the subject to illuminate, one at a time, a plurality of target regions of the subject, and measuring a modulation aspect of light from the illumination beam reflected from each of the target regions. A moving-mirror beam scanner is used to scan the illumination beam, and a photodetector is used to measure the modulation aspect. The method further comprises computing a depth aspect based on the modulation aspect measured for each of the target regions, and associating the depth aspect with a corresponding pixel of the 2D image.
US08330803B2
In a method for 3D digitization of an object (1), a plurality of camera images of the object are recorded and assembled to determine the 3D coordinates of the object. To improve such method, pictures are taken from the object (1), from which 2D feature points (11, 12, 13; 21, 22, 23) of the object (1) are determined. The 3D coordinates of the 2D feature points are determined. The 2D point correspondences (32, 32, 22) between the 2D feature points of a picture and the 2D feature points of another picture are determined. Several of these 2D point correspondences are selected, and an associated 3D transformation is determined. The quality of this 3D transformation is determined with reference to the transformed 3D coordinates of the 2D feature points. Valid 3D feature points are determined therefrom. For assembling the camera images of the object (1), the 3D coordinates of the valid 3D feature points are used.
US08330800B2
An index detecting section detects an index in a physical space, from a captured image obtained by an imaging apparatus. An erroneous-detection prevention processing section performs erroneous-detection prevention processing, based on information relating to image coordinates of a detected index. An image output section outputs, to a display device, an image having been subjected to the erroneous-detection prevention processing. This prevents an image displayed on the display device from being mistaken for a real index when the display device is in the field of view of the imaging apparatus.
US08330787B2
Embodiments of the invention compensate for the movement of a meeting capture device during a live meeting when performing speaker indexing of a recorded meeting. In one example, a first position of a capture device is determined. A second position of the capture device is determined after the capture device has been moved from the first position to the second position. The movement data associated with movement of the capture device from the first position to the second position is determined. The movement data is outputted and used in speaker indexing of the recorded meeting.
US08330784B2
An image forming apparatus including a black developer with increased capacity. The image forming apparatus includes optical scanners, where the optical scanners have the same focusing distance from the light source to the photo conductor, and the light reflecting unit of one of the optical scanners is arranged at a position different from the light reflecting unit of another optical scanner, such that intervals between the developers vary. Accordingly, although developers of the same type are used, the capacity of the black developer, which is most frequently used, may be easily increased by arranging the relative positions of the developers.
US08330774B2
A system compositing images from different applications includes a movie clip based application, an image application, and a compositing application that is in communication with the movie clip based application and the image application. The movie clip based application defines one or more movie clip images for display. The image application provides one or more images for display with the one or more movie clip images. The compositing application operates to composite the one or more movie clip images with the one or more images of the image application for viewing on a display.
US08330763B2
A method for volume rendering a volumetric dataset with multiple graphics processing units (GPUs) coupled to a computer system, comprises building a block hierarchical structure of blocks for the volumetric dataset, the block hierarchy comprising a block sequence; partitioning the block sequence into a plurality of groups; determining a target work load for each GPU; allocating each group of the plurality to a respective GPU in accordance with the target load; rendering respective intermediate images by the respective GPUs; and compositing for a final image by blending the respective intermediate images.
US08330733B2
A touch-sensitive electronic display device including one or more touch-sensitive display screens and interface software. The touch-sensitive display screen(s) and interface software are configured to be responsive to touch inputs and, in the case of a multi-screen workspace, the interface software is operable to allow inputs made in connection with a first screen to generate an inertial movement of a displayed object which results in the object moving to and coming to rest on another of the screens. The touch-sensitive screen and interface software may also be configured to receive hand touch inputs and pen touch inputs, with the interface software being operable to dynamically mask regions of the touch-sensitive display to discriminate between or selectively permit/reject different types of inputs.
US08330729B2
An electro-tactile display comprises at least one current source, arrayed electrodes, and a switching circuit for connecting each electrode to the current source or to ground. The electro-tactile display is characterized by selecting one or a plurality of electrodes from the arrayed electrodes and connecting the selected electrodes to the current source to provide current source electrodes, alternately connecting neighboring electrodes in the vicinity of said current source electrodes to the current source and to ground, connecting a plurality of remaining electrodes other than the neighboring electrodes to ground to provide ground electrodes, and providing electrical stimulation from the current source electrodes wherein the current source electrodes are spaced apart from the ground electrodes via the neighboring electrodes. Tactile sensations are presented by switching over the current source electrodes at a predetermined time interval.
US08330727B2
Apparatus and methods are disclosed for simultaneously tracking multiple finger and palm contacts as hands approach, touch, and slide across a proximity-sensing, multi-touch surface. Identification and classification of intuitive hand configurations and motions enables unprecedented integration of typing, resting, pointing, scrolling, 3D manipulation, and handwriting into a versatile, ergonomic computer input device.
US08330717B2
In the medical image interpreting apparatus having a pointing device for moving a cursor, medical image, interpretation report, and cursor are displayed on a display screen, and initial movement information and information on the destination of movement of the cursor are linked and stored, via the pointing device when the cursor begins to move, said initial movement information relevant to the initial movement is retrieved to obtain the linked information on the destination of movement and the cursor is moved to the destination of movement indicated in the obtained information on the destination of movement. Due to this, just by slightly moving the cursor, the cursor jumps to the desired destination of movement, therefore, it becomes possible to omit an operation of the pointing device in between. Due to this, the operation load of the pointing device is reduced, thus preventing an operator's thought in creating an interpretation report from being destructed, and the enhancement in interpreting efficiency and the reduction of interpretation mistakes are achieved.
US08330715B2
A method involving: (i) detecting one of a plurality of possible directional input commands for controlling the position of a cursor in a display; (ii) determining whether the detected directional input should be interpreted as an input under a free-roaming mode or under an attraction mode (iii) if the detected directional input is interpreted as an input under the free-roaming mode then determining an end position at a predetermined magnitude from the current position on a bearing determined by the detected directional input (iv) if the detected directional input is interpreted as an input under the attraction mode then determining the end position as coincident with a selectable item; (v) moving the cursor from the current position to the determined end position in a series of steps; and (vi) setting the end position as the current position.
US08330714B2
The electronic device includes a projector device that projects an image formed by an optical image formation element, an imaging device that captures an image of an object to be photographed so that an imaging range includes the range of projection by the projector device and outputs an image signal, an image change detection unit that detects change of the image signal after having excluded the projection range from the range photographed by the imaging device, and a command unit that issues a command related to operation of the projector device according to the region within the imaging range in which change has been detected by the image change detection unit.
US08330713B2
The invention relates to a touch-sensitive display device with an integrated mechanical operating part for motor vehicles, in which a mechanical operating part (2) and a holding magnet (3) are provided. The operating part (2) is held by magnetic force on the surface of a touch-sensitive display device (1), whereby sensor elements (5) are provided under the surface of the display device (1), and that the switching positions of the operating part (2) can be determined by the sensor elements.
US08330707B2
A lighting device for a cold-cathode tube includes an inverter that supplies a current through the cold-cathode tube, an operation portion through which a luminance adjustment is performed, an inverter control circuit that controls the inverter in accordance with a luminance adjustment value adjusted through the operation portion so as to change the current flowing through the cold-cathode tube, and a protective circuit that stops operation of the inverter when the current flowing through the cold-cathode tube becomes smaller than a predetermined set value. The protective circuit of the lighting device is controlled in such a way that the protective circuit does not operate when the luminance adjustment value adjusted through the operation portion is smaller than a luminance threshold value.
US08330706B2
A lighting device for a display device includes a light source and a light source control device arranged to control the light source. The light source control device is arranged to generate a pulse signal as a light source control signal Vcon to control the light source. The light source control signal Vcon includes pulses, which individually have different shapes.
US08330704B2
A cumulative function of image is obtained according to its gray levels of pixels. This function is then mapped to obtain a backlight modulation function according to a reference line. The backlight brightness provided for different regions of the liquid crystal display are decided by the backlight modulation function while displaying the images.
US08330692B2
A display panel including a number of data lines and scan lines, a number of first, second, and third switches, and a number of first, second, and third pixels is provided. Each first pixel located at an odd position at a first side of each data line is electrically connected to the corresponding data line through one first switch. Each second pixel located at an even position at the first side of each data line is electrically connected to the corresponding data line through the first, second, and third switches sequentially connected in series. Each third pixel located at a second side of each data line is electrically connected to the corresponding data line through the second and third switches sequentially connected in series. The first, second and third pixels are driven by corresponding scan lines and data lines. A driving method of the display panel is also provided.
US08330690B2
A gamma control circuit includes a first gray-scale voltage selection unit that selects and outputs a highest gray-scale voltage and a lowest gray-scale voltage from among a plurality of first voltages present between a first supply voltage and a second supply voltage. A second gray-scale voltage selection unit receives the highest and lowest gray-scale voltages and selects and outputs a first intermediate voltage and a second intermediate voltage between the highest and lowest gray-scale voltages. A third gray-scale voltage selection unit receives the highest and lowest gray-scale voltages and the first and second intermediate voltages and generates a plurality of reference voltages from the received voltages. A gray-scale voltage generation unit receives the highest and lowest gray-scale voltages and the plurality of reference voltages and outputs a plurality of gray-scale voltages.
US08330684B2
In an organic light emitting display and its driving method, a pixel portion includes a plurality of pixels which express images corresponding to a scan signal, an emission control signal, and a data signal. A scan driver transfers the scan signal and the emission control signal to the pixel portion. A data driver generates and transfers a plurality of data signals to the pixel portion using video data. A frame memory stores and transfers the video data in frame periods to the data driver. A luminance controller determines a pulse of the emission control signal using frame data, which is a sum of video data stored in the frame memory. A power supply unit supplies voltages of first and second power sources to the pixel portion. The luminance controller determines the number and widths of pulses in the emission control signal corresponding to a sum of the video data.
US08330663B2
There is provided an antenna for a vehicle which is formed on a space above defogging heater strips of a rear window glass of the vehicle. The antenna includes an AM broadcast wave receiving antenna including a plurality of horizontal strips provided at intervals, at least two vertical strips which are orthogonal to the horizontal strips, and which are apart from each other, and a first feed point provided between the two vertical strips, on uppermost one of the horizontal strips or through an extension line extending from a portion of the uppermost one of the horizontal strips; and an FM broadcast wave receiving antenna which extends in a clockwise direction or in a counterclockwise direction from a second feed point provided above the uppermost one of the horizontal strips of the AM broadcast wave receiving antenna, along a part of an outermost portion of the AM broadcast wave receiving antenna to surround the AM broadcast wave receiving antenna, and which is adjacent to at least a part of the horizontal strips of the AM broadcast wave receiving antenna to achieve a capacitive coupling.
US08330662B2
Methods and apparatus for determining parameters for an array are described. An exemplary embodiment of a method determines a set of parameters for an antenna array including multiple array elements, the array being fed by a feed array including a plurality of feed elements. The embodiment of the method includes measuring a plurality of bistatic ranges Rijk through different signal path combinations, each signal path combination from a feed element “i,” to an array element “j,” and to a feed element “k”. The measuring includes radiating energy from feed element “i”, and reflecting some of the radiated energy from array element “j” back to feed element k of the feed array. The measured bistatic ranges are processed to solve for the set of parameters. Another embodiment of a method is for measurement of multiple array elements of an array, and includes radiating energy from one or more array elements, reflecting some of the radiated energy from a set of reflector elements back to the array elements each reflector element having a variable phase shifter associated therewith, cycling each reflector element phase shifter through a range of phase shifter settings at a unique rate, processing the received signals to extract a phase of the reflected energy as received at each element; and using the extracted phase for each element to determine a relative location of each array element.
US08330657B2
A portable wireless communication device includes a base circuit board, an antenna, and a switch. The base circuit board is a printed circuit board including a feed point and a ground point. The antenna is disposed on the base circuit board including a radiating portion, a feed portion, and a plurality of ground portions. The feed portion electrically connected to the feed point. The switch is electrically connected between the ground point and the plurality of ground portions to choose one ground portion to electrically connect to the ground point and obtain wide working frequency bands.
US08330656B2
An electronic device and a fixing module are provided. The electronic device further includes a housing and an antenna module. The antenna module includes an antenna, a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion. The first engaging portion and the second engaging portion are installed on two ends of the antenna. The first engaging portion includes an upper surface. The fixing module installed on the housing includes a first limiting element and a second limiting element. When the antenna module is fixed with the fixing module, the first limiting element is engaged with the first engaging portion, and the second limiting element is engaged with the second limiting element. The first limiting element includes a protrusion. When the antenna module is fixed with the fixing module, the protrusion covers the upper surface of the first engaging portion.
US08330652B2
Methods and apparatuses are provided that may be implemented in various electronic devices to possibly reduce a first-time-to-fix and/or otherwise increase the performance or efficiency of a device in determining its current estimated position. In some embodiments, it may be determined whether current estimated position is valid based, at least in part, on pseudorange measurement information and pseudorange predicted information, and such determining may include obtaining a sum-of-squares of an a-posteriori measurement residual associated with the pseudorange measurement information and the pseudorange predicted information.
US08330647B2
A land-based smart sensor system and several system architectures for detection, tracking, and classification of people and vehicles automatically and in real time for border, property, and facility security surveillance is described. The preferred embodiment of the proposed smart sensor system is comprised of (1) a low-cost, non-coherent radar, whose function is to detect and track people, singly or in groups, and various means of transportation, which may include vehicles, animals, or aircraft, singly or in groups, and cue (2) an optical sensor such as a long-wave infrared (LWIR) sensor, whose function is to classify the identified targets and produce movie clips for operator validation and use, and (3) a supercomputer to process the collected data in real-time. The smart sensor system can be implemented in a tower-based or a mobile-based, or combination system architecture. The radar can also be operated as a stand-alone system.
US08330642B2
A high resolution imaging system is used to detect and locate targets using time reversal in rich scattering environments, where the number of scatterers is significantly larger than the number of antennas. Our imaging system performs two major tasks by time reversal: clutter mitigation and target focusing. Clutter mitigation is accomplished through waveform reshaping to suppress the clutter returns. After the suppressed clutter is subtracted from the returned signal, a second time reversal for target focusing is performed. A final image is then obtained by beamforming.
US08330634B2
A system includes an N bit sub-binary radix digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that converts an m bit digital input signal to an analog output signal, where m and N are integers greater than or equal to 1 and N>m. A radix conversion module determines a code ratio, the code ratio being a ratio of a total number of available monotonic codes to 2m, and performs radix conversion on the m bit digital input signal based on the code ratio.
US08330632B2
Calibration of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is accomplished via a reference comparator, a first and second multiplexer (MUX), and a finite state machine (FSM). By sampling an analog input with the reference comparator and comparing the results with those of the ADC using the FSM, all the comparators in the ADC can be calibrated without interrupting the ADC's normal operation. The first MUX provides a same reference voltage to the reference comparator as a comparator selected for the calibration, and the second MUX provides the FSM with the output of the selected comparator. The FSM then performs a comparison of the reference comparator and the selected comparator, extracts the polarity of the mismatch, and updates the contents of a memory with the extracted polarity. An offset control in the selected comparator receives a signal corresponding to the extracted polarity stored in the memory and injects offset current into the comparator.
US08330630B2
A circuit arrangement is described comprising a first receiver configured to receive a first input signal, a second receiver configured to receive a second input signal, a first signal generator configured to generate a first pulse signal, a second signal generator configured to generate a second pulse signal, wherein a delay between a rising edge of the first pulse signal and a rising edge of the second pulse signal is proportional to a difference between the first input signal and the second input signal, a first converter configured to convert the first pulse signal to a first digital number proportional to a width of the first pulse signal, a second converter configured to convert the second pulse signal to a second digital number proportional to a width of the second pulse signal, wherein at least one of the first converter and the second converter comprises a cascade of at least two converter stages, wherein each converter stage of the at least two converter stages is configured to propagate and shrink the respective pulse signal. Also a corresponding method is described.
US08330627B2
A keyboard includes a keyboard main body and a supporting apparatus. A first extending portion is extended from a sidewall of the keyboard main body. A number of keys are set on a top of the keyboard main body. A second extending portion is extended from a sidewall of the supporting apparatus and mounted to the first extending portion. A supporting device is set on a top of the supporting apparatus, opposite to the second extending portion.
US08330625B2
An aircraft system includes a visual display system; a printer; and a flight management system coupled to the visual display system and the printer. The flight management system includes a processor and a plurality of data sources coupled to the processor. The processor includes a crew interface module coupled to the plurality of data sources, a display driver coupled to the crew interface module and the visual display system, and a printer driver coupled to the crew interface module and the printer. The crew interface module is configured to generate a report from data from the data sources and to send the report to the visual display system via the display driver. The visual display system is configured to receive the report and to display the report.
US08330621B2
An in-vehicle apparatus includes a first receiver capable of receiving identification information about a vehicle group that is transmitted from a first roadside device in a signal having directivity; a judging unit for identifying a vehicle group to which a host vehicle of the in-vehicle apparatus belongs based on the identification information; and a first transmitter capable of transmitting the identification information to a second roadside device connected to a network of a road traffic system.
US08330619B2
A device and method of counting pulse or switch contact signals over time from any commodity in various applications such as manufacturing and process control is provided. The device includes a pulse splitter relay that generates a first output pulse signal and a second pulse output signal. The first output pulse signal is transmitted to a recorder that receives the pulse signal and stores data such as date and time information when the pulse signal was received. The second output pulse signal is transmitted to a downstream system, such as a building management system for example. The data from the recorder and the downstream system may be compared to verify the pulse signals and identify potential sources for error.
US08330608B2
A method and apparatus are provided to indicate battery capacity status. Different blinking frequencies of an LED correspond to different battery states of charge. Furthermore, the present invention provides a smooth visual brightness change of the LED by providing the appropriate LED current according to human eye characteristics.
US08330602B2
A first roll is provided, which is formed by winding a base tape having a tape-state base film in which a plurality of RFID circuit elements are disposed with a predetermined interval in the lengthwise direction, an adhesive layer with a predetermined width for affixing the RFID circuit element to a target to be affixed, disposed on one face of the base film, and a separation sheet with a width larger than that of the adhesive layer and disposed so as to extend in the lengthwise direction of the adhesive layer around a reel axis approximately perpendicular to the lengthwise direction.
US08330597B2
A radiation detection apparatus and a radiation image capturing system according to the present invention includes an electronic cassette equipped with a casing, and a radiation detection device accommodated inside the casing, which detects radiation emitted from a radiation source and having passed through a subject, while converting the radiation into radiation image information. The electronic cassette includes a sensor for sensing that the casing has been lifted, a power supply controller for supplying power based on a detection signal from the sensor, a discriminating unit for discriminating whether the radiation detection apparatus has transitioned to an image capturing capable mode, and a warning signal output unit for outputting a warning signal, for issuing a warning when the radiation detection apparatus cannot transition to the image capturing capable mode.
US08330595B2
Systems and methods for a functional and ornamental vehicle accessory are provided. The vehicle accessory includes a housing and a mounting mechanism for coupling the accessory to a vehicle. The vehicle accessory can also include a light source or light conducting member. Wiring for electrically connecting the light source can be included such that the vehicle accessory can illuminate during a variety of vehicle functions. The vehicle accessory can also operate as a communication hub for the vehicle.
US08330584B1
An inexpensive remote control that provides an easy means to block the function of trouble-prone keys. In one embodiment, the user presses the selected key for a short time to place that key into the locked mode. In another embodiment, the user presses a LOCK key and then presses the selected key to place that key into the locked mode. To change the key back to the unlocked mode, the same process is repeated. A LED can flash when a locked key is pressed to alert the user that the key is locked. Means to automatically lock a preferred set of keys and means to unlock all keys can also be provided. A key's function is blocked by either not sending a signal from the remote or by sending a unique lock code. No changes to components or manufacturing processes of existing remotes or controlled devices are needed.
US08330583B2
The present invention is a method and system for controlling a RC device via a secure radio link. In one embodiment of the invention, spread spectrum modulation may be employed which may provide a digital radio frequency (RF) link between a controller and a RC device. A controller may be coupled with a transmitter module and a radio controlled device may be coupled with a receiver module in accordance with the present invention to provide an add-on upgrade capability. The method and system for controlling a RC device may also include error detection and correction, interpolation of lost packets, failsafe technology and force-feedback telemetric technology to further enhance the user experience with radio controlled devices.
US08330581B2
To provide an IC tag, a method of controlling the IC tag, and an IC tag system which can reduce a communication sequence between the reader/writer and the IC tag and can shorten a communication period or a period necessary for executing the command. According to an embodiment of the invention, an IC tag that executes a command processing based on a command received from a redder/writer, includes: a command analyzing unit determining an execution condition of the command received from the redder/writer; and a command execution unit executing a first command processing if the execution condition is met, and executing a second command processing different from the first command processing if the execution condition is not met.
US08330579B2
A medical fluid delivery system includes a dialysis instrument; a disposable pumping cassette operable with a pumping actuator of the dialysis instrument, the disposable cassette including or connected fluidly to a plurality of first connectors; a plurality of second connectors configured to interface with the first connectors, each second connector associated with a radio frequency (“RFID”) tag; and electronics configured to read the RFID tags via a plurality of antennae and to identify that each of the second connectors is positioned properly with respect to a proper one of the first connectors.
US08330575B2
A keyless access system is provided for a truck including a tractor area and a cargo area provided with at least an access door. This system includes a main control unit located in the tractor area and adapted to interact with a customer identification device to selectively operate a control access arrangement which allows or prevents access to a driver cabin of the truck, a secondary control unit located in or near the cargo area and adapted to interact with the same customer identification device and to selectively operate an actuator which locks or unlocks the access door, and a bidirectional telecommunication arrangement between the main and secondary units.
US08330562B2
A variable resonator that comprises a loop line (902) to which two or more switches (903) are connected and N variable reactance means (102) (N≧3), in which switches (903) are severally connected to different positions on the loop line (902), the other ends of the switches are severally connected to a ground conductor, and the switches are capable of switching electrical connection/non-connection between the ground conductor and the loop line (902), the variable reactance blocks (102) are severally settable to the same reactance value, and the variable reactance blocks (102) are electrically connected to the loop line (902) as branching circuits along the circumference direction of the loop line (902) at equal electrical length intervals.
US08330559B2
A method of wafer level packaging includes providing a substrate including a buried oxide layer and a top oxide layer, and etching the substrate to form openings above the buried oxide layer and a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) resonator element between the openings, the MEMS resonator element enclosed within the buried oxide layer, the top oxide layer, and sidewall oxide layers. The method further includes filling the openings with polysilicon to form polysilicon electrodes adjacent the MEMS resonator element, removing the top oxide layer and the sidewall oxide layers adjacent the MEMS resonator element, bonding the polysilicon electrodes to one of a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) wafer or a carrier wafer, removing the buried oxide layer adjacent the MEMS resonator element, and bonding the substrate to a capping wafer to seal the MEMS resonator element between the capping wafer and one of the CMOS wafer or the carrier wafer.
US08330548B2
A novel and useful apparatus and related method for on-chip measurement of the clock to output delay of a latch within an integrated circuit. The delay measurement mechanism enables measuring the time delay from the transition of the clock input to the data output of a latch. The output delay of the on-chip latch is measured by making the latch delay part of a ring oscillator and measuring its frequency of oscillation. A latch based delay stage is used to construct the ring oscillator in which a delayed short pulse derived from the input edge is used as the trigger for the latch. The latched ring oscillator mechanism of the invention can be used to measure the clock to output (C2Q) delay of on-chip latch devices.
US08330544B2
In order to realize a wider bandwidth of a frequency characteristic of a power amplification circuit, outputs of differential push-pull amplifiers which are matched at respectively different frequencies are combined together by secondary inductors, and the combined signal is outputted.
US08330538B2
An improved self-oscillating audio amplifier and a method for restraining audio distortion of the self-oscillating audio amplifier are disclosed. The improved self-oscillating audio amplifier comprises a distortion restraint unit configured to detect whether modulated audio signals outputted from the self-oscillating audio amplifier is distorted and, if so, to restrain the distortion. The method for restraining audio distortion of the self-oscillating audio amplifier includes the following steps of: determining whether the modulated audio signals outputted from an audio amplifier positive output terminal is distorted by a first flip-flop set, and if yes, restraining the distortion of the modulated audio signals outputted from the audio amplifier positive output terminal; and outputting the modulated audio signals to drive a speaker by the audio amplifier positive output terminal and an audio amplifier negative output terminal.
US08330537B1
A rail-to-rail buffer receiving a differential input signal and generating a differential output signal includes first and second amplifier circuits configured in a pseudo differential buffer structure and first and second comparators coupled to compare the respective part of the differential input signal and a first voltage and to generate select signals. Each of the first and second amplifier circuits includes first and second complementary differential input stages and the first and second comparators generate respective select signals to turn on only one of the first or the second differential input stage in each amplifier circuit depending on a value of the respective part of the differential input signal. In operation, the first and second complementary differential input stages of each amplifier circuit not being turned on at the same time.
US08330533B2
A semiconductor device includes a first internal voltage driving unit configured to drive an internal voltage, a second internal voltage driving unit configured to drive the internal voltage in an operation period corresponding to an enable signal, a current amount detection unit configured to detect amount of current supplied by the first internal voltage driving unit, and a current amount comparison unit configured to compare the amount of detected current by the current amount detection unit with amount of a reference current, and determine whether or not to activate the enable signal in response to a comparison result.
US08330525B2
A system and method for driving a bipolar junction transistor is provided. The system includes a first transistor including a first gate, a first terminal, and a second terminal. The first gate is configured to receive a first control signal. Additionally, the system includes a second transistor including a second gate, a third terminal, and a fourth terminal. The second gate is configured to receive a second control signal. Moreover, the system includes a first resistor including a fifth terminal and a sixth terminal. The fifth terminal is connected to the first terminal, and the sixth terminal is biased to a first predetermined voltage. The fourth terminal is biased to a second predetermined voltage. The second terminal and the third terminal are connected at a node, and the node is connected to a base for a bipolar junction transistor.
US08330523B2
This document discusses, among other things, a compensation circuit configured to modulate a control voltage of a switch over a range of ambient temperatures during a conduction state of the switch to maintain a specified resistance between first and second nodes of the switch. The compensation circuit can include a temperature-insensitive resistor configured to provide a sense current, a current mirror configured to provide a mirror current using the sense current, and a temperature-sensitive resistor configured to provide the control voltage using the mirror current.
US08330522B2
A transconductor circuit used in a mixer for canceling second-order inter-modulation distortion includes a first transistor and a second transistor, of which the base (gate) ends coupled to a first input end and a second input end, for receiving a differential input signal; and a negative feedback circuit, of which the input end coupled to the emitter (source) ends of the first transistor and the second transistor, of which the out end coupled to the base (gate) ends of the first transistor and the second transistor, for adjusting the voltage of the base (gate) of the first transistor and the second transistor according to the difference between a reference voltage and the detected voltage of the emitter (source) of the first transistor and the second transistor.
US08330520B2
The limiter circuit of this invention is a limiter circuit which, by switching action of a pair of transistors, allows passage of only signal voltage components of an input signal voltage included in ranges of an upper limit signal voltage and a lower limit signal voltage. With this construction, the pair of transistors carry out comparisons between the input signal voltage and threshold signal voltages and line switching at the same time. Therefore, there is no influence of propagation delay speed, and no switching noise occurs at times of line switching. Since diodes are not used, a high-speed limiter circuit can be manufactured.
US08330514B2
A one-shot circuit capable of being integrated into a chip generates a frequency-dividing signal according to a reference clock signal of a clock signal generator by means of a frequency-dividing circuit. In this way, the order of the magnitude of the cycle length of the frequency-dividing signal can be raised up by increasing the frequency-dividing times in the frequency-dividing circuit, so that the resistance and the capacitance of an RC oscillator of the clock signal generator are effectively reduced. Therefore, the circuited area occupied by the RC oscillator of the clock signal generator is reduced, so that the one shot circuit can be integrated into a chip without increasing the cost.
US08330489B2
A circuit arrangement and method utilize a universal, standardized inter-layer interconnect in a multi-layer semiconductor stack to facilitate interconnection and communication between functional units disposed on a stack of semiconductor dies. Each circuit layer in the multi-layer semiconductor stack is required to include an inter-layer interface region that is disposed at substantially the same topographic location such that when the semiconductor dies upon which such circuit layers are disposed are arranged together in a stack, electrical conductors disposed within each semiconductor die are aligned with one another to provide an inter-layer bus that is oriented vertically, or transversely, with respect to the individual circuit layers. Based upon a standardized placement of the inter-layer interface region in each circuit layer, and a standardized arrangement of electrical conductors associated with the inter-layer bus, each circuit layer may designed using a standardized template upon which the design features necessary to implement the inter-layer bus are already provided, thereby simplifying circuit layer design and the interconnection of functional units to the inter-layer bus. In addition, vertically-oriented supernodes may be defined within a semiconductor stack to provide multiple independently-operating nodes having functional units disposed in multiple circuit layers of the stack.
US08330482B2
An embodiment test system is proposed; the test system is used to test electronic devices each one having a case with a plurality of terminals for example, of the BGA type. The test system includes a set of (one or more) test boards. Each test board includes a plurality of banks of electrically conductive receptacles, each one for resting a corresponding electronic device; each receptacle is adapted to receive a terminal of the corresponding electronic device. A set of (one or more) boxes is arranged in operation above the test boards. Each box defines an expandable chamber for a conditioning fluid; particularly, the box includes a rigid body, a flexible membrane of a thermally conductive material facing the test boards, an inlet, and an outlet. Means is provided for controlling a temperature of the conditioning fluid (for example, a heat exchanger). The test system further includes means for forcing the conditioning fluid to circulate under pressure through the chambers, so as to expand the flexible membranes downwardly; the expanded flexible membranes press the electronic devices against the test boards to lock the electronic devices mechanically on the test boards and to condition the electronic devices thermally.
US08330474B2
Methods, systems and devices are described for determining positional information for objects using a sensing device. The various embodiments provide improved user interface functionality by facilitating user input with both objects that are at the surfaced and objects that are away from the surface. The sensor device includes a processing system and a sensor array of sensing electrodes adapted to capacitively sense objects in a sensing region. First, the processing system is configured to determine positional information for objects at the surface in a first portion of the sensing region. Secondly, the processing system is configured to determine positional information for objects that are away from the surface and in a second portion of the sensing region, where the first portion of the sensing region is between the surface and the second portion of the sensing region.
US08330472B2
A device for detecting electrical properties of a sample of an excitable material, in particular of a silicon wafer, comprises a microwave source for generating a microwave field, a resonance system which is coupled to the microwave source in a microwave-transmitting manner, the resonance system comprising a microwave resonator with at least one opening and a sample to be examined which is arranged next to the at least one opening, at least one excitation source which is arranged in the surroundings of the sample for controlled electrical excitation of the sample, and a measuring device for measuring at least one physical parameter of the resonance system.
US08330471B2
There is provided a signal output apparatus for outputting a pattern signal. The signal output apparatus includes a pattern generating section that generates waveform data of the pattern signal to be generated, a timing generating section that generates timing signals in accordance with an expected pattern cycle time of the pattern signal, a timing control section that receives the waveform data output from the pattern generating section, and controls output timings of the timing signals to be output from the timing generating section, in accordance with the waveform data, and a waveform shaping section that generates the pattern signal corresponding to data values of the waveform data output from the pattern generating section, in accordance with the timing signals output from the timing generating section.
US08330454B2
A position detection apparatus includes a position detection target member, a magnet that moves in accordance with movement of the position detection target member, and a plurality of magnetic detectors provided on a surface opposite a movement plane of the magnet. A flat yoke is provided on the reverse face of the magnet. The magnetic polarity of a peripheral side part of the magnet is opposite to the magnetic polarity of a center part thereof. The peripheral side part is formed at a regional range that can be defined on the basis of a predetermined distance(s) measured from a side edge of the yoke.
US08330448B2
A system for testing a conversion efficiency of a power supply unit includes a power meter, a plurality of switches, a multimeter, a microcontroller unit (MCU), a computer, and a signal conversion circuit for communicatively connecting the MCU to the computer. The power meter is capable of measuring an input power supplied to the power supply unit. The switches are powered on/off according to a sequence predetermined by the computer. The multimeter is configured to measure an output power of the power supply. The computer is capable of reading data measured from the power meter and the multimeter and calculating a conversion efficiency of the power supply unit.
US08330446B2
A calibration apparatus includes: a first circuit arranged for generating a reference voltage with respect to a first circuit element according to a reference current flowing to the first circuit element; a second circuit arranged for generating an output voltage according to a tunable current; and an adjusting circuit for adjusting the tunable current to a target current value according to the reference voltage and the output voltage, wherein the adjusting circuit comprises: a search unit for performing a search according to a comparison result of the reference voltage and the output voltage to thereby determine a control setting; and a control unit coupled to the search unit, and for generating a control signal to the second circuit according to the control setting, and after the search unit adjusts the control setting, the search unit stops adjusting the control setting according to the comparison result.
US08330444B2
According to one configuration, a monitor circuit monitors a delivery of power supplied by one or more switch devices to a dynamic load. Based on an amount of power delivered to the load as measured by the monitor circuit, a control circuit produces a voltage control signal. A gate bias voltage generator circuit utilizes the voltage control signal to generate a switch activation voltage or bias voltage. A switch drive circuit uses the switch activation voltage as generated by the bias voltage generator to activate each of the one or more switch devices during a portion of a switching cycle when a respective switch device is in an ON state, and the respective switch device conducts current from a voltage source through the switch device to the load. The control circuit adjusts the voltage control signal to modify a level of the switch activation voltage depending on the dynamic load.
US08330440B2
A power supply device is provided with an output transistor for outputting a switch voltage having a rectangular waveform, based on an input signal by being switching-controlled by a pulse width modulation signal; a reference voltage generating circuit for generating a prescribed reference voltage; an error amplifier wherein a feedback voltage depending on the switch voltage and the reference voltage are inputted, an error voltage is generated by amplifying a difference between the voltages, and changes a gain of itself, in accordance with a current signal generated inside based on the feedback voltage and the reference voltage; an oscillator for generating an oscillation signal; and a comparator wherein the oscillation signal and the error voltages are inputted and the pulse width modulation signal is outputted by comparing the voltages.
US08330438B2
A method and apparatus for equalizing phase currents in multiphase switching power converters is described in which pairs of stored digital values that directly or indirectly control the values of the currents in the conversion phases are altered in equal and opposite increments. In one embodiment the digital values being controlled are the relative on-times of the power switches in pairs of conversion phase. The method is stepwise and repetitive in the sense that, instead of calculating or inferring offset values that seek to bring all of the currents in the phases toward equality, pairs of phase currents are altered repetitively and iteratively, using equal and opposite steps in the values of their respective control variables, until the phases are all sufficiently close in value. The steps may be of fixed size or the step size may be selectively modified to optimize the convergence time of the algorithm.
US08330433B2
A control device for controlling a reactive power compensator connected to an electric power network and arranged to provide reactive power to the electric power network. The control device includes a voltage regulator outputting a control signal to the reactive power compensator for controlling its supply of susceptance to the electric power network. The control device includes a gain-adjusting device arranged to adjust the gain of the voltage regulator relative to the point of operation of the reactive power compensator.
US08330432B2
A system, method, and apparatus for stabilizing interactions between an electrical generator and a nonlinear load are described. One illustrative embodiment includes an impedance element that is coupled to an output of the generator and a power source coupled to the impedance element. The power source applies power to, or across, the impedance element so as to reduce energy loss that would ordinarily occur due to energy dissipation by way of the impedance element. In many variations, the power source operates within a defined bandwidth so that a stabilizing effect is achieved outside of this bandwidth.
US08330431B2
A method and a wind power plant are provided for smoothing alternating electric current from a number of power generators are provided. Generators are electrically connected to an electric network. Each power generator includes a transformer with pulse width modulation for converting direct current to pulse width modulated alternating current for feeding to the network. The time for feeding the pulses of the pulse width modulated alternating current is different for each generator in order to achieve a more even alternating current as a sum of respective outputs of alternating current from the generators.
US08330426B2
Each of a battery charger and a battery pack has a microcomputer. The respective microcomputers mutually perform data communication while the battery pack is being charged by the battery charger, and confirm an operational state of the microcomputer of the communication counterpart (mutual operation confirmation) based on a result of the data communication. When an abnormality of one of the microcomputers is detected, the other microcomputer executes a predetermined process for stopping charging.
US08330423B2
An electronic apparatus which detects a remaining level of a battery used as a power supply, comprising a current detection unit configured to detect a current value flowing through a circuit of the electronic apparatus, a voltage detection unit configured to detect a voltage value of the battery, and a calculation unit configured to calculate a voltage value of the battery when a consumption current of the electronic apparatus is a predetermined consumption current, based on current values and voltage values detected by the current detection unit and the voltage detection unit, respectively, in a plurality of states different in the consumption current of the electronic apparatus.
US08330422B2
Systems and methods of providing power through a Universal Serial Bus connector are provided. A charging system comprises an interface configured to receive power, a power converter coupled to the power source interface, the power converter configured to use the received power to generate power output, and a charging controller configured to control an amount of power provided at the USB connector on the power lines derived from the power output, and configured to generate an identification signal on the USB connector's two data lines, the identification signal usable to indicate the charger is not subject to standard USB power limitations, the identification signal provided through the use of a resistance between the D+ and D− data lines.
US08330415B2
A charge/discharge control apparatus includes: a charge/discharge reward information receiving unit for receiving charge/discharge reward information representing a reward given to a charge/discharge action of a customer and a restriction in conducting a charging/discharging from a charge management central server; a computing unit for creating a charge/discharge plan including a total charging quantity in a time zone and an estimated use start time of an electric vehicle such that a reward is maximized, based on the charge/discharge reward information; a charge/discharge instruction transmitting unit for instructing the electric vehicle to start or finish a charging/discharging according to the charge/discharge plan; a charge/discharge quantity monitoring unit for monitoring the charging/discharging; and a charge/discharge results transmitting unit for transmitting results of monitored charging/discharging including contents of the conducted charging/discharging and individual identification information for identifying itself, to a charge management central server.
US08330409B2
An inverter is capable of converting a direct current from a direct current power supply into an alternating current and supplying it to an armature winding. A rectifier circuit is capable of rectifying the current, that has been converted to an alternating current by the inverter, into a direct current and supplying it to the field winding. The amount of the alternating current supplied to the armature winding and the amount of the direct current supplied to the field winding are in a proportional relationship, and implementation of switching control of the inverter controls both the amount of the alternating current supplied to the armature winding and the amount of the direct current supplied to the field winding while this proportional relationship therebetween is maintained.
US08330408B2
A method and apparatus for improving the run duration of an electric motor powered by a battery pack is provided. The apparatus includes an electric motor having a rated motor voltage, a battery pack having an output voltage exceeding the rated motor voltage, and a motor controller which converts the output voltage to supply electrical power to the electric motor at the rated motor voltage.
US08330401B2
The invention relates to a circuit unit for driving an electronically commutated fan motor with a power stage for driving windings of the fan motor and with a control stage for driving the power stage. The circuit unit is distinguished in that an operating voltage of the control stage is separated from an operating voltage of the power stage by a diode and in that an arrangement is provided for smoothing the operating voltage of the control stage.
US08330400B2
The present invention discloses a system having a particular electric motor being able to do bi-directional rotational input having its output ends for providing output to the input ends of the constant directional output transmission device, while the constant rotational directional output is used to drive the loading wheel train via the output end of the constant directional output transmission device, wherein the user can operatively control the rotational direction of driving inputs, thereby the constant rotational output of different speed change ratio in different directions of driving inputs can be made via the constant directional output transmission device of different speed change ratios.
US08330399B2
A voltage detector 17 for detecting a voltage VB of a battery 9 as a main power supply and a voltage detector 18 for detecting a voltage VC of an auxiliary power supply 14 are provided. On the basis of an upper limit value IB previously defined as the maximum value of current through the battery 9, a control circuit 6 defines an upper limit of the electric power supplied to the motor 4 as η·VB·IB (η representing the efficiency of the driving circuit 5) when a first output mode is selected in which the auxiliary power supply 14 is not used or defines the upper limit of the electric power supplied to the motor 4 as η·(VB+VC)·IB when a second output mode is selected in which the auxiliary power supply 14 is used as connected in series with the battery 9.
US08330397B2
An apparatus for regulating power in an accelerator system includes a directional coupler for sensing a power reflected from an accelerator towards a power source, and a power modulator for reducing an output of the power source based on the sensed power. A method for regulating power in an accelerator system includes sensing a power reflected from an accelerator towards a power source, and reducing an output of the power source based on the sensed power.
US08330393B2
A system for time-sequential LED-string excitation includes a controller coupled to at least two LED strings and arranged to sequentially excite the strings—preferably by pulse-width modulating their respective currents—such that each string conducts a desired current and/or provides a desired light intensity. Individual string currents and/or light intensities are provided to the controller as feedback signals. The controller preferably pulse-width modulates each string such that it conducts a current which approximates the performance that would be provided if the string were made to continuously conduct an ‘optimal’ current. A voltage converter may be included to provide the supply voltage connected to the top of each LED string, and to adjust the supply voltage as needed to ensure that each string conducts a desired current.
US08330392B2
A system for changing a light source intensity comprises a controller, an input interface, and a memory. The input interface is configured to receive a command intensity for a light source, wherein the light source has a current intensity, and wherein an intensity of the light source is ramped toward the command intensity from the current intensity automatically. The controller is configured to determine a non-linear curve for the intensity of the light source, wherein at least a portion of the non-linear curve includes a beginning slope that is steeper than an end slope and to cause a change of a light source intensity by ramping over a time interval, wherein the light source intensity targets conforming to the non-linear curve for the intensity of the light source. The memory is coupled to the processor and configured to store an intensity value.
US08330389B2
A switching power supply for supplying a load requiring a controlled current includes a PFC pre-regulator for receiving an input voltage and providing an output voltage, and a DC-DC switching converter for receiving at input the voltage output by the pre-regulator and for providing at output a supply voltage of said load. The switching DC-DC converter operates at a fixed and constant operating frequency, is a resonant converter and includes an LLC resonant circuit.
US08330383B2
A method and system for dependently controlling color light sources. The lighting system comprises a drive current controller providing current signals for one or more first groups of light-emitting elements, and a signal derivation module operatively connected to the drive current controller. The signal derivation module is configured to determine and provide current signals for one or more second groups of light-emitting elements, the current signals being based on the current signals provided to the first groups of light-emitting elements. The method comprises the steps of determining one or more first drive currents for driving one or more first groups of light-emitting elements, and determining one or more second drive currents for driving one or more second groups of light-emitting elements, wherein each of the one or more second drive currents is predetermined based on at least one of the one or more first drive currents.
US08330380B2
A control circuit comprises a rectifier unit for performing full wave rectification on an AC power source, a switching element for switching a current flowing through a light emitting device which emits light in response to a voltage having been full wave rectified in the rectifier unit, a voltage dividing circuit for dividing the voltage having been full wave rectified in the rectifier unit to obtain a reference voltage Vref, a comparator for comparing a comparison voltage Vcmp corresponding to the current flowing through the light emitting device with the reference voltage Vref, and a control unit for controlling switching of the switching element based on a comparison result obtained in the comparator.
US08330377B2
An illumination system has a lighting module, a microcontroller electrically connected to the lighting module and arranged to control the lighting module, and a transistor electrically connected to the lighting module and the microcontroller arranged to allow the microcontroller to monitor a voltage of one of either the transistor or lighting module. A method of controlling a lighting module including powering on the lighting module, providing a current to the lighting module, wherein the current is determined by a global intensity setting for the lighting module, monitoring a voltage provided to the lighting module, and shutting the lighting module down if the voltage reaches a pre-determined level.
US08330373B2
Lighting systems and devices offer dynamic control or tuning of a color characteristic, e.g. color temperature, of white light. The exemplary lighting systems and devices are used for general lighting applications that utilize solid state sources to pump remotely deployed phosphors. Two or more phosphors emit visible light of different visible spectra, and these spectra are somewhat broad, e.g. pastel, so that combinations thereof can approach white light temperatures including points along the black body curve. Independent adjustment of the intensities of electromagnetic energy emitted by the solid state sources adjusts levels of excitations of the phosphors, in order to control a color characteristic of the visible white light output of the lighting system or device.
US08330371B2
A high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp comprising a discharge vessel including a first and a second end region and defining an arc chamber containing an arc generating medium, a cathode and an anode in the first and the second end regions of the discharge vessel, respectively, the cathode and the anode each comprising a terminal end disposed within the arc chamber and separated by an arc gap, and an electrically conductive starting aid configured to initiate a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) with the anode at or after a voltage across the first and second electrodes reaches an open circuit value. A ballast may control power provided to the HID lamp.
US08330362B2
A lamp has a light tube, an illuminant module mounted in the light tube and two end caps mounted respectively on two opposite ends of the light tube. A slot, being substantially inverted T-shaped in cross-section, is formed in and axially along the light tube and the end caps. A guide rail or a pair of resilient plates is disposed at a presupposed position and is mounted through the slot of the lamp to hold the lamp. An amount of lamps held on the guide rail or the pair of resilient plates is changeable according to needful brightness. Therefore, disposing the lamp is easy, quick and convenient, and a total cost for disposing the lamp is low.
US08330360B2
A light-emitting device is described with a flat light-emitting element on a substrate and is encapsulated under a cover. The cover is supported by at least one support element in a central section at a distance from the edge of the light-emitting element. Further provided are indentations in the surface facing the light-emitting element, in which is a cavity containing a getter material. At the boundary, the cover is sealed to the substrate with a sealing compound.
US08330358B2
An illumination device includes a transparent substrate and multiple first metal lines. The transparent substrate includes an emitting area and a peripheral area and the emitting area includes multiple sub-emitting areas. The first metal lines are disposed on the transparent substrate, each first metal line has an end connected to a corresponding one of the sub-emitting areas and an opposite end connected to the peripheral area. Each sub-emitting area includes an insulating layer, a second metal line and an OLED layer. The second metal line is disposed between the transparent substrate and the OLED layer, the insulating layer is between the first metal lines and the second metal line, each first metal line is overlapped with the second metal line in vertical projection. One of the first metal lines, which is connected to a first one of the sub-emitting areas, passes through a second one of the sub-emitting areas.
US08330339B2
The present invention is to provide an organic light emitting display and a method of manufacturing the same, the light emitting display including: a first substrate on which a plurality of light emitting devices are formed; a second substrate disposed to face the first substrate; a dam member disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate to surround the plurality of light emitting devices; an inorganic sealing material disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate on an outward side of the dam member and attaching the first substrate and the second substrate; and a filling material provided between the first substrate and the second substrate on an inward side of the dam member and formed of at least one inert liquid selected from the group consisting of perfluorocarbon and fluorinert.
US08330338B2
A double-sided light-emitting display device includes optical layers having transmissive axes perpendicular to each other and polarizing members having polarization axes parallel with the transmissive axes of the optical layers. Thus, loss of internal light and reflection of external light are greatly reduced.
US08330335B2
A piezo magnetostrictive device has a sheet of piezo material with an array of holes formed therein. At least some of the holes are filled with a magnetostrictive material which converts magnetic energy to mechanical energy by exhibiting a change in length or breadth upon being subjected to a change in magnetic energy. The sheet of piezo material generates an electrical potential in response to applied mechanical strain caused by such change in length or width of the magnetostrictive material in the holes.
US08330334B2
Provided are a piezoelectric energy harvester and a method of manufacturing the same. The piezoelectric energy harvester is configured to obtain primary voltage from a piezoelectric layer vibrated to generate voltage and secondary voltage from a magnetostrictive layer vibrated to induce a change in magnetic field and a coil surrounding the magnetostrictive layer. Thus, it is possible to obtain sufficient voltage to drive a power conditioning circuit (PCC).
US08330321B2
A turbogenerator (10) has a rotor (11) having a cylindrical rotor body (13), which at each of the two ends merges into a shaft end (14), and in a middle section has the electromagnetically active region (23) of the rotor (11), in which the rotor (11) is assembled from a plurality of rotor parts which are interconnected and arranged in series on the rotor axis (19). With such a rotor, lower losses and temperatures in the end region of the rotor, and overall a higher limit rating or a broadened output range, become possible as a result of the fact that the rotor body (13) in the active region (23) is formed of an easily magnetizable material, especially a first steel, and in that the end sections of the rotor body (13) which are located outside the active region (23) and the shaft ends (14) are formed of a material with reduced magnetizability or of a non-magnetic material, especially a second steel.
US08330315B2
Magnetic poles are arranged such that the N pole and the S pole alternate in a circumferential direction. Two N poles face each other with an interval of 180° therebetween, and two S poles face each other with an interval of 180° therebetween. Each of the magnetization center of a North magnetic pole and the magnetization center of a South magnetic pole is positionally shifted from the center position between the magnetization centers of two magnetic poles of the other polarity located on opposite sides of the North or South magnetic pole. The magnetization centers of the magnetic poles are disposed in such a manner as to be positionally shifted from geometric centerlines. Brushes are disposed along the respective geometric centerlines. The magnetization centers of two adjacent magnetic poles are positionally shifted toward or away from each other by the same shift angle α with respect to the respective geometric centerlines.
US08330314B2
A magnetic device that includes a first wheel and a second wheel is provided. The first wheel has a first rotational axis and a plurality of first magnets. The second wheel is received at least in part within the first wheel. The second wheel has a second rotational axis that is generally perpendicular to the first rotational axis of the first wheel. The second magnetic wheel has a plurality of second magnets. The configuration of the plurality of first magnets and the plurality of second magnets creates magnetic fields that cause one of the first and second wheels to rotate when the other of the first and second wheels rotates.
US08330313B2
The axially adjustable magnetic bearing comprises an annular body secured to a support, a magnetic bearing stator structure having an annular sheath for supporting electromagnet windings placed concentrically relative to said body, and an annular rotor armature placed concentrically relative to the stator structure, leaving an airgap relative thereto. The annular body includes at least one radial slot associated with clamping means, and includes a set-back portion in its face facing towards the stator structure. The face of the annular body facing towards the stator structure includes a sliding surface that co-operates with a facing portion of said sheath, and the set-back portion of the annular body presents a threaded portion that co-operates with a threaded portion of an adjustment ring engaged in an annular groove formed in the face of the sheath that faces towards the body. The adjustment ring is prevented from moving in the axial direction in said annular groove.
