US08474060B2
A scanner for a scanning probe microscope (SPM) including a head has a scanner body that houses an actuator, and a sensor that detects scanner movement. The scanner body is removable from the head by hand and without the use of tools and has a total volume of less than about five (5) square inches. Provisions are made for insuring that movement of a probe device coupled to the scanner is restricted to be substantially only in the intended direction. A fundamental resonance frequency for the scanner can be greater than 10 kHz.
US08474044B2
Techniques are disclosed for verifying whether payload signatures correspond to a vulnerability or exploit. Generally a security system may be configured to detect an attack on a server while the server is processing a payload. The security system generates (or obtains) a provisional signature corresponding to the vulnerability. For example, a provisional signature may be generated for a vulnerability from a group of payloads determined to correspond to that vulnerability. The effects of subsequent payloads which match the provisional signature may be monitored. If the effects of a payload duplicate the attack symptoms, a confidence metric for provisional signature may be increased. Once the confidence metric exceeds a predetermined threshold, then the provisional signature may be made active and used to block traffic from reaching an intended destination.
US08474043B2
In an intrusion detection/prevention system, network traffic is received and checked for a matching pattern. Upon identifying the matching pattern, the network traffic with the matching pattern is evaluated against rules that are represented by a rule tree. References to rule options are represented in the rule tree and are stored separately from the rule tree. The rule tree represents unique rules by unique paths from a root of the tree to the leaf nodes, and represents rule options as non-leaf nodes of the rule tree. Evaluating the network traffic includes processing, against the network traffic, the rule options in the rule tree beginning at the root. Processing of the rules represented by subtrees of nodes with rule options that do not match is eliminated. The network traffic is evaluated against rules terminating in leaf nodes only for combinations of rule options that match the network traffic.
US08474041B2
Autonomous diagnosis and mitigation of network anomalies may include creating a plurality of sketch matrices wherein each sketch matrix corresponds to an individual hashing function and each row in each sketch matrix corresponds to an array of hashed parameters of interest from multiple network devices for a given period of time, the parameters of interest being configurable by an administrator. A principal components analysis (PCA) input matrix is created for each of the sketch matrices by computing an entropy value for each element in the sketch matrices, and principal components analysis (PCA) is performed on each of the PCA input matrices to heuristically detect a network anomaly in real time.
US08474035B2
An integrated, multi-service network client for cellular mobile devices is described. The multi-service network client can be deployed as a single software package on cellular mobile network devices to provide integrated services including secure enterprise virtual private network (VPN) connectivity, acceleration, security management including monitored and enforced endpoint compliance, and collaboration services. The VPN network client is programmed to receive a web-based home page from an enterprise VPN appliance, process the web-based home page to identify a bookmark embedded within the response that corresponds to an enterprise webmail for the user and dynamically construct a user interface to have an input control native to the cellular mobile device for launching a native email client of the cellular mobile device to access the email without launching a web browser.
US08474024B2
A method and apparatus for restricting a control operation with respect to reproduction of media data so as to commercially implement consumption of the media data, the method and apparatus including: restricting the control operation with respect to reproduction of the media data by using a predetermined Application Programming Interface (API); and reproducing the media data received from a media server, according to the restricted control operation.
US08474016B2
A computer network management apparatus and method for remotely managing a networked device. The apparatus and method includes a management processor which is in direct communication with the networked device. The apparatus and method provides access for remotely and securely managing a networked device. The apparatus and method further separates management communications from user communications to ensure the security of the management communications. The apparatus and method further includes network and power monitoring and notification systems. The apparatus and method further provides authentication and authorization capabilities for security purposes.
US08474011B2
A system and system for controlling the execution of executable files. The executables are identified by either a cryptographic digest or a digital certificate. The cryptographic digest is computed from the binary image of the executable. An executable that is attempting to execute is intercepted by a protection module that consults a database of stored rules over a secure channel to determine whether or not the executable can be identified as a permitted executable and whether or not it has permission to execute on a particular computer system under certain specified conditions. If a stored permission is available, it is used to control the execution. Otherwise, the user is consulted for permission.
US08474005B2
A method of executing a virtualized application able to run in a virtualized environment. The virtualized application includes application software and the virtualized environment. The application software includes a license monitor to search for a software license while monitoring an execution policy set by a software provider when software is installed or executed. The virtualized environment includes an environment monitor to monitor an execution environment provided to the application software by the virtualized environment. Therefore, it is possible to prevent software able to run in a virtualized environment from being freely copied without any limitations by the execution policy provided by the software provider.
US08474003B2
Various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter provide methods and systems to record broadcast programming for at least one television channel for a period of time, wherein the recording is performed upstream from subscribers in a television distribution system, and further including after the period of time, keeping recorded programming by request from at least one subscriber. And further wherein the request is for at least one television program contained in the recorded programming or for a time window for a particular channel. According to another embodiment a subscriber requests that broadcast programming be saved for the subscriber upstream from the subscriber in a television distribution system, and wherein the subscriber may request the programming be saved for later viewing by the subscriber between the time the programming was broadcast and a later point in time.
US08473996B2
Metadata are provided to video generators using a syndication protocol, so that the video generators may produce interactive video content for television subscribers. Metadata relating to source media content are transformed in a computer process from a storage format into a syndication format. Relevant metadata to transform are chosen to reflect the type of interactivity desired by a television service provider and the demands of the video generation process. The transformed metadata are published according to a syndication protocol, so that another computer process that participates in the protocol may generate the interactive video content using the metadata, the source media content, and subscriber commands.
US08473995B2
A cable modem termination system measures signal qualities of upstream transmissions associated with one or more cable modems. The system monitors the measured upstream signal qualities, and selectively commands at least one of the one or more cable modems to switch between upstream channels based on the signal quality monitoring.
US08473992B2
The multichannel data transfer apparatus is connected to a transmission line in which a plurality of connected nodes have their respective transmission channels and transmit compressed data in a predetermined present embodiment in accordance with bandwidths assigned to the respective channels, and the multichannel data transfer apparatus includes a calculating device that, when there is a request to change the number of transmission channels used to transmit compressed data in the transmission period, calculates a data compression rate and a transmission bandwidth for each of the transmission channels to be used in transmitting the compressed data to the transmission line when the number of the transmission channels is actually changed, and a notifying device that notifies each transmission channel of at least one of the calculated transmission bandwidth and transmission compression rate.
US08473988B2
There is provided a display apparatus including display means for displaying images, electronic program guide display means for causing the display means to display an electronic program guide, selection means for draggably & droppably selecting the part of the electronic program guide displayed by the electronic program guide display means, icon display means for, when the part selected by the selection means is dragged, causing icons corresponding to the part to be displayed by being superimposed on the electronic program guide, and execution means for, when the part is dropped onto the icon caused by the icon display means to be displayed by being superimposed on the electronic program guide while the part displayed in the electronic program guide being dragged by the selection means, causing a function associated with the icon to be executed.
US08473984B1
A method, system, and medium are provided for dynamically switching between unicast and broadcast carriers for delivering content in a mobile network. A first listing of channels is provided to a client mobile device, wherein a first unicast content stream is associated with a first channel. A determination is made to provide an event through a broadcast carrier over the first channel. The first content stream is disassociated with the first channel, and the broadcast event is associated with the first channel. A broadcast alert is communicated to the client mobile device to indicate the change. A second listing of channels is provided to the client mobile device.
US08473981B1
A metadata augmentation system trains individual classifiers associated with digital objects, such as digital videos. Textual features of the classifiers determined to be significant from the weights of the classifier are chosen to be added to the video as metadata.
US08473979B2
Systems and methods provide for displaying an electronic program guide (EPG) on a display generated by a set top box (STB) or other television receiver. The electronic program guide is presented in at least a portion of the display. A resize indicator is also provided on the display so that viewer inputs corresponding to the resize indicator can be received. The size of the electronic program guide presented on the display can be adjusted in response to the viewer input corresponding to the resize indicator.
US08473972B2
An optical pickup includes a lens holder; an objective lens provided on the lens holder and having an effective region for collecting light from a light source and an edge located outer to the effective region; and a lens protector provided on the lens holder. The lens protector protrudes toward an optical disc more than the objective lens. The edge of the objective lens includes a convexed portion protruding toward the optical disc. An apex of the effective region of the objective lens protrudes toward the optical disc more than the convexed portion of the edge. A straight line connecting a part of the edge of the objective lens and a part of the lens protector is closer to the optical disc than the apex of the effective region of the objective lens.
US08473969B2
In a multiprocessor computer system, a lock operation is maintained with a thread using non-atomic instructions. Identifiers are assigned to each thread. Flags in conjunction with the thread identifiers are used to determine the continuity of the lock with a thread. However, in the event continuity of the lock with the thread ceases, a compare-and-swap operation is executed to reset the lock with the same thread or another thread. Similarly, in the event there has been a collision between two or more threads requesting the lock, a compare-and-swap operation is executed to assign the lock to one of the requesting threads. Accordingly, prolonged ownership of a lock operation by a thread is encouraged to mitigate use of atomic operations in granting of the lock to a non-owning thread.
US08473959B2
In one embodiment, a processor-readable medium can be configured to store code representing instructions to be executed by a processor. The code can include code to receive an indicator that a set of virtual resources has been identified for quarantine at a portion of a data center. The code can also include code to execute, during at least a portion of a quarantine time period, at least a portion of a virtual resource from the set of virtual resources at a quarantined portion of hardware of the data center that is dedicated to execute the set of virtual resources in response to the indicator and not execute virtual resources associated with non-quarantine operation.
US08473957B2
Embodiments are directed to providing schedule-based processing using web service on-demand message handling threads and to managing processing threads based on estimated future workload. In an embodiment, a web service platform receives a message from a client that is specified for schedule-based, background handling. The web service platform includes an on-demand message handling service with processing threads that are configured to perform on-demand message processing. The web service platform loads the on-demand message handling service including the on-demand message handling threads. The web service platform implements the on-demand message handling service's threads to perform background processing on the received client message. The client messages specified for background handling are thus handled as service-initiated on-demand tasks.
US08473951B2
Systems and methods for improved batch flow management are described. At least some embodiments include a computer system for managing a job flow including a memory storing a plurality of batch queue jobs grouped into Services each including a job and a predecessor job. A time difference is the difference between a scheduled job start time and an estimated predecessor job end time. Jobs with a preceding time gap include jobs immediately preceded only by non-zero time differences. The job start depends upon the predecessor job completion. The computer system further includes a processing unit that identifies jobs preceded by a time gap, selects one of the Services, and traverses in reverse chronological order a critical path of dependent jobs within the Service until a latest job with a preceding time gap is identified or at least those jobs along the critical path preceded by another job are traversed.
US08473946B2
The output of a non-deterministic instruction is handled during record and replay in a virtual machine. An output of a non-deterministic instruction is stored to a buffer during record mode and retrieved from a buffer during replay mode without exiting to the hypervisor. At least part of the contents of the buffer can be stored to a log when the buffer is full during record mode, and the buffer can be replenished from a log when the buffer is empty during replay mode.
US08473945B2
Apparatuses, methods, and systems for enabling system management mode in a secure system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a processor includes sub-operating-system mode logic, virtual machine logic, and control logic. The sub-operating-system mode logic is to support a sub-operating-system mode. The virtual machine logic is to support virtualization. The control logic is to prevent virtualization from being enabled when the sub-operating-system mode is disabled.
US08473940B2
A communication apparatus that, when distributing data to a plurality of apparatuses, enable use of the data distributed to each of the plurality of apparatuses without being bound by a prescribed time as in the prior arts. Control is provided so as not to execute at least one portion of functions among a plurality of functions that are executable by a communication apparatus until it is determined that update processing of control data for controlling the communication apparatus based on an update data is completed and control data that is stored in an another communication apparatus has been updated with the update data.
US08473937B2
Selected components of a piece of software serve in a first variant, as variation points, are converted into a first XML code. The software, now in hybrid form, is shipped. The first code is converted on the customer side via one or more transformations, for example SLT, exclusively in accordance with transformation rules into a second XML code. In a second variant, a first XML code containing at least one language extension is converted in accordance with transformation rules into a more easily verifiable second XML code without said language extensions. In a third variant a source code formulated in XML is transformed in such a way that, following a back-conversion into the original programming language, a new source code is produced in which not only the representation, but also the actual program content and/or functionality has been changed. Alternatively, in a fourth variant a source code formulated in XML with, for example, initial states, code fragments to be replaced and foreign language modules tailored to the respective natural language of the user is mixed by transformation, as a result of which, following a back-conversion, a new source code is produced in which not only the representation, but also the actual program content and/or functionality has been changed.
US08473935B2
Pre-compiling postdominating functions. Some embodiments may be practiced in a computing environment including a runtime compilation. For example one method includes acts for compiling functions. The method includes determining that a function of an application has been called. A control flow graph is used to determine one or more postdominance relationships between the function and one or more other functions. The one or more other functions are assigned to be pre-compiled based on the postdominance relationship.
US08473930B2
A method for executing non-native binaries on a host computer architecture comprises receiving the guest executable binary into a computer readable medium. The guest executable binary is executed on the host computer architecture by translating the guest executable binary into a translated executable binary. Each instruction of the translated executed binary is then executed on the host computer architecture. Signals are responded to by placing signal information on a signal queue and deferring signal handling until a safe point is reached. A computer system implementing the method is also provided.
US08473925B2
Techniques for analyzing software in which un-instrumented components can be discovered and conditionally instrumented during a runtime of the software. Initially, software such as an application can be configured with a baseline set of instrumented components such as methods. As the application runs, performance data gathered from the instrumentation may indicate that the performance of some methods is below expectations. To analyze this, any methods which are callable from a method at issue are discovered, such as by inspecting the byte code of loaded classes in a JAVA Virtual Machine (JVM). To limit and focus the diagnosis, the instrumentation which is added to the discovered components can be conditional, so that the instrumentation is executed only in a specified context. The context can involve, e.g., a specified sequence of components in which a discovered component is called, and/or transaction data in which a discovered component is called.
US08473905B1
Managing user interface characteristics in displaying data storage system information. New functionality may be provided that can effect look-and-feel skinning for OEM and client customization. Extensions to conventional Java Synth Look-and-Feel technology for support of OEM and client customization may be enabled. Multiple Synth XML files can be merged, e.g., on the fly, and form one Synth XML file. One primary Synth XML file may be provided and any Style elements defined in secondary XML files may override corresponding Style elements in the primary XML file. For example, an OEM customer can define one Button Style in a secondary (customer's) XML file, and this definition can be detected at runtime and overrides a primary XML file's Button Style, resulting in the OEM look and feel.
US08473899B2
Access is obtained to an input object-oriented computer program. In the input object-oriented computer program, semantically equivalent objects are identified, which exist in different memory locations. If at least one of: a number of occurrences for the semantically equivalent objects exceeds a first threshold value, the threshold value being at least two; and a number of equality tests on the semantically equivalent objects exceeds a second threshold value, then a further step includes identifying an application program interface to reduce the semantically equivalent objects to a single object in a single memory location.
US08473898B2
Various embodiments provide an apparatus and method for building integrated distributed applications for use with a mesh network. An example embodiment is configured to receive a shared view that is shared among a plurality of components of a network; generate a schema for the plurality of components from the shared view; use the schema to generate code components; and use the shared view and the generated schema to generate integration code for integrating the code components.
US08473896B2
A method is provided for providing one or more services by a service provider to a service consumer. The method may include defining a meta-model describing at least one core service and at least one compound service; creating a model for the core service based on the meta-model; and implementing the core service on the service provider based on the model. The method may also include implementing the compound service on the service provider and implementing a generic access interface on the service consumer to dynamically access the core service and the compound service.
US08473889B2
The present invention provides a routing storage structure based on directional grid points and a routing method thereof. The routing storage structure includes a grid matrix having N×M grid points for storing a grid identifier corresponding to each grid point, where both N and M are natural numbers; a grid value acquisition module for acquiring the grid identifier corresponding to the current grid point from the grid matrix during a routing operation; and a grid value setting module for setting the grid points contained by the blocks in the routing plane and/or the grid points that the routing passes through as corresponding grid identifiers in accordance with a predetermined setting rule.
US08473887B2
Implementations of the present disclosure involve an apparatus and/or method for identifying and classify nodes of an electrical circuit design to account for hold time violations occurring within the circuit. The nodes may be ordered based on a criticality of the nodes that may aid in identifying those nodes of the circuit where hold time violations may be corrected. In one embodiment, the criticality may relate to the number of potentially violating paths that utilize the identified nodes such that corrective measures applied at those nodes may correct several hold time violating paths. In addition, criticality may be scaled utilizing an available buffer library and other timing information. Thus, by utilizing the methods and/or apparatuses of the present disclosure, the locations where timing violation corrective measures may be applied that improve or correct several violating data paths at once may be identified in such a manner so as to reduce the number of overall corrections made to the circuit design, reducing the cost and necessary time associated with the corrections.
US08473879B2
At least one N-type transistor and at least one P-type transistor separate from the digital circuit are sized to represent the total area of the corresponding type transistors in the digital circuit. The gates of the N-type transistor and P-type transistors are set to voltages according to the corresponding off-state logic levels of the digital circuit. The N-type and P-type transistors form a portion of corresponding current mirror circuits, which can provide outputs to a leakage current monitor and/or a control circuit such as a comparator that determines when leakage current for the N-type or P-type devices has exceeded a threshold. The output of the measurement/control circuit can be used to determine a temperature of and/or control operation of the digital circuit or the system environment of the integrated circuit.
US08473873B2
A method includes receiving data representing a layout of a DPT-layer of an integrated circuit generated by a place and route tool. The layout includes a plurality of polygons to be formed in the DPT-layer by a multi-patterning process. First and second ones of the plurality of polygons to be formed using first and second photomasks, respectively are identified. Any intervening polygons along a first path connecting the first polygon to the second polygon, and separator regions between adjacent polygons along the first path are identified. The separator regions have sizes less than a minimum threshold distance between polygons formed on the first photomask. The separator regions are counted. A multi-patterning conflict is identified, if the count of separator regions is even, prior to assigning all remaining ones of the plurality of polygons to the first or second masks.
US08473870B2
Embodiments of a multi-screen hold and drag gesture are described. In various embodiments, a hold input is recognized at a first screen of a multi-screen system when the hold input is held in place. A motion input is recognized at a second screen of the multi-screen system, and the motion input is recognized to select a displayed object while the hold input remains held in place. A hold and drag gesture can then be determined from the recognized hold and motion inputs.
US08473869B2
The invention provides a method and a system for manipulating an image displayed on a screen (11), where an operator uses e.g. a finger to identify a region of interest (ROI) without touching the screen (11). The spatial position of the finger relative to the screen (11) is detected, i.e. its x, y and z coordinates. A region of interest (ROI) on the screen (11) including the two coordinates (x, y) is selected, and an image property such as contrast in the selected region of interest is changed in dependence on the distance (z) of the movable object (13) from the screen (11). The invention is ideal for manipulating medical images such as X-ray images, but applications in consumer electronics are also conceivable where image processing is performed.
US08473867B2
An enhancement implementation analysis method and system are provided. A processor may determine a node in an implementation guide hierarchy to be analyzed for conflicts. Based on the determination, a list of all switches assigned to the node in the implementation guide hierarchy may be retrieved from a data store. The list of retrieved switches may be checked by a processor to determine whether the switch is an active conflict switch. Upon a determination that the conflict switch is an inactive conflict switch, the conflict switch may be deleted from the retrieved list of all switches. If the conflict switch is determined to be an active conflict switch, the conflict switch may be added to a list of relevant switches, and the list of relevant switches may be processed to resolve conflicts, and a corresponding implementation guide may be presented.
US08473859B2
Visual representations of system objects are associated, and one or more association characteristics of the associated visual representations are identified. Interaction models and/or visualization models are automatically selected from a plurality of interaction and/or visualization models based on the identified one or more association characteristic, and the selected interaction and/or visualization model is applied to the associated visual representations.
US08473858B2
Embodiments of the invention provide apparatuses and methods for providing a graphical user interface on the display device, where the graphical user interface includes a graph viewing tool for charting data. The graph viewing tool includes: (a) a first display area displaying a first axis and a second axis of a graph, the first axis representing a first parameter of the data over a first range of values; (b) a second display area displaying a third axis representing the first parameter over a second range of values; and (c) a first tool and a second tool displayed in the second display area proximate the third axis, wherein the first tool and the second tool are configured such that they can be moved relative to each other and relative to the third axis to increase or decrease the first range of values displayed along the first axis in the first display area.
US08473841B2
A system and a method are disclosed for a configuration in which any user interface feature that would otherwise have been hidden while the user is interacting with the rest of the web page are made available at the top of the web page. If the user scrolls up to the top of the page the bar will disappear again to make the entire browser window available for page content and not conflict with the top user interface elements.
US08473839B2
The application concerns sharing content generated within a system for one or more application displays to be displayed on a first computing device of a first user. A second user is sent a message concerning sharing sharable content wherein the sharable content includes at least a portion of content from the one or more application displays that were generated for the first user. The message includes an access identifier and in response to the second user accepting the message, the system uses the access identifier to share with the second user said sharable content that was generated for the first user. Prior to providing the sharable content to the second user the sharable content can be filtered. Filtering can be performed according to parameters that can be provided by the first user or according to a default values.
US08473832B2
Methods and apparatus for performing, using smaller, more efficient shared logic circuitry, the parity checking function and the compare function in a mutually exclusive manner in different cycles of a ternary content addressable memory are disclosed.
US08473828B2
Minimal hardware implementation of non-parity and parity trellis. More than one type of trellis can be represented using a minimal amount of hardware. In magnetic recording systems and other communication systems types, there is oftentimes a need to switch between trellises which support parity and ones which do not. Rules are presented herein which will ensure joint representation of more than one trellis while requiring minimal additional hardware when compared to representing only one trellis. To represent the non-parity trellis, emanating states, resultant states, and one or more expansion states (if needed) are all that is required. Any expansion states may also need to have its path metric and path memory corresponded to one of the resultant states to ensure proper detection according to the non-parity trellis.
US08473824B1
Methods and systems are disclosed herein for generating parity information for using information in a low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder. A quasi-cyclic LDPC generator matrix K can be generated based on the non-invertible parity-check matrix H. Parity information can be generated by the LDPC encoder based at least in part on the user information, the non-invertible parity check matrix H, and the quasi-cyclic LDPC generator matrix K.
US08473822B2
True bit level decoding of TTCM (Turbo Trellis Coded Modulation) of variable rates and signal constellations. A decoding approach is presented that allows for decoding on a bit level basis that allows for discrimination of the individual bits of a symbol. Whereas prior art approaches typically perform decoding on a symbol level basis, this decoding approach allows for an improved approach in which the hard decisions/best estimates may be made individually for each of the individual bits of an information symbol. In addition, the decoding approach allows for a reduction in the total number of calculations that need to be performed as well as the total number of values that need to be stored during the iterative decoding. The bit level decoding approach is also able to decode a signal whose code rate and/or signal constellation type (and mapping) may vary on a symbol by symbol basis.
US08473821B2
In a first aspect, an aggregated packet (A-MPDU) includes packets (MPDUs) and EC-Blocks (Error Correction Blocks) containing error correction coding information. A transmitter uses a Fountain coding scheme (for example, Raptor or RaptorQ) to generate the error correction coding information from the MPDUs. If a receiver detects an error in a received MPDU, then the receiver uses the error correction coding information from the EC-Blocks to correct the error. In a second novel aspect, a determination is made as to whether a change in error rate is more likely due to collisions or to a low SNR. If the determination is that the change is due to collisions then the MCS index is adjusted to restore a target error rate, whereas if the determination is that the change is due to a low SNR then the number of EC-Blocks per A-MPDU is adjusted to restore the target error rate.
US08473814B2
A two-dimensional self-RAID method of protecting page-based storage data in a MLC multiple-level-cell flash memory device. The protection scheme includes reserving one parity sector across each data page, reserving one parity page as the column parity, selecting a specific number of pages to form a parity group, writing into the parity page a group parity value for data stored in the pages of the parity group. The parity sector represents applying a RAID technique in a first dimension. The group parity represents applying a RAID technique in a second dimension. Data protection is achieved because a corrupted data sector can likely be recovered by the two dimensional RAID data.
US08473810B2
According to one embodiment, a memory chip, which is connected to a controller that controls reading and writing of data in response to a request from an external device, includes: a memory including a special area that is a predetermined data storage area; a key storage unit that stores therein a second key that corresponds to a first key used by the external device to convert the data; a converting unit that receives, from the controller, data to be written into the special area and generates converted data by converting the data to be written using the second key; and a writing unit that writes the converted data into the special area.
US08473809B2
Non-volatile storage devices and techniques for operating non-volatile storage are described herein. One embodiment includes accessing “n” pages of data to be programmed into a group of non-volatile storage elements. The “n” pages are mapped to a data state for each of the non-volatile storage elements based on a coding scheme that evenly distributes read errors across the “n” pages of data. Each of the non-volatile storage elements in the group are programmed to a threshold voltage range based on the data states to which the plurality of pages have been mapped. The programming may include programming the “n” pages simultaneously. In one embodiment, mapping the plurality of pages is based on a coding scheme that distributes a significant failure mode (for example, program disturb errors) to a first of the pages and a significant failure mode (for example, data retention errors) to a second of the pages.
US08473804B2
A wireless communication system including a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver receives a frame of data, and sends an acknowledgement. The acknowledgement includes a positive acknowledgement (ACK) if the data is successfully decoded or a negative acknowledgement (NAK) if the data is unsuccessfully decoded. The acknowledgement is sent according to timing of an acknowledge mask. The transmitter is wirelessly coupled to the receiver, and receives the acknowledgement according to the acknowledge mask, and sends a response to the receiver according to the acknowledgement. The response includes, if an ACK is received before transmission completes of the frame, the transmitter terminates transmission of the frame; if a NAK is received before transmission completes of the frame, the transmitter continues to send the frame; and if an ACK is not received before a predefined frame early scheduling point, the transmitter retransmits the frame after transmission completes of the frame.
US08473803B2
An apparatus and a method for generating an Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ) feedback message in a wireless communication system are provided. The method includes generating first feedback information of at least one ARQ block, determining whether any ARQ blocks include at least one successfully received ARQ sub-block, when the at least one erroneous ARQ block includes at least one successfully received ARQ sub-block, adding second feedback information of the ARQ sub-blocks to the first feedback information of the ARQ blocks using a field indicating whether the second feedback information is added and a field indicating the erroneous ARQ blocks including the at least one successfully received ARQ sub-block, and sending the first feedback information with the second feedback information added, to the transmitting stage.
US08473795B2
A device test architecture and a reduced device test interface are provided to enable efficient testing of embedded cores and other circuits within devices. The reduced device test interface is achieved using a double data rate (DDR) signaling technique between the tester and the device. The DDR test interface allows the tester to interface to test circuits within the device, such as IEEE 1500 and/or IEEE 1149.1 test circuits, to provide high test data bandwidth to the test circuits using a minimum of test interface signals. The test architecture includes compare circuits that allow for comparison of test response data to be performed within the device. The test architecture further includes a memory for storing the results of the test response comparisons. The test architecture includes a programmable test controller to allow for various test control operations by simply inputting an instruction to the programmable test controller from the external tester. Additional features and embodiments of the device test architecture and reduced test interface are also disclosed.
US08473794B2
A process and apparatus provide a JTAG TAP controller (302) to access a JTAG TAP domain (106) of a device using a reduced pin count, high speed DDR interface (202). The access is accomplished by combining the separate TDI and TMS signals from the TAP controller into a single signal and communicating the TDI and TMS signals of the single signal on the rising and falling edges of the TCK driving the DDR interface. The TAP domain may be coupled to the TAP controller in a point to point fashion or in an addressable bus fashion. The access to the TAP domain may be used for JTAG based device testing, debugging, programming, or other type of JTAG based operation.
US08473793B2
A boundary scan circuit containing a freeze circuit and a transparency circuit that provides a capability to selectively place portions of a system logic in a sleep mode and thereby conserving power. There are two transparency circuit configurations, one that connects to an input pad cell and one that connects to an output pad cell. The circuitry in the transparency circuit is controlled in such a manner as to establish at the output of transparency circuit a known logic state to control leakage current resulting from the circuitry of the various pad cell configurations, which further conserves power during sleep mode.
US08473778B2
Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods and computer storage media for erasure coding data in a distributed computing environment. A sealed extent is identified that is comprised of two or more data blocks and two or more index blocks. The sealed extent is optimized for erasure coding by grouping the two or more data blocks within the optimized sealed extent together and grouping the two or more index blocks within the optimized sealed extent together. The optimized extent may also be erasure coded, which includes creating data fragments and coding fragments. The data fragments and the coding fragments may also be stored in the distributed computing environment. Additional embodiments include monitoring statistical information to determine if replication, erasure coding or a hybrid storage plan should be utilized.
US08473776B2
A disk drive system and method capable of dynamically allocating data is provided. The disk drive system may include a RAID subsystem having a pool of storage, for example a page pool of storage that maintains a free list of RAIDs, or a matrix of disk storage blocks that maintain a null list of RAIDs, and a disk manager having at least one disk storage system controller. The RAID subsystem and disk manager dynamically allocate data across the pool of storage and a plurality of disk drives based on RAID-to-disk mapping. The RAID subsystem and disk manager determine whether additional disk drives are required, and a notification is sent if the additional disk drives are required. Dynamic data allocation and data progression allow a user to acquire a disk drive later in time when it is needed. Dynamic data allocation also allows efficient data storage of snapshots/point-in-time copies of virtual volume pool of storage, instant data replay and data instant fusion for data backup, recovery etc., remote data storage, and data progression, etc.
US08473774B2
A networking system architecture includes a plurality of main devices, one of the main devices acts as a master main device, and the other main devices act as slave main devices. If the master main device malfunctions, one of the slave main devices substitutes for the master main device to act as a new master main device. Priorities are set to the main devices, respectively. If a current master main device malfunctions, the current master main device may be replaced by a new master main device having the highest priority among the other main devices.
US08473764B2
Methods and systems for managing power consumption in data processing systems are described. In one embodiment, a data processing system includes a general purpose processing unit, a graphics processing unit (GPU), at least one peripheral interface controller, at least one bus coupled to the general purpose processing unit, and a power controller coupled to at least the general purpose processing unit and the GPU. The power controller is configured to turn power off for the general purpose processing unit in response to a first state of an instruction queue of the general purpose processing unit and is configured to turn power off for the GPU in response to a second state of an instruction queue of the GPU. The first state and the second state represent an instruction queue having either no instructions or instructions for only future events or actions.
US08473762B2
A heterogeneous three-dimensional (3-D) stacked apparatus is provided that includes multiple layers arranged in a stacked configuration with a lower layer configured to receive a board-level voltage and one or more upper layers stacked above the lower layer. The heterogeneous 3-D stacked apparatus also includes multiple tiles per layer, where each tile is designed to receive a separately regulated voltage. The heterogeneous 3-D stacked apparatus additionally includes at least one layer in the one or more upper layers with voltage converters providing the separately regulated voltage converted from the board-level voltage.
US08473761B2
Methods, apparatus, and circuits for managing power among portable computing devices and one or more accessories. One example provides commands to improve power management between a portable computing device and one or more accessories. Other examples provide commands that may allow a portable computing device to charge at a maximum available current level while providing an accessory with sufficient current for its proper operation. Another may help prevent a portable computing device from drawing a high level of current that could be detrimental to an accessory, while others provide commands that may allow a battery pack to instruct a portable computing device to not charge its internal battery. Another example may allow a portable computing device to determine which power supply among multiple power supplies should be used to power an accessory, while others may allow an accessory to retrieve charging current parameters from a portable computing device.
US08473755B2
An application installing method according to the present invention in which an application file includes at least two application encrypting data in which the executable files are respectively encrypted using different encryption algorithms, and a license file includes at least two license encryption data in which application decryption keys for decrypting the application encryption data are encrypted using respectively different encryption algorithms. The process execution apparatus includes a calculation unit configured to execute the executable file, and a storage unit configured to store the application file and the license file. The method includes a step of decrypting the application encryption data by use of the application decryption key with the calculation unit based on the level of priority of the predesignated application encryption data stored in the storage unit, and installing the executable file corresponding to the application encryption data.
US08473753B2
When software is delivered to a customer, there are often programs or routines of programs that a software distributor intended to run under the credentials of a specific user other than the user who started the program. A secure method is proposed for software running in a process to acquire rights to issue restricted operations. A trusting entity trusts a process based on verifying ownership of code residing in the process. The trusted process is granted rights by the trusting entity to perform any or specific operations under the credentials of a specific user, not necessarily the current process user.
US08473752B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for auditing access to secure data. A detection module detects an access to the secure data. A record module records an encrypted log entry describing the access to the secure data. A verification module verifies the secure data is securely stored.
US08473744B2
Disclosed is an authentication mechanism that enables an information recipient to ascertain that the information comes from the sender it purports to be from. This mechanism integrates a private/public key pair with selection by the sender of a portion of its address. The sender derives its address from its public key, for example, by using a hash of the key. The recipient verifies the association between the address and the sender's private key. The recipient may retrieve the key from an insecure resource and know that it has the correct key because only that key can produce the sender's address in the message. The hash may be made larger than the sender-selectable portion of the address. The recipient may cache public key/address pairs and use the cache to detect brute force attacks and to survive denial of service attacks. The mechanism may be used to optimize security negotiation algorithms.
US08473737B2
Authentication device and method using electronic certificate files having hierarchical relationship
This authentication device includes: a volatile memory; a non-volatile memory which stores a plurality of electronic certificate files; a unit which refers to the non-volatile memory upon start-up, and which stores a hierarchical relationship between the plurality of electronic certificate files in the volatile memory; a unit for searching for a desired electronic certificate file based upon the hierarchical relationship between the plurality of electronic certificate files in the volatile memory; and an authentication unit which performs authentication using the electronic certificate file which has been found by the search unit.
US08473728B2
Techniques for handling interrupts of multiple instruction threads within a multi-thread processing environment. The techniques include: interleavingly fetching and issuing instructions of (i) a first instruction execution thread and (ii) a second instruction thread for execution by an execution block of the multi-thread processing environment; providing a first interrupt signal via a first interrupt signal line within the multi-thread processing environment to interrupt fetching and issuing of instructions of the first instruction execution thread; and providing a second interrupt signal via a second interrupt signal line within the multi-thread processing environment to interrupt fetching and issuing of instructions of the second instruction execution thread. The first interrupt signal line and the second interrupt signal line are physically separate and distinct signal lines that are directly electrically coupled to one another.
US08473721B2
Disclosed herein is a processing unit configured to process video data, and applications thereof. In an embodiment, the processing unit includes a buffer and an execution unit. The buffer is configured to store a data word, wherein the data word comprises a plurality of bytes of video data. The execution unit is configured to execute a single instruction to (i) shift bytes of video data contained in the data word to align a desired byte of video data and (ii) process the desired byte of the video data to provide processed video data.
US08473720B2
A method for providing generic formatted data to at least one digital data processor, configured to translate generic formatted data into specific formatted data. The generic formatted data includes data relative to logical blocks, at least one of the logical blocks corresponding to an object to be processed directly or indirectly according to specific formatted data by at least one processing platform with processor(s) and memory(ies), located upstream from the processor or integrated into the processor, the object being made up of elementary information of same type, all information being represented by at least one numerical value.
US08473714B2
Systems and methods for pre-fetching of data in a memory are provided. By pre-fetching stored data from a slower memory into a faster memory, the amount of time required for data retrieval and/or processing may be reduced. First, data is received and pre-scanned to generate a sample fingerprint. Fingerprints stored in a faster memory that are similar to the sample fingerprint are identified. Data stored in the slower memory associated with the identified stored fingerprints is copied into the faster memory. The copied data may be compared to the received data. Various embodiments may be included in a network memory architecture to allow for faster data matching and instruction generation in a central appliance.
US08473705B2
A memory access apparatus is provided with a processor, an interface (I/F) circuit, and a memory control circuit. The processor is provided with an access-request generating circuit which issues a memory access request. The I/F circuit is provided with a flip-flop (F/F) circuit which holds the memory access request outputted from the processor in response to a clock signal. The memory control circuit is provided with an access processing circuit which executes an access process that complies with the memory access request held by the F/F circuit.
US08473702B2
Provided is an information processing device which enables transfer of an execution environment in a short time period without degrading basic performance of an execution environment and without requiring a large amount of memory.The information processing device comprises a basic side CPU 100 for executing basic processing and an addition side CPU 200 for executing additional processing, in which a transfer management unit 300 provided on the basic side CPU 100 transfers execution environment data 1000 including constitution information of an execution environment 30 of the additional processing to be executed on the addition side CPU and data in a memory corresponding to the execution environment to other information processing device and restores the execution environment to re-start the addition side CPU based on the received execution environment data 1000.
US08473691B2
A memory management device, an image forming apparatus, and an image forming method include an OS-management-memory-region managing unit configured to divide a physical memory space into a management region managed by an OS and a non-management region that is not managed by the OS, assign the management region to the virtual memory space, and acquire and/or free a memory space of the management region. The image forming apparatus includes an OS-non-management-memory-region managing unit assigning the non-management region to the virtual memory space so that an application program acquires and/or frees a memory space of the non-management region. The OS-management-memory-region managing unit includes a window region provided so that the OS refers to the non-management region. Data is read and/or written from and/or into the OS-non-management region via the window region.
US08473690B1
The technique introduced here involves using a block address and a corresponding generation number as a “fingerprint” to uniquely identify a sequence of data within a given storage domain. Each block address has an associated generation number which indicates the number of times that data at that block address has been modified. This technique can be employed, for example, to maintain cache coherency among multiple storage nodes. It can also be employed to avoid sending the data to a network node over a network if it already has the data.
US08473682B2
According to one embodiment, a cache unit transferring data from a memory connected to the cache unit via a bus incompatible with a critical word first (CWF) to an L1-cache having a first line size and connected to the cache unit via a bus compatible with the CWF. The unit includes cache and un-cache controllers. The cache controller includes an L2-cache and a request converter. The L2-cache has a second line size greater than or equal to the first line size. The request converter converts a first refill request into a second refill request when a head address of a burst transfer of the first refill request is in the L2-cache. The un-cache controller transfers the second refill request to the memory, receives data to be processed corresponding to the second refill request from the memory, and transfers the received data to the L1-cache.
US08473681B2
A cache-coherence protocol distributes atomic operations among multiple processors (or processor cores) that share a memory space. When an atomic operation that includes an instruction to modify data stored in the shared memory space is directed to a first processor that does not have control over the address(es) associated with the data, the first processor sends a request, including the instruction to modify the data, to a second processor. Then, the second processor, which already has control of the address(es), modifies the data. Moreover, the first processor can immediately proceed to another instruction rather than waiting for the address(es) to become available.
US08473678B1
A method is used in managing multi-tiered storage pool provisioning. One or more physical devices of a data storage system are configured for use in connection with provisioning a storage pool. A provisioning specification is received describing a RAID type and an auto-tiering selection. A rule is received describing one or more sets of data storage system best practices. Each of the one or more sets specifies data storage system best practices for a different type of data storage system including a first type associated with the data storage system. Configuration processing is performed in connection with initialization of the data storage system to configure a first portion of the one or more physical devices for use with auto-tiering in the storage pool. A rules engine and best practices for the first type of data storage system specified in the rule are used in performing the configuration processing.
US08473664B2
In some embodiments a computing device includes a coupler that is able to be coupled to an external device, and an eject button to signal the computing device that a user wishes to safely uncouple the external device from the computing device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08473662B2
Provided is a method capable of providing an improved response property appropriate for the characteristics of a system by automatically choosing an interrupt handling mode used for each device. The method is a method in which the embedded operating system kernel determines a handling mode for all individual interrupts, the method includes: dividing interrupt handling modes into a first interrupt handling mode and a second interrupt handling mode which has a different process speed from the first interrupt handling mode, and variably determining a distribution ratio in which each of the interrupts are distributed to the first interrupt handling mode or to the second interrupt handling mode according to a predetermined process condition during boot-up.
US08473660B2
A method and apparatus for arbitrating on a high performance serial bus is disclosed. The invention provides for a plurality of arbitration phases and an arbitration advancing means.
US08473659B2
A method for arbitration including selecting, for an arbitration interval corresponding to a timeslot, a sending node from a plurality of sending nodes in an arbitration domain, where the plurality of sending nodes include a plurality of source counters; broadcasting, by the sending node and in response to selecting the sending node, a transmitter arbitration request for the timeslot during the arbitration interval; receiving, by the plurality of sending nodes, the transmitter arbitration request; incrementing the plurality of source counters in response to receiving the transmitter arbitration request; and sending, during the timeslot, a data item from the sending node to a receiving node via an optical data channel.
US08473656B2
The invention relates to a communications entity for communications via a bus-oriented communications network with a control device (101) that is constructed to communicate via the communications network in response to a selection signal according to a first communications bus sub-system or according to a second communications bus sub-system, and a selection device (103) for generating the selection signal as a function of an operating mode of the communications entity, in order to select the first communications bus sub-system or the second communications bus sub-system.
US08473650B1
Method and system for interfacing with a peripheral device is provided. A microcontroller of the peripheral device is used to respond to a standard request for basic device information from a computing system. When the request for basic device information is received, the microcontroller reads the basic device information from a general purpose memory instead of a dedicated memory. The microcontroller emulates a memory controller by formatting the information and then sending a response to the computing system in a standard, expected format.
US08473649B2
According to one embodiment, a command management device includes a command buffer, a free address register and a FIFO unit with entries. The command buffer stores commands received from a host. The entries include address sections configured to store addresses of the areas in the command buffer in which the respective commands are stored. The address sections are connected together like a ring. Each of the address sections includes a substitute module configured to substitute either the free address held in the free address register or a second address stored in the address section preceding the each of the address sections for a first address stored in the each of the address sections.
US08473636B2
The server device includes: an allocation unit for allocating a unique identifier to each of first data and second data; a management unit for managing a correspondence between the identifier and a method for accessing the first data or second data identified by the identifier; a presentation unit for presenting the identifier managed by the management unit to the client device; a conversion unit for converting an identifier-specifying request for access to the first data or second data from the client device into a method for accessing the first data or second data corresponding to the identifier using an access method associated by the management unit with the identifier; and a data access unit for requesting access to the first data or second data using the access method converted to by the conversion unit, and sending an access result to the client device.
US08473629B2
A method accelerates the delivery of a portion of a data stream across nodes of a stream transport network. A portion of a live stream is forwarded from a first node to a second node in a transport network at a high bitrate as compared to the stream's encoded bitrate, and thereafter, the stream continues to be forwarded from the first node to the second node at or near the encoded bitrate. This technique provides significant advantages in that it reduces stream startup time, reduces unrecoverable stream packet loss, and reduces stream rebuffers as the stream is viewed by a requesting end user that has been mapped to a media server in a distributed computer network such as a content delivery network.
US08473624B2
Embodiments of the invention are directed to a system and method for routing interactions. A method may include receiving a message related to the interaction. Text included in the message may be analyzed. A destination may be selected for the message based on analysis of the text. The message may be routed to the selected destination.
US08473621B2
A method, a system, and an apparatus for creating a Content-on-Demand (CoD) service are disclosed herein. The method includes receiving a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) service request sent by a User Equipment (UE); converting the SIP service request into a Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) service request, and sending the RTSP service request to a server; receiving an RTSP service response sent by the server; and converting the RTSP service response into a SIP service response, and sending the SIP service response to the UE to create the CoD service between the UE and the server.
US08473620B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for intercepting a client-server communication connection in a computing environment. A first network intermediary configured to facilitate optimization of client-server transactions may be installed in a path of communications between the client and the server. A second network intermediary configured to cooperate with the first network intermediary is not in the path of communications between the client and the server. The first network intermediary intercepts a connection request from the client and forwards a modified request toward the server. A module within the server intercepts the connection request and redirects it to the second network intermediary. The client-server connection is thus split-terminated at the two network intermediaries, which establish cooperative sessions between themselves and with the client and with the server.
US08473619B2
An integrated security system is described that integrates broadband and mobile access and control with conventional security systems and premise devices to provide a tri-mode security network (broadband, cellular/GSM, POTS access) that enables users to remotely stay connected to their premises. The integrated security system, while delivering remote premise monitoring and control functionality to conventional monitored premise protection, complements existing premise protection equipment. The integrated security system integrates into the premise network and couples wirelessly with the conventional security panel, enabling broadband access to premise security systems. Automation devices (cameras, lamp modules, thermostats, etc.) can be added, enabling users to remotely see live video and/or pictures and control home devices via their personal web portal or webpage, mobile phone, and/or other remote client device. Users can also receive notifications via email or text message when happenings occur, or do not occur, in their home.
US08473604B2
Methods and systems are provided for associating contextual data with communication sessions, in particular in technical help desk scenarios. A context logger service running on a central server or on an individual computing device is used to create a log of application specific, often ephemeral, contextual data for a plurality of applications running one or more systems that are in communication with the context logger service across one or more networks. When a communication session between an initiating entity and a receiving entity to request assistance regarding a subject application running on one of the systems is initiated, and if the communication session is deemed to be a candidate for the automatic association of such context data, at least a portion of the application specific contextual data contained in the log is associated with the communication session and delivered to the receiving entity. The receiving entity uses the associated application specific contextual data to provide the requested assistance, or otherwise improve the operations at the receiving entity.
US08473602B2
Systems and methods are provided to determine an allocation of network resources in a distributed on-demand information technology (IT) systems using existing control mechanisms for other operating system resources in order to achieve a desired operating point within the IT system. This desired operating point is obtained by optimizing a goal-based objective function while taking into account system constraints. The relationship between utilization of all system resources, i.e. network resources and processing resources, and attainment of performance objectives is autonomously obtained for a plurality of actions that could be required by a range of system applications. This relationship is used to allocate network resources to applications while maintaining desired performance objectives. The allocation is enforced using existing control mechanisms.
US08473596B2
Rapid demanding for storage capacity at internet era requires a much flexible and powerful storage infrastructure. Present invention disclosed a type of storage system based a model of centrally controlled distributed scalable virtual machine. In this model, one or more service pools including virtual storage service pool and application service pools can be automatically created to meet the demands for more storage capacity from various applications. Specially this model provide a solid foundation for distributing storage volumes for supporting storage on-demand and sharing with exceptional management capabilities.
US08473595B2
A method and system to convert an existing web service from a first web services implantation type to a second web services implementation type. Example implementation types include SOAP and Representational State Transfer (REST). This conversion is achieved by recognizing and classifying available information from each of the distinct implementation types. After proper recognition and classification as disclosed herein, a deterministic process may be utilized to assist in converting or translating the exposed interface; thereby assisting in developing an interface, based on a different interface type than the one already exposed, may be provided.
US08473590B2
A system and method is disclosed for configuring a network device. The system and method involves a network device that includes an external button for toggling the device between a managed mode and an unmanaged mode. When the device is toggled to a managed mode, an Internet Protocol (IP) address is temporarily assigned to the device and the device may be remotely configured. After configuration, the device can be returned to an unmanaged state, and the IP address assigned to the device is cleared. During the period that the device is in a managed state, an external indicator on the device is turned on to confirm that the device is in a managed state.
US08473581B2
An online sales/automatic rebate and coupon redemption system provides online customers automatic retrieval and redemption of all applicable rebates and coupons during purchase. Purchase orders from customers are selectively fulfilled and products are shipped to the customers either by the system for online sales with automatic rebate and coupon redemption or by other merchant or manufacturer environments. The system purchases from merchants using applicable coupons and rebates and then sells the products to the customers, passing the savings to them. The system makes it possible to automatically retrieve coupons and rebates for items in a shopping cart during the activity of an online purchase at an electronic mall or an online merchant site. The system provides coupons to potential customers via email, based on customer profile, geographical information, etc. Manufacturers and merchants can update coupon value and content based on ongoing sales and volume of customer activity.
US08473578B2
Apparatuses, methods, and systems related to IP-addressable partitions are disclosed. In some embodiments an IP address is used to uniquely identify a selected subset of partitions. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US08473573B2
A method for providing one or more contents to a client is disclosed. The method comprise receiving a request for one or more specific contents from the client; transmitting, to the client, a contents reproducer, which allows a user of the client to define at least one new command and to define an external appearance of the contents reproducer, wherein the external appearance includes an object to be represented as the new command; and transmitting, to the client, the requested contents thereby to be reproduced using the contents reproducer.
US08473563B2
A scheduling algorithm for scheduling messages on a time-triggered bus in a distributed real-time embedded system. The algorithm first determines an initial message schedule for assigning the messages to time slots on the bus so that predetermined precedent relationships are enforced. In one embodiment, the algorithm uses an earliest-deadline-first schedule to determine the initial message schedule. The algorithm then reallocates the messages in the time slots to provide unused time slots between the messages. In one embodiment, the reallocating the messages includes solving a quadratic optimization problem. Also, the messages are reallocated in the time slots so that they are substantially evenly spaced.
US08473552B1
A computerized human communication arbitrating and distributing system, including a controller digital computer and a plurality of participator digital computers, each of the participator computers including an input device for receiving human-input information from a human user and an output device for presenting information to the user, each said user having a user identity. A connection, such as Internet, links the controller computer with each of the participator computers. Controller software runs on the controller computer to arbitrate in accordance with predefined rules including said user identity, which ones of the participator computers can interact in one of a plurality of groups through the controller computer and to distribute real time data to the respective ones of the groups. Participator software runs on each of the participator computers to handle a user interface permitting one said user to send a multimedia information message to the controller computer, which arbitrates which of the participator computers receive the multimedia information message and conveys the multimedia information message to the selected participator computers to present the multimedia information to the respective user.
US08473551B2
Methods and apparatus for forming and presenting confidential presentations within a computing environment associated with a virtual application are presented. For example, a method for forming a confidential presentation includes obtaining a correspondence indicator from an asset server, obtaining a first texture from the asset server, and overlaying the first texture onto a first object. The correspondence indicator indicates the first texture corresponds to the first object. The first object is within the computing environment associated with the virtual application. The first texture and the asset server are inaccessible by the computing environment associated with the virtual application. The confidential presentation comprises the first texture.
US08473540B1
A decoder, such as for example an MMSE MIMO decoder, and a method for decoding are described. An input channel matrix is obtained, and an extended channel matrix of the input channel matrix is generated. The extended channel matrix is triangularized to provide a triangularized matrix, and the triangularized matrix is inverted to provide an inverted triangular matrix. A left matrix multiplication result matrix associated with multiplication of the input channel matrix and the inverted triangular matrix is generated, and a weight matrix from the left matrix multiplication result matrix and the inverted triangular matrix is generated. A received symbols matrix is obtained, and a weighted estimation is generated and output using the weight matrix and the received symbols matrix to provide an estimate of a transmit symbols matrix for output of estimated data symbols.
US08473535B2
A first system and method relates to an analog current-mode method using branch systems. In the analog current-mode implementation, multiple branches systems can be scaled according to filter coefficients and switched using known data points. Positive coefficients can add current to the summing node, while negative coefficients can remove current from the summing node. Switches can be implemented with quick charge/discharge paths in order to operate at very high data rates. A second system and method relates to a digital look-up table based high-speed implementation. In the digital implementation, outputs can be pre-calculated as an n-bit output word that drives an n-bit DAC. Each bit of the n-bit word can then described as an independent function of the known data points. Each such function can be implemented as a high-speed combinational logic block. Both systems and methods enable the implementation of pulse shaping filters for multi-gigabit per second data transmission.
US08473533B1
A system, computer-readable storage medium, and method directly solves non-linear systems that have the HB Jacobian as the coefficient matrix. The direct solve method can be used to efficiently simulate non-linear circuits in RF or microwave applications. Additionally, the direct solve method can be applied to Fourier envelope applications. Furthermore, the direct solve method can be used together with preconditioners to provide a more efficient iterative solve technique.
US08473529B2
An illustrative embodiment of a computer-implemented process for single pass marking of finalizable objects marks strong roots, marks finalizable roots and determines whether a strong work stack is empty. Responsive to a determination the strong work stack is empty the computer-implemented process determines whether a finalizable work stack is empty. Responsive to a determination the finalizable work stack is empty, synchronize threads, the computer-implemented process finalizes finalizable roots and merges mark maps to finish parallel marking.
US08473528B2
Methods, computer-readable media, and apparatuses support data entry and aggregate work entries for an account. Different work codes are mapped to different categories for an account. Work entries are aggregated for the different categories in a report or in an invoice for the account. A worker may be mapped to client, which may further include a client region, when aggregating work entries to different categories for an account. A data structure is formed to include account information. The data structure can assume different structure types, including a data cube having three or more dimensions. A spreadsheet file may be linked to the data structure, and the contents a database may be synchronized to the spreadsheet file. The contents of the database may be categorized, analyzed, and aggregated, in which the contents are exported to provide a report on a worker and/or account.
US08473526B2
A method for managing a group of targets is provided. The method includes: receiving a request to update a x'th generation copy of a data entity, where x is a positive integer. Then applying an update function responsive to x such as to update a first sub-group of targets. Then receiving a request to read a y'th generation copy of the data entity and (iv) applying a retrieve function responsive to y such as to search for the y'th generation copy of the data entity in a second sub-group of targets. The first and second sub-groups intersect only once and only if y does not exceed x.
US08473520B1
A system may include reception of a selection of a set of one or more elements of a data visualization, the set associated with a measure and each of the one or more elements associated with a value of the measure for a respective combination of one or more dimension members, reception of an instruction to create a second set of one or more elements associated with a calculated measure, where a value of the calculated measure for a respective combination is based on two values of the measure for the respective combination, and where a first value of the two values of the measure is associated with a first time and a second value of the two values of the measure is associated with a second time, and automatic generation of a query to produce the value of the calculated measure for each of the combinations.
US08473519B1
Providing for dynamic auditing of components of a communication network is provided herein. By way of example, network components can be queried by way of dynamic and intelligent application programming interface (APIs) queries to extract data for the network components. Such data can then be compared with best practice rules to identify potential enhancements to efficiency or scalability of such components. In some aspects, an audit report can be output summarizing identified enhancements. In other aspects, data can be written to an updated component according to protocols suited to such component. Accordingly, an audit can provide feedback in light of best practices or can be utilized to dynamically upgrade a legacy system to newer system software and/or hardware components.
US08473510B1
A stopword detection component detects stopwords (also stop-phrases) in search queries input to keyword-based information retrieval systems. Potential stopwords are initially identified by comparing the terms in the search query to a list of known stopwords. Context data is then retrieved based on the search query and the identified stopwords. In one implementation, the context data includes documents retrieved from a document index. In another implementation, the context data includes categories relevant to the search query. Sets of retrieved context data are compared to one another to determine if they are substantially similar. If the sets of context data are substantially similar, this fact may be used to infer that the removal of the potential stopword(s) is not material to the search. If the sets of context data are not substantially similar, the potential stopword can be considered material to the search and should not be removed from the query.
US08473508B2
A condensed version of a plurality of rules for one or more forms being used by a user is loaded from a database. The condensed version of the plurality of rules is stored in cache memory of a computing device. When an event occurs, a rules engine determines if a condensed version of the rule is stored in cache memory. If a rule is not applicable, the rules engine does not query the database. If a rule is applicable, the rules engine determines if an action should be taken for the event. If no action is to be taken, the database is not queried for the rule. If an action is to be taken, the database may be queried for information for the rule to allow performing of the action or if the action is included in the condensed version, the action is performed without querying the database.
US08473507B2
Embodiments of tokenized search suggestions include generating, by at least one suggestion engine executing on a data processing system, first suggestions based on first text input in a text input field. The first suggestions are displayed on a display device and a selection of one of the first suggestions is received. The first text input is replaced with a first token corresponding to the selected one of the first suggestions. The at least one suggestion engine generates second suggestions based on second text input in the text input field and filters the second suggestions using the selected one of the first suggestions. The filtered selections are displayed on a display device.
US08473502B2
Methods, a medical device, and a computing system configured to interassociate data of the medical device are provided. The medical device uses a processor to collect data and include a respective event set identifier with data developed in connection with activity starting with a respective identifiable event of the medical device. The data may thus be parsed based on the event set identifier to access data for an identifiable event.
US08473494B2
The invention relates to a solution for adding a data item, e.g. advertisement information, to a message. The solution comprises a server (102) and a database (101). The database includes a pre-defined set of data items and a pre-defined set of profile items. The server selects one profile item on the basis of transmission control data, e.g. a destination address, associated with the message. The server selects a data item on the basis of the selected profile item and adds the selected data item on the basis data item to the message. Profiling of e.g. recipients associated with different instances of transmission control data has been done in advance and the results are stored in the database in the form of the profile items. Therefore, the amount of work related to selection of an appropriate data item for a certain message is reduced. In a preferred embodiment data items are selected at least partly on the basis of remaining portions of validity periods of the data items associated with the selected profile item, a shorter remaining portion of validity period being a factor in favor of getting selected compared with a longer remaining portion of validity period.
US08473481B2
An image may be received, a portion of which corresponds to a surface of an object, such as a book, a CD, a DVD, a wine bottle, etc. The portion of the image that corresponds to the surface of the object is located. The portion of the image is compared with previously stored images of surfaces of objects to identify the object. A record of the object is created and added to a library. The record of the object may comprise the image of the object, the portion of the image which corresponds to the surface of the object, and/or the received image itself. The record may comprise an indicator of a location of the object.
US08473479B2
The disclosed embodiments relate generally to the submission of media content to a media distribution system and the generation of media items from the media content. The media items may include, for example, audio, video, image, or podcast data. In accordance with one embodiment, a package for use in generating a downloadable digital media content asset includes metadata content that describes how the media content in a plurality of data files including media content can be processed to generate a downloadable digital media content asset, where the package includes information identifying the plurality of data files.
US08473477B1
A searcher can be configured to improve relevance ranking of search results through iterative weighting of search ranking results. A Search Auto Categorizer (SAC) operates on a base query to return a probabilistic distribution of leaf categories of a taxonomy in which relevant products may reside. A Search Logic Unit (SLU) can compute a relevance of any particular leaf category to the base query. The SLU can then determine an initial relevance of a particular product to the query based on the probabilistic distribution and the relevance of leaf category to query. The SLU weights the relevance of a product to the query to establish an updated probabilistic distribution. The SLU then repeats the relevance and weighting until convergence upon a relevance list.
US08473475B2
An information storage medium for storing metadata supporting multiple languages and a method of processing the metadata are provided. The information storage medium is provided to store contents, and at least one metadata file in which information regarding the contents is recorded in at least one language. The metadata file comprises a plurality of language files in which a plurality of versions of the information regarding the contents written in a plurality of languages are provided, and the languages are identified by the names of the respective language files. The names of the language files may include a language identifier according to an ISO 639-2 standard. The information may also include download information regarding a plurality of downloadable metadata files that are downloadable from other storage media.
US08473474B1
Implementations include generating a first plurality of univariate distributions based on known data stored in a computer-readable database, each univariate distribution of the plurality of distributions comprising an arbitrary distribution, processing the univariate distributions and the known data to generate an empirical ACR provided as a multi-dimensional histogram, storing the empirical ACR in the computer-readable database, retrieving, from computer-readable memory, a second plurality of univariate distributions, each univariate distribution in the second plurality of univariate distributions being associated with a respective set of uncertain values that are to be correlated to a respective set of uncertain values associated with one or more other univariate distributions in the second plurality of univariate distributions, processing the empirical ACR and the second plurality of univariate distributions to generate a correlation histogram that represents a correlation between the respective sets of uncertain values and storing the correlation histogram in the computer-readable database.
US08473467B2
Some embodiments provide a method that receives an unstructured document including a number of primitive elements. The method identifies a default set of document reconstruction operations for reconstructing the unstructured document to define a structured document. The method performs at least one of the document reconstruction operations from the default set. Based on results of the performed document reconstruction operations, the method identifies a profile for the unstructured document. The method modifies the set of document reconstruction operations for reconstructing the unstructured document according to the identified profile.
US08473464B2
A method and apparatus for data recovery in a multitasking or multithreading environment is provided. The method includes creating a log record by performing bit-by-bit logging with respect to a lowest level bitmap of a multilevel bitmap, recovering the lowest level bitmap using the log record, and correcting a higher level bitmap corresponding to the lowest level bitmap based on the recovered lowest level bitmap.
US08473462B1
Various systems and methods for tracking changes in a storage device. For example, one method can involve receiving a request to perform an incremental backup of a storage device and backing up locations in the storage device that are identified as having been changed. The method also involves receiving information from each of the nodes, where the information identifies locations that have been changed by the nodes. The locations that have been changed include both data and metadata.
US08473461B1
Recoverable file information and file content are maintained for a plurality of files. Responsive to detecting a damaged file on a computer system, the recoverable file information is used to identify a specific instantiation of the file to be restored. The computer is searched for a non-damaged, local copy of the file. If a non-damaged, local copy is found, it is used to replace the damaged file. Otherwise, a difference file is created which identifies the sections of the damaged file that differ from a non-damaged specific instantiation thereof. Using the difference file and appropriate maintained file content, the relevant sections of the damaged file are rebuilt, thereby restoring it to its original condition.
US08473459B2
A method for replicating I/O performance in data replication environments, such as PPRC environments, is described. In selected embodiments, such a method includes monitoring I/O workload at a primary storage device over a period of time, such as a period of hours, days, or months. The method then generates learning data at the primary storage device describing the I/O workload over the selected time period. The learning data is replicated from the primary storage device to a secondary storage device. The method uses the learning data to optimize the secondary storage device to handle the I/O workload of the primary storage device. This will enable the secondary storage device to provide substantially the same I/O performance as the primary storage device in the event a failover occurs. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed and claimed herein.
US08473454B2
A document processing method includes receiving, at a server with a network interface, electronic documents from a user. The server includes a software application adapted to recognize a class of electronic documents to which the electronic documents belong. The method also includes processing the electronic documents received from the user to extract data therefrom based on a recognition that the electronic documents belong to the class of electronic documents. The extracted data corresponds to a service being provided to the user. The method also includes automatically mapping the extracted data from the processed electronic documents to a data repository on the server. The data repository is accessible by the user through the network interface. The method also includes electronically generating output data based on the mapped data from the data repository to the user. The output data corresponds to the service being provided to the user.
US08473452B1
A system and method for creating a unique alias associated with an individual identified in a health care database such that health care data, and particularly pharmaceutical-related data, can be efficiently gathered and analyzed. The system has a first data store for storing at least one record where each record includes a plurality of identification fields which when concatenated uniquely identify an individual, and at least one health care field corresponding to health care data associated with the individual. The system also has a second data store, and a processor. The processor selects a record of the first data store, then selects a subset of the plurality of identification fields within the selected record, and concatenates the selected subset of identification fields. Then the processor stores the concatenated identification fields in a record in the second data store with the at least one health care field from the selected record of the first data store.
US08473449B2
A method for effecting a dialogue with an emulated brain. The method includes the step of receiving a query in the form of a semantic string. The semantic string is then parsed into basic concepts of the query. The basic concepts are then clumped into a clump concept. If the clump concept constitutes part of a dialogue, then the dialogue thread is activated by determining the context of the clump concept and assessing a potential reply from a group of weighted replies, which expected replies are weighted based on the parsed concepts produced in the step of parsing. The heaviest weighted one of the expected replies is selected and the weight of the selected reply after it is selected is downgraded. The selected reply is then generated for output in a sentence structure.
US08473444B1
A system and method for controlling interaction among environments including virtualized environments and a system environment. A process issues a request to perform an action on a resource or a second process. A virtualization environment manager operating in the system environment detects the request and in response, retrieves data associated with the request identifying the first process, a base environment corresponding to the process, and the resource, and retrieves a first rule from a programmable database of rules. A base environment of a process is an environment in which a process is running. The first rule corresponds to at least one of the first process, the base environment, and the resource and identifies a target environment in which to process the request. The target environment is different from the base environment of the process. The virtualization environment manager directs the request to the target environment.
US08473442B1
A method is provided in one example embodiment and it includes receiving a state request and determining whether a state exists in a translation dictionary for the state request. The method further includes reproducing the state if it is not in the dictionary and adding a new state to the dictionary. In more specific embodiments, the method includes compiling a rule, based on the state, into a given state table. The rule affects data management for one or more documents that satisfy the rule. In yet other embodiments, the method includes determining that the state represents a final state such that a descriptor is added to the state. In one example, if the state is not referenced in the algorithm, then the state is released. If the state is referenced in the algorithm, then the state is replaced with the new state.
US08473438B2
Data compression technology (“the technology”) is disclosed that can employ two or more prediction models contemporaneously. The technology receives data from one or more sources; shifts or re-sample one of more corresponding signals; creates a prediction model of uncompressed samples using at least two different individual or composite models; selects a subset of the models for prediction of samples; determines an order in which signals will be compressed; formulates a combined predictions model using the selected subset of models; predicts a future value for the data using the combined compression model; defines a function that has as parameters at least the predicted future values for the data and actual values; selects a compression method for the values of the function; and compresses the data using at least the predicted value of the function.
US08473423B2
A system evaluates callers, into a contact center, for possible employment. The evaluations occur while the caller waits in a contact center queue and provide a rating of the callers as potential employees. Ratings may be generated or accumulated from one or more interactions with the contact center, where each interaction with the caller can provide information about the caller's suitability as an employee. Good candidates may be interviewed automatically and/or by a manager. Those candidates that receive good ratings/evaluations and are interested in the position may be hired or provided incentives to help the call center respond to calls.
US08473419B1
Disclosed herein are methods and systems for enforcing dependencies in an account management system using publish/subscribe. Messages containing account information may be published and received by one or more account servicers. Account servicers may not perform account management tasks based on a message unless the message satisfies a keyword, which may express dependencies of the account servicer. Keywords may be based on the content of received messages. If a received message matches a keyword, the account servicer may perform an account management task, and cause a subsequent message to be published with an additional keyword related to the account servicer.
US08473418B2
Database management and security is implemented in a variety of embodiments. In one such embodiment, data sets containing retail transaction information are analyzed using aliases representing transaction card identifiers. In another embodiment, the transaction card identifiers are stored in an encrypted form for use from a secure access, while the alias identifier is available for standard access.
US08473405B2
A system and methods are developed for providing market data in an electronic trading environment. One example method includes determining a probability model comprising a probability corresponding to a change in relation to a market data parameter, then, using the probability to generate a compressed bit stream representing the market data parameter, and providing the compressed bit stream to the client terminal.
US08473401B2
A system for facilitating settlement of payments relating to transactions involving financial instruments among multiple participants is provided. An interface receives from participants first and second instructions associated with a financial instrument of a first form, and first and second instructions associated with a financial instrument of a second form. A first processor establishes an association between, and applies a first set of pre-settlement rules to, the first and second instructions associated with the financial instrument of the first form. A second processor establishes an association between, and applies a second set of pre-settlement rules to, the first and second instructions associated with the financial instrument of the second form.
US08473398B1
A system, method, and computer-readable medium are provided for managing a portfolio using financial instrument rankings. A processor determines portfolio weights for financial instruments based on a ranking associated with each instrument, a cutoff rank, and a risk multiplier.
US08473395B1
A system for and method of providing payment protection upon the occurrence of trigger events. The system and method include an account, which may be associated with a credit card or other financial product. An accountholder may select trigger events and associated benefits. Upon the occurrence of a trigger event, the issuing entity will evaluate whether the accountholder is entitled to receive an associated benefit. Each benefit is intended to address at least one payment obligation. For example, an account may include payment protection in the form of automatic payment of minimum monthly credit card fees should the accountholder involuntarily become unemployed.
US08473387B2
Systems and methods for data brokering, and more specifically, data brokering regarding a data provider's search-related activities are described. In particular implementations, various aspects of facilitating a compensation arrangement between a data provider and a data consumer regarding one or more data-provider-related search activities, are described.
US08473380B2
The invention encourages users to not only pay themselves first, but to pay themselves first in the largest amounts possible, even if they are not able to fully pay outstanding debts. In general, the invention obtains information related to the user's income, income sources, user's debts (e.g., bills) and user's goals, then provides recommendations related to the prioritization of paying certain bills and the amount to pay for each bill based upon, for example, savings goals, minimum amounts due, due dates and available income. The invention also determines a payment hierarchy which includes transferring funds to the user's savings account prior to paying all or a portion of certain bills. The invention also monitors a consumer's purchasing activity based upon an established budget.
US08473379B2
A charging system includes a rating engine, a session control module, and a charging unit determination module. The session control module receives a request for service units, associated with a charging session, from a client or service element, and obtains one or more input parameters from the request for service units. The charging unit determination module obtains account data associated with the request for service units, determines at least one charging session related parameter based on the one or more input parameters and/or the account data, and pass the at least one charging session related parameter to the rating engine. The rating engine grants service units based on the at least one charging session related parameter, and forwards an indication of the granted service units to the session control module for return to the client or service element.
US08473370B1
A method and apparatus for use by a buyer for a store includes a software application computer that is provided to the buyer at a buyer show. The application displays product features and pricing information and receives product order information from the buyer. The application displays information regarding sales of the products by the store. After completing an order, the application submits the order, and prints or transmits confirmation copies. The buyer leaves the computer the show prior to departing. A virtual shopping cart is displayed on the computer into which goods are placed prior to submittal of the order. Multiple shopping carts can be opened by the user with differing shipping priorities and different shipping destinations for each cart. Multiple shopping carts can be used while the user is browsing an on-line catalog of products to be ordered.
US08473368B2
A method, system and controller is provided for a selection service recommending or providing access to goods or service items to a consumer, comprising the steps of: identifying a set of available items at least some of which require payment to item providers for access (1201); predicting a measure of likely enjoyment of each available item by the consumer (1202)/calculating a measure of value for money of each available item for the consumer (1203); and recommending or providing access to items to the consumer that will represent good value for money (1204).
US08473367B2
The disclosed system and method includes a global computer network facility which provides a platform allowing artists to quickly and easily promote their music. A method and system of uploading songs establishes unique characteristics of each song with audio-analytical tools, and stores the analyzed songs on an online cloud computing storage facility. The artist-users can efficiently promote their music directly to the right suited audience in a fair fashion, providing a platform for all artists, including lesser known and popular artists. Simultaneously, the system allows listeners to readily access their entire music library from any mobile device via syncing music to devices with the invention's client application. At the same time, listener-users are automatically prompted with new or recommended music based on audio/acoustical characteristics of the song that they are currently listening to.
US08473365B2
A part location system is described that utilizes computer-based techniques for bringing together repair facilities and suppliers to increase the efficiency of locating recycled, used or aftermarket parts using a computer network, such as the Internet. The part location system receives an estimate from a first user over a communication network. The part location system then parses the estimate to extract information that identifies a list of parts needed by the first user and automatically generates a request for quote (RFQ) using the information extracted from the estimate. The part location system then sends the RFQ to suppliers via the communication network. Subsequently, the part location system receives quotations from at least one of the suppliers via the communication network in response to the RFQ and presents the quotations received in response to the RFQ to a repair facility via the communication network.
US08473364B2
This document discusses, among other things, example embodiments of a transaction system that may receive, over a network, a first set of transaction data associated with a transaction for an item. In an example embodiment, a reputation application may adjust a rating associated with the transaction when the first set of transaction data indicates a purchase or a return of the item.
US08473359B2
A method for using an internet accessible computer system to conduct business to business operations among a plurality of buyer companies and a plurality of seller companies. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of registering each of the plurality of seller companies with an internet accessible computer system, wherein each of the plurality of seller companies sells goods to a corresponding one of the plurality of buyer companies, and the corresponding one buyer company makes payment for the goods sold by that seller company; and registering each of the plurality of buyer companies with the internet accessible computer system, wherein the registration of each of the plurality of buyer companies depends on the registration of its corresponding seller company.
US08473351B1
Authorization verification systems and methods are described that store a record of an authorization determination performed at a point of sale or other point of control. The system receives authorization information for an individual indicative of the individual's authorization to purchase a product or service, to enter a location, to attend an event, or to otherwise participate in an encounter whose access is limited to authorized individuals. In one embodiment, the authorization verification system receives information relating to the individual's age via an electronic scanning of a driver's license or other identification card, or by other methods, and uses the birth date information to calculate the customer's current age. The current age can be displayed on an existing display of a point-of-sale device or other display. A record of the authorization can be stored as part of a transaction record that can subsequently be retrieved to verify that an authorization determination for the encounter was carried out.
US08473350B1
The disclosure details the implementation of apparatuses, methods and systems for a Framework for Ad-hoc Applications Based on Advertising (FAABA). The FAABA may employ short-range radio-frequency communications. The disclosure teaches mechanisms for providing targeted advertising in connection with ad-hoc applications/point-to-point (P2P) communications between user terminals. In a manner, the invention teaches general collection components for user terminals, which is responsible for collecting and maintaining a dynamic set of advertisements as a background operation. This allows the user terminals to initiate applications that are based on P2P communication, and furthermore, allows collections of pre-loaded advertisements to be provided to the user terminals along and/or during the P2P communications. Also, the FAABA teaches that after advertisements are stored in the receiving device, the advertisements can be tailored more closely to the interests of the user of the device and the advertisements can be filtered based on current context of the user.
US08473347B1
An allocation subsystem allocates advertisement slots based on cumulative demand of the advertisement slots. The cumulative demand can be based on a softened demand curve for advertisers that have submitted bids for allocation of the advertisement slot. The demand curves can be adjusted to regulate a variance of the advertisers spend rate throughout a budget period.
US08473343B2
A computer implemented method for response tracking is described. The method includes obtaining one or more responses to one or more promotions, attributing the one or more responses to one or more treatment instances, with the one or more treatment instances correspond to a promotion version assigned to a group of contact entities at an execution of a computer implemented marketing campaign, and generating a response table, the response table including one or more entries, the entries in the response table being in accordance with attribution of the one or more responses to one or more treatment instances.
US08473340B2
A computer implemented method markets a particular product in an e-commerce system. A web page server receives a request for a current web page that displays a particular product. The request is accompanied by an authorization indicium to retrieve a content of a previous web page that offered the particular product at a previous price. A current price for the particular product is dynamically adjusted based on the previous price offered on the previous web page, and is then presented on the current web page.
US08473336B1
A request is received from a client computer to access an online resource. Access to the online resource is controlled by a server. In response to the request, the server transmits advertising content for a product or service to be displayed on the client computer. The server also transmits an input request to be displayed by the client computer. The input request asks for information about the product or service that is being advertised. The information is available to the user by comprehending the advertising content. The server receives an input response from the client computer. If the input response comprises the correct information requested by the input request, the server permits the client computer to access the online resource.
US08473331B2
Computer-implemented systems and methods are provided for determining future profitability for an entity. A present profitability model is generated for the entity based upon present values for a plurality of components of profitability. The present profitability model is used to create a future profitability forecast for the entity.
US08473328B2
The present disclosure describes novel systems and methods that can be utilized to evaluate and/or direct an interaction with a consumer database and/or evaluate a consumer database, where the consumer database contains information about consumers and particular products and/or services held or used by the consumers. The interactions may be, for example, determining a strategy for sales, marketing, cross-selling, and/or retaining one or more of the consumers. The evaluations may include, for example, hierarchically ranking the consumers and/or determining a clustering of the consumers.
US08473325B2
A system for automatically installing and managing devices in a home network implements automated configuration and maintenance of devices and peripherals. A service platform facilitates automated discovery and deployment of home networks and devices that interact with the network. The system includes a monitoring and learning processes for automatic issue detection and alerting. Activity of users and devices within the home are monitored, usage patterns are learned and applied back to the system to improve the digital performance of the home. This system leverages data center, service node, and agent software in the devices to access a knowledge base storing data regarding home entities. A hierarchical index model is used to assign intelligence levels to these entities based on certain parameters. The indices are used to direct alert messages, take an action, and implement a targeted facility for providing communications from network managers or service providers.
US08473323B2
The invention to which this application relates is the provision of a method and apparatus which allows the graphical representation of organizations and the interpretation of business structures and in particular allows the representation of variants within said business structures and allows these variants to be dealt with in an organized and more efficient manner than is conventionally possible. Thus, several different variants of an organizational model can be created and compared. Typically all of the variants include the components, interfaces, references and elements of the original organizational model.
US08473318B2
Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems, methods and computer program products for determining a risk score for an agent associated with an entity. In some embodiments, a method includes: (a) receiving first information associated with an agent's action related to an account and/or an agent's actions over a predetermined period of time related to one or more applications, and (b) determining a first risk score based at least partially on the first information. In some embodiments, the method further includes: (c) receiving, from a data system, second information associated with the agent, where the second information comprises one or more entitlements granted to the agent by the entity, and (d) determining a second risk score based at least partially on both the first information and the second information. Embodiments of the invention allow an entity to monitor an agent's actions and determine whether the agent's actions, either singly or cumulatively, pose a risk to the customer's account and/or other information provided by the customer.
US08473311B2
A healthcare risk index is generated using a patient or individual's medical claims. The index may be used to explain and predict variation in pharmacy-related costs and variation in total healthcare costs or utilization. In particular, one example of such a method involves first generating a medical condition score using the individual's medical information for each medical condition possessed by the individual. From there, each medical condition score is modified according to a regression coefficient, to result in one or more modified medical condition scores. Finally, the risk index may be generated by summing the medical condition scores. This risk index is indicative of at least one of the individual's medical costs, chronic medical conditions, and variation in medical costs.
US08473307B2
An information management system (IMS) is described herein that provides supplemental information to a user who is interacting with an application module. In one implementation, the IMS includes a collection system, an information extraction module, and a notification system. The collection system provides collected information from one or more information sources. The information extraction module extracts application information from the application module, even though the application module may lack a native interface for providing the application information. The analysis engine determines supplemental information to present to the user based on the collected information and the application information. And the notification information provides notification information which alerts the user to the existence of the supplemental information. In one scenario, the IMS can be applied in a healthcare-related domain.
US08473306B2
A system is provided for leveraging the power of the analysis of variability over time, and which uses an underlying framework that can handle variability analyses across a distributed system in a consistent manner, in part by constructing a standard variability data file that includes several manifestations of the underlying data acquired using variability monitoring. The consistent and standard data files, along with the underlying framework enables a user to make use of a set of convenient display tools, while a central entity can provide connectivity to the distributed environment and provide a way to update the equipment and software to ensure consistent and relevant analyses. The system can be extended into many environments, including in-patient, out-patient and completely mobile/stand-alone users.
US08473302B2
Provided are parametric audio encoding and decoding apparatuses and methods thereof. In the parametric audio encoding method, an audio signal is segmented into a plurality of segments. At least one sine wave is extracted from each of the segments, and the extracted sine waves are connected. It is determined whether an extracted sine wave is a birth sine wave. If the extracted sine wave is a birth sine wave, a bit stream is generated by encoding the phase of the birth sine wave on the basis of the frequency of the birth sine wave, wherein the number of bits allocated to encode the phase of the birth sine wave is adjusted according to the frequency of the birth sine wave.
US08473300B1
Methods and systems for log mining for grammar-based text processing are provided. A method may comprise receiving, from a device, an activity log. The activity log may comprise one or more of an input instruction, a determined function based at least in part on a match of the input instruction to a grammar-based textual pattern including associations of a given function based on one or more grammars, and a response determination based on an acknowledgement of the determined function. The method may also comprise comparing at least a portion of the activity log with stored activity logs in order to determine a correlation between the activity log and the stored activity logs. The method may also comprise modifying the grammar-based textual pattern based on the determined correlation and providing information indicative of the modification to the device so as to update the grammar-based textual pattern.
US08473298B2
A digital audio signal can be processed using continuously variable time-frequency resolution by selecting a portion of an input digital audio signal, resampling the selected portion of the input digital audio signal, generating a plurality of spectral characteristics associated with the resampled portion of the input digital audio signal, generating a portion of an output digital audio signal from the plurality of spectral characteristics, and resampling the portion of the output digital audio signal. Further, resampling the selected portion of the input digital audio signal can comprise determining a sampling ratio and resampling the selected portion of the input digital audio signal in accordance with the determined sampling ratio. Additionally, the portion of the output digital audio signal can be resampled in accordance with the inverse of the determined sampling ratio. The sampling ratio can be determined based on a time-frequency resolution requirement associated with an audio processing algorithm.
US08473292B2
Disclosed herein are systems, computer-implemented methods, and computer-readable storage media for generating personalized user models. The method includes receiving automatic speech recognition (ASR) output of speech interactions with a user, receiving an ASR transcription error model characterizing how ASR transcription errors are made, generating guesses of a true transcription and a user model via an expectation maximization (EM) algorithm based on the error model and the respective ASR output where the guesses will converge to a personalized user model which maximizes the likelihood of the ASR output. The ASR output can be unlabeled. The method can include casting speech interactions as a dynamic Bayesian network with four variables: (s), (u), (r), (m), and encoding relationships between (s), (u), (r), (m) as conditional probability tables. At each dialog turn (r) and (m) are known and (s) and (u) are hidden.
US08473286B2
A noise feedback coding (NFC) system and method that utilizes a simple and relatively inexpensive general structural configuration, but achieves improved flexibility with respect to controlling the shape of coding noise. The NFC system and method utilizes an all-zero noise feedback filter that is configured to approximate the response of a pole-zero noise feedback filter.
US08473280B2
A method for facilitating texting in a non-Latin-based language includes storing mapping between a non-Latin-based language and a Latin-based language in a computer storage. The characters in the non-Latin-based language are mapped to a first group of characters in the Latin-based language. The diacritics in the non-Latin-based language are mapped to a second group of characters in the Latin-based language. The characters in the non-Latin-based language in a texting message are converted into in the coded text comprising characters in the Latin-based language according to the mapping. The texting message having the coded text is transmitted from a first communication device to a second communication device. The characters of the Latin-based language in the coded text are converted back into the characters in the non-Latin-based language according to the mapping to allow a user to read the text message in the non-Latin-based language on the second communication device.
US08473278B2
Systems and methods for detecting collocation errors in a text sample using a reference database from a corpus are provided. Collocation candidates are identified within the text sample based upon syntactic patterns in the text sample. Whether a given collocation candidate contains a collocation error is detected, the detecting including: determining a first association measure using the reference database for the given collocation candidate; determining whether the first association measure satisfies a predetermined condition and identifying the given collocation candidate as proper if the first association measure satisfies the predetermined condition; determining an additional association measure for a variation of the given collocation candidate using the reference database; and determining whether or not the collocation candidate contains an error based upon the additional association measure of the variation.
US08473271B2
A lithography model uses a transfer function to map exposure energy dose to the thickness of remaining photoresist after development; while allowing the flexibility to account for other physical processes. In one approach, the model is generated by fitting empirical data. The model may be used in conjunction with an aerial image to obtain a three-dimensional profile of the remaining photoresist thickness after the development process. The lithography model is generally compact, yet capable of taking into account various physical processes associated with the photoresist exposure and/or development process for more accurate simulation.
US08473259B2
In one embodiment, a method for designing an assembly of objects in a system of computer-aided design includes selecting a first object and a second object of the assembly. The method can further include computing a set of relative positions between the first object and the second object of the assembly, ranking the relative positions of the set between the first object and the second object according to at least one criterion, and providing the best of the relative positions between the first object and the second object according to the ranking step.
US08473254B2
A system and method for configuring an aircraft for low sonic boom supersonic flight conditions includes redistributing lift of a wing by configuring the wing with one or more areas of far-field expansion ahead of areas of far-field compression. An equivalent area distribution goal curve is scaled to account for the equivalent area reduction due to excursions below to goal curve. A relaxed constraint allows the equivalent area distribution of the aircraft to be at or below the equivalent area distribution goal curve to enable multiple parameters to be configured to meet the equivalent area distribution constraint, as well as other constraints. The system and method can be adapted to aid in the design of any type of vehicle whose surfaces are subject to supersonic fluid flow, especially to reduce sonic boom.
US08473244B2
An angular velocity correction device includes a horizontal angular velocity detection unit to detect horizontal axis angular velocity, that is mounted on a main unit attached to a moving object that moves along a predetermined movement surface, and that is made up of angular velocity around the horizontal axis which is orthogonal to the advancing direction of the moving object, occurring according to the inclination angle of the movement surface; a correction value generating unit to generate a correction value for correcting the horizontal axis angular velocity, based on the horizontal axis angular velocity that satisfies predetermined horizontal determining conditions of the horizontal axis angular velocity in the past; and a correction unit to correct the horizontal axis angular velocity using the correction value.
US08473239B2
Increasing the effective aperture of an ultrasound imaging probe by including more than one probe head and using the elements of all of the probes to render an image can greatly improve the lateral resolution of the generated image. In order to render an image, the relative positions of all of the elements must be known precisely. A calibration fixture is described in which the probe assembly to be calibrated is placed above a test block and transmits ultrasonic pulses through the test block to an ultrasonic sensor. As the ultrasonic pulses are transmitted though some or all of the elements in the probe to be tested, the differential transit times of arrival of the waveform are measured precisely. From these measurements the relative positions of the probe elements can be computed and the probe can be aligned.
US08473223B2
A method for utilizing fabrication defect of an article includes steps of obtaining a defect image from a fabrication process for fabricating the article, wherein the defect image includes a defect and fabricated circuit patterns around the defect; obtaining coordinates of the defect; retrieving a layout of the article including design circuit patterns; extracting a contour of the defect from the defect image; superposing the contour of the defect on the layout according to the coordinates of the defect; and determining whether the defect causes a open failure or a short failure on the layout by analyzing overlaps between the contour of the defect and the design circuit patterns. Therefore, the article's health can be monitored during the fabrication process, not until the end of the fabrication process.
US08473217B1
The present invention relates to a method and system for standardizing a test microarray dataset. The method requires obtaining a test microarray dataset comprising abundance values for a first plurality of cellular constituents, providing a standardization data structure associated with values of central tendency and identifies, and applying the standardization data structure to the test microarray dataset using a mathematical transformation in order to produce a standardized test microarray dataset.This change has been made for purposes of compact prosecution and to better embrace the allowable subject matter.
US08473205B2
A method of and system for searching for position determination signals using a plurality of progressively more sensitive search modes comprising a first level mode, a second mode, and at least one higher level mode. If any of the search window parameters exceed prescribed limits, a first level search is performed, and the search window parameters are refined responsive to the ensuing search results so they are within the prescribed limits. Then, the second level search is performed, and measurements derived from the ensuing search results. If the measurements satisfy selected measurement sufficiency criteria, additional searching within the position fix attempt is avoided. If the measurements do not satisfy the selected measurement sufficiency criteria, a higher level, more sensitive search is performed.
US08473204B2
A map distribution system that implements navigation using desired map data in which the degree of reliability of information about an object, such as a road or a facility, is taken into consideration is provided. A map distribution server 1a creates distribution data including difference map data and a reliance status showing the degree of reliability of the difference map data as a reply to edit request information about an edit request made by a user, and a map information terminal 3 receives the distribution data via a communication network 2 and performs navigation according to the reliance status included in the distribution data.
US08473190B2
There is provided a method for assisting in providing a first fix in a global positioning satellite system, the method comprising: storing of connection point association data for a network connection point, observed by a portable electronic device, for subsequent use in assisting in providing a first fix, the connection point association data providing for approximation of the position of a device at the observed network connection point by associating together connection point identifiers of the observed network connection point and one or more other network connection points to allow for positional data used for determining the position at one or more other network connection points to be used for the approximation of the position of the device at the observed network connection point.
US08473184B2
A control method and a control system for deceleration of a vehicle including a continuous valve lift apparatus (CVVL) may include determining whether fuel cutting condition is satisfied, determining whether brake pedal input signal is detected and controlling deceleration according to brake pedal input signal by at least one of controlling throttle opening angle and controlling valve lift of the CVVL.
US08473179B2
An engine control system includes a desired manifold absolute pressure (MAP) module, a MAP to torque module, a threshold determination module, and a fuel economy (FE) mode module. The desired MAP module determines a desired MAP for operation of an engine in one of a cylinder deactivation mode and a low-lift mode based on a difference between a desired vacuum and an air pressure upstream of a throttle valve. The MAP to torque module determines a desired torque output of the engine for operation in the one of the cylinder deactivation mode and the low-lift mode based on the desired MAP. The threshold determination module determines an entry torque based on the desired torque output. The FE mode module selectively triggers operation in the one of the cylinder deactivation mode and the low-lift mode based on a comparison of the entry torque and a torque request.
US08473177B2
Some exemplary embodiments include hybrid vehicle systems including an engine operable to output exhaust, an exhaust aftertreatment system configured to receive the exhaust from the engine, the exhaust aftertreatment system including an SCR catalyst operable to reduce NOx in the exhaust and an electrical heater operable to heat the SCR catalyst, a motor/generator operable in a braking mode to receive torque to slow the vehicle and output electrical power, an energy storage device operable to output electrical power to drive the motor/generator and receive electrical power from the motor/generator, and a controller operable to control the electrical heater to heat the SCR catalyst using electrical power from the motor/generator in the braking mode.
US08473176B2
An aircraft monitoring system uses aircraft engine and system transducers to monitor critical engine and aircraft system parameters. Simple controls and graphical user interfaces facilitate the display of different kinds of critical information to the pilot. Such data may also be recorded for later downloading and analysis.
US08473173B1
An automatic vehicle braking system prohibits vehicle propulsion upon detection of a triggering event, and includes sensors that detect the triggering event, a processor. A logic gate and a vehicle gear sensor cooperate with the processor to automatically activate and deactivate a vehicle braking system, which includes a solenoid switch responsive to an output signal from the logic gate. An air valve is activates the vehicle braking system by permitting air to pass downstream of the air valve and to existing vehicle brake pads. An outlet port is situated downstream from the inlet port of the air valve casing. A piston is linearly reciprocated within the casing such that the inlet port is in fluid communication with the existing air tank of the vehicle. In this manner, the outlet port may be adapted to be in fluid communication with an existing brake pad of the vehicle braking system.
US08473171B2
A vehicle has wheels, sensors for generating an input data set, and a controller. The controller is in communication with the sensors, including a first sensor for detecting an obstacle on a road surface in a first manner, and adapted to monitor a boundary of the road surface to determine when the wheels are crossing the boundary. A second sensor detects the obstacle in a second manner, and additional sensors determine inertial data of the vehicle. The controller compares the input data set to calibrated thresholds, and determines an appropriate control response such as autonomous braking based on the results. A method optimizes a collision preparation response in the vehicle by measuring the inertial data, detecting the obstacle using a radar or LiDAR device, and monitoring the boundary using an electro-optical device. A supplemental braking force is automatically applied when the vehicle crosses the boundary while the obstacle is detected.
US08473170B2
The described system and method provide improved transmission performance and response with closed loop torque feedback by implementing situational gain scheduling and nonlinear control techniques for continuously variable transmissions. The system uses contextual information regarding the operation of the machine to determine a gain to be applied in associated PID control logic. In an embodiment, the determined gain is applied in the integral portion of the closed loop controller.
US08473168B2
The present invention provides a system and method for generating a planting profile for seeds planted in a field using a seed planter that includes a seed transfer device. In various embodiments, the planting profile may be generated via a processor that communicates with a timing device and a seed sensor. The timing device is configured to provide timestamps associated with the presence of one or more seeds on a seed carrying feature of the seed transfer device as indicated by the seed sensor. Some embodiments further comprise a speed measuring device that is configured to measure and provide to the processor a speed of the seed planter as it travels through the field. Other embodiments further comprise a second seed sensor that senses seeds after exiting from the drop tube.
US08473166B2
The blade on an earthmoving machine is controlled by a semiautomatic method comprising a combination of a manual operational mode and an automatic operational mode. An operator first enters the manual operational mode and manually sets the height of the blade. The operator then enters the automatic mode and sets a reference pitch angle and an initial control point. The height of the blade is automatically controlled based on pitch angle measurements received from pitch angle sensors. Automatic control is effective over a particular range of soil conditions. When the automatic control range is exceeded, the operator manually shifts the control point, and automatic control resumes about the new control point. Blade slope is automatically controlled based on roll angle measurements received from roll angle sensors.
US08473165B2
A turning drive control apparatus that controls a drive of a turning mechanism of a construction machine driven to turn by an electric motor, includes: a drive command creation part that creates a drive command to drive the electric motor based on an amount of operation input through an operation part of the construction machine; a turning motion detection part that detects a turning motion of the turning mechanism; and a drive command correction part that corrects the drive command, when a turning motion in a direction opposite to a turning operation direction input to the operation part is detected by the turning motion detection part, to suppress the turning motion in the direction opposite to the turning operation direction in response to a degree of the turning motion in the direction opposite to the turning operation direction.
US08473162B2
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, a force limiting device for a motor vehicle is provided. The force limiting device is adopted for adjusting the absorption of a force between two parts moving relative to one another during a dangerous situation in the motor vehicle. The force limiting device comprises a kinematic energy absorption device configured such that for a predefined profile of a speed difference between the two parts moving relative to one another different force limiting levels are produced as a function of mass and momentum of the two moving parts.
US08473159B2
A method for determining a target steering angle for nose landing gear of an aircraft includes receiving rudder pedal input data into a steering control unit, receiving aircraft speed data into the steering control unit, calculating a normal gain, calculating a parking gain, and adding the normal gain and the parking gain to determine the target steering angle. The normal gain is a positive quantity in all aircraft speed and pedal stroke ranges. The parking gain is a positive quantity in parking and taxiing speed ranges. A nose wheel steering system is also disclosed.
US08473151B2
Excursion prevention methods and systems may include transmitting a speed signal from the vehicle speed sensor to the electronic control unit; transmitting a transmission signal from the transmission sensor to the electronic control unit; transmitting an accelerator pedal signal from the accelerator sensor to the electronic control unit; transmitting a brake pedal signal from the brake sensor to the electronic control unit; executing a machine readable control logic with the electronic control unit to determine if an excursion condition is present based on the speed of the vehicle, the status of the transmission, the application of the accelerator pedal of the vehicle, and the application of the brake pedal of the vehicle; and, transmitting an alert signal from the electronic control unit when the excursion condition is present.
US08473150B2
A method of unlocking the anti-starting system of a computer (ECM) controlling the operation of an engine of a motor vehicle, includes: each time the computer is powered up generating therewith a first random value and writing the value into a first zone of a volatile memory of the computer, downloading an unlocking program from a downloading tool to the volatile memory, the execution of which generates the calculation of a second value from the first random value and from a determined relation stored in the unlocking program, and writing the second value into a second zone of the volatile memory of the computer, reinitializing the software of the computer without erasing the first and second zones of the volatile memory of the computer, comparing the values stored in the first and second zones, unlocking the anti-starting system of the computer, if the comparison is successful.
US08473143B2
A system for logging visual and sensor data associated with a triggering event on a machine is disclosed. The system may include a camera disposed on an autonomous machine to provide a visual data output and a sensor disposed on the autonomous machine to provide an operational parameter output. The system may also include a memory buffer to store the visual data and operational parameter output of the autonomous machine and a permanent memory device to selectively store contents of the memory buffer. The system may further include a controller configured to detect a condition indicative of the triggering event on the autonomous machine. The controller may also be configured to store the contents of the memory buffer in the permanent memory at a predetermined time after the triggering event, said contents corresponding to the visual data output and operational parameter output occurring before, during, and after the triggering event.
US08473141B2
A robot system includes camera, a distance direction sensor and a controller. The controller is configured to store a plurality of instruction images obtained as a target of the real-time image at each of a plurality of discrete instruction points provided on a predetermined running path. The controller is configured to switch, on the basis of predetermined switching conditions, between an image guidance mode in which the controller controls a running subsystem on the basis of a comparison result between the real-time image and the instruction image, and a measurement distance guidance mode in which the controller controls the running subsystem on the basis of a detection result of the distance direction sensor.
US08473140B2
An autonomous vehicle and systems having an interface for payloads that allows integration of various payloads with relative ease. There is a vehicle control system for controlling an autonomous vehicle, receiving data, and transmitting a control signal on at least one network. A payload is adapted to detachably connect to the autonomous vehicle, the payload comprising a network interface configured to receive the control signal from the vehicle control system over the at least one network. The vehicle control system may encapsulate payload data and transmit the payload data over the at least one network, including Ethernet or CAN networks. The payload may be a laser scanner, a radio, a chemical detection system, or a Global Positioning System unit.
US08473138B2
A driving control device for a vehicle in which one of a front-wheel side and a rear-wheel side is driven by an engine and an other of them is driven by a motor, reduces a driving force by the motor to recover a grip and estimates a road friction coefficient. The driving control device further transmits an engine driving force to drive wheels, and temporary increases the motor driving force in accordance with the engine driving force and the motor drive wheel grip limit line according to an estimated road friction coefficient.
US08473135B2
A vehicle-side storage unit of a vehicular device associates and stores an already-traveled route and power consumption when a self vehicle has traveled the already-traveled route, as traveling history data. A vehicle-side control unit of the vehicular device transmits the traveling history data to a center device. A center-side storage unit of the center device stores the traveling history data transmitted from multiple vehicles. A center-side control unit of the center device calculates a necessary electric power for traveling a first route in a guide route, based on the traveling history data of an other vehicle stored in the center-side storage unit, the first route being not overlapping with the already-traveled route of the self vehicle stored in the center-side storage unit.
US08473132B2
A vehicle includes a battery, an electric power reception unit receiving electric power from an electric power transmission unit external to the vehicle, and a motor generator driven by the electric power supplied from the battery and the electric power supplied from the electric power reception unit. The control device calculates the first electric power that can be output from the battery, calculates the second electric power that can be charged from outside based on the transmittable electric power of the electric power transmission unit and the chargeable electric power of the electric power reception unit, obtains the sum of the first electric power and the second electric power as electric power suppliable from a power supply, and performs drive control of a motor generator based on the electric power suppliable from a power supply.
US08473131B2
An electric vehicle charger determines the presence of an electric vehicle when the electric vehicle is in proximity to the charger. Validation of account data associated with the electric vehicle occurs over a network. A docking interface on the charger aligns to a receptacle on the electric vehicle. The docking interface and the receptacle are coupled when the docking interface is within a predetermined distance to the receptacle. The charger supplies power to the electric vehicle.
US08473130B2
The invention is directed to a foldable electric bicycle with power assist having a front portion attached to a rear portion via a central pivot post. The front portion maintains a steering column, handle bar system and a front wheel assembly having a front wheel and an electric power train. The rear portion includes a rear connecting arm to maintain the rear wheel. The central pivot post includes a first end that connects with the front portion and a second end which connects with the rear portion. A peddle assembly connects below the central pivot post and communicates with the rear wheel through a drive chain. A rechargeable battery capable of providing electricity to the electric power train is shaped to fit within a cavity and is located within the central pivot post. The rechargeable battery is positioned proximate the user so as to vertically align with the user's girth.
US08473129B2
A track brake control system for providing braking of a railway vehicle operates upon receipt of an emergency braking command. The control system includes a member for receiving deceleration information from one or more sensing devices. The control system further includes a member for comparing the deceleration information with a reference value or reference profile. Further, the control system includes at least one regulating device for continuously adjusting a braking demand signal to a track brake so as to cause deceleration of the railway vehicle based on the comparison.
US08473126B2
An airport management system having a memory storing surface management data for aircraft at an airport and a processor calculating a metric using the surface management data and generating a recommendation for the aircraft based on the calculated metric. A computer readable storage medium including a set of instructions executable by a processor, the set of instructions operable to receive surface management data for aircraft at an airport, calculate a metric using the surface management data and generate a recommendation for the aircraft based on the calculated metric.
US08473122B2
The present invention relates to a method for actively deforming, by feedback control, an aerodynamic profile comprising an elastic material, applied to a part of the surface of the aerodynamic profile, said elastic material being in contact with a fluid flow; said elastic material being able to be deformed by one or more shape memory actuators placed in contact with the elastic material, said actuators being controlled by a computer connected to sensors. This method applies notably to a deformation of an aerofoil of a wing of an aircraft in flight, notably subsonic.
US08473117B1
A flight control system and method for controlling the flight of a fixed-wing model aircraft is disclosed. The flight control system may actively sense the condition when the wings of the model aircraft are not level to the horizon. The flight control system may then command the servo(s) to control movement about the roll and the yaw axes of the aircraft in order to level the wings to the horizon. In addition, the flight control system may limit the maximum bank angle that can be achieved even when full roll control is commanded by the operator. The flight control system in accordance with the present disclosure may allow inexperienced operators to fly model aircraft successfully by eliminating/mitigating adverse effects that may cause the operators to lose control.
US08473115B2
The present invention is applied to, for example, a multimedia terminal having a function of navigation equipment and a function of playing back video and switches a display from a map display to a source display also with source switching operators 13P, 13R. In addition, menus of upper and lower hierarchies are simultaneously displayed to accept operations through a touch panel and a remote commander. In addition to a press-operable main rotary operator, a press-operable sub rotary operator is provided on a side surface. Among operations accepted through the main rotary operator, only a specific operation relating to content processing is accepted through the sub rotary operator.
US08473111B1
Energy commodities in the form of electricity and combustible fuel (e.g. natural gas, propane) are used by appliances in a fashion which is monitored and controlled through a Premises Energy Management System (PEMS). The system facilitates direct monitoring and control of energy-consuming appliances, in real time, utilizing automated programmatic control and a plurality of human interfaces including local display and control, email, web browser, text messaging, and integrated voice response (IVR). A Monitoring and Control Coordinator (MCC) provides centralized coordination of functions and one or more Communicating Appliance Interfaces (CAI) interacting with energy consuming appliances are interconnected via wired and wireless communication networks and protocols. The system may retrieve information from third parties, such as weather services, for optimizing energy usage. An interface may be provided to the energy provider/purveyor to enhance the provision of energy by providing additional real-time services such as demand management and service outage management.
US08473106B2
A method and system is provided that includes receiving a current setpoint value from a controller that operates at least one piece of equipment according to the current setpoint value, the current setpoint value being set by a first user, comparing the current setpoint value with a benchmark setpoint value, and outputting the current setpoint value and the benchmark setpoint value on a terminal when the current setpoint value is different than the benchmark setpoint value. The method and system also includes receiving, with the terminal, input from a second user indicating one of approval of the current setpoint value or rejection of the current setpoint value, notifying the first user that the current setpoint value has been rejected when the input from the second user indicates rejection of the current setpoint value, and communicating, to the terminal, input from the first user indicating one of agreement or disagreement with the rejection of the current setpoint value.
US08473097B2
A self-sterilizing pass-through medications cabinet is built into a wall of a hospital room and can be accessed from the room interior or from the hallway. A frame mounted in the wall supports a rack or box containing patient drawers or bins, arranged in a vertical stack parallel to the wall or in a horizontal row. A hall-side door can be opened by pharmacy staff to place pre-loaded bins into respective compartments, and one or more room-side doors or drawers are opened by nurse staff for administering the medications to patients. The hallway door and room doors interlock to prevent their being opened at the same time to safeguard patient privacy. An ultraviolet germicidal illumination system bathes each bin in sterilizing radiation to destroy pathogens that may be present from handling or transport of the bins.
US08473091B2
A control apparatus of a machine tool is adapted to detect whether or not an NC program is stopped at an end of a block and whether or not a rotation of a handwheel for a manual pulse generator is stopped and restarted when both a manual pulse mode and a single block mode are selected. The NC program is accordingly automatically restarted from the next block in conjunction with the restart of the handwheel rotation. The operator thus can restart an operation of an NC unit only by rotating the handwheel when the operation is automatically stopped at the end of a block of the NC program.
US08473090B2
An embroidery data creation apparatus includes a first dividing portion that divides an entire area of an image into a first area and a second area based on one of frequency components and angle characteristics, a first data creation portion including a number of partitions setting portion, a second dividing portion that divides the first area into color areas, a representative angle computing portion that computes representative angles for the color areas, a first line segment arranging portion that arranges first line segments in each of the color areas, a first line segment color setting portion that sets first line segment colors, and a first line segment connecting portion that creates first data by connecting the first line segments, a second data creation portion that creates second data, and an embroidery data creation portion that creates embroidery data by combining the first data and the second data.
US08473089B2
A method for assessing health status of a processing chamber is provided. The method includes executing a recipe. The method also includes receiving processing data from a set of sensors during execution of the recipe. The method further includes analyzing the processing data utilizing a set of multi-variate predictive models. The method yet also includes generating a set of component wear data values. The method yet further includes comparing the set of component wear data values against a set of useful life threshold ranges. The method moreover includes generating a warning if the set of component wear data values is outside of the set of useful life threshold ranges.
US08473084B2
Techniques are presented for dynamically controlling an audio crossfade from a first audio track to a second audio track. The first audio track may be decoded and buffered to a first buffer. A user may select a second audio track at some point during playback of the first audio track. The second audio track may be decoded, and a processor may access the decoded second audio track and the buffered first audio track and mix the two audio tracks. The mixed audio track may be inserted in the same first buffer near or at the read pointer of the first buffer, such that latency between the user selection and the crossfade into the selected audio track may be minimized. The insertion of the mixed audio track may depend on various factors, including the type of audio file and/or the decoder type used to decode the second audio track.
US08473075B2
A cochlear implant system includes a cochlear electrode array which has a flexible body with a distal end, a plurality of electrodes supported along a length of the flexible body, and a lumen formed in the flexible body. The cochlear implant system also includes a stiffening stylet which is fully inserted into the lumen prior to insertion of the electrode array into the cochlea. The stiffening stylet is configured such the stylet does not extend to the distal end of the flexible body and remains stationary within the lumen to prevent buckling of the electrode array during insertion of the electrode array through a cochleostomy and into the cochlea. The stiffening stylet is configured to be withdrawn from the lumen after the electrode array is positioned within the cochlea. A method for implanting an electrode array into a cochlea is also provided.
US08473072B2
A medical electrode includes a conductive member having a top and a bottom side and a plurality of cutouts establishing a pattern of islands interconnected by conductive member bridges. A plurality of island electrodes are provided with each island electrode disposed on a corresponding island. A conductive adhesive is disposed on the conductive member bottom side for adhering the medical electrode to a patient's skin.
US08473065B2
An implantable medical device (IMD) comprises a transmitting/receiving (T/R) device for transmitting medical data sensed from a patient to, and for receiving control signals from, a medical expert (a human medical professional and/or a computerized expert system) at a remote location; an electronic medical treatment device for treating the patient in response to control signals applied thereto; and a sensor circuit, having a sensor circuit output, for producing sensor circuit output signal(s) representing medical data sensed from the patient. The IMD also includes logic device which analyzes the sensor circuit output signal(s) to detect a medical abnormality and either sends a notification signal as well as signal(s) representing a medical state of said patient to the medical expert at the remote location or sends a local treatment device control signal to the medical treatment device, or does both.
US08473061B2
A device for brain stimulation includes a lead having a longitudinal surface, a proximal end, a distal end and a lead body. The device also includes a plurality of electrodes disposed along the longitudinal surface of the lead near the distal end of the lead. The plurality of electrodes includes a first set of segmented electrodes comprising at least two segmented electrodes disposed around a circumference of the lead at a first longitudinal position along the lead; and a second set of segmented electrodes comprising at least two segmented electrodes disposed around a circumference of the lead at a second longitudinal position along the lead. The device further includes one or more conductors that electrically couple together all of the segmented electrodes of the first set of segmented electrodes.
US08473055B2
Techniques are provided for use with an implantable cardiac stimulation device equipped for multi-site left ventricular (MSLV) pacing using a multi-pole LV lead. In one example, referred to herein as QuickStim, cardiac pacing configurations are optimized based on an assessment of hemodynamic benefit and device longevity. In another example, referred to herein as QuickSense, cardiac sensing configurations are optimized based on sensing profiles input by a clinician. Various virtual sensing channels are also described that provide for the multiplexing or gating of sensed signals. Anisotropic oversampling is also described.
US08473051B1
An implantable therapy generator that includes sensing circuitry that senses cardiac signals representative of atrial activity and ventricular activity; detection circuitry connected to the sensing circuitry; control circuitry that controls generation and selective delivery of a multi-stage atrial cardioversion therapy to implanted electrodes, each stage of the therapy including multiple pulses, each pulse including multiple high-frequency sub-pulses; and therapy circuitry. The therapy circuitry includes a high-voltage charging circuit charging a storage capacitor to a predetermined voltage; a delivery capacitor connectable to the storage capacitor; and a control circuit adapted to selectively cause the storage capacitor to be electrically connected to the delivery capacitor so as to charge the delivery capacitor to a predetermined delivery voltage, and to cause a delivery switching circuit to be repeatedly opened and closed at a predetermined rate, thereby causing the sub-pulses to be transmitted to the electrodes.
US08473046B2
A method of in vitro or in vivo nuclear magnetic resonance and/or magnetic resonance imaging, to determine bone properties by measuring the effects of molecular diffusion inside the bone specimen to derive parameters that are related to the structure of the trabecular bones. The method is a non-invasive probe that provides topological information on trabecular bone without requiring a full high-resolution image of its structure, and is compatible with clinical use.
US08473044B2
A system and method for calculating a valence value captures an individual's positive or negative response to a media by considering alpha asymmetry of the individual's brain. This valence value can be used to compare media based on an individual or a group of individuals. Events of the media can be contrasted and compared by the valence value as well. Statistical measurements may be taken to improve media.
US08473043B1
A new neuro-behavioral test with analysis algorithms has been developed for use in screening individuals for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and for the quantitative evaluation of ADHD medication/therapy in diagnosed patients. This technique combines a 15 minute auditory-based test of attention with simultaneous EEG monitoring by a wireless, portable data acquisition device. This system acquires both behavioral response (i.e., reaction times to target stimuli, as well as errors of omission/commission) and EEG waveforms. All of the data is simultaneously processed by the algorithms to produce several representative indices. These indices are then combined to produce an overall neuro-behavioral index that represents the degree by which both “behavioral” and “EEG” attention is maintained throughout the test.
US08473034B2
A system and method for monitoring the placement of a feeding tube in the jejunum of a patient includes a system comprising a feeding tube and a tubular member received in a passageway extending through the feeding tube. The tubular member is sized relative to the feeding tube such that an echogenic distal length of the tubular member extends distal to the open distal end of the feeding tube. The distal end of the assembly is advanced into the small intestine of the patient, and a negative pressure is drawn through an opening in the distal length of the tubular member to draw the tubular member distal length into juxtaposition with a wall of the small intestine. The position of the assembly in the small intestine may be observed in real time via ultrasound visualization of the echogenic portion.
US08473031B2
A medical robotic system has functionality to determine and display information of a distance indicated by movement of one or more tools being robotically manipulated by an operator. The distance is determined using sensed robotic manipulation of the one or more tools. Information of the distance is displayed on the monitor so as to be visually associated with the movement and/or positions of the tools, such as a virtual tape measure that extends along with or between images of the one or more tools on the monitor or as a virtual ruler with the distance being indicated by a pointer. Alternatively, information of the distance may simply be indicated on a digital read-out shown on the monitor that is displayed and continually updated with the movement of the one or more tools.
US08473029B2
A catheter comprises an elongate body extending along a first longitudinal axis and having an outermost radial surface; a coil wound in a substantially cylindrical shape and extending along a second longitudinal axis that is coincident with the first longitudinal axis. At least a portion of the coil is proximate to the outermost radial surface of the elongate body.
US08473028B2
The present invention provides a method for producing density-compensated MR images having improved signal-to-noise ratio and with reduced computational burden. The method includes sampling MR data using a rotationally symmetric acquisition trajectory, generating a cross-correlation matrix, and applying a discreet Fourier transform (DFT) to the acquired MR data and the cross correlation matrix. The method further includes employing the transformed MR data and transformed cross-correlation matrix in a linear system to produce a set of density-compensated transformed MR data, which may transformed into density compensated MR data by application of an inverse DFT. The density compensated MR data may be reconstructed by a variety of techniques to produce density compensated images.
US08473025B2
A biosignal measurement device includes an electrode and a signal processing member. The electrode includes an insulation sheet having a hole, a device contact portion provided on the top surface of the insulation sheet and a body contact portion provided on the bottom surface of the insulation sheet, the device contact portion and the body contact portion electrically connected to each other via the hole. The signal processing member includes an externally exposed terminal to make surface contact with the device contact portion, an analog signal processing unit, an A/D signal converter and a digital signal processing unit. Also, the device contact portion and the body contact portion are formed of a material which is both conductive and adhesive. Accordingly, the signal processing member may be directly attached. Noise may be reduced. Also, a biosignal may be accurately measured.
US08473020B2
A sensor cover according to embodiments of the disclosure is capable of being used with a non-invasive physiological sensor, such as a pulse oximetry sensor. Certain embodiments of the sensor cover reduce or eliminate false readings from the sensor when the sensor is not in use, for example, by blocking a light detecting component of a pulse oximeter sensor when the pulse oximeter sensor is active but not in use. Further, embodiments of the sensor cover can prevent damage to the sensor. Additionally, embodiments of the sensor cover prevent contamination of the sensor.
US08473019B2
A patient interface and method of locating the patient interface for use particularly in spectroscopy applications. The patient interface includes a concave region and first and second convex regions. A wing extends from the concave region to help locate the patient interface properly. The convex regions provide additional adhesion support, particularly when used on the thenar eminence. The patient interface may be placed in a number of locations on a patient to determine an optimum location for measurement prior to affixing the interface to the patient.
US08473014B2
A display for a portable communication device includes an image-forming device that provides an image in a first image plane and an image-shifting device that shifts the image to a second image plane. The image-shifting device brings a displayed image to a surface of the portable communication device, thereby improving the viewing angle for images displayed on the display.
US08473007B2
According to one embodiment, an IC card, which interprets and executes a command instruction from an external device, and returns the execution result as a response, includes a command generation unit configured to generate a request command which requests the external device to execute a specific operation in response to a specific command instruction from the external device, a storage unit configured to store the generated request command in a memory, a notification unit configured to notify the external device of generation of the request command when a response to the specific command instruction is sent, and notify the external device of the request command when the external device instructs to fetch the request command, and a discard unit configured to discard the request command in the storage unit when the external device instructs to discard the request command.
US08473001B2
A communication device is disclosed which includes a wireless communicator part for use with a cellular telecommunications network and a supplementary part to which the wireless communicator part is coupleable. The wireless communicator part has an associated identifier for uniquely identifying it to the network. The supplementary part also has an associated identifier for uniquely identifying it to the network. The identifiers enable the network to determine the functional attributes of the part with which the identifier is associated. Embodiments are described which allow the network to always be aware of the functional attributes of the device. The functional attributes of the device will change depending upon the coupling and uncoupling of the wireless communicator part to the supplementary part. The identifiers may be IMEIs and may be transmitted as a USSD string.
US08472988B2
The invention is apparatus for communicating between a subscriber and a second party in a 2-way texting system. The apparatus includes a hosted application system, having a host application server, storage, communication apparatus and a hosted application. A subscriber's 2-way communication device is coupled to the communication apparatus and assigned a unique designator. The hosted application system is coupled to receive a message and designated recipient from a message originator's 2-way communication device. The message originator is one of the subscriber and the second party, and the recipient is the other of the subscriber and the second party. The hosted application converts the message to a designated format and delivers the message using the unique designator, to the recipient's 2-way communication device. The message can be responded to by the recipient using the unique designator.
US08472985B2
Disclosed are a system, method, and article of manufacture of incentive marketing with a context-enriched message. In one embodiment, a message is generated with a computing device. A context of the computing device pertaining to a message component is determined. A context data derived from the context is linked with the message component. An ad message related to at least one of the context of the computing device and the message component is provided. The ad message may be associated with the message. The message and the ad message may be communicated to a recipient computing device. The ad message and the message may be rendered with a user interface.
US08472979B2
A system and method for providing reservation services to users of mobile devices. The system is implemented in a reservation computer device having computer executable code tangibly embodied on a computer readable medium. The reservation computer device is operable to prioritize a reservation schedule of a service establishment based on a route and projected arrival time of one or more subscribing users such that earlier arriving users and users that have already arrived at the service establishment are given priority in the reservation schedule regardless of prearranged reservations.
US08472978B2
A WLAN client device maintains a history of profile-location associations. An association links a profile stored in the client device with a location in the vicinity of which the client device was connected to a wireless local area network matching the profile. While in a vicinity of a certain location, the client device may scan for wireless local area networks in a manner that takes into account records of the history that include the certain location.
US08472974B2
A location continuity service having a location continuity application server (“LCAS”) that utilizes location data generated by multiple networks to determine the location of a mobile device is disclosed. The LCAS specifies a suitable reconciliation process that identifies two or more location estimation techniques that are implemented by different access networks and indicates how to utilize the location data produced by the identified estimation techniques. The LCAS interacts with various access networks identified by the reconciliation process in order to receive location data (e.g., positioning measurements and/or estimated locations) generated by the access networks and analyzes the received data to determine the location of a mobile device and provide the determined location to a location-based service. In some examples, an LCAS also provides location continuity when a mobile device moves between a home communications system and a visited communications system.
US08472970B2
Disclosed is a radio communication system provided with an information collection apparatus (300) for collecting: location information which indicates the location of a radio terminal (100a); downlink radio quality information which indicates a measurement result for the radio quality of the downlink between the radio terminal (100a) and a radio base station (200a); and uplink radio quality information which indicates a measurement result for the radio quality of the uplink between the radio terminal (100a) and the radio base station (200a). The radio terminal (100a) measures the radio quality of the downlink when an outgoing call is made therefrom. The radio base station (200a) measures the radio quality of the uplink when the radio terminal (100a) makes an outgoing call.
US08472967B2
Allocating transmit power among two or more carriers assigned to a wireless communication device is disclosed. In one aspect, a method of allocating transmit power includes determining a total amount of data transmit power available at the wireless communication device for data transmission over the carriers. An efficiency metric is determined for each carrier based on the carrier's transmission characteristics and a portion of the total data transmit power is allocated to each carrier based on each carrier's efficiency metric.
US08472965B2
A method for wireless communications is provided. The method includes generating two or more uplink carrier signals across a wireless network and generating at least one active signal set for the wireless network. The method also includes generating one or more secondary active signal sets in accordance with the two or more uplink carrier signals to facilitate communications across the wireless network.
US08472963B2
A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for verifying coordination patterns to improve performance in a multi-cell or multi-antenna environment. In one embodiment, the method comprises storing a set of predefined and different coordination patterns, where each coordination pattern specifies entities in the plurality of cells that are to coordinated together in their transmissions in each cluster of cells on different transmission resources defined for example in one or both time and frequency; and varying entities that coordinate with each other in their transmissions in each cluster of cells over transmission resources according to the predefined coordination patterns.
US08472961B2
A system for maintaining wireless communication with a plurality of base stations in a communication network is disclosed. A portable terminal having a communication unit is configured to measure signal strength of a transmission signal for neighboring base stations in a frequency band being used by the communication unit, and create a first handoff candidate list in which one or more handoff candidates in a same frequency band are recorded. A handoff using the first handoff candidate list is performed by the portable terminal. Thereafter, the portable terminal measures signal strength of one or more base stations included in a second handoff candidate list. The result of the signal strength measurements are reported to the currently communicating base station, and a handoff is performed based on a response to the report at the portable terminal.
US08472958B2
In a wireless telecommunication system for transmitting a plurality of streams from a base transmission station comprising a plurality of antennas to a mobile station comprising a plurality of antennas, the base transmission station respectively transmits, by way of a plurality of the antennas, each stream obtained by dividing data to be transmitted. The mobile station respectively receives each stream by utilizing the plurality of antennas. A measurement unit respectively measures a reception quality or received power from each antenna relating to a stream. A changeover unit carries out a handover for each stream according to a measurement result by the measurement unit.
US08472956B2
A method for assigning a tracking area (TA) is disclosed. A mobility state of a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) is determined and the TA is assigned based on the determined mobility state. Also disclosed is a method for accessing a closed subscriber group (CSG) TA. A CSG TA identifier is received at a WTRU and is stored. A CSG TA broadcast is received and the broadcast CSG TA is accessed if an identifier of the broadcast CSG TA matches the stored CSG TA identifier. Also disclosed is a method for changing a mobility state of a WTRU. A current mobility state of the WTRU is determined and a predetermined metric of the WTRU is examined. The predetermined metric is evaluated to determine if the metric has crossed a threshold and the mobility state is changed based on the evaluated metric.
US08472953B2
A mobile terminal transmits a temporary subscriber request message requesting a temporary subscriber registration to a subscriber management server of a core network via a macro base station if camping on a small base station fails, a subscriber management server receives the temporary subscriber request message and transmits the temporary subscriber request message to the small base station if the mobile terminal is registrable as a temporary subscriber of the small base station, and a small base station receives the temporary subscriber request message and determines whether to accept or reject the temporary subscriber registration of the mobile terminal, and transmits, to the subscriber management server or to the mobile terminal, a temporary subscriber response message indicating that the mobile terminal is permitted to be registered as a temporary subscriber if the temporary subscriber registration is accepted.
US08472951B2
A method of establishing a communications session in a communications system is disclosed. The communications system comprises a user terminal, a mobile terminal associated with a contact a and session initiation unit. The method comprises: identifying the contact using the user terminal; transmitting contact data identifying the contact and user data associated with the user terminal from the user terminal to said session initiation unit; in dependence on the contact data, transmitting a request from the session initiation unit to the mobile terminal, the request comprising the user data and requesting that the mobile terminal establishes the communications session with the user terminal in dependence on the user data.
US08472949B2
A semiconductor assembly is disclosed. One embodiment provides a first semiconductor and a second semiconductor, each having a first main connection and a second main connection arranged on opposite sides, and a carrier having a patterned metallization with a first section spaced apart from a second section. The first semiconductor is electrically connected to the first section by its second main connection, and the second semiconductor electrically connected to the second section by its second main connection. The first semiconductor chip first main connection and the second semiconductor chip first main connection are electrically connected to one another and for the connection of an external load or of an external supply voltage.
US08472943B1
A radio access network (RAN) includes a plurality of reverse-link channel elements for receiving signals and a plurality of forward-link channel elements for transmitting signals. The RAN may detect a fault condition in a signal transmitted by a mobile station and received through a reverse-link channel element or in a signal transmitted through a forward-link channel element and received by a mobile station, for example, based on a frame error rate in the received signal exceeding a threshold. The RAN may determine whether a radio frequency (RF) condition accounts for the fault condition. If the RF condition does not account for the fault condition, the RAN may allocate a second channel element such that the signal is received or transmitted through two different channel elements. If the second channel element improves the quality of the received signal, the BTS may discontinue use of the first channel element.
US08472941B1
Polling methods for use in a communication system, such as a fixed wireless communication system, are described. The fixed wireless communication system includes at least one wireless base unit and a plurality of fixed-location wireless transceiver units, where each transceiver unit is, for example, located at a home residence and coupled to a personal computer (PC). In one particular polling method, a wireless transceiver unit detects a failure of a primary energy source, switches to a battery backup for power, and sends a message to the wireless base unit indicating such failure. The message initiates the wireless base unit to poll the wireless transceiver unit on a periodic basis for status information. During the failure, a data traffic channel established between the units is torn down to conserve power at the wireless transceiver unit. Once the primary energy source is restored, the data traffic channel is brought back up and the periodic polling is terminated. Similar methods are applied in connection with the detection of a communication failure over the data traffic channel.
US08472937B1
A wireless communication and control system including a wireless device. There is a central server for storing communication protocols and control protocols and communicating the communication protocols and selectively communicating the control protocols between the wireless device and the central server. A communication protocol configures the system for communication and control protocols configure the system as one of a selection of intelligent appliance controllers. Alternately the control protocols configure the system as one of a selection of Internet terminals. The wireless device is any hand-held communication device, such as a hand-held computing device, wireless telephone, or cellular phone.
US08472931B2
Methods and Systems for managing one or more communications devices associated with a user of a communications network are disclosed. The methods and systems are capable of receiving an indication regarding wireless communications between a first device and a second device. This indication may indicate that the first device has entered or left a vicinity (or range) of a second device. Additionally, this may be accomplished by using a protocol such as Bluetooth protocol, the IEEE 802.11(b) protocol, and/or the IEEE 802.11(g) protocol. For example, in an embodiment, if a first device (e.g., a Bluetooth-enabled wireless phone) enters the vicinity of a second device (e.g., a Bluetooth-enabled user computer), calls for the user may be automatically forwarded to a phone of the user that is located near the second device. Likewise, in an embodiment, if the first device (e.g., a Bluetooth-enabled wireless phone) leaves the vicinity of the second device (e.g., a Bluetooth-enabled computer), calls may be automatically forwarded to the first device.
US08472924B2
There is provided a method for providing concierge services to a mobile device user. The method comprises receiving a concierge identification code sent from a mobile device; authenticating activation of concierge services for the concierge identification code; assigning the mobile device to the concierge identification code; sending a confirmation message to the mobile device; receiving a concierge command from the mobile device; obtaining concierge command results from a local services network; sending the concierge command results to the mobile device; and terminating activation of concierge services after an activation period corresponding to the concierge identification code.
US08472923B2
The specification describes systems, and operation of systems, that allows a parent or other responsible party to monitor the mobile device activities of a child. In addition, it optionally allows the parent to dynamically control the mobile device activities of the child. It relies on software, or a network adjunct, that links a mobile device to a station set or mobile phone under the control of the parent. Calling traffic to and from the mobile device may be routed to a receiver at a location monitored by the parent. In preferred embodiments, software is designed to allow the parent to intervene in the communications of the child. The intervention may take a variety of forms, such as interrupting a call in progress, terminating all call activity, interrupting or terminating Internet access. Where the mobile device is provided with pre-programmed restraining software, the intervention may be to modify the restraining software to add new restraints.
US08472920B2
A wireless network system is provided. The system comprises a wireless network controller and a plurality of access points and/or femtocells. The wireless network controller is in communication with each of the plurality of access points and/or femtocells via an access data network, and is configured to perform one or more network control functions for the benefit of the plurality of access points and/or femtocells. The network control functions may be selected from management and operation, client authentication, mobility, and per-user administration. The wireless network controller is remotely located and operated with respect to the plurality of access points and/or femtocells.
US08472919B1
Efficient network based techniques can be implemented in the equipment of an operator of a mobile communication network to automatically obtain an operator or billing identifier associated with a mobile device of a user or subscriber associated with the network. Such techniques can be utilized even when a client application program on the device is restricted by the device manufacturer from providing the operator's billing identifier in communications through the mobile network with an associated application server. The operator identifier associated with the user's mobile device can be obtained without significantly impacting system resources, performance, or user experience.
US08472917B1
In the examples, at the start of an emergency call, a mobile station determines one or more types of wireless access technologies available from the mobile communication network, from among wireless access technologies supported by the mobile station. Based on a hierarchy regarding ability to determine location of the mobile station using each of the supported wireless access technologies, the mobile station selects an available wireless access technology of the mobile communication network offering the best ability to determine location of the mobile station and initiates a determination of the location of the mobile station for purposes of the emergency call via the mobile communication network using the selected wireless access technology.
US08472916B2
A wireless communications device and method for generating and communicating an emergency text message includes in response to receiving a request to communicate an emergency text message, accessing stored personal data for use in generating content of the emergency text message. A determination may be made if current location coordinates are available. The emergency text message may be populated with the accessed stored personal data and current location coordinates, if available. The populated emergency text message may be communicated over a communications network.
US08472914B2
A method and apparatus for controlling an automatic channel setup of an image display apparatus communicatable with an image receiving apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a controller which determines the status of a connection with the image receiving apparatus during an automatic channel setup; and stops the automatic channel setup, if it is determined that the connection is a bad connection with the image receiving apparatus. The automatic channel setup is stopped when wireless connection is severed, such that mis-mapping of the channel does not occur, and waste of time for automatic channel setup may be prevented.
US08472908B2
The invention relates, inter alia, to a wireless portable device for radio communication, comprising at least one antenna element (1210), at least one ground-plane (1250), radio frequency communication circuitry (1310) and at least one matching network (1320). The device is arranged for communication involving, at least, receiving and processing a signal in accordance with a communication system having a bandwidth with a lower frequency limit (fmin) and an upper frequency limit (fmax). The antenna element is a non-resonant antenna element for frequencies from said lower frequency limit (fmin) up to said higher frequency limit (fmin). Another aspect of the invention involves two antenna elements (2001, 2002) tuned around two different central frequencies within a frequency band, and a switch (2003) for selectively operatively connecting one of said at least two antenna elements to a radio frequency communication circuitry (2000).
US08472903B2
An entertainment systems having enhanced functionally and methods therefor are provided. Embodiments of the system allow an operator to assign multiple groups of radio stations to the radio station presets of the system according to different geographical regions located along a calculated route. As the system travels along the calculated route, the radio station presets of the system are updated to correspond to the present location of the system.
US08472901B2
A radio frequency (RF) transceiver integrated circuit (IC) includes a plurality of baseband Tx sections, a plurality of RF Tx sections, a plurality of RF Rx sections, and a plurality of baseband Rx sections. The RF transceiver IC further includes a static digital interface, a dynamic digital interface, and gain control, distribution, and buffering circuitry. Static digital interfaces are operable to receive static gain control commands from a coupled baseband processor. The dynamic digital interface is also operable to receive dynamic gain control commands from the coupled baseband processor. The gain control, distribution, and buffering circuitry is operable to apply the static gain control commands and dynamic gain control commands to at least some of the plurality of baseband Tx sections, the plurality of RF Tx sections, the plurality of RF Rx sections, and the plurality of baseband Rx sections.
US08472897B1
An embodiment of the invention is a predistortion approach to linearize a power amplifier by setting initially the static operation point of the power amplifier in the cut-off region. The architecture is based on the analog-digital combination by a multiplier and digital predistortion control circuit. The predistortion system generates an adaptive output signal to control the RF modulated signal that is the input signal of the power amplifier. The controlled and predistorted signal can contribute to drive a power amplifier with the cut-off static operation point into its amplifying region and simultaneously correct the non-linear distortion when the power amplifier operates to amplify an RF signal.
US08472892B2
An access network is wirelessly coupled to an access terminal. The access network comprises a plurality of communication modules, a transmitter and a channel estimator. The plurality of communication modules coupled to the access terminal and configured to transmit a plurality of signals. The transmitter coupled to the access terminal and configured to send an index which indicates number of the plurality of signals. The channel estimator, configured to adjust and modulate a channel state information into the plurality of signals.
US08472886B2
A mobile transceiver apparatus being adapted for communicating radio signals from/to a base station transceiver. The mobile transceiver apparatus has a receiver module for receiving an information signal from an other base station transceiver, wherein the information signal being received with an information signal strength. The mobile transceiver apparatus further has a transmitter module for communicating a transmit radio signal with a transmit power to the base station transceiver, wherein the transmit power being dependent on the information signal strength received from the other base station transceiver.
US08472882B2
A channel quality information reporting method of reporting channel quality information from user equipment to a base station is disclosed. The channel quality information reporting method includes a format determination step in which the base station determines a channel quality information format based on information of the user equipment, a format transmission step in which the base station transmits the determined channel quality information format to the user equipment, and a channel quality information generation step in which the user equipment generates the channel quality information based on the received channel quality information format.
US08472877B2
A system and method for Interference Cancellation (IC). One aspect relates to iterative interference cancellation with iterative finger delay adaptation. The interference cancellation method comprises receiving multi-paths of a signal; and performing iterative interference cancellation to remove multi-path interference, wherein the performing iterative IC comprises estimating a Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) at each of a plurality of pre-determined rake receiver finger delays, and performing successive Channel Estimation (CE) and IC on rake receiver fingers according to their estimated SINRs, and wherein the CE of a next finger does not start until interference of a previous finger is removed from a sample buffer. The method may further comprise improving estimated rake receiver finger delay, and each iteration decreases the amount of interference observed by each finger.
US08472875B2
The present invention relates to technology which performs wireless communications of a vehicle by selectively operating a wireless communications module of a vehicle connected to an AP (Access Point) which collects vehicle information according to the state of the vehicle. The present invention includes a vehicle information storage unit that stores vehicle information collected from each electronic control unit of a vehicle; a wireless communications module that performs wireless communications with an AP (Access Point); and a wireless communications controller that controls a connection state of the AP with the wireless communications module by selectively operating the wireless communications module according to the state of the vehicle, and sends the vehicle information to the AP through the wireless communications module.
US08472870B2
A system and method for communicating through a host repeater. Data is received from a remote repeater communicating with a wireless device. The host repeater registers as the wireless device on a wireless network. The data is reformatted for transmission between the wireless devices and the wireless network.
US08472867B1
A device and method is provided for managing event information in a wireless terminal. The device includes a controller for controlling and sorting at least one event information based on a menu, and providing an identifier corresponding to the menu on a date-by-date basis, and a displaying unit for displaying event information on the date-by-date basis, using the identifier. The method includes the steps of sorting at least one event information by a menu, and displaying event information on a date-by-date basis, using an identifier corresponding to the menu.
US08472858B2
A sheet discharge unit of an image forming apparatus includes a first path discharging the sheet to the outside, a second path for feeding the sheet again to the image forming unit in the case of performing a duplex image forming process, a sheet conveyor conveying the sheet from the first path to the outside, and a corrugating member corrugating the sheet in a width direction of the sheet orthogonal to a conveying direction of the sheet to give the sheet stiffness when the sheet conveyor conveys the sheet. The second path includes an upstream path section having a width that extends in a thickness direction of the sheet, the width being set to be narrow to such a degree that the corrugation of the sheet is reduced when the sheet passes the upstream path section.
US08472854B2
First belt 51 suspended on first upstream roller 53 and first downstream roller 54, and second belt 52 suspended on second upstream roller 55 and second downstream roller 56 each have a stiffness such that when assumed to be separated from each other, the first belt 51 and the second belt 52 rotate while maintaining an elliptic shape thereof. One of two portions of the first belt 51 facing each other between the first upstream roller 53 and the first downstream roller 54 and one of two portions of the second belt 52 facing each other between the second upstream roller 55 and the second downstream roller 56 are flat as a result of being brought into pressing contact with each other, and a fixing nip is formed therebetween. A toner image is fixed by being heated by heater lamp 57 when recording sheet S passes through the fixing nip.
US08472850B2
A developing device that is provided in an image forming device that forms an image includes an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a developer carrier that forms a developer image on a surface of the image carrier by attaching a developer on the electrostatic latent image; a supplying member that supplies the developer to the developer carrier by contacting the developer carrier, and that scrapes the developer remaining on the surface of the developer carrier from the developer carrier, and a deformation amount between the developer carrier and the supplying member is individually configured corresponding to a location where the developing device is provided in the image forming device.
US08472834B2
An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a developing device that forms a toner image on the surface of the image carrier, a transfer unit that transfers the toner image formed on the image carrier onto a transfer material such as paper, a neutralizing unit that neutralizes an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image carrier by light radiation, a cleaning unit that cleans toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after the toner image is transferred. The image carrier, the developing device, the transfer unit, the neutralizing unit, and the cleaning unit are provided to the main body of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus further includes a withdrawal mechanism that withdraws at least the image carrier, the cleaning unit, and the neutralizing unit integrally from the main body of the image forming apparatus.
US08472826B2
An apparatus includes a controller controlling feeding of a recording material. When the recording material size is smaller than a reference size, the controller expands an interval between precedent and subsequent recording materials gradually. When image formation on recording materials smaller than a reference size starts, when the elapsed time from the end of the last image formation exceeds a predetermined time, an initial value of the interval is set to a predetermined minimum value. When image formation on recording materials smaller than the reference size starts, when the elapsed time is shorter than the predetermined time, the initial value of the interval is set in accordance with the elapsed time and a last feeding interval at the time of an image formation of the last time or a last temperature in a non-sheet-passing region at the time of an image formation of the last time.
US08472815B2
A toner cartridge comprises a toner container which contains toner, a driving member which rotationally drives a conveying member, an agitating member which agitates a toner in the toner container while being rotated, a driven member which rotates in association with the driving member which is for rotationally driving the agitating member, and a rotational body which rotates according to rotation of the driven member, has a plurality of slits in rotational circumference for identifying a type of the toner cartridge, and has 1/K or more of the slits when a ratio of a rotational speed R1 (rad/s) of the driving member and a rotational speed R2 (rad/s) of the driven member is K=R2/R1.
US08472814B2
This application relates to an apparatus and a method for equalizing chromatic dispersion and a digital coherent optical receiver. The apparatus for equalizing chromatic dispersion comprising: a chromatic dispersion equalizing unit, for compensating chromatic dispersion of an input signal; and an additional time delay removing unit, for removing, in accordance with frequency offset of the input signal, chromatic dispersion equalization time delay generated by the chromatic dispersion equalizing unit.
US08472813B2
A polarization-multiplexed (POLMUX) optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system with direct detection includes an adaptive dual POLMUX carrier OFDM transmitter; and a block symmetric (B-S) MIMO equalizer coupled to the adaptive dual POLMUX carrier OFDM transmitter through a standard single-mode-fiber (SSMF) feedback path.
US08472804B2
A system and method of extending a trunk reach of a passive optical network, PON. An optical network termination, ONT, processes upstream and downstream PON signals on a trunk fiber with an optical line termination, OLT, at a central office. An extender device may be implemented at a user's home, a remote node, or at the central office. The extender device includes a time division multiplexing, TDM, unit for multiplexing the PON signals, a forward error correction, FEC1 unit for applying an FEC to the PON signals, and a regenerator for applying optical-electrical-optical, OEO, regeneration to the PON signals.
US08472802B2
Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and systems for transmitting optical signals from a source to a plurality of receiving devices. In one method embodiment, an optical enablement signal is transmitted (401) from the source to the plurality of receiving devices. The target receiving device responds to receiving the optical enablement signal by preparing to receive one or more optical data signals. The source transmits the one or more optical data signals to the target receiving device. The remaining receiving devices do not receive the one or more optical data signals.
US08472801B2
An apparatus comprising an optical line terminal (OLT) configured to transmit a bandwidth map (BWmap) for a plurality of burst signals to be transmitted by a plurality of optical network units (ONUs), wherein the BWmap comprises a plurality of allocations, and wherein each allocation comprises a start time for the allocation, a grant size for the allocation, and a header error correction (HEC) for the allocation.
US08472799B2
An imaging device includes an optical system, a camera housing defining an opening with an interior storage space, and a flash mechanism connected to the housing. The flash mechanism is movable between an exposed state and an unexposed state. The flash mechanism has a first arm, a second arm, and a light emitting component attached to the second arm. The first arm is located at a first rotational position in the exposed state and is configured to rotate around a first axis located within the interior space. The second arm is located at a third rotational position in the exposed state and is configured to rotate with respect to the first arm around a second axis located closer to the subject than the first axis in the exposed state.
US08472796B2
A photographing device includes a geomagnetic sensor which detects an intensity of geomagnetism, an image capture unit which captures an image, and a lens tube including a part that exerts magnetic influence on the geomagnetic sensor, wherein a position of the part is shiftable. In addition, the photographing device includes a detection unit which detects a current shifted position of the part in the lens tube, an obtaining unit which obtains a magnetic field that exerts magnetic influence on the geomagnetic sensor from the lens tube corresponding to the current shifted position detected by the detection unit, and an orientation calculation unit which calculates an orientation by correcting an output of the geomagnetic sensor based on the magnetic field obtained by the obtaining unit.
US08472794B2
This invention relates to an apparatus to efficiently and rapidly heat any liquid or fuel by providing large heat distribution. This apparatus has innumerable applications for efficiently heating water/fuel, using limited resources and providing cost-savings to private and commercial entities.
US08472782B2
An information processing apparatus that correctly handles moving image files recorded for a period straddling midnight. Moving image files recorded for a period straddling midnight are processed as having the day on which recording of those moving image files began and the next day as their recorded date. When conducting a search by date, for example, in addition to the actual recorded day, the next day is also included in the search results of a designated search, thus enabling the user to search for the moving image files without having to recall whether or not they were recorded for a period straddling midnight.
US08472779B2
In accordance with one or more aspects, multiple trick streams corresponding to video content are concurrently displayed in multiple windows. A user selection of one window of the multiple windows is received, and the video content is played back at a location corresponding to a location in a trick stream being played back in the one window when the user selection is received.
US08472770B2
Optical fiber comprises core and a cladding configured to support and guide a fundamental transverse mode, the cladding including (i) an outer cladding having an index nout less than the index n1 of the core, (ii) an inner cladding having an index n2
US08472768B2
A plastic optical fiber cable that is strong in repeated flexure, ensuring low light loss at bending with a bend radius of 2 mm. The plastic optical fiber cable is one composed of a multicore plastic optical fiber strand including 7 to 10,000 cores of transparent resin, island portions each consisting of at least one core-surrounding sheath layer of transparent resin with a refractive index lower than that of the transparent resin constituting the cores and sea portion of resin surrounding the island portions and, enclosing the multicore plastic optical fiber strand, a coating layer, characterized in that the resin constituting at least either the sheath layer or sea layer is one of 25 to 55 Shore D hardness while the resin constituting the coating layer consists of a thermoplastic resin of 500 to 2000 MP flexural modulus.
US08472762B2
Provided is an optical sensor and an optical sensor fabricating method. The optical sensor includes: a substrate; and an ommatidia located on or inside the substrate, the ommatidia comprising a microlens which receives light, an optical waveguide which transfers the light received through the microlens, and a cone structure comprising a first end connected to the microlens and a second end connected to the optical waveguide, the cone structure having a diameter or a width decreasing in a direction from the first end to the second end.
US08472757B2
An image search apparatus, which determines a similarity between an input query image and a registered comparison destination image and searches an image similar to the query image, extracts a plurality of corresponding pairs of feature points in two images based on feature points selected from the both images. A coordinate transformation coefficient to execute a coordinate transformation process is decided so that coordinates of the feature point of one of the two images match coordinates of the feature point of the other image, in relation to each pair. Only if an amount of transformation of coordinates satisfies the constraint conditions designated in advance, the coordinate transformation process using the coordinate transformation coefficient is executed in relation to the plurality of pairs of feature points, and coordinates of the feature points after the transformation of one image are compared with coordinates of the corresponding feature points of the other image.
US08472755B2
A method for generating a high quality up-scaled image includes: utilizing at least four pixels within a source image as reference pixels within the high quality up-scaled image, where the reference pixels are utilized as a portion of pixels within the high quality up-scaled image, and are utilized as reference for generating another portion of pixels within the high quality up-scaled image; and calculating at least one portion of three linear distribution values corresponding to three quarter points between two adjacent pixels of the reference pixels according to pixel values of the two adjacent pixels and adjusting the portion of the linear distribution values according to pixel values of at least three reference pixels of the four reference pixels, and generating at least one pixel within the high quality up-scaled image accordingly. An associated device is also provided.
US08472749B2
Observation is performed with a fluorescence image having high quantitativeness by satisfactorily eliminating dependency on distance. Provided is a fluoroscopy apparatus including an illumination unit having a light source that radiates illumination light and excitation light onto an observation target site, a fluorescence-imaging unit that acquires a fluorescence image by imaging fluorescence generated at the observation target site by the radiation of excitation light, a white-light-imaging unit that acquires a reference image by imaging return light returning from the observation target site by the radiation of the illumination light, and an image-correction unit that obtains a correction fluorescence image by raising the luminance value of the fluorescence image to the power of a reciprocal of a first exponent obtained by a power approximation of a distance characteristic of luminance versus observation distance, for the fluorescence image, that obtains the correction reference image by raising the luminance value of the reference image to the power of a reciprocal of a second exponent obtained by a power approximation of a distance characteristic of luminance versus observation distance, for the reference image, and that obtains a corrected fluorescence image by dividing the correction fluorescence image by the correction reference image.
US08472735B2
In general, in one embodiment, a starfield image as seen by an object is analyzed. Compressive samples are taken of the starfield image and, in the compressed domain, processed to remove noise. Stars in the starfield image are identified and used to determine an attitude of the object.
US08472732B2
Apparatus, systems and methods for low latency remote display rendering using tile-based rendering systems are disclosed. In one implementation, a system includes a network interface and a content source coupled to the network interface. The content source being capable of rendering at least one tile of a tiled image, encoding the at least one tile, and providing the at least one encoded tile to the network interface before all tiles of the tiled image are rendered.
US08472730B2
An image communication apparatus includes an unit for obtaining a threshold value that determines a coding format used for transmission of an image stored for the transmission from an information of the image stored for the transmission; and a transmission controlling unit that transmits the image stored for the transmission using a JBIG format if a size of the image stored for the transmission exceeds the threshold value, and transmits the image using a coding format having a compression ratio lower than that of the JBIG format if the size of the image stored for the transmission does not exceed the threshold value.
US08472725B2
In one method embodiment, receiving noise-filtered plural blocks of a first frame and noise-filtered plural blocks of a second frame; for each of the plural blocks to be matched, determining whether an indication of closeness in match between the each of the plural blocks exceeds a first threshold; incrementing a counter value each time the first threshold is exceeded for closeness of the block matching of a particular block; determining whether the counter value exceeds a second threshold, the exceeding of the second threshold indicating that a defined quantity of blocks has exceeded the first threshold; and responsive to determining that the counter value exceeds the second threshold, triggering a scene change detection.
US08472716B2
A method detects noise in a document image. The image includes pixels representing at least text and image data forming the document. The noise includes at least one of halftone, bleeding and texture noise. The method partitions the image into tiles, formed of pixels, determines a set of dominant colors for each tile, associates each pixel with one of the determined dominant colors, and then determines for each dominant color a fragmentation statistic, and applies a threshold to each statistic to detect the noise in the corresponding dominant color in the tile. Detected noise in the image is reduced by (a) merging colors with noise to one color without noise if the noise is halftone noise or texture noise; and (b) removing the colors with noise if the noise is bleeding noise. The pixels of the tile are then quantized to those remaining dominant colors of the set.
US08472713B2
There is provided an image processor for processing input image data having a luminance component and other components, which are defined in a prescribed color space. The image processor includes: a first emphasis processor configured to process first image data so as to emphasize the contrast of the first image data in accordance with a first emphasis amount, wherein the first image data correspond to the luminance component of the input image data; a second emphasis processor configured to process second image data so as to emphasize the chroma of the second image data in accordance with the first emphasis amount, wherein the second image data correspond to said other components of the input image data; and an image data generator configured to generate new image data by combining the contrast-emphasized first image data and the chroma-emphasized second image data.
US08472711B2
An image processor includes a memory calculating unit, a storing unit, a mode selecting unit, and a Retinex process performing unit. The memory amount calculating unit calculates, based on an original size of an original image having an original pixels, a required memory amount required for performing a Retinex process on the original image. The storing unit has a usable memory area that can be used in performing the Retinex process on the original image. The usable memory area has a usable memory amount. The mode selecting unit selects a mode from among a plurality of modes based on both the usable memory amount and the required memory amount. The Retinex process performing unit performs the Retinex process on the original image in the selected mode.
US08472708B2
An image processor, includes: a gradation direction determination unit that determines a gradation direction existing in an image in which a color or density changes; a reference area setting unit that sets a shape of a reference area based on a determination result by the gradation direction determination unit; and a color estimation unit that estimates a color in which a non-target image superimposition does not occur based on a pixel value within the reference area set by the reference area setting unit and substitute an input pixel value with the estimated color.
US08472702B2
A three-dimensional sense adjusting unit displays three-dimensional images to a user. If a displayed reaches a limit of parallax, the user responds to the three-dimensional sense adjusting unit. According to acquired appropriate parallax information, a parallax control unit generates parallax images to realize the appropriate parallax in the subsequent stereo display. The control of parallaxes is realized by optimally setting camera parameters by going back to three-dimensional data. Functions to realize the appropriate parallax are made into and presented by a library.
US08472694B2
CPU 12 reads out the bloodstream associated values of target voxel of subject's standardized brain bloodstream images (step S34). CPU 12 sorts the bloodstream associated values in descending order (step S35).CPU 12 rejects bloodstream associated values that are ranked top 10% and bottom 40% (step S36). When the subjects are 20 for example, bloodstream associated values of highest 2 subjects and of lowest 8 subjects are rejected. CPU 12 calculates and stores mean value and standard deviation of remaining bloodstream associated values after the rejection (step S37). CPU 12 calculates mean value and standard deviation of bloodstream associated values for each voxel as target voxel (steps S31, S32, S33 and S38). Then, the alternative normal brain database of brain bloodstream image is obtained.
US08472683B2
An imaging method comprises reconstructing gated emission tomography images for a region of interest, adjusting a mismatch between the gated emission tomography images and a computed tomography image of the region of interest, registering the gated emission tomography images, and combining the registered gated emission tomography images to generate motion corrected images.
US08472676B2
We provide an apparatus and method for analysing a security document. An x-ray source is adapted to illuminate at least one inspection region of the security document when located at an inspection position. An x-ray detector adapted to receive x-rays from the at least one inspection region of the document and to generate a corresponding detector response. A processor analysis the detector response and generates an output signal indicative of the structure of the document in the at least one inspection region.
US08472674B2
Reflected-transmitted non-converted and converted seismic waves as used for seismic imaging which is not limited by the angle of inclination of the seismic interfaces. These wave signals are recorded at the surface and are later used to obtain seismic imaging of geological discontinuities and the physical properties of the medium. Known duplex waves are used with transmitted waves for obtaining seismic images from much wider angles, ranging from horizontal to vertical. Two types of migration procedures are used: the first one being based on migration of transmitted compressional and converted duplex waves, and the second one being based on the joint migration of two interrelated fields, such as interferometric principles; for example, the first field of primary waves corresponding to the one time reflected monotypic compressional (non-converted) type of waves and a second wavefield corresponding to secondary waves of more complex origin, such as reflected waves and converted waves.
US08472669B2
A method of processing a video sequence is provided that includes tracking a first object and a second object for a specified number of frames, determining similarity between a trajectory of the first object and a trajectory of the second object over the specified number of frames, and merging the first object and the second object into a single object when the trajectory of the first object and the trajectory of the second object are sufficiently similar, whereby an accurate location and size for the single object is obtained.
US08472648B2
MEMS microphone packages and fabrication methods thereof are disclosed. A MEMS microphone package includes a casing with a conductive part disposed over a substrate, to enclose a cavity. A MEMS acoustic sensing element and an IC chip are disposed inside the cavity. An opening with an acoustic passage connects the cavity to an ambient space. A first ground pad is disposed on a backside of the substrate connecting to the conductive part of the casing through a via hole of the substrate. A second ground pad is disposed on the backside of the substrate connecting to the MEMS acoustic sensing element or the IC chip through an interconnection of the substrate, wherein the first ground pad and the second ground pad are isolated from each other.
US08472641B2
A system and method for reducing or entirely canceling background or ambient noise from a voice transmission from a communications device. A communications device, such as a mobile telephone, is configured with an ambient noise compensation signal generator that is connected between a microphone and a mixer. The original output of the microphone and a compensation signal generated by the ambient noise compensation signal generator are mixed together prior to being passed to a transmitter. In one embodiment a buffer is provided between the microphone and the mixer to help synchronize the timing of the signals to be mixed. In another embodiment a second microphone is employed to detect ambient noise.
US08472634B2
A hearing aid which is operable in an audiometric testing mode includes an audio output section, a volume control, a switching device, and a processor. The audio output section sequentially generates a number of testing sounds at a corresponding number of testing frequencies and provides each testing sound to the person who will be using the hearing aid. The volume control is used to adjust the amplitude of each testing sound to a level of audibility just above the person's threshold of hearing at the corresponding testing frequency. When the appropriate threshold volume level is set, the switching device is operated to generate a control signal. Based on operation of the volume control and the switching device for each of the testing sounds at each of the testing frequencies, the processor sets a plurality of threshold hearing levels associated with the corresponding testing frequencies. The threshold hearing levels collectively define an amplitude-versus-frequency profile which the processor applies in processing digital audio signals during normal use of the hearing aid.
US08472631B2
An audio enhancement system and method for use receives a group of multi-channel audio signals and provides a simulated surround sound environment through playback of only two output signals. The multi-channel audio signals comprise a pair of front signals intended for playback from a forward sound stage and a pair of rear signals intended for playback from a rear sound stage. The front and rear signals are modified in pairs by separating an ambient component of each pair of signals from a direct component and processing at least some of the components with a head-related transfer function. Processing of the individual audio signal components is determined by an intended playback position of the corresponding original audio signals. The individual audio signal components are then selectively combined with the original audio signals to form two enhanced output signals for generating a surround sound experience upon playback.
US08472630B2
A method and system establishing cryptographic communications between a remote device and a medical device, with the medical device having less processing power than the remote device are disclosed. The method may comprise establishing unencrypted communication between the remote device and the medical device, generating an asymmetric key pair by the remote device comprising a public key and a private key, generating a key request message and sending of the key request message together with the public key to the medical device, generating a pre-master key and encryption of the pre-master key with the received public key by the medical device, generating a key response message and sending of the key response message together with the encrypted pre-master key from the medical device to the remote device, decrypting the encrypted pre-master key with the private key by the remote device, and deriving a master key as a symmetric key from the pre-master key.
US08472628B2
A method of handling security key change for a user equipment in a wireless communication system includes applying a radio resource control procedure to activate key change, where the radio resource control procedure covers two conditions where the key change is accompanied with an authentication and key agreement run and without an authentication and key agreement run.
US08472622B2
A wireless communication method for transmitting information to the designated region with the boundary defined by the sharp cutoff is provided. Receivers outside the designated region are excluded from retrieving the encoded information. The boundary of designated region is adjustable. The wireless communication method can be applied to clearly defining the accepted region and rejection region in satellite communications. The wireless communication method includes steps of providing an information; encoding the information into an encoded data regarding a designated bit-energy-to-noise-ratio; transmitting the encoded data to form a virtual antenna radiation pattern covering a designated region with boundary defined by the sharp cutoff based on the designated bit-energy-to-noise-ratio; receiving the encoded data; and decoding the encoded data into the original information only when receivers within the designated region with bit-energy-to-noise-ratio no less than the designated bit-energy-to-noise-ratio. The critical feature of the method is clarified by experiments on the communication satellite ST-1.
US08472614B2
The present invention discloses circuits for isolating and attenuating signals generated by a telephone network. In disclosed embodiments, a metering pulse signal is isolated from the terminals of the connecting device, and then attenuated with an impedance that is synthesized with a programmable digital signal processor. Embodiments also utilize the digital signal processor to synthesize a termination impedance for the connecting device. The termination impedance matches closely the characteristic impedance of the network, so as to minimize wave reflections and the like.
US08472600B2
A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes communicating initial digits associated with an original request for a call and receiving a message indicating an incomplete address for the original request. The method also includes responding to the message by appending additional digits to the original request to generate a new request. The additional digits are buffered before receiving the message indicating the incomplete address associated with the original request. In other embodiments, the original request is a session initiation protocol (SIP) INVITE message that includes a uniform resource identifier (URI), which reflects an address for reaching a destination user. The initial digits can be partially matched against a dial plan in order to trigger the message associated with the original request. The additional digits are configured to satisfy the message and to connect the call. The message associated with the original request can be a session initiation protocol (SIP) 484 message.
US08472597B2
A node (22) of a communications system is configured use behavioral information (26) regarding a customer/subscriber's communication usage to automatically perform a promotional activity (28) with respect to communication usages of the customer/subscriber with another customer/subscriber. In an example implementation, the node (22) comprises electronic circuitry (38) configured to use the behavioral information (26) regarding the customer/subscriber's communication usage to automatically perform the promotional activity (28) with respect to the communication usages of the customer/subscriber with the another customer/subscriber. In its various embodiments, the promotional activity (28) comprises at least one of a financial discount activity; a new access activity; a quality of service change activity; and, an advance recharge activity. The behavioral information (26) may reflect both symmetry of connection (26-1) of the customer/subscriber with the another customer/subscriber; and community similarity (26-2) of the customer/subscriber and another customer/subscriber or other usage pattern.
US08472593B2
An outlet for a Local Area Network (LAN), containing an integrated adapter that converts VoIP to and from analog telephony, and a standard telephone jack (e.g. RJ-11 in North America) for connecting an ordinary analog (POTS) telephone set. Such an outlet allows using analog telephone sets in a VoIP environment, eliminating the need for an IP telephone set or external adapter. The outlet may also include a hub that allows connecting both an analog telephone set via an adapter, as well as retaining the data network connection, which may be accessed by a network jack. The invention may also be applied to a telephone line-based data networking system. In such an environment, the data networking circuitry as well as the VoIP/POTS adapters are integrated into a telephone outlet, providing for regular analog service, VoIP telephony service using an analog telephone set, and data networking as well. In such a configuration, the outlet requires two standard telephone jacks and a data-networking jack. Outlets according to the invention can be used to retrofit existing LAN and in-building telephone wiring, as well as original equipment in new installation.
US08472589B1
Embodiments of the invention provide ways to locally store and deliver voicemail messages on personal communication devices. An illustrative method includes initiating a call to a recipient's device, receiving an indication the call cannot be established, prompting the user to leave a voicemail, storing the voicemail locally on the communications device, and sending the voicemail to the recipient's device.
US08472587B2
The invention relates to a collimator with adjustable focal length, especially for use in X-ray testing devices whose operating principle is based on diffraction phenomena in an object. Fixed focal length collimators used in such X-ray testing devices have to be displaced over a large range. The aim of the invention is to reduce the range of displacement. For this purpose, the collimator has at least two diaphragms having respective substantially circular slots arranged about a common center axis, wherein at least one diaphragm can be displaced along the center axis.
US08472576B2
An apparatus to process an input signal received via a power line in a power line communication system includes a jammer remover and a jammer detector. The jammer remover removes interference resulting from transmission of electricity and the input signal over the power line from the input signal. The jammer remover generates a jammer-canceled signal using an adaptive filtering procedure. The jammer detector is coupled to the jammer remover to detect the interference.
US08472545B2
Operating a wireless communications system that supports multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) communications between a base station and multiple mobile stations involves generating a channel estimation, predicting a future channel estimation from the channel estimation, precoding data in response to the predicted future channel estimation, and transmitting the precoded data.
US08472540B2
According to various embodiments, a method is disclosed that includes a method is disclosed that includes determining, by a receiver, a frequency offset in a signal comprising a set of orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) symbols by determining a first difference in phase angles between a nth OFDM symbol and a nth+1 OFDM symbol on a common OFDM carrier and a first difference in phase angles between the nth+1 OFDM symbol and a nth+2 OFDM symbol on the common OFDM carrier and determining a second difference in phase angles between the first difference in phase angles between the nth OFDM symbol and the nth+1 OFDM system and the first difference in phase angles between the nth+1 OFDM symbol and the nth+2 OFDM symbol to identify the frequency offset, wherein nε{1, . . . , N}; and correcting, by the receiver, the signal using the determined frequency offset.
US08472539B2
A method of transmitting power information in a wireless communication system is provided. The method includes: determining energy per resource element (RE) to which a reference signal or data is mapped for downlink transmission; and transmitting power information of the reference signal and the data, wherein the reference signal comprises a channel state indication-reference signal (CSI-RS) for channel state measurement, power information of the CSI-RS is denoted by a ratio of power for a CSI-RS RE and power for a data RE of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol on which only data is transmitted or power for a cell-specific RS (CRS) RE used for channel state measurement and data demodulation of different OFDM symbols.
US08472527B2
This invention calculates motion vectors during video encoding for sub-sampled data using a hierarchical search. The motion vector calculation employs a prior original frame as the reference frame rather than a reconstructed frame according to the prior art.
US08472525B2
Provided are methods and apparatuses for encoding and decoding a motion vector. The method of encoding the motion vector includes: selecting, as a mode of encoding information about a motion vector predictor of the current block, a first mode in which information indicating the motion vector predictor from among at least one motion vector predictor is encoded or a second mode in which information indicating generation of the motion vector predictor based on blocks or pixels included in a previously encoded area adjacent to the current block is encoded; determining the motion vector predictor of the current block according to the selected mode and encoding the information about the motion vector predictor of the current block; and encoding a difference vector between the motion vector of the current block and the motion vector predictor of the current block.
US08472510B2
A receiver includes a discrete Fourier transform unit, a frequency-domain equalizer, an inverse discrete Fourier transform unit, a time-domain equalizer and an output circuit. The discrete Fourier transform unit is utilized for performing a discrete Fourier transform operation upon a received signal to generate a frequency-domain signal. The frequency-domain equalizer is utilized for equalizing the frequency-domain signal to generate an equalized frequency-domain signal. The inverse discrete Fourier transform unit is utilized for performing an inverse discrete Fourier transform operation upon the equalized frequency-domain signal to generate a first equalized time-domain signal. The time-domain equalizer is utilized for equalizing the received signal to generate a second equalized time-domain signal. The output circuit is utilized for generating a third equalized time-domain signal according to the first equalized time-domain signal and the second equalized time-domain signal.
US08472507B2
A method significantly reduces the average power for radio communication in a communication system, such as a system that has applications requiring low communication latency. The method may use a low power radio communication circuit (e.g., a non-heterodyne receiver) to wait for a communication request, taking advantage of the low power consumption of the radio communication circuit. Subsequent to receiving and validating the communication request, the communication system may switch to a more efficient—but higher power—communication circuit. Thus, effective communication is achieved without making undesirable tradeoffs, such as reduced sensitivity.
US08472501B2
Provided are a human body communication apparatus for non-contact communications using a frequency-selective baseband and a human body communication method for non-contact communications in the same. The human body communication apparatus may be useful to perform stable communications between users by reducing interference induced from other communication apparatuses without affecting interference between the users since data are transmitted/received between communication apparatuses adjacent to a human body by spreading and despreading the data using only spreading codes of a limited frequency band (frequency-selective baseband) in which an inductive electromagnetic field formed by an antenna shows the most effective characteristics.
US08472497B2
A wireless device comprises a code-assignment module configured for assigning Golay codes to be used for spreading, a spreading module configured for spreading data with the Golay codes to produce a signal, wherein the Golay codes are randomly used to spread the data, and a transmitter configured for transmitting the signal. The wireless device may transmit a first beacon signal via a set of quasi-omni beam patterns, and a second beacon signal via a set directional beam patterns. The first beacon signal has a first transmission rate that is higher than the second beacon signal's the transmission rate. Extended Golay codes having zero periodic cross-correlation may be generated from a Golay code and a set of short sequences. A data block transmitted by the wireless device may comprise Golay codes and data portions, wherein every data portion is between two Golay codes and every Golay code is between two data portions.
US08472494B2
A semiconductor laser includes: a first portion, made from a silicon-containing material, including an optical waveguide, a first diffraction grating including a phase shift, and a second diffraction grating; a second portion including a light-emitting layer made from a material different from that of the first portion; a laser region including the first diffraction grating, and the optical waveguide and the light-emitting layer provided in a position corresponding to the first diffraction grating; and a mirror region including the second diffraction grating, and the optical waveguide and the light-emitting layer provided in a position corresponding to the second diffraction grating.
US08472491B2
A semiconductor laser device includes a semiconductor-layer lamination (20) having an active layer (26) formed over a substrate (11). The semiconductor-layer lamination (20) includes a front face which emits light, a strip-shaped optical waveguide formed in a direction transverse to the front face, a first region (20A) extending in a direction transverse to the front face, a second region (20B) having a top surface whose height is different from that of the first region (20A), and a planar region (20C) formed between the first region (20A) and the second region (20B), and having periodic surface undulations whose variation is smaller than that of the second region (20B). The optical waveguide is formed in the planar region (20C).
US08472473B2
Embodiments addressing MAC processing for efficient use of high throughput systems are disclosed. In one aspect, a protocol stack is disclosed comprising one or more of the following: an adaptation layer, a data link control layer, a physical layer, and a layer manager. In another aspect, physical layer feedback is used for adaptation layer processing. In one embodiment, physical layer feedback is used for segmentation. In another embodiment, physical layer feedback is used for multicast mapping onto one or more unicast channels. In another aspect, a data unit for transmission from a first station to a second station comprises zero or more complete sub-data units, zero or one partial sub-data units from a prior transmission, and zero or one partial sub-data units to fill the data unit. In one embodiment, a pointer may be used to indicate the location of any complete sub-data units.
US08472472B2
A wireless terminal and a method of data communication between such wireless terminals includes a first wireless terminal determining whether a second wireless terminal is located within a preset distance, the first wireless terminal determining whether the first wireless terminal is tilted at more than a preset slope and the first wireless terminal transmitting a preset packet of data to the second wireless terminal where it determines that the second wireless terminal is located within the preset distance from the first wireless terminal and the first wireless terminal is tilted at more than the preset slope.
US08472467B2
Embodiments of a wireless device and method for channel access are generally described herein. In some embodiments, the wireless device is configured to measure channel quality and set a backoff delay for channel access based on the channel quality. Shorter backoff delays are set for better channel quality and longer backoff delays are set for poorer channel quality.
US08472459B2
A system and method for probing a channel by a base station in a communication system is provided. The channel probing includes performing pre-probing for selecting a subchannel, adjusting a subcarrier distance of a probing signal according to frequency selectivity indicative of frequency-domain channel selectivity based on a time channel correlation of each of a plurality of users and performing main-probing for transmitting the probing signal on the selected subchannel.
US08472448B2
Embodiments of wireless adaptive control message apparatus, systems, and methods are described generally herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US08472445B1
A network switch including a port, a memory, and a controller. The port has a port identifier and receives a packet (including an address of the source device) transmitted from a source device to the network switch. The memory is configured to store entries, each entry including (i) an identifier of a port of the network switch and (ii) an address of a network device. The controller is configured to (i) determine whether the address of the source device and the port identifier of the packet are stored in the memory and (ii) send a message to a processor requesting approval of the packet. The controller is configured to send the message when (i) the address of the source device is not stored in the memory or (ii) the port identifier of the packet is not stored with the address of the source device as one of the entries.
US08472443B2
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a port channel manager for receiving information identifying switches connected to a group of physical ports at a network device and creating subgroups each comprising the physical ports connected to one of the switches. The apparatus further includes a virtual interface agent for assigning a virtual interface connecting a virtual switch to a virtual machine, to one of the subgroups. Traffic received from the virtual machine on the virtual interface is transmitted to one of the switches on one of the physical ports in the assigned subgroup. A method for grouping ports for association with virtual interfaces is also disclosed.
US08472433B2
Voice communications apparatus is connected to a general subscriber telephone set or a broadband telephone set, to communicate over the public switched telephone network. The apparatus includes a filter converting signals such as to satisfy signal conditions prescribed for the telephone network. The apparatus also includes a terminal class determiner for determining the class of the telephone set connected, and a circuit for changing at least the sampling frequency at which the analog signals from the telephone set are sampled. This establishes high quality in broadband voice communications. The terminal class determiner may automatically determine the class of the telephone set at any timing of a call sequence by detecting a band component of the signals from the telephone set, a predetermined frequency of a signal intermittently transmitted from the telephone set or the characteristics of the telephone set.
US08472419B2
Provided is a radio communication system including a first radio communication device, and a second radio communication device that communicates with a radio communication device operating as a master unit and being connected, wherein the second radio communication device includes a communication unit that communicates with the radio communication device being connected, and a control unit that controls the communication unit to send a response packet to the first radio communication device when a response request packet broadcasted from the first radio communication device is received by the communication unit.
US08472412B2
Provided are a base station device and a mobile station device, which can lighten a cell-search processing. The base station device (100) includes a frame constitution unit (130) for forming a frame, in which a pilot symbol multiplied by a base station scrambling code assigned to that device and a plurality of sequences contained in the corresponding sequence set is arranged in at least the head or tail, and a radio transmission unit (155) for sending the formed frame. On the receiving side of the frame, the frame timing can be detected from the position of a pilot symbol contained in that frame. Since the base station scrambling code and the sequence set containing the sequences are made to correspond to each other, candidates can be narrowed to at most the base station scrambling codes of the number of the combinations of the sequences contained in the sequence set, by detecting the sequences multiplied by the pilot symbol, so that the cell search processing can be lightened.
US08472411B2
Methods for multi-user detection in a CDMA-based channel for use in a base station receiver are provided. Signals, each including a CDMA code, are received. Correlation operations are performed on CDMA codes of received signals respectively to obtain corresponding first correlation values. CDMA codes are divided into first and second code groups according to a threshold and corresponding first correlation values. An interference cancellation procedure is performed on received signals to remove signals corresponding to first code group therefrom and to obtain a removed signal. Correlation operations are performed on CDMA codes of removed signal to obtain corresponding second correlation values. Each first correlation value is subtracted from a corresponding second correlation value and compared with a threshold to generate a comparison result. Whether CDMA codes within first code group are correct are determined according to comparison results, wherein the threshold is dynamically adjusted according to comparison results.
US08472400B2
A method and system for processing buffer status reports (BSRs) such that when BSR triggering is performed, the size(s) of the necessary sub-header(s) are also to be considered together in addition to the BSR size. The steps of checking whether any padding region is available in a MAC PDU that was constructed, comparing the number of padding bits with the size of the BSR plus its sub-header, and if the number of padding bits is larger than the size of the BSR plus its sub-header, triggering BSR are performed. Doing so allows the sub-header(s) to be inserted or included into the MAC PDU or transport block (TB) or other type of data unit.
US08472399B2
To facilitate ranging between mobile terminals and a base station in a wireless communication network employing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) for uplink data communications, a periodic ranging channel for use by a mobile terminal is defined. The channel specifies a plurality N of blocks of sub-carrier frequencies of an OFDM frequency band which are non-contiguous within the OFDM frequency band. The channel also specifies a time slot within an OFDM subframe which spans one or more OFDM symbol periods. A ranging transmission is periodically sent as a spread signal across the specified N blocks of sub-carrier frequencies within the specified time slot. The duration of the ranging transmission may be less than a duration of the OFDM subframe. A notional grid of tiles representing time and frequency resources associated with the subframe may facilitate channel definition. A similar approach may be used to define an initial access channel for initial access transmissions.
US08472398B2
A communications system for exchange of information between communications apparatuses by a multicarrier transmission mode using a plurality of subcarriers, the communication system includes a transmission data generator configured to generate frequency band information indicating which frequency band is to be used for transmission of data information between said communication apparatuses and a transmitter configured to transmit the frequency band information by using a specific frequency band which is set from among a plurality of frequency band assigned to the communications system, and to transmit data information by using at least one frequency band set from among said plurality of frequency bands; and a receiver configured to receive the frequency band information by using the specific frequency band, wherein said specific frequency band also transmits data information and said specific frequency band is made variable.
US08472394B2
A base station includes: means configured to manage frequency blocks; means configured to determine, for each frequency block, scheduling information for assigning one or more resource blocks to a communication terminal being in a good channel state; means configured to generate a control channel including the scheduling information for each frequency block; and means configured to frequency multiplexing control channels within the system frequency band and to transmit it. In addition, the base station transmits the control channel by separating a non-specific control channel to be decoded by a non-specific communication terminal and a specific control channel to be decoded by a communication terminal to which one or more resource blocks are assigned.
US08472385B2
A base station, for transmitting common information and control information, includes a common information generating unit that generates the control information and the common information, a lower-layer control information generating unit that generates first lower-layer control information indicating a radio resource where the control information is to be placed and second lower-layer control information indicating a radio resource where the common information is to be placed. The base station also includes a multiplexing unit that multiplexes the first lower-layer control information and the control information and multiplexes the second lower-layer control information and the common information, the system bandwidth being divided into a plurality of frequency blocks each corresponding to a minimum value of maximum transmission and reception bandwidths used by the plural mobile stations, and a transmitting unit that transmits the multiplexed first lower-layer control information, control information, second lower-layer control information, and common information.
US08472382B1
A method and system is disclosed for dynamic adjustment of extended frame decoding interval duration based on aggregate reverse-link error rate. In accordance with an example embodiment, upon determining that a frame transmission from an access terminal has not been successfully decoded during a nominal frame period, a base station will commence an extended decoding interval. The base station will also determine a duration for the extended decoding interval based on a measured an aggregate reverse-link error rate for transmissions from access terminals communicating with the base station. The base station will use the determined duration for the extended decoding interval. The determination will be made so as to increase the likelihood the extended decoding interval will result in a successful decoding of a frame of data.
US08472379B2
A mobile station according to the present invention includes: a packet discarder unit (102, 103) configured to discard a packet in an uplink transmission buffer, after assigning a sequence number to the packet, when a predetermined condition is met.
US08472371B1
The claimed subject matter provides for systems and methods that facilitate a transfer of a portion of a service-level policy agreement associated with a home wireless access network to a fixed internet protocol (IP) access network. An authentication component can authenticate a subscription of a multi-mode device across different network architectures. A policy component can provide at least a portion of a service-level policy agreement to enable or disable services or policies associated with a multi-mode device at the fixed IP access network on a per session basis.
US08472366B2
A method of providing downlink retransmissions to a mobile station in a wireless communication network, the wireless communication network comprising a base station communicatively linked to a transparent relay station, the method comprising: at the base station: receiving a request for a retransmission from the mobile station; scheduling resources for the retransmission; signalling scheduling information for the retransmission to the transparent relay station via a control link; at the transparent relay station: receiving said scheduling information for the retransmission on the control link; and sending the retransmission to the mobile station in a retransmit subframe on a retransmit frequency band.
US08472365B2
A method and apparatus are described including multicasting a plurality of data units and multicasting a request for acknowledging receipt of the plurality of data units, receiving signals responsive to the request. Also described are a method and apparatus including receiving a multicast request to acknowledge receipt of data, determining if a response to the request is required, determining status of the data, preparing the response based on the determining acts and transmitting the response.
US08472359B2
AP's associated with a communication network and any wireless devices desiring contact, operated according to a protocol in which each wireless device selects AP's with which to communicate. A system coordinator causes the AP's to operate so as to guide each wireless device to an AP selected by the system coordinator. This has the effect that, notwithstanding that the protocol involves having the wireless device make the selection of AP, functionally, the AP's make the selection for it. In a 1st technique, multiple AP's share an identifier, with the system coordinator directing one particular AP to respond to the wireless device, thus appearing to wireless devices as a “personal cell”. In a 2nd technique, AP's each maintain identifiers substantially unique to each wireless device, with the system coordinator directing only one particular AP to maintain any particular wireless device's identifier, thus appearing to wireless devices as a “personal AP”.
US08472353B2
Internet Protocol (IP) audio conferencing bridging provisioning/configuration systems receive a service order request associated with a customer, where the service order request requests enrollment of the customer in a Virtual Private Network (VPN) bridging network service for IP Audio Conferencing. The provisioning/configuration systems orchestrate, based on the service order request, configuration of multiple network nodes in a network that provides the VPN bridging network service for IP Audio Conferencing to the customer to enable IP audio conferencing calls to be made from the customer via the network.
US08472345B2
A method for sending, a method for receiving, a system for sending, and a terminal for receiving continual service multiplex configuration information. Wherein, a multiplex service server configures service information for each service according to multimedia broadcasting data of a mobile multimedia broadcasting service, encapsulates a service identifier of each service and the corresponding service information into the continual service multiplex configuration information, and sends the continual service multiplex configuration information to a terminal via a broadcasting network; wherein, the service information includes at least demodulation information and program information, and the program information is used to distinguish a type of each service. The methods, system and terminal can speed up processing for the mobile multimedia broadcasting service and improve the user experience, and even in the case of having not received ESG, the terminal can also acquire the necessary information for processing and playing the service data.
US08472341B2
A method, system, and/or computer program product steers Internet Protocol (IP) packet fragments. A switch receives a first IP packet fragment that contains a 3-tuple in its header. In response to determining that the first IP packet fragment is not a lead packet fragment in the series of IP packet fragments, the first IP packet fragment is pushed onto a data stack. The switch subsequently receives a second IP packet fragment that contains a 5-tuple, which includes the 3-tuple from the first IP packet fragment plus a source port and destination port used by the second IP packet fragment. The 3-tuple is mapped to the 5-tuple in a fragmentation table, thus enabling both the first IP packet fragment and the second IP packet fragment to be steered to the destination port to which the second IP packet fragment is being sent.
US08472334B2
The present invention relates to wireless cellular telecommunication networks and, in particular, to control and management of self organizing wireless cellular telecommunication network. A method for network planning and frequency optimization in LTE networks by determining the optimal base station configuration parameters, comprises a base station initialization, an initial base station configuration, an iterative measurement procedure, an optimization process, a verification of operation, and a periodical maintenance procedure.
US08472333B2
Methods of automatically monitoring changes made to the communications connections into a server are provided. Pursuant to these methods, an identification is made that a change was made to the communications connections into the server. A determination is then made if the identified change complies with a set of pre-determined rules. If it is determined that the change does not comply with at least one of the rules in the set of pre-determined rules, then an alert is automatically issued.
US08472327B2
An apparatus and method for performing automated testing and trouble isolation of a communications link in an access network is described. Communications link testing may occur without taking the communications link out of service for the duration of the test.
US08472316B2
Control of a data packet buffer in a communication system and a data packet queue in a transmission link are shown. The queue stores a plurality of received data packets that are intended for transmission over a wireless interface. Selected packets are discarded from the queue without the selected packets having been transmitted. A packet is selected for discarding depending on at least the length of time the packet has been stored in the queue. The discarding of a selected packet is effectuated on condition that at least a predetermined time period has elapsed since a previous discarding of a packet has taken place. Such a solution is advantageous in that, for varying transmission bandwidth conditions in the transmission link, it is possible to achieve good link utilization and throughput, while at the same time enabling a low end-to-end delay for packets transmitted in the link.
US08472312B1
A stacked switch using a resilient packet ring protocol comprises a plurality of switch modules coupled to one another in a ring topology and each having a plurality of external terminals for interfacing with external devices. Each switch module includes an external interface for communicating with the external terminals, the external interface configured to communicate using a communication protocol; and an internal interface for communicating with other switches, the internal interface using a resilient packet ring (RPR) protocol. Advantages of the invention include the ability to flexibly create a high performance stacked switch with advanced features.
US08472309B2
Methods and apparatus for using code-division multiple access (CDMA) via orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) to convey information from user terminals to an access point (AP) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), for example, are provided. Employed in an effort to support a large number of user terminals while avoiding collisions, this CDMA-based scheme may offer a number of advantages when compared to conventional techniques for transmitting UL signals from a large number of user terminals. First, efficiency with respect to the number of slots used may be increased. In addition, this scheme may be scalable to a high number of user terminals and may have a soft limit as to the number of users that can be supported. Furthermore, this CDMA-based scheme may offer greater tolerance to frequency offsets and may be utilized for ranging and power control.
US08472302B2
A recording device that records information in an optical recording medium includes: a self excited oscillation semiconductor laser including a saturable absorber section to apply a bias voltage and a gain section to inject a gain current, and also emitting a laser light to record the information in the optical recording medium; a reference signal generation unit generating a master clock signal and also supplying an injection signal synchronized with the master clock signal to the gain section of the self excited oscillation semiconductor laser; and a recording signal generation unit generating a recording signal based upon the master clock signal and also applying the recording signal to the saturable absorber section of the self excited oscillation semiconductor laser as the bias voltage.
US08472299B2
An optical element which has optical steps each providing a phase difference to transmitted light and has low light amount loss and a high efficiency is provided. The optical element includes a symmetry axis, a plurality of optically functional surfaces which are ring-shaped regions around the symmetry axis, and a plurality of wall regions connecting the optically functional surfaces to each other. The optically functional surfaces and the wall regions constitute the optical steps. On a cross-section taken by, as a cutting plane, a plane including the symmetry axis, the contour line of each wall region is substantially parallel to a light beam which is incident on the optically functional surface on the outer side and passes near the wall region. The maximum value of the angle between the symmetry axis and the light beam passing near the wall region is equal to or more than 25 degrees.
US08472294B2
A process of reproducing information according to the present invention includes: reproducing record data recorded on an information-recording medium including a data area for recording the record data, and a defect control area for recording defect information of the data area; storing the defect information in a storage unit; and reducing a storage area of the storage unit which is used for storing the defect information.
US08472293B2
In write power adjustment for an optical disc having a plurality of information storage layers, data of trial writing is varied by the influence of layers other than a target layer. It is difficult, therefore, to determine optimal write power. A modulation M[m] is obtained from a reproduction signal amplitude of a signal subjected to the trial writing performed with use of write powers Pw[m] (m being an integer) of a plurality of kinds. At least an optimum write power intercept Pint_opt is determined by fitting a relation between the Pw[m] and the M[m] by a modulation characteristic formula M=Masy×(1−(Pint−Pasy)/(Pw−Pasy)) having an asymptotic modulation Masy, a write power intercept Pint, and an asymptotic write power Pasy as parameters. Approximation accuracy by the fitting and/or quality of the trial writing signal are evaluated with use of at least the M[m], the modulation characteristic formula, and the Pint_opt. An optimum write power Pw_opt is calculated by performing a specified operation at least with use of the Pint_opt.
US08472291B2
Disclosed is an optical disk barcode forming method wherein, as information to be barcoded, position information for piracy prevention, which is a form of ID, is coded as a barcode and is recorded by laser trimming on a reflective film in a PCA area of an optical disk. When playing back the thus manufactured optical disk on a reproduction apparatus, the barcode data can be played back using the same optical pickup.
US08472285B2
A submersible device for keeping track of a swimmer's session transpired times. It includes a case which is pivotally adjustable in relation to a base, and which contains both a watertight and a ballast compartment to decrease the buoyancy of the device when in use in water. The device may include a lap counter and a proximity sensor activated by the proximity of a swimmer wearing a proximity transmitter. A high contrast liquid crystal display is used to improve visibility.
US08472284B2
A radio controlled timepiece includes: a radio wave receiving section which outputs a time code signal; an indicator display section which performs a display regarding a reception condition; a level change detecting section which detects a change of a signal level of the time code signal in a predetermined detection interval in a period of 1 second; an indicator control section which controls a content of the display based on a number of times that the change of the detected signal level appears; and an interval setting section which specifies the detection interval as a whole interval of the period of 1 second during a detecting process of a synchronization point in the time code signal every 1 second, and narrows the detection interval to be a certain interval within the period of 1 second after a detection of the synchronization point every 1 second.
US08472278B2
Circuits, systems, and related methods to measure a performance characteristic(s) associated with a semiconductor die and adjust a clock signal based on the measured performance characteristic(s) are provided. The adjusted clock signal can be used to provide a clock signal to a functional circuit provided in the semiconductor die to assure proper operation of the functional circuit while operating with performance, voltage, temperature (PVT) delay variations. In this regard, a performance monitoring circuit is provided in the semiconductor die that includes the functional circuit. As a result, the performance monitoring circuit may be exposed to similar delay variations as the functional circuit. The performance monitoring circuit is configured to measure a performance characteristic(s) associated with the semiconductor die. The performance characteristic(s) is used to adjust a clock signal to provide an adjusted clock signal to the functional circuit for proper operation based on the performance characteristic(s).
US08472275B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a memory core circuit having memory cells for storing data, a circuit configured to refresh the memory core circuit at a refresh interval, a temperature detecting unit configured to detect temperature, and a control circuit configured to shorten the refresh interval immediately in response to detection of a predetermined temperature rise by the temperature detecting unit and to elongate the refresh interval after refreshing every one of the memory cells at least once in response to detection of a temperature drop by the temperature detecting unit.
US08472271B2
Systems and methods for determining optimal memory device precharge voltages are provided herein. In addition, systems and methods for providing localized sense amplification and circuit assist circuitry are described herein. Embodiments provide for determining precharge multipliers that may be used to determine the optimal precharge voltage based on a precharge source voltage. According to embodiments, the precharge source voltage may be Vdd or Vcs. Optimizing the precharge voltage maximizes memory device performance and functional characteristics, including, but not limited to, stability, efficiency, power, writability, and reliability.
US08472269B2
A redundancy control circuit includes an address fuse circuit and a first circuit. The address fuse circuit includes a plurality of first fuses. Each of the first fuses is configured to be cut based on a result of comparing a number of bits of a defective input address having a first logic level with a number of bits of the defective input address having a second logic level. The address fuse circuit is configured to generate a first address using the first fuses based on a cutting operation that depends on the result of comparing. The first circuit is configured to output either the first address or a second address that is an inverted address of the first address as a repair address, wherein a logic level of each of bits of the repair address is the same as that of the defective input address.
US08472268B2
A non-volatile semiconductor device has a memory cell array having electrically erasable programmable non-volatile memory cells, reprogramming and retrieval circuits that temporarily store data to be programmed in the memory cell array and sense data retrieved from the memory cell array. Each reprogramming and retrieval circuit has first and second latches that are selectively connected to the memory cell array and transfer data. A controller controls the reprogramming and retrieval circuits on a data-reprogramming operation to and a data-retrieval operation from the memory cell array. Each reprogramming and retrieval circuit has a multilevel logical operation mode and a caching operation mode. In the multilevel logical operation mode, re-programming and retrieval of upper and lower bits of two-bit four-level data is performed using the first and the second latches to store the two-bit four-level data in one of the memory cells in a predetermined threshold level range.
US08472258B2
An operation scheme for operating stably a semiconductor nonvolatile memory device is provided.When hot-hole injection is conducted in the semiconductor nonvolatile memory device of a split gate structure, the hot-hole injection is verified using a crossing point that does not change with time. Thus, an erased state can be verified without being aware of any time-varying changes.Also, programming or programming/erasure is conducted by repeating pulse voltage or multi-step voltage application to a gate section multiple times.
US08472256B2
Some embodiments include a memory device and a method of programming memory cells of the memory device. One such method includes applying voltages to data lines associated with different groups of memory cells during a programming operation. Such a method applies the voltages to the data lines associated with a last group of memory cells being programmed in a different fashion from the other groups of memory cells after the other groups of memory cells have been programmed. Other embodiments including additional memory devices and methods are described.
US08472246B2
A method of programming a multi-bit per cell non-volatile memory is disclosed. In one embodiment, the non-volatile memory is read to obtain a first data of a most-significant-bit (MSB) page on a current word line that succeeds in data reading, wherein the current word line follows a preceding word line on which data reading fails. At least one reference voltage is set. The MSB page on the current word line is secondly programmed with a second data according to the reference voltage, the second data being different from the first data.
US08472243B2
Disclosed herein is a storage apparatus including a cell array configured to include storage devices arranged to form an array. Each of the storage device has: a storage layer for storing information as the state of magnetization of a magnetic substance; a fixed-magnetization layer having a fixed magnetization direction; and a tunnel insulation layer sandwiched between the storage layer and the fixed-magnetization layer. In an operation to write information on the storage layer, a write current is generated to flow in the layer-stacking direction of the storage layer and the fixed-magnetization layer in order to change the direction of the magnetization of the storage layer. The cell array is divided into a plurality of cell blocks. The thermal stability of the storage layer of any particular one of the storage devices has a value peculiar to the cell block including the particular storage device.
US08472241B2
A phase change random access memory device includes: a sense amplifier driving unit configured to compare an input voltage applied through an input signal line with a reference voltage and amplify an output signal in response to the comparison result; an input unit configured to receive an input signal from the input signal line and transmit the received signal to the sense amplifier driving unit; and a coupling prevention unit including a plurality of MOS transistors sharing a bulk bias, coupled between the sense amplifier driving unit and the input unit, and configured to control a sensing margin in response to a level of the input signal.
US08472238B2
The variable resistance nonvolatile storage device includes a memory cell (300) that is formed by connecting in series a variable resistance element (309) including a variable resistance layer (309b) which reversibly changes based on electrical signals each having a different polarity and a transistor (317) including a semiconductor substrate (301) and two N-type diffusion layer regions (302a, 302b), wherein the variable resistance layer (309b) includes an oxygen-deficient oxide of a transition metal, lower and upper electrodes (309a, 309c) are made of materials of different elements, a standard electrode potential V1 of the lower electrode (309a), a standard electrode potential V2 of the upper electrode (309c), and a standard electrode potential Vt of the transition metal satisfy Vt
US08472237B2
Example embodiments disclose a semiconductor device using resistive memory material layers and a method of driving the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a plurality of memory cells. At least one memory cell includes a uni-polar variable resistor and a bi-polar variable resistor connected in series and configured to switch between low resistance states and high resistance states, respectively, according to an applied voltage.
US08472236B2
Non-volatile latch circuits, such as in memory cells and flip-flops, that are constructed for reliability screening. The non-volatile latch circuits each include ferroelectric capacitors coupled to storage nodes, for example at the outputs of cross-coupled inverters. Separate plate lines are connected to the ferroelectric capacitors of the complementary storage nodes. A time-zero test of the latch stability margin is performed by setting a logic state at the storage nodes, then programming the state into the ferroelectric capacitors by polarization. After power-down, the plate lines are biased with a differential voltage relative to one another, and the latch is then powered up to attempt recall of the programmed state. The differential voltage disturbs the recall, and provides a measure of the cell margin and its later-life reliability.
US08472235B2
An object is reduction in power consumption of a semiconductor device including a memory circuit. In the semiconductor device including a memory circuit, the memory circuit includes a memory cell including a semiconductor element and a memory cell that does not include a semiconductor element in a region defined by a word line and a bit line which intersect with each other. A transistor formed using an oxide semiconductor so as to have extremely low off-state current is used as the semiconductor element, so that the reading precision is improved and thus low voltage operation can be performed. The memory cells store data high or data low. The memory cell comprising a semiconductor element stores minor data of high and low, and the memory cell that does not comprise the semiconductor element stores major data of high and low.
US08472227B2
An integrated circuit including a first memory array and a logic circuit coupled with the first memory array. All active transistors of all memory cells of the first memory array and all active transistors of the logic circuit are Fin field effect transistors (FinFETs) and have gate electrodes arranged along a direction a first longitudinal direction.
US08472223B2
In a neutral-point-clamped power inverter, gate drive circuit comprises four drive blocks providing bipolar DC signals to control switch gates. The first and third drive blocks are bootstrapped to the second and fourth. Inverter's neutral bus is commonly connected to the positive and negative DC buses through clamping capacitors. An arm of four serially-stacked-switches bridges DC buses. The switch arm midpoint is an output of the inverter. A first clamping diode connects the neutral bus to the first switch emitter; a second clamping diode connects the neutral bus to the third switch emitter. In one embodiment, a second switch arm mirrors the first, providing a second output; a second gate drive circuit mirrors the first. A bias circuit provides two reference voltages for the gate drive circuits. Three isolated DC sources provide signals that, when used by the gate drive circuit, result in seven isolated bipolar DC signals.
US08472209B2
A device having anti-demolition functions includes a housing and an electronic apparatus. The housing includes a first cover and a second cover. The first cover has a first connection part disposed thereon. The electronic apparatus is disposed in the housing and is fixed on the second cover. The electronic apparatus includes a first block, a second block and a join part. The second block has a second connection part disposed thereon, wherein second connection part fastens first connection part when first cover is engaged with second cover. The join part connects first block and second block, and has at least one circuit wire passing there through, wherein when the first cover and the second cover are separated from each other, the join part is separated from at least one of the first block and the second block, such that the at least one circuit wire forms an open circuited status.
US08472188B2
A semiconductor power module includes an insulated substrate with a plurality of power semiconductor devices mounted thereon and a heat sink for radiating heat generated from the plurality of power semiconductor devices, wherein the heat sink is integrally molded with a plurality of radiation fins on one surface of a planate base by forging work such that a metallic material filled into a female die of a predetermined shape is pressed by a male die of a predetermined shape, and the insulated substrate is bonded by metallic bonding to another surface of the base of the heat sink opposite the one surface of the base of the heat sink on which the radiation fins are formed.
US08472185B2
An assembly includes an article, and a computer housing including left and right sidewalls cooperatively defining an accommodating space and an opening for communicating the accommodating space with an external environment, and a positioning member provided on one of the sidewalls. Each sidewall includes a slide rail. A package is mounted removably in the accommodating space via the opening, is connected slidably to the slide rails of the sidewalls, and is positioned within the accommodating space through the positioning member. The package includes two interconnected cover parts cooperatively defining a receiving space for receiving the article and a communicating hole for communicating the receiving space with the external environment, and a handgrip to mount removably the package in the accommodating space. Each cover part includes a stop member abutting against the article to prevent escape of the article from the receiving space via the communicating hole.
US08472184B2
A dust-free and anti-vibration industrial computer. The industrial computer has a case sealed from the outside, a heat diffusion fin assembly mounted on the outer surface of the case, and a circulation pipe for allowing a heat generating component and at least a heat diffusion fin to be communicated with each other, or a heat pipe for transferring heat between the heat generating component and the heat diffusion fin. The heat generating component can be cooled in a state in which dust is prevented from being produced within the case.
US08472181B2
Computer cabinets, such as supercomputer cabinets, having progressive air velocity cooling systems are described herein. In one embodiment, a computer cabinet includes an air mover positioned beneath a plurality of computer module compartments. The computer module compartments can be arranged in tiers with the computer modules in each successive tier being positioned closer together than the computer modules in the tier directly below. The computer cabinet can also include one or more shrouds, flow restrictors, and/or sidewalls that further control the direction and/or speed of the cooling air flow through the cabinet.
US08472167B2
There is disclosed an apparatus including a chassis configured to accept a plurality of blades. The chassis may contain a backplane assembly may include a backplane bus bar configured to provide electrical power to the plurality of blades and a power supply configured to deliver electrical power through a power delivery bus bar. A clamp may be disposed to force the power delivery bus bar into electrical contact with the backplane bus bar.
US08472164B2
Provided is a stacking type quasi-bipolar electrochemical cell having a reliable, easy-to-manufacture, and simple structure. The electrochemical cell includes: an electrode including a current collector, and positive and negative active material layers disposed at both sides of the current collector and spaced apart from each other with a current collector extension part being located therebetween, wherein a polarity of the electrode is used as an opposite polarity in a neighboring cell; an electrode assembly formed by stacking a plurality of electrodes including the electrode; and an electric connection part connecting some of the electrodes of the electrode assembly which are included in the same series, the electric connection part connecting the some electrodes in parallel.
US08472158B2
A protective device including a substrate, a conductive section and a first auxiliary medium is provided. The conductive section is supported by the substrate, wherein the conductive section comprises a metal element electrically connected between first and second electrodes. The metal element serves as a sacrificial structure having a melting point lower than that of the first and second electrodes. The first auxiliary medium is disposed between the metal element and the substrate, wherein the first auxiliary medium has a melting point lower than that of the metal element. The first auxiliary medium facilitates breaking of the metal element upon melting.
US08472152B2
An electrical receptacle includes at least one motion sensor for detecting movement of a blade of an electrical plug in the receptacle, an extraction detector operatively connected to the motion sensor for generating a signal in response to movement of the blade at a predetermined rate, a position detector operatively connected to the motion sensor for determining the position of the blade in the receptacle, a switch operatively connected to the extraction detector and the position detector for de-energizing the receptacle when the extraction detector detects extraction of the blade from the receptacle at a rate equal to or greater than the predetermined rate and wherein the extraction detector and switch are operative to de-energize the receptacle in less than six milliseconds when the extraction detector detects extraction of the blade from the receptacle at a rate equal to or greater than the predetermined rate.
US08472144B2
A load beam part, which includes a plate-like main body portion facing a disk surface and paired flange portions bent from both side edges of the main body portion in a suspension width direction so as to extend toward a direction opposite from the disk surface, is bent at first and second bending lines in such a convex manner as to project in the direction toward the disk surface, the first bending line being positioned between the proximal end portion of the load beam part and the dimple in the suspension longitudinal direction and extending along the suspension width direction, the second bending line being positioned between the first bending line and the dimple in the suspension longitudinal direction and extending along the suspension width direction.
US08472141B2
A write element for magnetic recording includes a main pole and a shield. The main pole has first and second sides with respect to a down-track direction. The shield at least partially surrounds the main pole with a continuously concave inner sidewall. The angle between the inner sidewall of the shield and the direction of motion of the write element is greater than the angle between the sides of the main pole and the direction of motion.
US08472134B2
In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes at least one magnetic head element for reading from and/or writing to a magnetic medium, the element having an air bearing surface (ABS) facing toward a magnetic medium, an adhesive film including silicon nitride above the ABS having a characteristic of being formed under a water vapor partial pressure, and a protective film above the adhesive film, the protective film including carbon. Also, in another embodiment, a method includes forming an ABS of a magnetic head, the ABS being a surface of the magnetic head which is closest to a magnetic medium when in use, forming an adhesive film above the ABS of the magnetic head, the adhesive film being formed under a water vapor partial pressure, and forming a protective film above the adhesive film, the protective film including carbon.
US08472132B2
A fluid dynamic bearing apparatus includes a first minute gap, a second minute gap, a third minute gap, a fourth minute gap, and a fifth minute gap. A flow of a lubricating oil from the fifth minute gap to the fourth minute gap is caused by a plurality of dynamic pressure generating grooves arranged within the fluid dynamic bearing apparatus. This flow causes air bubbles mixed in the lubricating oil within the fifth minute gap to flow toward the third minute gap and be discharged to an outside through the third minute gap. In addition, a flow of the lubricating oil into the third minute gap caused by a centrifugal force accompanying rotation is inhibited.
US08472126B2
A zoom lens includes, in the order from the object-side to the image-side thereof, a first lens group of a negative refractive power, a second lens group of a positive refractive power, and a third lens group of a positive refractive power. The first lens group includes, in the order from the object-side to the image-side thereof, a first lens of negative refractive power, and a second lens of positive refractive power. The second lens group includes, in the order from the object-side to the image-side thereof, a third lens of positive refractive power, a fourth lens of negative refractive power, and a fifth lens of negative refractive power.
US08472125B2
A variable power optical system (1) comprises a first lens group (11) having a negative optical power, a second lens group (12) having a positive optical power, and a third lens group (13). The first to third lens groups are arranged in order from the object side to the image side. The first lens group (11) is composed of one negative lens (111) and is fixed in variable power. The third lens group (13) includes at least one aspherical surface. When the third lens group is divided into a front group and a rear group with the largest air space in the third group, the front group has a negative optical power, and the rear group has a positive optical power.
US08472118B2
Optical elements such as microlenses or optical fibers are printed with liquid ink, by known scanning printing techniques such as for example flexography. Each optical element has a transparent core printed by a first ink layer, that is sufficiently distant from the closest cores so as not to amalgamate with them by coalescence, before being hardened. This core is then covered with one or several so-called additional layers which can be flat tint layers in order to finalize the shape of the optical element in question. The section of the optical elements is determined by the difference in surface tension between the additional layers and the printing substrate.
US08472116B2
An apparatus for combining coherent light from a plurality of coherent light sources is provided. The apparatus includes a plurality of light guides, each including: a first mirror at an entrance face, including an aperture for admitting light therein from a respective one of the plurality of coherent light sources; and a second partially-reflective mirror at an exit face. The apparatus further includes a second stage light guide, for combining emitted light exiting the plurality of light guides, including: a second stage entrance face and a second stage exit face, the second stage entrance face for receiving the emitted light from each the exit face of the plurality of light guides; and a third mirror, at the second stage exit face, for reflecting the light back towards the second mirror, the third mirror including an exit aperture for the light to exit the second stage light guide.
US08472114B2
A direct-viewing type display device 100a includes a display panel 100 having a display region 120 including pixels arrayed in a row direction and a column direction and a frame region 130 provided outside the display region, such that a first border line B1 and a second border line B2 exist between the display region and the frame region; and a light-transmitting cover 200 disposed on the viewer's side. The display region includes a peripheral display region 125 and a central display region 124; a third border line B3 and a fourth border line B4 exist between the peripheral display region and the central display region; the peripheral display region includes a first peripheral display section 121; the light-transmitting cover includes a lens portion disposed over the peripheral display region and the frame region; and the lens portion refracts light going out from a pixel 171 within the first peripheral display section in a direction X1 from a point where the third border line and the fourth border line intersect toward the pixel 171. According to the present invention, a display device is provided whose entire frame region including the corner portions can be obscured, such that joints can be obscured in the case of tiling.
US08472107B2
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that can obtain a multiplied harmonic signal fast and with ease, and the method using the apparatus.The object is attained by the method for obtaining a multiple harmonic signal comprises, suppressing a different parity optical signal having parity different from fundamental optical signals; suppressing residual optical signals using an optical filter after suppressing the different parity optical signal; and obtaining the frequency difference component using the fundamental optical signals, and the device realizing the method.
US08472104B2
A single-pass imaging system for a printing apparatus capable of 1200 dpi or greater that includes a homogenous light generator for generating homogenous light from high energy IR lasers, a spatial light modulator including light modulating elements arranged in a two-dimensional array, and an anamorphic optical system. The light modulating elements are disposed such that each modulating element receives an associated homogenous light portion, and is individually adjustable between an “on” modulated state and an “off” modulated state, whereby in the “on” modulated state each modulating element modulates its received homogenous light portion such that an associated modulated light portion is directed onto a corresponding region of the anamorphic optical system. In the second modulated state, the associated homogenous light portion is prevented (e.g., blocked) from passing to the anamorphic optical system. The anamorphic optical system then anamorphically concentrates the modulated light portions to form a scan line image.
US08472092B2
A document scanner (10) includes an input tray (30) for holding documents (20) prior to imaging; an output tray (150) for holding documents after the documents exit the scanner; an output image capture device (140) for capturing images of the output tray; an image processor for determining characteristics of the output tray or characteristic of the documents after the documents exit the scanner; and scanner functions are modified based on the output tray characteristics or the document characteristics.
US08472086B2
A scanner is provided with a main body, hinge, cover member, and plurality of sets of pins and pin holes. The main body includes a transparent plate on the top surface for placing a document. The hinge connects the main body and the cover member. The cover member rotates between an opened and closed state with respect to the main body. The cover member has a bottom surface, which contacts the top surface of the main body when closed. The pins are fanned on either the top surface of the main body or the bottom surface of the cover member, while the pin holes are formed on the opposing surface. The plurality of sets adjusts a positional relationship between the main body and the cover member in the closed state.
US08472081B2
A method for designing a screen set for color halftoning includes selecting a screen set that includes at least two screens. The screens are applied to a uniform color image so as to form a set of corresponding colorant halftones. The colorant halftones are superposed to form a color halftone. A spatial frequency spectrum of the color halftone is calculated. Maxima of the spatial frequency spectrum that occur at two effective frequencies are identified, the two effective frequencies being located in two adjacent quadrants of a complex spatial frequency space. A magnitude of each effective frequency is compared with a predetermined frequency magnitude. The screen set is accepted for future application for color halftoning only if both effective frequency magnitudes are greater than the predetermined frequency magnitude. Relating computer program product and data processing system are also disclosed.
US08472074B2
The objective of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus that can avoid difficulty in the folding of a print sheet that has been printed using clear toner. In order to achieve this objective of the present invention, a printing apparatus includes a storage unit for storing data which indicates positions to be printed by using a transparent color material on a print sheet according to a registration instruction and a synthesizing unit for synthesizing image which is printed by using non-transparent color material based on contents data and image which is printed by using transparent color material based on form data stored in the storage unit on a print sheet according to a synthesis instruction.
US08472073B2
Methods, systems, and media are disclosed for testing the accuracy of a print verification system (PVS) in test mode, wherein a PVS is often used to validate the accuracy of printed output. One embodiment includes receiving, by an application, an output from a print verification system associated with the application, wherein the output comprises one or more defects. The embodiment also includes receiving, by the application, a list, such as a copy, of seeded defects for the output, wherein the list is uploaded to and saved by the application. In addition, the embodiment includes matching, by the application, the one or more seeded defects in the list that correspond to the one or more defects in the output. Finally, the embodiment includes displaying, by the application, results of the testing after the matching.
US08472067B2
An image output control apparatus includes a recognition unit for recognizing mounting of a recording medium, a reading unit for reading image-reproduction instruction data recorded in the recording medium based on the recognition of the mounting, and a generation unit for performing image generation for output by selectively reading necessary image data from the information recording medium in accordance with the image-reproduction instruction data.
US08472064B2
The present invention provides a print module, an information processing device, a print system, a print unit, an ink supply unit, a print method and program, all capable of quickly and easily meeting demands for a print medium size change, particularly to increased sizes, while at the same time coping with demands for faster printing speed. To this end, this invention constructs the print heads (811) in the form of print modules (M) so that their ink systems and signal systems are independent among the print modules. Each print module is set with identity information for its identification.
US08472063B2
Information processing system, information processing method, and computer-readable recording medium
An information processing system including a server apparatus and a client apparatus, the server apparatus including: a first storage unit; a first detection unit configured to detect installing of a program; a first conversion unit configured to convert a file including the program into a predetermined form; a first storage control unit configured to store the file in a first storage area; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the file to the client apparatus, the client apparatus including: a second storage unit; a second storage control unit configured to store the file transmitted from the server apparatus in a second storage area a second detection unit configured to detect storing of the file; a second conversion unit configured to convert the file into an installable form; and an installing unit configured to install the program included in the file in the client apparatus.
US08472060B2
An image processing apparatus including: an assignment portion that, when a plurality of dynamic reconfigurable processors (DRPs) execute image processes by a pipeline process mode based on a print job, assigns identification numbers identifying the DRPs to the DRPs based on the number of DRPs; and a change portion that changes an assignment process by the assignment portion, based on whether a DRP of a final stage in the DRPs is connected to an outputting portion, the outputting portion outputting the results of the image processes to an outside; wherein when the DRP of the final stage is connected to the outputting portion, the assignment portion calculates a maximum identification number based on the total of the number of DRPs, assigns the maximum identification number to the DRP of the final stage, and sequentially assigns values acquired by decreasing the maximum identification number to remaining DRPs.
US08472053B2
An electronic device includes a display unit that displays operation information about a user's operation procedure; a communication unit that performs communication with a mobile terminal device; and a transmission unit that transmits, in case that a predetermined operation information is to be displayed on the display unit, image data for displaying the predetermined operation information to the mobile terminal device via the communication unit.
US08472050B2
A file transmission apparatus (101) accepts a file transmission instruction for a transmission destination selected by a user from the transmission destination list, and transmits a check-out request for a file specified by information of the selected transmission destination to the server (102) without the intervention of the user, and transmits a check-in request for a file subjected to the check-out request to the server using an image file input from an image input unit without the intervention of the user, and updates the file stored in the database using the image file. The apparatus registers the image file in the server by transmitting a check-in request of the image file input from the image input device as a new file without the intervention of the user when a file is not specified by the information of the transmission destination selected by the user.
US08472048B2
A job control method includes: acquiring, from electronic information accepted, set information set for each setting item contained in the electronic information; setting the set information, which is acquired in the acquiring step, for an usable state in the job within a job item contained in a plurality of job items whose executing procedure are preset, the plurality of job items including a first job item and a second job item; and changing the set information, which is used in the job within a first job item, into an unusable state in the job within a second job item to be executed after the first job item has been executed.
US08472044B2
The data amount of department counters stored in a database is reduced. In department counter information, departments with their data not having been updated in a predetermined period are set as ineffective departments so as not to register these departments in the database. This allows a reduction of department counter data maintained in a central control device because only effective departments are registered in the database. The validity of effective department/ineffective department classification is determined by comparison with the value of charge counters acquired along with the department counters.
US08472038B2
An image scanning apparatus includes: a platen; scanning unit configured to scan an image from the document placed on the platen; and document retaining parts provided at positions corresponding to at least two sides of the platen and configured to prevent the document from curling away from the platen.
US08472036B2
There is described a controlling method to be employed in a printing system that includes: a plurality of image forming apparatuses, each of which is capable of assigning a name to setting information in regard to a printing operation and also capable of registering the setting information in association with the name thereof; and a specific apparatus to be coupled to the plurality of image forming apparatuses. The method includes: acquiring plural sets of setting information, each of which is the setting information registered in each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses in association with the name thereof; determining whether or not at least two of the names assigned to the plural sets of setting information are cognominal; and displaying a message, indicating a fact that the same name is assigned to at least two of the plural sets of the setting information, when the names are cognominal.
US08472035B2
An image processing apparatus includes the following elements. An image information generator generates, in response to an instruction, print image information to print plural pieces of image information in parallel in plural columns. A division manager divides the print image information into regions, each region having a length equal to the greatest common divisor of lengths of the image information. A manager manages, every time a printing operation is performed, the regions subjected to the printing operation such that the regions are divided into print guaranteed regions and print non-guaranteed regions. A print restart region determining unit determines, upon detection of an occurrence of an abnormality during the printing operation, a print restart region after recovery from the abnormality is completed on the basis of the print guaranteed regions and the regions of the print image information.
US08472032B2
A device and method for three-dimensional (3-D) imaging using a defocusing technique is disclosed. The device comprises a lens, at least one polarization-coded aperture obstructing the lens, a polarization-sensitive sensor operable for capturing electromagnetic radiation transmitted from an object through the lens and the at least one polarization-coded aperture, and a processor communicatively connected with the sensor for processing the sensor information and producing a 3-D image of the object.
US08472028B2
An optical coherence tomographic apparatus wherein a reference light path includes at least a first reference light path and a second reference light path having an optical path length shorter than that of the first reference light path, wherein first tomographic information of the object at a first inspection position based on the optical interference using the first reference light path and second tomographic information of the object at a second inspection position based on the optical interference using the second reference light path, are acquired, the second inspection position being shallower than the first inspection position with respect to a depth direction of the object, and wherein a positional deviation a tomographic image at the first inspection position obtained based on the first tomographic information is corrected using the second tomographic information.
US08472024B2
A system and a method are disclosed for combining a soil sample and extractant in a mixing chamber to produce a liquid extractant-soil mixture. A portion of the liquid extractant-soil mixture is directed from the mixing chamber through a sample measurement chamber coupled to the mixing chamber. The sample measurement chamber is coupled to a light source so that light propagates from the light source through the portion of the liquid extractant-soil mixture to an optical detector which generates an attenuation spectrum indicating light received by the detector at different wavelengths. The sample measurement chamber may include an attenuation cell having a specified optical path between a first measurement window and a second measurement window and angular surface directing particulates in the liquid extractant-soil mixture away from the attenuation cell.
US08472023B2
The nitrate-nitrogen concentration in soil is estimated based on the nitrate-nitrogen 200 nm absorption peak. In one embodiment, a device measures the attenuation spectrum of a soil-extractant mixture over a wavelength range that includes wavelengths in the vicinity of the 200 nm absorption peak (the spectral operating range) and then determines the nitrate-nitrogen concentration based on the attenuation spectrum.
US08472017B2
A kit having a supporting device for maintaining a transparent article having a longitudinal axis A, a proximal end and a distal end. The supporting device including a proximal holder including a port intended to receive the proximal end of the article, and a distal holder including a receiving part intended to receive the distal end of the article, the port and the receiving part being aligned on the same longitudinal axis B. The supporting device further having a compressor for putting the article under longitudinal compression directed towards a center of the article, when the article is mounted on the supporting device with its longitudinal axis A aligned on the longitudinal axis B, and a polarimeter. The invention also pertains to a method for measuring the stress inside an article made of transparent material.
US08472007B2
The substrate holding device of the present invention includes a holding unit that adsorbs and holds the substrate, a measuring section that measures a physical quantity relating to a adsorption force of the holding unit with the substrate mounted on the holding unit; and a control section that carries out a first determination based on a first condition and a measurement result obtained by the measuring section and a second determination based on a second condition that is different from the first condition and a measurement result obtained by the measuring section to select one of at least three preset operations based on the result of first and second determinations to thereby execute processing depending on the selected operation.
US08472002B2
A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed in which a space between the projection system and the substrate is filled with a liquid. An edge seal member at least partly surrounds the substrate or other object on a substrate table to prevent liquid loss when edge portions of the substrate or other object are, for example, imaged or illuminated.
US08471997B2
An LCD apparatus comprising an LCD screen, backlight arrangements for providing back illumination to the LCD screen, video processing circuitry and air moving devices, characterized in that the air moving devices are arranged to move air to condition the image displaying surface of the LCD screen. An LCD image displaying apparatus according to the present invention could operate at a brightness level of above 1000 nits, and even 3000 nits, which provides an astounding visual effect in the outdoor environment.
US08471996B2
A liquid crystal panel includes: an active matrix substrate (3) including a transparent substrate (31) formed with a transistor, a pixel electrode, and a signal wire; a color filter substrate (30) including a transparent substrate (32) formed with a common electrode; a liquid crystal material (40) disposed between the substrates (3, 30); and a spherical main spacer (2m) contacting the active matrix substrate (3) and the color filter substrate (30). The active matrix substrate (3) has a surface including a sub spacer region (SA) away from the transparent substrate (31) at a distance shorter than a distance between the transparent substrate and a portion where the surface of the active matrix substrate (3) contacts the main spacer (2m). A spherical sub spacer (2s) is disposed to overlap the sub spacer region (SA). This provides a liquid crystal panel where liquid crystal bubbles hardly occur even when the liquid crystal material contracts due to low temperature, etc.
US08471994B2
A liquid crystal display device including first and second substrates, with a liquid crystal layer sealed therebetween; and first and second electrodes formed, respectively, on the first and second substrates. A first molecule orientation film is formed on the first substrate so as to cover the first electrode and a second molecule orientation film formed on the second substrate so as to cover the second electrode. A polarizer with a light absorption axis P is provided outside of the first substrate, and an analyzer with a light absorption axis A is provided outside of the second substrate. The light absorption axis A crosses the light absorption axis P. A plurality of micro structures are associated with at least one of the first and second electrodes, wherein the micro structures are obliquely arranged with respect to the light absorption axis P and the light absorption axis A.
US08471990B2
A pixel structure electrically connected to a scan line and a data line is provided. The pixel structure includes an active device and a pixel electrode, wherein the active device is electrically connected to the scan line and the data line, and the pixel electrode is electrically connected to the active device. The pixel electrode has a plurality of strip-shaped slit groups. Each of the strip-shaped slit groups includes a plurality of strip-shaped slits whose extending directions are substantially parallel to each other, and contours of at least parts of the strip-shaped slits are non-isosceles trapezoids.
US08471984B2
A polarizing element includes a substrate; a plurality of protruded threads formed on one of surfaces of the substrate in a rough stripe pattern when viewed two-dimensionally, each of the protruded threads having a side surface forming a slope inclined with respect to the one surface of the substrate; and a plurality of metal thin wires each formed on the slope of the each protruded thread so as to be cantilever-supported by the slope and each extended in an extension direction of the protruded thread.
US08471982B2
A system for displaying images including a liquid crystal display panel is provided. The liquid crystal display panel includes a first substrate having at least one sub-pixel, a first transparent electrode layer disposed over the first substrate in the sub-pixel, a second substrate having an inner surface corresponding to the first substrate, a second transparent electrode layer disposed over the inner surface corresponding to the sub-pixel, wherein the second transparent electrode layer has only one pattern thereon, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and the second substrates. The liquid crystal layer includes a plurality of liquid crystal molecules and the liquid crystal molecules are orthogonal to the first and the second substrates.
US08471977B2
A flexible printed circuit board is pulled out to the outside from an end portion of the bottom surface portion. A notch is formed on a tip end of the end portion of the bottom surface portion such that an inner edge of the notch and an outer edge which projects from the notch are contiguously formed. A side of the flexible printed circuit board is arranged so as to overlap the notch. The outer edge of the bottom surface portion which projects overlaps the flexible printed circuit board. An angle made by a straight line which connects an intersecting point between the side of the flexible printed circuit board and the inner edge and a point of inflection between the inner edge and the outer edge and the side of the flexible printed circuit board is set to 45° or less.
US08471974B2
An array substrate includes first and second gate lines, a data line, a pixel electrode, a shield electrode, a first driving transistor, a second driving transistor and a voltage-varying transistor. The pixel electrode has first and second pixel parts spaced apart from each other. The shield electrode covers a peripheral area of the pixel electrode. Each of the first and second driving transistors is electrically connected to the first and second pixel parts, respectively. The voltage-varying transistor includes a voltage-varying drain electrode having a shield-overlapping part overlapping the shield electrode. The voltage-varying transistor is electrically connected to the second gate line and the second pixel part. The voltage-varying drain electrode of the voltage-varying transistor overlaps the shield electrode to define a voltage-decreasing capacitor. The voltage difference between the first and second pixel parts of the pixel electrode may be increased.
US08471966B2
A projector includes a light source module, a light guide plate, a polarizing splitter (PBS) module, and a reflection device. The light source module is configured for emitting light. The light guide plate includes a light incident surface, a light output surface, and a light reflection surface. The light source is aligned with the light incident surface. The PBS module includes a polarizing splitter and a LCOS panel. The polarizing splitter is aligned with the light output surface and includes a first mounting surface and a second mounting surface. The polarizing splitter reflects s-polarization light and allows p-polarization light to pass therethrough. The LCOS panel on the second mounting surface modulates the s-polarization light into light with display information signal and reflects the light with display information signal to a projection lens. The reflection device on the first mounting surface reflects the p-polarization light into the projection lens for projection.
US08471961B2
A video processing apparatus prevents image quality degradation, while reducing motion by combining high-frequency and low-frequency image data at the immediately preceding sub-frame at a first composite ratio α, generating first-sub-frame image data. By combining low-frequency image data and high-frequency image data at a second composite ratio 1-α, image data is generated as second-sub-frame image data. Then, the second-sub-frame image data is output with their polarity inverted with respect to the first-sub-frame image data. The ratio α is gradually decreased frame by frame at a first frame group, and the ratio α is gradually increased frame by frame at a second frame group subsequent to the first frame group.
US08471955B2
A method for controlling the contrast range of the image recording light falling on an image recording medium by means of control light coupled into the optical path of the image recording light, which is composed of several base colors whose brightness is adjusted independent of each other, is provided. The brightness at least of those base colors of the control light is varied, whose dynamics in the recorded image go beyond the admissible dynamic range.
US08471954B2
An electronic camera includes an imager which outputs an object scene image in a designated cycle. The first changer changes a distance from a focus lens to the imaging surface. The first adjustor adjusts the designated cycle to a length corresponding to an illuminance of the object scene in association with a process of the first changer. The first specifier specifies a distance range including a focal point in parallel with the process of the first changer. The second changer changes the distance from the focus lens to the imaging surface in the distance range specified by the first specifier. The second adjustor adjusts the designated cycle to a length corresponding to a contrast of the object scene in association with a process of the second changer. The second specifier specifies the distance corresponding to the focal point in parallel with the process of the second changer.
US08471953B2
An electronic camera includes an image sensor. The image sensor has an imaging surface irradiated with an optical image of an object scene through a focus lens and repeatedly generates an object scene image. A CPU executes an AF process for adjusting a distance from the focus lens to the imaging surface to a distance corresponding to a focal point, based on the object scene image generated by the image sensor. However, the CPU has a high-luminance excluding function for excluding from a target to be noticed of the AF process a partial image having a luminance exceeding “TH1” out of the object scene image generated by the image sensor. The CPU determines whether or not a partial image having a luminance exceeding “TH2” larger than “TH1” exists on the object scene image generated by the image sensor, and turns on the high-luminance excluding function when a determination result is affirmative and turns off the high-luminance excluding function when the determination result is negative.
US08471948B2
A camera module includes a printed circuit board (PCB), an image sensor fixed to the PCB, a lens holder fixed to the PCB and covering the image sensor, a lens barrel coupled to the lens holder, and a lens received in the lens barrel. The lens holder includes an inner sensor cover and an outer sensor cover surrounding the inner sensor cover. The image sensor, the inner sensor cover, the lens barrel and the lens define an enclosed space. The inner sensor cover and the outer sensor cover define an intermediate space. The inner sensor cover defines an inner dissipation hole communicating the enclosed space with the intermediate space. The outer sensor cover defines an outer dissipation hole that communicates the intermediate space with the outside of the outer sensor cover. The inner dissipation hole and the outer dissipation hole are misaligned to prevent the ingress of light and dust.
US08471945B2
There are provided an image display device and an imaging device with which efficiency can be improved in the comparison of a plurality of images. A digital camera includes a liquid crystal monitor, a body microcomputer, and an image display controller. The body microcomputer has a display manager and a selector. The liquid crystal monitor has a first display region and a second display region and is configured to display images recorded to a recording medium. The display manager is configured to manage as display objects one or more images that have yet to be displayed on the liquid crystal monitor in a specific mode. The selector is configured to select an image from among the display objects as a selected image for display on the liquid crystal monitor. The image display controller is configured to display the selected image in the first display region or the second display region.
US08471935B2
An imaging apparatus includes an image sensor configured to capture an object image, a selection unit configured to automatically select a sensitivity of the image sensor from a predetermined selectable range, and an image processing unit configured to execute correction processing in which a signal of an image captured by the image sensor which has the sensitivity selected by the selection unit is amplified. When the image processing unit is set to execute the correction processing, the selection unit sets an upper limit of the selectable range lower, compared with the upper limit thereof when the image processing unit is not set to execute the correction processing.
US08471934B2
An image correction apparatus includes a dark-pixel-region extracting unit that extracts a dark pixel region of image data photographed by a photographing unit, a dark-pixel-area calculating unit that calculates an area of the dark pixel region extracted by the dark-pixel-region extracting unit, a luminance-value-variance calculating unit that calculates variance of luminance values of pixels in the dark pixel region extracted by the dark-pixel-region extracting unit, and an image correction unit that corrects brightness of the image data in accordance with the area calculated by the dark-pixel-area calculating unit and in accordance with the variance of the luminance values calculated by the luminance-value-variance calculating unit.
US08471924B2
An information processing apparatus receives images from the image capturing apparatus and displays them on a screen. The information processing apparatus then receives the designation of an image area by a user with respect to an image displayed on the screen, and calculates white balance information based on color information from the designated image area of the image displayed when the designation was received. The apparatus determines, based on the color information of the image area on the image displayed when the designation was received and the color information of image areas on a predetermined number of images received before the image, whether the white balance information to be calculated is proper. Upon determining that the information is proper, the apparatus applies the calculated white balance information to the image capturing apparatus. Upon determining that the information is not proper, the apparatus issues a corresponding warning.
US08471922B2
An image processing system includes: an image sensor for sensing a scene to generate image data, an image receiver, and an image interface coupled between the image sensor and the image receiver for receiving the image data generated by the image sensor and detecting a data format of the image data to selectively output the image data to the image receiver.
US08471915B2
An imaging platform minimizes image distortion when there is relative motion of the imaging platform with respect to the scene being imaged where the imaging platform may be particularly susceptible to distortion when it is configured with a wide field of view or high angular rate of movement, or when performing long-stares at a given scene (e.g., for nighttime and low-light imaging.) Distortion correction may be performed by predicting distortion due to the relative motion of the imaging platform, determining optical transformations to prevent the distortion, dynamically adjusting the optics of the imaging platform during exposure, and performing digital image correction.
US08471913B2
In an information processing apparatus for transmitting and receiving information via a communication medium established relative to an external apparatus, it is determined whether the information to be transmitted and subject to specific processing in the external apparatus is selected or not. If it is determined that the information to be transmitted is selected, the selected information is transmitted via the communication medium. If it is determined that the information is not selected, designation information indicating the information selectable subject to transmission is transmitted via the communication medium. Then, the information designated by the designation information received in response to the transmission of the selection information is transmitted to the external apparatus via the communication medium.
US08471908B2
A display system for a vehicle includes a first camera and a second camera adapted to be mounted to the vehicle. A mirror assembly is provided having a display screen and a view divider such as a parallax barrier. A controller is operatively connected to the cameras and to the display screen and is operable to cause the recorded images to appear as a single three-dimensional image when the images are viewed through the view divider. A method of providing an image of an object that is rearward of a vehicle is also provided.
US08471904B2
A security device transmits captured information wirelessly while transmitting checksums for the information via a power line. The security device may be a security camera, a badge reader, or the like.
US08471902B2
A multiple ROI (region of interest) setting method and apparatus in scalable video coding and an ROI reconstructing method and apparatus are provided. The multiple ROI setting apparatus includes: an ROI setting unit which sets at least one or more ROIs and allocates ROI identification numbers to the each of ROIs; a mapping unit which allocates at least one or more slice group identification numbers to the at least one or more ROI identification numbers; and a message generating unit which generates a message including ROI-associated information, slice-group-associated information, mapping information on mapping of the ROI identification number to the at least one or more slice group identification numbers, and scalability information.
US08471888B2
Exemplary methods and systems relate to telepresence at mobile devices. Aspects comprise dynamic configuration of video provided from a server that intermediates between a mobile device and a telepresence system during a telepresence session. The server receives high definition video from the telepresence system and transcodes into a format that can indicated by the mobile device. The mobile device can dynamically update the format in response to real-time battery life and network interface status. A progressive reduction in bandwidth and power consumptive activities can be implemented. The device can implement face detection and face centering, front/back mobile device camera switching, and automatic contrast control and other video quality controls in an outgoing video stream.
US08471882B2
An image forming apparatus, which forms an image by forming an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive member with a laser beam, developing the electrostatic latent image with a developer to obtain a developer image, and transferring the developer image to a sheet, includes a light source which outputs the laser beam for exposing the photosensitive member; a PLL circuit which generates a multiplied clock that is obtained by multiplying a reference clock; a pulse-width modulating circuit which outputs a pulse-width-modulated signal based on image data and the multiplied clock in order to drive the light source; and a CPU which obtains image data to be input to the pulse-width modulating circuit and, when it is unnecessary to output the pulse-width-modulated signal based on the obtained image data, controls the PLL circuit so as not to generate the multiplied clock.
US08471881B2
An apparatus to form plural images on an image conveyor includes plural photoconductor bodies, a light exposure device, a development device, a transfer device, and a pattern detection device, wherein the light exposure device includes an optical scanning part, a first light detection part having a first light receiving face, a second light detection part having a second light receiving face being non-parallel to the first light receiving face, a third light detection part having a third light receiving face being non-parallel to the first light receiving face, the optical scanning part, the first light detection part, and the second light detection part being provided inside a housing of the light exposure device, the third light detection part being provided outside the housing, and a light exposure timing control device.
US08471880B2
A method for marking a surface by controlled periodic nanostructures includes: a step (500) of coding an item of information in the form of an image including values representative of the coded information and a step (506 to 514) of marking, dot by dot, an area of the surface with a polarized laser beam to form oriented nanostructures on or in the surface, by modulating the laser beam's polarization for each marking dot according to the value of a dot of the image. In embodiments, during the marking step, a pulsed laser is utilized with a duration of less than 10×10−12 seconds and an element of polarizing the light coming from the laser source and reaching the surface, designed to polarize the light according to a polarization axis that can vary according to a signal received by the polarization element, is utilized.
US08471869B1
An accelerometer of a mobile computing device is operable to provide a first input to an orientation module of the device. The orientation module is configured to use multiple signals to determine a spatial orientation of the device. A magnetometer of the device is operable to provide a second input to the orientation module. The orientation module is operable to receive the first input from the accelerometer and the second input from the magnetometer, and to determine an orientation of the device based on a combination of the first input and the second input.
US08471868B1
System, methods, and computer-readable media for providing a gesture-controlled user interface in interacting with a communication device are provided. Embodiments of the present invention include a communication device that recognizes a gesture made by a person that has one or more transducers attached to their hand. The gesture is recognized by performing calculations on the sound waves received from the one or more transducers. In addition, the gesture may be recognized using a digital camera and image recognition techniques. In one embodiment, the gesture is recognized using an echolocation system that transmits ultrasonic waves and captures the waves reflected off the object making the gesture. In another embodiment, the gesture is made and interpreted in relation to a user interface that is projected from the communication device using a laser projector.
US08471863B2
There is provided a method of producing a rich multimedia interaction comprising identifying a theme of the rich multimedia interaction, determining its dynamic display attributes based on the theme, determining a cooperation protocol governing interplay amongst the dynamic display attributes, and designating a background. The method further comprises selecting a display motif of the rich multimedia interaction, and generating the rich multimedia interaction for display, using one or more sub-applications configured to apply the cooperation protocol to the dynamic display attributes to produce enhanced dynamic display attributes and to adapt the enhanced dynamic display attributes to the display motif and integrate the enhanced dynamic display attributes with the background. A system for producing a rich multimedia interaction comprises a rich multimedia interaction host server, a publication database storing elements suitable for use by an interaction software application, and the interaction software application stored on a data storage unit.
US08471858B2
The present disclosure describes various techniques for displaying a visual representation of performance metrics for rendered graphics elements. One example method comprises receiving performance information provided by a graphics processing unit, wherein the performance information has been measured by the graphics processing unit in association with individual graphics elements for rendering a graphics scene, and computing values of a performance metric for the graphics elements based upon the performance information, wherein each computed value is associated with at least one of the graphics elements. The method further comprises assigning graphical identifiers to the graphics elements based upon the computed values of the performance metric for the graphics elements, wherein one of the graphical identifiers is assigned to each of the graphics elements, and displaying the graphics elements, when rendering the graphics scene, according to the graphical identifiers that are assigned to the graphics elements.
US08471845B1
A system and method for constructing a bounding volume hierarchical structure are disclosed. The method includes defining a parent node for the bounding volume hierarchical structure, the parent node including a parent node bounding volume enclosing a plurality of objects. A first cost is computed for performing an object partition of the parent node bounding volume to produce a first plurality of child node bounding volumes, and a second cost is also computed for performing a spatial partitioning of the parent node bounding volume to produce a second plurality of child node bounding volumes. The bounding volume hierarchical structure is constructed employing the second plurality of child node bounding volumes produced from the spatial partitioning of the parent node bounding volume if the second cost is lower than the first cost.
US08471843B2
A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program product for modifying objects in a virtual universe. A user priority controller determines a real world identity of a set of users controlling a set of avatars within a viewable field of an object in a virtual universe. The user priority controller receives user information describing characteristics of the set of users based on the real world identity of each user in the set of users. The user priority controller generates a temporary and dynamic rule to control modification of the object based on the user information. The user priority controller modifies the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule to increase visibility of the object to an avatar in the set of avatars. The temporary and dynamic rule initiates implementation of geometric and texture modifications to modify the object in accordance with the temporary and dynamic rule.
US08471840B2
A display includes a pixel array section having pixels in a matrix, each pixel including an electro-optical device, a writing transistor writing a video signal, a storage capacitor retaining the video signal, and a driving transistor driving the electro-optical device based upon the video signal; scan lines for respective rows of the unit providing a scanning signal to the writing transistor; power supply lines for respective rows of the unit selectively providing a first potential and a second potential, lower than the first potential, to a drain electrode of the driving transistor; and signal lines for respective columns of the unit selectively providing the video signal and a video signal reference potential to the writing transistor; wherein a potential setting period is provided from when the pixels are turned off until the first potential is provided to the power supply line.
US08471837B2
A device that can autonomously scan a sensor panel is disclosed. Autonomous scanning can be performed by implementing channel scan logic. In one embodiment, channel scan logic carries out many of the functions that a processor would normally undertake, including generating timing sequences and obtaining result data; comparing scan result data against a threshold value (e.g., in an auto-scan mode); generating row count; selecting one or more scanning frequency bands; power management control; and performing an auto-scan routine in a low power mode.
US08471835B2
A receiver includes: an adjustment circuit that adjusts an electric potential of a midpoint provided on a side of the receiver such that the electric potential of the midpoint provided between a pair of signal lines and on the side of the receiver is identical with an electric potential of a midpoint provided between the pair of signal lines and on a side of the transmitter, the transmitter transmitting a plurality of image signals, a vertical synchronizing signal, and a horizontal synchronizing signal, and transmitting and receiving differential signals on the pair of signal lines; a control circuit that controls the velocity of rise and decay of the differential signals which flow on the pair of signal lines; and a cancel circuit that cancels crosstalk by the vertical synchronizing signal generated on the horizontal synchronizing signal by inputting the vertical synchronizing signal.
US08471828B2
A touch sensitive in-plane switching (IPS) liquid crystal display (LCD) includes a liquid crystal layer, an active-matrix transistor layer with an electrode pair, a color filter substrate, and a sensing electrode layer. The sensing electrode layer may be disposed above or below the color filter substrate, and the sensing electrode layer may include two parts that are disposed above and below the color filter layer respectively.
US08471825B2
An information processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a display unit for displaying thereon a plurality of input regions operated by an operating body, a detection unit for detecting an approach distance between the operating body and a surface of the display unit, and a region control unit for, when the operating body approaches one of the input regions within a predetermined distance, enlarging the input region which the operating body approaches, and moving at least one of the input regions such that the adjacent input regions do not overlap each other. The input region is enlarged and an overlap between the input regions is avoided so that a user can easily select a desired input region, thereby preventing erroneous selection of other input region.
US08471823B2
A device may include a touch sensitive display and logic configured to control the touch sensitive display to display information to a user, provide a window of enlarged information via the touch sensitive display based on a determined position of input on the touch sensitive display, and receive a selection from the enlarged information based on a determined position of input within the provided window.
US08471818B2
A data entry device includes a flexible base, a receiving module, a rolling mechanism, and a stop mechanism. The receiving module includes a sleeve and a subsidiary cover detachably attached to the sleeve. The base is received in the sleeve. The rolling mechanism rotates the base. One end of the base is secured to the rolling mechanism, and the other end of the base is secured to the subsidiary cover. The stop mechanism is for controlling the movement of the rolling mechanism. A selected length of the base exposed out of the sleeve can be controlled by the stop mechanism.
US08471809B2
An operation body having a pointing function with respect to information includes a chassis having a reflection face, a circuit charging an inner second battery when receiving an electrical power from outside through a terminal exposed from the chassis, and a circuit transmitting switch information to outside cordlessly. On the other hand, an information-input device includes a chassis supporting a keyboard, and an optical system that transmits a light to an operation body operated on the chassis and receives a reflected light of the light. The chassis supporting the keyboard has a recess housing the operation body. The operation portion may be housed in the recess. The second battery is charged when the operation body is housed. And a light emitting of the optical system is stopped when the operation body is housed.
US08471803B2
Provided are a level shifter and a display device including the level shifter. The level shifter includes: a first circuit that blocks a supply of a source voltage to a first node while a signal input to an input terminal is maintained at a logic high level, and that supplies the source voltage to the first node while the signal input to the input terminal is transitioned from a logic high level to a logic low level; a second circuit that supplies the source voltage to the first node only when a voltage of an output terminal is maintained at a logic low level; a first inverter that reverses a logical level of the signal input to the input terminal by using the voltage supplied from the first node and outputs the signal to a second node; and a second inverter that reverses the logical level of the signal input to the second node by using the source voltage and outputs the signal to the output terminal.
US08471799B2
A liquid crystal display having pixel data self-retaining functionality includes a gate line for delivering a gate signal, a data line for delivering a data signal, a control unit for providing a first control signal and a second control signal, a data switch, a voltage-control inverter, a liquid crystal capacitor, and a pass transistor. The data switch is utilized for inputting the data signal to become a first data signal according to the gate signal. The voltage-control inverter is utilized for inverting the first data signal to generate a second data signal furnished to the liquid crystal capacitor according to the enable operation of the first control signal. The pass transistor is used for passing the second data signal to become the first data signal or for passing the first data signal to become the second data signal according to the second control signal.
US08471775B2
The array antenna includes a feed line, and a plurality of radiating element sections arranged at a predetermined arranging interval in a first direction, each of the radiating element sections including at least one radiating element fed a traveling wave through the feed line. The inter-element line length as a length of the feed line between each succeeding two of the radiating element sections is longer than the arranging interval in the first direction.
US08471773B2
The invention relates to the fabrication of radiofrequency transmission/reception devices. The invention makes provision for: the making of radiofrequency transmission/reception chips devoid of antennas; the connecting in series of the chips by at least two conducting wire elements whose respective lengths between two neighboring chips are chosen as a function of the transmission/reception frequency, each element contacting electrically at least one terminal of a chip and ensuring an at least temporary function of mechanical holding of the chips chainwise; and the cutting at regular intervals of the serial connection to form, for each chip, two strands of an antenna of the device.
US08471767B2
A radio frequency multilayer substrate which has a connection portion connecting a strip line and a microstrip line, of which connection portion improves VSWR, is provided. The high frequency multilayer substrate has a through-hole which electrically connects a central conductor of the strip line and a central conductor of the microstrip line. The high frequency multilayer substrate also has an insulating hole which does not have a conductor inside. The through-hole is connected with the insulating hole. A length of the conductor layer of the through-hole from the central conductor to an insulating hole is smaller than one half the distance from the central conductor to a 2nd ground conductor. The insulating hole can be formed by cutting the through-hole.
US08471766B2
Systems and methods of correlating potential transmitters with received radio signals is provided. Image data is provided including paths traveled by potential transmitter. Potential transmitters are identified within the image data along with path segments traveled by potential transmitters. A first and second transmitter calculate certain parameters of received signals assuming that signals originated along the path segments. The calculated signal parameters are then compared to measured signal parameter to determine whether a transmitter is associated with a particular path.
US08471765B2
A method and a mobile device configured to obtain position information from a position broadcast system, the position broadcast system comprising a plurality of transmitters that each broadcast a respective signal containing position information for the respective transmitter. The method comprising: measuring signal strengths of signals from a plurality of the transmitters of the position broadcast system; and determining that the mobile device is out of range of the position broadcast system if the measured signals strengths satisfy at least one out of range criterion.
US08471764B2
A method for estimating hidden channel parameters of a GNSS navigation signal received in a multipath environment includes a sequential Bayesian estimation. A movement model forms the basis of the estimation and is designed especially for dynamic channel scenarios and takes into account the speeds of change and the variable life cycles of the path. The estimator is implemented as a recursive Bayesian filter for a combined determination of positions and suppression of multipaths. The binding of the delay of the direct path is taken into consideration via position and clock parameters. The method is carried out with GNSS satellite navigation receivers, e.g. GPS and Galileo. With the method, multipath error of received GNSS navigation signals is reduced. The multipath channel includes a direct path and Nm-I echo signals and each of these paths may be considered on or off for the estimation.
US08471762B2
A heading determination system comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU) coupled with at least two GNSS receivers, each receiver paired with and receiving signals from a corresponding GNSS antenna, wherein the GNSS antennas are separated by an ultra-short baseline. The heading determination system receives signals broadcast by a plurality of GNSS satellites and calculates the phase difference in the signal seen among the separate GNSS antennas. Using this phase difference information, derived from comparing the signals received from a plurality of GNSS satellites, along with attitude data generated by the IMU, the heading determination system calculates a highly-accurate heading solution. A method is provided for determining a heading of a system including an IMU coupled with at least two GNSS receivers, with each receiver being paired with and receiving signals from a corresponding GNSS antenna and the antennas being separated by an ultra-short baseline.
US08471758B2
Virtual Aperture Radar (VAR) imaging provides terminal phase radar imaging for an airborne weapon that can resolve multiple closely-spaced or highly correlated scatterers on a given target with a single pulse to provide an aimpoint update at a useful range to target without training data and without requiring a large aperture antenna. VAR imaging exploits the sparse, dominant-scatterer nature of man-made targets. The array manifold is constructed with a large number of basis functions that are parameterized by range or angle (or both) to target. The number of basis functions extends the capability to resolve scatterers beyond the Rayleigh resolution. However, this also makes the manifold underdetermined. A sparse reconstruction technique that places a sparsity constraint on the number of scatterers is used to solve the manifold to uniquely identify the ranges or angles to the scatterers on the target. These updates are passed to the weapon's guidance system, which in turn generates command signals to actuate aerodynamic surfaces such as fins or canards to steer the weapon to the target.
US08471753B1
A pipelined analog-to-digital converter with less power consumption is provided. In one embodiment, the pipelined analog-to-digital converter comprises a first stage, a second stage, and a third stage. The first stage receives a first stage input signal to derive a first stage output signal and a first residue. The second stage receives a second stage input signal to derive a second stage output signal and a second residue, wherein the second stage input signal corresponds to the first residue. The third stage receives a third stage input signal to derive a third stage output signal and a third residue, wherein the third stage input signal corresponds to the second residue. The first, second and third stages share an operational amplifier by utilizing at least three phases to control the operational amplifier.
US08471752B2
An A/D conversion apparatus includes an N-stage pulse circulating circuit including N (N is a natural number, N≧3) inverting circuits connected in a ring shape, the inverting circuits delaying an input pulse signal by a delay time corresponding to an amplitude of a separately input analog input signal, and outputting inverted pulse signals obtained by inverting the pulse signal, a counter unit that counts a number of circulations by which the pulse signal has circulated in the pulse circulating circuit within a predetermined time based on the inverted pulse signal output from one of the N inverting circuits, and a switching unit that switches an output destination of the inverted pulse signal, which is output from an inverting circuit of an Mth (M is an odd natural number, 1≦M≦N−1) stage of the pulse circulating circuit, according to a change in an operation environment.
US08471748B2
An analog-to-digital converter with a resolution booster is provided. The analog-to-digital converter may include a successive approximation analog-to-digital converter, a resolution booster, and an output combiner. The successive approximation analog-to-digital converter may be configured to convert an analog signal into digital data. The resolution booster may be selectively activated to enhance the resolution of the successive approximation analog-to-digital converter, and the output combiner may be configured to combine the respective outputs of the successive approximation analog-to-digital converter and the resolution booster.
US08471744B1
An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) has a chopper-stabilized sigma-delta modulator (SDM). The SDM uses switched-capacitor integrators to sample, hold, and integrate an analog input in response to non-overlapping multi-phase clocks. Chopper multipliers are inserted on the inputs and outputs of an op amp in a first stage integrator. The chopper multipliers swap or pass through differential inputs in response to non-overlapping chopper clocks. A master clock operating at a frequency of the multi-phase clocks is divided down to trigger generation of the chopper clocks. Delay lines ensure that the edges of the chopper clocks occur before the edges of the multi-phase clocks. The chopper multipliers have already switched and are thus stable when multi-phase clocks change so charge injection at switches controlled by the multi-phase clocks is not immediately modulated by chopper multipliers. This clock timing increases the time available to respond to charge injection at switches improving linearity.
US08471741B2
A method and a corresponding device for reducing inter-channel coupling in a circuit having a plurality of channels includes injecting a randomly determined amount of dither into a first channel of a circuit having a plurality of channels, and after injecting the dither, obtaining an output signal of a second channel in the plurality of channels. A correlation value indicating a degree of correlation between the injected dither and the output signal is determined, and an amount of charge applied to the second channel due to cross-coupling with the first channel is reduced. The amount of the reduction is calculated as a function of the correlation value.
US08471739B2
Provided is a digital analog converter that output currents having different magnitudes for a digital input value according to a mapping table. The digital analog converter includes: a plurality of current sources; and a calibration unit configured to sort index values for identifying the plurality of current sources according to current magnitudes of the current sources, couple each two current sources which are symmetrical left and right about the center of the sorted index values, and map the current source pairs into a mapping table.
US08471732B2
A method of displaying a navigation map includes preprocessing photorealistic three-dimensional data offline. A location of a vehicle is automatically determined online. A portion of the preprocessed photorealistic three-dimensional data is identified that is associated with objects that are disposed within a geographic area. The geographic area includes the location of the vehicle. A nonphotorealistic image is rendered based on the identified portion of the preprocessed data. The nonphotorealistic image is electronically displayed to a user within the vehicle.
US08471728B2
A traffic management system and method are provided that determine and present a target speed for a vehicle to travel from a first position to a second position when a signaling device at the second position is in a desired phase. The target average speed can be presented via a variety of output devices, such as a display and/or speaker. The output device could, for example, be stationary, at a fixed distance from the signaling device, such as a roadside display. The output device could be a mobile device, carried in a vehicle or by a user, e.g., a cell phone, GPS navigation system, or personal digital assistant. The system can include a signal timing processor that determines a target average speed of travel between the first and second positions, which can be based on, or calculated from, timing information of the signals and a distance between the two positions.
US08471723B2
A method and apparatus is disclosed for adjusting a transmission power level of a transceiver (12, 15) at a utility meter data origination site (10). A power level of transmission at the site transceiver (12, 15) is adjusted to an optimum level if an acknowledgement is not received from a network gateway (30) in response to data transmissions from the site transceiver (12, 15). Also, for each unsuccessful transmission period, the amount of metering data is increased in the next transmission period to make up for the failed communication tries. Upon establishing communication with the gateway (30), the site transceiver (12, 15) can receive commands from the gateway (30) that further adjust its power level of transmission to optimize reception at the gateway from a large plurality of utility meter data origination sites (10) within a geographical area served by the gateway (30). The gateway (30) communicates utility metering data through a wireless network (40), such as WIFI, GPRS, POE or CDMA to a data collection center (50) for data processing and billing operations.
US08471710B2
According to an aspect of the invention, a wireless tag includes a base member that is flexible and on a surface of which a wiring pattern is formed, a wireless circuit chip that is mounted on the base member and connected to the wiring pattern; protective members that cover the base member and the wireless circuit chip and are lower in hardness than the base member, and a plurality of spherical projections that are arranged on the surfaces of the protective members, higher in hardness than the base member, and so arranged as to interfere with other adjacent spherical projections when at least the protective members are bent beyond a predetermined angle.
US08471694B2
A tire condition acquisition device located in a tire and that transmits at least tire internal air pressure information includes: a housing that allows outside air to enter in only through a ventilation hole; an air pressure detecting element disposed in the housing and that detects an air pressure of air that enters in through the ventilation hole, and converts the detected air pressure to an electric signal which is then output; and a transmission circuit disposed in the housing and that transmits the detected air pressure information via electromagnetic waves based on the electric signal output from the air pressure detecting element; wherein at least the ventilation hole and an area peripheral thereto are treated so as to be water repellent.
US08471693B2
When biomass fuel reacts with oxygen for a long period of time, an amount of acid ions in a tank is increased with time. However, when metallic ions are generated for some reason and the reaction proceeds to change the acid ions into metallic salts, the increase rate of the amount of the acid ions in the fuel tank becomes slow. When the metallic salt forming reaction proceeds rapidly, the amount of the acid ions may even be reduced. Therefore, in the embodiment, the change of the acid ions into the metallic salts in a fuel is detected. Unless the fuel is newly supplied by refueling, the decrease of the amount of acid ions in the fuel can be considered as a change into metallic salts. Accordingly, the generation of metallic salts can be detected by monitoring the decrease of the amount of acid ions in the fuel. Thus, clogging of a fuel supply system or the like caused by the metallic salt forming reaction can be prevented.
US08471689B2
A method of entering data to an electronic device is outlined using a modified touch-pad. The touch-pad is modified to include the addition of surface features, which provide distinguishable tactile feedback to the user allowing improved spatial resolution of the positioning of an object onto the surface of the touch-pad. In this manner the touch-pad allows the user to select from multiple positions across the surface of the touch-pad, the outcomes of each position being optionally different, such as alphanumeric character selection.
US08471678B2
An electronic device includes an input unit, a processing unit and a coding/decoding system. The coding/decoding system includes a reflector array, a knob group, an infrared emission unit, an infrared receiving unit and a coding/decoding unit. The reflector array includes at least one mirror mounted rotatably in the electronic device. The knob group is configured for adjusting angles of the reflector array. The infrared receiving unit is configured for receiving infrared rays reflected by the reflector array and generating a password signal according to the received infrared rays. The coding/decoding unit is configured for receiving the password signal and converting the password signal into a password. The coding/decoding unit stores the password and locks the electronic device according to the password. To unlock the electronic device, the coding/decoding unit compares the password with a pre-stored password to determine whether to unlock the electronic device.
US08471662B2
An oil transformer insulation module includes a plurality of disc-like insulation elements of identical type which are arranged flush one above another along a line, connected to one another and have in each case at least a similar outline contour. An insulation element includes a first flat layer and a second layer adjacent and predominantly parallel thereto. The first and second layers are composed of a mechanically strong, planar first insulation material. The first and second layers of the first insulation material are connected to and spaced apart from a third, corrugated layer arranged between the first and second layers and composed of a mechanically strong, planar second insulation material. The third layer has lateral edges and is corrugated in such a way that all the cavities formed by the corrugated form can be completely flooded with a liquid via the lateral edges of the insulation element.
US08471651B2
A microelectromechanical filter is provided. The microelectromechanical filter includes an input electrode, an output electrode, one or several piezoelectric resonators, one or several high quality factor resonators, and one or several coupling beams. The input electrode and the output electrode are disposed on the piezoelectric resonators. The high quality factor resonator is silicon or of piezoelectric materials, and there is no metal electrode on top of the resonator. The coupling beam is connected between the piezoelectric resonator and the high quality factor resonator. The coupling beam transmits an acoustic wave among the resonators, and controls a bandwidth of filter. The microelectromechanical filter with low impedance and high quality factor fits the demand for next-generation communication systems.
US08471649B2
A compact Ku band microwave diplexer configured as a three port surface mount component on a miniature alumina substrate. Input signals occurring at a common port having frequencies within a first pass band are passed to a second port while being isolated from signals occurring at a third port. Signals occurring at the third port are passed to the common port while being isolated from the signals at the second port. A microstrip dual spur line filter is used combined with open circuit stubs to provide enhanced second harmonic suppression on the transmit side, while using a coupled line microstrip filter on the receive side. This approach allows for compact size and automated component assembly through pick and place and reflow manufacturing techniques.
US08471642B2
Embodiments of the invention relate to resonant circuits; particularly but not exclusively the embodiments relate to resonant circuits in RPID (radio frequency identification) responsive to a wide frequency range. A controllable electric resonator comprising an inductor coupled to a first capacitor to form a resonant circuit, the resonator further comprising a controllable element, a second capacitor controllable coupled across said first capacitor by said controllable element, and a control device to control said controllable element such that a total effective capacitance of said first and second capacitor varies over a duty cycle of an oscillatory signal on said resonator.
US08471628B2
An amplifier (210) includes an input stage (310, 320) and an output stage (330). The input stage (310, 320) has an input for receiving an input signal, and an output. The output stage (330) has an input coupled to the output of the input stage (310, 320), and an output for providing an amplified output signal. The output stage (330) includes a gain stage and a bias circuit. The gain stage has an input forming the input of the output stage, an output for providing the amplified output signal, and a first bias terminal. The bias circuit has a first output terminal coupled to the first bias terminal of the gain stage. During a turn-on period the bias circuit gradually ramps the first bias terminal from a first initial voltage to a first bias voltage.
US08471624B2
The present invention relates to a method for controlling the supply voltage for an integrated circuit, which is connected to a voltage regulation module via a sense line, a voltage supply line and a bus wherein the supply voltage is provided by the voltage regulation module (10) via the voltage supply line. The supply voltage is composed of a reference voltage and a number of additional voltage levels. The reference voltage is defined by a voltage source and controlled by the integrated circuit via the bus, and the number of additional voltage levels is determined by the integrated circuit and send to the voltage regulation module via the sense line. Further the present invention relates to a corresponding apparatus with a voltage regulation module and an integrated circuit.
US08471617B2
Circuits, methods, and apparatus that provide duty-cycle error correction for clock and other periodic signals. One example provides a duty-cycle correction that can be used to improve the duty cycle of a clock signal that is received by, or generated by, a delay-locked loop. This example receives an input clock signal and uses a variable delay element to construct an improved duty-cycle output clock signal. The duty cycle of the output clock is examined to determine if the delay element is providing excess or insufficient delay. The delay of the delay element is then adjusted. To improve response times, a successive approximation technique is used to determine the most significant bits of a count that adjusts the delay through the delay element. To improve accuracy, a linear technique is used to adjust the least significant bits of the count.
