US08407795B2
A system and method provide for storing virus metadata with a backup image. Upon restoring files or data from the backup image, the virus metadata from the backup image is compared with current virus data. The comparison yields a list of new viruses that have been discovered after the backup image was created. The restore process may cause restored files to be scanned for the new viruses, while excluding previously known viruses from the scan.
US08407791B2
A computer system for providing security in a computer network includes: a global sensor device configured to determine potential threats to the computer network; a global threat manager device configured to determine identification information associated with the potential threats; and a local security device configured to detect the existence of the potential threats based on the identification information and to take remedial action in response to the potential threats. The system also provides for responding to network attacks in a sufficiently granular method that is optimized according to the current state of the network by maintaining a virtual model of the network; detecting a network attack; generating a plurality of alternative candidate remedial responses to the network attack; and determining a potential network impact of each candidate remedial response using the virtual model of the network.
US08407789B1
A method and apparatus for dynamically and automatically optimizing multiple filter/stage security systems whereby a multiple filter/stage security system is provided that includes two or more filters or “stages” and is initially implemented such that the two or more filters/stages are used in an initial order, i.e., in a defined initial sequence. At least two of the two or more filters/stages are then monitored to determine the composite “cost” and/or effectiveness of each filter/stage. Data representing the results of the monitoring of the at least two of the two or more filters/stages is then analyzed to determine a cost/use profile for each filter/stage and the cost/use profile for each filter/stage is then analyzed to determine an optimal order of the at least two of the two or more filters/stages, i.e., an optimal filter/stage sequence, based on actual filter/stage use, actual composite filter/stage cost, and/or user and/or system defined priorities. The optimal filter/stage sequence is then implemented.
US08407779B1
A system is configured to receive a set of rules that specify how packets are to be processed by a node, where the set of rules include one or more negative rules that identify operations to be performed, by the node, when information associated with the packets does not match information specified by the negative rules, and one or more positive rules that identify other operations to be performed, by the node, when the information associated with the packets matches information specified by the positive rules. The system is also configured to create a group of modified rules by converting the negative rules into a corresponding group of positive rules; and install the modified rules in the node that allows the node to process the packets, using the modified rules, as though the node was processing the packets using the set of rules.
US08407778B2
Techniques for processing filter rules are disclosed. To this end, filter rules having one or more attributes where each attribute indicates a condition to qualify whether a filter rule applies to a subsequent event are received. Summary rules are generated where each summary rule has a number of summary conditions. Some filter rules become associated with the generated summary rules. The summary conditions are extended to span the attributes of the associated filter rules.
US08407777B1
The present invention provides a unique way of implementing the SOCKS protocol for establishing connections through a firewall. In general, instead of having a SOCKS server implemented entirely in the firewall, SOCKS servers are implemented on both a server and a client, which are configured to communicate with each other through the firewall. The SOCKS servers on the server and client allow multiple objects on both the server and the client to communicate with each other through a single port through the firewall, wherein the SOCKS servers on the server and the client cooperate with each other and their respective objects to allow the objects to establish the connections.
US08407776B2
A system and method for provisioning a push notification session via a communications network between an application on a client terminal and a server corresponding to the application. In one aspect, a push provisioning entity transmits a message to the client terminal, whereby to configure the client terminal into a state in which it is able to request a push notification session with the server. An application on the client terminal can then request establishment of a push notification session by transmitting a push notification session request message to the push provisioning entity. The push provisioning entity generates a token for use in validating the push notification session, associates the generated token with the application and transmits the token to the application, which uses it to establish the push notification session.
US08407769B2
Disclosed are a system and methods for associating a “generic” wireless device, i.e., a device that is not pre-programmed with subscription credentials corresponding to a particular operator, with a Home Operator designated by the device's owner. The disclosed system and methods further facilitate the automatic linking of a newly activated M2M device to an appropriate server for downloading the subscription credentials for the Home Operator. The disclosed system includes a registration server for maintaining electronic registration data for a plurality of wireless devices and for directing newly activated wireless devices to a server for downloading “permanent” subscription credentials, such as a downloadable USIM. The disclosed system further includes a subscription server for updating registration server entries to reflect an association between a first wireless device and its corresponding home network. In some embodiments, the subscription server may be further configured for downloading subscription credentials to subscribing wireless devices.
US08407766B1
A method and apparatus for monitoring sensitive data on a computer network is described. In one embodiment, a method for protecting sensitive data from being leaked to a computer network comprises monitoring data related to a user that is presented on one or more web pages through a common interface, which enables a search for sensitive data on the one or more web pages of the one or more web sites and determining a disclosure of the sensitive data on a web page of one or more web pages.
US08407765B2
A system and method for restricting access to network performance information associated with communications over a packet network. A request may be received from a user to access network performance information associated with communications of data packets over a packet network. A determination as to whether the user has permission to access the network performance information may be made. In response to determining that the user has permission to access the network performance information, the user may be enabled to access the network performance information; otherwise, the user may be prevented from accessing the network performance information. The network performance information may include information associated with communications of data packets including real-time content and non-real-time content.
US08407762B2
A system and method for three level authentication of a user has been disclosed. The system 100 performs three level authentication: first level being selection of at least one predefined image from a plurality of images including decoy images; second level being selection of at least one predefined tile in the tiled version of the selected images to generate a transaction key; and the third level being entering a transaction key generated after first and second level are successfully completed, which is used for final account login and grant of transaction rights. The authentication is done on user's computing node 110 by communicating with authentication server 102 for first and second level authentication and the transaction key for third level authentication being generated by transaction key generating server 124 and transmitted on to user's computing node.
US08407754B2
A mobile receiver is programmed with available channels by initially searching for all potentially available channels and autoprogramming the receiver with channels that are detected by the receiver. Subsequently, only potentially available channels that have not been programmed into the receiver are searched for to reduce autoprogramming time when, e.g., the mobile receiver is carried to a higher elevation.
US08407751B2
Methods, devices, and computer program products for providing instant messaging in conjunction with an audiovisual, video, or audio program are provided. The methods include providing an audiovisual, video, or audio program to a user. Viewer/listener input is received requesting activation of a program-based instant messaging function. A viewer/listener identifier corresponding to the viewer/listener is associated with a program identifier that uniquely identifies the audiovisual, video, or audio program being provided to the user to thereby generate a program viewer/listener record. The program viewer/listener record is transmitted to an electronic database. A list of other users who are viewing or listening to the program in addition to the viewer/listener is acquired from the electronic database. The list of other users is transmitted to the viewer/listener.
US08407741B2
The present invention relates to a system and method for providing a supplementary information service related to broadcast content. The system for providing a supplementary information service related to broadcast content being broadcasted to user terminal comprises a Time Information Creating Server for Identifying a start time information of the broadcast content; and a Supplementary Information Service Providing Server for receiving the start time information of the broadcast content from the Time Information Creating Server, calculating elapsed time for a specific scene based on the start time information, and providing a user terminal with an supplementary information corresponding to the scene based on the elapsed time, through a communication network. And the method for providing a supplementary information related to broadcast content being broadcasted to user terminal comprises steps of identifying a start time information of the broadcast content; calculating elapsed time for a specific scene based on the start time information; and providing a user terminal with an supplementary information corresponding to the scene based on the elapsed time, through a communication network.
US08407736B2
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller operable to monitor for emergency messages over a broadcast network and over the Internet, obtain an emergency message based on the monitoring where the emergency message comprises text data, audio data, schedule data and location data and where the text and audio data correspond to a plurality of languages, generate an alert message comprising the schedule data, the location data and at least a portion of the plurality of languages of the text and audio data, and multicast the alert message over an Internet Protocol Television network to a plurality of set top boxes, wherein each of the set top boxes presents a text alert that is synchronized with an audio alert based on the multicast alert message when the location data corresponds with a location of the set top box. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08407732B2
An electronic equipment control system including a plurality of pieces of electric equipments connected with one another through a network. A piece of electric equipment among the plurality of pieces of electric equipments comprises: a setting and inputting unit to set and input broadcast content setting information regarding view of a broadcast content; a broadcast content setting information storage unit to store the content setting information; a transmission unit to transmit the content setting information set and input by the setting and inputting unit to another piece of electric equipment connected to the network; a reception unit to receive the content setting information transmitted from another piece of electric equipment connected to the network; and an update unit to update the content setting information stored in the content setting information storage unit based on the content setting information received by the reception unit.
US08407731B2
A chucking device includes a disk support unit on which a disk is placed, a resin-made turntable arranged to directly or indirectly support the disk support unit from below, a metal member including a circular plate portion closely secured to a lower surface of the turntable, and a plurality of balls rollably arranged below the disk support unit and above the circular plate portion about a center axis in a circumferential direction. The turntable includes an antiskid member, a bottom rolling surface arranged to support the balls from below through the antiskid member and a cylindrical side rolling surface positioned radially outwards of the balls.
US08407726B2
For collaboration amongst applications, a first application is selected from the applications based on a pre-defined parameter of the first application and selecting a second application from the applications. At least one common collaboration element exists between the first application and the second application. A tag is added to the first application. The tag corresponds to an event notification corresponding to an event associated with the at least one common element.
US08407720B1
Inter-process communication management allows a first data storage system management application to execute a second data storage system management application. For example, when a user directs a client device to execute a second application while executing a first application, the client device establishes an inter-process communication (IPC) channel between the two applications to allow for security and navigation commands to be passed from the first application to the second application. With such a configuration, the first application does not require the user to re-enter information, such as a target IP address, and encrypted password to execute the second application. In one arrangement, the IPC channel is configured to detect the termination of either the first or the second application. Once detected, the client device can safely terminate the IPC channel between the two applications and execute the remaining, non-terminated application as a standalone product.
US08407718B2
A method for directing messages between a composite user interface and at least one source application. A message is to be directed to a predetermined set of services, each service executes a command specified by the message and the message comprises details of the predetermined set of services. Each service in the predetermined set of services uses said details to determine whether the message should be sent to another service, and if it is determined that the message should be sent to another service transmits the message to an appropriate service.
US08407711B2
A manage-analyze-plan-execute (MAPE) loop is performed on a system-wide basis in relation to subsystems of a computing system based on one or more parameters. Performing the MAPE loop results in a performance level at which each subsystem is to operate to conserve energy utilization on the system-wide basis such that the computing system still satisfies the parameters. The subsystem the performance level at which each subsystem is to operate is communicated to the subsystem. Each subsystem operates at the performance level communicated to the subsystem.
US08407707B2
Described embodiments provide a method of assigning tasks to queues of a processing core. Tasks are assigned to a queue by sending, by a source processing core, a new task having a task identifier. A destination processing core receives the new task and determines whether another task having the same identifier exists in any of the queues corresponding to the destination processing core. If another task with the same identifier as the new task exists, the destination processing core assigns the new task to the queue containing a task with the same identifier as the new task. If no task with the same identifier as the new task exists in the queues, the destination processing core assigns the new task to the queue having the fewest tasks. The source processing core writes the new task to the assigned queue. The destination processing core executes the tasks in its queues.
US08407691B2
A method for automated provision of build images is disclosed. The method includes identifying the network location of build scripts that provide information regarding the installation of installation files and copying the build scripts from the location on the network to a memory, e.g., a disk drive of a target computer system. In addition, the method includes copying installation files that correspond to the build scripts to the drive of the target machine. The installation files are subsequently installed on the target machine to create the build image.
US08407690B2
A method in a network of the delivery of files from a server computer (101) to a client computer (102) in which the client computer is polling the server computer looking to see in the server if at least one new file associated with this client computer is available. If yes, then the client computer is downloading the files associated with this client computer at specific intervals. The client computer is all by itself polling the server computer at specific intervals and it itself controls the downloading of the updates which occurs at times during which the downloading does not disturb the working of the client computer.
US08407688B2
Methods and apparatus for storing and transmitting historical configuration data associated with information technology assets are disclosed. The system reads and stores a first version of data with a timestamp. The system then performs a local update by reading a second version of data with a timestamp, replacing the first set of data and timestamp, and storing the changes between the first and second versions of data. The system also may receive update requests from a remote location for the latest version of data. The changes between versions of data are sent to the remote location, where the changes between versions of data are stored and are usable to create the requested latest version of data and/or prior versions of data.
US08407685B2
Embodiments relate to a platform for generating ordered download selections based on usage information. A download site can provide a selectable or searchable set of applications to download. The download site collects usage information from online desktops operating on a set of clients. The online desktop of each client samples the applications being used on the client at given intervals and reports the client's usage statistics to the download site. The download site aggregates the usage information received from participating clients and collectively orders applications for download, according to usage rank. A work processing application used by the most users in the last day or other period may be listed first, followed by the second-most used, and so forth. The sampling of actual application usage, instead of for instance download totals, allows the download site to provide downloads in an order most closely approximating users' actual usage behavior.
US08407680B2
In response to receiving pre-processed code, a compiler identifies a code section that is not a candidate for acceleration and a code block that is a candidate for acceleration. The code block specifies an iterated operation having a first operand and a second operand, where each of multiple first operands and each of multiple second operands for the iterated operation has a defined addressing relationship. In response to the identifying, the compiler generates post-processed code containing lower level instruction(s) corresponding to the identified code section and creates and outputs an operand data structure separate from the post-processed code. The operand data structure specifies the defined addressing relationship for the multiple first operands and for the multiple second operands. The compiler places a block computation command in the post-processed code that invokes processing of the operand data structure to compute operand addresses.
US08407677B2
A technique for the dynamic instrumentation of a running software system. One or more callable instrumentation functions are accessible in a first memory space associated with the software system. The one or more callable instrumentation functions are adapted to probe an operation of the software system and return data regarding the probed operation. Probed operation environment information needed by the one or more instrumentation functions is provided to a second memory space associated with the software system. First memory space addresses associated with the probed operation environment information are determined from a resource that is accessible in the second memory space. A probe handler is generated that includes calls to the one or more instrumentation functions with references to the first memory space addresses. The probe handler is callable as part of the probed operation.
US08407676B2
A device (100) for managing a plurality of software items, the device (100) comprising an analysis unit (103) adapted for analyzing a functional correlation between the plurality of software items, and a grouping unit (105) adapted for grouping functionally correlated ones of the plurality of software items together in a common memory space.
US08407672B2
Systems and methods for software automation are provided. Software testcases are distributed across multiple data processing systems (equivalently, “machines” or “hosts”) that may collectively include multiple platforms (equivalently, “operating systems”). A testcase may be executed as one or more processes progressing through a sequence of phases, with execution within a phase being asynchronous among processes. Synchronization of the testcase processes across the data processing systems and platforms may be effected by managing an event; the testcase processes block on the event upon completion of the current testcase phase. A testcase phase execution service on each host handles synchronization events. The definition of the testcase may include metadata that identifies the particular phases in sequence, that is phase names, for the testcase; the phase names identifies the phases to the synchronization process that triggers the synchronization events which initiate each succeeding phase of the testcase.
US08407670B2
A computer code conflict notification and resolution technique that provides a collaborative programming environment for conflicts management is presented. The technique detects potential conflicts and provides facilities that allow programmers to work collaboratively to resolve the conflicts as they occur. This includes the ability to conduct a code session in which conflicting code elements are compared and changed as needed to resolve conflicts. In addition, in-place audio/video, text chat and application sharing is provided. This allows communication sessions to be conducted within the programming environment.
US08407668B2
Techniques for programming using a model based spreadsheet scripting language are disclosed herein, where procedural aspects may be incorporated along with the model based aspects therein. In particular, techniques for performing calculations of a value, and recalculation of interdependent formulas using programs written with the model based spreadsheet scripting language are disclosed.
US08407667B2
A stripped-down version of a library is generated from server source code extracted from a server project. The transitive closure of program entities extracted from the server source code and referenced by the extracted program entities can be computed. A placeholder entity can be inferred for an entity defined by the transitive closure computation if a definition of the entity cannot be found in the server source code. The stripped-down library generated from the extracted server source code is received by a reflection-based component that uses reflection to generate documentation and disclosure information helpful in the development of the client source code. A placeholder entity can be marked or decorated to signal to the reflection-based component that client source code is not to be generated for the decorated entities.
US08407666B2
A system and method for generating an application based on a first component having definitions expressed in a structured definition language and a second component having a series of instructions. The component applications comprise data components, presentation components, and message components, which are written in XML code. The component applications further comprise workflow components which are written in a subset of ECMAScript, and are augmented with the XML code. The components define the processing on a device runtime environment of messages communicated over a network between the device and a datasource. The system and method have a data model for providing a persistent state of the application including the component definitions and the series of instructions. The system and method also have a code module for obtaining the components from the data model and for generating a first application element including code representing the component definitions. The system and method also have a mappings module for obtaining datasource mapping information from the data model and for generating a second application element including mapping file descriptors corresponding to the datasource mapping information, the mapping information for use in communication of the messages between the device runtime environment and the datasource. The system and method also have a resource module for collecting application resources and for generating a third application element including the resources, wherein the application elements are subsequently packaged as a deployable form of the application.
US08407663B2
The architecture provides development tools for the occasional developer to build a substantial portion of an application interface for accessing and interacting with actual data. The lack in knowledge of the occasional developer to complete the project is then supplemented by a development service provider such that experienced developers complete the interface and integrate the interface into the application environment so the occasional developer can use the application to access data for which the interface was developed. The architecture provides tools that are understandable for building in a guided way the framework and the user experience for the application, and then passes on the more complex pieces to IT because coding may be needed or a model should be generated that is scalable for a large number of users, for example. IT then completes the development process and integrates the final solution into the application environment.
US08407661B2
There is described a method and system for developing for an automation process a screen viewable on a target computer that has user interface objects. A development computer has a set of common design time components from a general purpose software development kit that also has a databinding facility and a set of customization components. Those components have an interface that allows access to the available for use automation process data objects and a process object picker that act as a user interface to the databinding facility to allow the browsing of a subset of the available for use data objects and selecting of one or more of the objects in the subset for binding by the databinding facility either to one or more members of the user interface objects or one or more of the user interface objects or a combination of the same.
US08407648B2
A computer-implemented method for component arrangement in a PCB layout device is provided. The device includes wiring diagrams. First, generates a PCB encapsulation diagram corresponding to the selected wiring diagram. Then, obtains the coordinates of each electronic component in the selected wiring diagram. Next, generates a prompt to prompt the user to select a reference point in the PCB encapsulation diagram. Then, obtains the coordinates of the reference point. Next, determines an abscissa difference and an ordinate difference between one component in the wiring diagram and the reference point. Then, determines the coordinates of each encapsulated component in the PCB encapsulation diagram according to the abscissa difference, the ordinate difference, and the coordinates of each electronic component in the wiring diagram. And last, moves each encapsulated component to the determined corresponding coordinates of each encapsulated component in the PCB encapsulation diagram.
US08407641B2
A technique for verification of a retimed logic design using liveness checking includes assigning a liveness gate to a liveness property for an original netlist and assigning a fairness gate to a fairness constraint for the original netlist. In this case, the fairness gate is associated with the liveness gate and is asserted for at least one time-step during any valid behavioral loop associated with the liveness gate. The original netlist is retimed, using a retiming engine, to provide a retimed netlist. The liveness and fairness gates of the retimed netlist are retimed such that a lag of the fairness gate is no greater than a lag of the liveness gate. Verification analysis is then performed on the retimed netlist. Finally, when the verification analysis yields a valid counter-example trace for the retimed netlist, a liveness violation for the original netlist is returned.
US08407640B2
The invention provides a method for performing statistical static timing analysis using a novel on-chip variation model, referred to as Sensitivity-based Complex Statistical On-Chip Variation (SCS-OCV). SCS-OCV introduces complex variation concept to resolve the blocking technical issue of combining local random variations, enabling accurate calculation of statistical variations with correlations, such as common-path pessimism removal (CPPR). SCS-OCV proposes practical statistical min/max operations for random variations that can guarantee pessimism at nominal and targeted N-sigma corner, and extends the method to handle complex variations, enabling graph-based full arrival/required time propagation under variable compaction. SCS-OCV provides a statistical corner evaluation method for complex random variables that can transform vector-based parametric timing information to the single-value corner-based timing report, and based on the method derives equations to bridge POCV/SSTA with LOCV. This significantly reduces the learning curve and increases the usage of the technology, being more easily adopted by the industry.
US08407637B2
A method of analyzing electrical stability of an active circuit splits a frequency response of an electrical or electronic circuit according to sub-bands (134, 136, 138) and in each sub-band (134, 136, 138) implements a step of determining an identification transfer function adapted for a stability analysis. The step of determining the transfer function is automatic and executed in the form of an identification loop, parameterized according to a current order of transfer function, and stopped when the norm of a phase error function for the error between the phase (222, 224, 226) of the current identified transfer function and that of the frequency response has exceeded a predetermined phase error threshold value.
US08407636B2
A computer-readable, non-transitory medium stores therein a verification support program that causes a computer to execute a procedure. The procedure includes first detecting a state change in a circuit and occurring when input data is given to the circuit. The procedure also includes second detecting a state change in the circuit and occurring when the input data partially altered is given to the circuit. The procedure further includes determining whether a difference exists between a series of state changes detected at the first detecting and a series of state changes detected at the second detecting. The procedure also includes outputting a determination result obtained at the determining.
US08407625B2
A system for recognizing various human and creature motion gaits and behaviors is presented. These behaviors are defined as combinations of “gestures” identified on various parts of a body in motion. For example, the leg gestures generated when a person runs are different than when a person walks. The system described here can identify such differences and categorize these behaviors. Gestures, as previously defined, are motions generated by humans, animals, or machines. Multiple gestures on a body (or bodies) are recognized simultaneously and used in determining behaviors. If multiple bodies are tracked by the system, then overall formations and behaviors (such as military goals) can be determined.
US08407624B2
Moving a pointer in a graphical user interface environment is provided. An input comprising an initial delta value determined by a device driver is received from the device driver. The initial delta value is located in a data structure. A new delta value associated with the initial delta value is selected from the data structure. A new position of a pointer in the graphical user interface environment is calculated based on the new delta value. The new position of the pointer is sent to the graphical user interface environment for rendering.
US08407620B2
The system and method of the present invention provides peripheral awareness of information to a user. Once the information to be provided is determined or specified, it is automatically tracked or watched via at least one conventional communications interface for accessing one or more conventional communications sources. Current information is then automatically dynamically provided in an interactive peripheral display which minimizes any potential distraction to the user. The tickets are sharable among users, and may be copied, cut, pasted, saved, transmitted, dragged and dropped from web pages, etc., like any other electronic file using conventional techniques.
US08407611B2
A method includes defining a placeholder widget having a property and defining a prototype graphical user interface (GUI) having an instance of the placeholder widget. The method also includes presenting the prototype GUI to a user, where an appearance of the instance of the placeholder widget is based on the property of the placeholder widget. The method further includes replacing the instance of the placeholder widget in the prototype GUI with an instance of another widget. In addition, the method includes updating the presentation of the prototype GUI using the instance of the other widget. Replacing the instance of the placeholder widget with the instance of the other widget could include transforming an instance of a lower fidelity placeholder widget into an instance of a higher fidelity widget. The property of the placeholder widget could include a textual property, an image property, and/or a graphics property.
US08407605B2
Ones of the windows associated with a software process are identified in a screen layout on a local display of a sharer network node. On the sharer network node, an image of the identified windows as they are arranged in the screen layout and free of obscuration by any other windows in the screen layout is generated. The image is transmitted from the sharer network node to a viewer network node. Also, commands derived from input device events on sharer and viewer network nodes are received. The received commands are processed into a command sequence, which is passed to a shared process executing on the sharer network node. Windows associated with the shared process are presented on the sharer network node in accordance with the received command sequence. An image of the presented windows is generated and transmitted from the sharer network node to the viewer network node.
US08407598B2
This invention provides a method, system, and apparatus for generating and manipulating the structure of user interface control hierarchies. When a web page is requested from a server by client software an initial control hierarchy configuration is generated. Upon successive requests by the client to the server, the structure of the web control hierarchy generated for the given web page may be altered, as prescribed by the specifications. The nature of those alterations can include the addition or replacement of web control sub-structures. This invention can be utilized to manipulate dynamic control hierarchies generated within a statically-generated hierarchy.
US08407597B1
A computing device receives a setting of a customizable preference for an interface element of a user interface and receives a definition for an event associated with the setting. The computing device monitors for an occurrence of the event and receives an indication of the occurrence of the event. The computing device also obtains the setting associated with the event, applies the setting to the interface element, and renders, for presentation on a display, the interface element based on the setting.
US08407594B2
Preferred format parameters including timing that is contained in an extended display information data (EDID) EEPROM in a digital video display system can be dynamically established by a user. In this way, when the video display system engages a source of video in a “plug and play” context, instead of communicating to the source what formats are supported and then accepting a format selected by the source, the preferred format is sent from the EEPROM to the source so that the video display system receives video from the source in the user-desired format.
US08407592B2
The present invention provides a highly scalable architecture for a three-dimensional graphical, multi-user, interactive virtual world system. In a preferred embodiment a plurality of users interact in the three-dimensional, computer-generated graphical space where each user executes a client process to view a virtual world from the perspective of that user. The virtual world shows avatars representing the other users who are neighbors of the user viewing the virtual word. In order that the view can be updated to reflect the motion of the remote user's avatars, motion information is transmitted to a central server process which provides positions updates to client processes for neighbors of the user at that client process. The client process also uses an environment database to determine which background objects to render as well as to limit the movement of the user's avatar.
US08407591B2
An image processing apparatus includes a preview creating unit, a storage unit, and a display unit. The storage unit stores therein in advance a sample image. The display unit displays, prior to receipt of image data, an input screen that displays the sample image and independent setting items, among a plurality of setting items available for the image data, independent of contents of the image data. The creating unit creates a preview image based on setting specified with respect to any of the independent setting items for the sample image, and the display unit displays the preview image.
US08407585B2
Content encoding rendering is disclosed. An indication of a desired interpretation of a starting content having a first encoding is received. The starting content is processed to generate a representation data comprising a second encoding of the starting content, wherein the second encoding is determined automatically and at least in part by the desired interpretation. The representation data is rendered using a view associated with the desired interpretation.
US08407583B2
An information processing apparatus comprises a memory that stores structure information indicating a structure of functions of a Web application. Upon acquiring extension page information defining an extension function of the Web application, the apparatus sets up the extension page information in the memory according to a setup command, and determines, based on the setup command and the structure information, an insertion position of the extension function in the structure of functions of the Web application. Then, upon receipt of a request for generation of a Web page that represents the structure of functions of the Web application, the apparatus generates an extended Web page based on the structure information and the insertion position, by inserting extension function information indicating the extension function into a Web page according to the structure information.
US08407580B2
In a method for presenting information, an interactive document, for example, may be created that includes both an input expression and a result generated by evaluating the input expression, and where the input expression can be selectively hidden. This may permit “decluttering” of the document so that it may be easier to follow. At the same time, user interface mechanisms allow a viewer to reveal the input expression if the viewer desires to see the input expression. In this method, an input expression and a result corresponding to an evaluation of the input expression are presented on a workspace associated with a computational software application. Additionally, a first user interface mechanism associated with the input expression is presented on the workspace. In response to an activation of the first user interface mechanism, the input expression may be hidden on the workspace, while the result is presented on the workspace.
US08407573B2
A receiver for a mobile communication device comprises an primary detector for generating an initial sequence estimate comprising a plurality of initial symbol estimates from a received symbol sequence corrupted by intersymbol interference, and a secondary detector to receive said initial sequence estimate and to output a final sequence estimate comprising a plurality of final symbol estimates. The secondary detector comprises a sequence generator configured to generate one or more revised sequence estimates by replacing at least one initial symbol estimate in said initial sequence estimate with a corresponding nearest neighbor symbol in each of said revised symbol estimates; an error calculator to compute error metrics for said revised sequence estimates; and a selection circuit to compare error metrics for said initial and revised sequence estimates and to output one of said initial or revised sequence estimates as said final sequence estimate based on said error metrics.
US08407568B2
Aspects of a method and system for a method and system for a soft output Nordstrom-Robinson (NR) decoder may include one or more processors and/or circuits that are operable to more efficiently compute cross correlation values for a received soft output word based on a NR codebook in comparison to brute force computation approaches. Log likelihood ratios may be computed for each information bit corresponding to the received soft output word by determining corresponding maximum cross correlation values.
US08407564B2
Various embodiments of the invention pertain to a technique of recovering data from a portion of a non-volatile memory which was not reliably read because the number of read errors exceeded the ability of the ECC process to correct those errors. For each cell in that portion of memory, a quantized estimate is made of the amount of offset in the read reference voltage that is predicted to correct for any systematic noise that may have affected the reading of that cell. For each quantized offset, the read reference voltage is adjusted by that amount and data from the relevant cells is read. The combined results for all the cells are then processed through the ECC again.
US08407560B2
Method and system embodiments of the present invention are directed to encoding information in ways that are compatible with constraints associated with electrical-resistance-based memories and useful in other, similarly constrained applications, and to decoding the encoded information. One embodiment of the present invention encodes k information bits and writes the encoded k information bits to an electronic memory, the method comprising systematically encoding the k information bits to produce a vector codeword, with additional parity bits so that the codeword is resilient to bit-transition errors that may occur during storage of the codeword in, and retrieval of the codeword from, the electronic memory, ensuring that the codeword does not violate a weight constraint, and writing the codeword to the electronic memory.
US08407559B2
Devices, systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with monitoring memory are described. In one embodiment, a method determines a first data quality associated with a set of data stored in flash memory. Based, at least in part, on the first data quality, the flash memory is controlled to correct the set of data to produce a corrected set of data. The corrected set of data is reprogrammed into the flash memory.
US08407558B2
Embodiments of a circuit are described. In this circuit, an encoder circuit encodes a set of N symbols as a given codeword in a code space, where the given codeword includes a set of M symbols. M drivers are coupled to the encoder circuit and are coupled to M links in a channel, where a given driver outputs a given symbol in the set of M symbols onto a given link. Moreover, an error-detection circuit, which is coupled to the encoder circuit, generates and stores error-detection information associated with the set of M symbols, where the error-detection information facilitates subsequent probabilistic determination of a type of error during communication of the set of M symbols to another circuit. Additionally, a receiver circuit receives feedback information from the other circuit. This feedback information includes error information about detection of another type of error in the set of M symbols based on characteristics of the code space. Furthermore, control logic performs remedial action based on the feedback information.
US08407552B2
A method and apparatus are provided for creating a matrix for correcting errors of transmission of multimedia data packets at a non-constant rate between a sender terminal and at least one receiver terminal. The multimedia data packets constitute elements of the correction matrix. The correction matrix has dimensions that are determined as a function of a maximum rate of the multimedia data packets at the input of the sender terminal, and the multimedia data packets are placed in the correction matrix at regular time slots. A noted absence of any multimedia data packets for a given time slot is represented in the correction matrix by an empty location.
US08407546B2
Through the identification of different packet-types, packets can be handled based on an assigned packet handling identifier. This identifier can, for example, enable forwarding of latency-sensitive packets without delay and allow error-sensitive packets to be stored for possible retransmission. In another embodiment, and optionally in conjunction with retransmission protocols including a packet handling identifier, a memory used for retransmission of packets can be shared with other transceiver functionality such as, coding, decoding, interleaving, deinterleaving, error correction, and the like.
US08407544B2
An integrated circuit device includes a plurality of functional tiles. Each functional tile may be configured into a scan chain. A clock generator is operable to generate an internal clock signal that is distributed to each of the functional tiles. A clock gater is associated with each of the functional tiles. Each clock gater is operable to receive an external enable signal and the internal clock signal, generate a scan clock signal for loading a test pattern into the scan chain based on the external enable signal and the internal clock signal, and generate at least one capture clock signal for capturing a response of the tile to the test pattern responsive to identifying the loading of the test pattern.
US08407542B2
A method and circuit are provided for implementing switching factor reduction in Logic Built in Self Test (LBIST) diagnostics, and a design structure on which the subject circuit resides. Switching factor reduction logic is coupled to a Pseudo-Random Pattern Generator (PRPG) providing channel input patterns to a plurality of LBIST channels used for the LBIST diagnostics. The switching factor reduction logic selectively provides controlled channel input patterns for each of the plurality of channels.
US08407534B2
A method and apparatus for encoding channel quality indicator (CQI) and precoding control information (PCI) bits are disclosed. Each of the input bits, such as CQI bits and/or PCI bits, has a particular significance. The input bits are encoded with a linear block coding. The input bits are provided with an unequal error protection based on the significance of each input bit. The input bits may be duplicated based on the significance of each input bit and equal protection coding may be performed. A generator matrix for the encoding may be generated by elementary operation of conventional basis sequences to provide more protection to a most significant bit (MSB).
US08407521B2
Service providers strive to maintain networks with high levels of availability and performance. To maintain the networks, the service providers measure performance and perform network diagnostics. Measuring performance and performing network diagnostics typically involves manual verification of functionality or performing individual tests between user agents. Service providers who maintain networks and service providers who use networks can dynamically run tests with operations of a signaling protocol (e.g., session initiation protocol) to diagnose network problems and determine appropriate responses. An agent manager can coordinate the dynamic tests across multiple user agents to gather more information to increase problem diagnosis accuracy.
US08407500B2
Methods and apparatus for managing power consumption of a battery-powered electronic device are disclosed. According to one embodiment, power management can take action to reduce power consumption to accommodate estimated power requirements. According to another embodiment, power management can notify a user when a power deficiency is anticipated. According to still another embodiment, power management can advise a user to charge a battery of the battery-powered electronic device. According to still another embodiment, a user can influence power management by user selections.
US08407499B2
Handling requests for power reduction by first enabling a request for an amount of power change, e.g. reduction by any partition. In response to the request for power reduction, an equal proportion of the whole amount of power reduction is distributed between each of a set of cores providing the entitlements to the partitions, and the entitlement of the requesting partition is reduced by an amount corresponding to the whole amount of the power change.
US08407492B2
Methods, apparatuses, and systems are disclosed to facilitate power management of asynchronous logic devices to operate asynchronous logic devices at a desired level of processing throughput with minimal power consumption. A plurality of completion signals is received from a processing circuit. Each of the plurality of completion signals identifies an associated operation has been completed by the processing circuit. A plurality of phase signals is generated where the plurality of phase signals includes a respective phase signal generated at a time when each of the plurality of completion signals is expected to be received. A plurality of time differences is determined where each of the time differences is based on a difference between receipt of a completion signal and the respective phase signal generated at the time when the completion signal is expected to be received. A composite difference of the time differences is totaled. A voltage supplied to the processing circuit is adjusted based on the composite difference.
US08407465B2
Disclosed are apparatus and methods for associating a mobile device with a web service or a user account. A unique code is displayed on the mobile device. The unique code is associated with a user account or web service to be utilized with the mobile device. Instructions for a user to enter the unique code in an authentication process via an authentication portal of a management device are also displayed. After it is determined that a user has performed the authentication process, any user identification, which has been associated with the unique code, is then obtained from the management device. The obtained user identification is then stored for use by the mobile device. After user identification has been obtained and stored, the stored user identification is used for the mobile device to participate in an authentication process for authorizing the mobile device to utilize a web service or user account associated with the user identification. The authentication process is participated in by the mobile device without requiring input from the user during such authentication process.
US08407459B2
In an information processing apparatus, a stopwatch unit detects boot-up of an information processing apparatus, and measures as a boot time a time elapsed from the detection of the boot-up. A determination unit determines whether the boot time has reached notification timing. An output unit outputs a boot completion notification when the determination unit determines that the boot time has reached the notification timing indicated by boot completion notification timing information as a result of comparison therebetween.
US08407449B1
A non-volatile semiconductor memory is disclosed comprising a non-volatile memory array including a plurality of blocks, each block comprising a plurality of memory segments each assigned a physical address. A logical address is read from a first block, wherein the logical address corresponds to a physical address of one of the memory segments. When the memory segment corresponding to the logical address is valid, a translation table is updated using the logical address, wherein the translation table for mapping logical addresses to physical addresses. When the memory segment corresponding to the logical address is invalid, a dirty table is updated using the logical address. The dirty table is used to perform a garbage collection operation, wherein invalid memory segments are erased without being relocated.
US08407448B1
This invention is a system and a method for performing an I/O in a virtual data storage environment using a new architecture. The system of performing an I/O includes a mapping client integrated into a client of the storage server which in communication with the mapping server included in the storage server retrieves the mapping of the special data sharing storage objects and caches the shared objects in the data cache include in the client environment. The method of accessing the data sharing storage objects by one or more applications running on a client reduces the number of I/O on the storage objects by caching the storage objects in the data cache and bringing the knowledge of data sharing into the client environment.
US08407439B2
A memory controller (MC) is associated with a remapping table to enable access to content in a memory system that includes asymmetric memory. The MC receives a request for a memory read or an Input/Output (I/O) write from a central processing unit (CPU) for a physical address specified by the system's memory management unit (MMU). The CPU uses the MMU to manage memory operations for the CPU, by translating the virtual addresses associated with CPU instructions into physical addresses representing system memory or I/O locations. The MC for asymmetric memories is configured to process the MMU-specified physical addresses as an additional type of virtual addresses, creating a layer of abstraction between the physical address specified by the MMU and the physical memory address with which that address is associated by the MC. The MC shields the CPU from the computational complexities required to implement a memory system with asymmetric components.
US08407434B2
Systems, methods, and computer storage media for storing and retrieving data from a data store in a distributed computing environment are provided. An embodiment includes receiving data at a data store comprising a sequential journal store, RAM, and a non-sequential target store. When RAM utilization is below a threshold, received data is stored to the RAM as a write cache for the target store and the journal store. But, when the utilization is above the threshold, the data is stored to the journal store without write-caching to the RAM for the target store. When the RAM utilization falls below a threshold, data committed to the journal store, but not write-cached to the RAM for the target store, is later read from the journal store and write-cached to the RAM for a target store.
US08407432B2
A method and apparatus for cache coherency sequencing implementation and an adaptive LLC access priority control is disclosed. One embodiment provides mechanisms to resolve last level cache access priority among multiple internal CMP cores, internal snoops and external snoops. Another embodiment provides mechanisms for implementing cache coherency in multi-core CMP system.
US08407425B2
Methods, apparatus and systems for memory access obscuration are provided. A first embodiment provides memory access obscuration in conjunction with deadlock avoidance. Such embodiment utilizes processor features including an instruction to enable monitoring of specified cache lines and an instruction that sets a status bit responsive to any foreign access (e.g., write or eviction due to a read) to the specified lines. A second embodiment provides memory access obscuration in conjunction with deadlock detection. Such embodiment utilizes the monitoring feature, as well as handler registration. A user-level handler may be asynchronously invoked responsive to a foreign write to any of the specified lines. Invocation of the handler more frequently than expected indicates that a deadlock may have been encountered. In such case, a deadlock policy may be enforced. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US08407419B2
Systems and methods for management of a cache are disclosed. In general, embodiments described herein store access counts in file system metadata associated with files in the cache. By encoding access counts in the file system metadata, file I/O operations are reduced. Preferably, the reference count is encoded in an access count timestamp in the file system metadata. The access counts can be decoded based on the difference between the access count time stamp and a base time value, with larger differences reflecting a larger access count. The cache can be aged by advancing the base time value, thereby causing the access count for a file to drop. The base time value can also be stored in file system metadata, thereby reducing file I/O operations when performing aging.
US08407403B2
A hybrid storage device uses a write cache such as a hard disk drive, for example, to cache data to a solid state drive (SSD). Data is logged sequentially to the write cache and later migrated to the SSD. The SSD is a primary storage that stores data permanently. The write cache is a persistent durable cache that may store data of disk write operations temporarily in a log structured fashion. A migration policy may be used to determine how long to cache the data in the write cache before migrating the data to the SDD. The migration policy may be implemented using one or more migration triggers that cause the contents of the write cache to be flushed to the SSD. Migration triggers may include a timeout trigger, a read threshold trigger, and a migration size trigger, for example.
US08407401B2
A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided for enhancing memory erase functionality. An apparatus may include a block-based mass memory and a controller configured to receive an erase command from a host device comprising an indication of a location of a block in the mass memory storing memory allocation data. The controller may be further configured to access the memory allocation data based at least in part upon the indicated location. The controller may additionally be configured to determine, based at least in part upon the memory allocation data, blocks within the mass memory that have been freed by the host device. The controller may also be configured to erase the freed blocks. Corresponding methods and computer program products are also provided.
US08407399B2
Methods, apparatus and computer medium for enforcing one or more cache management policies are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a flash memory of a storage device includes a plurality of flash memory dies each flash memory die including a respective cache storage area and a respective main storage area. A determination is made, for data that is received from an external host device to which main storage area the received data is addressed thereby specifying one of the plurality of flash memory dies as a target die for the received data. Whenever the received data is written into a cache storage area before being written into a main storage area, the received data is written into the cache storage area of the specified target die.
US08407396B2
Block data access is provided for an operating system by allocating a portion of solid-state memory of a data processing arrangement for use as a block storage device. A block device interface is created that provides access to the portion of solid-state memory via firmware of the data processing arrangement. The block device interface emulates an electromechanical data-storage device. The block device interface is presented to the operating system at a boot-time of the operating system and the block device interface is accessed using a block device driver of the operating system during the boot-time of the operating system. The block device driver emulates the electromechanical data-storage device to the operating system.
US08407379B2
An efficient low latency buffer, and method of operation, is described. The efficient low latency buffer may be used as a bi-directional memory buffer in an audio playback device to buffer both output and input data. An application processor coupled to the bi-directional memory buffer is responsive to an indication to write data to the bi-directional memory buffer reads a defined size of input data from the bi-directional memory buffer. The input data read from the bi-directional memory buffer is replaced with output data of the defined size. In response to a mode-change signal, the defined size of data is changed that is read and written from and to the bi-directional memory buffer. The buffer may allow the application processor to enter a low-powered sleep mode more frequently.
US08407376B2
A parallel computer system includes a plurality of compute nodes. Each of the compute nodes includes at least one processor, at least one memory, and a direct memory address engine coupled to the at least one processor and the at least one memory. The system also includes a network interconnecting the plurality of compute nodes. The network operates a global message-passing application for performing communications across the network. Local instances of the global message-passing application operate at each of the compute nodes to carry out local processing operations independent of processing operations carried out at another one of the compute nodes. The direct memory address engines are configured to interact with the local instances of the global message-passing application via injection FIFO metadata describing an injection FIFO in a corresponding one of the memories. The local instances of the global message passing application are configured to record, in the injection FIFO in the corresponding one of the memories, message descriptors associated with messages of an arbitrary communication pattern in an iteration of an executing application program. The local instances of the global message passing application are configured to replay the message descriptors during a subsequent iteration of the executing application program.
US08407366B2
Computerized methods, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for establishing and managing a virtual network (V-net) and virtual machine (VM) switches that enable protected and isolated interconnections between members of the V-net. The V-net members include an originating network adapter that generates data packets addressed to a destination network adapter. Upon detecting data-packet generation, a source-side VM switch accesses a forwarding table associated with the V-net, ascertains a destination-side, VM-switch locator that corresponds to an identifier of the destination network adapter, and modifies the data packets to include the identifier. The forwarding table represents a mapping between the members of the V-net and VM switches located on respective nodes within the data center. In operation, the mapping enforces communication policies that govern data-packet traffic. Upon receiving the data packets, the destination-side VM switch restores the data packets and forwards them to the destination network adapter.
US08407363B2
A computer-implemented method includes generating a user interface for displaying one or more images, receiving a request from a remote device to view the user interface, determining whether the remote device is a mobile device communicating over a wireless network, depending on a result of the determination, generating a low resolution version of the user interface that is computationally less intensive to render compared to the previously generated user interface, and transmitting the low resolution version of the user interface to the requesting device.
US08407362B2
Methods and apparatus involve the voluntary transfer or sharing of item(s), such as files or other data, based upon the automatic discovery of recipients, including sender pushing of the items and recipient approval. During use, computing devices advertise their availability for potential receipt of the items and recipients are automatically discovered. The sender attaches the items to a selected recipient, and a size, description, etc. of the items is calculated. Upon a connection between the sending and recipient computing devices, the sending device pushes to the recipient an identifier of the sender and the size, description, etc., so the recipient can determine whether they want to accept transfer. If so, the items are transferred, including display of the progress. If not, the sender is notified of the refusal. Other features contemplate attaching techniques, visual information display, authentication of parties, computer program products, and systems, to name a few.
US08407360B2
Techniques for generating a distributed stream processing application are provided. The techniques include obtaining a declarative description of one or more data stream processing tasks from a graph of operators, wherein the declarative description expresses at least one stream processing task, generating one or more containers that encompass a combination of one or more stream processing operators, and generating one or more execution units from the declarative description of one or more data stream processing tasks, wherein the one or more execution units are deployable across one or more distributed computing nodes, and comprise a distributed data stream processing application binary.
US08407359B2
The downloading of data from a server into one (Cn) of the portable communicating objects (C1 CN), such as chip cards or mobile terminals, over a radiocommunications network involves: a preprocessing of data (PRET) in the server into at least one data message intended for the communicating object; a sending (E) of the data message from the server to the communicating object; a reception (R) by the server of an acknowledgement of reception by the communicating object, and; a post-processing of data (POST) in the server contingent on the acknowledgement of reception. The pre-processings of data (P1) and post-processings of data (P3) concerning the communicating objects are respectively executed before and after sending the data message and receiving the acknowledgements of reception (P2) concerning the communicating objects. The server communicates with the radiocommunications network only during the sending and receiving of messages.
US08407342B2
A method and system are provided for use in detecting and preventing attacks in a communications network. In one example, the method includes calculating first and second traffic volumes based on messages received at a first time and a second time, respectively. An average acceleration is calculated based on the first and second traffic volumes, and the method identifies whether the average acceleration has crossed a threshold. The messages are serviced only if the average acceleration has not crossed the threshold.
US08407341B2
Methods, computer readable media, and apparatuses for monitoring communications are presented. A first username may be compared with a second username. The first username may be associated with a sender of a communication, and the second username may be associated with a recipient of the communication. Thereafter, based on the comparing, the probability that the first username and the second username are both associated with a single entity may be determined. In at least one arrangement, in response to determining that the probability exceeds a threshold, it may be determined that the first username and the second username are both associated with the single entity. In at least one additional arrangement, the threshold may be modified automatically based on previously analyzed incident data.
US08407337B2
A website test environment invokes multiple instances of a commercial browser, and captures invocations of browser operations for gathering performance data without interference from other instances or multiple occurrences of the operating system (OS). Commercial browsers often employ constraints that assume only a single instantiation is executing on a particular machine. Configurations allow each instance to present as a separate user, thus avoiding conflicts that may arise from temporary files and network connections, for example. Each browser instance operates as a performance agent and dynamically links with a set of entry points for accessing performance related browser operations. As each agent invokes native (OS specific) machine functions for network access via particular entry points, configurations disclosed herein redirect the entry points to a collection layer of instructions (code) for capturing performance data in addition to invoking the native OS function called for by the browser operation.
US08407335B1
An appliance is co-located on a network with computing devices. Log messages generated by the computing devices are collected by the appliance, filtered based on the content and stored in transmission priority queues based on the content. The appliance packetizes the log messages based on the transmission priority queue and the available bandwidth and compresses the packet. The appliance encrypts the packet, digitally signs the encrypted packet and sends the packet to a first data center over a public network. The first data center stores the packet in reliable storage and performs processing on the data. A copy of the packet is sent to a second data center that stores the copy and performs processing on the copied data. The appliance deletes the packet from its buffer after it has received acknowledgement that the second data center has received the packet.
US08407328B2
Audio visual or other equipment modules in a common enclosure are controlled through an SNMP control agent by interrogating module locations for the presence of an equipment module; determining an equipment type; determining a list of available control objects associated with that equipment type; associating values identified by equipment type and by control parameter with the control objects of equipment modules to be controlled; and communicating said values across a network.
US08407326B2
An anchoring method for generating an XPath expression. The method can include identifying a stable anchor in the transcodable markup along an axis shared by the selected node. An XPath expression can be generated for the stable anchor. Subsequently, an offset between the stable anchor and the selected node can be computed. Finally, the XPath expression for the stable anchor and the offset can be concatenated, the concatenation forming the XPath expression for the selected node.
US08407323B2
A method of implementing a cloud computing network includes defining, for a cloud computing network including tangible network storage elements and tangible network computing elements, a library of network connectivity building blocks for designing a virtual private cloud computing network within the cloud computing network. Each building block has user-definable attributes and each building block is translatable into a set of network element configuration statements that instantiate an action particular to the building block. Usage rules specifying how the building blocks can be used are defined for the cloud computing network. Dynamically-selected building blocks from the library are accepted and assembled into a configuration template. The configuration template is validated against the usage rules. The virtual private cloud computing network is implemented in accordance with the validated configuration template.
US08407317B2
A computer-implemented method to processes issue data in a system. A plurality of issue reports are received from respective reporting entities, each issue report being in respect of a system issue which requires a response activity. The issue reports are parsed to obtain priority criterion data relating to at least one priority criterion. The priority criterion is unrelated to the dates and/or times of the issue reports and may include visibility data, severity data, exposure data, and performance data relating to past performance of a reporting entity or a reported entity. The reported issues are then prioritized for order of response based at least partially on the associated criterion data.
US08407301B1
A computer-implemented method for creating incremental images of cluster volumes. The method may include 1) maintaining a parallel cluster comprising a plurality of cluster nodes connected to a cluster volume; 2) creating a first incremental image of the cluster volume by capturing changes to the cluster volume on a first mirror during a first period of time; 3) for each cluster node in the parallel cluster, blocking write completions for writes to the cluster volume; 4) while the write completions are blocked, switching to a second mirror to create a second incremental image of the cluster volume by capturing changes to the cluster volume on the second mirror during a second period of time; and 5) after switching to the second mirror, unblocking the write completions for writes to the cluster volume. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
US08407295B2
The invention relates to a method and a system for managing data, and a corresponding computer program and a corresponding computer-readable storage medium, which can be used, in particular, to save, for example, e-mails in a folder structure on a server by using an e-mail push client, which are known, for example, as Blackberry devices.It is a method for managing data, the data are saved as e-mail or messages on a mail server and/or a server of a message signaling system. At least one application with at least one function for data processing is installed on a terminal. In addition, the terminal sends a request for managing data to the mail server and/or the server of a message signaling service by using the data managing function, and the data are transmitted to a file server according to the request from the mail server and/or the server of a message signaling service, where they are saved in a file system, wherein the stored data can be accessed from a file management program.
US08407292B2
A message delivery server system for delivery of electronic content to a receiving client, comprises: a data storage for storing electronic content, a connection unit for maintaining a connection with the receiving client, and a connection establishment unit for allowing a receiving client to establish a connection with the server. The connection establishment unit comprises a definition unit for placing one or more connection definitions relating to the connection in an entity that is independent of any actual connection socket used for the session. The definition unit can be use to establish additional sockets to maintain the session and the definitions within can be used to find the best way to download media to the receiving client.
US08407282B2
Systems and methods are provided for measuring the level of relative activity (relationship) between two entities (e.g., people, companies, organizations, etc.) in a group as compared with others in that group or in a subset of that group. A group or subset of a group can be defined manually or automatically by the program. Once the activity is measured, it is further analyzed to generate behavioral attributes (e.g., trust, respect, mutually enjoyable company or personal relationship, reciprocity and shared experience) of the relationship. These attributes may be employed to derive characteristics such as the strength of the relationship for each pair of entities. The relationships and characteristic and/or attributes may then be displayed in a simple to understand manner.
US08407274B2
Techniques are generally described that include methods, devices, systems and/or apparatus for dividing a numerator by a denominator. Some example methods may include selecting a first numerical factor stored in an electronic storage media. The first numerical factor may be multiplied by a numerator at least in part using a first logic circuit configured to perform multiplication. The first numerical factor may also be multiplied by a denominator. A second numerical factor may be calculated based, at least in part, on an approximation of a square of the difference between unity and the product of the first numerical factor and the denominator. The second numerical factor may be multiplied by the product of the numerator and the first numerical factor at least in part using the first logic circuit, to generate an approximation of a quotient of the numerator and the denominator.
US08407272B2
A topological categorization method, based on inclusive intervals, provides a general method of analyzing escape topologies for discrete dynamic systems, in complex and higher dimensions, including the calculation of both potential for complex and hypercomplex and field lines for complex iterations
US08407265B1
In a file server, a file system is built upon a volume of data storage. The file system includes multiple cylinder groups. Each cylinder group includes file system blocks. The file system blocks include allocated blocks and free blocks. The volume includes slices of storage, and each slice stores at least one of the cylinder groups. A hierarchical slice map has a top level that includes a count of free blocks in the file system, an upper level that includes a count of free blocks in groups of the slices, an intermediate level that includes a count of the free blocks in sub-groups of the slices, and a bottom level that includes a count of the free blocks in each slice of storage. To find a free block for allocation to a file, the slice map hierarchy is searched in a top-down fashion.
US08407262B2
Methods and systems for generating an entity diagram include, in one exemplary embodiment, a user using a processor that executes the program code to generate the entity diagram. The process for generating the entity diagram includes generating an entity diagram with one or more entities and one or more relationships, grouping the one or more entities by a first dimension, and grouping the one or more entities by a second dimension. The process further includes rearranging the groups based on the grouping according to the first dimension, rearranging the entities based on the grouping according to the second dimension, and adjusting one or more relationship links corresponding to the one or more relationships. After the one or more entities and relationships are rearranged and adjusted, the user may access an updated entity diagram.
US08407255B1
Method and apparatus for exploiting master-detail data relationships to enhance searching operations
A method and apparatus for exploiting a master-detail relationship between a first structured data and at least one second structured data to enhance searching operations of a database containing the first data structure and the at least one second data structure, comprising accessing a first structured data and at least one second structured data of the database; and in response to orthogonal data filter characteristics, augmenting the first structured data with information related to the at least one second structured data to enhance searching of the database.
US08407253B2
A method for stabilizing a knowledge graph includes: generating a knowledge graph in which same entities in a semantic relation list between entities provided as an input are represented as a single node based on names and types of the entities; computing, on the knowledge graph, semantic similarities between all potential entity pairs of same entity types by comparing, for each potential entity pair, a type of relation associated with an entity in the entity pair and an opponent entity to the entity; and selecting, based on the semantic similarities, a representative entity from each of semantically similar entity pairs on the knowledge graph and integrating an opponent entity to the representative entity into the representative entity. The method further includes computing relation weighted values between the entities by using a graph analysis and statistic information, and adding the weighted values to the knowledge graph.
US08407246B2
The invention concerns a data anonymity measuring device for selectively transmitting an anonymised database to a third party comprising: calculation means (402) coupled to at least one memory, the memory storing an original database (204) and said anonymized database (206), said calculation means arranged to calculate the conditional entropy for each entry in said anonymized database based on entries in said original database; comparing means (406) arranged to compare at least one of said conditional entropies with a threshold value; and output means (410) arranged to transmit said anonymized database based on the result of said comparison.
US08407239B2
A multi-stage query processing system and method enables multi-stage query scoring, including “snippet” generation, through incremental document reconstruction facilitated by a multi-tiered mapping scheme. At one or more stages of a multi-stage query processing system a set of relevancy scores are used to select a subset of documents for presentation as an ordered list to a user. The set of relevancy scores can be derived in part from one or more sets of relevancy scores determined in prior stages of the multi-stage query processing system. In some embodiments, the multi-stage query processing system is capable of executing one or more passes on a user query, and using information from each pass to expand the user query for use in a subsequent pass to improve the relevancy of documents in the ordered list.
US08407238B2
A structured file includes information to bind a web data source to a web data query system. Code is embedded within the structured file and is in a code language understood by the web data query system. The code is unrestricted in function. Code language objects are exposed within the web data query system for use by the code to interface with the web data query system and the web data source. A URL is associated with the structured file to enable access of the structured file through the Internet. A unit-based quota method is implemented to manage execution of code in the structured file. The unit-based quota method collapses multiple dimensions of computing resource control into a single unit value, tracks a number of units expended by the code, and stops execution of the code when the number of units expended by the code reaches a set limit.
US08407231B2
A method may include receiving a document and an initial score for the document; determining that there has been a decrease in a rate or quantity of new links that point to the document over time; classifying the document as stale in response to the determining; decreasing the initial score for the document, resulting in an updated score; and ranking the document with regard to at least one other document based, at least in part, on the score.
US08407228B1
Disclosed is an improved approach for managing, tracking, and querying hierarchical data in layouts. According to some aspects, hierarchical grids are employed utilizing a scheme that organizes physical objects into a set of gradually refined grids that avoids the need to maintain duplicates while enhancing the desirable characteristics of existing schemes, including fast query times, fast data structure initialization and reduced memory footprint. Each grid-cell may be further partitioned into sub-containers to more efficiently provide space pruning during query operations. According to one approach, structures maintained to track existence of objects in a descendent hierarchy.
US08407222B2
In an embodiment of a computer-based system, a database and attributes to access that database are provided. The computer-based system is configured for one or more process controls, each of the one or more process controls comprising a subset of the plurality of attributes. The computer-based system is further configured to enable access to the database using the one or more process controls.
US08407212B2
A system for generating a customized web page is provided. The system comprising an identifier generator and manager (IGM) for generating a plurality of identifiers from data collected respective of usage of information by a user over time and for providing an answer responsive to a query. The query answer is based on the plurality of identifiers. Also provided is an auto-discovery and management unit for determining relevancy to the user of information retrieved from an information source in which the determination is based on answers received from the IGM and a web page generator for generating a web page containing at least a snippet of the relevant information in a designated display area of the generated web page.
US08407206B2
Described herein are methods and systems for providing software development services more efficiently. Re-computation of results each time a service request is received can be avoided by maintaining a cache of results from having processed requests. Results are stored under a unique mapping of request-results pairs that at least in part rely on a file fingerprint hash of the contents of the input files related to the request. In network environment with a client requester and service provider unnecessary transmission is also avoided by first presenting results for requests are in form of a unique file identifier identifying one or more files holding the content of the results. The file identifier is used to search a cache local to the requesting client prior to requesting transmission of the results. The file identifier may also include an indicator for indicating a location from which the results may be retrieved.
US08407204B2
A method and system is disclosed for associating an appropriate web crawl interval with a document so that the probability of the document's stale content being used by a search engine is below an acceptable level when the search engine crawls the document at its associated web crawl interval. The web crawl interval of a document is determined through an iterative process and updated dynamically by the search engine after every visit to the document by a web crawler. A multi-tier data structure is employed for managing the web crawl order of billions of documents on the Internet. The search engine may move a document from one tier to another if its web crawl interval is changed significantly.
US08407191B1
Deduplicated data objects are scrubbed by a executing a priority scrubbing task that scans the deduplicated data objects and applies a condition that enables priority data scrubbing based on the value of at least one attribute of the de-duplicated data objects. For example, a low priority task scrubs a deduplicated data object when a reference count of the deduplicated object reaches a threshold. A high priority task scrubs a deduplicated data object when a priority attribute indicates that the deduplicated data object is used by a critical source data object. A medium priority task scrubs a deduplicated data object when the access frequency of the deduplicated data object reaches a threshold. The condition may encode a scrubbing policy or heuristic, and may trigger further action in addition to scrubbing, such as triggering an update of the access rate.
US08407174B2
A method for optimizing the scanning process of a mobile terminal, the scanning process being performed by the mobile terminal in order to discover an available network to which a connection is possible, wherein at least a part of existing networks is registered to a server, wherein the server provides its information regarding the registered networks to the mobile terminal, is characterized in that the scanning period of the mobile terminal is dynamically adjusted on the basis of information provided by the server.
US08407167B1
The location of the memory controllers within the on-chip fabric of multiprocessor architectures plays a central role in latency bandwidth characteristics of the processor-to-memory traffic. Intelligent placement substantially reduces the maximum channel load depending on the specific memory controller configuration selected. A variety of simulation techniques are used along and in combination to determine optimal memory controller arrangements. Diamond-type and diagonal X-type memory controller configurations that spread network traffic across all rows and columns in a multiprocessor array substantially improve over other arrangements. Such placements reduce interconnect latency by an average of 10% for real workloads, and the small number of memory controllers relative to the number of on-chip cores opens up a rich design space to optimize latency and bandwidth characteristics of the on-chip network.
US08407165B2
A method for performing relational analysis of parsed input is employed to create a visual map of knowledge information. A title, header or subject line for an input item of information is parsed into syntactical components of at least a subject component and any predicate component(s) relationally linked as topic and subtopics. A search of indices for the knowledge map and its topics and subtopics is carried out for the subject component. If a match is found, then the subject component is taken as the existing topic. If no match is found, then the subject component is formatted as a new entry in the knowledge map. Topic-related information content is stored in the repository referenced to the formatted topic. A similar process can be carried out for formatting predicate component(s). In this manner, input items of information can be quickly and conveniently added to the knowledge information map.
US08407158B2
An approach provides interactive troubleshooting. A robotic chat application receives a service inquiry over a chat session from a chat-enabled device, wherein the service inquiry is associated with a service provider network. A troubleshooting engine collects information from a user of the chat-enabled device regarding the service inquiry. The robotic chat application retrieves a flow definition and an associated query corresponding to the service inquiry based upon the collected information. The troubleshooting engine generates a command, based on the query, for resolving the service inquiry.
US08407156B2
A closed loop postage metering system includes networked meters that provide mailers and/or recipients the capability to request additional or modified services during processing of a mail piece by a carrier. The networked meter allows the Post to charge the mailer, or even the recipient for these services or to provide them with a refund or credit. The services can include changing the processing of the mail piece. Further, the closed loop postage metering system enables more precise methods of paying for services when multiple carriers handle a mail piece. A special case of such multiple carriers handling is the handling of international mail.
US08407155B2
A method for determining the postage associated with the delivery of an article including the steps of receiving an acquired image of the article over a network from a web enabled device (ii) comparing the acquired digital imaged to a plurality of stored digital images to ermine the identity of the acquired digital image, (iii) determining at least one characteristic of the identified digital image useful to determine a delivery cost associated with the identified digital image of the identified article, (iv) calculating the estimated cost of delivering the identified article to a destination address, and, (v) transmitting the estimated cost to the web enabled device. The method also determines the postage associated with the delivery of an article by means of a wireless communication network using a wireless mobile device having an optical imaging device. Furthermore, a system also determines the postage associated with the identified article.
US08407154B1
A shipment origin location for a product purchased by a customer is predicted. A merchant evaluator receives information from a user about a purchase transaction completed by the user with a merchant for a product, including the user's location. When the product is shipped, the merchant evaluator receives tracking information about the shipment. The merchant evaluator determines from the tracking information a point of origin for the shipment and updates its records to reflect the shipment origin point for that merchant and product, given the user's location. As the merchant evaluator compiles similar data for many products shipped by many merchants to many destinations, the merchant evaluator develops a searchable index, enabling a prediction to be made about a shipment origin point for a particular product from a particular merchant, given the location of the user ordering the product. A time-in-transit prediction can also be made.
US08407153B2
A method for tracking the opening of physical mail includes preparing a mail piece for delivery to a mailpiece recipient, the mailpiece having identifying information thereon, and communicating the mailpiece identifying information to a mail opening tracking organization. The mailpiece is delivered to the mailpiece recipient. The mailpiece is mechanically opened and data related to the mailpiece opening event is captured and the data related to the mailpiece opening event is communicated to the tracking organization.
US08407150B2
A reliability evaluation device includes a route acquiring unit that acquires a route from a starting point to a verification point of an application procedure as a group of paths indicative of relation between objects used for identity verification at each step based on data that includes the paths, a direction in which information is transferred, and path reliabilities indicative of accuracy of transferring the information, and a verification-point-reliability computing unit that computes reliability of the application procedure at the verification point by multiplying the path reliabilities by the reliability at the starting point.
US08407149B1
A method and machine-readable media are provided for estimating property values. An exemplary method includes obtaining a first estimate of a property from a first property valuation database, the first estimate exhibiting price tier effect bias. The method further includes deriving a price tier effect adjustment factor based on a price tier associated with the property and purchase transaction data. The method further includes adjusting the first estimate to reduce the price tier effect bias using price tier effect adjustment factor, thereby providing a second estimate having reduced price tier effect bias.
US08407148B2
In one aspect, a computing apparatus is configured to generate trigger records for a transaction handler to identify authorization requests that satisfy the conditions specified in the trigger records, identify communication preferences of the users associated with the identified authorization requests, and use the communication preferences to target real-time messages at the users in parallel with the transaction handler providing responses to the respective authorization requests.
US08407145B1
A system and process for creating, maintaining, and using transaction identifiers, i.e. a transaction DNA, is provided. The DNA, along with other transactional information, is sent through a set of intermediary entities as found in a standard transaction processing system. The DNA is based on information that may include source ID, merchant ID, and order ID. The order ID is a unique number that can be generated by the merchant. The DNA is maintained throughout the lifecycle of the transaction, including authorization requests, settlement requests, and exception item processing. The DNA allows the bank to provide precise transactional matching to the original transaction for the merchant, making reconciliation always possible, fast, and automatic, and ensuring information is presented in a manner that the merchant chooses.
US08407140B2
The invention provides a remittance platform in which an enterprise, such as Wells Fargo, serves as a remittance transfer agent, where the remittance function is integrated with a bank. The invention allows access to the remittance program by both account holders with the enterprise and persons who do not have an account with the enterprise. The person accessing the service may pick the remittance service they want and the country they want. However, the service is not anchored to a particular account and can therefore work with both bank partners and non-bank partners and account holders and non-account holders. Further, the system may be private-labeled. Additionally, the invention provides a mechanism that allows one to send money easily to other countries and it allows bank partners to participate in the program easily as well. This is possible because the enterprise provides all of the processing in an integrated fashion.
US08407134B2
The present invention generally relates to brokerage systems and methods, and more particularly, to a multi-tiered trading system and corresponding methods which allow multiple customers and multiple dealers to transact on a single platform while maintaining the distinction of an inter-dealer system and a dealer-customer relationship.
US08407130B1
Various embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems for providing principal protection exposure to equity markets. More particularly, one embodiment of the present invention relates to a computer implementable method for performing data processing operations associated with providing principal protection exposure to an equity market, comprising the steps of: carrying out a sale of a trust certificate to generate proceeds, which sale is from a trust to a first entity; allocating a portion of the proceeds of the sale of the trust certificate to a purchase of an equity security, which purchase is by the trust from the equity market; and allocating a portion of the proceeds of the sale of the trust certificate to a purchase of a put option on the equity security, which purchase is by the trust from a second entity; wherein the sale of the trust certificate to the first entity, combined with the purchase of the equity security by the trust and the purchase of the put option by the trust, provides the first entity principal protection exposure to the equity market without causing substantial income statement volatility.
US08407129B2
The disclosed embodiments relate to determining a listing date, an expiration date and the cash settlement price of a futures contract, i.e. a Treasury Futures, for the delivery of the most recently issued, referred to as an on-the-run, US treasury Note of a particular maturity by reference to the U.S. Treasury Auction cycle and the difference between a resultant industry surveyed swap rate and a resultant industry surveyed swap spread of the respective tenors (time remaining until maturity) of the on-the-run treasury futures.
US08407128B2
An exemplary method may comprise forecasting a foreign exchange exposure for first and second periods of time, hedging risk based on the forecasts of the foreign exchange exposure, the hedging based on the forecasts of the foreign exchange exposure for the first and second periods of time, wherein hedging is performed utilizing currency contracts with a single maturity date in a single month, retrieving information in real-time from a database of foreign currency contracts to confirm that the risk has been hedged, hedging changes in foreign exchange exposure that result from changes in the forecast of the foreign exchange exposure for the second period of time, wherein the hedging is performed utilizing currency contracts with the single maturity date in the single month, and displaying a comparison of results of hedging with results of accounting from enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
US08407102B2
A method and system used to obtain and process orders for full color printing. A job configuration and price calculator is supplied to a customer. The calculator calculates automatically a price quote as the customer selects configuration options of a print job. The price quote is then displayed automatically. The customer may select configuration options repeatedly until the job configuration is final. A digital graphic layout or image file is then obtained from the customer. The digital graphic layout or image file is then prepared and a proof thereof is created. When the proof is satisfactory, the print job is printed and delivered to the customer.
US08407081B1
Systems and methods are provided for improving processes in a healthcare organization by mining historical data for information that can be used to more effectively allocate resources and process components. Factors used for the analysis include time, information, motivation, skills, and authority for particular resources. Arbitrage processing is used to minimize opportunity costs and increase efficiency.
US08407075B2
A method, operable on a processing device, for merging calendar entries may include receiving a plurality of calendar entries each associated with entry identification data. The method may also include comparing by the processing device at least a portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the calendar entries. The method may additionally include merging, by the processing device, the calendar entries based at least in part on comparing of at least the portion of the entry identification data associated with each of the at least two calendar entries. The method may further include comparing at least one time attribute associated with each of the calendar entries and comparing at least one textual attribute associated with each of the calendar entries and basing merging the calendar entries additionally on comparing the time attributes and the textual attributes.
US08407073B2
Each work item from a group of work items is categorized as either complex or intense, and a unique work requirement statement is derived for each work item based on whether it is complex or intense. A unique resource value statement is assigned to different human resources. Past performances of the human resources are analyzed against completed work items in order to adjust the unique resource value statement, thus creating updated human resource value statements. An optimized work requirement statement is created by recalculating the unique work requirement statement for each work item based on the updated human resource value statements. A schedule for automated allocation of human resources to functional areas of an enterprise activity environment and scheduling of work items to the functional areas is formulated based on the optimized requirement statement for each work item in the group of work items.
US08407071B2
A method for repricing a reimbursement claim under at least one contract is provided herein. The method may include a combination of steps such as: converting each contract into a series of contractual terms; converting a claim into a series of claim lines, containing claim codes, unit numbers and corresponding charges for the claim codes; comparing claim codes and contractual terms and identifying matches therebetween; determining any priority conditions associated to the matching contractual terms, and eliminate any matching contractual terms that are excluded by the priority conditions; calculating the reimbursement amount for the claim by determining the reimbursement charges for the non-excluded matching contractual terms; and determining and making any adjustments depending upon any discount terms for the entire reimbursement amount.
US08407068B2
A medicine management apparatus includes: a medicine storage which stores a plurality of medicines used at a site of medical care; a storage and retrieval detector which, when a medicine handling personnel manipulates the apparatus to store or retrieve an accommodated medicine to be accommodated in the apparatus, physically detects the target accommodated medicine for which the apparatus is manipulated, differentiating it from the other accommodated medicines; and a counter which counts each type of the plurality of accommodated medicines. An injection prescription receiver receives injection prescription data from an external prescription analyzer. A retrieval determining unit determines whether the accommodated medicine detected as being retrieved is the accommodated medicine directed by the injection prescription data to be retrieved. A retrieval completion notification unit transmits a retrieval completion signal to the prescription analyzer, prompted by the completion of the retrieval of the accommodated medicine directed by the prescription data to be retrieved.
US08407064B1
A method and system for healthcare benefit plan selection determines a healthcare consumer's projected/predicted healthcare service utilization for a defined timeframe using a personalized healthcare service utilization model created based on: general/demographic data associated with the healthcare consumer; the healthcare consumer's historical healthcare service utilization; and the healthcare consumer's personal health profile data. Data associated with the rules governing the operation and use of two or more candidate healthcare benefit plans is also obtained. The operation and rules of use are then applied to healthcare consumer's projected healthcare service utilization for the defined timeframe to create expected healthcare consumer experience model data under each of two or more candidate healthcare benefit plans. In one embodiment, comparison data and/or a plan recommendation is then provided to the healthcare consumer.
US08407046B2
A method of transmitting an input audio signal is disclosed. A current spectral magnitude of the input audio signal is quantized. A quantization error of a previous spectral magnitude is fed back to influence quantization of the current spectral magnitude. The feeding back includes adaptively modifying a quantization criterion to form a modified quantization criterion. A current quantization error is minimized by using the modified quantization criterion. A quantized spectral envelope is formed based on the minimizing and the quantized spectral envelope is transmitted.
US08407040B2
A translation apparatus capable of producing an optimal translation of an input sentence is provided. A template in a first language and a template in a second language include a fixed portion consisting of a prescribed word/phrase and a variable portion replaceable by any of a predetermined plurality of words/phrases at corresponding positions, and the translation apparatus includes: a determining unit for determining, for a plurality of templates in the first language, whether or not a word/phrase included in the input sentence in the first language matches any of the prescribed word/phrase and the predetermined plurality of words/phrases; a selecting unit for selecting at least one of the plurality of templates based on the result of determination; and a replacing unit for replacing, if a template including a variable portion replaceable by the matched word/phrase is selected, the variable portion corresponding to the variable portion replaceable by the matched word/phrase of the template in the second language corresponding to the selected template, by a word/phrase in the second language corresponding to the matched word/phrase.
US08407024B2
In one embodiment, a motion determination apparatus includes: a basic motion determination module determining a basic motion of a user, based on a sensor signal for detecting a motion of the user; a basic motion recording module recording the basic motion in a temporal sequence; a motion scene determination table configured to store the basic motion and a condition under which the basic motion occurs, for each motion scene; a motion scene determination module determining that the basic motion recorded in the temporal sequence corresponds to a certain motion scene, based on the motion scene determination table; a detailed label determination table storing a detailed label indicating a detailed motion in the motion scene, for each motion scene; and a detailed label determination module determining that the basic motion included in the motion scene corresponds to a certain detailed label, based on the detailed label determination table.
US08407016B2
There is provided herein methods and apparatus for apparatus for controlling the interconnection of an auxiliary AC generator with an electrical system, such as an electrical distribution system, e.g., a utility grid. A measuring circuit measures the frequency of an auxiliary AC generator and the phase angle between one voltage phase of the generator and the correspondent voltage phase of the electric utility's electricity supply lines, i.e., the grid, each of which are averaged and filtered. The measured frequency of the auxiliary AC generator is matched to the frequency of the electrical system and the measured phase angle of the generator is matched to the electric utility's electricity supply lines. Once matching is achieved to within a defined tolerance, interconnecting contactors are closed.
US08407013B2
Single copy sequences suitable for use as DNA probes can be defined by computational analysis of genomic sequences. The present invention provides an ab initio method for identification of single copy sequences for use as probes which obviates the need to compare genomic sequences with existing catalogs of repetitive sequences. By dividing a target reference sequence into a series of shorter contiguous sequence windows and comparing these sequences with the reference genome sequence, one can identify single copy sequences in a genome. Probes can then be designed and produced from these single copy intervals.
US08407005B2
The method and apparatus for determining the conductivity of anisotropic formations surrounding a borehole. The method comprises measuring the gradient of the magnetic field by an electromagnet logging tool in a borehole in the subsurface formation. The instrument comprises one or several closely positioned parallel receiver coils and one or several closely positioned parallel transmitter coils with the magnetic direction of the transmitter coils parallel or different from the magnetic moment direction of the receiver coils. In an embodiment, a gradient induction instrument consists of a tri-axial transmitter array and up to 27 pairs of receiver coils, measuring some or all magnetic gradient components.
US08407003B2
In one embodiment of the present invention, an end-user can input a correction to a map error, directly on the device. The device is then able to use the correction without external processing of the correction. Hence, it is no longer necessary for an end-user to simply report errors to the map vendor over a web link, then wait for that map vendor to verify the error, update its maps and finally supply the end-user with updates—a cycle that can take months and sometimes years to complete. Instead, the navigation device can use the correction immediately. End-users can also share corrections with other end-users and also with a shared remote server that aggregates, validates and distributes corrections.
US08406977B2
A driving support apparatus includes: a driving support controller for starting to execute a driving support control when a support start condition is met; a current position detector; and a driving direction determination unit for successively determining whether there is a possibility of a vehicle turning at an intersection in a direction, to which a blinker turns. The driving support controller sets an enforcement notification state when the driving direction determination unit determines the possibility after the driving support controller starts to execute the driving support control. The driving support control provides to notify information in the enforcement notification state even when the blinker turns off, and ends the enforcement notification state when the driving direction determination unit determines no possibility.
US08406974B2
The present disclosure relates to methods of detecting misalignment in a transmission synchronizer and methods of alignment. Detection of misalignment is accomplished via monitoring a performance characteristic of a power source configured to provide an engagement force to the synchronizer. Where misalignment is detected a predetermined torque is applied to the input or output side of the synchronizer to rotationally align synchronizer components.
US08406969B2
In order to suppress the clutch applying shocks at a garage shift time of a continuously variable transmission equipped with a hydraulic type forward-backward switching device, an ECU starts a timer of a predetermined time period, when the engine starts. If the garage shift occurs before a timer-up, the ECU starts a standby oil pressure control to feed the forward-backward switching device with a standby oil pressure lowered to such a level as to leave the forward-backward switching device unapplied. The ECU calculates a first fill hydraulic value in accordance with the time period from the engine start to the garage shift operation. After the time up, the ECU ends the standby oil pressure control, and executes a first fill control at the first fill hydraulic value calculated.
US08406964B2
A driver assistance system for an agricultural working machine, in particular a combine harvester has a large number of working mechanisms, an arithmetic logic unit, and at least one display unit, in which the arithmetic logic unit may process information generated by machine-internal sensor systems, external information, and information that is storable in the arithmetic logic unit, and in which the driver assistance system overcomes—with consideration for at least a selection of the available information—critical functions of the agricultural working machine in that efficiency parameters of the agricultural working machine are optimized via interactive, natural-language communication between the operator of the agricultural working machine and the driver assistance system.
US08406961B2
A reconfigurable vehicle user interface system is presented. A vehicle user interface has a touch sensitive input devices such as touchpads and a touch screen that have specific function commands mapped to them. A user can select which function commands are mapped to which portions of the touch screen. This allows a user to customize the steering wheel function commands.
US08406958B2
The present invention relates to a wheel alignment apparatus using a motor-driven power steering (MDPS) and a control method thereof. After a vehicle having the MDPS mounted therein is parked, a steering angle is detected and a wheel is aligned with the center by controlling an MDPS motor through a motor angular velocity and a motor current. Accordingly, the motor angular velocity of the MDPS motor which is actually driven to align the wheel with the center is controlled to improve the precision of motor control, regardless of external disturbance such as tire frictions or loads.
US08406957B2
A disclosure relates to a basis following position setting method and a lane-keeping control system, and more particularly, the disclosure relates to a method for setting a basis following position, which sets a basis following position that a vehicle follows in reflection of a driving inclination of a driver, and a system for lane-keeping control, which causes a vehicle to follow the basis following position set by the method for setting the basis following position and thus performs a lane-keeping control function in reflection of a driving inclination of a driver.
US08406953B2
In a control apparatus for an electric vehicle there are provided a first inverter that drives a motor; a second inverter that supplies electric power to a load; a power storage unit that supplies electric power to the first and second inverters; and a load control unit that can control a load amount, in accordance with a power storage amount in the power storage unit, or a condition amount thereof. The load control unit can perform control of an air blower, an air conditioner, and a ventilator, for example, stopping part or all of them.
US08406948B2
A powertrain for a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) such as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) includes an engine, a fuel tank, a battery, and a controller. The controller is configured to determine a distance to empty value as a sum of fuel in the fuel tank and a battery equivalent amount of fuel, the sum multiplied by an average fuel economy of the PHEV based on a driving condition of the vehicle.
US08406936B1
A system and methods for life optimal power management of a distributed or centralized battery network system for use in aircraft functions and subsystems are disclosed. The method determines power priority of the subsystems, and selectively distributes power from the battery network system to the subsystems based on the power priority. Concurrently with distributing power, the method manages the energy in the battery network system. To determine whether the battery power is sufficient for aircraft functions, the method also computes and indicates the actual available energy left in the battery network systems. With this approach, the system and methods can provide a persistent power supply in the event an unexpected battery failure occurs, thereby enabling the aircraft to safely maintain flight operability despite a battery failure.
US08406931B2
An apparatus for automated control of A/C service tools for use during A/C servicing tasks. The apparatus including hardware and software to run the automation programs, connectors to connect with the service tools to allow passage of vapors and liquids between the service tools and the A/C system, and power ports to plug the service tools into the apparatus so that it may control the power to the service tools. Further, the apparatus may include sensors and valves so that it might sense pressure within a system of connected service tools and the A/C system, and so that it might be able to control the flow of vapors and liquids between components of the system based on the automation programs and the readings from the sensors.
US08406930B2
An air conditioning system for cooling an enclosure includes an air conditioner and a control system for triggering an economizer cycle of the air conditioner. The control system determines an electrical load of equipment in the enclosure, calculates a maximum acceptable outdoor temperature at which the economizer cycle may be operated based at least partially on the electrical load, receives data representative of an actual outdoor temperature, and initiates the economizer cycle if the actual outdoor temperature is equal to or below the maximum acceptable outdoor temperature.
US08406928B2
Methods for controlling polyolefin reactor temperature. In one embodiment, a simulation model is constructed for improving control of polymerization temperature in a polyethylene loop slurry reactor. The model is used to design the reactor coolant system to capacity and to improve tuning of system controllers, such as the reactor temperature controller and coolant temperature controller. A coolant control valve is sized having a bilinear flow characteristic that improves Cv reproducibility at low coolant flow rates and thus improves reactor temperature control.
US08406921B2
A method according to the invention for operating a manipulator, in particular a robot (1), includes the following steps: determining (S10) parameters (c′, c″) of an exactly positioned manipulator model (M) with various nominal loads (m′, m″); specifying parameters (c) of the manipulator model on the basis of which the manipulator is operated, depending on a payload (m) of the manipulator (S20); and operating the manipulator on the basis of the manipulator model (S30, S40).
US08406920B2
This object aims to provide a work mounting system which has an improved usability and can be miniaturized. A work mounting system (1) is used to mount a sunroof member (3) on the inner panel (2A) of a body (2). The work mounting system (1) comprises a conveying robot (4) for holding and conveying the sunroof member (3), a mounting robot (5) with a nut runner for tightening bolts and a CCD camera, and a controller (6) for controlling the conveying robot (4) and the mounting robot (5). The controller (6) controls the conveying robot (4) so as to hold the sunroof member (3) and convey the member to the inner panel (2A) of the body (2), and controls the mounting robot (5) so as to photograph the bolt holes of the sunroof member (3) and the inner panel (2A) by the CCD camera, calculates the positions of the bolt holes and the inner panel (2A), corrects operation of the mounting robot (5) according to the calculated positions, and secures the sunroof member (3) to the inner panel (2A) at two positions by nut runners.
US08406918B2
A disk carrier for teaching disk positioning in a substrate changing system. The disk carrier composed of a panel having a disk opening configured to receive a disk and a plurality of beam sensors disposed around the disk opening to project beams parallel to a surface of the disk when secured within the disk opening. The plurality of beam sensors may be composed of at least one beam sensor on each of a front side and rear side of the panel.
US08406913B2
A controller for machine tool 1 has a program analyzing section 12 for analyzing a machining program and extracting a fixed cycle command, a parameter setting section 15 for, on the basis of the extracted fixed command, determining an accuracy level being graded into a plurality of grades depending on how high machining accuracy is prioritized as compared with machining time in machining and setting parameters corresponding to the determined accuracy level and relating to control of the operation of a feed mechanism 30, and a drive control section 17 for controlling the feed mechanism 30 on the basis of the extracted fixed cycle command and the set parameters. The parameter setting section 15 calculates an arc-shaped movement trajectory of a tool moving around a virtual corner portion where two straight lines intersect with each other which corresponds to the parameters, and determines the accuracy level based thereon.
US08406897B2
An implantable lead includes a lead body having a plurality of electrodes disposed on a distal end, a plurality of terminals disposed on a proximal end, and a plurality of conductors, each conductor electrically coupling at least one of the electrodes to at least one of the terminals. At least one of the conductors includes at least one unit having a multi-layer region of overlapping conductor segments. The unit including a first conductor segment extending from a beginning point to a first position, a second conductor segment extending from the first position to a second position, and a third conductor segment extending from the second position to an endpoint. The first position is between the second position and the endpoint. The second position is between the beginning point and the first position. An interlayer material is disposed between the overlapping conductor segments of the at least one multi-layer region.
US08406893B2
A therapy or monitoring system may implement one or more techniques to mitigate interference between operation of a charging device that charges a first implantable medical device (IMD) implanted in a patient and a second IMD implanted in the patient. In some examples, the techniques may include modifying an operating parameter of the charging device in response to receiving an indication that a second IMD is implanted in the patient. The techniques also may include modifying an operating parameter of the second IMD in response to detecting the presence or operation of the charging device.
US08406878B2
A method for treating patients after a myocardial infarction which includes pacing therapy is disclosed. A cardiac rhythm management device is configured to deliver pre-excitation pacing to one or more sites in proximity to an infarcted region of the ventricular myocardium. Such pacing acts to minimize the remodeling process to which the heart is especially vulnerable immediately after a myocardial infarction.
US08406867B2
Balloon sizing of valve annulus for percutaneous valves. In at least one embodiment of a device to size a valve annulus of the present disclosure, the device comprises an elongated body extending from a proximal end to a distal end and having a lumen therethrough, a balloon positioned along the elongated body at or near the distal end, a detector and a pressure transducer positioned along the elongated body within the balloon, and a suction/infusion port defined within the elongated body within the balloon.
US08406864B2
A method of assessing contractility of a cardiac muscle which has at least one activation parameter, the method comprising: (a) utilizing time correlated data pertaining to at least one activation parameter to produce a profile of said parameter; (b) identifying from measurement of said at least one parameter a time interval during which interference from an artificial signal occurs; (c) ameliorating effects of said interference; and (d) analyzing changes in said profile to generate an indication of contractility, as a function of time to generate a cardiac activation profile.
US08406862B2
An acute ischemia monitor is disclosed. The monitor, which includes an analog to digital convertor and a processor that performs beat detection, monitors the time course of a heart signal parameter, namely ST segment deviation, computed from an electrocardiogram. The device stores ST deviation statistics for multiple leads. For each lead, upper and lower ST deviation boundaries are computed. For each lead, current ST deviation values are compared with the statistical values to determine a metric indicative of the degree of abnormality of a current ST deviation value. The metric is equal to the difference between the current ST deviation value and the upper or lower boundary, normalized according to the dispersion of the ST deviation. Metrics from different leads are summed and compared to a threshold to determine whether the combined metric is indicative of a cardiac event.
US08406859B2
A hyperspectral imaging system having an optical path. The system including an illumination source adapted to output a light beam, the light beam illuminating a target, a dispersing element arranged in the optical path and adapted to separate the light beam into a plurality of wavelengths, a digital micromirror array adapted to tune the plurality of wavelengths into a spectrum, an optical device having a detector and adapted to collect the spectrum reflected from the target and arranged in the optical path and a processor operatively connected to and adapted to control at least one of: the illumination source; the dispersing element; the digital micromirror array; the optical device; and, the detector, the processor further adapted to output a hyperspectral image of the target. The dispersing element is arranged between the illumination source and the digital micromirror array, the digital micromirror array is arranged to transmit the spectrum to the target and the optical device is arranged in the optical path after the target.
US08406852B2
A system for MR imaging of a body placed in an examination volume including main coils for establishing a substantially homogeneous main magnetic field in the examination volume, gradient coils for generating switched magnetic field gradients superimposed upon the main magnetic field, RF coils for radiating RF signals towards the body, a controller for controlling the generation of the magnetic field gradients and the RF signals, a processor for forming MR images from received MR signal samples, and an object having an RF antenna for receiving RF signals generated by the RF coils which are configured to generate circularly polarized RF signals having a selectable sense of rotation.
US08406849B2
Methods and apparatus for operating an MRI system is provided. The disclosure provides a diffusion-prepared driven-equilibrium preparation for an imaging volume and acquiring 3-dimensional k-space data from said prepared volume by a plurality of echoplanar readouts of stimulated echoes. An excitation radio-frequency signal and first and second inversion RF signals are provided to define a field-of-view (FOV).
US08406845B2
Image tracking systems, and corresponding methods, are described. In some embodiments, conventional imaging components are placed on a platform having wheels, thereby providing a mechanism for imaging a moving subject. In other embodiments, conventional imaging components are situated on non-parallel rails, and moved along those rails, thereby providing a mechanism for imaging an anatomical region of a subject as that region moves in two dimensions. For yet other embodiments, image recognition and tracking approaches are provided to track the movement of a non-stationary anatomical region. The tracking of the non-stationary anatomical region permits imaging of a moving anatomy. For some embodiments, the anatomy moves within its normal range of motion.
US08406837B2
A functionalized tip is incorporated into catheters for the cytometric delivery of cells into the brain and other body parts. For use in the brain, the tip forms part of a neurosurgical probe having a proximal end and a distal end. In addition to the functionalized tip, the probe has at least one cell slurry delivery lumen and a plurality of optical fibers configured along the probe, terminating in the tip to provide the photo-optical capability needed to monitor the viability and physiological behavior of the grafted cells as well as certain characteristics of the cellular environment. Details are also presented of the use of a neurocatheter having a cytometric tip of the type disclosed in the invention, as employed within the context of a feedback and control system for regulating the number of cells delivered to the brain of a patient.
US08406827B2
A housing for an electronic device is provided. The housing includes a substrate made of a light-transmittable ceramic. The substrate has an outer surface and an opposite inner surface defining at least one recess configured with patterns or symbols. An opaque layer is formed on the inner surface to prevent light penetrating through the substrate except through the at least one recess.
US08406813B2
A system and a method for restricting wireless communication are provided. A wireless communications device stores a list of geographic characteristics such as, for example, area codes representing either area codes to which calls are only allowed or area codes to which calls are not allowed. If the stored area codes are area codes to which calls are only allowed, then the wireless communications device only allows calls to one of the stored area codes. If the stored area codes are area codes to which calls are not allowed, then the wireless communications device does not allow calls to any of the stored area codes.
US08406812B2
The invention provides an antenna array suitable for use in a base station in a wireless communications network, the antenna array having a first beamforming arrangement for producing uplink beams and a second beamforming arrangement for producing downlink beams, wherein the first and second beamforming arrangements are different from one another. Preferably the first and second beamforming arrangements feed a common antenna array to produce the uplink and downlink beams. Particularly preferably a plurality of (sin x/x) beams are formed for the uplink, and a plurality of low cusp beams are formed for the downlink. These are advantageously dual polar, in order to achieve diversity gain. In a preferred embodiment, the antenna array is arranged such that three dual polar low cusp beams are formed for the downlink, and six dual polar (sin x/x) beams are formed for the uplink. A cellular communications network and a base station transceiver having such antenna arrays are also provided, as are a radio signal transmitted as a plurality of (sin x/x) beams forming an uplink of a cellular communications network, and a method of operating a wireless communications network.
US08406804B2
To provide a method of selecting an optimal base station for each application when accumulating communication quality in response to an application type for a base station and a communication terminal switches base stations. A communication quality database 31 is prepared by assigning a current location of a communication terminal device, a currently running application program and a communication quality when executing an application program. When making a new connection with a base station, the current application and location is used to select a base station having an optimal communication quality from the communication quality database 31. This mechanism may be provided in the communication terminal device or may be provided as a communication system including a server device.
US08406803B2
Provided is a multi-cell communication system using a rate-splitting scheme and a transmission frame for the multi-cell communication system. The multi-cell communication system may determine whether to perform a rate-splitting based on channel information of a macro base station and a femto base station in a multi-cell environment. The multi-cell communication system may allocate a power or a bandwidth to a message to be transmitted based on the channel information. In the multi-cell environment, a terminal may receive MAP information from a base station and may decode the received MAP information, determining a base station that performs the rate-splitting.
US08406801B1
Systems and methods for selectively replaying voice data. Voice data received in a communication session is both buffered by the device and played by the device. When input is received from a recipient, the voice data currently being received is no longer played and buffered voice data is replayed to the recipient. While the buffered voice data is replayed, the device continues to buffer any voice data received by the device to ensure that the recipient can listen to all of the voice data in the communication session. By only storing voice data in the buffer, replaying the buffered voice data can catch the real-time voice data. At this point, the device reverts to playing voice data being received while continuing to buffer the voice data.
US08406797B2
A system and method for transmitting alert tone information among communicating wireless devices to identify a speaker in a push-to-talk system. A predefined set of alert tones is stored in a wireless device, and when a user presses a push-to-talk button on the wireless device, the wireless device displays a list of predefined alert tones to the user to select. After the user selects an alert tone, the wireless device transmits an alert tone code associated with the selected alert tone to a server for relaying to every wireless device in a push-to-talk communication group. When a receiving wireless device receives the alert tone code, it retrieves an alert tone corresponding to the alert tone code from the predefined set and plays the alert tone to the user of the wireless device.
US08406796B2
A method for using a mobile user terminal includes a receiving a signal and a measuring downlink channel quality based on the signal; wherein downlink channel quality information and an uplink pilot signal simultaneously is not transmitted at a period which the mobile user terminal is a state of transmission off in an intermittent fashion.
US08406791B1
A system is disclosed for receiving, categorically storing, and supplying different types of location-specific audio information to either fixed or mobile users. The audio information is categorically stored by geographical location. As users travel through different environments (i.e., cities, freeway systems, airports) they can access audio information that is specific to their geographical location. Users may also annotate locations with real-time audio information. This audio information is accessible to mobile users using cellular phones, or other transceivers, and by fixed users using phones or computers.
US08406783B2
An apparatus, method and system for geographical tracking entry and/or exiting of an asset into and/or out of a defined geographical boundary and reporting the same. Entry and exit tests compare position fixes with various thresholds and parameters to determine if the asset has entered or exited the geographical boundary. Tests are sequenced such that tests having lower levels of complexity (lower order) are performed before tests having higher levels of complexity (higher order). In this way, most position fixes are processed using computations having a lower order of mathematical complexity than conventionally implemented.
US08406779B2
The prevent invention discloses a method for processing resources in a process of connection mobility management. The method includes: a Radio Bearer Control (RBC) module receiving resource configuration related messages sent by a Connection Mobility Management (CMM) module and a network side, and configuring resources included in the resource configuration related messages. The prevent invention further provides a system for processing resources in a process of connection mobility management. Based on the method and system, processing procedures of the resources in the process of connection mobility management are simplified and the processing efficiency is improved.
US08406778B2
Systems and methods are presented for the dynamic aggregation of communications network bandwidth. Communication devices are bonded in a community in which the communication resources of a bonded device can be used to transfer data on behalf of another bonded device. In an exemplary embodiment, communication devices are bonded wirelessly to share wireless wide area network communication channels. Bandwidth aggregation is performed dynamically based on user communication requirements and the current states of the bonded communication devices. Methods are presented by which communication devices can be automatically bonded when a predetermined bonding condition is satisfied. The methods and systems of the invention optimize utilization of communication resources in a cost-effective manner that provides a user high quality service as well as location mobility.
US08406777B2
Systems and methods are described for segregating airlink resources in a wireless communication network by traffic type. When voice data and traffic data are sent simultaneously in a wireless network using a limited set of frequency resources, the data traffic can cause unacceptable interference in the voice traffic. Accordingly, transceivers share their voice traffic and data traffic demands and may allocate portions of an airlink resource into resource zones for exclusive use by voice traffic and data traffic. Within each resource zone, the transmission can be optimally managed for each traffic type, and interference between voice traffic and data traffic is reduced.
US08406772B2
A computer readable medium has machine readable instructions that can include a fingerprint detector to evaluate input data relative to mobility fingerprint data that defines at least one predetermined zone that is a proper subset of overlap in coverage areas between first and second radio technologies to determine whether to trigger a handover between the first and second radio technologies for a mobile unit based on an evaluation of the mobility fingerprint data relative to the input data.
US08406767B2
A mobile communications system comprising, a network with a source network node and a target network node that supports a handover procedure, and a mobile terminal that is allowed to access the source network node and access the target network node according to the handover procedure, whereby information related to a reception status of user data is delivered between at least two among a group comprising the mobile terminal, the source network node, and the target network node. The target network node may receive status information from the source network node. In addition, the target network node may receive a status report from the mobile terminal.
US08406766B2
A neighbor cell list optimizing system according to the present invention is a neighbor cell list optimizing system that updates a neighbor cell list that is provided in a base station that manages a cell to which a mobile terminal establishes a connection and to which specific neighbor cells that are candidates of a handover destination cell for said mobile terminal of neighbor cells that are in the vicinity of said cell are registered, comprising: priority computation section that computes priorities of said neighbor cells to be registered to said neighbor cell list based on measurement information that represents radio communication qualities of neighbor cells in which the measured radio communication qualities exceed a threshold; and neighbor cell list updating section that registers neighbor cells in descending order of the priorities up to an upper limit of radio cells that can be registered to said neighbor cell list.
US08406765B2
The invention relates to a method for efficiently providing a bidirectional multicast service (e.g. IMS) to a user equipment (105), located in a radio cell, controlled by a control entity (104). For the downlink data of the bidirectional service a downlink multicast service (e.g. MBMS) is utilized. In case the control entity (e.g. RNC) decides for a point-to-point radio link to the UE, the bidirectional service is notified and system resources, established for the bidirectional service are utilized for providing the bidirectional service downlink data. This includes radio resources in the radio access network and may include connections in the core network. Optionally, the downlink multicast service may be de-activated for the specific mobile terminal, but the system resources already established may be maintained. The invention further relates to a network entity in the CN or in the RAN for configuring system resources and for forwarding the multicast service data to the UE.
US08406764B1
Handover is performed from a first radio network controller to a second radio network controller, where the first and second radio network controllers are associated with corresponding first and second control nodes. An access gateway node receives at least one command that is transmitted by one of the first and second control nodes associated with the respective first and second radio network controllers, where the access gateway node contains data functions of the first and second control nodes. In response to the at least one command, the access gateway node bicasts traffic data from the data functions for receipt by the first and second radio network controllers.
US08406751B2
A mobile station for wireless communication includes a control processor configured to generate a message for transmission on a reverse channel, the message including a first protocol revision field and a second protocol revision field. The first protocol revision field is for indicating a message format supported by the mobile station and the second protocol revision field is for indicating a set of mandatory features supported by the mobile station, the set of mandatory features defined by a standards revision.
US08406743B2
Voicemail systems (24, 26, 28) can include at least one memory and at least one processor. A memory can store data relating to one or more users. An incoming communication can be handled by the voicemail system (24, 26, 28), forwarded to another voicemail system (24, 26, 28), provided with functionality based upon a user's preferences, and the like. The voicemail systems (24, 26, 28) can include functionality to allow a user to consolidate voicemail messages and/or calls at one or more designated destinations, for example, a voicemail system (24, 26, 28) and/or a mobile device (18).
US08406740B2
A computerized system of recording communications between a first party and a second party automatically notifies the second party to the recording of the communication. A request is received at a first telecommunications device, utilized by the first party, to initiate the communications between the parties, either by receiving or placing a call or text message. A unique identifier identifying a second communications device, utilized by the second party, is received by the first telecommunications device. A warning message is then automatically sent to the second communications device that the communications are being recorded. The communications between the devices is then recorded.
US08406724B2
Frequency translation and applications of same are described herein. Such applications include, but are not limited to, frequency down-conversion, frequency up-conversion, enhanced signal reception, unified down-conversion and filtering, and combinations and applications of same.
US08406721B2
Certain aspects of a method and system for reusing antennas in a multi-antenna system are disclosed. Aspects of one method may include suppressing a blocking signal received via at least one of a plurality of receiving antennas that is unused within a wideband diversity radio frequency (RF) receiver comprising a plurality of receiving antennas, when the wideband diversity RF receiver is operating in a narrowband receiving mode. The phase of the combined blocking signal and received data signal at the unused antenna may be adjusted to suppress the blocking signal.
US08406716B2
A communication device includes an RF transceiver for communicating first data with at least one of a plurality of remote communication devices via a first protocol and a first frequency band. A millimeter wave transceiver communicates second data with at least one of the plurality of remote communication devices via a second protocol and a second frequency band. A communication control module coordinates the communication of the first data and the second data with the at least one of the plurality of remote communication devices and for establishing a mesh network between the communication device and the plurality of remote communication devices.
US08406711B2
Methods and systems for vector combining power amplification are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a plurality of signals are individually amplified, then summed to form a desired time-varying complex envelope signal. Phase and/or frequency characteristics of one or more of the signals are controlled to provide the desired phase, frequency, and/or amplitude characteristics of the desired time-varying complex envelope signal. In another embodiment, a time-varying complex envelope signal is decomposed into a plurality of constant envelope constituent signals. The constituent signals are amplified equally or substantially equally, and then summed to construct an amplified version of the original time-varying envelope signal. Embodiments also perform frequency up-conversion.
US08406710B1
Method and apparatus of minimizing extrinsic parasitic resistance in 60 GHz power amplifier circuits
Very high frequency circuits suffer from parasitic resistances. At 60 GHz, conventional layout techniques can introduce loss into the circuit at critical locations. One critical interconnect between the output of a pre-driver and the gate of the final output stage causes 1 or 2 dB of loss due to the layout. By minimizing the number of via contacts, this conventional loss can be recovered using this new layout technique. In addition, a tap point of a via stack is used to modify the resonant characteristics of the interconnect. Finally, cross coupled devices in a resonant circuit are used to reduce the common mode noise at the expense of the common mode gain.
US08406707B2
Various embodiments of systems and methods for generating local oscillator (LO) signals for a harmonic rejection mixer are provided. One embodiment is a system for generating local oscillator (LO) signals for a harmonic rejection mixer. One such system comprises a local oscillator, a divide-by-N frequency divider, a divide-by-three frequency divider, and a harmonic rejection mixer. The local oscillator is configured to provide a reference frequency signal. The divide-by-N frequency divider is configured to divide the reference frequency signal by a value N and provide an output signal. The divide-by-three frequency divider is configured to receive the output signal of the divide-by-N frequency divider and divide the output signal into three phase-offset signals. The harmonic rejection mixer is configured to receive the three phase-offset signals and eliminate third frequency harmonics.
US08406694B2
A computing device configured to select a channel that is open in a local environment of the computing device and to attempt to communicate with another computing device on the selected available channel is described herein. The computing device selects the available channel based on selection probabilities for a plurality of available channels, the selection probabilities defined by an exponentially decaying distribution curve.
US08406689B2
A headset includes a substantially U-shaped frame, two speakers mounted at two ends of the substantially U-shaped frame, an infrared emitter, and an infrared receiver facing the infrared emitter. The infrared emitter is configured for emitting infrared light towards the infrared receiver. The infrared receiver is configured for receiving the infrared light from the infrared emitter and for generating a pause signal after the infrared light is continuously received by the infrared emitter for a first predetermined time. The headset is configured to stop working according to the pause signal.
US08406683B2
A system and method of initiating a vehicle data upload function at a plurality of mobile vehicles. A satellite radio system broadcast channel is monitored for a call center initiated vehicle data upload command signal at the plurality of mobile vehicles. A determination is made, at the plurality of mobile vehicles, whether the vehicle data upload command signal corresponds to a mobile vehicle. The vehicle data upload command signal is extracted from the broadcast channel based on the determination. A vehicle data upload function is performed based on the extracted vehicle data upload command signal. The method further comprises determining the plurality of mobile vehicles at a call center based on a service criterion. A computer usable medium is with suitable computer program code is employed for of initiating a vehicle data upload function at a plurality of mobile vehicles.
US08406679B2
An image forming unit includes a developer collecting portion for collecting a developer, a developer conveying portion having a receiving portion and an exit portion. The image forming unit further includes a developer conveying unit that conveys the developer from the receiving portion to the exit portion. The developer conveying portion has a guide portion for guiding the developer conveying unit. One of the guide portion and the developer conveying portion has a contact portion that causes the guide portion and the developer conveying portion to partially contact each other in such a manner that a gap is partially formed therebetween.
US08406675B2
An apparatus (100) and method (200) that lubricates a cleaning blade in a xerographic printer is disclosed. The apparatus can include a charge receptor (110), movable in a process direction P, where the charge receptor can have a main surface (111). The apparatus can include a cleaning station (123) configured to clean the main surface of the charge receptor, where the cleaning station can include a cleaning blade (124) coupled to the main surface of the charge receptor. The apparatus can include a cleaning blade lubrication module (118) configured to place a lubrication stripe (160) on a portion of the main surface of the charge receptor at a selected time. The apparatus can include a controller (150) coupled to the cleaning blade lubrication module and coupled to the charge receptor. The controller can be configured to substantially park the cleaning blade in the lubrication stripe when the charge receptor is stopped.
US08406670B2
A toner fixing apparatus characterized by provision of a provisional fixing portion provided with a provisional fixing component having an infrared heater irradiating infrared radiation onto a printed surface of the web and a main fixing portion provided downstream in the web flow in the provisional fixing portion and nipping the web with heat rollers performing a main fixing operation or having a plurality of main fixing units. According to this invention, a toner fixing apparatus and an electrophotographic printing device including the toner fixing apparatus are provided which display excellent fixing properties during multicolor image formation, excellent heating efficiency and excellent economy with respect to installation space.
US08406669B2
According to an aspect of the invention, a fixing device includes a first laser unit and a second laser unit. The first laser unit outputs a first laser beam to irradiate a visible image formed of image forming material on a recording medium with the first laser beam. The second laser unit outputs a second laser beam to irradiate the visible image with the second laser beam after being irradiated with the first laser beam. The first laser beam and the second laser beam is configured to satisfy relations: W1
US08406660B2
The disclosed image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image holding body configured to hold an electrostatic latent image on a surface of the image holding body, a developing device including a forward rotation developing roller rotatable in a same rotational direction as that of the rotatable image holding body and a reverse rotation developing roller rotatable in a reverse rotational direction to that of the rotatable image holding body, which supply a two-component developer to the surface of the image holding body to form a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image, and a control unit configured to control rotation of the image holding body, the forward rotation developing roller, and the reverse rotation developing roller to supply the two-component developer. The control unit controls the rotation of the image holding body to start after a predetermined time period from starting the rotation of the forward rotation developing roller and the reverse rotation developing roller.
US08406659B2
In an apparatus including a fixing device configured to be rotated by receiving a driving force from a main body of the apparatus and a drawer configured to draw out of the main body while holding the fixing device, a storage position of the drawer is adjusted to adjust an alignment between a transfer unit and a fixing nip. With the alignment so adjusted, meshing of gears that transmit force to rotate a fixing roller from a driving source of the main body of the apparatus may deteriorate, thus causing a rotational unevenness of the fixing roller. Therefore, an alignment unit configured to adjust an alignment is provided between a fixing support member configured to support a fixing unit and a fixing driving unit driving the fixing unit and a transfer support member configured to support a support member supporting the fixing support member.
US08406656B2
An electrophotographic photosensitive drum unit includes (a) a cylinder having a photosensitive layer at an outer periphery thereof, and (b) a drum flange provided at one end of the cylinder. The drum flange includes (i) a plurality of projections provided inside the drum flange and projected radially inwardly of the drum flange with a space between projections diametrically around the drum flange, and (ii) a recess provided at a position radially outside of an innermost portion of the projections.
US08406648B2
A heating device for heating a rotary heated member includes a heater and a temperature detector. The heater faces the rotary heated member to heat the rotary heated member. The temperature detector faces the rotary heated member via the heater to detect a temperature of the rotary heated member. The heater includes a housing provided between the temperature detector and the rotary heated member, a through-hole provided in the housing via which the temperature detector faces the rotary heated member, and a channel provided in the housing at a position downstream from the through-hole in a direction of rotation of the rotary heated member through which an air current generated in a gap between the heater and the rotary heated member moves. The channel has a hollow cross-sectional area greater than a hollow cross-sectional area of the through-hole.
US08406632B2
An objective of one embodiment of the present invention is to perform infrared communications without error by reducing abrupt noise included in a data signal when a light source of a display device is driven by PWM drive. When a control portion is provided with a drive setting signal for determining whether to drive lamps of a liquid crystal television by pulse width modulation drive or by continuous drive, the control portion sets a threshold in a register for a frequency filter portion based on the provided drive setting signal. Furthermore, upon reception of infrared light from the lamps, the threshold being set is reviewed based on an occurrence frequency for abrupt noise provided by a waveform analysis portion. Thereafter, abrupt noise included in a data signal transmitted from a cell phone is reduced by the frequency filter portion, and then the data signal is transmitted to the liquid crystal television.
US08406630B2
An optical transceiver unit for an optical WDM transmitting and receiving device is taught, with a transmitting unit to which a data signal can be fed to a specified channel input port of a multiplexer unit, wherein a separate channel wavelength is allocated to each channel input port, and the transmitting unit can be tuned with respect to optical carrier wavelength across a specified range of wavelengths. The transmitting unit is constructed so that, within the specified range of wavelengths, discrete wavelengths can be set that correspond to the channel wavelengths. In tuning mode, the controller unit can drive the transmitting unit so that the possible channel wavelengths are scanned through. The controller unit evaluates the reception signal fed to it from the receiving unit for whether abort criteria for tuning mode have been fulfilled or not, wherein the scanning process is continued until the abort criteria are fulfilled.
US08406627B2
Using the conventional OMCI-model for handling stacking of additional ONUs to a main ONU (Optical Network Unit) connected to an OLT (Optical Line Terminal) in a PON (Passive Optical Network), when the main ONU is not provided with any chassis with physical slots for insertion of the additional units. Instead, the main ONU is initialized to be provided with a virtual chassis that includes a number of temporary virtual cardholders for assigning to an unknown connected stacked ONU, and a number of non-temporary virtual cardholders for assigning to a known stacked connected ONU. From a management perspective, the virtual cardholder corresponds to a physical cardholder/slot according to the conventional OMCI-model.
US08406623B2
A system for optical data communication, including: a first sending node including a first data item for transmission to a first receiving node during a first timeslot; a second sending node including a second data item for transmission during a second timeslot; a first optical data link (ODL) and a second ODL; a first output switch configured to switch the first data item from the first sending node onto the first ODL during the first timeslot; a second output switch configured to switch the second data item from the second sending node onto the first ODL during the second timeslot; an optical coupler connecting the first and second ODL; and a first input switch operatively connecting the first receiving node with the second ODL and configured to switch the first data item from the second ODL to the first receiving node during the first timeslot.
US08406621B2
A method is provided for measuring a factor, called herein the single-port rejection ratio (SPRR), characterizing a balanced detection device. The SPRR is representative of the ratio of the weak differential output current measured under illumination of a single-port of the balanced detection device to the strong measurable differential output current obtained under dual-port illumination. An apparatus for measuring the SPRR is also provided.
US08406615B2
A content reproduction device changing, according to a reproduction state of a stream media content, multimedia content to be presented after the reproduction of the stream media content has ended. The content reproduction device (100) including: a multimedia browser (102) displaying the multimedia content; a stream media reproducing unit (103) reproducing the stream media content; a reproduction state change instructing unit (104) receiving a user's instruction such as “fast-forward” during the reproduction of the stream media content, and notifying the stream media reproducing unit (103) of the instruction; a reproduction history storing unit (105) storing a reproduction history such as “fast-forward” carried out by the stream media reproducing unit (103); and a return position determining unit (106) determining a URL of a return position based on the reproduction history information stored in the reproduction history storing unit (105) and transition condition information.
US08406607B2
A main stream contains successive content elements of video and/or audio information that encode video and/or audio information at a first data rate. A computation circuit (144) computes main fingerprints from the successive content elements. A reference stream is received having a second data rate lower than the first data rate. The reference stream defines a sequence of the reference fingerprints. A comparator unit (144) compares the main fingerprints with the reference fingerprints. The main stream is monitored for the presence of inserted content elements between original content elements, where the original content elements have main fingerprints that match successive reference fingerprints and the inserted content elements have main fingerprints that do not match reference fingerprints. Rendering of inserted content elements to be skipped. In an embodiment when more than one content element matches only one is rendered. In another embodiment matching is used to control zapping to or from the main stream. In another embodiment matching is used to control linking of separately received mark-up information such as subtitles to points in the main stream.
US08406602B2
In one embodiment the data structure includes at least one stream file for the graphic information, and at least one playlist file including at least one subplayitem. The subplayitem includes navigation information for reproducing the stream file.
US08406600B2
A imaging apparatus includes a storage unit that stores registration information in which information relevant to a feature of an object, of a subject, to be recognized, personal information relevant to attribute of the subject, and non-personal information which is different from the personal information are related with each other and registered. A video generator captures a subject image to generate video data, and a detector detects an object having the same feature as that registered in the registration information. An embedding unit embeds non-personal information relating to the object to be recognized into the video data to be generated, and a management file generator generates a management file. The management file includes the non-personal information to be embedded into the video data and the personal information related to the non-personal information to be embedded into the registration information.
US08406595B2
The present invention relates to a multi-core fiber having a structure for effectively suppressing crosstalk increase between cores caused by bending within an allowable range. The multi-core fiber comprises a plurality of types of cores respectively extending along an optical axis and a cladding region, and the effective refractive index of each core is set so that, in all pairs of cores of different types, a relative refractive index difference between an effective refractive index of a core of a certain type and an effective refractive index of a core of another type satisfies a condition regulated according to a core spacing between cores and a bending radius.
US08406593B2
The present invention embraces an optical fiber that includes a central core having an alpha-index profile with respect to an outer cladding. The optical fiber also includes an inner cladding, a depressed trench, and an outer cladding. Typically, the alpha-index profile of the central core is interrupted at a point having a positive refractive index difference with respect to the outer cladding. The optical fiber achieves reduced bending losses and a high bandwidth with a reduced cladding effect for high-data-rate applications.
US08406587B2
Fiber adapter modules for use as interfaces at both ends of multi-fiber trunk cables position the channels of plural fiber optic transceivers onto fibers of the trunk cables in an efficient manner, such that normally dark fibers of a trunk cables are utilized. The fiber adapter modules include trunk-side ports for receiving adapters of multi-fiber trunk cables and transceiver-side ports for receiving adapters carrying both transmit channels and receive channels of fiber optic transceivers. Optical interconnections are provided within the fiber adapter modules to place at least one transmit channel or at least one receive channel of a first fiber optic transceiver at a first trunk-side port and to place at least one transmit channel or at least one receive channel of a second fiber optic transceiver at the first trunk-side port.
US08406584B2
A fiber optic device outputs, at high conversion efficiency, an idler lightwave having a wavelength λ2 different from the wavelength of a signal lightwave by converting the signal lightwave having an optional wavelength λ1 in a wide wavelength band. The fiber optic device comprises a wavelength tunable pump light source for outputting a pump lightwave having a wavelength of 2×(λ1−1+λ2−1)−1; a optical coupler for coupling and outputting the pump lightwave and the signal lightwave; and an optical fiber having a length of 450 m or less, the zero-dispersion wavelength thereof being in the wide wavelength band, the dispersion slope thereof at the zero-dispersion wavelength being +0.01 ps/nm2/km or more and +0.045 ps/nm2/km or less, wherein the optical fiber allows propagation of the signal lightwave and the pump lightwave output from the optical coupler, and generates an idler lightwave by means of the nonlinear optical phenomenon that occurs during such propagation.
US08406583B2
The present invention provides a fiber optic jack for routing optical signals. In another aspect, the present invention provides a fiber optic connector with accurate alignment that may be used with, among other things, the fiber optic jack.
US08406574B2
An image processor comprising a control unit, wherein the control unit includes an obtaining unit that obtains image data generated as a result of reading a document by a reader in which a predetermined document reading condition is set; a selecting unit that allows a user to select an use of the image data obtained by the obtaining unit out of a plurality of the uses set in advance; a processing unit that processes the image data obtained by the obtaining unit according to an image processing condition suitable for the use selected by the selecting unit; and a transferring unit that transfers the image data after being processed by the processing unit to an application suitable for the use selected by the selecting unit.
US08406572B2
Disclosed herein is an image processing apparatus, including an expansion section configured to expand an input image by interpolation using peripheral pixel values; a positioning section configured to carry out positioning of an expanded image obtained by expansion of the input image and an output image obtained in an immediately preceding operation cycle; a separation section configured to separate the output image into low frequency components and high frequency components; and a mixture-addition section configured to mix the low frequency components with the expanded image and add the high frequency components to the image obtained by the mixture to produce a new output image.
US08406569B2
Aspects of the present invention relate to systems and methods for video coding and decoding. Some aspects relate to coding and decoding of enhanced dynamic range video sequences based on a series of low-dynamic-range (LDR) frames, captured at a first exposure configuration, that are multi-plexed with a series of enhancement frames that are captured at a second exposure configuration.
US08406565B1
Systems, methods, and apparatus, including software tangibly stored on a computer readable medium, involve image processing. An image processing graph includes multiple nodes that each correspond to an image processing operation. Input image data relating to a particular input image is received. Region of interest data defining an output image region to be generated based on the input image data is received. A domain of defined node output data is identified for each of the nodes using the input image data, and the graph is traversed in a first traversal order. An identification of the first traversal order is stored. A region of requested node output data is identified for each of the nodes using the region of interest data, and the graph is traversed in a second traversal order. The second traversal order is based at least in part on the stored identification of the first traversal order.
US08406556B2
A “Scene Re-Lighter” provides various techniques for using an automatically reconstructed light transport matrix derived from a sparse sampling of images to provide various combinations of complex light transport effects in images, including caustics, complex occlusions, inter-reflections, subsurface scattering, etc. More specifically, the Scene Re-Lighter reconstructs the light transport matrix from a relatively small number of acquired images using a “Kernel Nyström” based technique adapted for low rank matrices constructed from sparsely sampled images. A “light transport kernel” is incorporated into the Nyström method to exploit nonlinear coherence in the light transport matrix. Further, an adaptive process is used to efficiently capture the sparsely sampled images from a scene. The Scene Re-Lighter is capable of achieving good reconstruction of the light transport matrix with only few hundred images to produce high quality relighting results. Further, the Scene Re-Lighter is also effective for modeling scenes with complex lighting effects and occlusions.
US08406550B2
A method for filtering noise in an image filters noise pixels in a discrepant block between a current image and a background image firstly, and further filter each small block whose area is less than a preset value from the discrepant block. The method further calculates a total area of each big block whose area is greater than or equal to the preset value from the discrepant block, and adds the current image to a background list of the current image if the total area is less than another preset value.
US08406546B2
Adaptive entropy encoding and decoding utilizing set partitioning within generalized hierarchical trees which is applicable to both embedded and non-embedded encoding. After decorrelation and quantization during encoding, a tree structure is selected from multiple candidates, based on geometric relationships within the image block, for coding the coefficients toward improving coefficient zero clustering. The tree structure has leaf and non-leaf nodes in a specified arrangement, with leaf nodes containing coefficients associated with each non-leaf node. By proper tree selection, the number of zero clustered coefficients which may be eliminated from the encoded output stream is increased. During decoding, a tree structure compatible with the encoding for the current block is used for decoding the existing coefficients from the symbol stream and restoring missing zero coefficients.
US08406542B2
An image decoding apparatus includes an information acquisition section that acquires information of a bit-plane truncation position in an encoded stream from the encoded stream generated by performing bit-plane encoding on a transform coefficient, a decoding process section that performs a decoding process on the encoded stream and generates a transform coefficient, and a significant coefficient detection section that detects whether the transform coefficient generated in the decoding process section is significant. The image decoding apparatus includes a correction value acquisition section that acquires a correction value corresponding to the bit-plane truncation position in the transform coefficient detected to be significant, from a correction value table, and a coefficient correction processing section that performs coefficient correction processing on the transform coefficient using the correction value acquired in the correction value acquisition section only for the transform coefficient detected to be significant in the significant coefficient detection section.
US08406541B2
An image processing device includes: a first expansion unit which expands a part of first compression image data in a first predetermined area compressed as unit of compression to produce first expansion part data; a second expansion unit which expands a part of second compression image data in a second predetermined area compressed as unit of compression to produce second expansion part data; a cutting unit which cuts data in a predetermined range from the first expansion part data; a first producing unit which produces third expansion part data based on the cut data in the predetermined range and the second expansion part data; and a second producing unit which combines the second compression image data and compressed part data produced by compressing the third expansion part data in the second predetermined area as unit of compression to produce third compression image data.
US08406539B2
A technique for prioritizing portions of compressed multi-resolution medical image data to be processed. More relevant portions of medical image data are compressed at a higher resolution than less relevant portions of medical image data. A mask is created from the image data and used to assign data compression quality factors to corresponding image blocks in the image data. The image data in each region is compressed based on their assigned quality factor. During processing of the compressed image data, the compressed image data and the mask are accessed. The mask is used to direct the processing of the compressed image data.
US08406534B2
A method comprises searching in a video stream a first frame and a second frame that each has enough point correspondence with a image model, wherein the first frame is the nearest previous frame prior to a third frame, and the second frame is the nearest subsequent frame to follow the third frame. The method further comprises calculating an interpolation between a first mapping matrix of the first frame and a second mapping matrix of the second frame to obtain a third mapping matrix of the third frame that has insufficient point correspondence with the image model.
US08406529B2
Disclosed is a method for evaluating a moving image resolution capable of quantitatively evaluating a moving image resolution for a display device. The method comprises displaying a test pattern on a screen, and moving the test pattern in a predetermined direction; obtaining an image of the test pattern on the screen; removing noise from the image; detecting edge regions of the image having noise removed therefrom; emphasizing the detected edge regions; scanning the emphasized edge regions by rotating any reference line a plurality of times, the reference line passing through a center point of the emphasized edge regions; and analyzing a pattern of the scanned result, and comparing it with the original test pattern.
US08406528B1
Methods and apparatuses are provided which may be implemented to in various electronic devices to evaluate displayable digital images based on certain test criterion. The displayable images may represent web content and/or the like, and the test criterion may include or relate to desired user experience and/or other like content accessibility measures.
US08406522B1
Described is a method for flexible feature adaptation and matching for object recognition in visual systems which incorporates evolutionary optimization. In the present invention, an analysis window is provided to select a portion of an input image to be analyzed for the presence or absence of an object. The analysis window is then divided into spatial regions, and a feature kernel function for each spatial region is selected and optimized. A feature value for each spatial region is calculated by finding a suitable location that generates the best matching features to a stored set using an optimization algorithm. The feature values are concatenated for the spatial regions to comprise a feature vector. Finally, the feature vector is processed by a classification algorithm, and a determination is made whether the object is present in the analysis window.
US08406514B2
An inspection apparatus includes an imaging device and an image processing device. The imaging device photographs a specimen and outputs a color image of the specimen to the image processing device. The image processing device subjects the color image of the specimen to negative-positive reversal. After detecting a mode value of the hue the color image having been subjected to negative-positive reversal, the image processing device changes the hue of the color image in accordance with a difference between a boundary value of two predefined hues and the detected mode value. In accordance with the change of the hue, a plurality of target pixels different in the saturation is extracted and the saturation and the intensity of each pixel are changed, or the gradation of each pixel is converted so that the plurality of target pixels becomes most distant from one another in a color space.
US08406511B2
An apparatus for evaluating images from a multi camera system is proposed, the multi camera system comprising a main camera for generating a main image and at least two satellite cameras for generating at least a first and a second satellite image. The cameras can be orientated to a common observation area. The apparatus is operable to estimate a combined positional data of a point in the 3D-space. of the observation area corresponding to a pixel or group of pixels of interest of the main image. The apparatus comprises first disparity means for estimating at least a first disparity data concerning the pixel or group of pixels of interest derived from the main image and the first satellite image, second disparity means for estimating at least a second disparity data concerning the pixel or group of pixels of interest derived from the main image and the second satellite image, and positional data means for estimating the combined positional data of the point in the 3D-space of the observation area corresponding to the pixel or group of pixels of interest. The positional data means is operable to estimate first positional data on basis of the first disparity data and second positional data on basis of the second disparity data, and to combine the first positional data and the second positional data to the combined positional data.
US08406505B2
In a legged mobile robot having an imaging device (such as CCD camera) for taking an image utilizing incident light from external world in which a human being to be imaged is present, brightness reduction operation is executed to reduce brightness of a high-brightness imaging region produced by high-brightness incident light, when the high-brightness imaging region is present in the image taken by the imaging device. With this, when the imaged high-brightness imaging region is present owing to high-brightness incident light from the sun or the like, the legged mobile robot can reduce the brightness to image a human being or other object with suitable brightness.
US08406504B2
The invention provides a system and method for monitoring the molten state of electric-resistance-welded pipe on-line. In the system, a mirror provided at a front end side inside a container receives light emitted by the welded parts of the tube-shaped steel strip through heat resistant glass from the side direction and reflects the image in the direction of a relay lens provided at a base end side of a relay lens unit. The relay lenses relay the image to a conversion lens, which forms the image on the imaging area of a CCD camera. Therefore, it is possible to capture the welded parts from the side direction by a resolution in accordance with the resolution of the CCD camera and possible to obtain information of the welded parts more accurately than in the past and on-line.
US08406500B2
Simultaneous scanning of multiple checks. In one example embodiment, a method for simultaneous scanning of multiple checks with a flatbed scanner includes several acts. First, a front side of a transparent sleeve is scanned on a flatbed scanner in order to create a first image. The sleeve has multiple pockets with a check positioned in each pocket. The sleeve further has multiple alignment markings on the front side and on a back side of the sleeve. Next, the back side of the sleeve is scanned on the flatbed scanner in order to create a second image. Then, it is determined from the respective positions of the alignment markings on the first image and on the second image that the sleeve was rotated between scans. Finally, one of the first and second images is automatically rotated to match the other image in order to align each front/back check image pair.
US08406499B2
A counterfeit currency detector including a tubular body having a forward end and a rearward end, a contact assembly mounted at the forward end of the tubular body, and a counterfeit solution applicator mounted at the rearward end of the tubular body. The contact assembly includes an ultraviolet light source.
US08406491B2
Image registration of low contrast image sequences is provided. In one aspect, a desired region of an image is automatically segmented and only the desired region is registered. Active contours and adaptive thresholding of intensity or edge information may be used to segment the desired regions. A transform function is defined to register the segmented region, and sub-pixel information may be determined using one or more interpolation methods.
US08406488B2
Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which coronary plaque is classified in an image and visually displayed using an iterative adaptive process, such as an expectation maximization process.
US08406484B2
Two-dimensional image information and three-dimensional image information of a subject are acquired, facial recognition is performed using the two-dimensional image information to determine whether a recognized face is a registered user's face, an elliptical model of the user is matched to the three-dimensional image information to calculate an error if it is determined that the recognized face is the user's face, and it is determined whether the user's face is improperly used based on the error. The subject's face is determined using the two-dimensional image information and the three-dimensional image information of the subject and it is determined whether the recognized face is improperly used, thereby improving facial recognition reliability. Thus, information security is improved.
US08406482B1
Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for automatically detecting skin tones in an input image are disclosed. An initial skin tone mask for the image may be created dependent on a general skin tone model. An upper threshold and/or a lower threshold may be applied to the initial skin tone mask to identify pixels most likely to be skin pixels and least likely to be skin pixels, respectively. These pixels may be used to produce an image-specific skin tone model, including one or more truncated Gaussian models for skin pixels and/or non-skin pixels defined in a three-dimensional color space. The image-specific skin tone model may be applied to the image to generate a final skin tone mask. Skin tone detection may be automatically or selectively performed in conjunction with image editing or image feature identification operations to target or exclude skin pixels or non-skin pixels during execution of the operations.
US08406466B2
A method for overcoming image latency issues of a synthetic vision system include generating (602, 704) a video comprising a plurality of images (300, 400, 500) of a target (208, 212) viewed from a moving platform (202), enhancing (604, 704) the resolution of the video, processing (606, 706) a parameter of the moving platform (202) related to the relative position of the platform to the target (208, 212), adjusting each of the plurality of images based on the processed parameter to simulate a real time video, and displaying (610, 710) the simulated real time video.
US08406465B1
Concepts and technologies described herein provide for the detection of aircraft contrails through the identification of contrail shadows in real time imagery provided during a flight. According to one aspect of the disclosure provided herein, aircraft flight data is received at a contrail detection computer. This data is used to locate an antisolar point on a surface of the earth from the perspective of the aircraft in flight. Real time imagery of an opaque or semi-opaque surface below the aircraft that encompasses the antisolar point is received and analyzed for a contrail indicator. When the contrail indicator is detected, it is determined that the aircraft is creating a contrail.
US08406462B2
Deriving a fingerprint of an image corresponding to media content involves selecting at least two different regions of the same image, determining a relationship between the two regions, and deriving a fingerprint of the image based on the relationship between the two regions of the image.
US08406461B2
A computer system having a processor and a memory for generating and storing a list of elements that are searched for in digital images. Occurrences of the elements in the images are indicative of a calendar season and, optionally, with a calendar month or another kind of season. The elements include weight values for indicating how strongly the element is associated with a season. The computer system automatically calculates a season determination value for each of the digital images and automatically selects images for use in a seasonal image product.
US08406456B2
The present invention provides methods and systems to protect an organization's secure image information from unauthorized disclosure. In one embodiment, methods and systems to generate image fingerprints are provided. The fingerprints are generated for each feature point of an image data. Because the fingerprints take into account the neighborhood features around each feature point, the image fingerprints are robust against derivate images where the original image may have been altered. Methods and systems to maintain a fingerprint database for an organization's secure image data is also provided. In one embodiment, client fingerprints are generated for image data that a user intends to transmit outside of the organization. In some embodiments, suitable security actions are initiated if any of the client fingerprints match any of the fingerprints in the fingerprint database.
US08406448B2
Provided is an earphone, including an earphone body and an earphone cap. The earphone body includes an earphone shell forming a sound cavity and disposing a sound-guiding pipe. The sound-guiding pipe disposes at least one through hole. The earphone cap is rotatably mounted on the earphone body and includes a main body and a barrel. The barrel is located on the inside of the main body and arranged to encompass the sound-guiding pipe. The barrel disposes at least one opening, which is arranged to be aligned or misaligned with the part or whole of the through hole. The earphone of the present invention can make the opening be aligned or misaligned with and the part or whole of the through hole by rotating the earphone cap, thereby varying the pressure of the sound cavity to attain the object of adjusting sound effect.
US08406438B2
An apparatus and a method for the excitation and/or damping and/or detection of structural oscillations of a plate-shaped device by means of a piezoelectric strip device are described. The apparatus comprises a carrier device (1), at a distance from which the plate-shaped device (10; 10a) is disposed by way of a space (11), wherein the piezoelectric strip device (2; 2a, 2b; 2a′, 2b′,2c; 2d, 2e, 2f; 2′; 2g, 2h; 2i, 2j; 2k, 2l, 2m; 2n) includes a plurality of piezoelectric strip elements (2; 2a, 2b; 2a′, 2b′,2c; 2d, 2e, 2f; 2′; 2g, 2h; 2i, 2j; 2k, 2l, 2m; 2n), which each are connected to the carrier device (1) and to the plate-shaped device (10; 10a), wherein the strips (2; 2a, 2b; 2a′, 2b′,2c; 2d, 2e, 2f; 2′; 2g, 2h; 2i, 2j; 2k, 2l, 2m; 2n) can be excited into longitudinal changes, thereby causing the excitation and/or damping and/or detection of structural oscillations of the plate-shaped device (10; 10a), and wherein the piezoelectric strips (2; 2a, 2b; 2a′, 2b′,2c; 2d, 2e, 2f; 2′; 2g, 2h; 2i, 2j; 2k, 2l, 2m; 2n) are configured and connected to the plate-shaped device (10; 10a) such that the transmission of oscillations takes place in a substantially punctiform manner.
US08406431B2
An adaptive gain control system and related operating method for digital audio samples is provided. The method is suitable for use with a digital media encoding system that transmits encoded media streams to a remotely-located presentation device such as a media player. The method begins by initializing the processing of a media stream. Then, the method adjusts the gain of a first set of digital audio samples in the media stream using a fast gain adaptation scheme, resulting in a first group of gain-adjusted digital audio samples having normalized volume during presentation. The method continues by adjusting the gain of a second set of digital audio samples in the media stream using a steady state gain adaptation scheme that is different than the fast gain adaptation scheme, resulting in a second group of gain-adjusted digital audio samples having normalized volume during presentation.
US08406422B2
A cryptographic module management apparatus searches for cryptographic module meta-information based on the category information of a requested cryptographic module and, if associated cryptographic module category information is contained in this cryptographic module meta-information, searches for the cryptographic module meta-information of an associated cryptographic module, to generate composite type cryptographic module evaluation information based on this cryptographic module meta-information, select a cryptographic module based on this composite type cryptographic module evaluation information, and read this cryptographic module from a cryptographic module storage portion and output such composite type cryptographic module evaluation information.
US08406420B2
A magnetic-push slide cover driving device includes a slide seat having at least one slide guide section, a base seat connected on the slide guide section and reciprocally slidable along the slide guide section, at least one middle magnetic body disposed at a middle section of the base seat, and two movable members respectively pivotally disposed at middle sections of two sides of the slide seat. The movable members respectively have two opposite sides. The middle magnetic body is slidable between the opposite sides along with the base seat. Multiple magnetic bodies are arranged on each of the opposite sides. The magnetic bodies on the same side are such arranged that the poles of the same polarity are directed in the same direction. Accordingly, at a later stage of opening process of a slide cover, the magnetic-push slide cover driving device provides a push aid force for the slide cover.
US08406409B2
A method is described for call treatment based on user association with one or more user groups. The method includes receiving a phone call from a call source that is directed to a call recipient, identifying a user group associated with the call recipient, and determining a number of received indications assigned to the user group. The received indications are assigned to the user group by users associated with the user group, and the received indications reflect a desire by the users for a special treatment of future calls from the call source. The method also includes distinguishing treatment of the phone call from the call source based on the number of received indications.
US08406406B2
A call connection method and apparatus in a communication system are provided, in which a call connection request message is received from each of first and second terminals, it is determined whether the first and second terminals are requesting a call connection to each other, one of the first and second terminals is selected if the first and second terminals are requesting a call connection to each other, the call connection request of the selected terminal is rejected, and a call is connected between the first and second terminals by performing a call connection to the selected terminal according to the call connection request of the non-selected terminal.
US08406405B2
A teleconferencing system that enables facilitator-led teleconferences in which a caller can transfer their call to a different conference group, facilitator, or another party by initiating a transfer command, such as by pushing a particular key on their telephone keypad. Application software controls a switch that automatically transfers a caller to a different conference group, facilitator, or party when a transfer-initiating act, such as pressing a key on a keypad, is sensed. The transfer is reported to the current facilitator and to the new facilitator, if any, who is provided with contact information regarding the transferring-in caller.
US08406402B2
A technique for service change and service fallback in intelligent networks is described. The network comprises a service control functional component (516) and a service switching functional component (518). A method implementation of the technique includes the step of obtaining (4) from the service switching functional component (518) service preference information for at least one of two or more services indicating a preferred service for a user equipment (510). Further, a service is selected (5) based on the service preference information and service availability information relating to required resources for at least one of the two or more services. The determined service for service change or service fallback is then indicated (6) to the service switching functional component.
US08406400B2
A technique for providing multimedia communication services to a subscriber includes receiving a communication query for the subscriber, the communication query having an associated requested communication mode. The technique also includes servicing the communication query for the subscriber using the requested communication mode when the requested communication mode corresponds to one of one or more selected communication modes.
US08406397B1
Embodiments of the present invention include a caller identification system and method for identifying a caller with a partial phone number look-up table. The caller identification system comprises a database that stores received calls and can be personalized to include information specific to partial phone numbers. In one embodiment, the caller identification system disclosed can be integrated into a cellular phone. In this embodiment, an incoming call initiates a search in a database to retrieve information about the caller. If a match is found, the identity of the caller is displayed. When an exact match is not found, a search for a partial match is executed with wild card values and information about the partial match is displayed. Information for a partial match can be personalized or pre-programmed into the caller ID system such as the city associated with a particular area code or prefix.
US08406391B2
An arrangement includes a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the transformer exhibiting an impedance across the primary winding, and an impedance synthesis circuit. The impedance synthesis circuit includes a transfer function element having a frequency spectrum. The transfer function element has associated a gain element and a current source controlled by the transfer function element. The impedance synthesis circuit is connected to said secondary winding, so that the transformer mirrors the impedance synthesized by the impedance synthesis circuit into the impedance across said primary winding. The primary winding is adapted to define the high voltage side of an XDSL splitter, while the impedance synthesis circuit connected to the secondary winding is inherently a low voltage circuit.
US08406383B2
A communication network is disclosed that uses voice authentication to provide call control. The communication network includes a call control function, a voice collection system, a voice authentication system, and a permission system. The voice collection system collects voice samples of a first party during the call to a second party, and transmits the collected voice samples to the voice authentication system. The voice authentication system compares the collected voice samples to stored voice samples to determine the identity of the first party. The permission system determines whether the first party is authorized for the call based on the identity of the first party. The permission system generates results based on the determination and transmits the results to the call control function. The call control function then processes the results, and interrupts the call if the first party is not authorized.
US08406370B2
According to one embodiment, S (S is an integer equal to or larger than two) number of sub counters each count S number of clocks of different frequencies, and a clock switching unit is provided for each sub counter and starts a counting operation of a sub counter of a next stage after finishing a counting operation in a sub counter of a local stage.
US08406360B2
According to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5(a), when a signal for clock recovery ED is generated, which is formed by alternately generating enable periods EN having a ratio (N/M) of N clocks' client data to M clocks' line data and disable periods D1 to D4, a phase of the disable period D2 is advanced by a phase corresponding to the disable period (such as one clock period) during the enable period with reference to phase information added to the signal for clock recovery ED as shown in FIG. 5(c) when a stuff pulse in the line data is detected as indicated by the symbol m0 in FIG. 5(b), thereby generating the signal for clock recovery ED.
US08406342B2
A method and apparatus for decoding encoded data bits of a wireless communication transmission are provided. A set of a-priori bit values corresponding to known bit values of a response message expected to be transmitted in response to a previously transmitted message. Example expected response messages include clear to send (CTS) messages transmitted in response to request to send (RTS) messages and positive acknowledgement (ACK) messages transmitted in response to messages with data payloads.
US08406336B2
A communication device and receiving method thereof are disclosed in embodiments of the present invention. The communication device includes an extra digital to analog converter, an inverse partial response filtering circuit and an analog to digital converter. The extra digital to analog converter receives a first digital signal and generates a pulse shaped analog signal. The inverse partial response filtering circuit receives a first difference signal, and adjusts a response of the inverse partial response filtering circuit to generate an adjusted signal, wherein the first difference signal equals the result of subtracting the pulse shaped analog signal from a receiving signal. The analog to digital converter converts the adjusted signal to generate a second digital signal.
US08406331B2
A fast method for allocating those channels or subcarriers of a multicarrier network to an ahead lying transmission is to let a transmitting terminal and a receiving terminal which intend to access the medium determine the status of the channels or subcarriers that are within their reception range and send a signal indicating the determined status to the corresponding terminal which will select those channels or subcarriers for the eventual transmission which fit best. Other terminals within the transmission range of the transmitting or the receiving terminal respect the reservation and wait for the current transmission to find out which channels or subcarriers are actually used.
US08406329B2
A method for transmitting a signal from a transmitter over a channel to a receiver on a Power Line Network, wherein said signal is OFDM-modulated on a set of sub-carriers, is proposed, wherein an OFDM tonemap and an eigenbeamforming encoding matrix are determined based on a channel estimation for each sub-carrier, a tonemap feedback signal and an eigenbeamforming feedback signal are generated, which are descriptive of said OFDM tonemap and said eigenbeamforming encoding matrix, respectively, and transmitted to the transmitter. A corresponding receiver, a transmitter, a power line communication and a power line communication system are described as well.
US08406328B2
A method an apparatus is described for providing feedback for closed-loop transmitting with multiple transmit and receive antennas. The method includes a first step 900 of providing a codebook containing sets of weightings for each data stream of the multiple transmit antennas with each set identified by an index known to a transmitter and a receiver. The same codebook is utilized for any number of data streams up to the number of transmit antennas. A next step 902 includes measuring a composite channel between the transmitter and receiver. A next step 904 includes determining at least one performance metric for each set of weightings in the codebook. A next step 906 includes selecting preferred weightings for each data stream in response to the performance metrics. A next step 908 includes feeding back an index of the preferred weightings to the transmitter for use in subsequent transmissions.
US08406326B2
The required bitrate for reporting channel state information from a network transceiver to the network is dramatically reduced, while maintaining fidelity of channel estimates, by exploiting prior channel estimates and the time correlation of channel response. For a selected set of sub-carriers, the transceiver estimates channel frequency response from pilot signals. The transceiver also predicts the frequency response for each selected sub-carrier, by multiplying a state vector comprising prior frequency response estimate and a coefficient vector comprising linear predictive coefficients. The predicted frequency response is subtracted from the estimated frequency response, and the prediction error is quantized and transmitted to the network. The network maintains a corresponding state vector and predictive coefficient vector, and also predicts a frequency response for each selected sub-carrier. The received prediction error is inverse quantized and subtracted from the predicted frequency response to yield a frequency response corresponding to that estimated at the transceiver.
US08406325B2
A receiver used for an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system is provided. A signal processing device receives an OFDM symbol and processes the OFDM symbol according to the OFDM symbol and a carrier frequency offset compensation coefficient to generate a processed signal. The OFDM symbol includes pilots which have been hierarchically modulated and the processed signal includes the processed pilots. A signal analysis device collects the processed pilots of the processed signal and detects carrier frequency offset to generate the carrier frequency offset compensation coefficient to the signal processing device according to the processed pilots and a plurality of target decision bit error rates. A channel detection module detects a channel response of the processed signal according to the processed pilots and compensates the processed signal to generate an output data.
US08406318B2
An OFDM system and method using amplitude shift keying (ASK) for subcarrier modulation is provided. Because ASK is used, the signal of each symbol in time domain is conjugate-symmetric. In addition, among the discrete numbers of each symbol, two of them are always real. These properties are utilized such that only half of the numbers of each symbol sequence are transmitted. The generated baseband signal can be a complex or a real signal. As a result, the bandwidth efficiency of the derived ASK-OFDM is the same as that of QAM-OFDM.
US08406313B2
A video processing system includes a video encoder that encodes a video stream into an independent video layer stream and a first dependent video layer stream based on a motion vector data or grayscale and color data.
US08406311B2
A method and system for embedding an electronic watermark directly in an MPEG stream is provided. An intra-macroblock of an I-frame or of a P or B-frame is detected in an MPEG stream, and following the detection of an intra-macroblock of the I-frame or of the P or B-frame, data for one macroblock are extracted from the MPEG stream and buffered. An embedding pattern is embedded in the buffered macroblock without changing the length of VLC, and the resultant macroblock is returned to the MPEG stream. More specifically, a DC factor is extracted from the buffered macroblock, and a pseudorandom number is generated to produce an embedding pattern. Then, whether the bit length of the DC factor will not be changed by embedding the obtained embedded pattern is determined. When the bit length of the DC factor not be changed, the embedding pattern is embedded in the buffered macroblock. When the bit length will be changed, whether ½ of the embedding pattern can be embedded is determined. If possible, ½ of the embedded pattern is embedded in the macroblock.
US08406309B2
The disclosure relates to video rate adaptation techniques that may use information from a medium access control (MAC) layer and radio link protocol (RLP) layer. The techniques may greatly reduce video delay by adjusting video encoding rate. For real-time video telephony (VT) applications, these techniques may provide graceful quality degradation and improve user experience, especially when the channel conditions degrade.
US08406302B2
The motion estimation unit (100) comprises a first summation means (106) for calculating match errors of a number of candidate motion vectors of a segment (116) of a first image (118). The motion vector with the lowest match error can be assigned to the segment (116) as the estimated motion vector. The match error is based on summation of absolute differences between pixel values of the segment (116) and pixel values of a second image (120). In order to estimate the deviation of the estimated motion from the true motion vector, i.e. the motion vector error (130), the motion estimation unit (100) further comprises a second summation means (108) for calculating a variance parameter by summation of absolute differences between pixel values of the segment (116) and pixel values of the first image (118) and estimation means (110) for estimating a motion vector error (130) by comparing the match error with the variance parameter.
US08406282B2
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate generating and/or analyzing downlink transmission units in OFDM TDD environments. Strip OFDM symbols may be selectively inserted within downlink transmission units; for example, the position of strip OFDM symbols may vary from cell to cell. Further, the position may be a function of a characteristic of a cell (e.g., cell identifier) and/or an expected drift. Moreover, a strip OFDM symbol may be interjected at a location in a downlink transmission unit so as to mitigate alignment with disparate strip OFDM symbols in downlink transmission units associated with differing cells.
US08406278B2
A technique for reducing interference between a direct-sequence ultra-wideband communications system and a narrowband communications system uses interference-rejecting spreading codes to reduce signal power in a frequency band associated with the narrowband communications system. A method of operating an ultra-wideband communications system includes applying an interference-rejecting spreading code to a signal for transmission. The interference-rejecting spreading code is configured to reduce power in a particular frequency band of a transmit or receive power spectral density associated with the ultra-wideband signal without substantially reducing power outside that particular frequency band of the transmit or receive power spectral density associated with the ultra-wideband signal.
US08406274B1
An apparatus is disclosed comprising collocated primary receiver (PR) and a time synchronized receiver (TSR), with a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) configured by a LNA gain control signal to create a shared amplified signal sent to the PR and the TSR for them to concurrently receive packets. The TSR is configured to generate a timed signal strength prediction signal based on the shared amplified signal and the LNA gain control signal. The primary receiver is configured to generate the LNA gain control signal based, at least in part, on the timed signal strength prediction signal. The PR may include a spread spectrum receiver, and the TSR may include a frequency hopping receiver.
US08406269B2
The invention describes a field bus system, in particular a field bus system (10), comprising at least one clocked transmitter (16) and one clocked receiver (17) for transmitting data signals to another field bus device (30) or for receiving data signals from the other field bus device (30). To allow interfering emissions to be reduced, a spread spectrum clock (40) is provided which supplies a local spread spectrum clock signal (SST1). The spread spectrum clock signal is sent to the transmitter (16) and the receiver (17) to allow data signals (DO1, DI1) to be transmitted and received synchronously with the local spread spectrum clock signal.
US08406268B2
In an embodiment, an electrode holder assembly (100) includes a current delivery base (105) having an interface (204) sufficiently designed to distribute an electrical current; a buss plate (200) sufficiently designed to provide the electrical current to the current delivery base (105); a shoe-ring assembly having: a plurality of electrical shoes (120), wherein the electrical current from the current delivery base (105) is distributed to the plurality of electrical shoes (120) for distribution to an electrode (400); a plurality of dual stroke cylinders (190); and a mounting ring (220); and a hydraulic assembly (300) including a grip ring (310) having an opening sufficiently designed to engage an outer surface of the electrode (400); a pressurizing cylinder (320) sufficiently designed to constrict and relax the grip ring (310); and at least one dual stroke cylinder (330) sufficiently designed to control horizontal movement of the grip ring (310) and the electrode (400).
US08406261B2
A laser driving device includes: a pulse signal generating unit that, after a voltage has risen from a predetermined reference voltage to a predetermined output voltage and a time of a sum of an oscillation period of relaxation oscillation and a light emission start time in a predetermined laser diode has nearly elapsed, generates a pulse signal having a waveform that falls divisionally in two or more stages from the output voltage to the reference voltage; and an output unit that generates a laser drive signal by performing signal processing on the pulse signal and outputs the signal to the laser diode.
US08406260B2
A device for emitting a laser beam comprises a cylindrical solid amplifier medium, having a fluorescence wavelength λ, delimited by a surface Σ connecting two faces and intended to be pumped through both the faces, or one of them, in order to become a gain medium. It comprises a cooling fluid of thermal conductivity Cr in contact with the amplifier medium over one of the faces, and an index matching liquid that absorbs or scatters the fluorescence wavelength, of thermal conductivity Ci<0.3 Cr, in contact with the amplifier medium over its surface Σ.
US08406239B2
A powerline communications device comprises a powerline communications interface and at least one other communications interface configured to communicate over a computing network. The powerline communications interface is further configured to receive electrical power. The computing network may comprise mediums including powerlines, telephone lines, and/or coaxial cables. In some embodiments, the powerline communications interface may communicate with a network apparatus, such as a personal computer, via an Ethernet interface. The powerline interface, the telephone line interface, and/or the coaxial cable interface may all be associated with the same media access control (MAC) address. The powerline communications device may receive a message via a first medium and repeat the message via a second medium based on a quality of service (QoS) metric. In some embodiments, the powerline communications device may communicate using multiple frequency bands.
US08406236B2
A method for transporting a client signal in an optical transport network (OTN) includes steps as follows. A byte number Cn of a client signal transported in a OTN frame period is generated according to a client signal clock and a system clock. If the Cn of the OTN frame falls in a certain range, a predetermined area in an optical channel payload unit-k (OPUk) overhead field is identified as normal, and the Cn is filled in the OPUk overhead field of the OTN frame. Therefore, the reliability for transporting the client byte number can be improved and an OPUk overhead byte space needed for transporting the client signal byte number can be saved.
US08406232B2
Systems, methods and computer storage media for utilizing IPv6 addressing for globally unique identification of network endpoints when communications from or to an IPv4 compatible application. An IPv4 packet of data that is from and/or directed to an IPv4 endpoint is encapsulated in an IPv6 packet of data. An IPv6 compatible address is identified for a destination of the IPv6 packet of data. The IPv6 address is a globally unique identifier that is comprised of an IPv4 identifier that represents an IPv4 address of the encapsulated IPv4 packet. The IPv6 packet of data is communicated to the destination identified by the IPv6 address. A 4 to 6 stack may intercept the incoming IPv6 packet of data before the destination to strip the IPv6 header information revealing the IPv4 packet of data.
US08406230B2
A method for processing packets. The method includes receiving a first packet by a network interface card (NIC) from a network, determining, using a first classification level, a first receive ring group (RRG) for the first packet, determining, using a second level classification, a first receive ring (RR) in the first RRG for the first packet, sending the first packet to the first RR, and sending the first packet from the first RR to a host operatively connected to the network interface card, wherein the first packet is received by a first virtual network interface card (VNIC) associated with the first RRG, where the first RRG is located in the NIC.
US08406226B2
The invention concerns a method of setting up a call-back (305, 315) to a caller (32) in a packet-based telecommunications network, and a terminal and a media server (31) to execute this method. The call-back (305, 315) is initiated by a user (30) receiving a media stream (311, 312, 316). The user (30) sets up a packet-based connection to a media server (31) and receives the media stream (311, 312, 316) from the media server (31). After choosing by the user (30) to call back the caller (32), the media server (31) generates a cookie with data defining a state of the media stream (311, 312, 316) and sends the cookie to the user (30). The user (30) initiates the call-back (305, 315) to the caller (32) independently of the media server (31). After termination of the call-back (305, 315), the data defining the state of the media stream (311, 312, 316) are sent to the media server (31) or an associated media server and are used to resume the transmission of the media stream (311, 312, 316) to the user (30) from a state following the state defined by the data.
US08406220B2
A method includes determining first and second communication paths from a leaf node of a plurality of leaf nodes to first and second gateway nodes, respectively, of a plurality of gateway nodes. The first and second communication paths may include first and second intermediate nodes, respectively, of a plurality of intermediate nodes. A wireless message is sent from the leaf node to the first and second gateway nodes via the first and second communication paths, respectively. Information in the wireless message is communicated from at least one of the first and second gateway nodes to a component of a process control system.
US08406208B2
When a connection is made to a wireless network constructed by a base station, a request to construct a wireless network in which a wireless communication apparatus operates as a base station is sensed and a determination is made as to whether communication is in progress with a communication apparatus of a network different from the wireless network constructed by the base station. If the request to construct the wireless network is sensed and it is determined that communication is in progress with a communication apparatus of a network different from the wireless network in which the base station is the intermediary, then an attempt is made to construct a wireless network in which the wireless communication apparatus operates as a base station.
US08406195B2
Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed for seamlessly routing data to mobile devices that undergo handovers from one access point to another. A controller, such as a RNC or BSC, includes logic to map the locations of mobile devices that are connected to various access points on one or more networks. The access points include base stations, Node Bs, wireless LAN, etc., and incorporate or are coupled to network agents. The network agent reports the location of the mobile device to the controller via a plurality of means such as over an IP network, a powerline network, or a satellite network. Using the database, or IP mapping table, having the most current locations of all the mobile devices under its domain or area, the controller can route data packets to the mobile devices using the most effective routing paths.
US08406192B2
A method is provided for handing over a user equipment (UE). The method includes a donor access node with which the UE is in communication via a relay node receiving UE handover context information. The method further includes the donor access node using the UE handover context information to identify data packets that belong to the UE and are to be forwarded from the donor access node to a target access node.
US08406183B2
A method and apparatus for enabling registration of an Aggregate End Point (AEP) device that is incapable of supporting a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) based Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) registration are disclosed. The method performs a static registration of the AEP device in a plurality of network elements associated with an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network by provisioning. The method then processes an originating call request or a terminating call request associated with the AEP device using the static registration.
US08406179B2
A method for performing a random access procedure by a User Equipment (UE) in a mobile communication system includes transmitting a preamble for identifying the UE, through a first message; receiving a second message from an Evolved Node B (ENB) in response to the first message, the second message including uplink (UL) transmission resource information for transmitting at least one of a transparent Radio Resource Control (RRC) message which is an RRC message that a UE having no RRC control connection transmits for the first time, and Buffer Status Report (BSR) information indicating an amount of UL data; setting a format indicator indicating if the transparent RRC message or the BSR information is included in a third message; and generating the third message according to the set format indicator, and transmitting the generated third message according to the UL transmission resource information.
US08406177B2
An ad-hoc network is a typically a dynamic collection of nodes capable of communicating therebetween without the aid of pre-established infrastructure. Ad-hoc networks differ from traditional networks in that the topology of interconnections between nodes is inherently dynamic and not fixed. Generally, the routing protocols belong to two groups: proactive and reactive. Proactive protocols attempt to maintain correct and up-to-date routing information at every node. Reactive protocols, in turn, collect necessary routing information only if a pair of nodes are to establish a communication. In accordance with embodiments of the invention a reactive ad-hoc network protocol is disclosed that uses controlled flooding to broadcast packets of information within the ad-hoc network. Furthermore, the ad-hoc network protocol does not maintain up-to-date routing information at every node in an ad-hoc network and does not utilize specific control messages to assure that packets within the ad-hoc network follow optimal paths.
US08406173B2
A mobile communication system in which a mobile station apparatus transmits uplink data to a base station apparatus using a physical uplink shared channel that is allocated by an uplink data transmission permission signal, wherein the base station apparatus allocates, to the mobile station apparatus, by using a radio resource control signal, the physical uplink shared channel for the mobile station apparatus to transmit channel states information, and the mobile station apparatus periodically transmits, to the base station apparatus, the channel states information using the physical uplink shared channel.
US08406169B2
Two or more connection profiles stored in a wireless device are partitioned into two or more groups, each group having a different number of sleep intervals associated therewith. The number of sleep intervals associated with a particular group determines a wait between subsequent scans for wireless local area networks matching any profile in that particular group. One or more factors may be taken into consideration when determining how to partition the profiles into groups, including, for example, a connectivity history of the wireless device.
US08406159B2
A circuit is disclosed with an external coupling port for coupling to an external antenna, for example. The circuit has an FDD receive path including a narrowband passband filter. The circuit has a TDD receive path bypassing the narrowband passband filter but relying on a same amplifier. The circuit also has an FDD transmit path including a narrowband passband filter. The circuit has a TDD transmit path bypassing the narrowband passband filter of the FDD transmit path but relying on a same transmit amplifier. A switching configuration allows the circuit to operate in TDD mode, alternating between the TDD receive path and the TDD transmit path and in the FDD mode wherein the FDD transmit and receive paths are simultaneously coupled to the external coupling port.
US08406142B2
A serial communications device comprises a controller to obtain digital diagnostic data representative of operational characteristics of the serial communications device, memory to store the digital diagnostic data and at least one interface, including an interface to serially communicate data via a serial cable. The serial communications device also comprises a signal controller configured to encode the digital diagnostic data onto a serial data signal for transmission via the serial cable by adjusting signal levels of the serial data signal while preserving original data in the serial data signal. Encoding the digital diagnostic data includes serializing the digital diagnostic data, determining a series of signal levels for the serialized digital diagnostic data based on a signal encoding map, and adjusting signal levels for the serial data signal based on the determined series of signal levels.
US08406137B2
Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method of generating a Policy and Control Charging (PCC) rule for managing packet traffic across a network. The method may include: receiving a request message for PCC rules from a requesting network component; authorizing a set of QoS information based on the requested set of QoS information; generating a PCC rule; and transmitting the PCC rule to an enforcing network component. The request message may include a requested set of QoS information and multiple traffic mappings each describing a flow of packets transmitted across the network. The PCC rule may include the authorized set of QoS information and multiple flow descriptions corresponding to each traffic mapping. The PCRN may include: a first interface that receives a request message, a policy engine, a rule generator, and a second interface that transmits the PCC rule to an enforcing network component.
US08406135B2
A Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) is modified to monitor when a line synchronizes (i.e. sets up a DSL connection) and to automatically generate a notification to be sent to a management device of the access network if the rate has changed from the last time the line synchronized.
US08406131B2
An approach is provided for monitoring and analyzing network traffic. Traffic is monitored during a configurable time interval. A number of bursts associated with the traffic are tracked. A measured traffic rate is generated based on the number of bursts occurring within the time interval. The measured traffic rate is compared with a committed rate to determine if the measured traffic rate exceeds the committed rate.
US08406124B2
A method and a network device for realizing shared mesh protection are provided. The method includes the following steps. If a status change of a working label switching path (LSP) is detected, routing information and bandwidth information about the working LSP are notified to every node on a protection LSP corresponding to the working LSP. Every node on the protection LSP calculates a maximal reserved bandwidth of a link based on the received routing information and bandwidth information and adjusts a shared protection bandwidth of the link according to the maximal reserved bandwidth.
US08406123B2
A method for SIP presence server failover, the method including setting an expiration time of a SIP application session on a first SIP server having a first SIP presence server to match the expiration time of a SIP request that is associated with the SIP application session, setting a SIP request attribute set representing a plurality of attributes of the SIP request, replicating the SIP application session together with the attribute set to a second SIP server having a second SIP presence server, migrating the SIP application session to the second SIP server for activation thereat, detecting an event indicating that the SIP application session has been migrated, and upon detection of the event, reestablishing at the second SIP presence server the SIP request associated with the SIP application session and using the attribute set.
US08406114B2
In a wireless network, a base station is configured to transmit downlink reference signals to allow a mobile device to derive a MIMO channel estimate.
US08406104B1
In an optical disk library device using a plurality of optical disk devices, before optical disk devices execute recording or reproduction of information to or from optical disks, self-monitoring information is acquired from an optical disk monitor, use preferential orders of the optical disk devices are evaluated on the basis of use frequency information or deterioration information included in the self-monitoring information and an optical disk device to be used for recording or reproduction of information is selected on the basis of the use preferential orders.
US08406101B2
The invention provides an optical disk drive. In one embodiment, the optical disk drive comprises a feeding device, a power driver, and a controller. The feeding device comprises a spherical aberration (SA) lens and a stepping motor, wherein the SA lens corrects spherical aberration of a light beam emitted by a pickup head, and the stepping motor moves the SA lens according to a plurality of control signals. The power driver generates the control signals to drive the stepping motor to move the SA lens. The controller directs the power driver to drive the stepping motor to move the SA lens with only stable steps when the SA lens is required to move, so that the stepping motor is in a stable state without inducing step errors after the stepping motor rotates with the stable steps.
US08406099B2
A focus search is performed for an optical disc. A focus drive voltage is output for moving an objective lens in a thickness direction of an optical disc. An average value of focus drive voltages is acquired and recorded while the optical disc is rotating at least one time in an in-focus condition in which a laser beam emitted via the objective lens is in focus to a data layer of the optical disc. A closest-position voltage is set based on the average value, the closest-position voltage being a focus drive voltage at which the objective lens is moved closest to the optical disc in a focus search that is performed after the average value has been recorded. The focus search is performed by moving the objective lens between a specific starting position and a position corresponding to the closest-position voltage.
US08406089B2
A heat-assisted magnetic recording head includes a slider, an edge-emitting laser diode fixed to the slider, and an external mirror provided outside the slider. The slider includes a magnetic pole, a waveguide, and a near-field light generating element. The laser diode includes: an emitting end face that lies at an end in a direction parallel to the plane of an active layer and includes a laser-light emission part; and a mounting surface that lies at an end in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the active layer and faces the slider. The external mirror includes: a first reference surface that is parallel to the emitting end face and faces the emitting end face; a second reference surface that is parallel to the mounting surface and faces toward the same direction as the mounting surface does; and a reflecting surface that connects the first and second reference surfaces to each other and reflects the laser light emitted from the emission part toward the waveguide.
US08406085B2
The swim device includes a wrist unit system wearable on a wrist and a hand, at least one hand sensor unit that is wearable on a hand, and at least one foot sensor unit wearable on a foot. The wrist unit system includes a wrist unit and at least one pressure sensor. The wrist unit includes an integrated circuit chip (ICC) computer; a battery; an alarm, a display and housing with input buttons, and a wrist band with an embedded antenna. The hand/foot sensor unit includes an integrated circuit chip (ICC) computer with a battery. The pressure sensor is attached to a cap that is worn on the first segment of a finger or big toe in such a manner that the pressure sensor faces the water-bound side of the finger or big toe.
US08406079B2
Various embodiments of a control circuit for controlling an address output timing of a semiconductor device are disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, the circuit may include: a timing signal generation unit configured to decode operation specification information of a semiconductor device and generate a timing signal by delaying a read command or a write command based on a decoding result of the operation specification information; a storage control signal generation unit configured to generate a storage control signal in response to the read command or the write command; an output control signal generation unit configured to generate an output control signal in response to the timing signal; and a storage/output unit configured to store an address in response to the storage control signal, and output the stored address as a timing-adjusted address in response to the output control signal.
US08406077B2
In a particular embodiment, a method includes discharging a first dynamic node at a first discharge circuit of a first dynamic circuit structure in response to receiving an asserted discharge signal. The first dynamic circuit structure includes the first dynamic node at a first voltage level and a first keeper circuit that is disabled when the asserted discharge signal is received. The asserted discharge signal has a second voltage level that is different from the first voltage level. A second keeper circuit of a second dynamic circuit structure is enabled responsive to discharging the first dynamic node to maintain a second dynamic node of the second dynamic circuit structure at the first voltage level.
US08406072B2
Systems and methods of testing a reference cell in a memory array are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, a method of testing a reference cell in a memory array includes coupling a first reference cell of a first reference cell pair of the memory array to a first input of a first sense amplifier of the memory array. The method also includes providing a reference signal to a second input of the first sense amplifier. The reference signal is associated with a second reference cell pair of the memory array.
US08406070B2
An arrangement of memory devices and a controller is based on an interface with a reduced pin count relative to a known memory device and controller arrangement. Facilitating the reduced pin count interface the reduction of multiple strobe signal to a single strobe signal. In addition, a packet header transmitted on the data bus followed by a payload, includes an encoded indication of the type of the payload. Aspects of the present application relate to providing a traditional memory device with external logic devices, where the logic devices handle the single strobe and the packet header, thereby permitting single strobe operation.
US08406058B2
A read only memory (ROM) and an operating method thereof are provided. The read only memory includes: a control circuit, powered by a first power source for outputting a control signal within a first voltage range; a voltage shifter, for expanding the amplitude of the control signal to a second voltage range; a word line driver, powered by a second power source with a voltage which is higher than that of the first power source, for driving one of a plurality of word lines of a read only memory cell array according to the control signal which is expanded to be within the second voltage range; and an input/output circuit, for connecting the plurality of bit lines to read out messages.
US08406054B2
Memory cells store k bits of data (k is a natural number not less than 2) into a single cell. A number n of data storage circuits store externally supplied k bits of data to write data into the memory cells. A control circuit inputs the data on a first page, a second page, . . . , a k-th page to every h (h≦n) of the data storage circuits and then writes the data in the n data storage circuits into the memory cells.
US08406053B1
Dynamically determining read levels on chip (e.g., memory die) is disclosed herein. One method comprises reading a group of non-volatile storage elements on a memory die at a first set of read levels. Results of the two most recent of the read levels are stored on the memory die. A count of how many of the non-volatile storage elements in the group showed a different result between the reads for the two most recent read levels is determined. The determining is performed on the memory die using the results stored on the memory die. A dynamic read level is determined for distinguishing between a first pair of adjacent data states of the plurality of data states based on the read level when the count reaches a pre-determined criterion. Note that the read level may be dynamically determined on the memory die.
US08406051B2
Methods and systems for accessing encoded data stored in a solid state non-volatile memory device include iteratively demodulating and decoding the data. The memory device includes memory cells arranged to store multiple bits of data per memory cell. The memory cells are capable of storing multiple pages of data. Each bit stored in a memory cell is associated with a page of data that is different from other pages associated with other bits stored in the memory cell. The multiple pages are demodulated responsive to sensed voltage levels of the memory cells, and a demodulated output is provided for each page of the multiple pages. A decoded output for each page of the multiple pages is generated. Decoding the page and demodulating the multiple pages proceeds iteratively, including an exchange of information between the decoder and the demodulator.
US08406046B2
A magnetic random access memory which includes a magnetic record layer which is ferromagnetic; a ferromagnetic magnetization fixed layer whose magnetization is fixed; and a non-magnetic spacer layer provided between the magnetic record layer and the magnetization fixed layer. The magnetic record layer includes a magnetization invertible region whose magnetization is invertible and which is connected to the magnetization fixed layer through the spacer layer; a first magnetization region which has a magnetization in a first direction and which is provided in parallel to the magnetization invertible region; a second magnetization region which has a magnetization in a second direction and which is provided in parallel to the magnetization invertible region; a first inclined region connected to the magnetization invertible region and the first magnetization region at a predetermined inclination angle; and a second inclined region connected to the magnetization invertible region and the second magnetization region at the inclination angle.
US08406043B2
A phase change memory apparatus includes a global bit line and an internal power generation circuit. The global bit line is configured to integratedly control a plurality of bit lines. The internal power generation circuit is configured to supply an internal voltage while the global bit line is discharged and configured to control the internal voltage after the global bit line is discharged, when a deep power down mode signal is enabled.
US08406042B2
A magnetic tunnel junction cell having a free layer and first pinned layer with perpendicular anisotropy, the cell including a coupling layer between the free layer and a second pinned layer, the coupling layer comprising a phase change material switchable from an antiferromagnetic state to a ferromagnetic state. In some embodiments, at least one actuator electrode proximate the coupling layer transfers a strain from the electrode to the coupling layer to switch the coupling layer from the antiferromagnetic state to the ferromagnetic state. Memory devices and methods are also described.
US08406028B1
A semiconductor memory includes first and second word lines. A first bit cell of a first type is coupled to a first one of a plurality of bit lines and has a first layout in which the first bit cell of the first type is coupled to the first word line with a first number of vias and to the second word line with a second number of vias. A first bit cell of a second type is coupled to a second one of the plurality of bit lines and has a second layout in which the first bit cell of the second type is coupled to the first word line with a third number of vias and to the second word line with a fourth number of vias. A load on the first word line is approximately equal to a load on the second word line.
US08406013B2
An example controller for a power converter includes a switching control coupled to switch a power switch of the power converter to control a transfer of energy from an input of the power converter to an output of the power converter. A sensor is coupled to sample a single terminal of the controller during a portion of an off time of the power switch to output a signal representative of an output voltage of the power converter. The sensor is further coupled to sample the single terminal during a portion of an on time of the power switch to output a signal representative of a line input voltage of the power converter. The switching control is responsive to the sensor.
US08406001B2
An electronic housing is provided comprising a first cover assembly combinable with a second cover assembly to house or enclose a printed circuit board therebetween. Each cover assembly includes a cover and a frame, the cover attachable to the frame by bending portions of the cover thereabout. The cover is preferably stamped metal and the frame is preferably injection molded plastic. Each cover may include recesses such that, when the cover is bent around the frame, the cover bends at the recesses and closely engages the frame on multiple mating surfaces. The cover assemblies may be welded together, such as by ultrasonic welding, to form a complete package or housing, and may include intermittingly spaced shear weld features to improve bond strength therebetween. Methods of manufacturing and/or assembling electronic housings and cover assemblies are also provided.
US08405995B2
A semiconductor module mounted on a vehicle is disclosed. The semiconductor module includes a semiconductor element, a forced-cooling type cooler, and a heat mass. Heat generated in the semiconductor element is conducted to the cooler. The heat mass is joined onto the semiconductor element, so as to be thermally coupled to the semiconductor element. The heat mass is formed such that the thermal resistance of a part of the heat mass that corresponds to a high temperature part of the semiconductor element in a heat generating state is lower than the thermal resistance of a part of the heat mass that corresponds to a lower temperature part of the semiconductor element.
US08405991B2
A heat transfer element temperature variation system is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes: a heat transfer element configured to thermally couple to an insulating fluid within an electrical device; an ambient temperature sensor; and a control system coupled to the heat transfer element and the ambient temperature sensor, the control system for instructing the heat transfer element to adjust a temperature of the insulating fluid within the electrical device based upon a temperature indicator from the ambient temperature sensor.
US08405988B2
An electronic device includes an enclosure, a circuit board mounted in the enclosure, a fan received in the enclosure, a connection line electrically connected between the circuit board and the fan, and a collapsible cable management member. The connection line includes a first cable, and a first and a second connectors respectively connected to opposite ends of the first cable. The cable management member includes a number of fastening poles rotatably connected head-to-tail together. One extremity of the fastening pole of the cable management member is rotatably mounted to the first connector. The first cable is mounted lengthwise on the fastening poles to be collapsible with the cable management member. The second connector is electrically connected to the fan.
US08405983B2
A rackable server system includes a rack, a fan assembly mounted to a rear of the rack, and a number of server units slidably mounted in the rack. The fan assembly includes a frame defining a number of air passages, a number of door plates mounted to the frame and correspondingly arranged in the passages, and a number of fans fixed to a rear of the frame. The air passages are correspondingly aligned with the fans. The server units are correspondingly aligned with the air passages and resist against the door plates to pivot the door plates, thereby uncovering the air passages.
US08405982B2
Disclosed is a data center comprising a first row of equipment racks, a second row of equipment racks, a hot aisle defined by a space between the first row of equipment racks and the second row of equipment racks, and a track system above the hot aisle of the data center upon which cooling units may be mounted. Cooling units may be moved along the track system. The track system may include portions of track secured to the top sides of one or more cooling units. Also disclosed is a method for installing a cooling unit above a hot aisle of a data center including a plurality of equipment racks.
US08405978B2
According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes: a first housing; a second housing; and a connector. The first housing includes a first face and a first periphery portion provided along a periphery of the first face. The second housing includes a second face and a second periphery portion provided along a periphery of the second face and positioned near the first periphery portion. The connector includes a first portion connected to the first housing and a second portion connected to the second housing. The connector rotatably connects the first housing and the second housing with each other. The connector permits a change in a distance between the first portion and the second portion to prevent a change in a distance between the first periphery portion and the second periphery portion when the first housing and the second housing are rotated with respect to each other.
US08405973B2
The present invention provides a notebook cooling pad, fan seat, docking station, and/or card reading station combination device. The combination device enables a notebook cooling pad to be coupled with a cooling fan, a port, and/or a card reader. The combination device is characterized in that paired symmetric cooling pads can be combined with or separated from a fan seat, a docking station, and/or a card reading station for operational purpose, such that the compact combination device is characterized by multiple purposes, multiple functions, and multiple ways of use.
US08405970B2
A computer enclosure includes a case and a storage device module. The case includes a drive bracket. The storage device includes a supporting frame, an adapter board, and a number of data storage devices. The supporting frame includes an inserting portion inserted and fixed in the drive bracket, and a receiving portion exposed outside of the case and connected to the inserting portion. The adapter board is arranged in receiving portion. The data storage devices are vertically inserted in the receiving portion and communicate with the adapter board.
US08405964B2
A display includes a base, a display panel, and a rotation device for making the display panel horizontally rotate relative to the base. The rotation device includes a ratchet wheel movably connected to the base, a rod rotationally connected to the ratchet wheel, a pawl rotationally connected to the rod and engaging with the ratchet wheel, a first elastic member connected between the rod and the pawl for supplying a restoring force to the pawl, a second elastic member connected between the base and the rod for supplying a restoring force to the rod, a slide member slidedly connected to the rod for swinging the pendulum rod, and a third elastic member connected between the slide member and the base for supplying a restoring force to the slide member. The display panel is fixed on the ratchet wheel and rotates as the ratchet wheel is rotated.
US08405962B2
An electro-optical apparatus including a display module and a touch panel is provided. The display module includes a body, at least a first positioning element, and at least a second positioning element. The body has a display surface and a bottom surface opposite to the display surface. The first positioning element and the second positioning element are connected to the body. The first positioning element is disposed on a first side of the body and the second positioning element is disposed on a second side of the body that is adjacent to the first side. The first positioning element and the second positioning element protrude from the display surface in a direction away from the bottom surface. The touch panel is disposed on the display surface of the body, and edges of the touch panel abut against the first positioning element and the second positioning element.
US08405956B2
A wet electrolytic capacitor that includes a porous anode body that contains a dielectric layer formed by anodic oxidation; a cathode that includes a metal substrate coated with a conductive polymer; and an aqueous electrolyte disposed in contact with the cathode and the anode is provided. The electrolyte includes a salt of a weak organic acid and water. The electrolyte has a pH of from about 5.0 to about 8.0 and an ionic conductivity of from about 0.5 to about 80 milliSiemens per centimeter or more, determined at a temperature of 25° C.
US08405941B2
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device is provided. The ESD protection device includes a source region and a drain region. The source region is to be coupled to a low-level voltage. The drain region is disposed apart from the source region and includes a first P-type heavily doped region and at least one first N-type heavily doped region. The first P-type heavily doped region is configured to couple to a pad, and the first N-type heavily doped region is adjacent to the first P-type heavily doped region and floated. An electrostatic discharge protection apparatus is also disclosed herein.
US08405936B2
A power diverter has a first terminal for interposition between a signal input and a signal output. A MEMS switch is coupled to the first terminal and has a MEMS switch control input. A MEMS protection switch is coupled to the MEMS switch and has a protection switch control input. The switch control inputs are configured to receive control signals for selectively placing the power diverter in i) an ON state in which signal power at the signal input is diverted from the signal output via the MEMS switch and the MEMS protection switch, ii) an OFF state in which signal power at the signal input is not diverted from the signal output, and in which the MEMS switch mitigates an insertion loss and distortion imparted by the MEMS protection switch to a signal path between the signal input and the signal output, and iii) an intermediary state in which the MEMS protection switch reduces current flow through the MEMS switch.
US08405932B2
An apparatus includes a waveguide having an end adjacent to an air bearing surface, first and second poles positioned on opposite sides of the waveguide, and wherein 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.
US08405927B2
A low flying slider detector is disclosed. In one embodiment a surface is provided. In addition, a suspender is provided for receiving and flying a slider above the surface. A detector is also provided for detecting a low flying slider flying above the surface wherein the detector does not require measuring of the slider fly height to detect the low flying slider and wherein the detecting of the low flying slider is performed at least at a slider level of assembly.
US08405925B2
A method for randomizing data to mitigate false VFO detection is described. In one embodiment, such a method includes simultaneously receiving multiple input data streams. Each input data stream is associated with a different track on a magnetic tape medium. The input data streams are simultaneously scrambled to produce multiple randomized data streams. The input data streams are scrambled such that different bit patterns are produced in the randomized data streams even where corresponding bit patterns in the input data streams are identical. The randomized data streams are simultaneously written to their associated data tracks on the magnetic tape medium. A corresponding apparatus is also described.
US08405921B2
Disclosed herein are a piezo actuator and a lens actuating module using the piezo actuator. The lens actuating module includes a housing having an accommodating space. A lens barrel is accommodated in the accommodating space. A preload unit includes a locking part locked to the outer circumference of the lens barrel and preload parts extending from both edges of the locking part outwards relative to the lens barrel. A piezo actuator is interposed between the preload parts and supported at a side thereof by force of the preload parts, the side being bent and deformed inwards and outwards, thus applying force for actuating the lens barrel in a direction of an optical axis to the preload unit. The piezo actuator which is simple in structure and assembling process and has improved actuating reliability and the lens actuating module using the piezo actuator are achieved.
US08405919B2
An optical image lens assembly includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element and a fourth lens element. The first lens element with positive refractive power has a convex object-side surface. The second lens element has refractive power. The third lens element with refractive power is made of plastic material, wherein an object-side surface and an image-side surface of the third lens element are aspheric. The fourth lens element with negative refractive power is made of plastic material, and has a concave image-side surface, wherein an object-side surface and the image-side surface of the fourth lens element are aspheric, and the fourth lens element has at least one inflection point formed on at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface thereof.
US08405912B2
A reflection unit reflects an image indicated on an indicator and projects the image on a combiner to indicate a virtual image of the image at a position viewable for a user. A stepping motor rotates the reflection unit to move the virtual image continuously in a predetermined section of the combiner. A control unit controls a driving power of the stepping motor such that a smoothness parameter becomes less than a predetermined value. The smoothness parameter is defined by a division of a difference between the maximum speed of the virtual image and an average speed of the virtual image, when the virtual image moves continuously in the predetermined section, by the average speed.
US08405904B2
The invention relates to a device for superimposing an image in the beam path of an aiming optics, having an at least partially transparent optical support element which is arranged in the beam path of the aiming optics and has at least one diffractive optical coupling element and at least one diffractive optical decoupling element, the at least one diffractive optical coupling element leading light of the image to be superimposed, which light is incident on said coupling element and is to be coupled in, through the optical support element to the at least one diffractive optical decoupling element for the purpose of superimposition with the beam path. The image to be superimposed is imaged into the beam path of the aiming optics by the at least one diffractive optical coupling element and the least one diffractive optical decoupling element.
US08405895B2
An optical system is disclosed that includes a housing that has an interior, a reflective interior surface, and a first opening. The optical system further includes a spatial light modulator that is disposed proximate the first opening and a light source that is disposed within the interior of the housing. The spatial light modulator modulates the light that is emitted by the light source to form image rays. The optical system further includes a first light redirecting film that is disposed proximate the first opening between the spatial light modulator and the light source. The first light redirecting film recycles at least a portion of the light that is emitted by the light source. The optical system further includes an optically absorptive film that is disposed proximate the first opening between the spatial light modulator and the viewing position. The optically absorptive film receives the image rays from the spatial light modulator and displays the received image rays to the viewing position.
US08405889B2
An imaging apparatus includes an automatic document feeder having a media feeding section, a media collecting section and a media conveying path extending from the media feeding section to the media collecting section. The imaging apparatus includes a scan head adjacent to the automatic document feeder. The scan head is moveable to a raised position aligned with a portion of the media conveying path for scanning a media sheet in the portion of the media conveying path.
US08405885B2
Systems and methods for providing laser texturing of solid substrates are disclosed. The texturing may be used to provide grayscale images obtainable from substrates, which may include steel, aluminum, glass, and silicon. In some embodiments, images may be obtainable from the substrate by modifying the reflective, diffractive, and/or absorptive features of the substrate or the substrate surface by forming random, periodic, and/or semi-periodic micro-structure features on the substrate (or substrate surface) by an ultrafast laser pulse train. The ultrafast pulse train may be modulated in order to vary, for example, optical exposure time, pulse train intensity, laser polarization, laser wavelength, or a combination of the aforementioned. The ultrafast pulse train and the substrate may be scanned with respect to each other to provide different optical energies to different regions of the substrate (or substrate surface). In some embodiments, the image is provided by making one or more passes of the ultrafast laser pulse train relative to the substrate.
US08405880B1
Methods, algorithms, software, apparatuses and systems for processing image data for imaging devices having irregular scan paths (e.g., scan paths that deviate from a conventional horizontal and/or straight line). The irregular scan paths generally correspond to actual locations of a line of output from an image output device (e.g., a printer). The method generally includes steps of selecting one or more of the input pixels, correlating a location of the selected pixel with a location on an irregular scan path, and producing an adjusted pixel based on a value of the selected pixel, the location on the irregular scan path, and/or values of one or more pixels near the selected pixel.
US08405878B2
An image forming apparatus which provides a plurality of developers that have different densities for each color, and an image forming method thereof. The image forming method may include detecting a remaining amount of a first developer; and forming an image by expressing a gray scale of inputted data according to a multi-bit halftoning process using a second developer that is similar to the first developer in color and higher than the first developer in density if the remaining amount of the first developer is a preset value or less.
US08405875B2
A visibly-coded medication label and an associated method, apparatus and computer program product for providing a visibly-coded medication label are provided. A label having an attachment portion and an informational portion may be provided. The informational portion includes a plurality of regions having different visible indicia, such as different colors. Information may be imprinted upon the informational portion that is related to the medication with which the label is to be associated. At least one region that has visible indicia representative of the associated medication may be identified. At least one of the regions other than the region that has been identified to have visible indicia representative of the associated medication may then be overprinted and at least partially obscured. However, the region that has been identified to have visible indicia representative of the associated medication remains visible following the overprinting.
US08405872B2
A method and apparatus for generating a custom media template for printing by an image production device is disclosed and may include receiving a request to generate a custom print preview template, initiating a scan of the custom print preview template document, receiving the scanned custom print preview template, and storing the scanned custom print preview template. A method and apparatus for printing on custom media is also disclosed and may include receiving a request to print a print job, determining whether custom media is required, determining if a request for a print preview has been received, prompting the user to select one of the custom media templates from one or more custom media templates; receiving a custom media template selection presenting the document image on the selected custom media template in a print preview image, determining whether the print job is to be processed, and printing the print job.
US08405862B2
According to one embodiment, a printing managing apparatus includes a log memory, an allowed amount memory, a counting unit, a calculating unit, and an output unit. The log memory stores, in association with user identification information, information indicating a sheet printed by an image forming apparatus according to an instruction of a user or information indicating a sheet discarded by the user. The allowed amount memory stores allowed amounts of sheets usable by users. The counting unit counts the number of un-discarded sheets among sheets printed by a certain user stored by the log memory. The calculating unit calculates a usage ratio of sheets from the number of un-discarded sheets counted by the counting unit and the allowed amount of sheets for the user stored by the allowed amount memory. The output unit outputs information including the usage ratio of sheets calculated by the calculating unit.
US08405858B2
An information processor, which is configured to be connected communicably with an image reader, includes a display unit, an image receiver configured to receive image data from the image reader, a storage controller configured to store the received image data into a first storage area that is assigned to the storage controller, an acceptor configured to, in response to the storage controller storing the received image data into the first storage area, accept a display instruction to display the received image data, a transfer unit configured to, in response to the acceptor accepting the display instruction, transfer the received image data from the first storage area into a second storage area different from the first storage area, and a display controller configured to display, on the display unit, the received image data stored in the second storage area that is assigned to the display controller.
US08405849B2
A communication apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes an image data receiving unit which receives image data; a related data receiving unit which receives related data which relates to the image data; a data writing unit which writes the related data received by the related data receiving unit to a first storage unit; and a setting unit which is configured to set a write prohibition setting which prohibits writing of the related data to the first storage unit.
US08405848B2
A print system includes a digital camera serving as an information device for storing image data, order reception servers adapted for accepting a print order from a digital camera and connected to the digital camera over a network, and a registration center server for managing the information in an order reception server which can accept a print order from the digital camera. When the digital camera sets up communication with the order reception server, the digital camera inquires the URL of the order reception server of the registration center server over the network. The registration center server sends the URL of the order reception server which can accept a print order from the digital camera to the digital camera. The digital camera sets up communication with the order reception server of the URL acquired from the registration center server.
US08405839B2
A display apparatus displays an identification information element corresponding to an image currently displayed on a display unit in accordance with a first instruction from a user. In accordance with a second instruction from the user, the display apparatus causes a printing apparatus to perform printing based on an image data element corresponding to an identification information element selected by the user from among one or more identification information elements being displayed.
US08405838B2
An image processing device includes a processing part configured to process first image information so that second image information is generated; wherein the image information includes image data and reference information accompanying the image data; and the processing part correlates first reference information included in the first image information and second reference information included in the second image information, so that the first image information is processed and the second image information is generated.
US08405837B2
A system and method for daylight inspection of a surface, such as a railroad track, is disclosed. The disclosed system includes lasers, cameras, and a processor. The lasers are positioned adjacent the surface. The laser emits a beam of light across the surface at a combined intensity of at least 0.15 watts of intensity per inch of width of the surface, and the camera captures images of the surface having the beam of light emitted thereon. The camera includes a bandpass filter which passes only a band of light corresponding to a dip in solar radiation. The laser is selected to provide an emitted light beam which is more intense than the solar radiation at the dip. The processor formats the images so that they can be analyzed to determine various measurable aspects of the surface. The system and method includes one or more algorithms for determining these measurable aspects of the surface.
US08405833B2
Subject of the present application is a method to determine the satin-effect on metal plated substrates comprising the following steps: i) irradiate the sample with light, ii) detect the intensity distribution of the scattered light, iii) determine at least one of the following parameters:—the Aq value of the intensity distribution, wherein the Aq value represents the variance of the backscattered light angle (φi) multiplied with the device constant k and—the integrated intensity of the intensity distribution, iv) compare the at least one parameter to a target value.
US08405826B2
A method for the inspection of bottles or containers in a bottling or container filling plant and an apparatus for the inspection of bottles or containers. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading “Abstract of the Disclosure.” The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.
US08405825B2
A detector detects radiation from a mask to form an image, but the focal plane of the image is in front of the mask. Any particles arranged on the mask will be in focus. However, the pattern on the mask will be out of focus. It is therefore possible to detect the existence and location of particles on a mask having an arbitrary pattern. The depth of field of the detector is small and the focal plane is no further from the surface of the patterning device than two times the depth of field.
US08405819B2
In an all-wet immersion lithographic apparatus, the immersion liquid is allowed to flow off an edge of the substrate table. The immersion liquid is moved with the substrate table during exposure. The motion of the immersion liquid may result in a disturbance and/or de-wetting. A geometry of the substrate table is proposed that may reduce such a disturbance and/or de-wetting. The cross-sectional edge profile of the substrate table and/or the plan shape of the substrate table are considered.
US08405810B2
A liquid crystal display (LCD) includes: a gate line formed as a first conductive pattern; a common line formed as the first conductive pattern; a data line insulatedly crossing the gate line and the common line, and formed as a second conductive pattern; a thin film transistor (TFT) formed at a crossing of the gate line and the data line; a common electrode formed as a third conductive pattern, and connected with the common line; and a pixel electrode connected with the TFT and formed as the third conductive pattern to form a horizontal field together with the common electrode, wherein the third conductive pattern is formed as a dual-layer comprising a metal film and a low reflection film formed on the metal film.
US08405793B2
A backlight unit and a liquid crystal display device having the backlight unit are discussed. According to an embodiment, the backlight unit includes a frame including an opening, a light guide plate attached to the frame and formed larger than the opening, an adhesive member formed between the light guide plate and the frame, a colored light source providing colored light to the light guide plate, and a fluorescent excitation sheet formed on the light guide plate to emit colored light incident through the light guide plate as white light, wherein the adhesive member is disposed around lateral sides of the light guide plate.
US08405788B2
A thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) array substrate comprising a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of data lines and a plurality of common electrode lines. A plurality of pixel regions are formed by crossing of the plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines, a pixel electrode and a thin film transistor are provided for each pixel region, and one common electrode line is common to two vertically adjacent pixel regions.
US08405774B2
A synchronization signal control circuit according to embodiments includes a phase difference detecting section and a vertical synchronization correction control section. When a vertical synchronization period of an input video signal is within a compensation period range between a minimum vertical synchronization period and a maximum vertical synchronization period, the synchronization signal control circuit outputs a display vertical synchronization signal used for displaying the input video signal to a display section capable of providing a display based on the input video signal. The phase difference detecting section detects a phase difference between an input vertical synchronization signal based on the input video signal and the display vertical synchronization signal. The vertical synchronization correction control section corrects the cycle period of the display vertical synchronization signal within the compensation period range so as to reduce the phase difference.
US08405773B2
A multi-modal quality estimation unit (11) estimates a multi-modal quality value (23A) on the basis of an audio quality evaluation value (21A) and a video quality evaluation value (21). In addition, a delay quality degradation amount estimation unit (12) estimates a delay quality degradation amount (23B) on the basis of an audio delay time (22A) and a video delay time (22B). A video communication quality estimation unit (13) estimates a video communication quality value (24) on the basis of a multi-modal quality value (23A) and a delay quality degradation amount (23B).
US08405772B2
A method, apparatus and system for signal modulation. A plurality of pixels are selected in a pattern such that a first pixel group of the plurality of pixels is unpaired with a second pixel group of the plurality of pixels throughout the pattern in a portion of a video signal. The intensity of the plurality of the pixels is altered at a constant magnitude in the portion of the video signal pursuant to the pattern in a substantially invisible way.
US08405771B2
At the time of dividing an input frame into multiple subframes and performing frame rate conversion, a frame rate conversion apparatus detects the degree of motion of each region composed of one or more pixels in the input frame, and determines a spatial frequency for each region in the multiple subframes according to the detected degree of motion of the region. The conversion apparatus then converts each region in the multiple subframes to the determined spatial frequency, divides the input frame into those subframes whose regions have been converted, and outputs the subframes.
US08405767B2
A field pair correlation acquisition part obtains a correlation for six or more fields which are continuous in time series for each field pair formed of two adjacent fields having the same attribute. A first determination part determines an input image as a 2:2 pull-down image based on a determination condition, the determination condition being that a pattern in which the correlation of each of the field pairs of one attribute changes along with a time direction matches a pattern in which the correlation of each of the field pairs of the other attribute changes along with the time direction.
US08405764B2
On a drive ring, a first cam and a second cam are formed. The first cam engages with a slider when a light emitting unit is in a stored state. The second cam releases engagement between the slider and the first cam to engage with the slider when the light emitting unit in the stored state is brought into the in-use state by a manual operation. When the light emitting unit is moved from the stored state to the in-use state by the manual operation, a gap is formed between the light emitting unit that becomes the stored state and the slider so that the light emitting unit moves from the stored state to the first state with a state in which the slider is in engagement with the first cam without moving.
US08405761B2
An image sensing apparatus includes an image sensor on which image sensing pixels (R, G, B) and focus detecting pixels (S1, S2) are arrayed. The image sensor has first lines in each of which N (N is an integer equal to or more than 2) focus detecting pixels (S1, S2) are arranged, and second lines in each of which M (M is a natural number less than N) focus detecting pixels (S1, S2) are arranged. The first lines and the second lines are arranged periodically.
US08405759B2
According to the present invention, there is provided an imaging device, comprising: an imaging unit for receiving subject light flux, that has been made incident by the photographing lens, on an imaging surface, and photoelectrically converting a formed subject image to output image data; a display unit for carrying out a live view display operation using image data acquired by the imaging unit; a first contrast AF unit for obtaining contrast information of the subject information from image data acquired by the imaging unit and guiding the photographing lens into a first in-focus permissible range based on the contrast information, and a control unit for, when the live view display operation has started, executing a focus adjustment operation using the first contrast AF unit at a first time interval.
US08405758B2
A lens barrel is a lens barrel that can be mounted to a camera body, including a lens element, a lens support frame, an actuator, an electrical contact, and an electrical substrate. The lens support frame supports the lens element. The actuator is arranged to drive the lens support frame in an optical direction of the lens element, and includes a drive shaft and a detector configured to detect rotation of the drive shaft. The electrical contact is disposed on the opposite side from the actuator with respect to the lens element when viewed in the optical axis direction parallel to the optical axis of the lens element, and is configured to be electrically connected with the camera body. The electrical substrate is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the lens element and cut out at a portion corresponding to the actuator when viewed in the optical axis direction.
US08405752B2
An electronic device includes a three-dimensional display device having a two-dimensionally arranged plurality of three-dimensional display elements each including a rod and an actuator which causes the rod to move vertically, a storage device which has a three-dimensional form of a desired switch stored therein, and a three-dimensional display control device which separately controls heights of the rods via the actuators of the plurality of three-dimensional display elements based on the three-dimensional form of the switch stored in the storage device and deforms an upper surface of the three-dimensional display device to match the three-dimensional form of the switch.
US08405744B2
An image capturing apparatus includes an image-capturing device having an effective pixel area formed of a plurality of areas, the areas having different dark current characteristics. The image-capturing device also includes a light-shielded pixel area, a storage unit configured to prestore a correlation between dark current differences of the plurality of areas and dark current of the light-shielded pixel area, a detector, a dark current difference obtaining unit, and a correction processor. The dark current differences are obtained from the dark current of the light-shielded pixel area detected during image capture on the basis of the stored correlation, and a video signal captured in the effective pixel area is corrected based on the obtained dark current differences.
US08405743B2
An image-data processing apparatus includes a writer which writes image data into a memory according to a non-interlaced-scanning or an interlaced-scanning of each N line. An updater updates a cumulative zoom coefficient by accumulating, for each line, a decimal portion of the cumulative zoom coefficient to a first numerical value corresponding to the zoom coefficient. An accumulator accumulates, for each line, a second numerical value corresponding to an integer portion of the cumulative zoom coefficient. A reader reads out image data in a line corresponding to an accumulated value of the accumulator. A first setter sets N-times the zoom coefficient to the first numerical value in the non-interlaced-scanning, and sets the zoom coefficient to the first numerical value in the interlaced-scanning. A second setter sets an integer portion to the second numerical value in the non-interlaced-scanning, and sets N-times the integer portion to the second numerical value in the interlaced-scanning.
US08405742B2
Processing images of a scene taken with different focus includes, for each of at least some of the images, determining at least one portion of the image having a predetermined characteristic. A representation of the scene is generated that includes an array of elements, where each of at least some of the elements corresponds to a determined portion of at least one of the images. An element of the array is based on a correspondence between a distance associated with a determined portion of at least one image and a focused distance associated with at least one image. The generated representation is stored or provided as output.
US08405741B2
A zoom adjustment system, comprising a touch panel, a course detector, and a first zoom adjuster, is provided. The touch panel has an input surface. The touch panel detects a certain location on the input surface when it is touched. The touch panel detects a touched location. The course detector detects a course traced on the input surface by the touched location when the touched location is moved about on the input surface while maintaining continuous contact with the input surface. The first zoom adjuster adjusts a magnification of a photographic optical system according to the traced course detected by the course detector.
US08405738B2
An image pickup apparatus is configured to include an image pickup possibility determination unit to permit a pickup of an image at an exposure when a shutter speed corresponding to that exposure is determined to be equal to or higher than a threshold value, an image pickup setting unit to set the number of images to be picked up at the exposure at which image pickup has been permitted in such a manner that the total number of images that have to be picked up to generate an image signal having a wide dynamic range using image signals obtained at the exposure at which image pickup has been permitted is minimum, a serial image pickup control unit to obtain the number of images set, and an image signal synthesis unit to synthesize the plurality of image signals obtained so as to generate an image signal having a wide dynamic range.
US08405737B2
A lens unit according to the present invention includes: a barrel, which has first and second openings and an inner space defined along a center axis between the first and second openings; and lenses held in the inner space. In each pair of adjacent lenses, when projected parallel to their optical axis, one lens located closer to the second opening has a greater projection than the other lens located closer to the first opening. The barrel has inner side surface portions, which are arranged parallel to the center axis to define cross sections corresponding to the respective projections of the lenses. In each pair of adjacent inner side surface portions, one portion located closer to the second opening has a greater cross section than the other portion located closer to the first opening. The barrel has main grooves cut on the inner side surface portions to run from the first opening toward the second opening. Each of the lens units is bonded to an associated inner side surface portion with an adhesive that fills at least partially the main grooves on the inner side surface portion.
US08405736B2
Techniques for reducing the amount of time a camera device requires to automatically adjust focus and/or exposure settings prior to image capture are described. As disclosed, sensor data is used to identify the camera device's orientation. Once known, face detection operations are performed for only that orientation thereby dramatically reducing the amount of processing time required to perform the face detection. The result of the face detection operations may be used to automatically adjust the image capture device's focus and/or exposure.
US08405735B2
Application is found to, for example, a video camera with recording means united therewith. On the basis of image recognition results, in accordance with the timing of detection of images of specified pattern in specified sequence, high-speed writing of imaging results in memory is completed and the imaging results stored in the memory is saved in a recording medium.
US08405723B2
A method and system for maintaining the line of sight of an airborne camera fixed on a target by compensating for overflight velocity of the aircraft. The compensation system automatically commands an angular velocity of the line of sight to maintain the camera pointing at the target being overflown. This angular velocity of the line of sight is computed based upon the aircraft overflight velocity and upon a vector from the aircraft to the target. This automatic compensation for aircraft overflight velocity causes the line of sight to remain fixed upon the target. The compensation system drives a gimbal system upon which the camera is mounted to perform this compensation automatically.
US08405722B2
Methods and systems for describing and organizing image data. An analysis system includes a sensor, a processing unit, a machine, a database, and/or a display. The analysis system is connected to an electronic device. The sensor generates sensor data which is imported by the processing unit. The processing unit analyzes the sensor data to determine features of the sensor data such as the subject, the time, the location, the object, the event, and/or the action in the sensor data. The processing unit creates entries for the sensor data in a features index. The processing unit receives a query for an item and uses the features index to determine search results including the item, such as a location and a time of the item. The processing unit can also determine whether a machine has completed its mission using the features in the sensor data.
US08405711B2
A method is provided for characterizing manufacturing variations in a camera and imperfections in its operating environment to allow images captured by the camera to be compensated for these defects. In one embodiment, a method for characterizing a camera includes: (a) illuminating a field of view of the optical elements under a controlled condition; (b) exposing multiple images onto the image sensor under the controlled condition; (c) extracting parameter values of a model for the image provided on the image sensor from the multiple images; and (d) compensating images taken subsequently in the camera using the parameter values. The objects in the field of view may have a predetermined color, contrast or pattern. In one instance, the controlled condition includes an external light source for illuminating the field of view, and the image sensor is sensitive to a plurality of color components. The field of view may be illuminated at a predetermined light intensity for each of the color components. The camera may include an archival memory for storing the images taken. Alternatively, the camera may include a transmitter for sending images taken to an external depository. The camera may also be associated with an identification, and the transmitter sends the images together with the identification to identify the images sent.
US08405709B2
An image processing apparatus includes a determining unit, a converter, and a display unit. The determining unit receives image data for three-dimensional display as input, and determines the three-dimensional display format corresponding to the input data. The converter converts the input data in accordance with the determination results from the determining unit. The display unit displays the converted results from the converter.
US08405700B2
An exposure head includes a light emitting element and a imaging optical system having a first region and a second region and contrived such that a slope of a long dimension of a spot diagram formed by light emitted from the light emitting element that passes through the first region is different from a slope of a long dimension of a spot diagram formed by light emitted from the light emitting element that passes through the second region.
US08405696B2
A printing sheet reusability determination device includes a sheet carrying path that carries a second state sheet obtained by erasing an erasable image from a first state sheet on which the erasable image is printed, an imaging portion that images the second state sheet on the sheet carrying path, an illumination portion that illuminates the second state sheet on the sheet carrying path at a first irradiation angle when images remaining on the second state sheet are photographed, and at a second irradiation angle smaller than the first irradiation angle when a projected image generated by illuminating the second state sheet is photographed, an irradiation angle changing portion that changes the first irradiation angle and the second irradiation angle, and a reusability determination portion that determines whether or not to reuse the second state sheet based on imaging information obtained by the imaging of the imaging portion at the first irradiation angle and determines whether or not to reuse the second state sheet based on imaging information obtained by the imaging of the imaging portion at the second irradiation angle.
US08405694B2
While a dye sublimation printer prints data on a sheet, a thermal print unit is heated with a plurality of discrete heat times and a plurality of discrete cooling times. Therefore, under the condition that the thermal print unit accurately prints a target color level, degradation of printing performance caused by continuous heating of the thermal print unit is prevented.
US08405693B2
A transport apparatus for flat materials which are to be printed has a number of spacer pieces which lie axially parallel with respect to one another and are disposed at two ends of a bearing plate of a roller carrier between a first and a second shaped part plate. The bearing plate is equipped with a pull rod for the defined deflection of the roller carrier with corresponding loading of the bearing plate by a mechanical tensile stress which is exerted by the pull rod, and is also equipped with a stressing and setting device, by way of which the tensile stress can be set, which is transmitted through stressing device to the two ends of the bearing plate.
US08405692B2
A transflective display panel substantially comprises a plurality of a sub-pixel grouping substantially comprising a plurality of at least first and second color sub-pixels. The plurality of the sub-pixel grouping forms an array across said display panel in a plurality of rows and columns. The first color sub-pixel is a substantially dark color sub-pixel disposed in the plurality of the sub-pixel grouping across said display panel so as to form a substantially vertical line down said display. Each sub-pixel further comprises an optical via, and the optical vias are formed in non-uniform positions upon said dark color sub-pixels.
US08405684B2
A drive circuit of a carbon nanotube display (CNDP) used to drive at least a pixel of a CNDP is provided, having an output stage and a calibration device. The output stage is coupled to the pixel and controlled by a pixel signal to switch the pixel between a high voltage and a low voltage. The calibration device is coupled between the output stage and the pixel and controlled by a bias to calibrate the equivalent resistance of the calibration device and further calibrate the brightness of the pixel.
US08405682B2
A mobile communication device having a touch screen, a detector and a controller is provided. The touch screen is adapted for displaying and entering data. The detector is configured to detect a trace drawn and entered on the touch screen. The controller is configured to scale up and to scale down data displayed on the touch screen depending on a direction of the trace.
US08405679B2
A system for alpha blending at least a portion of an image of a window with a background image, where the image of the window is captured by an alpha blender and blended together with an image of the background also captured by the alpha blender. The resulting alpha-blended image is then displayed within the window to give at least a portion of the window the appearance of smooth, anti-aliased edges.
US08405676B2
A method for determining interior coordinates is disclosed. The method includes receiving information specifying an object having a plurality of sites and a boundary. Interior coordinates associated with each of the plurality of sites are determined based on the boundary. The interior coordinate associated with each of the plurality of sites represent a system of coordinates that satisfy several properties, including non-negativity and interior locality. At least one value associated with the plurality of sites is then interpolated using the interior coordinates.
US08405673B2
An appropriate color matching can be realized, even if a viewing environment is changed, by acquiring a viewing condition under which a user views a color image, generating output data for outputting a color chart including color patches corresponding to acquired viewing condition, acquiring colorimetric values of the color patches contained in the color chart obtained by outputting the generated output data using an output device, and generating a profile concerning color processing condition according to the viewing condition based on acquired colorimetric values.
US08405671B2
A color controller for a luminaire constituted of: a thru-converter operative to convert an input signal to at least one luminaire drive signal; an illumination sampler arranged to sample an output from the luminaire and generate a representation thereof; and a feedback controller arranged to receive the output representation and generate the updatable conversion factor in cooperation with calibration luminance and color values, wherein the thru-converter operation is responsive to a trigger signal for defining a first and a second mode, the first mode for generating the luminaire drive signal for the luminaire responsive to the input signal being a frame luminance signal and target color signals and wherein the conversion to the at least one luminaire drive signal is responsive to an updatable conversion factor, and the second mode for generating the luminaire drive signal for the luminaire responsive to the feedback controller.
US08405665B2
A processing unit includes multiple execution pipelines, each of which is coupled to a first input section for receiving input data for pixel processing and a second input section for receiving input data for vertex processing and to a first output section for storing processed pixel data and a second output section for storing processed vertex data. The processed vertex data is rasterized and scan converted into pixel data that is used as the input data for pixel processing. The processed pixel data is output to a raster analyzer.
US08405663B2
There is described a mobile device comprising a display screen for displaying an image of a clock having a resolution of at least a first digit representing a tenth of a second and a second digit representing a hundredth of a second; and a processor having an internal clock, the processor adapted to update at least the first digit of the image of the clock on the display screen with true elapsed time, and to update the second digit with a non-true number.
US08405655B2
A system is provided for creating a modified analytical model from an existing analytical model and CAD data (geometric model data) of the modified model to reduce the workload in creating geometric and analytical models. The system includes means for reading a geometric model and an analytical model which are to be modified; means for storing correlation data showing relations between geometric elements of the object geometric model and nodes of the object analytical model; means for modifying the object analytical model to create a modified analytical model; and means for extracting geometric elements of the object geometric model which do not include the nodes in the modified object analytical model related to the object geometric model's geometric elements extracted from the correlation data and performing geometric fitting so as to fit the extracted geometric elements to the nodes to create a modified object geometric model from the modified analytical model.
US08405654B2
Methods and systems for providing three dimensional graphics to remote computing machines and appliances that include an agent executing on a local computing machine to intercept a plurality of graphics commands generated by a three dimensional application executing on a local computing machine. A first portion of the plurality of graphics commands are encoded by the agent using a first codec, while a second portion of the plurality of graphics commands are encoded by the agent using a second codec. The agent creates a frame comprising the first portion and the second portion of the plurality of graphics commands, compresses the frame, and transmits the frame to a remote computing machine.
US08405653B1
A three-dimensional data set is accessed. A two-dimensional plane is defined that intersects a space defined by the three-dimensional data set. The two-dimensional plane defines a two-dimensional data set within the three-dimensional data set and divides the three-dimensional data set into first and second subsets. A three-dimensional view based on the three-dimensional data set is rendered on such that at least a portion of the first subset of the three-dimensional data set is removed and at least a portion of the two-dimensional data set is displayed. A two-dimensional view of a first subset of the two-dimensional data set also is rendered. Controls are provided that enable visual navigation through the three-dimensional data set by engaging points on the multi-touch display device that correspond to either the three-dimensional view based on the three-dimensional data set and/or the two-dimensional view of the first subset of the two-dimensional data set.
US08405647B2
The present invention is directed to an image information detecting device that detects image light, and includes an image information detecting member that includes a detection surface having a light receiving sensor that detects image light, and a pressing member that is connected at one end thereof to the image information detecting member, and is provided so as to protrude from an other surface side which is opposite to the detection surface side.
US08405646B2
A display panel including an active device array substrate, an opposite substrate and a display medium is provided. The active device array substrate includes a substrate, scan lines, data lines, pixel units, and data signal transmission lines. The scan lines and data lines define a plurality of pixel regions on the substrate. Each pixel unit is disposed within one of the pixel regions respectively, and each pixel unit includes a plurality of sub-pixel units. The sub-pixel units within the same pixel unit are electrically connected with the same data line, and each sub-pixel unit within the same pixel unit is electrically connected with one of the scan lines respectively. Each data signal transmission line is electrically connected with one of the data lines, and an extending direction of the data signal transmission line is substantially parallel with an extending direction of the scan lines.
US08405643B2
A stylus comprises a housing, a stylus body, a latching element and a shell. The housing has a receptacle defined therethrough. The stylus body is accommodated in the receptacle and located at one end of the housing. The stylus body has two opposite arms located at one end thereof, each arm has a protrusion protruding therefrom. The latching element is mounted in the receptacle and is located at another end of the housing opposite to the stylus body. The latching element has two opposite latching cantilever and each cantilever having a rib protruding therefrom. The shell is slidably accommodated in the receptacle and has two opposite latching slots defined therein. The latching slots latch with the protrusions to hold the stylus in a retracted state, and the latching slots latch with the ribs to hold the stylus in an extended state.
US08405637B2
An optical position sensing system includes a bezel surrounding a display, a position sensor assembly, and a processor for calculating touch locations. Prismatic film may be applied to the bezel. Each optical position sensor assembly includes a body. A lens holder holds an imaging window on a first side and a single element aspherical lens on a second side. The imaging window has an inside face shaped to form a shallow convex surface. The lens holder is mounted to a front face of the body such that the lens is aligned with an opening in the body. An optical sensor is mounted to a rear face of the body and aligned with the opening. A radiation source is positioned within the body above the lens holder and behind an illumination window. A light path separator is positioned between the illumination window and the imaging window.
US08405631B2
A light sensitive screen includes at least one sensing element each being configured to detect a force applied to a position of the light sensitive screen and generate an electrical signal when a force is detected, and a sensor module configured to receive and process the electrical signal from the at least one sensing element. The sensor module may amplify the electrical signal from one of the at least one sensing element and generate an amplified signal, compare the amplified signal with a threshold and generate a comparing result, and generate a digital signal based on the comparing result, the digital signal including information as to whether the position of the light sensitive screen is touched.
US08405629B2
A touch sensor configuration contains an optically transparent substrate, at least one optically transparent touch sensor element formed on the substrate and has at least one electrically conductive, transparent layer, and at least one contacting structure for the electrical contacting of the electrically conductive, transparent layer. The contacting structure has in direct contact with the electrically conductive, transparent layer at least one layer of MoxTay with 0.02≦y≦0.15.
US08405622B2
A touch screen may include pixel elements formed in a display substrate that are spaced from one another by an element spacing. A plurality of capacitance sense pads may be formed from a same conductive transparent layer in an array over the display substrate. Each sense pad may be separated from an adjacent sense pad by a pad spacing aligned within element spacing for a uniform light path for the pixel elements.
US08405621B2
In some embodiments, an electronic device with a touch interface detects one or more user gestures that correspond to instructions to vary the playback speed of a media file that is being played on the device. In response, the device initiates a variable rate scan through the media file, forward or backward. The touch interface can be a touch screen or touch pad.
US08405617B2
A method and system for managing power in a computer system is disclosed. In one embodiment the method includes providing output signals from a sensor panel to a controller, wherein the controller includes a data bus and a plurality of devices communicatively coupled to the data bus; monitoring an activity level on the data bus by monitoring bus access requests by one or more of the plurality of devices; and reducing or shutting off a bus clock frequency if there is reduced or no activity on the bus for a predetermined period of time.
US08405608B2
A sensor, such as, for example, a gravity-responsive sensor, provides an output used to select an orientation of a display of a display device. For example, the output may indicate that the orientation of the display should comprise a portrait or landscape orientation, an orientation rotated, such as, for example, ninety degrees (90°), one hundred and eighty degrees (180°), two hundred and seventy degrees (270°), or the like. In addition, one or more manual switches, buttons, or display icons may be actuated or otherwise selected to manually set the orientation of the display.
US08405603B2
A computing device that includes a host processor and a service processor is provided. The host processor is configured to interact with a first user interface. For example, the host processor may be a microprocessor for the device and the first user interface may be a display device. A service processor is provided and can interact with a second user interface. In some cases, the service processor may interact with the second user interface without communicating with the host processor. Accordingly, the service processor can perform functions without relying on the host processor. Using the service processor conserves processing power and also may allow the reduction in size of the device as the service processor may perform the functions previously performed by discrete hardware and the host processor.
US08405600B2
A method for reducing temperature-caused degradation of the performance of a digital reader comprising pixels, the method including positioning at least one sheet of compressed particles of exfoliated graphite adjacent to a plurality of the pixels of the digital reader.
US08405596B2
The display device includes first and second gate driver circuits. Each gate driver circuit including a shift register and a plurality of amplifier circuits connected to one end of a gate line. The first and second gate driver circuits respectively have only a first and a second non-complementary switch provided in a last stage of their amplifier circuits, where at least one of the first and second switches is an NMOS switch or a PMOS switch. As a result, a display device is provided, which has driver circuits arranged in a well-balanced manner to achieve a left-right symmetrical display area.
US08405593B2
An LCD device includes a plurality of data lines, a plurality gate lines, a pixel matrix, and a source driver. The pixel matrix includes an mth pixel column and an (m+1)th pixel column. The odd-numbered pixels of the mth pixel column are coupled to an mth data line and corresponding odd-numbered gate lines. The even-numbered pixels of the mth pixel column is coupled to an (m+1)th data line and corresponding even-numbered gate lines. The odd-numbered pixels of the (m+1)th pixel column is coupled to the (m+1)th data line and corresponding odd-numbered gate lines. The even-numbered pixels of the (m+1)th pixel column is coupled to an (m+2)th data line and corresponding even-numbered gate lines. The gate driver outputs the data driving signals having a first polarity to the odd-numbered data lines, and outputs the data driving signals having a second polarity to the even-numbered data lines.
US08405574B1
Systems and methods for a facemask wearer to view high resolution, high data content, color imagery are provided. A display using organic light emitting diode (OLED) micro-displays provides 800×600 color pixel resolution at 60 Hz. The OLED micro-displays allow for powering the system through a standard Universal Serial Bus (USB) port connected to a compatible sensor system that provides the required power and standard display signal to the OLED display. The display is held away from the user's field of view by a quick release facemask attachment bracket. The bracket can provide for flipping the display up and down, swiveling the display, or rotating the display with one hand. When needed, the display can be flipped down, such that the display is in contact with the facemask faceplate, enabling clear, focused images even in zero visibility water.
US08405561B2
Multifunctional structures and methods of manufacturing multifunctional structures which function as both electronic devices and load-bearing elements are disclosed. The load-bearing elements are designed to have electronic functionality using electronics designed to be load-bearing. The method of manufacturing the multifunctional structure comprises forming an electronic element directly on at least one ply of arbitrarily shaped load-bearing material using conventional lithographic techniques and/or direct write fabrication techniques, and assembling at least two plies of arbitrarily shaped load-bearing material into a multifunctional structure. The multifunctional structure may be part of an aerospace structure, part of a land vehicle, part of a watercraft or part of a spacecraft.
US08405557B2
An antenna for a portable electronic device includes a feeding end, a grounding end; and a radiating body. The radiating body includes two symmetrical radiating units respectively connected to the feeding end and the grounding end. Each radiating unit includes a first radiating part, a second radiating part connected to the first radiating part and a third radiating part connected to the second radiating part and surrounded by the first and second radiating parts.
US08405552B2
A multi-resonant broadband antenna constructed with a dielectric substrate; a fractal radiation element having a predetermined fractal grid structure adhered on an upper surface of the dielectric substrate. A feed line adhered on the upper surface of the dielectric substrate feeds the fractal radiation element, and a ground plane positioned on a lower surface of the dielectric substrate opposite to the feed line, is physically separated by the dielectric substrate from the feed line.
US08405546B1
A receiver for receiving both GPS signals and GLONASS signals is provided. This receiver includes an analog front end (AFE), a GPS digital front end (DFE) and a GLONASS DFE for receiving an output of the AFE, and a dual mode interface (DMI) for receiving outputs of the GPS and GLONASS DFEs. Search engines are provided for receiving outputs of the DMI. Notably, certain front-end components of the AFE are configured to process both the GPS signals and the GLONASS signals.
US08405545B2
A radar device includes an antenna for acquiring data, an image memory including pixel data groups each arranged in a rectangular coordinate system, for converting the acquired data in a polar coordinate system into pixel data in the rectangular coordinate system and storing the pixel data, a data write module for writing the pixel data in the memory such that, when image data is stored in a display mode, pixel blocks each including M×N pixel data are arranged on the same line in the memory, a scanning direction setting module for setting a raster-scan direction, and a data reading module for reading out the image data by reading out the pixel data arranged on the same line in the image memory according to the raster-scan direction.
US08405535B1
Circuits, methods, and systems for implementing an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) in an Integrated Circuit (IC) are provided. An IC includes an analog modulator, a digital filter coupled to the analog modulator, and a decimator coupled to the digital filter. The analog modulator includes one or more discrete integrators and a feedback path. A first discrete integrator from the one or more discrete integrators is operable to receive an analog input of the ADC. The feedback path couples an output of the analog modulator to at least one of the one or more discrete integrators. Further, the decimator is operable to produce the output of the ADC, and the IC is operable to receive an IC configuration file that specifies how the discrete integrators are connected in the analog modulator, parameters of the digital filter, and parameters of the decimator.
US08405534B2
There is provided a two-wire transmitter capable of obtaining a signal reflecting a continuous change in a sensor signal, and in addition, facilitating a configuration or processing in a subsequent stage. The two-wire transmitter that outputs an analog voltage signal V3 based upon a sensor signal V1 to a transmission line N1 includes: an intermediate potential generation circuit (100) for generating an intermediate potential between the transmission line N1 and a transmission line N2; an operational amplifier (101) to which the sensor signal V1 and a feedback signal V2 are supplied; and a current source (102) for generating a current I3 flowing from the transmission line N1 to the transmission line N2, based upon a control signal output from the operational amplifier (101). In this situation, the control signal controls the operational amplifier (101) to equalize the sensor signal V1 and the feedback signal V2.
US08405502B2
A communication gateway wristband serves as a source of patient identification and as an interface between a personal area network (PAN) of miniaturized electronic medical sensors on a patient and a wireless wide-area network (WWAN) such as a hospital network. The gateway wristband includes a PAN transceiver which can establish wireless data links with wireless medical sensors, a WWAN transceiver which can establish a wireless data link with WWAN infrastructure, a memory which stores a patient identifier, and a processor which receives data via the PAN transceiver and relays the patient identifier and the received data to an external network via the WWAN transceiver. The processor manages communications with both the PAN and WWAN transceivers, stores received sensor data in memory, and translates data from the PAN protocol to the WWAN protocol so that sensor data is relayed to the hospital infrastructure.
US08405501B2
A geographical alert system creates an alert for a user-defined geographical area, detects a change to a feature stored in a map-related database, identifies whether the changed feature falls within the user-defined geographical area, and sends a notification to a user when the changed feature of the map-related database falls within the user-defined geographical area.
US08405498B1
An automated vehicle crash warning system may include a lighting system configured to be attached to the outside of the vehicle; a vehicle crash detector configured to detect a crash of the vehicle; and a light controller configured to cause the lighting system to illuminate when a crash of the vehicle is detected by the vehicle crash detector.
US08405497B2
An alarm device for a clutch that issues an alarm indicating a lifetime expiration of the clutch that selectively connects and disconnects an input shaft to and from an output shaft, includes: a slip heat release threshold setting unit 104 that establishes a threshold criteria as to a clutch damage or the clutch lifetime, in a form of a relation between a heat release generated in a clutch slip operation and a frequency of the heat release occurrences; and a slip heat release calculator 105 that calculates the heat release during the clutch operation, based on a hydraulic oil pressure in an actual clutch operation and a relative circumferential speed between input and output shafts, the alarm device 11 issues the alarm based on the calculation result through the slip heat release calculating means 105 and the slip heat release threshold setting means 104.
US08405492B2
An in-vehicle wireless terminal is disclosed. The in-vehicle wireless terminal includes a disconnection detection section for detecting whether an antenna is disconnected, and a determination section for determining whether the vehicle is located within a predetermined distance from a wireless base station. The in-vehicle wireless terminal further includes a control section configured to set transmission power to a maximum value to perform data transmission to the wireless base station if the disconnection detection section detects that the antenna is disconnected and if the determination section determines that the vehicle is located within the predetermined distance from the wireless base station.
US08405490B2
A system for wireless operation includes a receiver and a mobile remote control unit having an acceleration sensor and a control unit. The mobile remote control unit is operable to wirelessly transmit control signals to the receiver. The control unit is operable to receive and evaluate measurement signals of the acceleration sensor, determine a connection quality between the mobile remote control unit and the receiver, and block the transmission of at least some of the control signals when a decision criterion determined by the measurement signals of the acceleration sensor and the connection quality is exceeded.
US08405487B2
A method of storing sensor data in a sensor tag is provided. The method comprises receiving new sensor data output from a sensor, comparing the received new sensor data with immediately previous sensor data to determine whether the comparison result satisfies a predetermined criterion, and storing the new sensor data in a tag memory when it is determined that the criterion is satisfied. Accordingly, efficient use of the tag memory is possible.
US08405480B2
An electrical assembly is provided. The electrical assembly includes a ring having at least two annular segments. Each annular segment includes a first portion and a second portion. The second portion tapers from the first portion toward an end of the second portion to define a circumferential cross-sectional area of the ring that is substantially constant along a radius of the electrical assembly. At least one winding is coupled about the ring.
US08405477B2
This invention relates to methods and devices for propulsion through a fluid, in particular at low Reynolds number. We describe a method of propelling one of a magnetic device and a fluid relative to the other, the magnetic device comprising a pair of magnetic moments linked by an elastic coupling element, one of said moments having a greater resistance to a change in orientation due to an external applied magnetic field than the other, the method comprising applying an elliptical or ellipsoidal rotating magnetic field to the device to cause a change in mutual attraction or repulsion between said magnetic moments to thereby change a physical configuration of said device, propelling said device relative to said fluid.
US08405474B2
A piezoelectric vibration piece includes a base made of a piezoelectric material; a plurality of vibration arms which is integrally formed with the base and extends in parallel; elongate grooves which are formed along longitudinal directions of the vibration arms; and excitation electrodes which include inner electrodes disposed in the elongate grooves and side electrodes disposed in side surfaces facing the inner electrodes, wherein widening portions in which the widths of the vibration arms are widened toward the base at a joint between the vibration arms of the base are formed, and the side electrodes are led to principal surfaces and side surfaces of the widening portions.
US08405456B2
A power supply system includes a high-speed power supply providing a first output, operating in conjunction with an externally supplied DC source or low frequency power supply which provides a second output. A frequency blocking power combiner circuit combines the first and second outputs to generate a third output in order to drive a load, while providing frequency-selective isolation between the first and second outputs. A feedback circuit coupled to the combined, third output compares this combined, third output with a predetermined control signal and generates a control signal for controlling the high-speed power supply, based on a difference between the third output and the predetermined control signal. The feedback circuit does not control the DC source or the low frequency power supply, but controls only the high-speed power supply.
US08405449B2
A high-voltage MEMS biasing network. The network has a reset mode wherein a capacitive sensor is charged, and a functional mode wherein the MEMS biasing network provides a high impedance between the capacitive sensor and a bias voltage source. The network includes a biasing circuit, a mirror circuit, and a control circuit. The biasing circuit and the mirror circuit have a charging state and a high impedance state. The control circuit includes a first branch that controls the biasing circuit and a second branch that controls the mirror circuit. The biasing network receives a logic control signal, the first branch puts the biasing circuit into the charging state when the logic control signal is a first logic signal, and puts the biasing circuit into the high impedance state when the logic control signal is a second logic signal.
US08405448B2
An apparatus for programming a fuse includes a programmable branch comprising a fusable element and a reverse-biased diode connected in series. The programmable branch is connected in parallel with a current boost capacitor. An electrical source or input supplies a current that is sufficient to charge the current boost capacitor to a breakdown voltage of the reverse-biased diode and subsequently melt the reverse-biased diode. Melting the reverse-biased diode may induce a reduction in voltage across the current boost capacitor and result in a current surge through the programmable branch that is sufficient to program (i.e. blow) the fusable element. A corresponding method for programming a fuse is also disclosed.
US08405447B2
A combined bandgap generator and temperature sensor for an integrated circuit is disclosed. Embodiments of the invention recognize that bandgap generators typically contain at least one temperature-sensitive element for the purpose of cancelling temperature sensitivity out of the reference voltage the bandgap generator produces. Accordingly, this same temperature-sensitive element is used in accordance with the invention as the means for indicating the temperature of the integrated circuit, without the need to fabricate a temperature sensor separate and apart from the bandgap generator. Specifically, in one embodiment, a voltage across a temperature-sensitive junction from a bandgap generator is assessed in a temperature conversion stage portion of the combined bandgap generator and temperature sensor circuit. Assessment of this voltage can be used to produce a voltage- or current-based output indicative of the temperature of the integrated circuit, which output can be binary or analog in nature.
US08405441B2
A latch circuit includes an output driver electrically coupled with a circuit. The circuit is electrically coupled with the output driver through a first path and a second path. The circuit is configured to receive a data signal. The circuit is configured to divert a signal of the output driver through the first path at a falling edge of the data signal. The circuit is configured to divert the signal of the output driver through the second path at a rising edge of the data signal.
US08405438B2
In a semiconductor circuit, a high frequency level detecting unit detects a level of a high frequency component adjusted with a first adjusting unit, and a first control unit controls a first gain of the adjusting unit according to the level of the high frequency component thus detected. Further, a low frequency level detecting unit detects a level of a low frequency component adjusted with a second adjusting unit. A second control unit controls a second gain according to the level of the high frequency component and the level of the low frequency component thus adjusted, so that a difference between the level of the high frequency component adjusted with the first adjusting unit and the level of the low frequency component adjusted with the second adjusting unit becomes smaller than a specific level determined in advance.
US08405437B2
A synchronization circuit includes a delay line, and a first loop and a second loop configured to share the delay line, and the second loop is activated when a number of unit delay cells used in the delay line is equal to or less than a predetermined number according to an operation of the first loop.
US08405436B2
A multi-phase clock generator including a first delay locked loop, a reference signal generator and a second delay locked loop is provided. The first delay locked loop generates 2N phase clock signals according to an input clock signal, so as to equally divide a clock period of the input clock signal into 2N predetermined phases, where N is a positive integer. The reference signal generator selects two phase clock signals according to a digital signal, and adjusts an output ratio of the two phase clock signals in 2M clock periods to serve as a reference clock signal. The second delay locked loop delays a first phase clock signal according to a phase difference between the reference clock signal and an output clock signal. In this way, each predetermined phase is further equally divided into 2M sub-phases, so that the multi-phase clock generator has 2(N+M) phase selections.
US08405431B2
A line driver includes the following. A current replication unit replicates a reference current according to an input signal. A current mapping unit adjusts a number of P channel transistors connected in parallel and inside the current mapping unit according to control information, so as to amplify the reference current according to a magnification value. A first resistor is electrically connected between the current replication unit and a direct-current voltage. A second resistor is electrically connected to the current replication unit and the current mapping unit and generates an output signal. A signal detection unit performs integration on a part of a difference between the input signal and the output signal, thereby generating an integration signal. A magnification control unit gradually adjusts magnification information related to a reference signal, and updates the control information by the magnification information when the reference signal is equal to the integration signal.
US08405428B2
A constant current source circuit includes one end connected to a second node as sources of third and fourth transistors, and the other end connected to a second power supply node that supplies a second voltage different from a first voltage. The clamp circuit is configured to form a current path between the second node and the second power supply node. It adjusts the potential of the second node to a certain potential when a first external input signal is switched from a first state to a second state.
US08405420B2
A system includes a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a first single crystal silicon layer comprising first transistors, first alignment marks, and at least one metal layer overlying the first single crystal silicon layer, wherein the at least one metal layer comprises copper or aluminum more than other materials; and a second single crystal silicon layer overlying the at least one metal layer. The second single crystal silicon layer comprises a plurality of second transistors arranged in substantially parallel bands. Each of a plurality of the bands comprises a portion of the second transistors along an axis in a repeating pattern.
US08405417B2
A method for off-line testing of an electric motor is disclosed. The motor having at least one stator winding, and a rotor arranged along a rotation axis. The method includes applying a periodic test signal to the at least one stator winding; collecting first measuring data, related to a physical quantity of the at least one stator winding while the rotor is being rotated about the rotation axis, from one or more waveform periods of the test signal, detecting first peak values of the first measuring data; forming second measuring data based on the first detected peak values, detecting second peak values of the second measuring data for the at least one stator winding; determining a mutual relationship between the at least a portion of the second peak values; and, providing, if the mutual relationship deviates from a predetermined relationship, a signal indicating a fault in the rotor. Also disclosed is an apparatus for performing the disclosed methods.
US08405412B2
An IC adapted for self-monitored burn-in includes a first memory and at least one BIST circuit coupled to the memory and operative to test the IC by executing a burn-in test and to generate test results indicative of at least one parameter of the burn-in test. The test results are at least temporarily stored in the first memory as a function of a first control signal.
US08405406B2
A detection apparatus and an imaging apparatus are capable of accurately conducting non-destructive observation of a target by using an incoherent electromagnetic wave. The detection apparatus has a generating section, a first coupler section, a delaying section, a second coupler section and a signal processing section. The generating section 101 includes a coherent electromagnetic wave source 102 and a diffusing section 103 for generating a pseudoincoherent electromagnetic wave by changing a propagation state of the coherent electromagnetic wave in accordance with a code pattern. The incoherent electromagnetic wave is split into first and second waves and the first wave is affected by the target of observation while the second wave is delayed by the delaying section. The first and second waves are then coupled to produce a coupled wave having a correlation signal of them and the signal is utilized to acquire information on the inside of the target of observation.
US08405393B2
Various systems and methods for detecting electron spins using electron paramagnetic resonance are described. An excitation signal generator configured to generate an excitation signal of varying amplitude and phase as compared to a reference signal may be present. A crossed loop resonator configured to isolate a detection signal produced by the excitation signal exciting an object with a magnetic field may also be preset. Further, a detection device configured to detect electron spins of the object using the detection signal isolated by the crossed loop resonator may be present.
US08405382B2
Apparatus and methods for providing a voltage signal indicative of the voltage being supplied by each phase of a multiphase voltage being supplied to a load. For each phase, a phase to neutral voltage is produced by providing a virtual ground. For each phase, a phase to phase voltage is produced by determining a difference between a pair of phase to neutral voltages. Either the phase to neutral voltages or the phase to phase voltages for each phase are output depending on the configuration of the multiphase voltage being supplied to the load.
US08405373B2
Systems and methods for intelligently optimizing voltage regulation efficiency for information handling systems by varying gate drive voltage value based on measured operating efficiency and/or other voltage regulation operating parameters. Different voltage regulation operating parameters may be dynamically monitored and recorded during a power conversion process, and these operating parameters may then be used to dynamically and variably control gate drive voltage level to improve/optimize voltage regulation operating efficiency performance.
US08405363B2
A mobile electronic device having a contact module and a method of preventing a rechargeable battery from exploding using a contact module. The contact module includes a contact module body disposed inside a mobile electronic device; a plurality of contact terminals elastically fitted to the contact module body to be electrically connected to contact terminals of the rechargeable battery; and a temperature sensor module disposed on one side of the contact module to detect a temperature of the rechargeable battery. The contact module is embodied by setting contact terminals and a temperature sensor module into one unitary module, and can correctly measure the temperature of the rechargeable battery to effectively prevent the rechargeable battery from exploding when the battery is being charged.
US08405356B2
A full charge capacity value correction circuit includes: a current detection portion which detects a current value in a secondary battery; a voltage detection portion which detects a terminal voltage value of the secondary battery; a capacity storage portion which stores a full charge capacity value of the secondary battery; a remaining quantity calculation portion which calculates a remaining charging quantity in the secondary battery a remaining quantity estimation portion which estimates a remaining quantity of the secondary battery and a full charge capacity value correction portion which, when an estimated remaining quantity becomes equal to a reference value set in advance, adds a difference electrical quantity, to the full charge capacity value stored in the capacity storage portion, or subtracts the difference electrical quantity from the full charge capacity value stored in the capacity storage portion based on an estimated remaining quantity and an accumulated remaining quantity.
US08405344B2
A method is disclosed for estimating a rotation speed of an electric motor supplied by an inverter, by determining a time derivative of a stator current vector of the electric motor during a zero vector state of the inverter; and determining an estimate of the rotation speed of the electric motor on the basis of the determined time derivative of the stator current vector.
US08405341B2
The present invention aims to provide a synchronous motor drive system that is capable of suppressing ripples in current while reducing switching loss. The system includes three-phase inverters 201-203, a control circuit 400 for controlling the operations of the three-phase inverters and a synchronous motor 300 including a plurality of three-phase coils. To control the operations of the three-phase inverters, the control circuit 400 causes the three-phase inverters 201 and 203 and the three-phase inverter 202 to use different carrier frequencies to generate three-phase AC power, and each of the three-phase inverters supplies a different one of the three-phase coils with three-phase AC power.
US08405340B2
Disclosed are a robot arm having high back-drivability to interact with a human being, which is safely stopped, and a method of controlling the robot arm. When the operation of the robot arm having high back-drivability to interact with a human being is converted into a safety mode due to the occurrence of an emergency, in which the operation of the robot arm is stopped, only a torque having a degree to compensate for gravity applied to the robot arm, i.e., only a torque to maintain the kinematical position of the current state of the robot arm without falling of the robot arm due to gravity, is outputted to control the robot arm as if the robot arm is in a weightless state, thus being capable of safely stopping the robot arm.
US08405333B2
An active pull-up system for use with a motor is described. The active pull-up system comprises: a first resistor coupled to an output node; a first switch and a second resistor coupled in parallel with the first resistor, wherein the first switch is in series with the second resistor; a latch coupled to the first switch for either keeping the first switch open or closing the first switch in response to receiving a closing signal; and a threshold comparator coupled between the output node and the latch, wherein the threshold comparator transmits the closing signal when the output node exceeds a threshold value, which actively pulls up the output node.
US08405332B1
Systems, methods and computer program products for reducing or removing current spikes generated during a current recirculation period associated with phase switching in a spindle motor are described. In some implementations, the duty cycle of the drive signals applied to the windings of the spindle motor can be adjusted to reduce or eliminate the current surge resulting from current recirculation. In some implementations, the duty cycle of the drive signals during spin-up can be reduced based on a current limit, and the reduced duty cycle can then be used to drive the spindle motor taking into account of current surges in the supply current.
US08405329B2
A motor drive controller includes a position detector that detects and outputs positional signals representing rotational positions of the magnetic rotor at first resolution, a position change detector that detects and outputs position change signals representing rotational positions of the magnetic rotor at second resolution higher than the first resolution, a phase synchronizing circuit that generates and outputs low resolution absolute phase information based on the positional and position change signals. The phase synchronizing circuit generates and outputs high-resolution absolute phase information based on the position change signals. A drive voltage signal outputting device outputs a drive voltage signal causing the current to flow through the coils in accordance with the absolute phase information.
US08405328B2
There is provided a slewing control device that enables to detect breakdown of a driving system of a mechanical brake, and generate a torque for holding a slewing body in a stopped state to thereby prevent movement of the slewing body when an anomaly has occurred. In a working machine for driving a slewing body by an electric motor 1, judgment is made as to whether a mechanical brake 4 is in an inconsistent state, based on a command to be outputted to a brake circuit B, and a pressure detected by a brake pressure sensor 17. The inconsistent state is a state that the mechanical brake 4 is in a brake released state when an activation command for switching the mechanical brake 4 to a brake activated state is outputted. If it is judged that the mechanical brake 4 is in the inconsistent state, a command for obtaining a braking torque for holding the slewing body in a stopped state is outputted to the electric motor 1.
US08405315B2
An energy-saving lamp includes a light emitting module, a light sensing module and a control module. The light emitting module includes a plurality of light emitting diodes for emitting light. The light sensing module detects a light intensity of the light emitting module and generates a detection signal according to the light intensity of the light emitting module. The control module receives the detection signal generated by the light sensing module and adjusts the total number of lit up light emitting diodes of the light emitting module according to the detection signal.
US08405314B2
A tubular LED light source, based on a tube manufactured in a heat conducting material (1). The LED's (2) are mounted on a part of the outer surface of the tube. Thereby they conduct their heat to the tube, which transfers the heat to the surroundings by cooling fins (6) located on the other part of the outer surface of the tube. Inside the tube the control electronic (7) is placed. It is electrically connected with the LED's on the outer surface of the tube, and with connectors (10) in each end of the tube. The connectors makes it possible to install the light source in existing fluorescent tube fittings, as a direct replacement for fluorescent tubes. There is vacuum (20) inside the tube, so that no damaging condensed water is generated in cold environments. The control electronics can turn on/off and adjust the light level from LED's, and adjust the color components (RGB) of the light. Hereby different color temperatures can be generated. The light source has sensors for detection of movements in the surroundings, and for measuring the spectrum of the light, in the surroundings. The control electronics can communicate with other light sources or a central control unit, by the existing power cable. Further it can be log informations about the operation of the light source too, for further analysis. Instead of ordinary LED's, organic LED's (OLED) can be used.
US08405300B2
The present invention relates to an organic light emitting device (OLED) (100;200;400;800;900;1000;1100;1200) comprising a first substrate layer (101;201;401;501;701;1004;1104;1205) and a second substrate layer (102;202; 402;502;704; 1005;1105;1206). The device (100;200;400;800;900;1000;1100;1200) further comprises at least a first OLED assembly (103;403;503;901;1001;1101;1202) and a second OLED assembly (104;404;504;902;1002;1102;1203) arranged between the first and the second substrate layers. Each of the first and second OLED assemblies comprises a first electrically conductive layer (105;505;703), a second electrically conductive layer (106;506;706) and an organic light emitting layer (107;507;507′;707) arranged between the first and the second electrically conductive layer. The organic light emitting device (100;200;400;800;900;1000;1100;1200) of the invention allows for an increased light intensity and is suitable for large area applications.
US08405293B2
A flat panel display apparatus includes a first substrate having a display region, a second substrate facing the first substrate and bonded to the first substrate, a groove portion in an edge of at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate, and a wiring portion and a bonding member arranged in the groove portion. The bonding member contacts the wiring portion. The wiring portion is configured to receive power and to supply heat to the bonding member. The bonding member is configured to bond the first substrate and the second substrate using the heat supplied from the wiring portion disposed in the groove portion.
US08405287B2
This aims to provide a multi-layer piezoelectric element, which is made excellent in durability and suppressed in the reduction of a displacement degree, even if the element is largely displaced or driven at a high speed, and an injection device and a fuel injection system using the element. The multi-layer piezoelectric element comprises a stacked body comprising a plurality of ceramic layers and a plurality of internal electrode layers, each of the plurality of internal electrode layers being sandwiched between ceramic layers of the plurality of ceramic layers that are located opposite to each other. The plurality of ceramic layers comprises a plurality of piezoelectric layers, and a low-rigidity ceramic layer which has a rigidity lower than that of the plurality of piezoelectric layers and that of the plurality of internal electrode layers. The low-rigidity ceramic layer comprises a plurality of ceramic portions which are apart from each other via a void, and a covering layer which covers at least a part of an outer surface of the plurality of ceramic portions.
US08405283B2
A flexural vibration piece includes a flexural vibrator that has a first region on which a compressive stress or a tensile stress acts due to vibration and a second region having a relationship in which a tensile stress acts thereon when a compressive stress acts on the first region and a compressive stress acts thereon when a tensile stress acts on the first region, and performs flexural vibration in a first plane. The flexural vibration piece also includes a heat conduction path, in the vicinity of the first region and the second region, that is formed of a material having a thermal conductivity higher than that of the flexural vibrator and thermally connects between the first region and the second region.
US08405281B2
Disclosed is a transducer of an ultrasonic diagnosis device. Electrode patterns are formed inside a backing block, as one body, and thus, a prior art FPCB may be omitted.
US08405279B2
A coupling structure for coupling piezoelectric material generated stresses to an actuated device of an integrated circuit includes a rigid stiffener structure formed around a piezoelectric (PE) material and the actuated device, the actuated device comprising a piezoresistive (PR) material that has an electrical resistance dependent upon an applied pressure thereto; and a soft buffer structure formed around the PE material and PR material, the buffer structure disposed between the PE and PR materials and the stiffener structure, wherein the stiffener structure clamps both the PE and PR materials to a substrate over which the PE and PR materials are formed, and wherein the soft buffer structure permits the PE material freedom to move relative to the PR material, thereby coupling stress generated by an applied voltage to the PE material to the PR material so as change the electrical resistance of the PR material.
US08405277B2
An expansion and contraction actuator has a first long actuator portion and a second long actuator portion that face each other and connection members that connect the long sides of each of the first long actuator portion and the second long actuator portion to each other, in which a part of the first long actuator portion and a part of the second long actuator portion are apart from each other to thereby form a hollow structure, the first long actuator portion and the second long actuator portion each have a pair of long electrodes and a long electrolyte layer having an electrolyte, long internal electrodes thereof are the same cathode or anode electrodes, long external electrodes thereof are counter electrodes thereto, and the actuator expands and contracts in the direction of the screw axis by voltage application.
US08405274B2
A stator of a motor includes a stator core having a plurality of teeth forming slots between any two adjacent teeth and a plurality of phase coils provided in the slots, each formed by wave winding and made of a continuous wire. Each phase coil includes a first wave winding bundle and a second wave winding bundle that is passed through a first slot and a second slot. The first slot is located adjacent to one side of a group of slots through which the phase coils other than said each phase coil are passed and the second slot is located adjacent to the other side of the group of slots. The first wave winding bundle is passed through a third slot and a fourth slot. The third slot is located adjacent to the first slot on the opposite side of the first slot from the group of slots and the fourth slot is located adjacent to the second slot on the opposite side of the second slot from the group of slots.
US08405272B2
There is provided a self-starting permanent magnet synchronous motor in which a center axis of magnetic poles of a rotor is assumed to be a d axis, an axis deviated from the magnetic pole center axis by an electric angle of 90 degrees is assumed to be a q axis, at least two or more starting bars which are arranged near the d axis are arranged on a bore side of the bars near the q axis and are arranged in parallel with the q axis, so that a stable starting torque can be generated irrespective of a generating position of a stator magnetic flux which changes due to applying timing of a power source and a phase of a voltage, and a vibration/noises at the time of a stationary operation can be reduced.
US08405262B1
The stator of a fluid cooled electric machine, such as a motor, a generator, or a motor/generator assembly, includes an annular stator core including inwardly projecting teeth and external grooves in an outer surface of the core that are radially aligned with the teeth. Electrically conductive windings are mounted on the inwardly projecting teeth, and a pipe assembly for coolant has a pipe formed into a serpentine shape. The pipe includes axially extending pipe portions received in the external stator core grooves, and end turns interconnecting adjacent pairs of the axially extending pipe portions. Heat conduction elements are secured to the end turns of the coolant pipe, and a housing surrounding the outer surface of the stator core retains the axially extending pipe portions within the external grooves.
US08405258B2
A machine tool with a generator for generating electrical power is disclosed. The generator has a stator with a coil and a rotor with a magnet. The rotor is capable of moving relative to the stator. An air gap is formed between the rotor and the stator. The stator and the rotor comprise a material with a relative permeability greater than the relative permeability of air and are arranged in such a way that magnetic lines of force of the magnet are guided in a targeted manner with respect to the coil. The air gap between the stator and the rotor is configured in such a way that a large proportion of the lines of force emanating from the magnet are guided by the stator and the rotor.
US08405253B2
A system for receiving an eService, such as a thermal service, an illumination service or an acoustic service, from an eService source. A service switch is provided for selectively transferring the eService from a host or other eService source to an eService consumer. The service switch is activated to transfer the eService from the eService source to the eService consumer in response to movement of a component associated with the eService source.
US08405245B1
An emergency response steering wheel device featuring a plurality of push-to-talk (PTT) buttons and control buttons disposed on a steering wheel including a radio button, a volume button, a camera button, a spotlight button, an emergency flasher light button, a siren button, and a public address (PA) system button; wiring and a break-out box each housed in the steering wheel for operatively connecting the control buttons to a radio, a volume system, a camera, a spotlight, an emergency flasher light, a siren, and a public address (PA) system, respectively; and a center console comprising a plurality of console controls, the consol controls include a radio button, a volume button, a camera button, a spotlight button, an emergency flasher light button, a siren button, and a public address (PA) system button.
US08405239B2
It is an object to enable stable operation of a wind turbine and to change a control parameter of the wind turbine at an appropriate timing. A dynamic-characteristics model of a wind turbine is identified for each of a plurality of ranges that are determined in accordance with wind speed, and the identified dynamic-characteristics model is monitored for each of the ranges.
US08405235B2
An energy harvester is provided. The energy harvester includes a permanent magnet and a coil. At least one of the permanent magnet and coil rotate completely about an axis such that relative movement between the permanent magnet and the coil is realized to generate an electrical current for use in powering a device.
US08405227B2
A semiconductor device (1,21) includes a solid state device (2,22), a semiconductor chip (3) that has a functional surface (3a) on which a functional element (4) is formed and that is bonded on a surface of the solid state device with the functional surface thereof facing the surface of the solid state device and while maintaining a predetermined distance between the functional surface thereof and the surface of the solid state device, an insulating film (6) that is provided on the surface (2a, 22a) of the solid state device facing the semiconductor chip and that has an opening (6a) greater in size than the semiconductor chip when the surface of the solid state device facing the semiconductor chip is vertically viewed down in plane, and a sealing layer (7) that seals a space between the solid state device and the semiconductor chip.
US08405225B2
A semiconductor structure includes a first die comprising a first substrate and a first bonding pad over the first substrate, a second die having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, wherein the second die is stacked on the first die and a protection layer having a vertical portion on a sidewall of the second die, and a horizontal portion extending over the first die.
US08405220B1
Structures, architectures, systems, an integrated circuit, methods and software for configuring an integrated circuit for multiple packaging types and/or selecting one of a plurality of packaging types for an integrated circuit. The structure generally comprises a bump pad having a plurality of electrically disconnected bump pad sections, a plurality of bond pads each configured for electrical connection to one of the bump pad sections, and a plurality of conductive traces, each adapted to electrically connect one of the bond pads to the one bump pad section. The software is generally configured to place and route components of such a structure. The method of configuring generally includes the steps of forming the bump pad, the bond pads, and the conductive traces from an uppermost metal layer, and forming an insulation layer thereover. The method of selecting generally comprises forming the uppermost metal layer, and forming either a wire bond to at least one of the bond pads, or a ball bond or solder ball to electrically connect the bump pad section. Embodiments of the present invention may advantageously provide reduced manufacturing costs and reduced inventory management issues by enabling one device to be manufactured at a wafer fab for a plurality of different packaging options, thereby enabling packaging decisions to be made at a later time in the manufacturing process.
US08405213B2
A semiconductor package includes a set of stud bumps, which can be formed by wire bonding technology and can be bonded or joined to a semiconductor element to form a stacked package assembly. Since the process of bonding the semiconductor element to the stud bumps can be carried out without reflow, an undesirable deformation resulting from high temperatures can be controlled or reduced.
US08405211B2
An embodiment is a bump bond pad structure that comprises a substrate comprising a top layer, a reinforcement pad disposed on the top layer, an intermediate layer above the top layer, an intermediate connection pad disposed on the intermediate layer, an outer layer above the intermediate layer, and an under bump metal (UBM) connected to the intermediate connection pad through an opening in the outer layer. Further embodiments may comprise a via mechanically coupling the intermediate connection pad to the reinforcement pad. The via may comprise a feature selected from the group consisting of a solid via, a substantially ring-shaped via, or a five by five array of vias. Yet, a further embodiment may comprise a secondary reinforcement pad, and a second via mechanically coupling the reinforcement pad to the secondary reinforcement pad.
US08405203B2
To reduce the thermal stresses that may be caused by a difference in thermal expansion coefficients between a molded casing and an active side of a semiconductor device embedded in the molded casing, and thus reduce the number of corresponding failures caused by the thermal stresses, the active side of the semiconductor device is arranged face-down, towards a substrate supporting the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a through via that electrically connects the active side of the semiconductor device to a passive side of the semiconductor device. A wire bond electrically connects the passive side of the semiconductor device to the substrate. To increase the dissipation of heat generated in the semiconductor device, a thermally conductive slug may be disposed in the substrate, and the active side of the semiconductor device may be attached to the thermally conductive slug.
US08405198B2
A package has a pad chip having contact pads, a spring chip having micro-springs in contact with the contact pads to form interconnects, the area in which the micro-springs contact the contact pads forming an interconnect area, a chemical activator in the interconnect area, and an adhesive responsive to the chemical activator in the interconnect area. A package has a pad chip having contact pads, a spring chip having micro-springs in contact with the contact pads to form interconnects, a chemical activator on one of either the pad chip or the spring chip, and an adhesive responsive to the chemical activator on the other of either the pad chip or the spring chip. A method includes providing a pad chip having contact pads, providing a spring chip having micro-springs, applying a chemical activator to one of either the pad chip or the spring chip, applying an adhesive responsive to the chemical activator on the other of the pad chip or the spring chip, aligning the pad chip to the spring chip such that the micro-springs will contact the contact pads, and pressing the pad chip and the spring chip together such that the chemical activator at least partially cures the adhesive.
US08405182B2
Provided is an image sensor device. The image sensor device includes a substrate having a front side and a back side opposite the first side. The substrate has a pixel region and a periphery region. The image sensor device includes a plurality of radiation-sensing regions disposed in the pixel region of the substrate. Each of the radiation-sensing regions is operable to sense radiation projected toward the radiation-sensing region through the back side. The image sensor device includes a reference pixel disposed in the periphery region. The image sensor device includes an interconnect structure that is coupled to the front side of the substrate. The interconnect structure includes a plurality of interconnect layers. The image sensor device includes a film formed over the back side of the substrate. The film causes the substrate to experience a tensile stress. The image sensor device includes a radiation-blocking device disposed over the film.
US08405178B2
In a solid-state image sensor device, the efficiency of light collection to a light-receiving region of a photodiode PD through a microlens is enhanced by arranging a wiring line configuration. Each of the first metal layer and the second metal layer is arranged to have a ring-like portion formed along a profile of the light-receiving region of the photodiode PD in a fashion that an upper position over the photodiode PD is surrounded by the first and second metal layers and a third metal layer.
US08405177B2
Provided is a method for fabricating an image sensor device that includes providing a substrate having a front side and a back side; patterning a photoresist on the front side of the substrate to define an opening having a first width, the photoresist having a first thickness correlated to the first width; performing an implantation process through the opening using an implantation energy correlated to the first thickness thereby forming a first doped isolation feature; forming a light sensing feature adjacent to the first doped isolation feature, the light sensing feature having a second width; and thinning the substrate from the back side so that the substrate has a second thickness that does not exceed twice a depth of the first doped isolation feature. A pixel size is substantially equal to the first and second widths.
US08405171B2
An apparatus and associated method for a non-volatile memory cell with a phonon-blocking insulating layer. In accordance with various embodiments, a magnetic stack has a tunnel junction, ferromagnetic free layer, pinned layer, and an insulating layer that is constructed of an electrically and thermally insulative material that blocks phonons while allowing electrical transmission through at least one conductive feature.
US08405170B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for producing micro electro-mechanical device packages. Briefly described, in architecture, one embodiment of the system, among others, includes a micro electro-mechanical device formed on a substrate layer; and a thermally decomposable sacrificial structure protecting at least a portion of the micro electro-mechanical device, where the sacrificial structure is formed on the substrate layer and surrounds a gas cavity enclosing an active surface of the micro electro-mechanical device. Other systems and methods are also provided.
US08405168B2
The present invention discloses a nanowire fabrication method and a semiconductor element using a nanowire fabricated thereby. The method of the present invention comprises steps: providing a substrate; sequentially depositing a silicon dioxide layer and a silicon nitride layer on the substrate; forming a patterned photoresist layer on the silicon nitride layer; using the patterned photoresist layer as a mask to etch the silicon nitride layer and the silicon dioxide layer with the substrate partly etched away to form a protrusion; removing the patterned photoresist layer to form an isolation layer; removing the silicon nitride and the silicon dioxide layer, sequentially depositing a dielectric layer and a polysilicon layer; and anisotropically etching the polysilicon layer to form nanowires on a region of the dielectric layer, which is around sidewalls of the protrusion.
US08405166B2
The present disclosure is related to a dielectric layer comprising a rare-earth aluminate (RExAl2-xO3 with 0
